Toronto, October 8, 2009
Notes for an address to the participants of the
Pathways to Bilingual Success Conference and Bilingual Career Fair
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Good morning. Bonjour.
I am very pleased to be with you today to discuss the importance of bilingualism in your academic and professional careers.
I would especially like to thank Canadian Parents for French for inviting me to speak to you. I haven’t had the same adventures abroad as Alexandre Trudeau, who will speak to you afterwards, has, but I still have great memories of my path to becoming a bilingual Canadian.
At your age, you have never known a Canada that was not bilingual. This year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Official Languages Act.
When I was your age, immersion, extended and core French programs didn’t exist yet, so I didn’t have the opportunities that you have been given. It was only when I was a student a bit older than you at the University of Toronto that I really gained an interest in French culture and language. I was lucky enough to see Gilles Vigneault in concert at the time and, although I had no idea what he was singing about, it really struck a chord with me.
In case you didn’t know, Gilles Vigneault is one of the greatest musical artists and poets from Quebec. Through his work, he has become an icon for the province and for this country. Today, there are many artists, both French-speaking and English-speaking, who are bringing down the divide and making a name for themselves all over Canada, the United States and the world. For example, Arcade Fire and Simple Plan are both made up of bilingual artists from Montréal. Tricia Foster, Cindy Doire, Andrea Lindsay and Damien Robitaille, all from Ontario, are also excellent examples of bilingual artists.
I invite you to learn about these artists, if you don’t already know them, and to learn about other Francophone artists from all over Canada. They are the window to the French culture in our country.
My experience learning French was not always easy. When I was still in university, I chose to spend a summer working at an archaeological dig near Montréal, in order to improve my French. At first, I hardly understood anything. I felt stupid; I didn’t get the jokes. However, by the end of the summer, I was able to converse with my colleagues, laugh at their jokes, have fun and fully enjoy the culture.
That was when my learning experience really began, because it continues to this day. It is important for you to remember that you do not stop learning at the end of Grade 12. To maintain your French skills, you will have to practise and use what you have learned.
You are already off to a good start; in Toronto, there are nearly 4,000 of you taking French as a second language, and many of you are attending French-language schools. When you finish high school, you will even have the option of pursuing all or part of your post-secondary studies in French without having to move away. Glendon College at York University has been offering programs in both official languages, English and French, for many years. For those of you who want to study elsewhere in the province, the University of Ottawa is officially bilingual; you can study there in English, in French or in both languages. There is also Carleton University, which offers a French program adapted to the needs of immersion students. As for the University of Western Ontario, it offers French as a second language business and law programs.
These are only a few examples. There are many others in Ontario, in Quebec and throughout the country.
In order to help you find these post-secondary institutions, my office will be launching a very useful tool on our Web site at the end of October. In short, it will be an interactive map of Canada that will allow you to find the various second-language programs that are offered in all four corners of the country. More specifically, this tool will allow you to identify programs offered in the second language or in both languages, courses taught in the second language, the type of support offered, networking opportunities as well as exchange programs that allow you to study in your second language.
By working closely on this issue, we hope that post-secondary institutions such as universities and colleges will recognize the importance for their students of knowing both official languages for their future.
For example, the Canadian public service is already hiring 12,000 to 15,000 new graduates each year to replace employees who are retiring. This labour shortage is far from over. It is expected to last another 10 years or so. If you want to work in the National Capital Region, which includes Ottawa and Gatineau, it is even more important that you arrive with the necessary language skills, in order to have access to as many positions as possible.
Even here in Toronto, there are many designated bilingual positions in the federal public service and the Government of Ontario. There is also a sizeable Francophone community that is always in need of services from all levels of government, and that is thriving in the private sphere as well.
This community is a very important resource for you on your path to learning French. Already today, you have met young Francophones and Francophiles from the area. I encourage you to build friendships and establish ties with students from other schools. This will allow you to share your culture with them, and vice versa. It is a win-win situation for everyone. This is also part of the learning process: getting to know the other culture.
Finally, don’t forget that learning both our official languages is absolutely necessary if you want to genuinely contribute to Canada’s linguistic duality, if you want to participate in the national dialogue and if you want to fully understand our country as a whole.
You are our country’s next generation of talent. When you are ready to enter the job market, your skills will be in great demand and you will have to stand out from the crowd. Knowing both official languages, and even other languages, will give you an unparalleled advantage.
Don’t forget that my office and Canadian Parents for French—as well as countless other organizations—are just a phone call or mouse-click away. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of these resources throughout your learning cycle and career path.
Thank you.
