Facts about Official Languages
A few statistics
As stated in the 2006 Census, there are 9.6 million Canadians (30.7% of the population) who speak French and 26.6 million (85%) who speak English.
Percentage and number of bilingual people in major Canadian cities
| Montréal 52% (1,861,952) | Toronto 8.3% (418,505) |
| Ottawa–Gatineau 44.4% (496,025) | Edmonton 7.6% (77,950) |
| Halifax 12.1% (44,875) | Vancouver 7.8% (162,790) |
| Winnipeg 10.9% (74,880) | Calgary 7.9% (84,085) |
Myths and realities
Myth:
Bilingualism is a failure and Canadians don’t want anything to do with it.
Reality:
An increasing number of Canadians understand the social, political and economic advantages of having two official languages, and support for bilingualism is unprecedented. According to a survey conducted by Decima Research in 2006, 7 out of 10 Canadians are personally in favour of bilingualism for the whole country or for their own province. In addition, 77% of Canadians believe that both official language groups should benefit from education that is of equal quality, even when the groups are in a minority setting. Among young adults between 18 to 34 years of age, support for Canadian bilingualism has now reached 80%. As well, more than 8 out of 10 Canadians consider it essential for their children to learn a second language.
Myth:
Official bilingualism means that all Canadians must speak English and French.
Reality:
Some 22 million Canadians speak English or French. The Official Languages Act applies solely to institutions and in no way obligates Canadians to become bilingual. Official bilingualism ensures that the Government of Canada can offer services to English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in their language of choice where there is significant demand. By using English and French, the Government of Canada can communicate with more than 98% of the population.
Myth:
The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver don’t have to be bilingual because they are British Columbia’s Games.
Reality:
Although Vancouver and Whistler are hosting the 2010 Games and play a primary role, all partners understand that these are Canada’s Games and that, as such, they must reflect the country’s values. Linguistic duality is one of Canada’s fundamental values: it is part of the country’s history and social fabric, and is inscribed in the country’s core legal documents—the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Official Languages Act. English and French are not only Canada’s official languages, but also those of the International Olympic Committee. This is a unique opportunity to showcase linguistic duality as one of Canada’s fundamental values. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the cultural richness of our English- and French-speaking communities.
The Government of Canada is one of the event’s main partners. Some partners, including the province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and the Municipality of Whistler, in consultation with the Four Host First Nations Society, are also called upon to cooperate with VANOC in the provision of services, such as signage and transportation, and in the organization of events during the Games.
"To ensure the presence of Canada’s Francophonie and reflect the country’s linguistic duality, Francophone organizations such as the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique and Fondation Dialogue, as well as provincial governments (particularly those of Quebec and New Brunswick), are working together with VANOC."1
Myth:
In Canada, French is bound to lose its place as second language to Mandarin or Spanish.
Reality:
More than one in five Canadians state that French is their mother tongue,2 making it the second most spoken language in Canada. In fact, there are almost one million speakers whose mother tongue is French and who live outside Quebec. This number is greater than that for all speakers of other languages in the country, excluding English. All Canadians are in a position to acquire knowledge of both official languages. For instance, approximately 11% of visible minorities aged 20–49 are bilingual. Among those aged 20–29 who declare themselves members of a visible minority group, the bilingualism rate is even higher, at 16%. According to data from the 2006 census, only 20% of the entire Canadian population has a mother tongue that is neither English nor French.
Myth:
Only those who grew up in a French environment will ever become proficient enough to meet the bilingualism criteria of the federal public service.
Reality:
In general, the public service is becoming increasingly bilingual. According to the Canada Public Service Agency’s most recent annual report on official languages, 90% of federal employees who hold bilingual positions meet the linguistic requirements of their position. Moreover, in the 2005–2006 fiscal year, Anglophones represented nearly one-third of new appointments to bilingual imperative positions in the public service. What is more, the federal public service generally reflects the linguistic composition of the Canadian population. Close to three-quarters (72%) of federal positions are held by English-speaking Canadians.
Notes
1. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, Raising our Game for Vancouver 2010: Towards a Canadian Model of Linguistic Duality in International Sport, Ottawa, December 2008, p. 5.
2. "Mother tongue" refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census (Census 2006, Statistics Canada).
