To what extent has Canada affirmed collective rights?
Introduction
Bonjour! Comment ça va?
For many Canadians, this is easily recognizable as
French.
 In Canada, French and English are the two official
languages and are treated with the equal rights and
privileges as guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms. This is a direct result of each language's
important historical influence on our country.
Introduction
 In Alberta, there are many examples of French
influence. This includes the names of different places
within the province. Can you think of names that may
have French origins?
 Did you think of:
 Leduc and Beaumont
 Lac La Biche and St. Albert
 Bonnyville and St. Paul
Introduction
 Can you think of French words that are used in our
everyday language?
 Did you think of:
 Poutine, croissant, éclair, hors d’oeuvres
 Fiancee, décor, bayonet
 Bistro, boulevard, cul-de-sac
 Chauffeur, cliché, crepe
Language Rights
 The French and the English were the first Europeans to
settle in North America. Early settlements were established
in present-day Québec, Newfoundland, and New
Brunswick. Based on the fur trade, whaling, and
exploration, relationships between the French, the English,
and the First Nations were established. The relationships
between these three founding groups set the foundation
for laws in Canada.
 As early as 1774, through legislation in the Québec Act, the
French were guaranteed rights to their language and their
identity.
 The British North America Act of 1867 recognized,
through legislation, the bilingual and bicultural nature
of Canada, where both the French and the English coexisted in one country.
 Section 133 of the British North America Act of 1867
ensured that both French and English would be the
accepted languages in the operating of the federal
government.
 More recently, the Official Languages Act of 1969 and
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of 1982 affirmed
the collective rights of Francophones and
Anglophones.
 French and English were thus established as Canada’s
two official languages. For example, all federal
government business must be available in both French
and English.
 In many communities in Alberta, Francophones are an
official language minority. However, in some Alberta
communities, such as Lac La Biche, Francophones
comprise the majority of the population.
 In Québec, Anglophones are an official language minority,
except in some communities such as Montréal.
 An official language minority exists when a group of
English-speaking people or a group of French-speaking
people make up a minority population in a province or
territory where the other official language, or any nonofficial language, is spoken by the majority population.
Section 23
 Section 23 of the Charter (Minority Language
Educational Rights) extends the protection of rights to
official language minorities.
 French-speaking or English-speaking minority
populations have the right to publicly funded schools.
This means that Francophones living in Alberta, for
example, or Anglophones living in Québec are
guaranteed minority language education rights.
 English is the most common language spoken in every
province except Québec, where French is the most
common language spoken. In Nunavut, however, the
most common language spoken is Inuktitut. This
means that in Nunavut, English and French would be
official language minorities, with 70 percent of
Nunavummiut speaking Inuktitut as a first language.
There are many different languages spoken in the
homes of Canadians.
 Let’s look at the handout:
 Population by Language Spoken Most Often at Home
 How could quality of life be influenced for
Francophones or Anglophones in a minority
setting?
Perspectives on Section 23
 Read pages 143 and 144.
 How does Rachel represent the concerns of a minority
language speaker?
 How does Devin represent the concerns of a minority
language speaker?
Going further
 Based on what you know answer the following
questions:
 What are the challenges and opportunities that exist for
Francophones and Anglophones living in a community
where they are a minority?
 What challenges and opportunities does affirming both
the Francophone and the Anglophone identity create for
Canada?
 The federal government and the provincial
governments have had an important role in supporting
official language minorities. However, even though a
bilingual and bicultural Canada was confirmed as far
back as the British North America Act of 1867, this
Canada was more of an ideal than a reality.
Going Further
 Read pages 145-151. Answer the following questions:
 Identify other ways the Canadian government has dealt with
language rights.
 How do you think the Charter affects Francophone identity in
Quebec?
 Complete questions 1 and 2 on page 151.
 Based on your reading, how do collective rights affect quality
of life for everyone in Canada?