Ottawa, October 31, 2003
Song, music, culture, and the development of the Franco-Ontarian Community
Notes for an address to the États généraux de la chanson et de la musique franco-ontariennes
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
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Ladies and Gentlemen:
Our history books tell us that the French language has been spoken and heard in Ontario for over 350 years. It is certain that French songs have been telling our story throughout this time. It has taken nearly four centuries, however, for us to hold the first États généraux de la chanson et de la musique. It was certainly time. I congratulate you on this initiative and thank you for asking me to be part of this historic moment.
On my way here this evening, I was wondering what life would be like without songs, without music. Such a thought is even more chilling than any Hallowe’en horror movie. I cannot think of any important event or period in my life that has not been marked by a song or piece of music. The song Notre place, by Paul Demers, is a good example. This song takes me back to a scene I witnessed 15 years ago in Toronto, at the gala evening in honour of the French Language Services Act being adopted by the Government of Ontario. In attendance were political celebrities as well as leaders from the French-speaking community of Ontario. Paul Demers sang Notre place, and everyone joined in. One could see the crowd’s enthusiasm mounting with every note, a crowd sharing the singer’s attachment to his “home” through words and music. The soul of the people came through so strongly that the beat of the music in a sense became the pulse of the community. It was the soul of a people, a people suddenly aware of its riches, shining through. That was truly a moment of grace, the moment when I knew who I really was for the first time. Such is the power of music and song. They draw out our emotions and draw us together. That night, a song spoke to me and marked me forever.
To add to the discussions taking place here at the États généraux, I would like to speak today about this important link between music, culture, and identity, by first showing how the arts have helped the Franco-Ontarian community thrive and how they have brought official-language communities in Canada closer. I will also speak about the challenges faced by the promoters of French song and the economic benefits that can be derived from the development of the music industry in all regions. I will also briefly share with you my assessment of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages. I will close with a few personal thoughts on the arts and culture.
Canadian music, culture, and identity
When musicians play together, they can get along and understand one another even if they do not speak the same language. Their agreement is expressed through the universal language of music. Musicians speak to one another in musical phrases. They come together in musical harmony: that is the magic of music – and this magic touches us all in deep and personal ways.
In Canada, we aspire to create this kind of magic, whereby all Canadians could communicate and hold a dialogue through the music of our official languages.
Indeed, Canadian identity is expressed through many different voices and two national partner languages. As with a song, which links together notes and brings together the voices of different musicians, Canadian identity creates harmonies and chords out of its diversity.
Just as music, Canadian identity is the result of sharing, sharing between people who meet as they go about their lives, as well as sharing between artists and the public through their works. This is the dialogue on which identity is built, and identity is a reflection of what we believe, what we feel, and what we experience in our lives.
Vitality of Franco-Ontarian culture, preservation of the French language, and bringing the official-language communities together
Songs are an encapsulation of lives lived. They are brief glimpses into the human heart, like a moment’s conversation between two friends. We identify with those special songs, and they become part of the fabric of our lives, as they tell our stories, in a few well-chosen words with artistic precision that acts like an arrow to the heart. To quote Robert Paquette, songs speak what we hold dear.
In this way, Franco-Ontarian song attests to our presence in this province. It reaches well beyond its origins. It resonates throughout the national and international Francophonie and thus conveys the vitality of our community.
By writing and interpreting French song in Ontario, we are not only signaling our attachment to the place to which we belong but also promoting the French language and French culture. Through the beauty of melody, the French language can move us, speak to us through original imagery, and work the power of poetry.
Song is the language of the people from whom it comes and to whom it speaks. One should not forget that the first literature in French took the form of songs, the chansons de geste, which were interpreted on the parvis of churches, the stages used for theatrical performances during the Middle Ages. In Italy, opera arias are sung everywhere; in France, people on the street will be heard humming Brel or Brassens tunes, songs with which they identify.
Canada also has its own artists. Songs play an important role in affirming the cultural identity of Francophones (as the group En Bref says it best, the identity imprinted in our hands and hearts) and in strengthening the social fabric of Ontario. Song is an accessible medium. Songs speak to the heart of all Franco-Ontarians, especially the young, and make French a part of their lives.
Music and song are both the language of a people and the language of the soul. It is even said that music is the language of angels, because it brings us deep within ourselves and allows us to feel what exceeds our comprehension as human beings. Music is an art form that touches, replenishes, and stirs the human heart; it requires neither thought nor action, for it moves us in spite of ourselves. Music and song are even used in psychotherapy, to delve into patients’ pasts, to trigger their memory and release events that are buried deep in the human unconscious. Try this out with your friends: if they were songs, what would they be? Etc.
Music is such an intrinsic part of our collective imagination that I decided to use the image of an orchestra and the interplay among musicians to convey my message in my last annual report: I thus invite all players to join forces to provide a faithful interpretation of the Action Plan for Official Languages.
Those of you here this weekend will be doing the same thing: mobilizing a group of players to play in sync. As representatives of various sectors within the Franco-Ontarian community, you are also writing your own symphony, planning the concert program, and helping to develop songs that come from the heart of the French-speaking community.
Learning through songs
Songs speak to our hearts, and they also give us the opportunity to share a moment together. Through musical events, such as the Festival franco-ontarien, the Concerts La nuit sur l’étang, the Ontario-pop contest, the Gala de la chanson franco-ontarienne, and the Vendredis de la chanson et de la musique franco-ontariennes, people come together to listen and hear, people from both official-language communities. But if our songs are ambassadors for the French language, it is nevertheless true that music in French does not easily break into the Anglophone market. This is certainly one of the challenges that you are facing.
One way of encouraging an appreciation of song, including songs by Franco-Ontarian artists, is through education. As a way of showcasing songs by Franco-Ontarian artists, the APCM holds a contest, Un beau gros show franco. Using educational means to spread the word about music by Franco-Ontarian artists is a creative approach that can be effective because music and young people go together naturally. It is easier to promote cultural awareness and to teach the basics of second languages through the seductive power of music. Studies conducted by Anne Lowe, Dean of the Faculty of Education, at the Université de Moncton, have shown that language is decoded in the brain by the same mechanisms used for understanding music. Furthermore, a pedagogical approach predicated on the arts is much more motivating. Through song, one can laugh, dance, and have fun in French.
Developing the music industry as a way of helping the regional economy grow
Although songs entertain, bring people together, and challenge, they also form an industry - an industry that will be facing challenges that you will be working to address. Part of that challenge is the development of the music market and the growth of the regional economy. In short, we are talking about financial benefits, dollars and cents. Even if few artists ever achieve the economic might of the Dion-Angélil duo, as a group, music makers and songwriters still constitute a powerful economic force.
How, then, can we go about helping this industry grow and giving it a broader audience? In the 1970s, a wave of support reenergized French-langue poetry, music, and theatre in Ontario. Great talent was brought to the fore; the Coopérative des artistes du Nouvel Ontario played an important role in this regard. Today, we need a second such wave, as well as concrete means of promoting our culture and our songs. Facilities have to be made available; production, distribution, and broadcasting have to be assisted; and Franco-Ontarian artists have to be given prominence on the cultural scene. The media, including television and radio, play a key role in disseminating our culture. For this reason, I was happy to learn that Radio-Canada and TFO are supporting not only Franco-Ontarian song, but also these États généraux.
Music is an industry that shows much economic promise. Artists themselves, of course, and people in the music industry, not to mention the entire community, have much to gain from the employment opportunities the music industry generates. Musical events are an important regional-development tool that yields significant economic benefits and helps to build a dynamic community. In Ontario, the French-language music industry is young and ready to take off. It would be in everyone’s interest to give it wings.
However, as representatives of groups working in different sectors within the Franco-Ontario community, like the members of an orchestra, you must first prepare for the task at hand and study the score together. To ensure that the French-language music industry continues to grow in Ontario, both commitment and action are required on the part of players in different fields. By playing together, these “members of the orchestra” can achieve a winning performance. At this time, you are writing the score that will help to disseminate Franco-Ontarian music and culture to a broader public.
Action Plan for Official Languages: the importance of culture
As Commissioner of Official Languages, my role is not limited to that of steward of the Official Languages Act. I am also an agent of change. As such, I propose ways to enhance the vitality of linguistic communities, especially official-language minority communities. Culture is certainly one of the sources of vitality for these communities. It casts a bright light on these communities that can be seen from afar. It is up to each of us to work towards making the culture of the place to which we belong shine brightly.
As you may know, this year the Government of Canada launched its Action Plan for Official Languages. This provided a wonderful opportunity to bring the ideal of Canada as a bilingual country closer to reality and to reenergize linguistic communities. It is unfortunate, however, that this plan does not provide for specific measures with respect to culture and the arts. In my capacity as Commissioner of Official Languages, I have put forward recommendations with a view to stimulating the development of infrastructure as well as artistic and cultural activities.
Even though few of the needs of artists and few of the requirements of the cultural industry were addressed in the Action Plan for Official Languages, there will be other opportunities for you to make your views known. In and of itself, the Plan is not a panacea. Nor does it mean that we can rest on our laurels. It is but a first step. We must now turn towards the future. You need a map, setting out the issues, possible strategies, and priorities for future action. You can then decide on the road you must take to persuade the government to offer its support. As Franco-Ontarians, you and I know very well that we must never give up the fight to defend our community and to make ourselves heard. We must stand up and be counted. I am certain that government partners will listen carefully to the action plan that you will develop.
Conclusion
I would like to thank the APCM for giving us this opportunity to take stock together of what has been achieved through music and song in our province and to look together towards the future. We must be prepared to take up the challenges that the future will bring. It is up to you, today, to take the first steps in developing new ideas, building strong relationships, and creating energetic initiatives. It is up to you to find the pitch and write the score that will lead to the development of our song and our music. I wish you all a productive and successful meeting.
Thank-you.
