50: Bilingual Canada

Canada’s Bilingualism at 50

-          Since September 1969 Canada is only officially bilingual at the Federal level.

-          The only officially bilingual Province is New Brunswick (since 1969.)

-          The Territories of: the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut include English and French (as well as other Aboriginal languages) as their official Territorial languages.

-          Quebec is the only officially unilingual Province with French as it’s sole language (since 1974.)

English is the mother tongue of 56.9% of Canadians and French is the mother tongue of 21.3% of Canadians. In total 85.6% of Canadians have a working knowledge of English while 30.1% have a working knowledge of French.

Percentage of population with knowledge of the French language (as either a mother tongue or a second language) by Province and Territory:

1.)    Ontario: 4.4%

2.)    Quebec: 93%

3.)    Nova Scotia: 3.8%

4.)    New Brunswick: 31.6%

5.)    Manitoba: 3.8%

6.)    British Colombia: 1.6%

7.)    Prince Edward Island: 4.1%

8.)    Saskatchewan: 1.9%

9.)    Alberta: 2.2%

10.) Newfoundland and Labrador: 0.6%

11.) Northwest Territories: 2.9%

12.) Yukon: 4.8%

13.) Nunavut: 1.4%

Percentage of population with knowledge of the English language (as either a mother tongue or a second language) by Province and Territory:

1.)    Ontario: 78%

2.)    Quebec: 9.8%

3.)    Nova Scotia: 95.4%

4.)    New Brunswick: 69.2%

5.)    Manitoba: 84.4%

6.)    British Columbia: 80.1%

7.)    Prince Edward Island: 95.5%

8.)    Saskatchewan: 92.1%

9.)    Alberta: 85.7%

10.) Newfoundland and Labrador: 98.5%

11.) Northwest Territories: 88.9%

12.) Yukon: 92.2%

13.) Nunavut:  45.5%

The numbers and facts across Canada show that 50 years of being officially Bilingual at the Federal Level has not worked to increase the knowledge and use of French across the country. In fact it has had the opposite effect in English-speaking Canada. Canada may have all the right language laws at the Federal Level, but in practice it has failed mainly due to the ordinary Canadian’s rejection of it in their everyday lives. Recreational marijuana has done more to unite all the Provinces and Territories across Canada since it became legal in 2018 than Bilingualism has since it became legal in 1969.