Justice Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada is retiring soon. As Canadians await word of her replacement, some are arguing that proposed amendments to the Official Languages Act aimed at shoring up the French language in Canada will impede the important goal of making the Supreme Court more diverse.

Today in The Conversation Canada, François Larocque of University of Ottawa and Stéphanie Chouinard of Queen's University offer an impassioned counter-argument, noting that claiming bilingualism is a barrier for diverse candidates is a gross misrepresentation of racialized Canadians and their language skills.

They write: "The reality is that French-speaking Canadians are just as racially diverse as English speakers."

Also today:

Regards,

Lee-Anne Goodman

Politics, Business + Economics Editor
Tulips bloom outside the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Bilingualism and diversity: The Supreme Court can — and should — have both

François Larocque, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Stéphanie Chouinard, Queen's University, Ontario

Pitting the representation of historically marginalized groups on the Supreme Court against another constitutionally protected minority — Canada's francophones — is a misguided race to the bottom.
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Ruth Derksen, University of British Columbia

As the effects of the pandemic intensify, so does the importance of the choice of language.
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Zahra Moussavi, University of Manitoba

Diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea usually requires a labour-intensive overnight sleep study. But new technology can tell patients if they have OSA in 30 seconds, while they are wide awake.
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Hurricane damage harms the most vulnerable, reveals inequality and social divides

Laura Szczyrba, Queen's University, Ontario

Social inequalities worsen storm damage and challenge disaster recovery, increasing class divides over time.

La Conversation Canada
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Tchéhouali Destiny, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

L’investissement dans l’acquisition ou la production de contenus originaux devient une munition importante dans la guerre des contenus exclusifs que se livrent les plates-formes.
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Dommages indirects de la Covid-19 : augmentation des cas de violence familiale et sociale

Vivek Venkatesh, Concordia University; Cécile Rousseau, McGill University; David Morin, Université de Sherbrooke ; Ghayda Hassan, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

La pandémie de Covid-19 a non seulement augmenté les facteurs de risque de violence, mais a aussi simultanément diminué la résilience des individus et des communautés.

COVID-19

Health

Science + Technology