Ottawa, September 11, 2009
Notes for an address at the Annual General Meeting
of the Quebec Community Groups Network
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Thank you for inviting me to speak. It is a special opportunity and a privilege for me to be addressing a community that exemplifies the ideals of the Official Languages Act.
In 1969, the adoption of the Act came about as Canadians yearned to reinforce our commitment to openness and respect for one another, to linguistic duality and diversity, and to the bridges that can be built between English- and French-speaking communities. Supported by all parties in the House of Commons, the Act had a symbolic value that far exceeded the administrative goals it contained.
When the Act was adopted, the English-speaking community of Quebec was starting to take shape in a number of ways. Therefore, this anniversary is also yours.
The 1960s and the 1970s were difficult times for English-speaking Quebecers. The English-speaking community was—and is still—sometimes mistaken as an obstacle to a society seeking a new status. Over the years, many of you have experienced the departure of family members who resettled elsewhere in our vast country, from Toronto to Calgary to Vancouver. However, the majority of you chose to remain and were joined by others, who were drawn to the unique linguistic and cultural strength of your communities. I believe that the way English-speaking communities have adapted to the new social climate and successfully recovered is one of the great unreported Canadian success stories.
Health
Four decades ago, your hospitals were vital, central pillars of your community, with gainful annual fundraising campaigns. You could once take your first breath, live, grow and die all in your mother tongue. This is now virtually impossible for English-speaking Quebecers, unless you live in Montréal. Nevertheless, other institutions have been transformed to address the evolving needs of your community and to accommodate the aging population. There is no question that your communities need particular health care services, and that those can only be truly effective if they are available in the language of the patient.
The McGill University Health Centre in Montréal is a prime example of an institution that has evolved with the community it serves. The redevelopment project underway demonstrates its commitment to the English-speaking community as well as to Quebec society. Furthermore, it continues to exemplify the contribution of English-speaking Quebecers to the province.
As for the Sherbrooke Hospital, it may no longer be a pillar in the Eastern Townships’ English-speaking community, but with your openness and foresight it has been transformed into a pillar for all of Quebec, with expertise—in English and French—that is being applied all across Canada. It is now the Sherbrooke Geriatric University Institute—a bilingual institution funded by the Quebec government.
Education
Despite the challenges you have faced, as a community, you have accepted your evolving society with grace and respect. You have adapted to the social changes around you. You are finding your place in this new society. And you continue to be active, committed participants in your communities.
In recent years, your population decline has come to a halt, and a certain level of stability may be settling in.
For about 20 years, you have been working to make a place for youth in your communities, be they large or small, central or remote. In the otherwise very urban society of today, some younger people are now proudly choosing their hometown as the place to raise their family. And some of the others who left are coming back, rediscovering their roots, bringing new life and energy to your communities, and new joy to family celebrations.
Your school boards are among the most innovative in Canada. They were among the first to adopt immersion programs in the 1960s, and they are now among the first to capitalize on the new technologies changing society and bridging the geographical distances that divide some of your families.
Your school boards have also developed expertise in bilingual instruction, offering more than the required amount of second-language teaching. As a result, the English-speaking community of Quebec boasts a very high level of bilingualism.
Schools like Sutton Elementary in the Townships, Bonaventure Polyvalent School in Gaspé and the current Option Études pilot project in Châteauguay are examples of rewarding partnerships between the English- and French-speaking communities.
Early on, you recognized the importance of learning French. Now, your families’ successive generations are each more bilingual than the last, and you and your children are becoming leaders in Quebec and Canadian society. Your ability to speak your neighbour’s language is not only an economic necessity, but also a sign of openness and respect.
Community involvement
The linguistic duality and diversity in your own communities is enabling you to build countless bridges within Quebec and across Canada, like those school partnerships I just mentioned.
A few weeks ago, I visited the Gaspé, where I was deeply impressed by the energy, imagination and collaborative spirit with which the French, English and Aboriginal communities are working together to address the challenges in the region.
You have continued to look for ways to affirm Quebec as your home, too. Blue Metropolis—the bilingual international literary festival in Montréal—is a superb expression of this will among English-speaking Quebecers in the field of arts and culture. I was very pleased to present the first Award of Excellence for the Promotion of Linguistic Duality last April to Linda Leith, President and Artistic Director of the Blue Metropolis Foundation.
Your community presents no obstacle to the protection and promotion of French in Canada. Quite the opposite. The late Gérald Godin recognized this fact 25 years ago, in a report to the National Assembly. And this fact is starting to become known, despite being sometimes overshadowed by extreme partisan rhetoric and sensationalist headlines.
Conclusion
English-speaking Quebecers are models of openness and respect for many other Canadians. And this is clearly demonstrated in the diversity of your communities, particularly in the Montréal area. Furthermore, when French-speaking Quebecers expressed concern over the future of their language, and adopted the Charter of the French Language and its predecessors in the 1960s and 1970s, you listened to their concerns. And you responded as neighbours, friends and family would. You learned to speak their language, and you use it in public.
You defend and promote your own language and culture, and you help your neighbours defend and promote theirs.
Together, your children are learning to take their first breath, live and grow in both of Canada’s official languages.
This was not the ultimate goal of the Official Languages Act, but it is clearly one of its very positive results. English-speaking Quebecers, like many French-speaking Canadians in minority communities, are becoming our country’s leaders in all facets of life—because you can speak to one another; you understand your fellow Canadians.
I encourage you to continue building these bridges, for we know the difficulties and divides that remain. As English-speaking community leaders, you must continue your work of defending and promoting your heritage and the vitality of your communities. Continue asserting its value and its essential nature in health and other situations.
Promoting your heritage and your community means increased involvement, stronger bonds and greater integration with the French-speaking community. Your efforts to make Francophones aware of your presence, your history, your contributions, your knowledge of French and your needs must continue.
The Official Languages Act ultimately expresses the ideals held by Canadians. We are still reaching for these ideals. And although you are rarely recognized for it, your community serves as a model in this struggle.
Keep up your excellent work. Congratulations on your successes. And my very best wishes as you face the challenges that lie ahead.
You can always count on my support.
Thank you.
