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http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/travel/justin-trudeau-canada-having-a-moment-feat/ It's been years since the U.S. has looked so lovingly upon its neighbor to the north, Canada. Sure, there were Expo 67 and the 1976 Olympics, when Montreal was the center of the world. Sure, Bob and Doug McKenzie invited us to the "Great White North" in 1980 and had a big hit with their song "Take Off." But recently, the country some wags have called "America's Hat" has been more in the news than ever, thanks to its handsome prime minister and our less-than-handsome election campaign. Described by Vogue as "dashing" and "strikingly young and wavy-haired," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reviving the Trudeaumania inspired by his father's entry into politics. Frolicking with pandas and a knack for selfies have only deepened the younger Trudeau's appeal. As the new prime minister launches into his country's first official visit and state dinner in 19 years, here are some reasons why Canada is always in season -- even when it's underneath several feet of snow: A warm welcome Canadian radio DJ Rob Calabrese created the "Cape Breton If Trump Wins" site in late February as a joke. But a few weeks and more than 800,000 clicks later, he says that thousands of his U.S. neighbors are seriously considering a move to Canada if Donald Trump becomes president. Serene Canadian island courts Trump refugees It's actually much harder to immigrate to Canada than simply fleeing north in your packed Prius, but Trudeau has put out the welcome mat. "Cape Breton is lovely all times of the year," Trudeau said. "And if people do want to make choices that perhaps suit their lifestyles better, Canada is always welcoming." Creative exports While Canada has long provided Hollywood with a diverse collection of talent, there's a wide array to admire right now. Rachel McAdams was recently nominated for an Academy Award for her role in best-picture winner "Spotlight," Ryan Reynolds has gained a new following with "Deadpool," and Drake's "Hotline Bling" made a big splash in 2015. Ellen Page, Seth Rogan and television and movie star Michael J. Fox, whose foundation may help unlock the clues to a cure for Parkinson's disease, are also bringing Canada to Hollywood. And we always enjoy the work of that mighty fine Ryan Gosling. Gosling is always having a moment. The redheaded orphan who put Prince Edward Island on the map for young readers may be fictional, but the "Anne of Green Gables" series by Lucy Maude Montgomery has lured generations of tourists to the picturesque island. The author's birthplace is a museum, and the Green Gables Heritage Place features a house like the one Anne occupied. And yes, there are Anne tours. Natural beauty and cultural preservation Americans have the Colorado Rockies and the 59 parks of the National Park Service. But Canadians have incredible, wild protected nature as well. Ask a Canadian, and they'll tell you (politely) that they prefer the Canadian Rockies. We recommend starting with Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park. For travelers looking for a bit of Old World charm, there's the lovely city of Montreal, where many residents don't mind if your French is terrible. Are you trying? That counts for something. Stay longer and learn how to speak the North American version of French, all the while reading all official government publications and commercial product labeling in both English and French. Bon voyage/enjoy your trip!

Une excellente nouvelle! Hopefully, everything will go as planned. Now we're just missing a direct flight to Hong Kong... By Winnie Lu, WCARN.com | Dec. 22, 2015 China's flag carrier Air China (CA) has filed an application with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to launch a nonstop international service between Shanghai Pudong and Montreal starting September, 2016, according to an announcement released Tuesday on the official website of CAAC. Pending government approval, the Beijing-based carrier will fly its Boeing 777-300 aircraft on the Shanghai Pudong-Montreal route starting next September, with seven flights weekly. The Air Transportation Department of CAAC is soliciting public comments on the application until Dec. 30, 2015. Source: http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/49/49789.html

Hi everyone! Has any of you downloaded an official festival mobile app (such as the Jazz Festival app)? What do you think of these apps? Did you find them useful? I'm working on a related projects and I really want to know your opinion! Thanks!

(Courtesy of The Montreal Gazette) Sucks to be them. Guess the SAQ doesn't want to waste tax payers money to wait and see if all will get better, with people moving into the condo being developed next door. I guess the people complaining are just going to have to cab it or take the metro. I just wonder who will take over the 7000 sq.ft at the Pepsi Forum

C'est encore payant d'aller sur SSP... http://skyscraperpage.com/montreal/en/ Dates: March 25 to 31, 2008 Where: The Grande Place in complexe Desjardins (located in downtown Montreal), in a neighbourhood that is home to several future urban development projects. Description: We are proud to present the 2nd official edition of a unique public event that highlights real estate development and infrastructure projects (commercial, residential, institutional and governmental) that will change the landscape of Montreal over the next quarter-century. This special event will feature a record number of architectural models, designs and plans loaned by various promoters and organizations and presented at the Grande Place in complexe Desjardins. The first edition in March 2006, presented at the CDP Capital Centre, was a huge success. This time we are planning for an even greater number of exhibitors and participants, and will be adding two new important elements - major TRANSPORTATION infrastructures and ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS (sustainable development). Members of the business community and government officials will be on hand for the official opening event at the exhibition site on March 25, 2008 hosted by honorary president Benoit Labonté, Mayor of the Borough of Ville Marie. This event will be attended by over 500 guests, all of whom are involved in and concerned about the urban and economic development of Montreal. The exhibition will be open to visitors free of charge. Thousands of visitors are expected over the course of the event, given that the complexe Desjardins attracts traffic of some 36,000 people every day. For more info on the exhibition: Robert J. Vézina, organiser 514-875-1353 ext. 205 rjv@bbcm.org http://www.boma-quebec.org

I searched MTLURB for any news regarding Ferme Angrignon, but couldn't turn anything up. My apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. I know Ferme Angrignon was shut down in 2008, ostensibly to bring it back up to code, to be reopened in 2010... but while this information was all over the place two years ago, all mentions of Ferme Angrignon's re-opening have been removed on all the official Montreal sites I have checked. The VdeM site unhelpfully states "La Ferme Angrignon est fermée." Has anyone heard any news?

(Courtesy of The Globe and Mail)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/montreals-missing-heritage-found-in-calgary/article1367583/

Dieppe (Moncton,NB) pushes French, bilingual sign bylaw Proposed sign law open for discussion in January Tuesday, November 10, 2009 | 6:13 AM AT CBC News Dieppe is proposing a bylaw that will require all future commercial signs on the exterior of buildings in the southeastern New Brunswick city to be either in French or bilingual. Dieppe city councillors brought forward the sign bylaw on Monday night in an attempt to quell a long-simmering debate in the francophone city over the number of English-only signs. The proposed bylaw is not in force yet and the city will give people opposed to the idea a chance to speak at a public meeting in January. The move was greeted with applause by people in the audience at Monday night's meeting, including Martin Rioux-LeBlanc, who ignited the debate after gathering 4,000 names on a petition in January in an attempt to get bilingual signs in the city. "It's a big step for New Brunswickers, it's a big step for Dieppe and we can be proud of that," Rioux-LeBlanc said. The bylaw states that any new signs that go up in Dieppe will have to be either in French or bilingual, but existing signs would not be affected. Dieppe, a city of roughly 18,000 people, is the province's only francophone city that offers municipal services in both official languages. Natural progression Dieppe Mayor Jean LeBlanc said the proposal is a natural progression from years of trying to convince businesses through education to switch from English-only signs. "Dieppe has been promoting French and promoting French culture — the linguistic landscape of our city — for a long time. This is just a continued progression towards making sure our community is well reflected," the mayor said. Dieppe, along with its neighbouring Moncton, are popular shopping destinations for people in the Maritimes and have attracted a large number of businesses in recent years. However, most business signs are still in English only, which is what instigated the petition to adopt a new sign bylaw. Although New Brunswick is officially bilingual, the province's language law does not cover the private sector. So any regulation over the language on signs in municipalities must come from the local government. Municipalities are covered under the Official Languages Act, if they are designated as a city or have an official language minority that forms 20 per cent of the population. That would require, for instance, local bylaws to be published in both official languages, but it would not extend to commercial signs. Positive regulation Michel Doucet, a prominent constitutional lawyer who specializes in language law at the University of Moncton, has been pushing the city to pass such a bylaw. Doucet said this is a step forward for bilingualism. "It's something that will be very difficult for somebody, who is in good faith, to oppose this," Doucet said. "What the municipality has done is ensure that the linguistic image for this municipality transpires through its sign law. And I believe that the council now needs the support of the people of Dieppe to come forward and to congratulate what the council has done." Along with the public meeting on the bylaw that is planned for January, Dieppe city council is also seeking an opinion from the Greater Moncton Planning Commission on the bylaw.

Le Petit Maghreb By Joel Ceausu Little Italy and Chinatown are getting a new sibling — and since it’s just a few blocks, maybe Louise Harel won’t mind. Le Petit Maghreb is now more than just a casual moniker for a certain part of the city: it’s an official part of Montreal’s commercial destination network, and an unofficial but growing tourism draw. The area in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough has received $40,000 from the city of Montreal’s Programme réussir à Montréal (PR@M Commerce) recognizing the efforts of the local Maghreb business association for revitalization of Jean-Talon Street between Saint-Michel and Pie-IX boulevards. “Thanks to this support, local businesspeople finally have the means to create an official new district in Montreal,” said a clearly delighted borough mayor Anie Samson. “It’s excellent news for the Maghreb community, as well as the growing attraction of our borough and Montreal.” The local Maghreb community hails mostly from North Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Over the years, this important stretch of Jean-Talon has become a gathering place for Montreal’s Maghreb community — estimated at about 150,000 people. The funds will be used to develop a master plan to mobilize businesses, reach targeted communities, and carry out an economic and physical strategy to define a public image for the sector. About half of the 105 area businesses are related to Maghreb culture in bakeries, butchers, Arab pastry shops, restaurants and tearooms, along with hairdressing salons and travel agencies. Malik Hadid is also happy that after three years of work the designation will become official. “I am very happy that the Association can count on the support of PR@M Commerce,” said the travel agency owner and local association president. He was quick to add that the Maghreb association also enjoys close cooperation with the borough, the local economic development agency and Station 30 police. The city’s PR@M program is already at work in other neighbourhoods around the island, helping spruce up commercial districts and adding appeal to important arteries using architecture, infrastructure and marketing, and helping boost investment by matching funds of local investors. Other east-end streets selected for the program include Promenade Fleury, Jean-Talon St. in Saint-Leonard, and Charleroi in Montreal-Nord.

Un article du New York Time sur un penthouse à Vendre à Montréal. à Source: New York Time Album Photo INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE For Sale in ... Montreal By CLAIRE McGUIRE WHAT A one-bedroom penthouse apartment with industrial details and panoramic views of Montreal HOW MUCH 1,995,000 Canadian dollars ($1,866,400) SETTING This 10-story former factory was built in 1912 in the Paper Mill District near the financial district and Old Montreal. It shares the top floor with two other apartments, and overlooks several museums, the old port and the Chinatown neighborhood. Montreal is situated on several islands at the point where the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers merge. It is about 325 miles north of New York City. Montreal is known internationally for its architecture and design, its strong arts scene and its vibrant gay community. INSIDE The apartment has an open layout; only the bedroom, bathrooms and a sitting room are enclosed. It would be easy to create an additional bedroom. The bedroom has an en suite bathroom and a walk-in closet with one wall made of opaque glass. There is a double-sided fireplace between the living room and the kitchen. The floors are of blue-stained hardwood in some places and slate tile in others. The high ceilings, painted brick walls and textured concrete pillars recall the building’s industrial history. The apartment’s seven arched windows overlook the city, three at the front of the building and four along one side. OUTSIDE A skylight in the kitchen could be enlarged to provide roof access, and the apartment’s owners have the right to create a private rooftop garden. The ground floor of the building has a restaurant, and all building entrances have electronic security doors. The apartment comes with two indoor parking spaces. Next door, the grounds of St. Patrick Church offer the nearest green space. The area has many bicycle paths, and the building is within walking distance of the city’s financial district, as well as cafes, museums and art galleries. HOW TO GET THERE The apartment is 25 minutes by car from the airport, and two blocks from Montreal’s main train station. WHO BUYS IN MONTREAL Louise Latreille, a real estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty Quebec, said that she had seen an increase in buyers from Morocco, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, China and Japan — and that many foreigners were buying condos for their college-age children. Most of the city’s American buyers spend winters in Florida or California and summers in Montreal, she added. European buyers tend to look for homes in the mountains, not in Montreal itself. Meanwhile, many Canadian empty-nesters are moving back to the city, looking for “something chic and exclusive,” she said. MARKET OVERVIEW Sandra Girard, senior analyst of the Montreal market for the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, says the market has been less active this year than it was in 2007. According to Ms. Girard, the number of transactions in the first half of 2008 was 3 percent lower than in the same period last year. However, 2007 broke records for the number of real estate transactions, making a slight slow-down inevitable, because “the activity registered in 2007 is difficult to sustain.” Meanwhile, sales prices continue to increase at a slower rate. Ms. Girard said overall prices for residential real estate increased 4 percent in the first half of 2008, compared to 8 percent in the same period last year. Ms. Latreille says condominiums continue to be popular among buyers in Montreal. A report by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board shows that prices for single-family detached homes increased less than 2 percent in the 12-month period to June 2008, while condo prices increased more than 7 percent over the same period. BUYING BASICS Stéphane Hardouin, a notary and partner in the law firm Sylvestre Lagasse in Sherbrooke, Quebec, says legal fees in Quebec are usually 1,200 to 1,800 Canadian dollars ($1,146 to $1,719). If the property is financed, he said, buyers usually pay an additional 750 Canadian dollars ($716) to the notary, and a mortgage registration fee of 137 Canadian dollars ($131). Buyers pay for an inspection, costing 600 to 1000 Canadian dollars ($573 to $955). Mr. Hardouin says the seller pays around 1,000 Canadian dollars ($955) for a surveyor’s certificate, and also the real estate agent’s commission of 5 to 7 percent. A goods and services tax, or sales tax, is assessed on new homes and on real estate agent commissions, he said. This tax is 12.875 percent. Land transfer taxes in Canada are different for each province. In Quebec, transfer taxes are paid directly to the municipality, Mr. Hardouin said. Montreal’s transfer tax, commonly called the “welcome tax,” has a graduated structure based on the purchase price. The first 50,000 Canadian dollars ($47,800) is taxed at 0.5 percent. The next 200,000 Canadian dollars ($191,100) is taxed at 1 percent, and amounts over 250,000 Canadian dollars ($238,900) are taxed at 1.5 percent, he said. USEFUL WEB SITES Official portal of Montreal: ville.montreal.qc.ca Official tourism website of Montreal: http://www.tourisme-montreal.org Divers/Cité, Montreal’s gay and lesbian arts festival: http://www.diverscite.org Old Montreal official site: http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca Greater Montreal Real Estate Board: http://www.cigm.qc.ca LANGUAGES AND CURRENCY French is the official language of Quebec, while English and French are the official languages of Canada; Canadian dollar (1 Canadian dollar=$0.93) TAXES AND FEES Maintenance fees are 907 Canadian dollars ($865) a month. Municipal property taxes for this apartment are estimated at 11,800 Canadian dollars ($11,255) a year. Ms. Latreille says this figure is 25 percent lower than the normal tax rate because the building is historical. Additionally, school tax is 2,535 Canadian dollars ($2,372) per year. CONTACT Louise Latreille, Sotheby’s International Realty Quebec (514) 287-7434; http://www.sothebysrealty.ca Mon bout préféré:

The world is welcome to park downtown 150 spots set aside for diplomats, staff ANNE SUTHERLAND, The Gazette Published: 8 hours ago Parking downtown is difficult enough: Who hasn't done the "once more 'round the block" routine over and over before throwing in the towel and paying sky-high prices to park in a lot? Adding to the frustration is seeing prime spots reserved for the diplomatic corps - 150 spaces in all - in the Ville Marie and Plateau Mont Royal boroughs. Who are these people with special licence plates and why do they get to park - free of charge, on top of everything - in some of the most advantageous places? Cars fill Cathcart St. parking spots designated for use by diplomatic staff. Those sites represent only a handful of the 16,800 metered parking spaces in Montreal, a city official says.View Larger Image View Larger Image Cars fill Cathcart St. parking spots designated for use by diplomatic staff. Those sites represent only a handful of the 16,800 metered parking spaces in Montreal, a city official says. For staff of consulates and employees of international organizations, like the International Air Transport Association or the International Civil Aviation Organization, free parking is part of a range of diplomatic perks. Italy, for example, has its own consular building and parking lot on Doctor Penfield Ave. Many other consulates rent space in office towers downtown, however. As a matter of courtesy and security, the city of Montreal designates 150 spots to international officials and consular and diplomatic staff, said Jacques-Alain Lavallée, spokesperson for the Ville Marie borough. Montreal has been extending this privilege for more than 30 years, and does so "to attract international institutions and for security reasons," said François Goneau, of the city's public affairs department. There are 16,800 metered parking spots in the city, so the 150 spots for consular officials represent a minuscule percentage of available street parking, he noted. Michel Philibert of Stationnement de Montréal, the para-public agency that manages parking in the city, said there is no way to gauge how much revenue metered parking in those diplomatic spots might bring in. Extending perks to the international market is very lucrative in the long run for Montreal, Goneau said. "It has been estimated these international organizations bring in excess of $200 million in business to the city," he said, citing a study done in 2000. Only drivers with a CC (Consular Corps) or a CD (Diplomatic Corps) prefix on their licence plates are eligible to park in the diplomatic corps spots. There are 191 CC plates and 140 CD plates issued to people in Montreal, according to the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec. If you park in a spot designated for the diplomatic corps and get caught, you will get the usual $42 fine for parking in a restricted zone, Montreal police Constable Olivier Lapointe said. The city receives two requests a year, on average, for diplomatic corps parking spots. If a consulate closes or moves, the designated parking spots are returned to the public, Lavallée said. asutherland@thegazette.canwest.com

Charest will help push for more French at Olympics KEVIN DOUGHERTY, The Gazette Published: 7 hours ago Premier Jean Charest will be in Beijing on Aug. 9, the day after the official opening of the Olympics, at a rally of heads of government and ministers from the 55-member Franco-phonie, lending support to the use of French at the Olympics. Amadou Diouf, secretary-general of the Francophonie, and Jacques Rogge, Belgian doctor and president of the International Olympic Committee, will co-chair the event. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will also attend the opening ceremonies, will be at the rally, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not. Clément Duhaime, who seconds Diouf as administrator of the Francophonie, told reporters yesterday that while French and English are the two official languages of the Olympics, in recent Games, the position of French has not always been respected. This time, in addition to the rally of Francophone leaders, the Francophonie has an agreement with the organizing committee for the Beijing Games to ensure French is used in announcements. The agreement also calls for translation of Olympic documents and the hiring of 40 translators and French-language journalists, as well as training for "several hundred" Chinese volunteers as guides at French cultural shows during the Games. "This is the first time we have gone so far," said Duhaime, a former Montrealer who was previously Quebec's representative in Paris. kdougherty@thegazette.canwest.com

(Courtesy of the Associated Press)

(Courtesy of CTV Montreal) How about they change the damn laws about drunk driving! You kill someone you spend the rest of your life in prison. If you injure someone while you driving drunk you lose your car and license for life. If you are caught again (seeing you loss your license), you go to prison for life, but NO Quebec has to be a forgiving province, bloody BS!

Trilingualism flourishes in Montreal Cheryl CornacchiaThe Gazette Tuesday, January 08, 2008 While widespread bilingualism remains an unattained goal in the rest of Canada, in Montreal, the level of trilingualism has jumped yet again. In 2006, the number of people in the Greater Montreal area able to converse in both of Canada's official languages plus another language, increased to 18 per cent up from 16.5 per cent in 2001. About 660,000 Montrealers know three languages, according to Jack Jedwab, the Montreal researcher who conducted the study that looks at trilingualism in 10 selected Canadian cities. "It's good news all around," said Jedwab, an executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies in Montreal. When it comes to language proficiency, Jedwab said, Montrealers far surpass those living in the nine other cities analyzed as part of the study. Montreal is not only one of North America's most cosmopolitan cities but also one of the most linguistically gifted, he said. "The message for the rest of the country," he added is that "where there is a will, there is a way." At 10.5 per cent and 10.2 per cent of their population, respectively, Toronto and Ottawa came the closest to Montreal for trilingual speakers. At 1.2 per cent, Halifax had the fewest number of trilingual speakers. Jedwab who teaches a course entitled Canada's Official Language Minorities: History and Demography at McGill University's Institute for the Study of Canada, analyzed 2006 Canadian census data, released last month, to arrive at the linguistic portrait. The study also found that in Montreal Armenians (77 per cent), followed by Italians (72.3 per cent) and, then, the Dutch (71.9 per cent) were the three most bilingual of the city's allophone groups. The least bilingual of the city's allophone groups, unable to speak either of Canada's official languages, were Cantonese (21 per cent), Cambodian (15.5 per cent) and Punjabi (15.3 per cent). Hagop Boulgarian, principal of l'École Armenien Sourp Hagop, a 675-student private elementary/secondary school in Montreal said the findings about his ethnic group didn't surprise him. With genocide and a diaspora in his people's history, Boulgarian said, learning new languages - and fast - has been an important survival tool for Armenians in general, not only the 25,000 living in the Greater Montreal region. Aloisio Mulas, acting director of the Picai Institute of Montreal, which is devoted to the promotion of Italian culture and language, said Italians in Montreal have shared that passion for speaking French and English. However, he said, attendance in Italian language classes at the institute have been falling over the past decade. Some families after a generation or two in the city, he said, become less concerned about ensuring their children keep up their Italian language skills. Denise De Haan Veilleux, a cultural attaché at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Montreal said she is pleased but not surprised to see that so many Dutch living in Montreal are multilingual. In Holland, she said, children must study two languages, English and French or German when they reach high school. "It's just something you do," said De Hann Veilleux. "The attitude towards other languages is very different. "It's no big deal" added the 47-year-old francophone, who grew up in Quebec City and learned English and Dutch only after she married and moved abroad for various postings. With the family now back in Canada, she said, her 20-year-old son studying at McGill University and a 13-year-old daughter are lucky to be able to speak French, English, Dutch, German and Arabic. "It's like a present you give them as children," she said. "They don't have to learn as adults." ccornacchia@thegazette.canwest.com http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=0c56862f-bd4f-4df3-8ddd-8acc4d9e633d&k=76598

L`article est un peu facultatif, je veux porter votre attention aux nombreux commentaires en relation avec celui-ci. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071204.wcensusmain1204/CommentStory/census2006/home/ Canada's tenuous French connection BRODIE FENLON Globe and Mail Update December 4, 2007 at 4:12 PM EST Just a day after the Prime Minister appointed Bernard Lord to head a committee on bilingualism, newly released census figures suggest that Canada's official-languages policy and the vitality of the French language are under increasing pressure outside Quebec. There are nearly as many Canadians with a non-official language as their mother tongue as there are francophones, while the peak rate of bilingualism for anglophones living outside Quebec has dropped again. The new figures on immigration, language and mobility, gleaned from the 2006 census, paint a dramatic picture of Canada's changing demographics. Among the highlights: • One in five Canadians – 19.8 per cent of the total population – was born outside the country, a rate not matched since 1931, when the percentage of foreign-born citizens peaked at 22.2 per cent. Only Australia has more foreign-born residents. • More than 60 per cent of immigrants live in the large urban centres of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver; only about 5 per cent live in rural parts of Canada. • Most of the recent newcomers to Canada are from Asia – 58 per cent when those from the Middle East are included. Europeans, the dominant immigrant group for most of the 20th century, represented only 16 per cent of those who moved to Canada between 2001 and 2006. • Canada's foreign-born population increased by 13.6 per cent, four times greater than the growth rate of 3.3 per cent for the Canadian-born population. But it is the language numbers released Tuesday that will likely make headlines, following as they do on the heels of Mr. Lord's appointment by Stephen Harper to head a high-profile committee on bilingualism in Canada. The former premier of New Brunswick will travel to seven cities across the country during the first two weeks of December to speak to members of English and French minority communities and provide advice and guidance to the federal government. Mr. Lord will then report to Official Languages Minister Josée Verner in January. What Mr. Lord will find outside Quebec and New Brunswick, Canada's only officially bilingual province, is increasingly isolated French-language communities, the census suggests. One indicator is mother tongue, defined as the first language learned at home and still understood at the time of the census. For the first time, allophones – those who speak neither English nor French as their first language – represent fully one-fifth of the population. The numbers jumped to 20.1 per cent from 18 per cent in the last census, driven primarily by immigration. Conversely, the proportion of francophones and anglophones decreased slightly after population growth is taken into account. This will be no surprise for Canadians in many parts of the country. For several years, Chinese has topped French as a first language in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. The 2006 census reaffirmed the position of Chinese languages as Canada's third most common mother tongue group. More than one million Canadians reported one of the Chinese languages as their first language, a jump of 18.5 per cent. Experts are quick to note that allophones speak about 200 languages and are not a homogeneous group. Francophones still represent about one-quarter of the population; people who report Chinese as their mother tongue represent 3.3 per cent of the total population. Moreover, the census showed that nine out of 10 Canadians speak English or French most often at home: Just over one-fifth spoke French, 67.7 per cent spoke English, and 11.9 per cent spoke a non-official language at home. It is important to note, however, that the English and French numbers dropped from the previous census, while the non-official language numbers increased by 1.5 per cent. Even in Quebec, the percentage of people who spoke French most often at home dropped to 81.8 per cent from 83.1 per cent. The bilingualism rate is another indicator of the tenuous French connection. Outside Quebec, only 5.6 per cent of allophones in 2006 reported knowing both official languages. While there was a slight increase – 7.4 per cent from 7.1 per cent – in the number of anglophones outside Quebec who said they could carry on a conversation in both official languages, the number dropped for a key demographic: young Canadians. Because most anglophones learn French at school, the peak bilingualism rate for Canadians outside Quebec occurs in the 15-19 age range. That rate has slipped over the past decade, to 13 per cent in 2006 from 16.3 per cent in 1996. The ability of young anglophones to maintain their knowledge of French as a second language appears to decline with time. In 2001, 14.7 per cent of anglophones aged 15 to 19 were bilingual. Five years later, only 12.2 per cent of that same cohort reported being bilingual. The numbers are disappointing, considering that one of the chief objectives of Ottawa's $787-million plan on official languages – launched by the previous Liberal government in 2003 – is to double by 2013 the percentage of young bilingual Canadians to 50 per cent. Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies and advocate of official bilingualism, warned against an “ethno-local” reading of the numbers, which he said could foster tensions and challenge public support for French in areas where other languages dominate. “When you start breaking things down locally, then you risk tearing away at the fabric of national unity. ... That's the Canada of multiple parts, not the Canada with a national vision both of its demographic reality and its history,” he said. “Bilingualism is the fundamental feature of a strong Canadian identity to the extent that more than a quarter of the country, nationally, consists of people who are French speakers.” Others suggest, however, that such sentiments are antiquated in a multicultural Canada and ignore the demographic reality of much of the country, especially urban areas such as Toronto or Vancouver. “Nobody's asked any longer what is the place of French. Now I walk on hot coals to even say that out loud,” said Heather Lotherington, associate professor of multilingual education at York University. “We're living in a global society. We have this influx of people who speak the languages of the world, and we're not doing a damn thing with these languages. We're just letting them go to waste.” Ms. Lotherington, whose research is focused on Toronto-area schools, advocates for the inclusion of students' mother tongues in the curriculum. She said decades of research shows that if you maintain the languages children know, they learn other languages better, fast and more easily. “French immersion needs to be looked at critically,” she said. “I do not want to throw it out. Canada is a world leader in immersion education. But you have to think about the way we learn languages and the possibility of learning more. "It's a very colonial stance to say that English and French are the languages of Canada.” Concerns about official bilingualism and the impact of immigration on the French language inside and outside Quebec are not new. In September's Throne Speech, the Prime Minister pledged to extend official bilingualism programs for minority communities. The appointment of Mr. Lord is seen as the first step in that commitment and a response to the critical report by Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser, who accused the Harper government of having “directly undermined” the official languages plan with budget cuts and by eliminating the Court Challenges program, which financed minority-rights court cases against the government. Citizenship and Immigration recently set targets through 2011 to attract between 8,000 and 10,000 French-speaking immigrants a year to francophone communities outside of Quebec. Driving these targets are demographic data showing that for every new immigrant whose mother tongue is French, there are 10 whose mother tongue is English, and that the vast majority of newcomers adopt English upon arrival in Canada. Meanwhile, the debate over immigration and language continues in Quebec, where the Bouchard-Taylor commission on reasonable accommodation of minorities heard last week from a prominent Parti Québécois strategist that only an independent Quebec could protect the French language. The commission also heard from French-speaking immigrants to Quebec who said their lack of English was impeding their ability to get jobs. And in October, PQ Leader Pauline Marois caused a small furor when she proposed the Quebec Identity Act, which would require all new immigrants to the province to learn French within three years. Those who failed a language test would not be permitted to hold public office, raise money for a political party or petition the National Assembly. The bill was widely condemned. The Official Languages Act, first passed in 1969 and updated twice since, stipulates Canadians' right to receive federal government services in either English or French where numbers warrant, the right of public servants to work in either language in certain areas, the right of either English or French speakers to advance in the public service, and that the government must promote bilingualism.