The 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation is fast approaching on Canada Day, July 1, 2017. Huge celebrations have been in the works for years now, with events taking place across the country. It’s being framed as a year for celebration of our history, what Canada is today and what it could become in the future.
As a national and history-based event, “Canada’s Big Year” is causing more introspective conversations than some would hope. Some Indigenous artists are avoiding associating themselves with the festivities, which are being seen as a “celebration of colonialism.” The Parti Québécois, a Quebec political party known for its core policy of seceding from Canada, is launching their own string of celebrations, branded L’Autre 150e, or The Other 150. It’s safe to say that not all are complacent with the way Canada was built or governed in its 150 years of confederation. These sovereignists’ strife isn’t of concern to me, though. Quebec is being treated quite well by the feds in comparison to other provinces and territories.
One movement in particular —one that’s close to heart as well— has been gaining steam lately: the one to make Ottawa officially bilingual for the country’s 150th anniversary. As Canada has two official languages, there shouldn’t be a problem, right? One would think so, but many key players, including the city’s mayor, aren’t too hot on the idea.
The movement for a bilingual Ottawa didn’t spring out of the blue. Over a third of Ottawans are bilingual, with nearly 15% identifying as francophone. Ottawa’s status as capital of a bilingual country is also being used as an argument.
What its opponents are arguing is as broad as it’s easily debunked. Many, including Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, maintain that Ottawa’s approach to bilingualism is already “exceptional,” branding as a “pragmatic bilingualism.” I would tend to disagree:
Quand le maire @JimWatsonOttawa dit que sa politique de bilinguisme marche bien et que tu reçois des communications unilingues par la poste. pic.twitter.com/n7pimr9cuh
— Alain Dupuis (@adupuis1) March 21, 2017
“When Mayor @JimWatsonOttawa says his bilingualism policy works well and you receive a unilingual communication in the mail.” Obviously, all is not well with the “pragmatic bilingualism” being lauded by some.
The movement for a bilingual Ottawa also springs from foresight. If an individual less kind to francophone Ottawans were to be elected mayor, an official bilingual status would safeguard the progress that’s already been made. No matter how sensible and genuine a concern, Mr. Watson “scoffed” at this propos, calling it a pursuing of “an issue that is not a problem.” I’d agree with him, except that that’s exactly what foresight is. We’re looking out for the future. Sue us.
Unsurprisingly, a big fear when discussing bilingualism is job loss, specifically for anglophones. It sprung from misinformation or plain fear-mongering. Here’s the beautiful truth of it all: there would be absolutely no job loss or negative economic consequences. The movement for an officially bilingual Ottawa is purely to enshrine the current policy into a by-law, making it more durable in the long run. If anything, it would encourage francophone immigration and investment in the region. A no-brainer, really.
Canadians have a hard time talking about official languages, though. French and even Indigenous languages — whether or not First Nations’ many languages should be made official— are constantly being debated. Fingers are pointed and fits are thrown, mostly by the anglos and francos, being long-time pals. Nevertheless, its discussion is fundamental to the complex tapestry that is Canada.
The time is now. 2017 is perfect for this gesture to francophones that have often struggled for their rights in an anglophone-majority province. It shouldn’t not purely symbolic, as its opponents’ narrative paints it: it’s also quite pragmatic, a real solution to a very real issue, one that is unfortunately not being recognized for what it is.
There is still time left before Canada Day 2017, and many actions planned to bring the issue to the forefront of the nation’s, and the mayor’s attention. For more information regarding the movement, check out their website here.
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