Vive a trilingual Quebec! - language policy in Quebec

UNESCO Courier, July, 2001 by Filippo Salvatore

The laws that forced French into the schools and workplace of Quebec have worked far better than anyone imagined. Trilingualism is gaining ground in the province, much to the chagrin of hard-line nationalists

With her rugged natural beauty and charming accent, Quebec shines as an emblem of cultural resolve in countries with strong minorities, ranging from Spain to Nigeria. The little francophone island thrives in a sea of English-speakers *, thanks to its carefully constructed rampart of laws and educational policies promoting French. But Canada's "Belle Province" is set to change course: a new government inquiry has found that it's time to roll back the legal locomotive, Bill 101, which has forced French into the school system and workplace for the past 30 years.

All children must attend French elementary or high schools, according to Bill 101 (also known as the French Language Charter),with one exception: old-time Quebeckers who attended the province's English elementary schools can choose their children's language of instruction. French is the rule, however, for all newcomers, from Canada or beyond, until the college or university level. Born in 1977, Bill 101 is the brainchild of Quebec's nationalist movement whose ultimate goal has been to separate from the rest of Canada, or at least seek greater autonomy within the federation (see box). The law stems back to the heady days of the Quiet Revolution, when French Quebeckers (the "Quebecois") wrested control of the province from a powerful English elite, who controlled its huge natural wealth. Then they turned to the cultural landscape, using laws like Bill 101 to "Frenchify" (or "francify") the schools and workplace as well as the commercial environment through rules restricting the use of English on public signs o r even on the beer coasters of a neighbourhood bar. Language police still roam the streets, measuring the letters of billboards to ensure that "Pouletfrit" dominates the fast-food world of "fried chicken," for example. The provincial government regularly adds a fresh coat of legislative paint to reinforce the spirit of 101. With each major brushstroke another wave of English Quebeckers migrates to other parts of Canada or the U.S.

When the "natives" feel outnumbered

Today the old-stock of English Quebeckers accounts for just 8.5 percent of the population, down from 13 percent in 1971. Yet according to the nationalists, the anglophone threat has not faded but taken on new dimensions, thanks to the "allophones," a nice way of referring to immigrants whose first language is not French. Every year, about 25,000 to 35,000 immigrants arrive mostly from Latin America, the Middle and Far East. Together the two minorities--anglophone and allophone--comprise 18 percent of the provincial population. The pure wool Quebecois still make up about 82 percent of the population, despite having one of the lowest birth rates in the world. But many of these "natives" are convinced that they will soon become a minority in their financial capital, Montreal, where most minority communities settle. According to a survey conducted last year by the daily Le Devoir, 55 percent of all Quebeckers are convinced that French is in danger throughout the province.

So with alarm bells ringing, the provincial government launched an inquiry last year asking "what should Quebec do to ensure the future of the French language?" This kind of inquiry, known as the language estates-general, is somewhat of a ritual. Each time the provincial government pushes for a referendum on separating from the rest of Canada (see box), they turn up the heat on the language debate by pointing to the lamentable state of French. But after spending more than two million Canadian dollars on a string of public hearings across the province, the nationalists got far more than they bargained for. According to the preliminary report released on June 5, French has never been healthier in the "Belle Province." "The French language is no longer the property of the majority. It has become the language of everyone," announced the head of the estates-general, Gerald Larose, a former union leader and long-time Quebec separatist. Almost 95 percent of Quebec residents know and use French in their daily activi ties, up seven percent in just over a decade.

More than 90 percent of the province s newly arriving pupils are heading straight for French schools, according to Quebec's education ministry. Then again, their only alternative is to enroll in the private sector. But Bill 101 cannot force these kids to speak French outside of the classroom, yet many continue to babble and scream the language in the school-yards and playgrounds even in Montreal, where immigrants make up almost half of the French school population.

Even the old-time minorities--angloand allophones born and bred in Quebec-- have adopted the spirit of 101. These parents could legally send their kids to English schools, yet about 75 percent opt for the French sector. There is one notable exception: the Italians, one of the largest and most established of Quebec's cultural communities. The majority continue with English schools. Instead of rejecting bilin-gualism, these families are embracing three languages at once. Franco-Italian marriage rates increase each year. Love, not coercion, is winning this community over to French.