ABSTRACT
Canadian language policy aspires to forge a stable political system out of Canada’s multilingual population. Canada regulates language use in order to divert overheated competition between Canada’s English- and French-speaking communities into manageable pathways where highly charged conflict may be blunted and controlled. This chapter argues that although Canada has developed processes for managing linguistic conflicts, Canadian language policy has been ineffective in communicating its goals and in inspiring acceptance. If Canada’s language policy is to achieve acceptance, it must articulate principles that command respect at the high level at which the policy endeavors to operate. This chapter advances duality and accommodation as the fundamental principles of Canada’s language policy.
