I'm betting on bilingualism!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent selection of unilingual Michael Ferguson as the next auditor general caused a swift and understandable reaction from opposition MPs, calling it an insult to francophones nationwide.

Once again, this country finds itself in a linguistic kerfuffle because, while we may legally be bilingual, in reality we are not.

There’s a huge difference between what was drafted, articulated and wished for in the 1967 report of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturism in Ottawa and what this country actually is.

As it stands, Canada isn’t bilingual at all. Canada is simply a country that has two official languages; one of which many don’t speak.

Over the years, Canadians have expressed views on bilingualism that range from exasperation, aggravation, indifference, to downright pride. But close to 35 years later, many question whether it has served any purpose at all.

“As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions,” Harper once uttered.

Even Trudeau, the man forever associated with the concept of Canadian bilingualism, once said that he regretted the use of the term, because it appeared to insist and imply that all Canadians speak two languages. In fact, Trudeau’s vision was to see Canada as a bilingual confederation where multiculturism would prevail.

Stats Canada figures are quite revealing: Nearly 95 percent of Quebecers speak French, but only 40.6 percent speak English. In the rest of this so-called bilingual country, 97.6 percent of the population is capable of speaking English, but only 7.5 percent can speak French. In all, 55 percent of bilingual Canadians are Quebecers.

Now consider this: 88 percent of allophones (like myself) who usually speak two to three languages, reside in the Greater Montreal area, and 80 percent of anglophones (the vast majority of whom work and function in French) are also concentrated in the region of Montreal.

The undeniable conclusion (at least in my non-statistical, glass-is-always-half-full brain) is that, while bilingualism is still very much a pipe dream in the rest of Canada, in Quebec, and even more so in Montreal, in an ironic twist of happenstance, (for those who prefer this city as French as possible, anyways) through the perfect storm of provincial legislation like Bill 101, immigration, and a welcoming multicultural spirit, we’ve managed to emerge as the closest this country has ever come to truly being a bastion of bilingualism. I recognize that this is anathema to some.

This “linguistic fluidity”, as it was recently coined by Celine Cooper, a Montrealer and PhD candidate in sociology and equity studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, while not always exempt from petty politics and silly grievances on both sides of the linguistic fence, is an overwhelming source of pride and celebration for many Montrealers.

I’m an allophone educated in English who reads La Presse before reaching for The Gazette and would rather watch Tout le Monde en Parle on Sunday nights than Desperate Housewives. I live in a city where French rap group Radio Radio gave a joint performance with local anglo band Chromeo two weeks ago without anyone even questioning it. Montreal funny boy Sugar Sammy announced a series of bilingual comedy shows “You’re Gonna Rire” and 12 of them sold out in mere days! That’s a lot of shows with a lot of fans comfortable in both languages! Much to the despair of some, joy of others, franglais is alive and well in this town, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Trudeau said once: “Of course a bilingual state is more expensive than a unilingual one — but it is a richer state.” I tend to agree. There’s a pulsating, stimulating, exhilarating bilingualism in this city that I can only hope the rest of the country one day gets to experience.