New Brunswick’s Official Languages Commissioner has released its annual report and identified several points of concern – including a decline in the number of people who speak French as a first language at home.
There has been a roughly two percentage point decline in the number of New Brunswickers for whom French is their first language, which fell to 29.5 per cent in 2021 from 31.4 per cent in 2016, Shirley MacLaine said.
“In fact, 29.5% indicated French as their mother tongue, while 63.7% indicated English as their mother tongue.”
The report also stated that the number of French speakers speaking their first language at home has also declined.
“The numbers showed some alarming trends for the official language minority, as the percentage of New Brunswick residents who speak predominantly French at home has declined,” the report said. “In 2016, 28 per cent of New Brunswick residents spoke mostly French at home, and in 2021 this dropped to 26.4 per cent.”
The data she used in her report is included in the 2021 Census.
This worries her, she said, adding that the trends are worrying about “the erosion of French as a first language in every census.”
In an interview on Thursday, McLean said 1.6 percent and 2.0 percent may not seem like big numbers. “But when you look at previous censuses, which showed that this decline was there then and is continuing to decline, the continued decline is certainly concerning.”
New Brunswick’s bilingual population remains steady at 34 per cent, according to the Maclean’s report, but she said it would have been more encouraging if the numbers were increasing.
McLean also said she’s concerned about the lack of amendments to the Official Languages Act, which is reviewed every 10 years in New Brunswick.
“New Brunswick has missed a clear opportunity to continue progress toward equality between our two official languages by adopting amendments that would strengthen these rights,” she said in her report.
In all previous reviews of the law, there have been significant changes to the legislation, McLean said.
“This year I had to express my disappointment that there were so few amendments. The only significant amendment I could look forward to was the establishment of the Office of the Official Languages Secretariat.
She said there are opportunities to move communication toward “true equality.” She said she wants to see nursing homes included in the Official Languages Act.
In addition, she would like to see members of the civil service able to work and be assessed in the language of their choice with some funding for language training.
“As government institutions that have to provide formal language services, if you have a workforce that is not bilingual enough, that’s a problem,” she said. “The amendments to the law are absolutely crucial in bringing about positive change.”
Assimilation does not take long
Assimilation does not take long when many French speakers are surrounded by English influence in their communities, said Nicole Arsenault-Sluyter, president of the Académie du Nouveau Brunswick association.
She lives in St. John’s and her husband is English. She explained that her daughter is fluent in two languages and works in the heart center at St. John’s Regional Hospital.
“There are a lot of families like us,” she said in an interview. “When you live in a minority city like Saint John, it’s not easy to get around or go to restaurants or live in French. It’s a lot of work.”
Until 1989, there were no French schools in the port city, which meant that at least two generations of Acadians living here were unable to get an education in their first language, she said.
Arsenault Slaughter said protecting the French language begins with day care and primary education.
“It directly contributes to comprehension,” she said. “This is a major concern.”
The federal Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced the opening of an office in Dieppe to help more French-speaking people immigrate to the province.
Global News has reached out to management for an update on the office’s program and work and is awaiting a response.
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In New Brunswick, the “erosion” of French as a first language is a pressing issue that has raised real concerns for the future of linguistic diversity in the province. As the number of French-speaking inhabitants continues to decline, there is a growing fear that the unique linguistic and cultural identity of the region is at risk. The potential loss of the French language as a first language in New Brunswick has sparked debates and discussions about the importance of preserving and promoting linguistic diversity in the province. This issue is not only about language, but also about the preservation of a rich cultural heritage that has been integral to the identity of New Brunswick for centuries.