Quebec’s language policy

Canada has been divided linguistically and culturally ever since British forces defeated
the French on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Despite the fact that Canada has been a
partnership between French and English Canadians for a long time, French Quebec has
never accepted that historical conquest.

For 115 years, Canada’s constitution remained under the control of the British
Parliament. In 1982, however, after a number of failed attempts, the constitution was
finally “Canadianized,” when the British gave up their control. Quebec, Canada’s
second largest province, did not sign the new document because it did not protect
Quebec’s distinct French linguistic and cultural heritage. Today, Quebecers are
particularly concerned about this missing element of the constitution, as immigration
has changed the face of Quebec and there is a current drop in its birthrate: in 1842, half
the people in Canada were of French origin, but by 1990 that half had been reduced to a
quarter. Quebecers fear that they could one day become a minority in their own
province.

Since 1982, there has been great concern about Quebec’s unique situation, and attempts
have been made to bring the French-speaking Canadian province into the constitution.
The most famous attempt was known as the Meech Lake Accord, in which five
constitutional amendments were designed to accommodate Quebec’s special demands.
Those demands were the following: 1) the constitution should recognize Quebec as a
“distinct society” within Canada; 2) Quebec should be given a veto over constitutional
amendments; 3) Quebec should be given power over immigration into its territory to
help maintain its French-speaking character; 4) provinces should be allowed to “opt
out” of federal spending programs if they establish comparable programs that meet
“national objectives”; and 5) provinces should be given a role in nominating senators
and Supreme Court justices (who are currently appointed by the prime minister).

Two of Canada’s ten provinces, Manitoba and Newfoundland, refused to ratify the
Meech Lake Accord; consequently it failed. The most controversial of Quebec’s
demands was the first: its demand for special status. To many Canadians, this request
was unreasonable. Quebecers, on the other hand, interpreted the failure of the Meech
Lake Accord as Canada turning its back on Quebec. The ultimate failure of the accord
represents two incompatible views of Canadian federalism: the view of many Quebecers
that their province deserved special recognition and particular powers because of its
French-speaking identity; and the view by most English-speaking Canadians that all
provinces in Canada must be constitutionally equal. In addition, the failure of the Meech
Lake Accord brought up a new issue of debate: Canada’s natives had objected to the
accord because it failed to acknowledge that they, like the Quebecers, were made up of
a “distinct society.” Their refusal to support the accord reminded Canadians of the
country’s unfair treatment of its 700,000 aboriginal people.

If the accord had been signed, many believe that the Quebec provincial government
would have used its constitutional guarantees to further the interests of Quebec, in
particular, its language policy. Several laws have already been passed to maintain, or as
some see it, “impose” the French language in Canada. For example, all new immigrant
children to Quebec must attend French schools, regardless of their country of origin. All
national institutions in Canada are obliged to offer services in both French and English.
Another law, known as Bill 178, prohibits outdoor signs and billboards in Quebec to
advertise in any language but French; only indoor signs can be in English. The language
laws of Quebec have not been received favorably by all Canadians, particularly English-
speaking Quebecers. In fact, many English-speaking residents of Quebec have moved to
other provinces.

Tensions remain high, and it is still unsure whether Quebec will be brought into
Canada’s constitution or go as far as breaking away from the confederation in favor of a
separate nationhood. Ten years ago, a minority of residents of Quebec favored the idea
of making Quebec a sovereign, independent province. But by the time the Meech Lake
Accord failed, polls had shown that 63 percent of French-speaking Quebecers supported
some form of separation from the rest of Canada, though it is not clear what form that
separation would take: full independence; sovereignty inside an economic union; or
simply a further loosening of Canada’s confederation, similar to the goals of the
European Community. Those who argue for separation point to Switzerland as a
successful example of a sovereignty association. Quebec’s success in developing
multinational business firms based in the province has given Quebecers confidence that
they can succeed economically and politically on their own. Many Canadians have
expressed the feeling that if Quebec really wants to leave, it should be allowed to do so
and then survive on its own – without association to Canada. Other Canadians argue
that every attempt should be made to preserve Canada’s bilingual multicultural society
and agree on a constitution that will unite Quebec with the rest of Canada as a
federation. Still others suggest that the provinces could simply “agree to disagree” and
allow Quebec’s nonsigning of the constitution to persist.

Many issues must be considered for the future of Quebec: the preservation of its
people’s language and culture; the United States government’s hope that Canada will
stay together; a developing global economy; the many Anglophones who have left
Quebec for other provinces (e.g., since 1976, 14,000 of Montreal’s management jobs
have been lost to Toronto); the aboriginal Canadians and their demands for special
status; the negotiations for dividing Canada’s assets and liabilities if Quebec does
separate; recent resistance of English-Canadians to support Quebec’s demands; and
economist’s predictions that Quebec’s sovereignty would not create a financial crisis.

Comprehension
Write a tick (√ ) if the sentence is true, an X if it is false and a
question mark (?) if you are not sure.

1) Canada is a multicultural society since 1759.

2) There was no constitution until 1982.
3) Quebecers are afraid English-speaking people will become a
majority.
4) The Meech Lake Accord favored Quebec’s separation from
Canada.
5) This Accord was never put into practice.
6) Canadian aborigines somehow support Quebec’s demands.
7) All signs in Quebec must be in French.
8) Experts think separation will be an economic disaster for
Quebec.