New Brunswick: Canada's Bilingual Province

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises that English and French are the official languages of New Brunswick, with both languages having equal status and equal rights and privileges. The province's Official Languages Act, passed in 1969, grants New Brunswickers the right to receive provincial government services in the official language of their choice. This means that government institutions must offer services in both English and French. The Act does not, however, apply to schools, which are not required to offer services in both languages.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises English and French as the official languages of New Brunswick

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which came into force in 1982, recognises English and French as the official languages of New Brunswick. This makes New Brunswick Canada's only officially bilingual province. The Charter guarantees the rights and freedoms of Canadians, including the right to equality, democracy, and mobility.

The Charter applies to the Parliament and Canadian government with respect to all matters within the Parliament's authority, including the Yukon and Northwest Territories. It also applies to provincial legislatures and governments with respect to all matters within the legislature's authority. However, the Charter does not apply to private individuals, businesses, or other organisations.

The Charter outlines that English and French have equal status and equal rights and privileges in all institutions of the Parliament, government, and legislature of Canada and New Brunswick. This includes the right to use either language in communications with the federal government and certain provincial governments, as well as in parliamentary or legislative debates, court proceedings, and statutes and records.

The Charter also guarantees the right to distinct educational and cultural institutions for the English and French linguistic communities in New Brunswick. These communities have equality of status and equal rights and privileges, and the Government of New Brunswick has a duty to protect and promote these rights.

The recognition of English and French as the official languages of New Brunswick is further reinforced by the Official Languages Act, which was passed in 1969. This Act imposes on provincial government institutions the obligation to serve members of the public in the official language of their choice. It ensures that all New Brunswickers have the right to receive provincial government services in English or French.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, along with the Official Languages Act, uphold the bilingual status of New Brunswick and protect the linguistic rights of its English and French-speaking communities.

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada

In 1969, New Brunswick passed the Official Languages Act, which began recognising French as an official language alongside English. New Brunswickers have the right to receive provincial government services in the official language of their choice. About two-thirds of the population are English-speaking, and one-third is French-speaking. The variety of French spoken in New Brunswick is called Acadian French, and seven regional accents can be found.

New Brunswick's recognition of two linguistic communities, mechanisms for enforcing the law and addressing infractions, and regulations on bilingual commercial signage have been the boldest measures in support of bilingualism of any province in the country. Francophones in New Brunswick represented 32.4% of the population in 2016.

The Official Languages of New Brunswick Act (1969) made New Brunswick the first province to grant its citizens the right to receive government services in the official language of their choice. However, the Act did not force professional associations, unions, the private sector, health services, or municipalities to follow suit.

In 2002, the province of New Brunswick created the position of the Commissioner of Official Languages, an ombudsman whose role is to oversee the bilingualism of the provincial administration and those municipalities designated as bilingual.

The Official Languages Act of 1969 grants New Brunswickers the right to receive government services in the official language of their choice

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. The Official Languages Act of 1969, which came into effect on July 1, 1977, grants New Brunswickers the right to receive government services in the official language of their choice. This means that all provincial government institutions, including departments, Crown corporations, hospitals, and police services, are obligated to serve members of the public in either English or French. This is known as the "active offer," where, for example, an employee answering a phone call at a provincial department must greet the caller in both official languages.

The Official Languages Act of 1969 was replaced by a new Official Languages Act on June 7, 2002, to include all the constitutional obligations of the province toward the two official languages imposed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The new law created the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of New Brunswick, which is responsible for applying the Official Languages Act in governmental institutions and promoting bilingualism in the province.

The 1969 Act was the first language law in New Brunswick and had many shortcomings. It only applied to the province's parliamentary and governmental institutions, and no municipalities were subject to official bilingualism. The school system was split into two parallel systems, one administered by a Francophone deputy minister and the other by an Anglophone deputy minister. The Act was replaced due to numerous fundamental changes proposed by Acadians to the provincial language policy.

The Official Languages Act of 1969 was based on the federal Official Languages Act, which was enacted in the same year. The right to receive government services in the official language of one's choice is also guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was added to the Constitution of Canada in 1982.

The province's linguistic duality is reflected in its parallel systems of Anglophone and Francophone public schools

New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises that English and French are the official languages of New Brunswick, with both languages having equal status and equal rights and privileges. The linguistic duality of the province is reflected in its parallel systems of Anglophone and Francophone public schools.

The province has seven school districts, with four Anglophone school districts and three Francophone school districts. The Anglophone districts are:

• Anglophone North School District (ASD-N)
• Anglophone South School District (ASD-S)
• Anglophone East School District (ASD-E)
• Anglophone West School District (ASD-W)

The Francophone districts are:

• Francophone Nord-Est School District (DSFN-E)
• Francophone Nord-Ouest School District (DSFN-O)
• Francophone Sud School District

Each district has several sub-districts, with schools serving students from kindergarten to grade 12. The districts were created by merging previously existing districts by language in 2012, reducing the number of districts from 14 to 7. This reorganisation was expected to save $5 million in administrative costs.

The parallel systems of Anglophone and Francophone public schools in New Brunswick reflect the province's commitment to linguistic duality and equality for its English and French-speaking communities.

The Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick ensures compliance with the Official Languages Act and promotes the advancement of both official languages in the province

New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognises that English and French are the province's official languages. The Charter also states that both Anglophone and Francophone communities in the province have equality of status and equal rights and privileges.

The position of Commissioner of Official Languages was established in 2002 under the Official Languages Act. The Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick has two responsibilities. Firstly, they must ensure compliance with the Official Languages Act. To do this, the Commissioner receives complaints from the public, conducts investigations, and, if necessary, makes recommendations. Secondly, the Commissioner must promote the advancement of both official languages in the province.

The Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick is based in Fredericton. The office can be contacted by phone or email. The current Commissioner is unknown, but former Commissioner Katherine d'Entremont retired in 2018 after 37 years in public service. Michel A. Carrier, who served as Commissioner from 2003 to 2013, was appointed as interim Commissioner until a replacement for d'Entremont could be found.

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