The issue of bilingualism in the Vancouver 2010 opening ceremonies has created media controversy, with outlets in either language taking part. In many quarters, the issue has been framed as a Quebec versus the rest of Canada (ROC) conflict. We disagree. Canada is an officially bilingual country, and many people on both sides of the linguistic divide are intensely proud of this fact. So, although the opening ceremonies did much to highlight Canada’s aboriginal culture, mountains, prairie grasslands, endless coasts and vast arctic expanse, the artistic component of the ceremonies did little or nothing to acknowledge our linguistic duality and our rich Francophone culture. One might even go so far as to say that Garou was an afterthought.

It is particularly unfortunate that the head of Canada’s winter Olympics and his artistic advisors appear to be so unaware of or indifferent to our national political and linguistic sensibilities. It was widely reported that the Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser and Canadian Heritage Minister, James Moore, offered their support to VANOC months ago to improve the efforts to provide French language services at the games. Yet VANOC found itself unable to organize an opening ceremony that would bring together the citizens from coast to coast to coast.

With many Francophones on the Canadian Olympic team (fifty from Quebec alone) VANOC ought to have found a way to acknowledge their official language community in the opening ceremonies – not to mention Francophone communities across the country, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, watching the ceremonies at home.

Canadians who speak French as second or other language – such as the 25,000 members of Canadian Parents for French across Canada and their children - were doubtless also disappointed by the lack of French language and cultural content.

Canadian Parents for French-BC & Yukon has gone on public record in expressing its disappointment, and we will take this opportunity to say it again. The opening and closing ceremonies have great symbolic weight for Canadians; they provide a showcase for our national identity, aspirations and dreams. The narrative of the ceremonies, given the narrative of our nation, should have proudly featured the one thing that makes us so unique as a country – our linguistic duality.

It is deeply disappointing that VANOC did not take this opportunity to bring our nation together and to show the world who and what Canada represents. Another opportunity like this may not present itself for a very long time.

Lawrence DePoe                
Executive director
Canadian Parents for French – Quebec

Robert Rothon
Executive Director    
Canadian Parents for French BC and Yukon