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U Ottawa kicks off lecture series commemorating bilingualism
and biculturalism in Canada

Series of lectures

to celebrate 50th
anniversary of Royal
Commission

By Jesse Mellott, The Fulcrum

OTTAWA (CUP) — The
University of Ottawa, in
conjunction with the Office of
the Commissioner of Official
Languages and universities
across the country, is helping
to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the Royal
Commission on Bilingualism
and Biculturalism in Canada.

The commission was
established in 1963 by André
Laurendeau and Davidson
Dunton in order to study
and address the language
and cultural policies between
anglophones and francophones
that existed in Canada at the
time. Its recommendations also
led to the creation of the Official
Languages Act and the Office
of the Commissioner of Official
Languages (OCOL).

According to Carsten Quell,

director of policy at the OCOL,
the commission itself addressed
Canadians’ concerns about the
nature of the country’s linguistic
and cultural duality.

“What the commission did
was it went across the country
and essentially heard from
Canadians what they felt were
the issues surrounding official
languages or surrounding
linguistic duality, and what
they proposed to ensure the
Canadian confederation stays
strong,” he said.

Quell added that the
purpose of the anniversary
commemoration is to recognize
the relevance of the royal
commission and the impact its
recommendations have had on
Canada’s institutions like the
OCOL and bilingual universities
like the U of O.

“Tf the [commissioner’s]
office is a child of the
commission, I guess in some
ways you can say that the
University of Ottawa is a child
of the commission as well, or
very much sees itself in the
tradition of the commission,” he
said.

The commemoration will
feature a series of lectures across
the country, in Ottawa, Toronto,

Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal
and Moncton.

The first lecture took place
Feb. 6, during which U of O
president Allan Rock spoke
about the effect the commission
has had on the university and
Canada as a whole.

Rock noted that the U of O
freed up some of its professors
in 1963 to help the commission
and put effort into its written
submission that was completed
the following year.

“Tn the end, the university’s
message to the commission was
a simple one: If we can do it, this
country can do it,” said Rock. “Tt
won't be perfect. It will be, by
definition, a work in progress.”

Rock also expressed his
gratitude for the U of O’s
inclusion in the lecture series.

“We are therefore especially
honoured that the [OCOL]
asked us to partner with it
in marking this important
anniversary,” he said.

The final lecture will take
place at the U of O on June 17.

Douglas board nominations come to a close

Board of Directors
and Education Council
elections loom

By Dylan Hackett, News Editor

Y eray final nomination
papers from Douglas
students wishing to run on the
college’s Board of Directors

and Education Council were
drafted for those looking to
serve on these bodies during the
2013-14 term. Student elections
for the two available college
board seats and four available
education council seats are
slated to happen in mid-March,
with tentative dates allegedly
taking place in the third week of
March.

The Douglas College Board
of Directors is composed of
12 members, with two being
student representatives, a staff
and faculty representative,
and eight other members
appointed by the provincial
cabinet ministers. Many of
those appointed are business

66

enhance their own development.
They can be a part of something
that not a lot of students get

to see. Does it look better ona
resume? It might,” explained
Paul Wates, board chair. “Most
of our students who have come
through the board have found

it to be very enjoyable and

not a lot of students get to see.

and education professionals
of high calibre, giving student
representatives otherwise
unlikely opportunities to
meet and work alongside of
experienced professionals.

“We think there’s an
opportunity here for students to

educational as well.”

“Student board members
are elected for one-year terms.
Typically, students only stay on
the board one year because of
their individuality. We have one
board member student who has
been on her second term now,”

said Wates. “We really want to
encourage students because
we value [them]. They bring a
perspective.”

Wates was adamant in
assuring that students elected
to the board do not take on an
advocacy role in their board
position as they would in the

We think theres an opportunity here for students to enhance
their own development. They can be a part of something that

Douglas Students’ Union.

“We really want to
emphasize that when student,
faculty, or staff members come
onto the board, they’re elected,
and they’re elected by their
constituency groups, but the
bottom line is that when they

 

Photo courtesy of Blair Gable / Reuters files

come to the board they leave
that hat at the door,” said Wates.
“They have to bring in their
perspective but they’re not
going to be advocating on behalf
of that group.”

During the New
Westminster revamping
unveiled in the Fall 2011
semester, student members of
the board had a major role in
recommending changes made
to the concourse, input Wates
considered valuable given the
amount of time students spend
at the college.

“We got very good input
from students on the board
when we asked ‘what would
students like to see?’ because I
come here, but I don’t live here,”
Wates joked. “Students were
very instrumental in putting
suggestions on the table that
were very valuable.