Skip to main content

F.R. Scott and the Origins of Language Policy in Canada

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Language, Policy and Territory

Abstract

This chapter explores the impact of F.R. Scott (1899–1985) on the development of language policy in Canada. An anglophone Quebecer, he spoke French, was deeply interested in francophone culture, and served on the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963–1970), which laid the groundwork for Canada’s Official Languages Act, 1969. Scott recognised that language issues engaged both individual rights and group rights, and was passionately committed to the concept of official bilingualism. However, his commitment to official bilingualism not only throughout Canada but also in Quebec resulted in his opposition to legislation that sought to make Quebec officially unilingual French. In spite of Scott’s fears that his vision for his province and country was a failure, Fraser traces the continuing influence of his thinking after his death.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Armstrong, E.H. 1937. The Crisis of Quebec, 1914–1918. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, C. 1977. Duplessis. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 1982. S. 7, Part 1 of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-12.html. Accessed 6 Jan 2022.

  • Djwa, S. 1987. The Politics of the Imagination: A Life of F. R. Scott. Toronto: McClellan and Stewart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Djwa, S. 1999–2000. Nothing by Halves: F. R. Scott. Journal of Canadian Studies 34: 52–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, G. 2001. René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, G. 2006. Sorry, I Don’t Speak French. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, G. 2013. F. R. Scott and the Poetry of Translation. In In Translation: Honouring Sheila Fischman, ed. S. Simon, 13–25. Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, G. (ed.). 2021. The Fate of Canada: F. R. Scott’s Journal of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godbout, P. 1999. ‘Des livres à la fois si proches et si lointains’: Les échanges littéraires à Montréal durant les années 1950. In Échanges culturels entre les Deux Solitudes, ed. M.-A. Beaudet, 81–91. Sainte-Foy, QC: Les Presses de l’Université Laval.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godbout, P. 2004. Traduction littéraire et sociabilité interculturelle au Canada (1950–1960). Ottawa, ON: Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Granatstein, J.L., and P. Stevens (eds.). 1972. Forum: Canadian Lige and Letters, 1920–70. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibbitson, S. 2016. Stephen Harper. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenish, D. 2018. The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ. Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laforest, G. 1995. The Meech Lake Accord: The Search for a Compromise Between André Laurendeau and F.R. Scott. In Trudeau and the End of a Canadian Dream, 56–86. Montréal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lapointe-Gagnon, V. 2008. Jeter un pont entre les Deux Solitudes: Le rôle de Frank R. Scott. In Légiférer en matière linguistique, ed. M. Martel and M. Pâquet, 29–57. Québec, QC: Les Presses de l’Université Laval.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, D., and F.R. Scott. 1943. Make This Your Canada: A Review of CCF History and Policy. Toronto: Central Canada Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, J.A. 1952. The Young Politician. Toronto: Macmillan Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, R.H. 1997. F.R. Scott’s Constitution. McGill Law Journal 42: 11–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, A. 1997. Of Charters and Justice: The Social Thought of F.R. Scott, 1930–1985. Journal of Canadian Studies 32 (1): 44–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montreal Star. 1974. Prof. Frank Scott Speaks Out: Bill 22 Couldn’t Stand Constitutional Scrutiny, June 17, D 1–2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, S.M. 2009. Formes, Fonctions et Représentations. PhD thesis, Queen’s University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, M. 1983. F.R. Scott as Quebecer. In On F. R. Scott: Essays on His Contribution to Law, Literature and Politics, ed. S. Djwa and R. St. J. MacDonald, 165–176. Montréal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, F.R. 1977. Essays on the Constitution: Aspects of Canadian Law and Politics. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, P.D. 1988. Coming to Jakarta: A Poem About Terror. Toronto: New Directions Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, S. 2006. Translating Montreal: Episodes in the Life of a Divided City. Montréal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, D. 2015. Donald Creighton: A Life in History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Graham Fraser .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Fraser, G. (2022). F.R. Scott and the Origins of Language Policy in Canada. In: McLeod, W., Dunbar, R., Jones, K., Walsh, J. (eds) Language, Policy and Territory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94346-2_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94346-2_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-94345-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-94346-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics