Does anyone else think the Francophone vs Anglophone battle in Ontario (and the rest of Canada) is getting (literally and figuratively) old? The number of ethnicities populating Canada reported on censuses rose from just 20 in 1871 to 250 in 2016! Thanks to the massive increase in immigration since the mid-80s, the population of allophones (mother tongue is neither French nor English) doubled to 20% in 2006 and is projected to be a whopping 30% in 2030.
Francophones (French being their mother tongue) now make up less than 20 percent of our nation. Anglophones (English as a mother tongue) have dropped from 62% to 58%. So what makes the Francophone population so special and more important than any others in Canada? Why are they demanding their own universities and hospitals within Ontario? Why has this issue invaded our provincial politics? Have we not got more important things to worry about than the francophone vs anglophone issue?
Canada has always been known for its acceptance of all ethnicities and I hope we continue to carry and own that reputation. My maternal grandfather was named Beaudette; you can’t get much more French than that. His parents immigrated from France shortly before he was born in 1904. I am very proud of my own French heritage, but not to the exclusion of the other parts of my ancestry,
Agreed!!