Introduction

In this paper I will be trying to determine whether the Official Languages Act is an adequate reflection of the French/English relations in Canada. By examining what the purpose of the Act is and also by examining the relationship of French and English in Canada, I will try to conclude whether or not the Act has had a positive or negative effect on the country since it was passed. Therefore the purpose of my paper will be to: 1- Present the purpose of the Official Languages Act, and its effect on Canada. 2-Provide a brief, yet precise accounting of the relationship between the two official languages of our country. 3-Finally, to determine the position of the OLA as it relates to the French/English relationship in Canada.

French/English relationships in Canada

The confrontation between French and English has been evident since the beginning of our country. Ever since the conquest of the British over the French, the French have been seen as the minority in this province. With such acts as the Quebec Act of 1774 and the Constitutional Act of 1791 it was apparent that the English were the dominant culture in this province. Again with the now famous Lord Durahm Report, in which he recommended the assimilation of the French peoples, we have seen a very tense situation in Quebec. During the following 150 years since the conquest, there has been a steady dispute of language in our country. Language disputes are not new to Quebec, yet it is not until recently that they have become a focus in the minds of citizens, as French Canadians feel that they are in danger of losing there culture. According to Sheila Mcleod Arnopoulos, (author of The English Fact in Quebec, 1984) Ever since 1967, language conflict has been in the forefront of Quebec politics. In the past the main differences between the French and the English were social and economic rather than linguistic. English and French coexisted on the same territory, but it was only after the 1960 s when the French had absorbed the values of industrial urban society, that language became the distinguishing factor between the two groups. Ever since the passing of the OLA in 1969, the debate over the dominant culture in Quebec has not stopped. With examples such as the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlettown Accord, and the very recent 1995 referendum for sovereignty, the federal government has tried to accommodate the French, but with these failures it is evident that the debate is far from over, and the tension continues to rise between French and English.

The OLA

The purpose of this act is to; a) ensure respect for English and French as the official languages of Canada and ensure the quality of status and equal rights and privileges as to there use in all federal institutions, in particular with respect to there use in parliamentary proceedings, in legislative and other instruments, in the administration of justice, in communicating with or providing services to the public and in carrying out the work of federal institution. b) Support the development of English and French linguistics minority communities and generally advance the equality of status and use of the English and French languages within Canadian society. c) Set out the powers, duties and functions of federal institutions with respect to the official languages of Canada. Taken from the Official Languages Act R.S., 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)

This act basically recognised that there was two official languages in Canada, French and English. The act also states that in any federal institution, the equal rights of either French or English, in respect to serving the public. Therefore this meant that now you could be served in either French or English in all federal institutions. It also recognised the French language in the parliament and that any debates or proceedings in the parliament could be carried out in either French or English. Basically the OLA made the government completely bilingual in respect to Quebec and its citizens.

Reflection of the OLA

The OLA I feel was a very important step forward for French in Canada. Now that the language was recognized it open the door for further debates and arguments over the French culture to be dominant in Quebec. This then lead to the issue of separation of Quebec from Canada. Though I believe that the OLA is a law to be obeyed, it does not however adequately reflect the tense relation between the two languages and cultures, nor dose it solve any of the problems between the two. The problems between the two cultures are deeply rooted into this country s history. Canada was founded around the two societies and has since grown into a leading nation in this world with the two cultures existing together in the same territory. However the debate for French to be recognized as a distinct society still remains. With the issue of sovereignty in debate now this furthers the wedge between the two cultures and languages. Though the OLA is important, as it gives francophones the right to be served in their mother tongue it does not reflect the tension between the two, and therefore not an adequate reflection to the relation between the two.

Conclusion

I have found the at the OLA was not an adequate reflection between French and English because though it was an important law for the French, it did not however settle of the problems that were evident between the two cultures since the founding of our country. By showing the difference between the relation between the two and the OLA, I have clearly shown that the problems between the two cultures are far to complex to be resolve by one act, although I feel that the OLA has been the most significant step towards a resolution, as it gives francophones the right to have there language present in parliament and government proceedings, and that it gave them the right to be served in there language.

Biography

The English Fact, Sheila Mcleod Arnopoulos and Dominique Clift/ second edition McGill-Queens University Press 1984

Official Languages Act as posted on the Canadian Department of Justice website