Yeah, you may ask me a question. Go on.
Do you know what he's saying? I don't --
In 1839, British politician Lord Durham wrote
that Canada was “two nations warring
in the bosom of a single state.”
Conflict between French and English Canada stemmed
from centuries of distrust based on divided linguistic,
cultural, religious, and political loyalties.
The economic gap between the two communities
further heightened the hostility, with French Canadians
denied educational and economic opportunities.
These simmering tensions persisted for decades,
creating long-standing resentment.
So, how exactly did Canada
become an officially bilingual country?
Well, it's largely due to the work of these two:
Andre Laurendeau, former editor of Le Devoir and
A. Davidson Dunton, then-president of Carleton University.
They are the Laurendeau-Dunton of the—
--commission Laurendeau-Dunton.
The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism,
also known as the B&B Commission,
or the Bi&Bi Commission.
As co-chairs of the ten-person commission,
Laurendeau and Dunton were asked to examine
the growing unrest of French Canadians,
to assess their dissatisfaction within Canada, and then,
to create a report on their economic, linguistic, and cultural findings.
By the time the commission had been called in 1963,
Quebec had begun its Quiet Revolution,
calling for greater control over its economic resources,
reimagining the roles of Church and state,
and seeking to redefine Quebec’s role within the country.
Despite being a largely francophone province,
Quebec’s economy was dominated by English Quebecers.
The Great Debate.
Le grand débat.
The greatest public debate in the county’s history
is swirling around the federal Royal Commission
on Bilingualism and Biculturalism.
Canada is not a bilingual country!
We have been led to believe that it is.
It had been taught in our schools,
but it is not a bilingual country.
We’re Canadians, why can’t we learn what other people think?
Some people think bilingualism is good for nothing.
Well, why shouldn’t we learn all the languages we can?
It just makes us smarter.
The Commission had three main goals:
Simply put, its goal was to reduce the many inequalities
faced by French Canadians.
French Canada was, and still is, in a state of inferiority.
The majority has still not accepted the fact
of a bilingual and bicultural country.
You see and feel it very clearly when you examine,
for instance, the Canadian Civil Service,
the Canadian Army,
the Canadian Policy of immigration,
the education policies in every province, except Quebec.
The absence of the spirit of true federalism
in all Canadian major parties, and so forth.
The Commission published its final report in six parts,
beginning in 1967.
Its recommendations resulted in swift and significant
changes to education and language policies
across the country.
Although the fight for French education and services
across Canada wasn’t won right away,
the B&B Commission marked a milestone on the path
toward linguistic equality.