“Franco-Ontarian” day!

Did you know? September 25 is “Franco-Ontarian” day! What will you do to mark this day? Share your
thoughts!
French has long considered the “language of romance.” Now, the fifth most important language in the
world is spoken by 300 million francophones and it is the official language in 29 countries worldwide. In
Ontario, more than six-hundred thousand people speak it! Kids have the chance of learning it in one of
the 455 francophone schools of Ontario.
How do you become bilingual? What is bilingual education? We all agree that for it to be efficient,
bilingualism must start at an early age, but also, it can’t be limited to learning both languages, but has to
be learning IN both languages. This concept is a real thinking revolution. This true bilingual education
permits the learner to describe, in two languages, the same concept, the same situation, the same
object and to better discern the reality of things. It opens the mind with respect to those limited to one
language and one culture and allows them to better appreciate another mode of thinking, better
understand other minds and concepts.
It seems like bilingualism leads us towards tolerance and universality, almost without realising it simply
through education. If bilingualism opens our minds, comprehension, and acceptance of other cultures,
would multilingualism be opening the door to peace in the world?