History of Bilingual Education
I - english and french colonization of canada
Historically, Canadian bilingualism is the consequence of the settlement of European colonial powers, the French and the British in New France (Québec). In the early sixteenth century, France became a colonial power, with the founding of New France (Québec) in 1608 (Mathieu J. 2013). During the Seven Years War (1756-63) that took place in North America, opposing Europeans powers over possession of their colonies, France under the reign of Governor Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil, surrendered New France to a British invasion force at Montréal in 1760. This effectively ended any foreign military threat to the British colonies there (Jaenen & Tattrie, 2013).
The Treaty of Paris 1763, signed by Spain, Britain and France at the end of the war, did not only end the Seven Years War but marked the beginning of English culture, laws and practices in a predominant French-speaking New France or present-day Canada.
The Treaty of Paris 1763, signed by Spain, Britain and France at the end of the war, did not only end the Seven Years War but marked the beginning of English culture, laws and practices in a predominant French-speaking New France or present-day Canada.
II - dissatisfaction in québec and outside of québec
The provisions made in 1763, were highly protested by the French Canadians and, led to the 1774 Quebec Act, which preserved the French civil laws, tolerated its seigneurial system, restored its western territories and allowed Roman Catholics to hold public office (Graham, 2011 p 8). By this act, the French Canadian, regained their freedom of belief and French civil law.
Even though this act, legally recognized the French culture under the British reign, most French - speaking people still rejected the assimilation that came with British ownership and refused to stop speaking French, which led to the “British North America Act” 1867 section 133. By this act, it guaranteed the rights of Protestants in Québec and of Catholics in some other provinces to separate education (Burnet & Palmer, 1988, p 104) but it failed to clearly define the language right, so the language of instruction in schools gave rise to bitter controversy from both sides.
UNEVEN TREATMENT OF FRENCH-SPEAKING POPULATION Dissatisfaction inside and outside Québec in 1960’s - 1970’s and the threat of losing French heritage prompted some political parties from Québec “Front de Libération du Québec to ask for total independence but the Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau stood against it. Some examples are :
Even though this act, legally recognized the French culture under the British reign, most French - speaking people still rejected the assimilation that came with British ownership and refused to stop speaking French, which led to the “British North America Act” 1867 section 133. By this act, it guaranteed the rights of Protestants in Québec and of Catholics in some other provinces to separate education (Burnet & Palmer, 1988, p 104) but it failed to clearly define the language right, so the language of instruction in schools gave rise to bitter controversy from both sides.
UNEVEN TREATMENT OF FRENCH-SPEAKING POPULATION Dissatisfaction inside and outside Québec in 1960’s - 1970’s and the threat of losing French heritage prompted some political parties from Québec “Front de Libération du Québec to ask for total independence but the Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau stood against it. Some examples are :
- Under the Manitoba School Act 1890, the government abolished French as an official language and eliminated state funding for catholic schools.
- Under Regulation 17, 1912, the Ontario Ministry of Education required that the language of instruction in Ontario schools be English.
III - LEGAL RECOGNITION OF FRENCH AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE
As a result, Pierre Trudeau worked to balanced French and English in Canada through the Official Language Act of 1969 (Collishaw, Piper & Ruyper, 2014, p 160-161) that gave French and English equal status in the government, public service and made Canada Bilingual. This act also led to the funding of second language instructions in each provinces by the federal government. This included the learning of French as a second language (FSL) by English speaking Canadians and by immigrants and the learning of English as a second language (ESL) by French-speaking Canadians and by immigrants.
IV- GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF BILINGUALISM
Minority French Language Education | Before 1990, there were no French schools in half the provinces and no French- speaking minorities were running some French schools in Ontario and all French schools in New Brunswick. Today, minority-language groups manage schools in all provinces and territories (Government of Canada, 2003).
Minority English Language Education | Being conscious of the concerns of Anglophone parents, the Government has granted Québec’s public school system 360 English – language primary and secondary institutions, and eight eight English – language CEGEPs and universities (Government of Canada, 2003).
Official languages in Public service | The Government of Canada has invested in creating a competent, bilingual public service in order to provide employment opportunities to English- and French-speaking Canadians and to serve Canadians in the official language of their choice (Government of Canada, 2003). The results are palpable and in Ottawa, the University of Ottawa serves as a good example. However, much has to be done in other provinces as English remains the preferred language.
Bilingual position in public services | According to Treasury Board annual reports, the proportion of positions designated bilingual has increased considerably since the mid-1970s. And so does the participation rate for Francophones in public service that has risen from 25% in 1978 to 31% in 2002, even in the management category (18% in 1978 and 28% in 2002) (Government of Canada, 2003).
To conclude, we can say that Canada’s bilingualism did not automatically occur, evidence has proven that it has always been resisted in many parts of Canada. It went through challenges but did those challenges outweigh the success of its plans? No! In fact, the constant struggle or progress in keeping the French language alive alongside the English language opened the doors to bilingualism in Canada. Though it has not been an easy road to this level, the Government through its Commissioner of Official Languages is still devoted to make it an integral part of Canadian day to day practice as it is seen as a nation-building effort to promote both cultures.
Minority English Language Education | Being conscious of the concerns of Anglophone parents, the Government has granted Québec’s public school system 360 English – language primary and secondary institutions, and eight eight English – language CEGEPs and universities (Government of Canada, 2003).
Official languages in Public service | The Government of Canada has invested in creating a competent, bilingual public service in order to provide employment opportunities to English- and French-speaking Canadians and to serve Canadians in the official language of their choice (Government of Canada, 2003). The results are palpable and in Ottawa, the University of Ottawa serves as a good example. However, much has to be done in other provinces as English remains the preferred language.
Bilingual position in public services | According to Treasury Board annual reports, the proportion of positions designated bilingual has increased considerably since the mid-1970s. And so does the participation rate for Francophones in public service that has risen from 25% in 1978 to 31% in 2002, even in the management category (18% in 1978 and 28% in 2002) (Government of Canada, 2003).
To conclude, we can say that Canada’s bilingualism did not automatically occur, evidence has proven that it has always been resisted in many parts of Canada. It went through challenges but did those challenges outweigh the success of its plans? No! In fact, the constant struggle or progress in keeping the French language alive alongside the English language opened the doors to bilingualism in Canada. Though it has not been an easy road to this level, the Government through its Commissioner of Official Languages is still devoted to make it an integral part of Canadian day to day practice as it is seen as a nation-building effort to promote both cultures.