Official Languages

Opening remarks

Good morning, Mr. Chair. Thank you for inviting me to testify. The subject of this study is of great interest to me, both professionally and personally. I am a professor at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, or OLBI, at the University of Ottawa. I work more often in my third language, which is English. I also had the pleasure and privilege of starting to learn French at our institute. Therefore, I'm constantly learning Canada's official languages. My testimony today reflects that personal perspective, as does my accent in English and French. Obviously, my testimony is based on research in the field of language learning and instruction. My remarks are also informed by some innovative practices and initiatives at our institute. Now I will dive into a few more specific points. Language learning is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon. Human beings, regardless of whether they're high-ranking public servants, elected officials or ordinary people, may have different life trajectories, and their diverse human experiences shape their language repertoires, sometimes called plurilingual repertoires or dominant language constellations. The field of second or…

Opening remarks

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank the Standing Committee on Official Languages for inviting me to testify as part of its study on the use of French in government communications and in federal institutions. I had the opportunity to testify before the committee in March 2024, during the study on language obligations related to the process of staffing or making appointments to key positions. One of the topics discussed at the time was leadership and the importance of senior officials setting an example. I note that this theme is reappearing in the committee's work. The event that led your committee to undertake this study on the use of French in government communications was the release of the results of a compilation by Radio-Canada on the Prime Minister's use of French in his speeches. That compilation was made public on October 9. It revealed that the Prime Minister spoke French only 17% of the time, which isn't very much. I think that rate of 17% raises a number of questions that could be grouped into three broad categories. First, what are the causes of this situation? Second, what are the consequences? Third, what could be the solutions to remedy this…

Opening remarks

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for inviting us to appear. The Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, or FJCF, is a national organization managed by and for young people. It is made up of 12 member associations and operates with a governing body made up entirely of young elected officials who represent the interests of young people across the country. For 50 years now, the FJCF has been offering support and training, as well as the opportunity to participate in major initiatives, including the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne. We manage a number of programs that promote youth employability, including the DépasseToi program, Young Canada Works and Apic. Finally, we provide opportunities for young people to think about the future of the country and take part, in a non-partisan way, in efforts to learn about public policy in Canada. Let me emphasize that, from our perspective, this isn't about a decline in French but a wind of change. This is a wind that has been blowing in our communities for a number of years now, and it means that our communities are becoming more and more diverse. That diversity can be heard in the many accents that resonate in…

Opening remarks

Thank you for your question. There is a lot of talk about French-speaking young people in the youth network. Our approach is very inclusive: Whether French is a young person's mother tongue or their sixth spoken language, the important thing for us is that they be able to express themselves in French. That's all we care about. For our young people to preserve their language and culture and to develop a sense of belonging to their community, they need examples, role models. They need to see how people use French in their everyday lives. Certainly, for a young person living in a minority setting, it isn't always easy to have opportunities to speak French. Therefore, it's important for them to have accessible role models, especially in politics. They need to see that a French-speaking person can aspire to sit in Parliament or get involved in municipal politics. They need to see themselves reflected in the words spoken by elected officials across the country.

Opening remarks

Post-secondary education is addressed in the report on the education continuum, so I'm going to integrate everything.