Official bilingualism in Canada a 'myth,' says new poll

A new poll reveals a stark divide between Quebec and the rest of Canada about whether the country should be bilingual.

A new poll reveals a stark divide between Quebec and the rest of Canada about whether the country should be bilingual.

In a Léger poll conducted for The Canadian Press, only 43 per cent of respondents across Canada said they held a positive view of federal bilingualism — which was enshrined into law in 1969, making English and French Canada's official languages.

Eighteen per cent of respondents held a negative view.

However, in Quebec, 70 per cent of respondents said they view bilingualism positively; 11 per cent held the opposite opinion.

Outside Quebec, the percentage of respondents who view official bilingualism positively was 35 per cent — and 23 per cent in Alberta, with Manitoba and Saskatchewan close behind.

Asked whether it's important for Canada to remain officially bilingual, 83 per cent of Quebecers said it was; nearly half that number — 43 per cent — in the rest of Canada agreed.

"It's the two solitudes expressed in a poll," said Sébastien Poitras, vice president of public affairs at Léger.  "This value put forward by the Canadian government, that we're a country with two official languages, and therefore have 'coast-to-coast' bilingualism, is a myth that doesn't hold true in the rest of Canada."