CANADA’S LANGUAGE PROBLEM.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 23, Issue 5, 19 January 1912, Page 2

CANADA’S LANGUAGE PROBLEM.

Two million of the 7,000,000 people in Canada speak only the French language. The 5,000,000 who speak English are ha a preponderating majority in numbers, but as far as the dominion of Canada is concerned the two languages are on an exactly equal basis. The toleration of any language other than English is so foreign to the spirit of the institutions of the United States that Americans are almost unable to appreciate the troubles their northern neighbours have with their bilingual system. It is true that there .are more persons in the United States who speak no English than there are in all Canada, but they are nearly all recent immigrants. The one portion of the United States in which a foreign language persists is in Louisiana and the southern part of Alabama and Mississippi, where the French language still is largely used. But these southerners nowadays also speak English, for in every local community, the English-speaking people far outnumber the French. In Canada the course of events has been entirely different. The Frenchspeaking people have insisted upon keeping their own language, a majority of them have refused to learn English, they have Preach schools, and in many parts of the Dominion utterly ignore the language of the majority. When Parliament sits at Ottawa, the Governor-General reads the speech} from the Throne, first in English and then all over again in French. The Speaker o f the House of Commons puts every motion and question first in English fend then in French, The proceedings of Parliament are published every day in both languages. A jury must be bilingual, and a witness in court in some provinces may speak in either language as he pleases. A debate in the Canadian House of Commons is a very interesting spectacle. The two Parties sit facing each other after the British fashion, the premier and the members of the Cabinet on the front benches of the Government side, the Leader of the Opposition and his whips on the front benches opposite. The Speaker sits on a throne between, wearing his robes of State and facing a table on whicli is laid the mace. The Speaker puts a motion, first speaking English and then French. A member of the Opposition side rises and makes a set speech against the proposition, speaking in English. The American visitor, who speaks only English, is interested to know how the Government will reply to the arraignment. The Tory member resumes his seat. A member of the Government side arises to reply. And he speaks in French ! Whereupon the visitor is at sea.

Presently the Tory who started the debate interrupts the torrent of French with a question. The question is in English. Back comes the reply—in French. And then succeeds an interesting colloquy in two languages. Each man understands the other perfectly, but each prefers to speak in his own tongue. The stenographic reporters must translate this mixed debate in two reports, one all English and the othef all French, both of which are printed next day in the Hansard. The United States has insisted upon a monolingual system to a degree almost unprecedented. English, is the official language of its whole territory except that Porto Rico retains its Spanish, and Spanish is on an equal basis with English in the Philippines. But so determined arc the Americans to make English the language of the Philippines that they have set up language schools all over the islands, and now, after only eleven years, a greater number of Filipinos speak English than Spanish. In Canada the English-speaking people would like to make' their language dominant, but they do not dare. The solid strength of the important province of Quebec is behind the French, and the balance of power in almost every one of the nine provinces is held by French-speaking voters. Not only is language a factor in politics on its own account, but it is closely related to the religious problem. Practically all the Frenchspeaking people are Catholics, and the vast majority of the Englishspeaking people are Protestants. — ‘ ‘ Cleveland Plain-dealer. ’ ’