Jewish community officials in Manitoba have taken the lead among the non-Anglo-Saxons and non-French ethnic communities in the provincial government’s campaign to obtain official status for the French language in this western Canadian province. Other ethnic groups that have followed suit are the Ukrainians, Indians, Portuguese, Chinese and Metis (Indians of mixed origin.)
For more than a month the Manitoba government has been trying to get a proposal adopted in the legislature to restore the constitutional rights of Franco-Manitobans lost 93 years ago after the legislature passed a law abrogating French as an official language. The New Democratic Party-led government’s effort to restore the French language had appeared to be a losing battle against opposition Conservative lawmakers.
TIDE MAY NOW BE TURNING
But the tide may now be turning, as a result of the intervention of the Jewish and other ethnic communities. Israel Ludwig, chairman of the Joint Community Relations Committee of the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council/Canadian Jewish Congress, declared: “In a multicultural society, sensitivity to the rights of the two official language groups (English and French) helps create an atmosphere that promotes the rights of all minorities.”
Dr. Baruch Rand, chairman of the Board of Jewish Education, also expressed support for the government’s effort, saying that it is “pragmatically workable and morally desirable.” Danny Waldman, chairman of the Manitoba Parents for Hebrew Bilingual Education, stated: “If the French rights are denied, then it’s so much easier to deny the Ukrainians, the Germans and the Jews similar rights.”
Traditionally, the ethnic groups and the Franco-Manitobans did not espouse each others causes. In fact, each resented the others claim for language status. The non-Franco-Manitoban ethnic groups are more numerous in the province and feel that their claim to language status is more historic and tied more closely to the development of Canada.
The Jews, Ukrainians and other ethnic minorities have in the past sought government aid for their educational institutions in a country which approves the principle of multiculturalisn. They feel now that it would be more helpful to them politically if they support the French-language cause.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
