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Articles on Francophone

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Despite being French-speaking, CSIS Deputy Director of Operations Michelle Tessier, Director David Vigneault and Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre Executive Director Marie-Hélène Chayer testified in English only before the Rouleau Commission in November 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

English only? The Emergencies Act inquiry showed Canada’s hostility towards francophones

The almost complete absence of French at the Public Order Emergency Commission does not come from a subservient reflex on the part of French speakers so much as their fear of being scorned.
Brenda Murphy is the 32nd lieutenant governor of New Brunswick. She was appointed Sept. 8, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray

New Brunswick’s ruling that the lieutenant governor must be bilingual needs to be appealed, but not for the reasons you think

The federal government must appeal this ruling — not because it disagrees with it, but because such a consequential decision requires greater appreciation of the Crown and its constitutional nuances.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kabore at the Elysee Palace, in Paris in November. Antoine Gyori/Corbis via Getty Images

France wants to fix its relations with Africa. But it’s going about it the wrong way

Macron’s approach to Africa policy emulates the 1950’s strategies. Why? A big part of the answer can be found in the fact that today’s global circumstances are similar to those of post-World War II.
Tulips bloom outside the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Bilingualism and diversity: The Supreme Court can — and should — have both

Pitting the representation of historically marginalized groups on the Supreme Court against another constitutionally protected minority — Canada’s francophones — is a misguided race to the bottom.
According to a recent survey of public servants by the Commissioner of Official Languages, more than 44 per cent of French-speakers are uncomfortable using French at work. CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A ‘French malaise’ is eroding bilingualism in Canada’s public service

A recent survey reveals a general uneasiness about using French among both francophone and anglophone public servants in administrative regions where bilingualism is required.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the opening of the new Turkish embassy in Mogadishu in June 2016. MOHAMED Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey in Africa: what a small but growing interest portends

Turkey harbours strong national ambitions, and a willingness to grow and use its military muscle alongside economic instruments.
Protest in London against the Cameroonian government’s attacks on Ambazonia separatists. Karl Nesh/Shutterstock

How Twitter has been used in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis

In many instances, social media appears to be amplifying violence, creating a culture of impunity when perpetrators are not held accountable, and increasing insecurity and suspicion.
Military victims of a suspected terrorist attack in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2018. EPA-EFE/STR

Burkina Faso: a weakened state is paving the way for terrorism

A weakened central power makes it easier for violent groups - like highway bandits, local militias and armed bands of jihadists - to emerge and thrive.
Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani (centre) with the president of the Goncourt prize, Bernard Pivot (third from right) and others at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair. John MacDougall/AFP

Debat: How streaming media could change our minds on cultural differences

The influence of digital technology is most significant in how we experience culture and identity. Think about the use of streaming media.
A French-speaking Canadian volunteer in Haiti part of the volunteer group EDV that helped recovery efforts after the earthquake in early June 2010. Emma Taylor/Wikimedia

How Francophone scholarship deepened our understanding of democracy and social change

Scholars such as Alfred Sauvy, Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan and Frantz Fanon wrote in French, but their work greatly contributed to our understanding of democracy and social change in all contexts.
Senegal developed a diplomatic tradition after gaining independence from France. A.RICARDO/Shutterstock

The exception: behind Senegal’s history of stability

Senegal is important for Africa because it’s a country that shifts the narrative of the continent as an “arc of instability.”

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