The minister responsible for official languages has highlighted the benefits and myths of bilingualism in New Brunswick as the Gallant government continues its focus on the use of English and French in the province.
Don Arseneault says the tourism industry has benefitted since large numbers of Quebecers visit the province because of the Acadian culture.
He also notes that the call centre industry would not have developed if it had not been for our bilingual workforce.
“You know that’s $1.4 billion, that’s a lot of money in economic activity employing over 18,000 New Brunswickers in this industry,” he notes.
In terms of the myths, Arseneault says having English and French school buses is not a big burden for taxpayers and says a study shows New Brunswick’s school bus expense is three percent lower than Nova Scotia’s on a per student basis.
Debunking another myth, Arseneault says you don’t necessarily have to be bilingual to obtain a government job noting that 55 percent of civil service jobs are open to English speakers only.
