French-Canadians see threat to language, but anglophones ‘still don’t get it

A high percentage of francophones believe the future of their language in Canada is threatened. But in a sign of the persistence of the country’s two solitudes, relatively few anglophones agree, a Department of Canadian Heritage survey shows.

The survey of 1,504 Canadians, conducted by the department’s official languages support programs branch, found that eight in 10 francophones continue to believe the future of French in Canada is threatened, including more than two-thirds who strongly agree. Just 12 per cent disagree.

By contrast, only 42 per cent of anglophones think the future of French is threatened, and four in 10 think there’s no threat at all to the language. “Anglophones in the rest of the country still don’t get it,” the report concludes.

In a related result, two-thirds of anglophones think the federal government is effective in promoting both official languages, but fewer than half of francophones agree.

The survey report says these findings point to “potential clouds on the horizon, or perhaps danger signs. These sentiments lie at the very root of attachment to the nation (or not), and are a key ingredient for linguistic peace and national unity.”

Taken as a whole, the survey points to a continuing disconnect between English- and French-speaking Canadians’ views and perceptions when it comes to official languages.

French-speaking Canadians “tend to be far more passionate” than English-speakers on the subject, the survey says, expressing much higher levels of agreement than anglophones on a whole list of language-related issues.

• Nearly eight in 10 francophones think having two official languages is an important part of being Canadian, compared to 57 per cent of anglophones.

• 85 per cent of francophones think linguistic duality in Canada is a source of cultural enrichment. Just 57 per cent anglophones concur.

• Nine in 10 francophones say learning both languages contributes to better understanding among Canadians, compared to 73 per cent of English-speakers.

• Francophones are more likely to think relationships between the two linguistic groups are more positive today than they were a decade ago.

• While 93 per cent of French-speakers think all high school graduates should have a working knowledge of both official languages, just 59 per cent of English-speakers share that view.

• Francophones are significantly more supportive of exchange programs as a way to encourage understanding between anglophones and francophones.

• 83 per cent of francophones strongly agree that knowing both official languages improves the chances of finding a job, compared to 56 per cent of anglophones.

Ironically, given these findings, more English-speakers (59 per cent) believe the federal government’s official languages policy supports national unity than francophones (50 per cent).

There is broad consensus among both language groups that it’s important to have access to federal government services in their language of choice. They also agree that access to minority language school systems is crucial.

The telephone survey was conducted from May 9 to May 29 of this year, and has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The results were recently posted to a government website.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Don Butler