{"product_id":"9780771047671","title":"Sorry, I Don't Speak French: Confronting the Canadian Crisis That Won't Go Away","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs the threat of another Quebec referendum on independence looms, this book becomes important for every Canadian — especially as language remains both a barrier and a bridge in our divided country \u003cbr\u003eCanada’s language policy is the only connection between two largely unilingual societies — English-speaking Canada and French-speaking Quebec. The country’s success in staying together depends on making it work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow well is it working? Graham Fraser, an English-speaking Canadian who became bilingual, decided to take a clear-eyed look at the situation. The results are startling — a blend of good news and bad. The Official Languages Act was passed with the support of every party in the House way back in 1969 — yet Canada’s language policy is still a controversial, red-hot topic; jobs, ideals, and ultimately the country are at stake. And the myth that the whole thing was always a plot to get francophones top jobs continues to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGraham Fraser looks at the intentions, the hopes, the fears, the record, the myths, and the unexpected reality of a country that is still grappling with the language challenge that has shaped its history. He finds a paradox: after letting Quebec lawyers run the country for three decades, Canadians keep hoping the next generation will be bilingual — but forty years after learning that the country faced a language crisis, Canada’s universities still treat French as a foreign language. He describes the impact of language on politics and government (not to mention social life in Montreal and Ottawa) in a hard-hitting book that will be discussed everywhere, including the headlines in both languages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"McClelland \u0026 Stewart Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47025892360432,"sku":"9780771047671","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780771047671_p0.jpg?v=1763658098","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780771047671","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}