Ottawa, March 4, 2004
Closing Address
Speaking Notes for an address at the
Symposium on Official Languages: Vision and Challenges for the 21st Century
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your intensive and productive work.
Over the past few days, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has been a sort of stage manager and facilitator. This means that we have provided support and encouraged key players and decision-makers, yourselves included, to work together to develop joint strategies and, above all, to set the stage in a manner that will engage and mobilize all sectors of society. As His Excellency John Ralston Saul said at the beginning of the Symposium, we are preparing for the second act of Canada's language plan, and all players need to co-ordinate their efforts and work together.
By sharing ideas, perspectives and suggestions during discussions, you identified concrete courses of action for the key areas addressed during the Symposium: education, business, the arts, culture and sport.
I would first of all like to say that I will not attempt to summarize all of your suggestions and strategies in my short talk. I will be brief. If you want more information about the Symposium, I urge you to read the summary and visit the photo gallery on our Web site in the next few days.
We have considered our options; now we must take action.
And speaking of action, I am happy to say that the Minister responsible for Official Languages, the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, has made commitments, in partnership with Canadian Parents for French, that will enable the smooth integration of the Action Plan for Official Languages, most notably by starting up provincial and territorial consultations with groups involved in teaching French as a second language. This will allow us to define specific needs and put forward recommendations adapted to each province and territory. We see here that the federal government recognizes the importance of developing an implementation plan for each province and territory that is suited to its own reality..
Already we can see real results from this Symposium. We will support the government and its institutions, so that it is possible to produce a national strategy to promote our two linguistic cultures, which is another of your recommendations. We hope that the spirit of discovery and intellectual growth that comes from learning and using a new language can become part of the reality of young Canadians, not only at school, but also in their various activities, including sports, the Internet, music and other leisure activities.
You proposed coordinating government policies and investments to better channel their impact toward our common goals. You also proposed developing a more effectively cohesive promotion, distribution and diffusion of cultural resources. Finally, you suggested greater emphasis on linguistic exchanges in the fields of culture, sports and the arts. The National Film Board's Commissioner, Mr. Jacques Bensimon, is even prepared to become a catalyst with artistic and cultural institutions in order to help this commitment materialize.
You proposed promoting language exchanges in the cultural, sport and education sectors. The Office of the Commissioner will continue to facilitate a consultation process with key stakeholders in order to co-ordinate various federal efforts to target s and broaden their scope.
With reason, you proposed that we develop a case on the economic benefits of bilingualism in the business sector. To effect change and influence decision-makers, an argument based on credible and empirical data is required. We must now decide who is in the best position to raise this issue and which partners will be at the table and will follow up on this recommendation.
In addition to co-operation among stakeholders and the promotion of positive perceptions about second-language instruction, you emphasize information sharing. In education, as in other sectors, resources must be made available and knowledge and expertise shared in order to better equip stakeholders, young people and their parents. You in effect suggest that a mechanism be developed to monitor strategic information on bilingualism. In a study published in 1999, the Office of the Commissioner recommended that Canadian Heritage make all resources on second-language instruction available on line. I am delighted that you have come up with more reasons to once again urge Canadian Heritage to follow up on this recommendation.
This means working at various levels to provide our schools with access to stimulating educational material and qualified teachers. You proposed that there be national recognition of efforts to learn a second language in order to motivate students.
Finally, one issue that was clearly identified in your discussions is the importance of ensuring continuity in French-language instruction, from primary school through to university. We can depend on the leadership of His Excellency John Ralston Saul, and all parties present should work with the AUCC and the federal government to achieve this goal.
Governments cannot achieve these objectives on their own. All sectors of civil society must be involved in implementing Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages.
Our work has only just begun. We all have a responsibility for and special roles to play in implementing the measures and recommendations advanced here at this Symposium.
You are the ambassadors of a new generation of Canadians for whom bilingualism is a reality that connects and enlivens our lives, and I was pleased to see you have the leadership skills required to achieve concrete results. What is important to me is that people want to work together. The next course of action is to create groups across the country that will ensure the Action Plan is implemented over the next ten years. We are referring here to the community solidly taking charge of the situation. We must mobilize our local and provincial stakeholders. As well, we need a constant dialogue and sharing between the sectors to ensure, for example, that the models set forth by the cultural or business sectors find their way into the classroom.
It comes back to each and every one of you, who are members of the interdisciplinary network that was consolidated over the course of this Symposium, to follow up on the agreed upon recommendations and to create bridges through cooperative links with other networks. It is up to you to exert your positive influence, so that future generations are endowed with the comprehension and learning necessary for success in the Canada and the world of tomorrow.
Thank you.
