The Internet has overwhelmed the French language in a “ocean” of English, says Languages Minister Mélanie Joly..And, according to Blacklock’s Reporter, that’s the reason the Liberals will bring in first-of-its-kind legislation to require federally-regulated private employers to promote French..“Digital technologies, it must be said, favour the use of English,” Joly testified at the Commons languages committee..“In Canada, there are eight-million francophones in a vast North American ocean of millions of English speakers, and it is up to us to protect French..“This is a major shift in official languages policy.”.Joly didn’t give a date on when she would table the legislation..“As you know we are a minority government. We will have to work together to table the modernization of the Official Languages Act. I hope we will be able to count on you, because as you know this law will have an enormous impact on the future of our young people,” said Joly..The 1969 Act currently applies only to federal departments and agencies and Air Canada as a former Crown corporation privatized in 1988. Joly in a February 19 report said bilingual service should be mandated at private-sector employers like airports, banks, radio and TV stations, grain mills, railways, marine shippers and inter-provincial trucking companies in municipalities with a “strong francophone presence.”.“Yes, English is dominant in many spheres of activity,” said Joly..“That’s why we need real equality. That’s why we are recognizing the need to level the playing field..“We know there is a decline of French in Québec and in Canada. We must take action and we will continue to take action in our jurisdiction to protect French.”.The rewritten Act will also grant the Commissioner of Official Languages enforcement powers..“We all recognize the Act needs more teeth, making sure the federal government has greater reflex and a commissioner who has greater powers,” said Joly..“We really want to make this permanent and sustainable. We don’t want it to depend on whatever future government is in power.”.Fewer than a tenth of English-speaking Canadians are bilingual, by official estimate..“French is declining in the West,” Liberal MP Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South) told the languages committee..Census data show French a fourth, fifth or even sixth minority language in Western provinces after German, Cree, Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin and the Filipino dialect Tagalog..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
The Internet has overwhelmed the French language in a “ocean” of English, says Languages Minister Mélanie Joly..And, according to Blacklock’s Reporter, that’s the reason the Liberals will bring in first-of-its-kind legislation to require federally-regulated private employers to promote French..“Digital technologies, it must be said, favour the use of English,” Joly testified at the Commons languages committee..“In Canada, there are eight-million francophones in a vast North American ocean of millions of English speakers, and it is up to us to protect French..“This is a major shift in official languages policy.”.Joly didn’t give a date on when she would table the legislation..“As you know we are a minority government. We will have to work together to table the modernization of the Official Languages Act. I hope we will be able to count on you, because as you know this law will have an enormous impact on the future of our young people,” said Joly..The 1969 Act currently applies only to federal departments and agencies and Air Canada as a former Crown corporation privatized in 1988. Joly in a February 19 report said bilingual service should be mandated at private-sector employers like airports, banks, radio and TV stations, grain mills, railways, marine shippers and inter-provincial trucking companies in municipalities with a “strong francophone presence.”.“Yes, English is dominant in many spheres of activity,” said Joly..“That’s why we need real equality. That’s why we are recognizing the need to level the playing field..“We know there is a decline of French in Québec and in Canada. We must take action and we will continue to take action in our jurisdiction to protect French.”.The rewritten Act will also grant the Commissioner of Official Languages enforcement powers..“We all recognize the Act needs more teeth, making sure the federal government has greater reflex and a commissioner who has greater powers,” said Joly..“We really want to make this permanent and sustainable. We don’t want it to depend on whatever future government is in power.”.Fewer than a tenth of English-speaking Canadians are bilingual, by official estimate..“French is declining in the West,” Liberal MP Terry Duguid (Winnipeg South) told the languages committee..Census data show French a fourth, fifth or even sixth minority language in Western provinces after German, Cree, Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin and the Filipino dialect Tagalog..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
