Language policy in Manitoba

Language policy in Manitoba is defined by constitutional bilingualism but effective monolingualism, certain services provided in French and recognition of indigenous languages.

Constitutional bilingualism

Originally, the Manitoba Act, 1870 guaranteed that the province would be bilingual.^[1] Later this was abolished through the Official Languages Act of 1890, making English the only official language.^[1] Reference re: Manitoba Language Rights declared that the 1890 act was unconstitutional due to the fact that Manitoba's bilingualism was part of the Manitoba Act, 1870 Constitution Act, 1867 and so those provisions could not be repealed by an "ordinary" act.^[2]

French language

In 1989, Manitoba adopted the first version of the French Language Services Policy, under Premier Gary Filmon’s Progressive Conservative government.^[3][4] Major amendments to the policy were made in 1999, after the report of the publication of Above All, Common Sense.^[4]

Amendments to the City of Winnipeg Act first introduced bilingual services to certain parts of the area in 1992.^[5] These provisions were expanded in 2003, when the City of Winnipeg Charter Act came into force, as Part IX of the charter.^[5] By-law No. 8154-2002 sets out more details of how these legal obligations are implemented.^[5] The city has an ombudsman to provide oversight of service delivery.^[5] The city is required to publish an annual report.^[6] The retention of staff has posed challenges for consistent performance in service delivery.^[6]

The Bilingual Service Centres Act was passed by the Legislative Assembly in 2012 and provides for services to be provided bilingually in 6 specific regions.^[4]

In 2016, the Legislative Assembly, passed the Francophone Community Enhancement and Support Act to provide a more inclusive definition of Francophones in the province.^[4]

Indigenous languages

In 2010, the Legislative Assembly passed the Aboriginal Language Recognition Act, and was the first province to pass such legislation.^[7] The legislation only included symbolic recognition.^[8]

In 2022, two new programs were launched with the goal of increasing the number of indigenous language speakers, who are proficient, and increasing the numbers of indigenous language translators.^[9]