LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The right to experience daily life in French

When my family and I decided to settle in Manitoba in 2019, we did so with the conviction that we would be able to live fully in French. As a francophile of Spanish origin married to a francophone, I was committed to providing our children with an education and daily life in the language that unites us.

But when we arrived here, I quickly realized that this reality is still an ideal to be achieved. Everything seems to be organized around the idea that children will be bilingual (English and French). As a result, many services and activities are only available in English or claim to be French-speaking, but are only partially so. Young children are often asked to adapt, rather than society adapting to this linguistic richness that is at the heart of Manitoba’s identity.

As a parent, I want my children to be able to learn, play, and grow up in their language without it being an obstacle course. Today, to attend a French-language school, you may have to cross the city. French-language schools sometimes lack funds, which creates a gap between the experiences offered in French and those in English. Simply offering education in French should be a natural option, not a compromise.

And beyond school, language affects all aspects of family life. When a child gets sick, for example, they should be able to receive care in a language they understand. In these moments of vulnerability, communication becomes a matter of trust and dignity. When you are a child and you are sick, dealing with strangers you don’t understand is terrifying and adds unnecessary obstacles and tensions to crisis situations.

To imagine a truly bilingual Manitoba is to imagine a province where we could live our daily lives without having to worry about language, where children could choose their activities based on their interests and not on the language in which they are offered. It also means easing the mental and emotional burden on parents who, every day, have to plan their lives around the availability of French-language services.

Our children are the future of Manitoba’s francophone community. Investing in children means investing in tomorrow’s society: a stronger, fairer society that is prouder of its linguistic duality.

I invite you to participate in the discussion by completing the online survey Manitoba: A Truly Bilingual Province. Together, let’s make French a language that is fully experienced from early childhood, so that every family can grow, learn, and thrive here, in French, in Manitoba.

Marta Allard is president of the Fédération des parents francophones du Manitoba (FPFM) and member of the board of directors of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine (SFM).