Ottawa, June 7, 2005
French Language Renewal Project Graduation Ceremony
Speaking notes Edmonton Education Centre
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
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Dear graduates, parents, friends and teachers:
I am pleased to be here with you on the occasion of this French Language Renewal Project graduation ceremony.
This ceremony marks the end of an important stage in life for each and every one of you: the completion of a training program in which you have acquired language skills that will benefit you for the rest of your lives.
But it also signals a beginning, since you are the first group of students to have benefited from this new program in its entirety. You have paved the way for all who will follow you and who, like you, will be able to take advantage of the opportunities for personal development available to them.
You have also opened a door for yourselves. Through your commitment, your effort and your thirst for learning, not to mention your interest in French, you have attained a solid level of bilingualism. Even those among you who have not attained the highest level have an excellent foundation in French, which will open doors for you in both the federal Public Service and in companies doing business throughout Canada and internationally.
You, your friends and family and all your teachers have reason to be proud today, and I want to offer my hearty congratulations.
As Commissioner of Official Languages, it is my responsibility to see, among other things, that the federal Public Service employs qualified staff capable of providing exemplary service to the citizens who speak our two official languages. The examination you took is one of the instruments used by the government to ensure that it is making the right staffing choices.
This Edmonton Public Schools project is unique in that it provides you with an assessment of your language skills that will be recognized on the labour market. Of course, you already knew that you were bilingual, but it is useful to have it formally recognized.
This project is helping to facilitate effective participation by Albertans in Canada’s Public Service by highlighting the fact that many people in Alberta have the knowledge required to work in bilingual positions. It is also helping to further the Action Plan for Official Languages, one of the main objectives of which is to double the number of bilingual young people in Canada by 2013. Your initiative is an ingenious way of measuring the progress achieved and is one more step toward fulfilling the Action Plan’s objectives and proving their worth.
Moreover, I am very pleased to see the new generation embracing bilingualism and Canada’s official languages initiative. When I submitted my annual report last Tuesday, I noted that the number of bilingual Anglophone young people has doubled in the past 30 years and now stands at 14%. In Alberta, the figure rose from 7% to 11% during the same period, and will undoubtedly continue to increase in light of the growing interest in learning languages in your province. You can be proud of the progress achieved and optimistic about the future.
Doubling the number of bilingual young people within 10 years is a major challenge that Canada has taken up, one that involves you directly. I invite you to respond by encouraging the people you know to learn both official languages. Motivate your friends and encourage your brothers and sisters, because you are our future leaders: tomorrow’s society will be a reflection of what you are and what you believe in.
English and French concern all of us, because bilingualism is part and parcel of what Canada is—a resource that benefits all of us in countless ways.
Indeed, linguistic duality, coupled with multiculturalism, helps to lend a positive distinctiveness to Canada as a country where sharing, respect and tolerance prevail. It also plays a part in maintaining the social stability and providing the type of know-how that makes Canada a place of diversity, dynamism and openness.
In addition, studies have shown that bilingualism is a source of personal enrichment. Knowing more than one language seems to strengthen a person’s mental capacities, as well as developing creativity.1 In short, speaking more than one language is good brain gym.
For all of you, learning French means receiving your full heritage as a Canadian. French will open new horizons for you and will draw you closer to nine million others who speak French, not only in Quebec, but throughout Canada.
This evening, we are celebrating a beginning. From this moment on, your current proficiency in the second language will depend on how much you use it. To maintain your skills, I encourage you to look for opportunities to apply and consolidate your French. Many post-secondary programs are available to help you perfect your knowledge, along with some interesting careers that will enable you to build on what you have learned. And with music, books, films and the Internet, you can easily learn more French and have fun doing it! Closer to home, Edmonton itself has a very active Francophone community.
The French Language Renewal Project has brought together Alberta’s majority and minority language schools and has helped to build bridges between the two official language communities. It is by working together that these communities will develop, because the official languages are the threads that hold together the social fabric of Canada. This concept is represented by the Commissioner’s pin, a gold and silver emblem that I will leave for each of you as a keepsake. The golden fabric at the centre represents the meeting place of our two linguistic communities and the richness brought about by their interwoven dialogue. I hope you will wear it with as much pride as I do.
Congratulations and I wish you all the best!
Thank you.
1 Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, Colin Baker and Sylvia Prys Jones, 1998; Cognitive consequences of bilinguality, by Josiane F. Hamers and Michel H.A. Blanc, 2000.
