Lesson 7 — Activity 3: The Official Languages Act

Warm Up

You have been thinking about the language you speak most often and about the many different languages spoken throughout Canada. You have also done some thinking about the differences in the English language throughout the world.

Think about the language(s) you speak. Do most other people in your community speak that language? Do you usually watch and listen to entertainment from cultures that speak the same language as you?

Remember that globalization is the idea that the world is becoming one large, interconnected, and interdependent community. Can you see any benefits from knowing other languages?

boy with canada flag

getty images

In this activity, you will examine the Official Languages Act of Canada and learn why it was developed. You will also think about the value of knowing other languages.

You have learned previously that Canada has two official languages — English and French.

In 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his government
brought in the Official Languages Act. The government under Prime Minister Trudeau wanted to bring in this Act in order to promote unity and bilingualism among Canadians.

Pierre Trudeau

Courtesy of Rob Mieremet

The most important purpose of the Official Languages Act was to protect English and French as the official languages of Canada and their use in all federal institutions. This Act gave Canadians the legal right to speak French when receiving services from the federal government and the courts. Provinces also began to offer services in French. The Act was intended to provide equal opportunity for citizens who spoke either official language.

The principles of this Act were later incorporated into the Constitution of Canada, in Section 16 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is one part of the Canadian Constitution, which is a set of laws containing the fundamental rules that define and guide Canadian culture. It is a set of basic rules that everyone must follow.)

This Act was then revised in 1988 to achieve two new objectives:

First, it was necessary to update the 1969 law to take into account the new language-related obligations that the federal government had undertaken under Sections 16-23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which had been enacted in 1982. For example, Section 20 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right of the Canadian public to communicate in English and French with any central government office or with regional offices where there is "a significant demand for communication with and services from that office." Significant demand was not defined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One of the purposes of the Official Languages Act of 1988 was to remedy this omission.

Second, the new law included provisions for the promotion by the Government of Canada of Quebec’s English-speaking minority and of French-speaking minorities in the rest of Canada.

Click to see some of the provisions of The Act

1. Guaranteed services in English and in French in places where a large number of people speak both languages.

2. Guaranteed federal employees the right to work in the official language of their choice in certain regions.

3. Ensured equal opportunities for employment and advancement for English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in federal institutions.

4. Ensured that the Public Service is made up of people from the two official language groups.

5. Tried to strengthen English-speaking and French-speaking minority communities and to advance the status of English and French in Canadian society.

(Adapted from K&E Studio)

Some Differences of Opinion

Prime Minister Trudeau also wanted English and French Canadians, especially young people, to work to increase their understanding of each other’s cultures. The government provided money to help make this happen. These policies were met with mixed reviews. Some people loved them, some people did not.

Some Canadians embraced the idea of bilingualism with enthusiasm. For example, many families enrolled their children in French immersion classes.

Others, especially Western Canadians, felt that the federal government was forcing French on them. They believed that the West was being ignored, while the government focused their attention on Québec. Francophones in Québec were also not impressed. They wanted "special status" for Québec in Confederation. Trudeau, however, insisted that Québec was a province just like any other.

How do you see this Act in your daily life? Here are some examples:

All federal government services must be provided in both English and French. Any lands that fall under the control of the federal government must have bilingual signs. As soon as you enter a national park in Canada, for example, you will notice that any signs posted in the park are in both English and French.

Bilingual Jasper Park sign

flickr.com

Airports are under the jurisdiction of the federal government, so they must display bilingual signs.

Bilingual Air Canada Sign

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If you have flown on Air Canada or Westjet, you will have heard the safety messages in both languages.

bilingual water label

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You will also notice that food product labels are in both languages.

And sporting events in Canada must include both languages as part of their ceremonies and in the singing of the national anthem.

National anthem at a hockey game

Try This!

Decide if the following statements about the Official Languages Act are true or false.

1. The Act guaranteed services in English and in French in places where a large number of people speak both languages.

2. The Act stated that the public service only requires to be made up of people who speak French.

3. The Act guaranteed federal employees the right to work in the official language of their choice in certain regions.

Check your answers here:

1. True

2. False. The Act stated that the public service must be made up of people from the two official language groups.

3. True

Do some thinking of the benefits of speaking more than one language.

Click on the Play button to watch a video about how students across Canada feel about knowing more than one language.

While it is true that many Canadians choose to be bilingual in English and French, as you saw in L7 — A1, many other Canadians speak English or French and choose another language important to their culture.