Canada has two official languages: French and English. We always wonder why. Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They controlled land and built colonies alongside indigenous peoples, who had been living there for millennia. They had two different languages and cultures. The French spoke French, practiced Catholicism, and had their own […]
Assurer l’éducation en français : les Franco-Albertains et leurs droits linguistiques
August 30, 2019 By Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Alberta
See below for English translation. Les droits linguistiques ont toujours été et sont toujours un sujet de discussion important dans de nombreux secteurs de la société canadienne, notamment : la promotion de l’accès aux services gouvernementaux et non gouvernementaux dans les deux langues officielles ; l’accès pour les justiciables à un système de justice sans […]
The Constitutional Basis for Bilingualism in Canada
Language is not merely a means or medium of expression; it colours the content and meaning of expression. It is … a means by which a people may express its cultural identity. It is also the means by which the individual expresses his or her personal identity and sense of individuality. – Ford v Quebec […]
Other Official Languages in Canada
August 30, 2019 By Charles Davison
Canada is known around the world as an officially bilingual country. Federally, French and English share equal status as the “official languages.” The same is true in some of the provinces and territories. What is perhaps not known as widely (in southern Canada, at least) is that there are other official languages in two territories: […]
In Canada and elsewhere, freedom of speech is on the endangered list
July 4, 2019 By John Cooper
Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press. These phrases may conjure up Hollywood-style images of noble activists and principled reporters butting heads with those in power – and winning. However, the reality is often far different: surveillance, gag orders, expensive and oppressive lawsuits, and activists and journalists being arrested, imprisoned – and in extreme cases, […]
