N.B. official languages law backed by 82%

More than 80 per cent of New Brunswick residents support the Official Languages Act four decades after it was adopted, a new poll suggests.

Michel Carrier, the commissioner of official languages, released the poll on Wednesday. It indicates 82 per cent of New Brunswickers backed the language bill first adopted by then-premier Louis J. Robichaud in 1969 and then updated by Bernard Lord in 2002.

Among anglophones surveyed, 38 per cent said they strongly support the legislation and 37 per cent agreed somewhat with the act. Meanwhile, 97 per cent of francophones surveyed said they support the language law.

Of those surveyed, about 18 per cent did not favour the law.

"Look, there are people that are going to be opposed forever. It's public policy. I'm not sure if you took 10 topics of public policy and did a similar survey that you wouldn't have the same kind of response," Carrier said.

"People strongly favour [the language law] and then there's still a segment of the population will find ways to oppose certain things. And that's what democracy is all about."

Carrier said it's important to remember the gloom-and-doom predictions when the official languages law was passed in 1969.

He said that with more than 80 per cent of New Brunswickers now supporting it, the legislation has been a success.

Other poll findings:

• 85 per cent of francophones strongly support the law, 12 per cent somewhat support it.
• 74 per cent of New Brunswickers believe it is very important to learn the other official language.
• 29 per cent of New Brunswickers support the law because it respects the two linguistic groups.
• 25 per cent of anglophones who oppose the law do so because they feel they need to be bilingual or speak French to get a government job.
• 55 per cent of New Brunswickers rate their bilingual ability as acceptable or better.

The survey was conducted by Continuum Research last June. Four hundred people of each official language were polled between June 9 and 21. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.