Should ASL< LSQ and Gestuno be recognized in the Canadian constitution?

Should ASL and LSQ be recognized in the Canadian Constitution?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No.

    Votes: 1 50.0%

  • It depends on what that would entail (please explain in a post).

    Votes: 1 50.0%

  • Other answer.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    2
Machjo

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
According to the World Federation of the Deaf (http://www.wfdeaf.org/pdf/fact_signlanguage.pdf), Brazil, Finland, South Africa, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Uganda, Ecuador, Portugal , and Venezuela recognize their national sign languages in their constitutions.

Has Canada been so blinded by the official bilingualism debate as to be falling behind other countries in its language policies?
 
Machjo

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
I voted it depends. I don't believe in including it in the constritution just to win PR brownie points. If we include it in the constitution, we ought to follw up with action. For instance, if we should give schools across Canada the freedom to choose to teach ASL or LSQ as an alternative second language for graduation, and give hiring priority between applicants with equal qualifications to those who know sign language in the federal government, or some equivalent initiative, then I could agree with including it in the constitution as a meaningful symoblic gesture backed up by these actions.
 
Francis2004

Francis2004

Subjective Poster
Nov 18, 2008
2,846
34
48
Lower Mainland, BC
Machjo said:
According to the World Federation of the Deaf (http://www.wfdeaf.org/pdf/fact_signlanguage.pdf), Brazil, Finland, South Africa, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Uganda, Ecuador, Portugal , and Venezuela recognize their national sign languages in their constitutions.

Has Canada been so blinded by the official bilingualism debate as to be falling behind other countries in its language policies?
Click to expand...

Machjo, simply put Canada already has it in legislation much like other countries. To have it in the Constitution would require a mess of Provincial Goverments to agree. For some other nations it does not require what it does for Canada to reopen the Constitution.

LEGISLATION/POLICY:
Australia Denmark Romania Uruguay
Belarus France Russian Federation Zimbabwe
Belgium Some German States Slovak Republic
Brazil Greece Spain
Canada Iceland Sri Lanka
China Iran Sweden
Colombia Latvia Switzerland
Cyprus Lithuania Thailand
Czech Republic Mozambique United States of America
Click to expand...

I cannot for the life of me see this being a hot political issue that any governemnt would want to touch..
 
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