Discussion paper on official languages an awkward approach to a defining issue

For many Anglo Quebecers, this document will be seen as a betrayal of the federal government’s historic commitment to protect their services and institutions.

Official Languages Minister Mélanie Joly is pictured in Ottawa on Oct. 2, 2020. The clumsy title of the Trudeau government’s discussion paper on official languages reflects an awkward approach to one of Canada’s defining characteristics, writes Andrew Caddell.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY ANDREW CADDELL

February 24, 2021

KAMOURASKA, QUE.—This village is where I learned French. Although I studied it from Grade 3 in Montreal, it was only as a 17-year-old I began to use it, in a summer romance with a jeune Québécoise who spoke no English. The romance didn’t last, but my French did. With a growing confid...

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