Fearful ‘ antibilinguals’ are holding Canada back
It is alarming to continue seeing impassioned arguments from some Canadian leaders against embracing either of Canada’s official languages. Dismissing the merits of bilingualism is to dismiss diversity, science, diplomacy, economics and federalism itself. The attitude is destructive, and just as ugly and irrational in English as it is in French.
The vocal “antibilinguals” in both linguistic camps are very different, but their fears are similar. Quebec’s ethnic nationalists, typically sovereignists who gravitate toward the Parti Québécois and myriad linguistic activist groups, play the victim card: The presence of the English language dilutes and will eventually kill francophone culture, they claim, citing the junk science that purports French is strengthened by making it visibly predominant over other languages. Anglophone antibilinguals in the Rest of Canada see embracing French as unnecessary and pandering to the Quebec nuisance. The two antifederalist factions are forever intertwined, unable to sustain productive dialogue, but content in their isolation and blissful ignorance.
Fewer than one in five Canadians are functionally bilingual. This is not an indictment of unilingual citizens who rely on subpar public language education, but their leaders in various spheres of influence who wilfully ignore the benefits of seeing past their mother tongue. Unfortunately, multilingualism is a privilege in this country and it is too often reserved for a select few with the means to pursue advanced education. Expecting bilingualism of our leaders is, to a certain extent, unfair; but Canadian elites have always benefited from a multitude of privileges — linguistic, ethnic, economic, geographic and otherwise. “For me, it’s essential,” said interim deputy Conservative leader Denis Lebel this week. “It absolutely takes someone who is bilingual.”
This latest language debate was sparked by comments from pundit and investor Kevin O’Leary, a unilingual anglophone who has expressed interest in the Conservative leadership. “I know how Quebec works,” O’Leary told Maclean’s in January. “I know what Quebec wants in Canada because that’s where I came from.”
O’Leary joins a select group of excruciatingly unilingual anglophone Montrealers who, along with the West Islanders behind Epic Meal Time, required simultaneous translation during appearances on Radio- Canada’s Tout le monde en parle. It’s difficult to truly understand the concerns of French Canada if one can’t properly communicate with it.
The Shark Tank star who manages billions in investments could surely spring for a $ 219 copy of language software Rosetta Stone if he’s serious about properly representing one quarter of the nation. For those with time, means and national ambitions, language learning is the safest of investments.
To drive home the point with language that O’Leary will appreciate: Bilinguals make more money. “Bilingual employees earn more than their unilingual counterparts,” reads a 2010 University of Guelph study, “even if they aren’t using their language skills on the job.”
While embracing English, the international language of business, is unquestionably profitable, French- language skills could become increasingly beneficial outside of Canada as well. African economies are growing and investment bank Natixis predicts that sub- Saharan Africa could help French become the world’s most spoken language by 2050.
Along with economics, the science of multilingualism is also persuasive. Research suggests that bilingualism, plainly, makes
people smarter and healthier. It is associated with delays in the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, improved memory and cognitive skills, denser grey matter in the brain and more ( there are too many studies on the benefits of bilingualism to cover in this space). Quebec’s antibilinguals might be perturbed to learn that denser grey matter facilitates all language processing; embracing English, as it turns out, could help strengthen French.
While some leaders remain fearful of the other language, parents are increasingly fearless; francophone students are flooding English CEGEPs and anglophone students are overwhelming Toronto’s French schools. As the benefits of multilingualism even beyond the nation’s two official languages become indisputable, it’s incumbent on leaders to set an example, meet the demand and help build a healthier, more prosperous Canada.
Dan Delmar’s column will appear next on Monday, April 4. He is a public relations consultant at Provocateur Communications and host of The Exchange, Mondays and Wednesdays 8- 10 p. m. on CJAD 800 Montreal. twitter. com/ DanDelmar