International Mother Language Day Bill

Honourable senators, if I would be on stage tonight at this time, my instinct would probably bring me to either dance, sing or make you clap to keep your attention. But since I am in this noble chamber, I will use words and language to speak to you about Bill S-247, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day.

This bill was introduced by Senator Mobina Jaffer on March 22. I want to thank her for her commitment to promoting language diversity in Canada, and in particular our official languages. Her presence on the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages clearly speaks to her willingness to promote bilingualism and linguistic duality in Canada.

As the honourable senator said so eloquently during her April 17 speech:

This bill does not dispute that English and French are Canada’s official languages. On the contrary, English and French are the two official languages of Canada as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. . . . Honourable senators, English and French bilingualism makes our country unique. Bilingualism forms the foundation of Canadian identity and is one of the greatest legacies we can pass on to future generations.

As Senator Jaffer pointed out, this bill would promote mother languages and linguistic plurality as central to an individual’s identity and cultural development.

This was the UN’s intent in celebrating this day. I quote:

International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. February 21 was chosen in honour of the students killed by police in Dacca (now the capital of Bangladesh) while they were protesting to have their mother language, Bengali, declared as the second national language of Pakistan at the time.

Although the proposed date is in honour of a tragic moment in history, it urges us to remember just how important language is to developing one’s identity. The relationship we have with our mother language helps us discover our past and our individual cultural heritage. If we are confident in using our mother language and in our identity, we are better equipped to learn other languages and have positive interactions with others from different backgrounds.

To illustrate this, I will repeat the excerpt from a United Nations statement quoted by Senator Jaffer:

Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Having said that, the national Canadian context which surrounds this bill brings me to reflect on the very meaning we must give to the notion of mother tongues, considering the considerable added value of plurilingualism in enriching Canadian citizens both culturally and individually; the preservation and promotion of Indigenous languages as a necessary step towards reconciliation with First Nations, Inuits and Metis communities; and the continued need to ensure the development and vitality of French and English, our two official languages, which serve as the languages of our national dialogue.

In Canada, more than 130 languages other than French, English or one of the Indigenous languages are reported by Canadians as being their “mother tongue.” In 2016, more than 22 per cent of the Canadian population had a mother tongue other than English, French, or an Indigenous language.

Although we may think that this percentage is surprising or indicative of a new Canadian reality, that is not at all the case. In a recent study by Statistics Canada on the evolution of the Canadian population’s composition by mother tongue from 1901 to 2016, we see that the diversity of mother tongues in Canada is not a new phenomenon.

In 1901, more than one tenth of the Canadian population had a so-called foreign language — a language other than French, English, or an Indigenous language — as a mother tongue. As a result of the two major waves of immigration in the 20th century, this percentage would only increase, and it has increased even more quickly since 1986 due to the diversification of the flow of immigrants who have settled in Canada.

Statistics Canada’s comprehensive study of the major language trends clearly highlights the diversity of languages spoken in Canada. During the early decades of the 20th century, Celtic languages and German were among the most dominant languages spoken in Canada other than English and French. Today, it is Asian languages. Multilingualism is therefore part of our country and there is no doubt it enriches our society.

That being said, honourable senators, this bill also requires us to think about the major issues surrounding the disappearance, preservation and reappropriation of Indigenous languages. Colonialism and the expansion of the Canadian state had devastating effects on Indigenous peoples. As the victims of residential schools, First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities witnessed the decimation of their mother tongues and cultures by successive Canadian governments.

In the 2011 census, over 60 Indigenous languages were reported, but only 14.5 per cent of First Nations members still had an Indigenous language as their mother tongue. In 2016, the number of Indigenous languages reported was more than 70. Over 33 of those languages were spoken by at least 500 individuals, while some were spoken by as few as six people.

Some other languages are faring better, however, and are still very much alive. That is the case with some of the Cree languages, Inuktitut, and Ojibway. It is therefore vital that the government implement measures to preserve and promote Indigenous languages across the country.

As announced recently by Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly, the federal government plans to recognize Indigenous languages rights with the passage of a bill come the fall. This legislation could notably create a new office of commissioner to protect and promote Indigenous languages throughout the country.

My understanding is that the details of the upcoming Indigenous languages bill are part of a list of principles co-developed over the past year by federal officials and First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations.

The bill that the Minister of Canadian Heritage is working on would make Indigenous languages the country’s “first languages,” rather than official languages. This bill will recognize their privileged status in Canada since these languages and First Nations people were here well before white people arrived in this land and they therefore have a rich history that needs to be protected and promoted.

That is why the minister wants to, and I quote:

. . . recognize indigenous languages as a fundamental right under section 35 of the Constitution.

This move will implement one of the many recommendations issued by the Honourable Senator Sinclair and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Government of Canada is proposing a variety of initiatives for preserving Indigenous languages, such as recording certain languages for posterity and encouraging education to ensure that languages are passed on. An additional $90 million over five years has been announced for saving Indigenous languages.

Our honourable colleagues, Senators Sinclair and Joyal, both spoke eloquently about issues surrounding the preservation of Indigenous languages in Canada during the debate on Bill S-212. I will not elaborate further on those issues, but I fervently hope that the reappropriation of these languages is recognized and encouraged.

We call a mother tongue the language that we first learn as a child. In the case of Statistics Canada and the national census, a mother tongue is defined as the first languages learned at home by an infant that is still understood at the moment of the census.

In the case that a child learns from parents or people in his surroundings speaking multiple different languages, the child can acquire multiple languages simultaneously, each being considered a mother language. This is the case for more and more Canadians who come from exogamous families or backgrounds.

Like all languages learned starting at birth by a child, the two official languages that Canada acquired at its birth have enabled it to maintain an ongoing dialogue between its communities, welcome immigrants from around the world, and grow as a nation over the past 150 years. These two languages became languages of harmony.

Today, that vision inspires many young Canadians. During the first phase of our study on the modernization of the Official Languages Act, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages heard some very eloquent testimony from a young man from New Brunswick whose mother tongue is English. His comments clearly reflect how young people across Canada feel:

. . . learning French and English as a second language should be considered a right as Canadians in a country that is supposed to be bilingual. . . . Canadians cannot be passionate about both official languages if they do not have the opportunity to learn them. And they cannot have the opportunity to learn them without the support of the federal government and its partnership with each and every province. . . . The solution to this is to allow everyone to learn French and English . . . and to in fact become what is actually a bilingual country.

This dream expressed by youth throughout Canada of a country where both official languages are actively used by everyone, confirms that much still needs to be done.

In this sense, the objective to progress towards the equality of status and usage of French and English is still today very much an objective, despite it being written in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

If there has been important progress in the advancement of bilingualism in Canada, there is still much work to be done in the learning and usage of both these languages by all Canadians. It is concerning to hear that if 87 per cent of francophones outside of Quebec are bilingual, 61 per cent of anglophones in Quebec are bilingual, and 41 per cent of French-speaking Quebecers are bilingual, only 6 per cent of English speakers outside of Quebec are bilingual. It is clear that we still have much work to do to encourage active use of both official languages by all Canadians.

In conclusion, honourable senators, Canada has come a long way in 150 years. It has evolved, and it has welcomed, and will continue to welcome, the multitude of incoming cultures that enrich our country. It is perfectly valid for all Canadians to want to celebrate their own cultures of origin, and naturally, that means being able to celebrate their own mother tongue, or first language, if you will.

Above all, we must not set the recognition and promotion of indigenous languages and multilingualism in Canada against the fundamental principle of two official languages as the social contract of our nation. That being said, Canada is a country that adopted two languages, English and French, for the sake of harmony. Let us therefore ensure that these two languages, which are meant to be unifying and inclusive and to be more than just tools for communication, can be learned and appreciated by all Canadians.

To inspire us to achieve that goal, let me read you a quote from Senator Jaffer’s speech:

I am and always will be a strong advocate of Canadian bilingualism. Let me once again remind all of you that Bill S-247 does not take away from our proud French and English bilingualism; it simply encourages all Canadians to celebrate and showcase their own mother tongue on February 21.

In closing, honourable senators, and in order to honour Senator Jaffer, allow me to say thank you in her mother tongue, Swahili. Asante sana, Senator Jaffer.