LINGUISTIC SECURITY
What is linguistic insecurity?
It is a fact that many French speakers feel uncomfortable speaking French for fear of being judged on their accent or their variety of French. But what causes this feeling, and, more importantly, how can it be addressed?
This feeling is often fuelled by social norms that favour certain varieties of French over others. Speakers may hesitate or correct themselves, and in the worst cases, they may even avoid speaking the language altogether in an attempt to escape this feeling of illegitimacy. Mitigating this insecurity requires us to celebrate and normalise the diversity of accents and varieties of French, all of which deserve respect and recognition.
The Youth Council’s expertise
The CJFCB is a leader in the Francophone community for initiatives related to French-speaking youth in a minority context. This expertise makes us well-suited to address topical issues, like linguistic insecurity, which particularly affect our youth.
To address this reality, in 2019, the CJFCB established its Linguistic Security Committee to make spaces for dialogue for youth to express themselves freely on the subject.
Since then, the CJFCB’s commitment to this issue has continued to grow. Led by the Committee, this work took the form of informative workshops in schools and communities across British Columbia and, at times, on a national scale. The Committee then diversified its efforts by launching visual awareness campaigns and the BeLinguiste podcast.
Building on its expertise, the CJFCB expanded its efforts into the educational sector, developing resources for teaching staff in partnership with experts, such as the Trousse de formation en sécurité linguistique. In 2026, the CJFCB hosted British Columbia’s first ever Linguistic Security Summit, a unique provincial event bringing together youth and educational staff to share their experiences about the issues of linguistic insecurity in the Francophone school environment and imagine future solutions together.
Linguistic Security Committee
Since its creation in 2019, the committee has been active across the province to engage with the community and raise awareness of issues relating to linguistic insecurity, and above all, its potential impact on language vitality. The committee has also given several workshops across Canada, highlighting the social and linguistic realities specific to British Columbia.
Its members are youth aged 15 to 25 who have been trained and mentored by Dr Suzanne Robillard, who has a PhD in sociolinguistics and is an honorary lifetime member of the CJFCB. As ambassadors for linguistic security, the committee’s mission is to create spaces for dialogue and reflection with community members. To do so, they lead awareness-raising workshops, and develop a variety of resources to support youth and strengthen their linguistic confidence.
Resources for educators
In collaboration with experts in linguistic security, the CJFCB develops tools for educators. These resources are designed to enable educators to: explore issues specific to the Francophone minority community in British Columbia and their impact on the classroom; better understand their role in fostering a sense of linguistic security among their students; acquire the tools needed to encourage a linguistically safe environment.
To date, the CJFCB has developed the Trousse de formation en sécurité linguistique. In addition, members of the Linguistic Security Committee were consulted for the Guide de démarrage éducatif.
Linguistic Security Summit
In 2026, the CJFCB held the Linguistic Security Summit, a unique event that brought together education staff and French-speaking students in grades 9 to 12 across British Columbia.
This event gave youth spaces to reflect on and describe their realities, provided educators with resources and promoted the diversity of French in British Columbia. For the first time, it also created a space for dialogue between youth and the educational community, providing a platform for students to be heard.
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