Brandon groups work to preserve languages as Canada's linguistic diversity grows

A southwestern Manitoba Punjabi group is building community connections to keep the language and culture alive in rural Canada — part of a demographic shift across the country, according to Statistics Canada data released last week.

The federal agency reported last week that the first language of a quarter of Canadians is now neither English nor French — a record high.

In Manitoba, Punjabi ranks second among non-official languages most commonly spoken at home — behind only Tagalog in the province, the latest data says.

More than 33,000 of Manitoba's 1.34 million people reported Punjabi as their mother tongue, according to the 2021 census data released last week.

In the province's southwestern region, the Brandon Punjabi Cultural Association has been working for years to help newcomers, while hosting language classes and cultural activities led by volunteers, said association member Jaspreet Khela. 

"We realized ... our kids are, like, not speaking our language. We are supposed to teach them," she said.

Khela has been living in Brandon for 10 years. She and her mother have been teaching Khela's daughter Punjabi so she can talk with relatives.

Without these opportunities, young people would not be able to speak with grandparents still living in India, many of whom do not speak English, said Khela.

Having more people in Brandon who can speak Punjabi can also help newcomers to the city feel more comfortable, she said.

"When they get someone who can speak their language, they can ... express their things," Khela said. "If we're speaking our language, they can understand properly."

Growing diversity: StatsCan

While the latest Statistics Canada data shows the country's cultural fabric includes a growing number of language threads, some newcomers face challenges in keeping their mother language alive, said Lori Wilkinson, a University of Manitoba sociology professor who leads an immigration research group.

That's especially difficult if there is limited access to others who have the same linguistic or cultural backgrounds, she said.

But some research shows that more recent newcomers to Canada have an easier time passing along their culture and language to their children, said Wilkinson — likely because there's more willingness in society to help these families maintain their culture and language.

"There's a few more supports and … more social acceptability to do that nowadays than there was 30 years ago," she said.

"Even though it's hard, I think the possibility of maintaining your culture and language in the long run is better than it has been. And it gets better as the community becomes more diverse."

Increasing cultural diversity in Brandon can help in the settlement process, said Hannah Holt, the community outreach manager for the non-profit Westman Immigrant Services.

"You've got the settlement agency … that supports you for all the forms and the applications and everything. And then you've got the community that will be there to welcome you with open arms and continue your culture," Holt said.

Based on interactions with Westman Immigrant Services, the top countries of birth for newcomers to Brandon last year were India, Eritrea, the Philippines, China, El Salvador, Nigeria and Honduras. The languages most spoken were Mandarin, Punjabi and Spanish.

The growing cultural diversity in Brandon means it's not surprising to see an increasing number of Canadians report a first language other than English or French, said Holt.

"They're trying to keep it alive.… They want their heritage, they want their culture, they want their roots to be part of their personality, because it's something that is … part of them." 

Passing language to future generations

Brandon business owner Dhruv Patel originally hails from Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat, where he grew up speaking Gujarati.

When it comes to speaking his mother tongue in Brandon, there are limited opportunities, he says, though it is possible to find Gujarati speakers in the city — including through a local cricket group.

"I'm happy that I know English [and] Hindi.… After coming here, I also had a few Punjabi friends, so I can understand Punjabi," Patel said.

To keep their Gujarati sharp, the community members in Brandon speak with each other when they can, he said, adding he also speaks with his parents almost every day in the language.

Patel hopes to have children in the future, and knows one of the biggest challenges his family will face is ensuring those kids can speak Gujarati, so they can communicate with their grandparents.

"The biggest challenge which we [are] going to face" will be that those future children "might be able to catch up some words when we get home, but won't be as smooth as us," he said.

But Patel said he'll be happy "as long as he understands what ... other people are talking."