A survey conducted for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages shows strong support among Canadians for the objectives of the Act, but again, it is strongest in Quebec.
And in Canada, francophones are far more likely than anglophones to think it is important that the prime minister, Supreme Court judges, and federal ministers be bilingual.
Overall, support for the objectives of the Official Languages Act reaches 95 per cent in Quebec. It falls gradually to 78 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. However, it is 87 per cent in Ontario and 86 per cent in the Atlantic.
When asked whether they think the prime minister of Canada should speak both official languages, 98 per cent of French-speaking Canadians said yes, compared to 78 per cent of English-speaking Canadians.
When asked if the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada should be bilingual, 96 per cent of francophones said yes, compared to 73 per cent of anglophones.
Similarly, 94 per cent of French-speaking Canadians think federal government ministers should be bilingual, compared to 67 per cent of English-speaking Canadians.
The survey also showed a "certain" correlation between support for the Official Languages Act and environmental concerns and equal rights.
Conversely, it also showed a "certain" correlation between opposition to the Official Languages Act and a sense that the government is ineffective and has gone "too far" in its efforts to establish equal rights.
The survey was conducted in September and October 2021 among 1,507 Canadians by telephone and 1,500 Canadians by online panel.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 24, 2022.
