Ottawa, June 2, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Francophone and Acadian Community Summit: Graham Fraser calls on communities to continue dialogue
French-speaking communities should extend their national conversation to all Canadians in order to further advance the equality of status of Canada’s official languages, Graham Fraser, Commissioner of Official Languages, said today. “We need this dialogue because linguistic duality and respect for the Act are everybody’s business, ”Fraser told the Francophone and Acadian Community Summit in Ottawa. “We all have responsibilities in this regard. The principles of respect, generosity and integrity that underpin linguistic duality should inspire all of us.”
Mr. Fraser said that there is now widespread recognition of the vital contribution that English and French communities make to the Canadian identity. Among other things, this recognition led Parliament to make amendments to the Official Languages Act in 2005. The Act now calls for all federal institutions to take “positive measures” to promote our two official languages and enhance the vitality of English- and French-speaking minority communities.
These new legislative provisions are now tools that official language communities can use to achieve true equality. Under the Act, federal institutions must take the interests of these communities into account when making decisions and develop new initiatives in consultation with them. “We have a right to expect governments to fully exercise a leadership role for their linguistic minorities and work proactively rather than after the fact. It’s not just an issue of translation. It’s a vitally important&nissue that is at the heart of the principles of equality that inspired the creation of Canada,” said the Commissioner.
“The future of linguistic minorities depends on our will to promote and implement comprehensive development strategies for them. We must spare no effort to include Canadian society as a whole in this process,” Mr. Fraser added. Moreover, according to a recent Decima Research survey, 7 out of 10 Canadians support bilingualism, with even greater support among the 18-to-34 age group. “I intend to leave no stone unturned to make everyone understand that we are staking our common future on linguistic duality, in our progression toward equality,” the Commissioner concluded.
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For more information:
Robin Cantin
Manager, Media Relations
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Telephone: 613-995-0374
Cellular: 613-324-0999
Toll-free: 1-877-996-6368
E-mail: robin.cantin@ocol-clo.gc.ca
