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CHAPTER 10 157 Francophone Representation and Bilingualism l>y 1973, when the Directorate of Professional Education and Development absorbed the defunct Canadian Defence Educational Establishments, the postwarRMC had attained a certain degree of stability and confidence. Some of its long-standing problems were being solved. In the previous decade, definition of the functions of the Faculty Council and the Faculty Board had changed to allow some input by the faculty, even if in the board it was only to respond to requests for advice on policymatters . Some college regulations had been revised to come to terms with contemporary youth lifestyles, including the use of cars, informal dress, and leave and bar privileges , with a subsequent reduction in cadet wastage. Some courses in the technological and militaryareas had adapted to the computer age, and there was more specific military content in the social sciences and in the problems studied in science and engineering. All these changes had been accomplished without abandoning vital and fundamental RMC traditions. There seemed to be a better balance between academic education and professional militarydevelopment. That balance was, however, very delicate. When Brigadier -General W.W. Turner, disappointed by the quality of RMC'S drill on church parade, ordered an extra hour of drill each week for the whole Cadet Wing, the faculty feared his unilateral action might become a precedent for more serious pressures on study time.1 Neither the commandant nor the faculty in this minor confrontation seemed to realize they were now facing an irresistibledemand for much more time from a third source. A 1971 Canadian Defence Educational Establishments (CDEE) directive from Ottawa that every RMC cadet must become functionally bilingual before he graduated had yet to be implemented.2 CORE'S directive was in accord with the Trudeau government 's policy to give Canada's two official languages equal status and Canada's two founding peoples equal opportunities. This policy had been drafted as a followup to the Laurendeau-Dunton Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism appointed in 1963. In the first volume of its report published in 1967, the commission had recommended wide measures to implementlinguistic equality. With the rise of separatism in Quebec, the federal Liberal party's dependence on the French vote, and Trudeau's personal support, these proposals quickly became law. In July 1969 Parliament passed the Official Languages Act to extend the use of both languages in all federal government services. The act appeased some francophone grievances,but it wasunpopular with many anglophones who ignored the fact that up to this time francophones had been disadvantaged. One retired naval pilot, Lieutenant-Commander J.V. Andrew,* wrote a *Lt-Commander James Vernon ("Jock") Andrew, RCN, served with the Royal Navy for several years after 1947 on an exchange. In the 1960s he wasa marine engineerwith the RCN, attainingthe rank of lieutenantcommander and retiring about the time ofintegration. 158 TO SERVE CANADA book alleging that the B&B policy was a Trudeau plot "to hand Canada over to the French-Canadian race."3 That charge was absurd, but opposition to bilingualism in many parts of the country, in the Canadian Forces, and also at RMCand Royal Roads was strong. At this point it will be useful to review the history of francophone representation at RMCdown to 1973. From their inception in 1868, the Canadian Armed Forces had been predominantly anglophone in composition, their working language was English, and anglophones almost completely monopolized the technical corps of the militia , the RCN, the RCAF, and all high ranks. Around the turn of the century two British Goes, Herbert and Hutton , had recommended that a knowledge of French would be useful for Canadian officers who might have to lead French troops, but they had been ignored.4 The number of francophones who served in the two world wars was well below the Canadian national average, though in the early years of the First World War the rate of French-Canadian volunteering had been similar to that of Canadian-born anglophones. In both wars manpower crises led to bitter recriminations betweenEnglish and French Canadians over conscription.5 Despite this evidence that many in Canada's 30 per cent minority might again refuse to serve in national emergencies, governments after each war made no serious attempt to make military service more acceptable to francophones. Defence Minister Brooke Claxton claimed he favoured an increase in francophone representation in the forces, however, and General Charles Foulkes told the Defence Council it would be convenient for Canadian officers to know French...

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