Ottawa, December 3, 2002
Speaking notes for an address to the Standing Committee
on Citizenship and Immigration
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Mr. Chairman,
Members of the Committee,
I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. Before I address the particular issue that I wish to raise here, let me point out that both immigration and citizenship have been and continue to be priority issues for my Office. During the consultations in 2001 on the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, I appeared before your committee and asked you to ensure that the vitality of official language communities be made an explicit objective of Canada's immigration policy. Your cooperation in amending that bill ensured the government's commitment to help these communities receive their fair share of immigrants. How urgently we need action on this issue is clearly evident in two studies I published this year. One study covers the demographic gap and recruitment efforts; the other focuses on the need for better integration of immigrants into minority communities once they are in Canada.
The point I wish to raise here today is related to the final step in the integration process of an immigrant-the moment when he or she becomes a Canadian citizen. It is, in fact, a fairly simple point.
I believe that Bill C-18 should be amended to better ensure that Canada's official languages are used and promoted when we confer all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship on new Canadians.
Each year, 160,000 immigrants in Canada are granted citizenship. Each of the 3,000 ceremonies where this takes place is not just a routine act of public administration. Each ceremony is a precious moment in which new Canadians celebrate their journey - a journey which may have started half-way around the world - but which now culminates in the acquisition of what is so valuable both to new Canadians and to existing citizens alike, a citizenship that expresses our attachment to a common set of values.
It is a step that new Canadians take with tremendous pride because they have worked hard to earn it. The initiative and courage that many immigrants show in order to come to Canada is often remarkable. Their commitment to Canada shows in the efforts they make to integrate into Canadian society. And before they are allowed to become citizens, they must pass a knowledge-based exam. Let me quote some pertinent passages from the booklet distributed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada which immigrants study when they prepare to become Canadian citizens:
- Canada, a country with two official languages, welcomes people from more than 150 countries each year.
- Linguistic duality is an important aspect of our Canadian identity.
- English and French have equal status in the Parliament of Canada, in federal courts and in all federal institutions.
Canadian-born citizens are often quite impressed with the questions that an aspiring Canadian is able to answer. One example:
- Which legal documents protect the rights of Canadians with regard to official languages?
For good reasons, we expect immigrants to be well informed about our country before they become citizens. In return, our institutions should correspond to the image we project about Canada.
Having successfully passed the citizenship test, immigrants are invited to take the oath of citizenship.
A citizenship ceremony is a stirring event. Accompanied by friends and family, there is an undeniable air of expectancy and excitement among those who are to become new citizens. The Citizenship Judges, or, as they will henceforth be called, the Citizenship Commissioners, preside over what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The question I would like to ask you, is this: Should we not make sure that this ceremony reflects as fully as possible our Canadian values?
Both English and French should be solidly incorporated in the citizenship ceremony. Each of Canada's official languages must put in more than a fleeting appearance when immigrants become citizens. Linguistic duality should be celebrated during the ceremony. It should be promoted both as a central value for Canadian society and, very concretely, in terms of the languages used at the event.
There are four specific points concerning the bill that I would like to raise here.
I believe that Canada's linguistic duality is an important Canadian value that deserves mention in the purpose clause of the bill. It is useful to remind ourselves that Canada's new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states specifically that it is to be applied consistent with the Charter and, particularly, with the equality of English and French as the official languages of Canada. With regard to the bill before you, I therefore recommend that a new subsection be added to clause 3 which specifies that one of the purposes of the Act is:
"(h) to foster the recognition of English and French as the official languages of Canada."
My second point concerns the Citizenship Commissioners. At clause 31(6) this bill states that an individual's eligibility for appointment as a Citizenship Commissioner depends upon having "demonstrated an understanding of the values of good citizenship and [having been] recognized for their valuable civic contribution."
The bar is set quite high.
This is good.
However, I would suggest to you that such high standards should also include the requirement that candidates must have reached a level of reasonable proficiency in both official languages. In my view, being sworn in as a new citizen by a manifestly bilingual Commissioner will go a long way towards convincing new Canadians that speaking both English and French is something they should strive for, either for themselves or for their children. It will also help to ensure that the Commissioner can, in fact, conduct the ceremony in both official languages-a point to which I will return in a moment.
My third point relates to the values being promoted during the ceremony itself. Clause 33(2) of the bill indicates that in the context of a citizenship ceremony, Citizenship Commissioners are obliged to "promote the integration of new citizens into Canadian society and [to] heighten their awareness of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship."
More particularly (in clauses 33(2)(d) and (e)), the Citizenship Commissioner must encourage citizens to respect the law, exercise their right to vote and participate in Canadian society. He or she underlines that all citizens should demonstrate mutual respect and understanding, so that each citizen can contribute to the best of their abilities in Canadian society.
I believe that linguistic duality should also be part of this package: new citizens should be encouraged to give expression to their citizenship in one or both official languages.
Consequently, I would recommend to you that a new paragraph be added to clause 33(2) as follows:
[The Citizenship Commissioner]
"(f) shall emphasize the equality of English and French as official languages and as a fundamental Canadian value."
My final point touches upon the way in which the citizenship ceremony is conducted. I believe that it is not sufficient simply to state during the ceremony that English and French are of equal status.
It seems to me that there can be no better way to demonstrate a value than to exercise it. To that end, my suggestion is that a new subsection be added somewhere in clause 33-for example, between the current clauses 33(1) and 33(2) as follows:
"33(1.1) The Citizenship Commissioner shall ensure that the citizenship ceremony is conducted in both of Canada's official languages."
Making these changes will have three effects:
- It will be an encouragement for those Citizenship Judges who are already conducting their ceremonies with full respect for Canada's linguistic duality.
- It will urge those Citizenship Judges who incorporate some English and French into their ceremonies to give even greater recognition to both official languages in their ceremonies.
- And, perhaps most importantly, new Citizenship Commissioners will conduct their ceremonies in a way that allows the voices of both official languages to be heard.
As I stated at the beginning, my point here is quite simple.
As an essential Canadian institution, the citizenship ceremony should reflect all that Canada is and aspires to be. Linguistic duality is a Canadian value and should resonate fully as new Canadians formally cross the threshold to full membership in Canadian society.
Thank you!
