Merging two official languages, Tim Reinert (The Source Newspaper, February 21 2012)

Merging two official languages

Since the Official Languages Act was passed in 1969, Canada has had two official languages: English, and French. In theory, it was designed to ensure easy access to all services in either language. In practice, it has meant that the divide between Francophone and Anglophones has stretched ever further, with little incentive to bridge that gap at all, either culturally or linguistically.

B.C. no friend to French

    In British Columbia, it’s easy to forget that there is a second official language.
    According to the last Census that released specific language data, less than 7 percent of British Columbians speak French, and if you’re counting people that speak exclusively French, that drops to less than 1500 in total.
    But that number is growing, and French Immersion number programs in British Columbia are filling up at an exponential rate.
    But not every one who wants to put their children into French Immersion can do so. The programs are limited, and long line-ups for child placement are common. But if French is an official language of Canada, why is it so difficult for some Canadians to have the opportunity to learn it?

Unfair advantages

According to the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms, only native French speakers or children of native French speakers have a guaranteed right to French school programs. French second language speakers aren’t covered at all. And so parents wanting to place their children in French immersion must hope that their school district has a large enough population to warrant such a program, and that their school board also recognizes that the demand for such a program exists. Currently, less than half of the 59 school districts in B.C. have French Immersion programs.

Attempts at change

    Glyn Lewis is trying to change that. He’s the Executive Director for the BC & Yukon branch of Canadian Parents. It’s a grassroots organization dedicated to creating and promoting second language opportunities at the community level.
    Lewis feels that learning both languages is a must in today’s society.
    “We’ve come to a point where it’s a recognized value,” he says. “French is part of our linguistic duality. It’s a building block of Canadian identity, and it’s part of who we are.”
    Lewis recently had an opportunity to share his ideas in Ottawa in front of the Senate sub-committee on Official languages.
     “One of the things we were talking about in Ottawa in our presentation to the Senate is how to broaden the definition of Francophone, to include French language speakers.”
    He says that the senator’s reaction was receptive, though concerns were raised. Ultimately he views the trip as a success, and feels that the Senators were receptive to their message.
    “They recognize that if there are parents camping out in Tofino or Coquitlam because they can’t get into a (French Immersion) program, it’s a shame, and something needs to change.”
    Although Lewis’ goal of having the Federal government guarantee access to French language programs to everyone may be a long way off, he says that the amount of kids enrolling in French Immersion programs is increasing every year.
    “French and English are our official languages, and It’s important that all kids have the opportunity to learn those languages and are able to grow and excel anywhere in Canada.”

Below is an Op-Ed by Graham Fraser, Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages, which appeared in the National Post February 15, 2012, arguing the continued relevance of both official languages. The National Post online publication may be viewed here: http://natpo.st/zjz7yq This article was written in response to David Frum's article "The dénouement of French Canada", which appeared in the National Post February 11, 2012, and may be viewed here: http://natpo.st/wQ9Gin

Both Languages Still Matter

Graham Fraser, National Post

   'For me, it is a question of identity ... I am Canadian - I speak French." These were the words of Savroop Kullar, a French immersion student at the University of Ottawa, addressing an international conference on post-secondary immersion on Friday.
   I thought of this remark reading David Frum's argument (The dénouement of French Canada, Feb. 11) that Canada's immigration policies will mean the gradual disappearance of the political influence of French-speaking Canada in general and Quebec in particular. Throughout Canada's history, people like Frum have announced the beginning of the end of the French fact in Canada. Lord Durham made the same case in 1839, and John A. Macdonald responded to precisely the same argument 156 years ago, in a letter to a conservative who was just as grumpy as Durham and Frum about the influence of the French.
   However, facts are stubborn, and percentages do not reflect the vitality or the values of a community and its culture. Frum mentions a hypothetical Québécois who meets a girl from a Chinese immigrant background. What he neglects to mention is the enthusiasm that the Chinese community has demonstrated for sending their children to French immersion schools, perhaps inspired by former governor general Adrienne Clarkson's eloquence in both official languages. Many immigrants, like Savroop Kullar, see bilingualism as an aspirational goal linked to Canada's identity.
   (This is not unique to Canada; Irish language classes in Dublin are filled with immigrants from Eastern Europe who see learning Irish as a way of affirming their commitment to their new country.)
   Frum points to the out-migration of 50,000 Quebecers, including French speakers, between 2006 and 2011, as if this were a direct loss to Frenchs peaking Canada. In fact, those Quebecers who are moving to Western Canada are sending their children to French-language schools, joining Francophone associations, watching French-language television, listening to French-language radio and strengthening the minority language communities outside Quebec.
   And when their children attend French school, they will be sitting beside immigrant and refugee children from the Congo, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Algeria, Tunisia, Belgium and France. The French language schools in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver - not to mention other cities across Canada - are becoming as culturally and ethnically diverse as the English language schools. Immigration is strengthening, not weakening, the minority French-speaking communities in Canada.
   There are remarkable signs of the vitality of the French language and culture in Canada today. Philippe Falardeau's extraordinary film Monsieur Lazhar has been nominated for a foreign-language Academy Award, just as Denis Villeneuve's film Incendies was a year ago. One of the most watched Canadian television programs, in either language, is Tout le monde en parle, but you need to tune in to Radio Canada on Sunday night to know it exists.
   As Frum points out, Stephen Harper has won a majority government without strong representation in Quebec. But this has not stopped him from beginning every news conference in French, and speaking French at G8 meetings in Washington and Beijing. This is partly his understanding of Canada's identity, at home and abroad. But he also knows that, while 98% of Canadians speak English or French, there are 4 million French-speaking Canadians who speak no English. And he also knows that, in addition to the 75 seats in Quebec, there are 19 seats outside Quebec where French speakers represent at least 10% of the population - and he won 10 of them.
   For the first time, six of Canada's premiers are bilingual: A reflection of their interest in understanding national issues, but also the interest that premiers Charest, Ghiz, Alward, McGuinty, Selinger and Redford have shown in the minority language communities in their provinces. And those Canadians who want to understand the country as a whole - whether politicians, public servants, soldiers, academics, labour leaders, business people, judges or hockey coaches - have made a point of learning both official languages.
   It is true that immigration is changing Canada. But this does not mean the diminution of the importance of both of Canada's official languages any more than it did when Lord Durham made the same prediction 172 years ago.
   - Graham Fraser is the Commissioner of Official Languages.

Victoria, BC – La Place French is celebrating its official launch and has started offering unique activity-based French classes in the Victoria area.  The goal at La Place French is to create as many opportunities as possible for children and adults to speak, read, play and enjoy French. This unique approach to language acquisition helps learners develop the necessary tools, confidence and skills to become truly proficient in French. La Place French also carries a good online selection of French resource books (picture dictionaries, encyclopedias, homework exercise books) that have beautiful images and clear texts to help expand French vocabulary and reading skills.

Although other language centers already exist in Victoria, La Place French places special emphasis on providing children, parents and the general public a novel opportunity to experience French as a living language, a language that can be used to learn an instrument of music, to dance, to sing, to play or even to talk about a book or movie.  Studies have shown that providing a chance for learners of all ages to discover French outside of the traditional classroom will make a difference throughout their life both academically and socially. Please refer to the attached press release for more details.

Attachments:

La Place French January 2012

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February 1st, 2012

By Jennifer McFee

CELEBRATE FRENCH IMMERSION

French immersion students are getting ready to celebrate next week.

The governments of B.C. and the Yukon are recognizing Feb. 5 to 11 as French Immersion Celebration Week.

In B.C., more than 238,000 students are enrolled in French second language programs. Nearly eight per cent of B.C.'s students are in French immersion.

Canadian Parents for French will organize events across the province, with a focus on inclusion.

You don't need to speak French or be enrolled in immersion to enjoy the celebrations. For more information, visit www.cpf. bc.ca or contact Glyn Lewis at 778-329-9115 ext. 316 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

© Copyright (c) Coquitlam Now

by Barj S. Dhahan, Vancouver Sun

I was 10 years old when my family immigrated to Canada from Pun-jab, India. I was terrified about having to learn both of the official languages of my new country. Lucky for me, it turned out that in my new city of Port Alberni, French was not actually required or necessary. Although I had to take French at school, I never needed it in my day-to-day life.

But was that lucky for me?

Now, as I look back over my life as a Canadian, I regret not being fluent in French. I regret it for myself, personally wishing for the opportunities multilingualism might have provided, and I regret it for our country. True bilingualism across all of the provinces and territories would not only place Canadians in a more competitive position in the global economy, but it would also contribute to better cultural understandings among our citizens while strengthening national unity.

Canada has been officially English/ French bilingual since the passage of the 1969 Official Languages Act, yet today less than 20 per cent of Canadians can speak both languages. The numbers are varied across the provinces. In British Columbia, French is not even required in schools. All schools are required to teach a second language from Grades 5 to 11 but students have options, particularly from Grades 9 and up. Although French Immersion programs are also available, they are not the norm. It is no surprise then that here only seven per cent of people are English/French bilingual.

Should it matter? Some may argue that official bilingualism is a thing of the past. I argue otherwise, that instead it should be one of our main goals for the future.

In this globalized world, speaking multiple languages is a huge asset both on an individual and (inter) national level. The Canadian Council on Learning has outlined several advantages of bilingualism. There are cognitive benefits: bilingual children often exceed their peers in a variety of areas, knowledge of a second language facilitates learning additional languages, and bilingualism has shown to delay the onset of dementia in old age. There are also economic benefits: the 2006 census shows higher employment rates and income levels for bilinguals than for monolinguals and there are Canadian industries that prefer bilingualism such as administration, tourism, sales, and services. Further-more, many international companies, particularly in countries where French is an official language (29 countries), prefer partnerships with bilingual Canadians.

Today, global trade relationships are shifting and Canada would do well to ensure partnerships with French-speaking countries, most of them in resource-rich Africa and with growing populations.

In addition to all of the above benefits, speaking multiple languages allows for greater intercultural under-standing. By recognizing that there is more than one grammar, more than one way of getting ideas across, or more than one way to understand people and the world, it is natural for one to show greater empathy for those who do not share their same cultural background.

Many Canadians outside of Quebec do not have a deep understanding of the role of French culture in our history or in modern Canadian society. Claiming that our country is officially bilingual, but not actually ensuring that this is so only makes a mockery of our history. It also ensures a continued lack of understanding.

We need to look at innovative ways to highlight the importance of French in provinces outside of Quebec that go beyond bilingual signage and label-ling. We must have adequate funding for French education, teacher resources, and cultural programs. We must also ensure that there are post-secondary education and employment opportunities in French outside of the eastern provinces. If we do not invest in Canadian bilingualism, we run the risk of falling behind culturally and economically both nationally and globally. We also risk increased ghettoization by linguistic groups, as is already happening in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and other major Canadian urban centres.

Ensuring linguistic cohesion across the country can lead to a greater sense of national unity - one that I feel has been deteriorating over the last decades. In a world where most things that we want are only a mouse-click away, what unites us with our fellow human beings is shared experience, and language is the key to expressing our shared experience. By promoting official bilingualism while incorporating the growing cultural and linguistic diversity in our country, we are showing a dedication to intercultural understanding, greater collaboration, and a world of opportunity for our citizens. Some people also say when you learn another language, you get another soul!

Barj S. Dhahan is national chairman of the Canada-India Foundation, www.canadaindia.org.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Source: The Vancouver Sun

January 13, 2012

By Jennifer McFee

Parents can register online rather than in line this year for kindergarten French immersion classes in School District 43.

For the first time, the registration process will be available electronically for the popular program.

Assistant superintendent Sylvia Russell hopes parents will find this approach easier than lining up outside schools.

"For the last few years, we've had fairly big lineups of parents staying up late and coming in the middle of the night to get a French immersion spot at a couple of our schools," Russell said.

"We thought we would use electronic registration this year for French immersion so people don't have to line up overnight. So there's a process that's set up in the district now for people who are interested in kindergarten French immersion to go online and register their children that way rather than this lineup approach."

Online kindergarten French immersion registration runs from 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

This registration process is specifically for kindergarten students - not for kids who are already in French immersion in higher grades.

"Those kids are already accepted into their schools, so there's no problem there, and there's generally space to move around," Russell said.

"It's kindergarten where we have some hotspots at a few of our schools in terms of being able to fit everybody in that wants to go there."

French immersion programs tend to fill up quickly at Panorama, Glen and Glenayre elementaries. Some years, Porter and Rochester elementaries are also full to capacity.

"Parents are pretty interested in programs of choice at this particular time," Russell said. "So I'm expecting that parents need to probably pay a fair bit of attention to getting their applications in early for all programs of choice, but particularly for French immersion."

French immersion registrations will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents will be told by Feb. 3 whether their children made it into the program or not. For those who don't make the cut, they will still have time to apply for regular kindergarten classes during the registration period from Feb. 7 to 9.

Registration for other specialty classes - including Montessori, Mandarin bilingual and the new Reggioinfluenced program - will also run from Jan. 19 to 25.

However, Russell stressed, the registration process is different for each program.

"Each program of choice has a different way of doing it. French immersion is the only one that's online. Montessori does a random draw, and that's also what we use for Mandarin bilingual," she said.

"Each program has a slightly different history and a slightly different approach to this."

Early French immersion information sessions will be held on Monday, Jan. 16 at Kilmer Elementary and Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Nestor Elementary, with 7 p.m. start times.

As well, information sessions on the Montessori program will be held Jan. 16 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Gallery Room at the Winslow campus.

On Jan. 17, an information session on the Reggio-influenced program will begin at 6: 30 p.m. in the Gallery Room at the Winslow campus. At the same time, a bilingual Mandarin program information session will run at Walton Elementary.

For more information on programs and registration, visit www.sd43.bc.ca.

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© Copyright (c) Coquitlam Now

Source: The Coquitlam Now

10 janvier 2012

Par Mike Murphy

Alors que le mandarin ou encore le panjabi figurent dans le top 5 des langues les plus couramment parlées en Colombie britannique, après l’anglais, la question de la place de choix accordée au français à l’école est de plus en plus discutée est remise en cause par ses détracteurs.

Selon le réseau national Canadian Parents for French (CPF), qui promeut la pratique et l’enseignement de la langue française, cette place privilégiée est légitime.

Réformes : vers une dévalorisation du français ?

En effet, le CPF avait réagi vivement, il y a un peu plus d’un an, à des changements proposés par le Ministère de l’Education qui, selon l’organisme, menaçait la position privilégiée du français dans le curriculum d’apprentissage de langue seconde.

« On voyait les changements proposés en 2010 comme un recul pour le français », commente Alex Hughes, coordonnatrice des projets à la CPF.

Elle précise que la CPF craignait que ces changements mènent la C.-B. vers un système d’éducation «plurilingue» en rétrogradant le français pour le mettre à pied d’égalité avec les cinq autres langues officiellement reconnues par le Ministère de l’Education, à savoir l’allemand, l’espagnol, le japonais, le mandarin, et le panjabi.

Une possibilité inquiétante pour la CPF. Car bien que l’organisme encourage l’apprentissage d’autres langues que l’anglais et le français, il maintient que les élèves doivent commencer par les deux langues officielles du Canada avant d’en apprendre d’autres à l’école.

« La décision demeure une décision du Conseil scolaire », selon le Ministère de l’Education

Au Ministère de l’Education, où on est toujours dans un processus de mise à jour de la politique sur les langues secondaires, les réformes ne sont pas considérées comme des menaces pour le français.

Selon Nicole Couture, porte-parole du Ministère, les changements proposés n’affecteraient pas les deux provisions de base de la politique du Ministère sur les langues secondes, en vigueur depuis 1997, à savoir que les étudiants doivent obligatoirement suivre des cours dans une langue seconde de la 5e à la 8e année et que ce sont les Conseils scolaires – et non le Ministère – qui décident de la langue seconde qui serait offerte aux élèves.

« La décision demeure une décision du Conseil scolaire » a-t-elle dit en référence au choix de la langue seconde à offrir.

De préciser que, même si la politique du Ministère permet aux Conseils scolaires d’offrir leurs cours de langue seconde dans d’autres langues que le français, il est extrêmement rare qu’un Conseil scolaire n’offre pas le français.

En fait, sur un total de 59 Conseils scolaires, il y en a seulement un ou deux, dans des communautés majoritairement autochtones du nord de la province, où le français n’est pas proposé comme langue seconde.

Bien que la CPF ne s’oppose pas à ce que les Conseils scolaires aient le droit d’offrir ou de ne pas offrir des cours de français langue seconde, selon Mme Hughes, l’organisme voyait dans ces réformes une menace même au statut du français. Soit l’idée proposée par le Ministère de regrouper le français et les cinq autres langues mentionnées ci-dessus dans un même et unique document pédagogique sous la rubrique langues secondaires.

Selon Mme Couture, le Ministère a revu cette décision en février 2011. Au lieu d’un document regroupant les six langues, le français et les cinq autres langues auront toutes leur propre document pédagogique.

La perspective d’une autre communauté linguistique

Si la CPF s’inquiète de l’avenir du français comme langue seconde dans le système d’éducation publique de la C.-B., Sadhu Binning, vice-président de la Punjabi Language Education Association (PLEA), lui, a des réserves quant à la place accordée au panjabi dans les écoles de la province.

« Personne, dans la communauté panjabi, n’a d’antipathie pour le français » a-t-il commenté, mais les membres de la PLEA se sentent souvent frustrés par le fait qu’il est difficile de convaincre les Conseils scolaires d’offrir des cours de panjabi comme langue seconde, même quand la population étudiante d’une école est en grande majorité issue de cette communauté.

—

Le top 10 des langues en Colombie-Britannique

   1. Anglais (70%)
   2. Chinois (8,5%) *
   3. Panjabi (4%)
   4. Allemand (2%)
   5. Français (1,5%)
   6. Tagalog (1%)
   7. Espagnol (0,8%)
   8. Italien (0,6%)
   9. Néerlandais (0,6%)
  10. Vietnamien (0,5%)

* Tous dialectes confondus

Source: Statistique Canada, Recensement 2006

Source: La Source

Attachments:

La Source Vol 12 No 21

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January 6, 2012

Are you planning to travel to Quebec or France, or had you always had the dream to learn French or to improve your French? Or maybe your children are attending the French Immersion program, or the Francophone school? These classes are for you!

The Francophone Association is offering French classes (multiple levels) starting the week of January 16. They will last 10 weeks, 2 hours/ week.

The cost is $175 for the 10 weeks, plus the Association membership, being $20/person or $30/family.

We will hold the classes in our community room at the new Francophone school, école au Courde-l'île, 566 Linshart road, Comox.

For more information and registration contact Edith by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or by phone 250-338-9789.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Source: Comox Valley Echo

January 5, 2012

Editor: I found the letter to the editor from B. McCloy (www.langleytimes.com, Nov. 17) lopsided in his perception of me. Perhaps it is because to date, he and I have not agreed on much, if anything.

He felt it was his obligation to clear up some misconceptions about me and my leadership abilities, which Hattie Hogeterp had commented on in an earlier letter to the editor.  McCloy states she was an outsider during the H.D. Stafford/Langley Secondary transition and French Immersion discussions at LSS.

She was a sitting board member at the time, and certainly not an outsider. Despite his interpretations of how I performed, I worked hard for LSS at creating a smooth transition between LSS and HDS. but it was not what some HDS parents wanted, and so the smooth transition did not happen.

He goes on to say that I did not support the LSS group that wanted to keep French Immersion there. He does not, however, mention that enrolment into our French Immersion program amounted to eight students. Nor did he mention that at the request of a larger number of parents, what I fought for and received was a grandfathering clause so that all students who were currently enrolled in French Immersion would be able to complete that program and graduate from LSS.

Two years prior, I was on the team that fought successfully to keep the program but we were told at the time, registration numbers would have to increase substantially for the program to survive. They did not increase.  As PAC president my obligations were to the parents and students who were already attending the school.

He says that I disappeared after that, “never to be seen again.”  Not true. I remained on the PAC as a member at large and past president, I ran the Haunted House, and I was co-chair of my daughter’s dry grad committee. I also continued to attend all school events, including the unveiling of the beautiful mural that adorns the west wall of the gym.

For years, parent volunteer Cindy Barwin doggedly raised funds for a school beautification project, and as her third child was about to graduate from LSS she finally had raised enough money to hire an artist to paint the mural. On the celebratory day of the unveiling, although all PAC members were invited to attend, only myself and one other former LSS PAC member were there to acknowledge her success and the culmination of all those years of hard work and effort.

My participation with LSS ended when my daughter graduated, except for my seeing through the completion of the display case that now sits in the main foyer.  I have continued to attend board meetings and have run for school board as an independent in the past two elections. I was not elected, as all the positions were either filled with incumbents or union-endorsed candidates.  I certainly have not disappeared.

He also mentions the endorsement from the last election, in which I was supported by Rich Coleman​ and Mary Polak​.  These are the people who have awarded us three new schools, in part because of the relationship with our previous board and with our superintendent. I for one am proud of this association, as it was one that also came without any ties or promises.

The job of trustees is to co-govern the district with the government, and we were a group of people who would work together to benefit students. Union endorsements benefit unions. I am very interested to see how the next three years unfold, now that five of our seven trustees were elected on a union slate.

My guess is that repayment of the deficit will run its full term. Rather than close the under-populated schools, they’ll cancel programs, which mean schools that are subsidizing the under-enrolled schools will be the ones paying the price. They will also be the ones to carry the larger class sizes, while the subsidized schools will not.

I will also be curious to see if there are any changes in our senior management team and in particular to our superintendent, based on the fact that Megan Dykeman and Candy Ashdown, while executive members of DPAC already tried challenging Cheryle Beaumont’s role in our district.

Mixed in with that are Wendy Johnson and Rob McFarlane, who fought the reconfiguration of H.D. Stafford; add Cecelia Reekie, the fifth union slate member, and you have the number of people required to oust our superintendent.

I truly hope that does not happen, for the sake of our district and our students. We will see what this new year brings.

Kari Medos,

Langley

Source: Langley Times

From the Peace Arch News: 2011: A look back at the issues

December 29, 2011

April:

• After low enrolment numbers prompted parents to move their children elsewhere, the Surrey School District announces Laronde Elementary will be French-immersion only starting in September.