The 1969 Official Languages Act: A Turning Point, but for Whom?

Using different time frames or time scales, such as short term, medium term, and long term, this article considers if the 1969 Official Languages Act was a turning point for Canadians. If opponents to official bilingualism believed that the Official Languages Act was definitely a turning point at the time, this is not the case when using a medium-term scale. The passage of the Act demonstrates that this was part of the federal government's broader strategy of changing Canadian symbols. The long-term scale provides another interpretation since Indigenous languages and rights have been ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En utilisant différentes échelles temporelles, tels que le temps court, le moyen terme et la longue durée, cet article examine si la Loi sur les langues officielles de 1969 est un tournant pour les Canadiens. Si les opposants au bilinguisme officiel estiment que la Loi sur les langues officielles constitue sans aucun doute un tournant, ce n'est pas le cas lorsque l'on utilise une échelle à moyen terme. L'adoption de cette loi démontre qu'elle s'inscrivait dans la stratégie du gouvernement fédéral visant à changer les symboles canadiens. L'approche de la longue durée fournit une autre interprétation puisque les langues et les droits autochtones ont été ignorés. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Historical Review is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)