Official Languages Act

ACTIVITY 3:

SPOTLIGHT ON THE “SCHOOLS QUESTIONS”: ONTARIO,MANITOBA, AND NEW BRUNSWICK

“Gardiennes de Guigues,” including the Desloges sisters, 1916 (courtesy University of Ottawa/CRCCF/Fonds Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario/C002 Ph2-954).

T he British North America Act of 1867 and the subsequent creation of new provinces and territories formed the Canada we know today. The linguistic balance set out at Confederation soon deteriorated, leaving francophones outside of Québec (and other minority-language populations) under threat. Not only did these communities face discrimination, but threats to their continued survival abounded. Cuts to language education were the weapon of choice: New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Ontario all saw the restriction — or even complete erasure — of French-language education in their respective school systems. These controversial laws disallowing French in schools lasted for decades and had disastrous effects on francophone communities. Ontario’s 1912 Regulation 17 severely restricted the use of French as a language of instruction and communication in schools. By 1916, Franco-Ontarians in Ottawa had had enough, and decided to resist. Learn more about the Battle of the Hatpins by watching the video, available on youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiE7YBxN9zmL42B1Gx6m 07rI-ivaj7P3j . In 1871, New Brunswick restricted access to separate schools used by Acadians. In 1890, Manitoba abolished funding for Catholic schools as well as the legislative and judicial bilingualism negotiated by Louis Riel. The Act that created Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905 restricted public funding for separate schools. Ontario’s Regulation 17 severely restricted the use of French as a language of instruction. The beleaguered francophone communities were under attack from an active and vocal English-speaking Canadian society trying to create a homogeneous state, but they were determined not to give in.

1. Divide the classroom into three groups. Each group will be assigned one of the three “Schools Questions.” Read The Canadian Encyclopedia article that your group is assigned: • New Brunswick Schools Question: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ new-brunswick-school-question • Manitoba Schools Question: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/manitoba-schools-question • Ontario Schools Question: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ontario-schools-question 2. Together, complete the Schools Questions 5Ws Chart , available on the Education Portal , for the crisis you studied. 3. In your group, discuss the following: • What did these measures mean for the French-speaking communities they affected? What was the significance for language rights in Canada? • What happened? What led to the crisis, and what was the result? • Why was it important to people on both sides of the equation to fight for the removal or the preservation of minority language instruction? • Why do you think having access to education in one’s language is essential for the survival of that language? • What did the crisis reveal about attitudes toward and values about language in Canada at the time? 4. Together, write a news exposé on the crisis. Choose one person to act as newscaster, and record the exposé to share with your class.

Modification: Pair language learners with stronger readers and rephrase the discussion questions using simpler wording. Provide a handout with sentence starters that match key words in the article. Give students the option to share their results orally, using a slideshow tool, or visually.

Section 2:

TOWARD BILINGUALISM - THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON BILINGUALISM AND BICULTURALISM AND THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT

In this section, we will examine the Official Languages Act, how it came to be, and why it happened when it did.

George Shields, The Evening Telegram, Toronto, 26 April 1934 (courtesy Begbie Contest Society).

ACTIVITY 4:

ANALYZING LANGUAGE RELATIONS THROUGH CARTOONS B y the early 20th century, hundreds of years of tensions between French- and English Canadian communities led to divided public opinion. The interests of the groups were often portrayed as competing, and national bilingualism remained controversial. Unrest grew in French communities as they advocated for the protection of their language and more opportunities in federal institutions. The linguistic tensions in the decades preceding the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (the B&B Commission) inspired many political cartoons, which often poked fun at cultural and linguistic divisions. These cartoons are useful illustrations of the perspectives of both English and French Canadians in their respective contexts at the time. They are especially good at showcasing the tensions that led to the B&B Commission. 1. Working in pairs, analyze one French and one English cartoon. Find the cartoons with the Cartoon Analysis Chart , available on the Education Portal , and explore them in depth and assess perceptions about language minorities at the time.

2. Political cartoons from the past are taken out of their original context, making it important to put a cartoon back into context so we can interpret it correctly. Before you analyze the cartoons, do some research: When was it created? Where was it created? What was happening at the time that this cartoon was produced? Why do you think this cartoon was created? Discussion Question: These cartoons show only one person’s perspective on a topic, but in some cases it can be representative of a wider, shared opinion. Can we take these cartoons as representative of how the different groups perceived each other?

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