Controversial statements on French shake Alberta

Alberta, a province where French is deeply rooted in history, is found at the heart of a heated debate after the incendiary statements of the conservative deputy of Red Deer Sud, Jason Stephan.

The latter said that “Alberta does not need French” (Alberta does not need French in English), in an opinion text published on the English -speaking conservative site Western Standard.

He thus questions Canadian bilingualism and its usefulness in the province.

These words caused a strong reaction within the French -speaking community, which fervently defends the importance of its language and its inheritance.

Jason Stephan Published several messages on Facebook, denouncing bilingualism as a taxation of the Trudeau Père government, which would have produced a structural preference, systematic to hire a disproportionate part of Quebec civil servants in Ottawa.

The Canadian Constitution is exceeded, ineffective and is part of a biased system that disadvantages Alberta.

The deputy, member of the UNE Conservative Party of Alberta (PCU), supports in his message that English, main language in Alberta, is crucial for trade, diplomacy, science and technology on a global scale: Learning other languages, including French, should be a personal decision rather than a government obligation.

An affront to bilingualism and history

These statements are received with dismay. French -speaking voices have reacted for a long time in the show L’Anisée on Wednesday, highlighting the resilience and determination of the French -speaking community of Alberta in the face of speeches that are trying to minimize its importance and its contribution to the province.

Nadine Tremblay, president of the French Canadian Association of Alberta (ACFA) of Red Deer, was said surprise stressing that bilingualism is a asset In Alberta.

For his part, Nathalie Lachance, president of theACFA provincial, described these words asunacceptable. She recalled that the French -speaking heritage is rooted and that French is a fundamental lawand not a luxury.

French is not an imposed constraint from the outside. It is part of the very history of Alberta. Long before 1905, French speakers, explorers, missionaries, traders, pioneers built our cities, schools, hospitals and our economy. French is a founding language of our province and our country.

Valérie Lapointe Gagnon, professor of history at the Saint-Jean campus, deconstructed the argument that bilingualism was imposed by Pierre Elliott Trudeau. She explained that this speech is part of a Black sheep myth In Alberta, a province that feels misunderstood by the federal government.

She recalled that French is an integral part of the history of the province and that this speech is ignoranceespecially on the historical role of French as a language of diplomacy.

A cultural and economic contribution

The deputy Stephan also said that less than 1 % of Albertans speak Frenchreferring only to those who are French -speaking unilingual. Nathalie Lachance rectified these figures, indicating that there is 261,000 people in Alberta who speak French.

She insisted that French is at the heart of our culture, it is at the heart of our identityemphasizing the importance of services in French, education and access to justice. Valérie Lapointe Gagnon added that bilingualism leads to economic dynamism, a cultural dynamism.

Provincial government’s reaction

The Alberta government reacted by a statement, saying that Jason Stephan a the right to express your personal views on an individual basiswhile enjoying the Dynamic Francophone Community And by committing to support its growth.

Valérie Lapointe Gagnon interpreted this reaction as an attempt to save the furniture for the next elections, but stressed that this speech is not new in Alberta and often emanates from conservative parties. She highlighted the convergence Views between opponents of bilingualism and separatists, a phenomenon which, although minority, is historically present.

Despite these positions, the French -speaking Alberta community maintains a Nice relationship with the provincial governmentas confirmed by Nathalie Lachance, who met provincial ministers expressing their support for the Francophonie.

She reiterated the obligation to challenge elected officials to Stop these comments which are really outdatedrecalling that the ability to speak more than one language is a Incredible added value.

With information from the La Croisée program