Activity 2 page 2

Explore

English is the most common language in every Canadian province except Quebec, where French is the most common language. In Nunavut, however, the most common language spoken is Inuktitut. This means that in Nunavut, English and French are official language minorities, with 70 percent of Nunavummiut speaking Inuktitut as their first language. Many languages are spoken in the homes of Canadians.

Complete the Population by Language Spoken Most Often at Home activity by clicking on one of the links below.

Population by Language Spoken Most Often at Home (Word)
Population by Language Spoken Most Often at Home (pdf)
Population by Language Spoken Most Often at Home (Google Doc)

Save your completed work in your Activities folder.

The federal government and the provincial governments have had important roles in supporting official language minorities. However, although Canada was confirmed to be bilingual and bicultural as far back as the British North America Act of 1867, such a Canada was more of an ideal than a reality.

©Thinkstock

©Thinkstock

Read "How has the Charter affected Francophone education?" on pages 146 and 147 of your textbook, Issues for Canadians to investigate the history of the federal government's commitment to ensuring the rights of Anglophones and Francophones in Canada.

Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, official language minorities are well-protected by government policy.

Read Section 23 of the Charter (by clicking on the link below) to learn how the Charter ensures the protection of educational rights of official language minorities.

Section 23

Read "Putting Francophone Rights into Action" on page 149 of your textbook, Issues for Canadians to learn about the impact that Section 23 has had on the Francophone community in Alberta.

Going Beyond

 Internet Web Search

Do a search to see if other nations have more than one official language. If so, are official language minorities protected by government laws and policies in these countries?

Explore the language groups in the territories of Canada. Do a search to find out what languages are spoken in the North. The government of Nunavut identifies three official languages.

Open an Internet browser, and conduct a search using the keywords "Nunavut Language Commission". Using the results of your search, research the Inuit Language Protection Act. What does having a third official language mean for the people of Nunavut? How would this affect their education system?