T HE D UPLESSIS E RA TO THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT Part One Focus: French Language Issues in Canada

I NTRODUCTION Q: What do you consider to be traditional values? Q: Can traditional values hold stock in our current society?

A TIME OF CHANGE In the past, French Canadians had maintained a mostly rural lifestyle The Catholic Church was the center of the community Quebec was very conservative (family life, schooling)

What is assimilation? What does it mean to assimilate?

N ATIONALISM AND I DENTITY Assimilation is “The absorption and integration of people, ideas, or culture into a wider society or culture” “The process of becoming similar to something” (Oxford dictionary) Francophone Quebecers were fearful of assimilation What could they lose? Why were they afraid? What happens if language or culture is lost?

N ATIONALISM AND I DENTITY A strong sense that through the process of assimilating into general North American culture, language and culture would be lost In 1905 Alberta disallowed the use of French in business In 1915 Ontario limited the use of French as a language of instruction

B ACKGROUND : T HE U NION N ATIONALE Concern over maintaining Quebec culture lead to the founding of the Union Nationale Worked towards maintaining traditional, conservative Quebecois values There was the belief that the survival of French Canadians was only possible through their maintenance of “capital: LANGUAGE and RELIGION

M AURICE D UPLESSIS Premier and again in 1944 until his death in 1959 Known as “le Chef” (“the leader”), Duplessis and the Union Nationale wouldn’t consider any progressive or liberal ideas Maintenance of language, church, and rural culture

T HE Q UIET R EVOLUTION After the death of Duplessis, the Liberal party was elected under the leader Jean Lesage Lesage and the Liberals campaigned with the phrase “Maitres Chez Nous”=Masters in Our Own Home Lesage was determined to modernize the province Education system changed, hydro-electric utilities nationalized, new government departments created (cultural affairs and federal/provincial relations) Education was the most drastic change Formerly it had been controlled by the Catholic government, making it archaic The system did not meet the needs of the student

The provincial gov’t of Quebec took control over their: Hospitalization (like OHIP) Hydro and electric power Finance (taxes) Quebec Pension Plan Culture and language All administration

H YDRO -Q UEBEC Formerly, the hydro-electric companies were privatized; Lesage combined them and created the provincially owned and controlled HYDRO- QUEBEC They wanted it for themselves, with excess to be sold for profit Became a symbol of pride

GROWING DESIRE FOR QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY… Francophone nationalism: a sense that Quebecois citizens could control their destiny… … through a clear and defined political identity, a country of their own. The rest of Canada took note and responded… PM Lester Pearson established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism(1963) Mission: to review English and French languages within Canada to ensure both stayed vital to Canadian identity

T HE B & B C OMMISSION Recommendations: 1. Both English and French official languages of Canada 2. Ontario and New Brunswick should become officially bilingual 3. Regions where there was, at minimum, 10% francophone citizenship become officially bilingual 4. Parents should have the right to chose to educate their children in either English or French

O PINIONS … What is your opinion about the B & B Commission? Was it necessary? Are there other areas to consider that should have been added to the B & B Commission? (OR not considered as part?) Do you think there was a difference between francophone and anglophone opinions?

O FFICIAL BILINGUALISM The Official Languages Act (1969) was passed while Pierre Elliot Trudeau was PM This gave English and French equal status as Canada’s official languages All government services had to be provided in either of the English and French All federal laws and regulations had to be published in both languages

BILINGUALISM TODAY Turn to page 415 in your texts Examine the line graph at the bottom and answer the question posed by the text Examine Figure 15-4 and answer the question posed; propose PROs and CONs for each side of the argument