Thank you very much for today's invitation.
I'm going to speak about my own experience. I learned French in an immersion program, and I was for some time, in high school, in a French-language school as a non-rights holder. I did my post-secondary studies in English. I never had the opportunity to speak French at home.
Now, I sit on the national board of directors of Canadian Parents for French. I am also president of the Manitoba Conseil jeunesse provincial, and the Manitoba representative at the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française.
This experience-rich life has brought me before you today to speak about French as a second language programs.
Today, my identity is just as francophone as anglophone, it not more so, but how is that possible since I only ever spoke English at home?
The francophonie as we know it has changed a great deal since several laws about it were brought in. More and more is being said about French-speaking youth, rather than identifying people with labels like francophone and francophile. There is more and more talk about linguistic security. These small changes in terminology have a big impact on how we choose to see the world.
However, these societal changes must be reflected in laws and policies. The perspective on official languages in Canada has to be made to evolve. It's as though for a long time, there was a hierarchy in the francophonie, and there were people who were more francophone than others, and some less so. In that hierarchy, ''old stock'' francophones, those whose mother tongue is French, are often placed at the highest level; those who are bilingual, and for whom French is a second language, are somewhere in the middle, and those who are still learning French are even lower than that.
We have to deconstruct that artificial hierarchy. The government's laws, structures and policies must encourage and create a Canadian francophonie where we all have the opportunity to learn and live in French.
First, there is a crying need to redefine what the francophonie is in the eyes of the government, for the purpose of broadening that definition and including a lot more people. Indeed, everyone who speaks French should have access to French services, which is not always the case. We have to work on normalizing French everywhere for the purpose of creating a truly bilingual Canada.
Secondly, all French-language services have to be planned so that there is enough space in the infrastructure, and there should be a sufficient number of qualified educators to teach the language to all of those who want to learn it. Learning French has changed my life. I am involved and engaged all over the place in French, even though it is not my first language. I find it very difficult to think that other young people across the country don't have that opportunity. Imagine my life if my mother had lost the lottery that gave me a spot in French immersion. Where would I be today? I would certainly not be here before you. The French as a second language programs across the country need to be quality programs, and they should be offered equitably to all those who want them. In my opinion, bilingualism is a part of the social contract which is bedrock in Canada. I would even go so far as to say that learning French and English in school should be a right for all Canadian students.
Third, still on the subject of education, there have to be more options and French-language post-secondary institutions. I should not be forced to study in English after high school because of a lack of access to French-language programs. The creation of these institutions will take time, but in the meantime, it would be a good thing to offer bursaries to cover the very high costs due to the fact that students cannot stay in their region and must move. It would help a lot to enable those who want to pursue post-secondary studies in the language of their choice.
Fourth, French needs to be more than a language that is simply spoken in school, even for youngsters who study French as a second language. We have to do better at promoting a rich and diverse francophonie, and celebrate its diversity, its cultures and its accents everywhere in Canada. I am talking about linguistic security. We have to promote a Canadian francophonie that is broader than ever. We have to value accents and different ways of speaking French by creating space, and a Canada where we feel comfortable speaking French the way we speak it.
Finally, we have to create more inclusive environments by funding projects that allow French-speaking Canadians to innovate and discuss things in French, and this includes French-speaking youth whose French is a second language. Those projects are essential, particularly for youth, and they must be created by young people, for young people. Youth know what other young people need. It could be cooking in French, playing soccer in French, or holding debates in French. French has to be the medium and not the end. And most of all, we have to have trust, and provide resources to the organizations that know how to implement those projects.
Organizations such as Conseil jeunesse provincial and Canadian Parents for French contribute to the solution through their programs but lack the resources to extend their reach as far as possible. We hear a lot about language security for native French speakers, but for people who speak French as a second language, an additional layer of complexity comes into play. At the end of the day, people become bilingual and gain confidence in their skills by using the language in multiple areas of their life.
If you take away anything from my presentation, I hope it's the realization that Canada's francophone community in 2018 looks a lot different than it used to, having changed tremendously over the past few years. Our legislation and policies have to keep pace to better reflect that evolving community. I dream of a Canada where the use of French is considered normal, where we can speak French anywhere, and where we can be served in French without even having to ask. I wholeheartedly believe we can make that dream come true if we work together.