As my mandate as Commissioner of Official Languages draws to a close, there is no question that Canada is facing many challenges. Economic hardship, international turmoil and conflicts abound and the tectonic plates of global relationships are shifting. In this context, we are reimagining our future and redefining what we stand for as a country. There are certainly tough choices to make.

In these pivotal moments, we must look to the values that unite us here at home and that enhance our presence abroad – those things that make us strong. Together with reconciliation and multiculturalism, official bilingualism is at the heart of our identity. And as Canadians, we must never allow political pressures or economic restraint to erode these values that define us.
Ensuring support for language rights is not a tough choice. It is the backbone of our hard-fought language policy, underpinned by our shared values and an enduring source of national pride.

At a time when language rights in Canadian society have gained strength, we must continue to ensure that the federal government’s capacity to serve Canadians in their preferred official language is upheld and that we continue to protect official language minority communities, which exist in every province and territory.
Respecting language rights ultimately rests upon political will and leadership. It is a dual responsibility to ensure respect for Canadians’ language rights today, and to safeguard our linguistic and cultural identity for the future.

I remember the feeling as a young Francophone from Manitoba in 1969 when, for the first time, my language and culture were recognized, protected and celebrated even. Amidst a national unity crisis, Anglophone and Francophone leaders had come together to bring about one of Canada’s defining legislative achievements: the Official Languages Act.

We sometimes forget, but without that Act, Canada as we know it today would simply not exist. It helped make the dream of a distinct political project in North America a reality — a bilingual parliamentary democracy that includes protections for linguistic........

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