3

Whether participants feel a new partnership with Quebec is necessary. If so,
should any new arrangement with Quebec also be offered to the other
provinces, or could Quebec belong to Canada in a way different from other
provinces?

if the group feels new arrangemenis should made with all provinces and
territories, including Quebec, this could mean that provincial or territorial
governments take over some of the responsibilities of the federal
government. As a result, provincial governments in different parts of the
country may not all have the same responsibilities - would this be a
problem?

How Francophones outside Quebec and English-speaking people in Quebec
might be affected by the new arrangements being discussed?

How residents of your region see the costs and benetits of being part of
Canada ~ are their regional interests at odds with other regions, or with the
common interest? !f so, what should be done about this? How cauid their
region's interests be better served?

Even though there are differences between one region of Canada and

another, what ara some things which all Canadians have in common?
Official Languages

Canada has two official languages, English and French. Most French-speaking Canadians
live in Quebec, but there are francophone communities in all provinces and territories, and
many English-speaking people in Quebec. As well, Canada's population includes aboriginal
peoples with their own languages, and a large proportion of citizens whose first language !s
neither French nor English.

There are many different approaches to official languages in other countries: the United
States has one, Belgium has two, Switzerland has three, and so on, with rights often based
on territory, not family language. As well, there are different interpretations of what an
official language means: it can mean, for example, the right to be educated, or have
government services available, in that language, or it could be neither of these but hava
other interpretations. In Canada, provinces are free to set their own language policy, except
for a few restrictions. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.

From eartier discussion, the group may hava come to some agreement on how it think
Canada will be organized in the future, and on what may be Quebec's place in any future
arrangement. If so, these ideas could be brought to bear on the discussion of what should
be Canada's official language or languages.

Some points the discussion could cover include:

Whether participants believe that being able to speak French and English Is
a worthwhile personal goal for Canadians - for themselves, or for their
children?