Best Practices Digest

Fostering the Full Recognition and Use of both English and French in Canadian Society

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Best Practices Digest - Advancement of English and French [PDF version - 2.23 MB]

List of acronyms and abbreviations

OLA: Official Languages Act
PCH: Canadian Heritage
IRCC: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
FCFA: Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada

Introduction

Under section 41 of the Official Languages Act (OLA), the Government of Canada is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. The OLA gives Canadian Heritage (PCH) the mandate to coordinate the implementation of these commitments in all federal institutions.

To fulfill that mandate, PCH develops tools to help federal institutions optimize their contribution. The main objective of this tool is to provide examples of best practices that help foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.^{Footnote 1} These examples are meant to give institutions suggestions on linguistic duality best practices that could be incorporated in their respective mandates.

Promoting linguistic duality is one of the federal government’s priorities and is based on a solid legislative and constitutional foundation. For that reason, PCH developed the Framework to foster appreciation and cooperation between English-speakers and French-speakers in Canada to better guide our actions to promote Francophones and Anglophones “living together” in Canada, to better direct our policy goals and to help other federal institutions better understand this issue.

The promotion of English and French in Canadian society can take different forms. The framework uses three levels— exposure, appreciation and cooperation—and the best practices in this digest are grouped under them.

Level 1

Using cultural industries (films, books) and performing arts (song, theatre), or television, journals, internet, etc.

Using cultural industries and performing arts can be a great way to get to know the culture and history of the other language group. You do not need to be bilingual to get to know the other language group better. Reading of great authors’ works translated into the reader’s mother tongue makes it possible, for example, to better understand the other culture.

Canadian Heritage offers funding for Canadian publishers to translate Canadian-authored books from one official language into the other. This improves access to both linguistic groups’ cultural expressions and ensures that more Canadian-authored books are translated.

Emphasizing Canada’s bilingual character both in Canada and abroad

Our country’s bilingual character is a fundamental part of our national identity. By the very nature of their mandates, many federal institutions have the potential to emphasize Canada’s bilingual character, both in Canada and abroad.

Promoting Canadian linguistic duality and Francophone minority communities (FMCs) during citizenship ceremonies.

Over the last year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been working in collaboration with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) to encourage Francophone community organizations to host citizenship ceremonies. This initiative fosters the promotion of Canada’s official languages in smaller communities across Canada. For example, in recognition of Linguistic Duality Day, the IRCC office in Surrey, British Columbia, hosted an enhanced citizenship ceremony in 2018 in collaboration with a Francophone community representative. Every aspect of the ceremony was bilingual. This may have been many attendees’ first ever bilingual event or the first event where they heard the French language. IRCC’s Surrey team actually received the British Columbia Federal Council’s Official Languages Excellence Award in 2019 for their contribution to advancing official languages in the province.

Making information, resources and tools easily accessible to Canadians in both official languages

This helps create a future that genuinely includes both English and French, and people have access to the information that they require.

The Translation Bureau, in collaboration with seven federal organizations, developed the Official Languages Hub, a useful tool for Canadians and public servants who need information on any aspect of official languages.

For more information, please visit the Official Languages Hub website.

In 2017–2018, Statistics Canada launched GeoSearch, an interactive mapping application that highlights data from the 2016 Census, including data on official languages. The application allows users to select geographic areas and language indicators (such as French-English bilingualism, knowledge of official languages, official languages spoken at home and at work, etc.) in order to obtain relevant data in the form of charts and maps. Users can also compare various geographic areas.

Attending and/or hosting an event with a bilingual organization

This type of initiative promotes linguistic duality to greater audiences.

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 was an exhibitor at a career fair organized by Canadian Parents for French. It was an opportunity to promote linguistic duality among high school students and to provide information on bilingual careers in the public service.

Creating a product or project that reinforces the fundamental Canadian values of bilingualism and the promotion of English and French in Canadian society

This type of initiative creates links between communities through shared fundamental Canadian values, and ensures cohesion and appreciation for the other.

Canada Post used Francophone designers and illustrators to create many of the 60 or so postage stamps issued in 2018–2019, more than 20 of which represented the Francophone community and commemorated significant places and symbols in Quebec and other Francophone regions of Canada. Bilingual launches and unveilings were organized for several of these stamps.

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Official Languages Act, the Royal Canadian Mint created a coin celebrating Canadian linguistic diversity. The coin represents each official language equally and demonstrates how they are rooted in our history and how they continue to shape our identity to this day. Encircling the design are the full lyrics to the bilingual version of the national anthem.

Coin created by the Royal Canadian Mint to celebrate Canadian linguistic diversity

Level 1 and 2

Displaying or highlighting important figures or artistic pieces from the other language group

The Virtual Museum of Canada, a funding program managed by the Canadian Museum of History, worked in collaboration with the McCord Museum in Montréal to present the William Notman exhibition featuring an accomplished official language minority photographer. This partnership with an English-language museum in Quebec helps to highlight the city of Montréal’s rich linguistic duality.

The National Gallery of Canada presented four films in French as part of the Journée internationale de la Francophonie and the Toronto International Film Festival’s Film Circuit program. By using subtitles and simultaneous translation services into English, the films promoted linguistic duality and increased the visibility of French cinema. All four films benefited from strong public participation and attracted members of both the French- and English-speaking communities.

Holding local events where both Francophones and Anglophones are welcome

As part of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act, LAC Out Loud—a group of professionals at Library and Archives Canada—is organizing a public reading of extracts from archival records and published documents on the theme of bilingualism and linguistic duality.

For several years, Canadian Heritage, the National Film Board, the Language Portal of Canada (Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada), Parks Canada, Canada Post and VIA Rail have been proud partners of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie.

The following are examples of the contributions some federal institutions made to the 20th Rendez-vous de la Francophonie in March 2018.

The Language Portal of Canada (Translation Bureau) team wrote the dictations for the “Write it right!” contest for elementary schools and Canadians, and prepared the content for the “On the Tip of My Tongue!” contest, which consisted of video clips on language issues.

The National Film Board organized a cross-country tour of films based on the Francophonie theme. In total, close to 251 screenings were held in 64 cities across Canada, representing a 34% increase in registrations over the previous year. Canadians were also able to view these films online.

This gives both groups an opportunity to interact and meet in their own communities, which fosters understanding and appreciation of the other, and increases social cohesion.

Organized by the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue, with several major partners, including Canadian Heritage, the Language Portal of Canada, NAV CANADA, VIA Rail, the National Film Board, the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française (FJCF) and the Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité (RDÉE Canada), the Tournée “bonjour my friend” Tour caravan began a cross-Canada voyage with two ambassadors aboard. The purpose of this project was to share information about the Official Languages Act (OLA), to learn more about the richness of Canada’s official language duality and to engage Canadians from coast to coast in discussions about linguistic duality as a shared value. At each destination, the ambassadors met with students, professionals, government officials and community groups. Every event included a discussion encouraging participants to share their perspective on linguistic duality.

Tour caravan with the words Tournée 'bonjour my friend' Tour

Facilitating intergroup exchanges

Intergroup exchanges give both language groups a public space to learn about the other by sharing stories and ideas and, ultimately, fostering an appreciation of the other language group.

CBC/Radio-Canada organizes an annual public meeting so Canadians can connect and share their stories, ideas and perspectives, and engage with one another from coast to coast. The meeting is an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with English- and French-speaking Canadians on the importance of public broadcasting and gives Canadians a platform to ask their questions.

Providing funding, opportunities and resources to organizations that reinforce linguistic duality in their communities

Providing these organizations with some help allows them to continue their work exemplifying Canada’s bilingual identity.

The Canada Council for the Arts supported théâtre l’Escaouette’s Winslow play. The play revisits a sensitive topic—the events leading to a shift from a French-speaking territory to a predominantly English-speaking one—in both languages. It moves away from the expected colonizer-victim relationship to give the story a new perspective in the spirit of bringing people together. Winslow has been a tremendous success with both Francophone and Anglophone audiences.

Level 1, 2 and 3

Organizing activities that allow for the participation of both language communities and foster a sense of connection among them

Cooperation through a perceived common goal brings both language groups together and gives them a sense of interdependence (that is, they need each other to achieve the goal).

Every year, the Frye Festival celebrates New Brunswick’s uniqueness with a bilingual literary festival. Funded by Canadian Heritage, the festival presents a rich mix of local, Canadian and international authors, poets, playwrights, novelists and storytellers, who are presented at various community venues in Moncton. The Frye Festival’s youth program helps students discover the magic of writing through interactions with authors from Canada and around the world. Authors meet with students in their classrooms or in an auditorium to explore the power and playfulness of words in both official languages. The goal of the festival is to encourage people to discover and enjoy reading and writing in both English and French. It promotes fun, discovery, accessibility and tolerance by ensuring that the event is an ever-growing and satisfying multicultural experience that engages audiences of all ages. The festival is a good opportunity to increase the synergy between Francophones and Anglophones, as they collaborate and cooperate together throughout the event.

By funding the Foire gourmande de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue et du Nord-Est de l’Ontario, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions supported the agriculture and tourism sectors in these regions and fostered collaboration between official language minority communities in Ontario and Quebec. This fair encouraged volunteerism, partnerships and networking between Anglophones and Francophones. The federal agency’s support also made it possible to deploy a marketing strategy in new markets outside Quebec and to develop new products.

Collaborating with organizations and institutions that are active in various sectors (representation, culture, youth, media, education, etc.)

Collaborations with a common goal give the groups a meaningful reason to work together, and reach greater audiences and achieve more diversity in perspectives.

The Department of Justice Canada collaborated with the University of Ottawa and some Anglophone universities to create the Certification in Common Law in French (CCLF). The CCLF gives students at certain Anglophone universities the opportunity to obtain a common law certificate in French from the University of Ottawa.

The Association for Canadian Studies, Canadian Parents for French and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages jointly organized a bilingual conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act. The conference brought together some of Canada’s most eminent young people, parents, academics, researchers and educators to exchange ideas and chart the course of linguistic duality in Canada.

Providing opportunities for language and cultural exchanges

Living in an area where there are significant concentrations of Francophones and Anglophones provides more opportunities to be exposed to the other language group and its language, and to participate in events where the two language groups can meet, interact and get to know one another.

The Explore program, funded by Canadian Heritage, is a five-week intensive immersion program for second-language learning that is offered in the spring or summer. This program gives English-speaking students the opportunity to study French and French-speaking students the opportunity to study English. The program allows for day-to-day cooperation between the two language groups, both at home and at school. The young people stay with host families and follow the school program with students from the other language group. They develop their language skills and learn about culture while creating lasting ties with others.

Related resources

Reflection tool for the implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act (Canadian Heritage)
Key questions to facilitate decision-making that may impact on the implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act (Canadian Heritage)
Infographics on Canada’s official languages (Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages)
Official Languages Research Dissemination Platform (GCpedia) (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
Carte interactive des communautés francophones du Canada (Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada) (available in French only)

Contact us

Interdepartmental Relations and Accountability Directorate (IRAD)
Official Languages Branch
Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy St, 7th floor
Gatineau QC J8X 4B3

Email: portail41-gateway41@pch.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2023-03-29

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