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In this section, you have been introduced to the concepts of collective rights and collective identity. You have explored the collective rights of the Aboriginal peoples and have examined how the Canadian constitution guarantees their collective rights. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms also guarantees the collective rights of Francophones and Anglophones.

The French and the English were the first Europeans to settle in North America. Early settlements were established in present-day Quebec, Newfoundland, and New Brunswick. Based on the fur trade, whaling, and exploration, relationships among the French, the English, and the First Nations were established and set the foundation for laws in Canada.

As early as 1774 through legislation in the Quebec Act, the French were guaranteed rights to their language and their identity.

The British North America Act of 1867 recognized, through legislation, the bilingual and bicultural nature of Canada, where both the French and the English co-existed in one country.

Read Section 133 of the British North America Act of 1867 by clicking on the link below. This section ensured that both French and English would be the accepted languages in the operation of the federal government.

Section 133

More recently, the Official Languages Act of 1969 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982 affirmed the collective rights of Francophones and Anglophones. Thus, French and English were established as Canada's two official languages.

Read Sections 16 and 17 and Section 20 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by clicking on the links below.

These sections established that both the French and the English languages have a prominent place in Canada. The Charter also protects the rights of those who speak these languages. For example, all federal government business must be available in both French and English.

Sections 16 and 17
Section 20

View the images below to see examples of this in action.

© Public Domain

Proof of Citizenship, (Ottawa: Citizenship and Immigration Canada),http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLIsh/citizenship/proof.asp (11 May 2009). Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2009.

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