The promotion of French in minority communities across the country, including Manitoba, has made great strides through the decades but there is still a ways to go, says the country’s commissioner of official languages.
Raymond Theberge, who was born and raised in Ste. Anne, about 45 kilometres east of Winnipeg, and who will retire at the end of this year, said he has seen many of the changes that have helped encourage the use of French during his own lifetime.
“There were no French schools to attend during my childhood,” said Theberge at an event at the Theatre Cercle Moliere in Winnipeg on Wednesday announcing the release of his annual report titled “A Shared Future: A closer look at our official language minority.”
“My children’s education, however, took place at a time when our language rights were enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And, most recently, I contributed to the current modernized version of the Official Languages Act.
“I think it’s safe to say that none of this would have happened without the dedication of official language community members, such as yourselves, across Canada.”
Statistics Canada has reported 29 per cent of Canadians, or 10.7 million people, can speak French, while 87 per cent, or 31.8 million, can converse in English.
In Manitoba, while 1.2 million people can speak English, but not French, there are 1,680 who can only speak French and 110,435 who can speak both official languages.
Theberge said the provincial government has been doing a good job of encouraging French.
“The province of Manitoba has made great strides with respect to French language education and French language services for the public,” he said.
Theberge noted that his hometown now has a French school that’s part of the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.
“There has been significant progress,” he said.
“Education is the most powerful tool we have to ensure that a community’s language and culture can survive and flourish.”
But, while there is French immersion in elementary, middle and high schools, Theberge said post-secondary education and other language opportunities for adults have to be added and expanded.
“Fortunately, the modernized (law) expresses the federal government’s commitment to advance opportunities for members of English and French linguistic minority communities to pursue quality learning in their own language throughout their lives,” he said.
“It’s critical for there to be co-ordinated action between the various federal institutions involved alongside territorial and provincial governments to get results that serve community needs.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
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