With the release of the 2006 Census Report there have been a number of news articles on bilingualism, more specifically, the limited growth in bilingualism rates among youth.

 

What the reports have neglected to do is to identify some of the reasons for these outcomes.

 

The issue that is most prevalent across Canada is limited access to French-second-language (FSL) programs such as French immersion (FI). There are regions where parents are forced to stand in line overnight to register their child in a French immersion program because of enrolment caps; where lack of transportation forces parents to drive 40 minutes to deliver their child to a school that offers an immersion program; and where high school students are forced to drop out of FSL programs because required courses are not offered in French.

 

There is also the issue of teacher-shortage. School districts that want to offer more FI classes are reluctant because they do not have access to qualified FSL teachers. This is a problem in all provinces except Quebec. The fact that the certification of teachers falls within the provincial domain makes it a difficult challenge to rectify. A pan-Canadian teacher-exchange program should be implemented to provide opportunities for teachers to work in one region without jeopardizing their status in their respective provinces.

 

To address the datum referring to declining French-language skills among youth post high school studies, this could be remedied if post-secondary institutions capitalized on the opportunity to serve FI graduates. Post-secondary institutions need to recognize the value of official language bilingualism and the importance of maintaining and enhancing second-language skills.  Offering more courses in French and creating bilingual programs, would build on the foundation achieved at the elementary and secondary level.

 

In a recent survey of parents 25 per cent said they did not enrol their children in a French immersion program because they did not have access to the program and another 10 per cent said they were concerned their children's first language skills would suffer. (Canadian Council on Learning 2007 Survey of Canadian Attitudes Toward Learning) The latter reason is of particular concern because research shows that learning a second-language actually has cognitive benefits, including the enhancement of first-language skills.

 

Nearly one-quarter of Canadian parents in the same survey said they have enrolled their children in French immersion programs and indicated the reason was to provide their child with the opportunity to learn and maintain additional language skills and to improve future job opportunities.

 

There is promise that official language public policy will provide some solutions to these problems. Last month the federal government delivered its throne speech and committed itself to planning for the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages, which was first introduced in 2003. This week Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Bernard Lord to head a committee on bilingualism. The laudable Action Plan goal of doubling the number of high school graduates with a functional knowledge of their second-official language can be attained only if public policy is supported through consultations with stakeholders to identify barriers and missed opportunities and only if there are measurable outcomes as well as accountability and transparency in the use of funds.