Ottawa’s Franco-Ontarian community is once again calling for the City of Ottawa to become officially bilingual.
And the election of eight new councillors in the Oct. 27 municipal vote will give the city’s francophones and francophiles another shot at official bilingualism.
L’Association des communautés francophones d’Ottawa (ACFO), an association that considers itself the leading voice for French speakers and sympathizers in Ottawa, will be meeting with councillors to discuss the issue, according to ACFO president Alexandre Mattard-Michaud.
He says it’s time for an official bilingual services policy.
“It would mark the historical importance that francophones and francophiles have had in Ottawa since (its) foundation,” he says. “The fact that Ottawa is the capital of a bilingual country, it would only be natural.”
The current bilingualism policy adopted by city council in May 2001 aims to provide services in French where the need arises. This has been Mayor Jim Watson’s main argument against a policy change throughout the years. “I think it works well,” he told Radio-Canada the night of the municipal vote. “Is it perfect? No. But it’s my responsibility to keep improving the services.”
For Somerset councillor-elect Catherine McKenney, the policy currently in place ably serves the interests of French-speaking citizens. But she also says she’s open to discussions about official bilingualism “as long as we approach it as a community-building exercise and that it is not divisive.”
In Somerset Ward, she adds, “we have a large French-speaking population and (French) is one of two official languages of the country. . . We always have to be aware of that and make sure we’re measuring how we’re offering our services, make sure that we are keeping up . . . so that there is no slippage.”
According to Mattard-Michaud, some slippage did occur in other parts of the city. He says the francophone population is expanding on the west side of the city, but the French services are not always made available.
“Why not simply establish a policy of official bilingualism, standardized to municipal services everywhere in the city?” he asks. “It would spare the need to constantly revise the allocation formula for these services.”
He says the francophone life downtown is thriving, but stresses the need for an official bilingualism policy that covers all areas of the city.
During the Oct. 22 shootings in downtown Ottawa, the security alert sent to federal public servants was initially provided in English only, drawing heavy criticism from Graham Fraser, the country’s Commissioner of Official Languages. The alert was sent out by Public Safety Canada, a federal department, which does not need to comply with Ottawa’s bilingualism policy, and notices were sent out in both languages later that day.
Franco-Ontarian groups have called for bilingualism in the country’s capital since 1970, when the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism recommended that Ottawa make all services and facilities available in both official languages throughout the city. More recently, the National Movement for an Officially Bilingual Capital of Canada pushed for the city to modify its current bilingualism policy in time for the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, an event expected to attract additional tourism to the downtown area.
Official ceremonies should always be celebrated in both official languages, according to McKenney.
“When we have a celebration, an unveiling, and you come to that as a resident, you should have every expectation that it’s being done in both official languages,” she says. “So 2017? Hugely important that we get that right.”
The decision of becoming officially bilingual falls within municipal jurisdiction, but such a decision has to be approved by the province. Madeleine Meilleur, the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs in Ontario and MPP for Ottawa-Vanier, also voiced support for the idea in Le Devoir earlier this year, arguing it would ensure the “sustainability of bilingual services.”
So far, three city councillors have come out in favour of reconsidering the city’s stance on official bilingualism. Mathieu Fleury, re-elected councillor for Rideau-Vanier, is a long-time supporter of the cause, and newcomers Tobi Nussbaum, Rideau-Rockcliffe councillor-elect and Jeff Leiper, councillor-elect for Kitchissippi have both declared being open to discussions on the subject.