Bilingualism in a Canadian Context: The Case of the University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa was created as a Roman Catholic, private, bilingual institution before Canada was born as a country. Courses were taught in French and English, both to francophone and to anglophone students, and with no duplication of programmes. The College of Bytown, as it was then known, was intended to create a learning milieu that would bring together English-speaking and French-speaking students and foster mutual respect and understanding. When the university was reorganized as a provincially assisted (i.e., subsidized) institution in 1965, its mandate as a bilingual university was reaffirmed, together with its special mission of preserving and developing French culture in Ontario. Over the years, the university has moved toward "institutional" bilingualism and has placed a strong emphasis on the parallel offering of programmes. It is the author's view that, on the whole, bilingualism at the University of Ottawa has delivered positive results. However, bilingualism is not viewed by everyone as a means for preserving the language and the culture of minorities, and some Franco-Ontarians would prefer a French-only institution.