The Politics of Official Bilingualism in Canada

Bibliographic Data

ID4848813
AuthorsMilton J Esman (corresponding author)
Year1982
Volume97
Issue2
Pages233-253
Publication date1982-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Science Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3195 • E-ISSN: 1538-165X
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2149477
OpenAlexW2315579971
LanguageEN
Citations received10

One of the main responses of Canada's government and its political elites the challenges from Quebec since 1960 has been the policy of official bilingualism. Its political objective has been convince the French-speaking minority concentrated in Quebec that they are fairly treated and should commit their political future Canada. The central government's methods have been raise the status of the French language parity with English, make French a language of service the public and of work in federal agencies, achieve balanced participation among the English and French speakers in the federal civil service, and persuade and induce provincial governments do likewise. ' Canada's political elites have attempted implement these policies in a federal political structure and a private enterprise economy in which the central government has limited power compel compliance outside its own institutions. The intellectual case for the federal response the challenge of Quebec's Quiet Revolution was shaped by the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Its terms of reference in 1963 were to inquire into and report upon the existing state of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada and recommend what steps should be taken develop the Canadian confederation on the basis of an equal partnership between the two founding races, taking into account the contributions made by the other ethnic groups the cultural

Linguistics · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Canadian Identity and History · Law · Linguistic and Sociocultural Studies · Philosophy · Political Systems and Governance · Public Administration

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub