Ottawa, June 17, 2000
Time is of the essence
Notes for a presentation to a panel of the Fédération des communautés
francophones et acadienne du Canada on the report by Senator Jean-Maurice Simard, Bridging the Gap: From Oblivion to the Rule of Law
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Descartes was certainly right. Senator Simard as well. In the causes we take seriously, a critical spirit is essential because we must constantly seek the best means of ensuring the equality of English and French and the vitality of the communities across Canada.
I must admit I was struck by the quality and scope of the analysis and by the determination with which Senator Simard and his collaborators tackled this important work. Everyone assembled here is aware of his deep commitment to the cause of linguistic duality. That is why I am pleased to respond today to the Fédération's invitation to share with you some thoughts on the issues he has raised.
Senator Simard would, I think, be the first to admit that there are many areas of overlap between his analyses of Canada's linguistic situation and those made in the successive annual reports of the Commissioner of Official Languages. The clear advantage of Bridging the Gap is that it presents in a new light a comprehensive and critical vision of what is essential to the vitality of the French-speaking minority communities.
The study states bluntly that the distance to be covered before achieving equality of opportunity for these communities is considerable and that there is no room for complacency. If some of the key players in linguistic matters are severely dealt with, the Senator's reprimands are deserved. Everyone, without exception, must make an examination of conscience.
The facts are there in black and white. Neither the federal government, nor the provinces, nor the leaders of Canadian society have properly fulfilled their respective responsibilities toward the official language minority communities. The enlightened leadership that we so sorely need in society and government is lacking. Caught up in the maelstrom of economic and budgetary priorities of the past two decades, our elites seem above all to have forgotten that Canada is more than the sum of its regions and its gross domestic product.
Canada is first of all the symbiosis of the two great linguistic communities that inhabit the country. If one of those communities is weakened, the vitality and indeed the very existence of the country is threatened. Senator Simard sounds the alarm: there is danger in waiting.
If it had done no more than issue this vital warning, his well-researched study would already have rendered great service. But Senator Simard wanted to do more. He has emphasized the need for a comprehensive and co-ordinated strategy, together with adequate budgetary resources to restart an engine that has shut down. He has made specific recommendations for relaunching a fundamental debate on the why and how of linguistic duality at the dawn of a new century. What is most disturbing in this regard is that the political and administrative leaders of the Government of Canada have remained silent and totally inactive.
During his recent appearance before the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, the Senator emphasized that "the development of the communities is multi-dimensional, so that actions in a single sector have little chance of being able to change the situation" (our translation). This insistence on a holistic approach is, in my opinion, the chief strength of the study.
Let us say it clearly: it is a disturbing study. The truth is always disturbing when it attacks the received ideas of the mandarins and public servants. There will be those, accordingly, who call this study unrealistic, incomplete, impolitic or simply impossible to implement. Some administrators try to outdo one another in imagination when it comes to defending the status quo and opposing change. They should show as much creativity when it comes to taking action.
Let us also acknowledge, however, that there are many people who ask only to go to work. They want to be inspired by dynamic and co-ordinated leadership that will give a second wind to language reform. Let us also remember that this much-awaited renewal must include efforts to strengthen the allegiance of residents of Quebec, a major centre of French life in North America, to an inclusive vision of Canada's Francophonie.
To succeed in bringing linguistic duality back to the forefront of the concerns of Canada's elites, we must first have an effective communications strategy about the value and importance of the contribution of our linguistic communities to the building of a prosperous and pluralistic Canada. We must begin by more firmly fixing what is at stake in this duality in the collective awareness of Canadians of both majority communities. We must tell them honestly and soberly that the hour is late. Linguistic divides are widening and the official language minority communities, despite all their efforts, are constantly losing ground.
In addition, the key players, the federal government and the communities first of all, must agree on a strategic plan and a set of tactical measures that include specific deadlines, performance indicators, and control and evaluation mechanisms. These already existed, at least in part, but have gone by the board as other priorities, seemingly more urgent, loomed on the political horizon. Meanwhile, silence and indifference have eaten away at the foundations of reform.
I spoke earlier of the need for everyone to make an examination of conscience. This examination should be concerned less with placing the blame for the mistakes of the past and more with preparations for the future. Perhaps we have tried too hard, for a host of reasons, to build linguistic duality from the top down rather than from the bottom up, that is, from community life. Without in the least renouncing the structures we have created after sometimes-heroic struggles, it is time to resolve, once and for all, the three paramount issues that Senator Simard himself defined at his appearance before the Joint Committee, namely:
- the full achievement of the aim of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1982,
- the reform of immigration to rectify the gradual, historic erosion of the communities demographically,
- an effective implementation scheme for Part VII of the Official Languages Act.
It is an excellent diagnosis. Cheers for the critical spirit!
In conclusion, it would be difficult to find a better statement about the tasks that lie before us than Senator Simard himself has written:
Let us roll up our sleeves and have the courage to take up the challenge of equality of opportunity for the official language minority communities. It is a sizable challenge, but one that is worth our taking the trouble to meet.
Time is pressing. We must act quickly. The vitality of our communities depends on it.
