Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism

The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (also known as the Bi and Bi Commission and the Laurendeau-Dunton Commission.) was a Canadian royal commission established on 19 July 1963, by the government of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to "inquire into and report upon the existing state of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada and to recommend what steps should be taken to develop the Canadian Confederation on the basis of an equal partnership between the two founding races, taking into account the contribution made by the other ethnic groups to the cultural enrichment of Canada and the measures that should be taken to safeguard that contribution".^[1]

Throughout the Quiet Revolution, Canada saw the rise of modern Quebec nationalism as the federation-wide French Canadian nationalism became less and less supported by the younger Francophone generations of this province. The perceived failure of Canada to establish the equality of the English and French languages within governmental institutions is one of main reasons for the rise of the Quebec secessionist movement.

The Commission was jointly chaired by André Laurendeau, publisher of Le Devoir, and Davidson Dunton, president of Carleton University. As a result, it was sometimes known as the Laurendeau-Dunton commission.

Ten commissioners representing each of the provinces were also included in the commission as areas such as education were provincial responsibilities.

The Commission recommended sweeping changes when its final report was published in 1969, some 4 years after the publication of its preliminary report in February 1965. Among other things, it reported that Francophones were underrepresented in the nation's political and business communities. 1961 statistics of the salaries of Quebec men based on ethnic origin revealed that French Canadian incomes lagged behind all other ethnic groups, with the exception of Italian Canadians and aboriginal Canadians.

Recommendations

The recommendations included the following:

That bilingual districts be created in regions of Canada where members of the minority community, either French or English, made up 10% or more of the local population.
That parents be able to have their children attend schools in the language of their choice in regions where there is sufficient demand.
That Ottawa become a bilingual city.
That English and French be declared official languages of Canada.

Incoming Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau made it one of his highest priorities to implement the Commission's recommendations to solve these problems. The most important of these was making Canada an officially bilingual nation. This was introduced in 1969 in the Official Languages Act. The provinces were also recommended to make reforms, and many did. Canada's education system was overhauled and school children across the country were made to learn both languages.

The Commission and its recommendations were supported by both the Progressive Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party, but the Tories did have concerns with the costly implementation of the reforms. Regional parties like the Social Credit Party, the Confederation of Regions Party and later on, the Reform Party would object strongly to these changes.

In 1971, the federal government led by Trudeau departed from the Commission's findings. While Canada would remain a bilingual nation, it would pursue a policy of multiculturalism rather than biculturalism.

In the Constitution Act, 1982, Trudeau ensured that many of the Commission's recommendations were permanently included in the Constitution of Canada, as sections 16 through section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms included several language rights.

While in some circles the Commission's legacy is controversial, others view it as a success. The under representation of French-Canadians in positions of power is less of a problem and French-Canadians have access to government services in their own language.

References

↑ Page 174

External links

Canadian identity

Canadians Constitutional debate in Canada Culture of Canada Canadian cultural protectionism Demographics of Canada Multiculturalism in Canada

National identities in Canada	Annexationism Canadian nationalism Quebec nationalism Western alienation Alberta separatism

Relations between English and French Canada	Acadian movement Anti-Quebec sentiment National question (Quebec) Federalism Sovereigntism Distinct society État québécois Two Solitudes Notable events: Manitoba Schools Question (1890–96) Regulation 17 (1912) Conscription Crisis of 1917 Conscription Crisis of 1944 Quiet Revolution Vive le Québec libre speech (1967) October Crisis (1970) Quebec referendum, 1980 Quebec referendum, 1995 Unity Rally Québécois nation motion (2006)

Multicultural politics	Canadian Multiculturalism Act Cultural mosaic Section Twenty-seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Reasonable accommodation Global Centre for Pluralism Multicultural media in Canada 1976 separate schools case 1985 and 1986 Sunday shopping cases 1985 day-of-rest case 1986 separate schools case 1986 homeschooling case 1990 RCMP turban controversy 2001 religious university case 2004 succah case 2006 Kirpan case 2006 school etiquette case Quebec Charter of Values (2013) 2015 niqab case

Language politics	Official bilingualism in Canada Gendron Commission Language policies of Canada's provinces and territories Legal dispute over Quebec's language policy Official bilingualism in the public service of Canada Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism Timeline of official languages policy in Canada

Immigration to Canada	Canadian nationality law Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Economic impact of immigration to Canada History of immigration to Canada Permanent residency see also :Template:Canadian citizenship

Race and ethnicity	Canadian Anti-racism Education and Research Society Canadian Race Relations Foundation Ethnic origins of people in Canada List of ethnic interest groups in Canada Visible minority Racism cases 1899 coalminers' case 1903 voting rights case 1914 employment case 1939 tavern case 1946 Japanese deportation case 1951 housing case 1970 liquor law case Quebec historical anti-Semitism controversy

Aboriginal politics	National organizations Métis Red River Rebellion (1869) North-West Rebellion (1885) Indian Act (1876-present) Indian Register 1969 White Paper Oka Crisis (1990) Self-Government Inuit territories Inuvialuit (1984) NunatuKavut claimed Nunavik (no final agreement) Nunavut agreement 1993 establishment 1999 First Nations territories Eeyou Istchee James Bay Nitassinan claimed Royal Commission (1991–96) Kelowna Accord (2005) Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008–) Idle No More protest movement (2012–) see also Template:Canadian Aboriginal case law

Federal–Provincial– Territorial relations	Province building Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations (1937–40) Royal Commission of Inquiry on Constitutional Problems (1953–56) Patriation debate (1960s to 1982) Fulton–Favreau formula (to 1965) Canada Act 1982 and Constitution Act, 1982 Canada Health Act (1984) Victoria Charter (1971) Meech Lake Accord (1987–90) Citizen's Forum on National Unity (1990–91) Charlottetown Accord (1992) Calgary Declaration (1997) See also template:Constitution of Canada, Category:Federalism in Canada, and Category:Canadian federalism case law

Symbols in Canada	National Provincial and territorial Royal Flags Heraldry Debates and legislation: Name (1867) Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 Great Canadian Flag Debate (1963–64) National Anthem Act (1980) Debate on the monarchy in Canada (Monarchism in Canada and Republicanism in Canada)

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Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism

Recommendations

See also

References

External links