The social and cultural reality of French-speaking Canada has become increasingly complex during the past two decades. Immigrants have played an increasingly important role in shaping public policy, economic growth, and the demographic vitality of official-language minority communities. Exogamy – that is, linguistically mixed couples – has posed ongoing challenges for the maintenance and transmission of the French language. Lack of visibility of the French fact combined with close contact with Anglo-dominant society have remained central to the issue of language insecurity. 

The report of The Commission on Inclusion should be understood in the context of these circumstances. Established in 2006 by the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise (ACF), the Commission’s mandate was to provide a citizens’ forum on francophone identity and culture in Saskatchewan. This commission followed an initiative by the Association jeunesse fransaskoise (AJF) in 2005 to invite immersion-school students to the Jeux fransaskois, an action that was poorly received by some members of the community. These reflections on unity and exclusion were a continuation of the in-depth questioning begun during the États généraux de la communauté fransaskoise (1997).  

Fueled by a tour and various briefs they received, discussions among commission members led to a new definition of the Fransaskois community. The community was now defined along four dimensions: territory, language, diversity of origins, and a “voluntary act.” For the authors of the report, belonging to the Francophonie was ultimately a choice.

The Fransaskois community was not alone in questioning these issues at the time. In 2009, following a recommendation by the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner, Ontario adopted the so-called “inclusive” definition of the francophone population to count allophones with a good knowledge of French. In the words of Madeleine Meilleure, at the time Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs, “this new definition will give the government a better idea of the demand for French-language services in the province, and help ministries better plan the delivery of these services” (Le Droit, June 5, 2009).