Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Distinguished members of the committee, thank you for inviting me. Since this is my first time testifying before the Standing Committee on National Defence, I will briefly introduce myself.
I have been an associate professor of political science at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston since 2017, and am co-affiliated with Queen's University and the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. My research focuses on the rights of linguistic minorities and the constitutional, legislative and political aspects of Canada's language regime, as well as, to a lesser extent, the rights of indigenous peoples. I would also like to note that I am here in my personal capacity, as a researcher, and that my remarks do not necessarily represent the official position of the Royal Military College of Canada.
I have listened to the testimony of the witnesses who have already appeared before you as part of your study, and I would like to add my views on the issue of official languages, focusing on the broader challenge of cultural change within the Canadian Armed Forces. The change that needs to be made, in my view, is for all members of the Canadian Armed Forces to embrace official languages. As things stand, official languages and bilingualism remain largely the domain of francophones.
One point I feel is important to highlight is the difference between the representation of francophones within the Canadian Armed Forces and the representation of the francophone community and official languages within the forces. As you already know, in the Canadian Armed Forces, francophones are overrepresented relative to their national demographic weight. Yet, the Canadian Armed Forces are unable to fill all positions where French is a language of work—that is, positions designated as bilingual or those for which French is essential—with individuals who are proficient in the language.
It should also be noted that many members of the forces operate primarily in an English-speaking environment and rarely have the opportunity to work in French. This leads to persistent unilingualism among anglophones. In fact, only 9% of them are bilingual. For the 59% of francophone members who are bilingual, this leads to a phenomenon of subtractive bilingualism. What is meant by subtractive bilingualism is that continuous exposure to an English-dominated work environment—and, more generally, to an English-dominated living environment—causes francophones serving in the forces to assimilate into English, to the point where it can become difficult for them to work in French when the opportunity arises. Furthermore, they do not always have access to the services to which they are entitled in the official language of their choice. Depending on their rank in the military hierarchy, requesting these services may be perceived as insubordination.
A study by the office of the director general responsible for research and analysis for military personnel also demonstrated that bilingualism rests very largely on the shoulders of francophones, while less than half of them say they feel comfortable using the official language of their choice during work meetings and less than two-thirds say they feel comfortable speaking in their language with their immediate supervisor.
Measures to support the recruitment of francophones, particularly in the navy, which lacks a natural recruitment pool among this population, will be beneficial in meeting the needs of the forces.
However, a cultural shift regarding what it means to respect and promote official languages within the forces is also necessary. This translates not only into greater use of the French language, but also into increased opportunities for English-speaking members to learn French, to learn it early, and to use it consistently throughout their careers.
The new ministerial directive on modernizing the Official Languages Act appears to be moving in this direction, but we must monitor the progress of its implementation to ensure that the new objectives are officially achieved.
Furthermore, support for learning the other official language should not be limited to studying to pass a test to obtain a BBB or CBC rating; one must truly be able to interact with other colleagues in the other official language. This is a type of learning that takes place throughout an entire career and which, in my view, must begin as soon as a member joins the Canadian Armed Forces.
In short, if we make bilingualism and linguistic duality a matter of respect and leadership, and if all members of the forces feel they have an equal opportunity to learn and use their other official language throughout their careers, we will create a virtuous cycle that will enhance operational capability and cohesion, and prevent resentment toward bilingualism. Moreover, not only will this enhanced proficiency in both official languages be useful at our bases and during domestic operations, but, in the current geopolitical context where Canada is seeking to diversify its alliances, the presence within our forces of a strong contingent of soldiers capable of working in French is also an added value that will allow for closer collaboration with NATO member countries that also have French as an official language.
Thank you for your attention. I look forward to continuing the discussion.