Mike DeSouza, OTTAWA — Quebec’s anglophones are not in danger of disappearing, but often feel invisible without flexible government programs and policies to support their growth, says Canada’s language watchdog.
Graham Fraser, commissioner of official languages, told a Senate committee examining the minority English-speaking population of Quebec that the federal government should ensure its recently introduced strategy for official languages has specific components tailored for anglophones.
He said the measures used need to be different from those promoting minority francophone communities in Canada as a whole.
“A ‘one size fits all’ or ‘what works for the francophone minority communities works for the English-speaking minority of Quebec’ approach is not what we need,” Fraser said Monday. “Government policies and programs should have the ability and the flexibility to respond to the English-speaking community’s specific needs and realities.”
Mr. Fraser noted a recent report from Statistics Canada suggested Quebec anglophones — representing about 13% of the province’s population — earn less than their francophone counterparts with similar credentials, had higher rates of poverty and fewer public-sector jobs.
He said recent research by his office has demonstrated that there is a sense of isolation for English-speaking Quebecers who live outside the Montreal region, especially in remote communities.
“The English language itself is not in danger,” Mr. Fraser said. “The challenge lies in ensuring the continuity and vitality of the English-speaking community in Quebec and its institutions.”
As a result, he said many people in these communities turn away from the government and toward friends and family for services.
“They believe that their needs are not well understood by government and decision-makers,” he said. “The fact that the English-speaking community of Quebec does not feel that it is included, nor that its contribution to Quebec and Canadian society is recognized, contributes to this sense of invisibility.”
He said the federal government could play a role by offering more support to cultural institutions and networks in the community.
But Mr. Fraser also praised the Senate committee for examining and attempting to identify the needs of English-speaking Quebecers. He said increasing numbers of that population are bilingual and highly educated, but ironically, that provides them with an advantage that could result in them leaving for better opportunities abroad.
“I hope the federal government looks at (the Senate study) closely and that it will help it rethink and re-imagine its role toward the English-speaking minority in Quebec,” Mr. Fraser said.
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