In celebration of 40 years of official bilingualism, I did a number of radio interviews. What was very encouraging to me, in the comments shared, was that people were very much at ease with French or English. A number of individuals made comments to me like, “They size me up. If they think I'm English they address me in English. If they're wrong they just switch to French.”
I think over the last four years there has been a depoliticization of linguistic issues. People are no longer caught up in the same fervour around language and politicizing it. They really look at it as a tool. I see it with my own children, in their ability to go from one to the other with no fear.
Part of my day job is responsibility for international students--we have many Spanish-speaking students--and sensitizing our own students to the fact that this is a great and wonderful world where people are comfortable, regardless of the language. That's part of the changing demographic of our country and part of the new reality--coming like this with respect to languages, a second language.