It's members of the English-speaking minority who are worried about survival now.
The ultimate purpose of the Charter of the French Language, now 40 years old, was to ensure the survival of the French language in this province.
It has done its job — and then some.
In 1977, when the newly elected Parti Québécois government introduced Bill 101, Quebec’s social and linguistic realities were quite different from what they are now. The Quiet Revolution was already having a profound impact, and the Bourassa Liberals had previously enacted their own language law, Bill 22. Still, francophones all too often were made to feel like second-class citizens, forced to speak English while many anglophones didn’t bother to learn French. Immigrants often joined the English community, leaving francophones worried about becoming outnumbered (it did not help that many immigrants had long been excluded by French Catholic schools).
Fast-forward four decades: Quebec is unmistakably a French-speaking space. While Bill 101 sparked an exodus, those anglophones who have stayed have largely adapted, and flourished. Those of working age tend to be at least functionally bilingual; and younger anglo-Quebecers are increasingly attending French schools (as opposed to French immersion), not only to perfect their French, but also to become better able to function fully in the majority society. Immigrants, for their parts, understand that learning French isn’t optional.
This adaptation should not be confused with passivity: There have been several constitutional challenges to various aspects of the language law that have led to amendments mitigating the law’s original provisions, for example, concerning signage. Working within the language law, present-day activists are encouraging business owners to post more bilingual signs, as they are entitled to do, so long as French is predominant.
But those efforts can only accomplish so much, and it’s members of the English-speaking minority who are worried about survival now. Historic English communities in the regions are in decline. While Montreal’s remains vibrant, there has been an erosion of our institutions.
Clearly, Quebec anglophones have little reason to celebrate Bill 101, as much as we may understand the reasons for it. At the same time, it should be acknowledged that the law, by demonstrating that separation isn’t necessary to protect the French language, has helped keep Quebec in Canada.
Despite everything, many Quebec francophones remain fearful; erroneous census figures showing a growing percentage of anglophones quickly sparked renewed calls for Bill 101 to be extended to cover CEGEP access and medium-sized businesses.
The law should not be beefed up, quite the opposite. For example, allowing English-speaking immigrants into English schools would at least help keep them open.
After four decades, it’s time to recognize that Quebec anglophones are now a vulnerable minority, too.
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