Statement made on 22 March 2011 by Senator Maria Chaput
Hon. Maria Chaput:
Honourable senators, as chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, I am pleased to speak to you about the committee's report entitled: The Vitality of Quebec's English-speaking Communities: From Myth to Reality.
As you are all aware, I have dedicated my life to the protection and promotion of our official languages minority communities. This is a driving force in all aspects of my life, both here in Parliament and in my community in Manitoba. Until now, I have focused my attention on francophone communities outside Quebec, like my own. These communities are vulnerable to assimilation, which threatens them from all sides, but they still manage to maintain their vitality, mainly due to their educational, social and cultural institutions and support from the federal government.
That said, in Canada there are two main official languages communities that live in minority situations: francophones and Acadians outside Quebec and anglophones in Quebec. As you all know, our two official languages have equal status, rights and privileges.
During our study of Anglophone communities in Quebec, the committee heard from more than 60 witnesses, represented by more than 200 spokespeople, during public hearings held in Ottawa and in three regions of Quebec.
I can, in all sincerity, say that I learned many things about these official languages minority communities.
Honourable senators, close to one million people in Quebec have English as their first official language.
Quebec's English-speaking population is largely bilingual and it is educated. For Quebec's Anglophones, mastering both official languages is a requirement that they must accept. They want to live and thrive in their own language, while fully participating in the Quebec society.
It is important to point out that, contrary to an enduring myth, that population is not privileged from a socioeconomic point of view. While these communities have a special place in Canada's history, as reflected in the Constitution, their development and vitality require the federal government's support, as provided under the Official Languages Act.
Through the recent work of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, I became aware of the situation and the distinct features of Quebec's English-speaking communities. I have discovered their needs and the challenges that they must face.
While their language is obviously not threatened, since it is the language of the majority in Canada, the fact remains that the vitality of Quebec's English-speaking communities remains fragile in some respects, and that the sustainability of that vitality is not guaranteed.
The report, entitled: The Vitality of Quebec's English-speaking Communities: From Myth to Reality, describes the current situation of Quebec's English-speaking communities by looking at, among other things, the community life, the economic development, the media in a minority environment, the aging population and the challenges facing Quebec's English-speaking youth.
After its study, the committee made 16 recommendations to the federal government to promote the vitality of Anglophone minority and to support its development.
This committee review consistently showed the importance of consulting on a regular basis with Quebec's English-speaking communities. Consultation is at the core of the trust that must develop between federal institutions and official language minority communities.
In conclusion, I wish to thank all the permanent members of the committee and the other senators who took part in this study. Their dedication, their co-operation and their availability allowed the committee to produce a high-quality report whose recommendations are both useful and realistic. I also want to thank the committee staff, and particularly the analyst from the Library of Parliament, for their extraordinary work.
Since I learned a lot by participating in this study, I invite all honourable senators to read the most recent report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, which deals with Quebec's English-speaking communities. The time has come to switch from myth to reality.
The report and a summary are posted on the committee's website, where they can be consulted at all times.