November 13, 2021
The Illusion of a Bilingual Canada
The Montreal Forum was rocking with the Canadiens’ followers, hollering with every goal the team scored. My French teacher accompanied me so that I could get a better understanding of Quebec culture, not least of which was the buzz at the game. Not that I had not seen a hockey game before, it was to learn hockey expressions in French. My presence at the game was courtesy of the Canadian federal government. They sent me to Montreal for a three-week intensive course to learn French one on one with the teacher. Thank you, government.
The official bilingual policy mandated all federal government managers, where I worked, to communicate with a subordinate in his/her chosen language (the Official Languages Act was enacted in 1969). So, from a simple supervisory level up to managing hundreds of people, you had to learn French. It was part of the job description.
I am not convinced that the cost of my French education was an excellent investment by the government. They hired me based on my skills. And even when I tried to speak French, employees responded in English. To fully communicate on technical issues, conversational French was not sufficient. I often felt guilty when on language training, thinking that I was not performing my job but enjoying myself learning and socializing in French.
I had lived in Canada for many years before I experienced the French fact: the political sensitivity in dealing with the two official languages of Canada. In Vancouver, where I had lived for several years, if I heard a language other than English, it was likely Chinese. French simply was not an issue.
After studying and working in the U.S., I came back to Canada in 1971 and applied for a job in Montreal. I thought Montreal would be a great city to live in, having visited Expo ’66. It was disappointing to find out the lack of French language knowledge was a barrier to employment with the City of Montreal. With its large English population, I thought a knowledge of English was a useful skill in Montreal. Not so if you wanted employment with the City. They did not even ask if I was willing to learn French!
My next experience looking for a job in Canada provided additional insight into dealing with official bilingualism. When Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offered me employment in Ottawa, they invited me to meet staff and asked me to give a brief talk on myself. When I stood up to speak, someone whispered to me to be sure I say a few words in French. That stopped me cold but had the presence to ask what was this about. I was told that it is a courtesy to say a few words in French before I give a talk in English.
Surprised, my mind worked overtime to discover what words I knew in French. I ended up with a “bonjour, tout le monde” and followed in English. Later I inquired about this custom and learned it is important to recognize the linguistic duality of Canada even if there are no francophones in the audience. If there were any French-speaking people at my presentation, they were bilingual, because bilingualism works both ways. I thought it was a gratuitous gesture and, had I been a francophone, this shallow and artificial pretense of recognition would have insulted me. But that was the accepted and expected behavior, and it still is in government circles.
When I realized the importance of knowing French in my governmental career, I signed up for all the French courses offered by the government. Some of these courses were fun, taught by well-qualified teachers, while others were boring focusing on grammar. I remember one ex-nun who could not speak a word of English and spent all the time on conjugations and memory work. By the end of all my courses, my French improved substantially. These courses improved my French reading skills, but I still needed practice in speaking. That is how I ended up in Montreal for three weeks with a private teacher.
Although the government program was aimed at creating a bilingual environment, the language of work remained English. Only twenty percent of Canada’s population is French-speaking; most of them live in the Province of Quebec. So providing service in French outside Quebec has limited usefulness.
I found the whole language program more of a cultural enrichment than a necessity for my work. Others considered the language program a benefit to the francophones in the Ottawa area, where I worked. Promotions favored bilingual people. People living outside the province of Quebec faced an enormous challenge in obtaining positions and promotions with the federal government.
My memory awakened last week when the CEO of Air Canada gave a talk in English only in Montreal and was nastily attacked by the media. The attack was followed up by local and federal politicians calling his speech an insult to French-speaking people. The Prime Minister commented on the inappropriateness of the speech. Yet, a few months ago, the Prime Minister appointed a Governor-General with no French knowledge. Oops, sorry, the GG gave a bilingual talk at her acceptance speech: it was in English and Inuktitut. She is considered a native person and a woman. She checked out two boxes on the virtue-signaling scale.
The Governor-General represents all the people of Canada while the CEO of Air Canada manages an international private company. The CEO’s talk gave a boost to the company’s stock price, showing his mettle in managing Air Canada; the reason they hired him for the job. What incredible hypocrisy by the politicians!
I still think that the federal bilingual policy is expensive, creates divisions among the employees with limited usefulness. What do you think?
andrasthehun.ca 