Bilingualism In Canada

Efforts to make Quebecers feel more at home in Canada through bilingualism and biculturalism:

When Francophones began to vocalize their frustration with their situation in Canada, the government of Canada made efforts for Quebecers to feel more comfortable through bilingualism and biculturalism. In 1963, the government hired the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism to examine the situation and make recommendations on how to improve it. In order to address the problem, The Official Languages Act came into effect on September 9th, 1969 which gave English and French identical status in the government of Canada, making them both official languages by law. The cause of the Act was due to the fact that Francophones had a number

An increasing number of French-Canadians considered separation from Canada as a solution to the state of affairs. Pierre Trudeau, the new prime minister believed that separatism could be conquered if the government of Canada made itself more hospitable to francophones, allowing English- and French-speaking Canadians to live among each other without giving up their differences. In the end, the Act did not achieve Trudeau’s goal of abolishing support for separatism in Quebec, since Quebec elected a separatist provincial government in 1976. Nevertheless, it added considerably to Canada’s identity and culture, as one of the few officially bilingual nations in the world.
The growing sense of multiculturalism in Canadian life from the 1970s onwards:

Since the 1970’s, there has been a growing sense of multiculturalism in Canadian life. In order to adjust to these changes in the beginning,

Around the 1970s, governments and individuals generated a number of symbols that expressively added to the Canadian identity, and in addition, some public movements added to this sentiment as well. The cause of these public movements and creation of symbols were due to the fact that Canadians were starting to feel as if they were confronted with the challenge of defining a national identity distinct from Britain and the United States. For example, in the world of radio and television, little was exclusively Canadian, thus the government created the Canadian ensign, and in 1971 this body issued requirements for Canadian programming commonly called Can-con requirements. Furthermore, hockey, frequently labelled as Canada's national sport, was beginning to be considered as a symbol of Canadian culture and identity worldwide. Hockey events, such as the winning goal scored by the Canadian national team throughout a competition with the Russian national team in the 1970s, are what make hockey a symbolic importance. In conclusion, national symbols are part of a shared history and experience. These symbols and public movements are just examples of many that have held an important role in the preservation of Canada’s unique sense of culture and