Learning French can increase opportunities

 

A study by the University of Guelph found employees who speak French along with English earn more than their unilingual counterparts. Bilingual men earn 3.6 per cent more while women earn 6.6 per cent more. 

Helen MacLellan, a Green Shield Canada customer representative, said French plays a major role in her life.

“French has been a huge help for me since day one,” MacLellan said. “A ton of white collar roles were looking for bilingual candidates. This is how I ended up in business without even a post secondary at the time.” 

According to MacLellan, learning French can be challenging, but is worth the trouble.

“It’s how I work with half of the people I deal with every day,” said MacLellan. “I feel that the language is getting stronger not weaker. In my industry alone, we’re short on French-speaking people. It’s in high demand. Job security is there for us because we have a skill that most do not.”

Towela Okwudire, the founder and director of French Lit, said French is beautiful because it offers many ways for people to express themselves.

“There are so many ways for people to exteriorize their thoughts,” said Okwudire. “That’s why it (French) is a fantastic language to learn.”

According to Okwudire, Canadians should still consider learning French even if they do not reside within Quebec.

“Both the anglophone and francophone communities of Canada participate in the technological advances that are happening in this world,” Okwudire said. “Ubisoft for example, one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, is based in Quebec. They bring in and send out people all the time so it’s definitely not just about Quebec.”

A poll conducted by La Presse, states that 70 per cent of francophone Quebecers fear the future of French in Canada is being threatened.