Bonjour! Hello! Canada's Sore Throat

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Photo Credit: online pic.

This week, Statistics Canada released 2021 census information which indicates that for the first time, there are more than a million people in Quebec whose mother tongue is English.

What’s the big deal? It’s a very deal because Quebec is the only Canadian province where French is the official language. Quebec is very protective and feels that, if the rest of Canada had its way, it will get rid of French altogether.

As expected, the Stats Canada report prompted mixed feelings from the provincial government, which is pro-French and pro-English organizations. This historical feud between the two is unfortunate and overlooks one fact: the more languages you speak, the more knowledge you have.

Take the Prime Minister of Canada for example. Justin Trudeau, the present one speaks English and French. Previous ones such as Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney did, even NDP’s Tom Mulclair, who was once the Leader of the Opposition in Ottawa, was bilingual.

The tug-of-war goes back to colonial times. Canada the country, was a compromise between colonizers from France and England. Despite the ugly past, languages are tools for survival. You can’t deny a stranger a glass of water if he asks in your language.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

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