11. Section 23 of the Charter and Official-Language Minority Instruction in Canada: The Judiciary’s Impact and Limits in Education Policymaking

2012 ◽  
pp. 214-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rémi Léger

On 11 June 2010, ten leading scholars came together at the invitation of the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities to discuss the autonomy and recognition of Canada’s official language minority communities. In this article, I examine the implications of this workshop for Francophone minority community institutions by emphasizing and contextualizing main ideas and expanding on key proposals. First, I map out and explain how the implementation of horizontal management has increasingly curtailed community autonomy. Next, I catalog and discuss participants’ proposals for fostering greater autonomy for Francophone minority communities. Last, I sketch the potential and limitations of horizontal management.


Author(s):  
Lynne Bowker

Canada is an officially bilingual country, but the only legal requirement is for federal services to be offered in both official languages. Therefore, services provided by provincial and municipal governments are typically offered only in the language of the majority, with cost being cited as the main obstacle to providing translation. This paper presents a recipient evaluation designed to determine whether machine translation could be used as a cost-effective means of increasing translation services in Canadian official language minority communities. The results show that not all communities have the same needs, and that raw or rapidly post-edited MT output is more suitable for information assimilation, while maximally post-edited MT output is a minimum requirement when translation is intended as a means of cultural preservation and promotion. The survey also suggests that average recipients are more receptive to MT than are language professionals.


1999 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Kramer

RÉSUMÉ Langue officielle, langue minoritaire, pas de langue du tout: L'histoire du macédonien dans l'enseignement primaire dans les Etats Balkaniques Dans les pays avec des populations diverses, la disposition d'enseignement primaire de langue maternelle dans les langues minoritaires a souvent été le sujet de débats politiques. L'auteur éclaircit l'histoire et l'état du macédonien dans les régions différentes où on le parle en fournissant un compte rendu abrégé de son histoire comme langue d'instruction primaire dans les États Balkaniques du dix-neuvième siècle jusqu'à présent. L'usage du macédonien a été relié de près avec les questions de la codification de langue et de l'identité ethnique dans les écoles en Grèce, en ancienne Yougoslavie, dans la République macédoine et jouit d'un statut limité en Albanie mais on ne lui accorde pas de reconnaissance officielle en Grèce. En Bulgarie le recensement le plus récent ne reconnaît pas l'identité ethnique macédonienne. RESUMO Oficiala lingvo, minoritata lingvo, nenia lingvo: La historio de la makedona en elementa edukado en la balkana regiono En landoj kun lingve diversaj logantaroj, la liverado de elementa denaska-lingva edukado en minoritataj lingvoj ofte farigas temo de politika debato. La aütoro klarigas la historion kaj situacion de la makedona en la diversaj teritorioj, kie oni parolas gin, résumante gian historion kiel lingvo de elementa edukado en la balkana regiono de la deknaüa jarcento gis hodiaŭ. Utiligo de la makedona intime ligigis kun demandoj de lingva normigo kaj etna identeco en la lernejoj de Grekio, la antaüa Jugoslavio, la Respubliko de Makedonio, Bulgario kaj Albanio. Gi estas la registara lingvo en la Respubliko de Makedonio kaj guas limigitan statuson en Albanio, sed oni cedas al gi neniun officialan rekonon en Grekio, kaj en Bulgario la plej lasta popolnombrado ne rekonis makedonan etnan identecon.


2012 ◽  
pp. 248-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Kymlicka

While Canada is widely seen as a leader in accommodating different forms of diversity, the unique needs of official language minority communities (OLMCs) are not adequately recognized in the constitution, and often fall through the cracks of the “Canadian model”. Can we imagine a new deal for OLMCs, perhaps in the form of new legislation or even a new constitutional provision that would provide stronger recognition of their national status, their collective rights, and their political autonomy? While I share the political objectives of achieving greater recognition and autonomy, this paper identifies a number of potential pitfalls and dead-ends that need to be avoided in the pursuit of such a new deal. I focus in particular on a) the role of legal categories, b) the limits of international law, and c) the constraints on constitutional reform.


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