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Section 23 of the Charter extends the protection of rights to official language minorities. French-speaking or English-speaking minority populations have the right to publicly-funded schools. This means that Francophones living in Alberta, for example, or Anglophones living in Quebec are guaranteed minority language education rights.


Read "Une Élève Parle / A Student Speaks", the profile of a Francophone student who lives in a minority setting in Alberta, on page 143 of your textbook, Issues for Canadians.

Consider the rights of Francophones who live in Alberta. How are their rights protected?

Read "Living en Anglais", the profile of an Anglophone student who lives as a minority in Quebec, on page 144 of your textbook, Issues for Canadians.

What are the rights of Francophones who live in Quebec? What are the rights of Anglophones who live in this minority setting?

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, through its guarantee of official language minority rights, affirms the languages, the cultures, and the identities of both English-speaking and French-speaking people in Canada. Anglophone and Francophone students have the opportunity and the right to attend schools where they can speak their first language, maintain their culture, and affirm their identity although they may live in a setting where they are in an official language minority.

What are the challenges and opportunities for Francophones and Anglophones living in communities where they are minorities? What challenges and opportunities does affirming both the Francophone and the Anglophone identity create for Canada?

In your notes, list the challenges and opportunities that exist for Francophones and Anglophones living in communities where they are minorities.

You may record your points in a chart such as the following or in a graphic organizer of your choice. An example has been provided to assist you.

Community	Challenges	Opportunities
Francophones in St. Isidore, Alberta	takes effort to speak French every day because most people in Alberta speak English	Going to a French school shows the community one's commitment to French
Anglophones in Quebec

Patricia Lychak et al., Issues for Canadians: Teaching Resource (Scarborough: Nelson Education Ltd., 2008). 419. Reproduced by permission.

Save your completed chart or organizer in your Activities folder.

Read "How does the Charter affect the Francophone identity in Quebec?" on page 150 in your textbook, Issues for Canadians.

Answer the following question in your notes.

• How did the Charter of Rights and Freedoms meet the needs of Anglophones and Francophones in Québec?

Save your notes to your Activities folder.

You have begun your investigation of how the Charter of Rights and Freedoms meets the needs of Francophones in minority settings and of Francophones in Quebec.

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