TORONTO, April 10, 2019
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act, the Government of Canada is reaffirming the importance of French and English, which, along with Indigenous languages, are powerful symbols of the diversity and inclusiveness of Canadian society. They are at the heart of who we are as Canadians. It 1969, our country passed legislation that recognized the equal status of French and English. It gave us a model of how to live together, along with tools to strengthen our official-language minority communities.
The Honourable Mélanie Joly spoke about the review to modernize the Official Languages Act with the Canadian Club of Toronto. She highlighted the leadership shown by the Government of Canada in supporting official languages and bilingualism with its Action Plan for Official Languages.
Recent round tables and forums held across the country are enabling Canadians to take part in the discussion, in person or online, regarding the major issues surrounding the official languages and how we can ensure the future of official-language minority communities.
Minister Joly noted at a Toronto round table earlier in the morning that the government had conducted a major review of the act earlier this year to look more closely at certain issues that have arisen over the years including: slower increases in the Francophone population relative to that of Canadians who speak English as their first official language; the stagnating rate of bilingualism outside Quebec; and the disruptive effects of new technology on the ways we communicate.
