One of the fundamental aspects of this institutional development is what I call the institutional anchoring. School board management is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when the management rights are granted to francophone communities. Therefore, it is a matter of developing sectors related to early childhood, health, welcoming immigrants and fighting poverty through a network of dedicated institutions, similar to what has been done for education.
In looking to the future, every political leader in Canada should wonder how the 2026 census data might differ from the data that was collected in 2006. We must ask ourselves what we can do differently. If we continue to do the same things, then we will have the same outcome in 2026, except that the trends will be even stronger. If the Canadian government wants to be a national or even international leader in the area of language communities, then it must find some way to encourage the provinces, the municipalities, major institutions such as universities, the media and the private sector to make French a national language.
French must be an official language, but that is not enough. Having a bilingual government and agencies is necessary but that is not enough either. Making bilingualism available to those who speak the dominant language is useful but it is not enough. The French language must be standard practice throughout the country, in other words, it must be “standardized”, it must meet certain standards. That is what will make the French language not only an official language but also a national language. The federal government has the choice: it can show national leadership or it can put on the brakes and take civil society back 10 years into the past.
I will spare you my conclusion, which is even more amazing.