want equal funding for on-reserve schools?

[Machjo]

Take it from official bilingualism.

According to the Fraser Institute, fulfilling the linguistic provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms costs taxpayers 2.4 billion yearly.

Given that promoting our languages but not theirs is as unfair as underfunding their schools, taking money from subsidies to our languages to fund their schools would kill two birds with one stone in promoting more equaity between us.

Of course it would mean opening the Constitution, but if English and French Canadians are serious about reconciliation, they'd do it.

Heck, if they're serious about just saving money they'don't do it.

2.4 billion a year is a nice chunk of money. Sure it would mean English speakers in Quebec and French speakers elsewhere would have to learn a second language, but given that indigenous Canadians have to do that already and even learn a third language to access government employment, it's clearly unfair for them to then also have to subsidize the 'right' to English and French monolingualism.

Actualky, I'd support a clause in the Constitution stating that no government is allowed to promote any language other than a sign language, the local indigenous language, or an international auxiliary language like Esperanto. I'd add that unidentified orphans who cannot speak any language should attend school in the local indigenous,language and learn an international auxiliary language as a default until the age of fifteen after which they could choose their language. This would create more jobs for speakers of these languages in orphanages and the school system while also finally promoting a common easy-to-learn second language for all Canadians.

Given that the government of Canada would have no interest in promoting any of these languages, we'd likely end up with a less statist and much freer linguistic market in Canada no longer reserving jobs for English and French Canadians and opening them up to all Canadians instead.

 

[Mowich]

Changing anything in the Constitution is such a hot potato Machjo that no political party in Canada wants to go near it for any reason let alone adding another language. Just isn't going to happen.

 

[Cannuck]

We aren't "promoting" our language. We are using it and it works quite effectively.

 

[damngrumpy]

For God's sake, we should be encouraging people to learn every language they can.
Knowing how to speak other languages gives way to understanding how others feel
The Swiss have four official languages and we don't see the childish outbreak about
another language on a cornflakes box. I think we should work to have some people
just grow up

 

[Machjo]

Changing anything in the Constitution is such a hot potato Machjo that no political party in Canada wants to go near it for any reason let alone adding another language. Just isn't going to happen.

I ws thinking of removing the present two languages, not adding more. And to make sure they are well-removed, to ban the promotion of any language by any level of government except specific ones should the government want to so as to significantly restrict Government intervention in linguistic matters.

We aren't "promoting" our language. We are using it and it works quite effectively.

At 2.4 billion per year.

For God's sake, we should be encouraging people to learn every language they can.
Knowing how to speak other languages gives way to understanding how others feel
The Swiss have four official languages and we don't see the childish outbreak about
another language on a cornflakes box. I think we should work to have some people
just grow up

Ironically enough, the most bilingual countires are often those with only one official language that all must learn, not those with multibple official languages so as to mollycoddle monolinguals.

 

[davesmom]

For God's sake, we should be encouraging people to learn every language they can.
Knowing how to speak other languages gives way to understanding how others feel
The Swiss have four official languages and we don't see the childish outbreak about
another language on a cornflakes box. I think we should work to have some people
just grow up

Yes Switzerland has four official languages but the majority of Swiss speak only one language - German.
It is a waste of money to promote the French language. French communities in every province except Quebec can speak English (as can most Quebeckers), yet they are bound to spending millions of dollars unnecessarily to provide services in two languages, one of which is rarely used. Even the cost of printing food labels in both languages is a waste; it increases food prices unnecessarily.
English is the language most commonly used in business around the world. Most countries teach English in their schools beginning in grade 5 or lower.

 

[Jinentonix]

If you're going to use the language of business as an argument, kids might be better served learning Mandarin. I don't know if you knew but for quite some up until not all that long ago, French was the language of commerce. It was also the language of Canadian Parliament for a while.
Things change, including the center and language of commerce.

 

[davesmom]

If you're going to use the language of business as an argument, kids might be better served learning Mandarin. I don't know if you knew but for quite some up until not all that long ago, French was the language of commerce. It was also the language of Canadian Parliament for a while.
Things change, including the center and language of commerce.

French has not been the universal language for over fifty years. English is now universal.
The Chinese do business in English.

How the government plans to improve education among the aboriginal communities will be a problem.
Going back to Residential Schools, they should have been a good thing. Rich people send their kids to residential schools all the time and for good reason.
The trouble was that nobody bothered to keep an eye on the schools and ensure that they were being conducted by responsible, consciencious staff. Residential schools, orphanages, even day care are magnets for perverts and sadists if they are not constantly monitored.
Aboriginal children in remote areas are isolated from the general population regardless of how good their schools and teachers are. They miss out on the social contact and competitions that are common to students in populated areas. Residential schools in this age would give the aboriginal children that exposure to the general population that is necessary for them to later on compete for jobs, etc.
I worked one summer at the U of Regina where I witnessed a couple of aboriginal youths brought in by some white official to register for enrollment. The youths were well qualified academically but they were terrified; they had never been around white people to any extent and they felt extremely uncomfortable. More exposure to the general population would have given them the confidence they needed to be comfortable with higher education.

 

[Machjo]

French has not been the universal language for over fifty years. English is now universal.
The Chinese do business in English.

How the government plans to improve education among the aboriginal communities will be a problem.
Going back to Residential Schools, they should have been a good thing. Rich people send their kids to residential schools all the time and for good reason.
The trouble was that nobody bothered to keep an eye on the schools and ensure that they were being conducted by responsible, consciencious staff. Residential schools, orphanages, even day care are magnets for perverts and sadists if they are not constantly monitored.
Aboriginal children in remote areas are isolated from the general population regardless of how good their schools and teachers are. They miss out on the social contact and competitions that are common to students in populated areas. Residential schools in this age would give the aboriginal children that exposure to the general population that is necessary for them to later on compete for jobs, etc.
I worked one summer at the U of Regina where I witnessed a couple of aboriginal youths brought in by some white official to register for enrollment. The youths were well qualified academically but they were terrified; they had never been around white people to any extent and they felt extremely uncomfortable. More exposure to the general population would have given them the confidence they needed to be comfortable with higher education.

Greetings from Wihan. I'be not had a single face to face exchange in English yet! I'be communicated with Koreans, Japanese, and Germans in Chinese in China. Why do I know Chinese? Because the vast magority of Chinese couldn't function in English to save their lives.

And many of those who trade with Canada do so in Chinese.

I'd even met a couple in Toronto. The French-Canadian husband spoke Chinese while the Chinese wife couldn't speak much English.

That said, everyone does waste many hours trying to learn English in China.