Thank you.
It's true that the federal government is a key player in language management. It is a major employer and an important provider of public services. When the federal government is basically promoting English in Quebec through its services and grants to citizens groups instead of doing more to promote French, it certainly tips the scales.
There are many other factors, like international immigration, interprovincial mobility and the fertility rate. However, it's clear that the federal government is one of the key players.
After more than 50 years, the Official Languages Act, which is based on the idea that the federal government protects French in the other provinces and also English in Quebec, has clearly been shown to have accelerated the rate of anglicization in Montreal. It is nonetheless difficult to determine what the main cause of it is. Did the federal government play a role? Did the Quebec government do enough? Did the municipalities and the private sector also play a role? It's difficult to know exactly what's happening.
One thing is obvious, however, and that is that the federal government has been taking a long time to change direction and admit that French is threatened and in decline everywhere in Canada, including Quebec, and particularly in Montreal. It needs to take action and do more on behalf of French in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. There is no doubt that the federal government's inaction is harmful to French.