Canada's language policies : well-stablished, but still room for improvement Linda Cardinal, Miranda Huron [Recurso electrónico]

Bibliografía: p. 21-24

State intervention for the protection and promotion of languages in Canada, in particular for English and French, is well-established. The roots reach back to a political compromise established in the 19th century for national unity reasons (Smith, 2002). However, language policymaking at the federal, provincial, and territorial levels regularly gives rise to political debates and social tensions, in particular the status and roles of official (English and French), non-official languages and Indigenous languages. The hierarchy of
languages, including French as an official language, is regularly questioned. Canadians are reminded of the suppression of Indigenous languages and forced assimilation of Indigenous populations (Truth and Reconciliation Commission 2015). Federalism enables Quebec and other provinces and territories to make their own policy choices since they have the authority to regulate language use within their own jurisdiction. In contrast, for official language minorities and for Indigenous populations, federalism can hinder their
enhancement because national commitments towards the promotion of official minority and Indigenous languages are not automatically enforceable at the provincial level. In short, the relatively uncontested nature of state intervention in language does not mean that there is no room for improving Canada’s language regime.