---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a religion, bilingualism is the god…"
description: "\"As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.\" — Steph..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png"
---

#  As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has…

![“As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.” quote by Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png)

> “As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.”

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Bilingualism is portrayed as a failed policy that has not delivered fairness, unity, or cost savings for taxpayers.

**In simple terms:** Bilingualism is seen as ineffective and costly.

Key Takeaway

Assess language policy outcomes critically.

Themes

language policy national unity economics fairness

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

political economic

When to use this quote

- education budgeting
- public opinion surveys
- policy review

Key Concepts

bilingualism government spending cultural integration

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports or refutes this claim?
- How could language policy be improved?

A Different Perspective

Costs and benefits may be uneven across regions and groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bilingualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingualism/) [Bilingualism God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingualism-god-5524705/) [Canadian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canadian/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [God Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-failed-269619/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Bilingualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-bilingualism-1835371/) [Taxpayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxpayers/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/)

## Related quotes

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere-2/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [“The virtually unanimous support of bilingualism among Hispanic activists, “leaders” and “spokesmen”—in contrast to Hispanic parents—is understandable only in terms of the self-interest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-virtually-unanimous-support-of-bilingualism-among-hispanic/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“how bilingualism has been shown to benefit • bilingual children’s precocious knowledge of language, • their enhanced cognitive development in general, and • the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-zurer-pearson/how-bilingualism-has-been-shown-to-benefit-bilingual-children-s/)

[Barbara Zurer Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-zurer-pearson/)

> [Bilingualism is not an imposition on the citizens. The citizens can go on speaking one language or six languages, or no languages if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/bilingualism-is-not-an-imposition-on-the-citizens-the-citizens-can-go/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

> [“There are those who eagerly learn another language to be one with another culture, then there are those morons who insist on the exclusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-those-who-eagerly-learn-another-language-to-be-one-with/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Bilingualism lets you have your cake and eat it. The new language opens the doors to the best jobs in society; the old language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/bilingualism-lets-you-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-the-new-language/)

[David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/)

> [Bilingualism used to have an undeservedly bad reputation; then it got an undeservedly exalted one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/bilingualism-used-to-have-an-undeservedly-bad-reputation-then-it-got/)

[Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/)

> [Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/bilingualism-for-the-individual-is-fine-but-not-for-a-country/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [We were doing the same thing. We will never have "a" Chicano English or Spanish because of regional differences. But I think that because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/we-were-doing-the-same-thing-we-will-never-have-a-chicano-english-or/)

[Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/)

> [Bilingualism is a great asset for any individual, but it has perilous consequences for a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/bilingualism-is-a-great-asset-for-any-individual-but-it-has-perilous/)

[Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/)

> [One day, God showed me a rock and told me to push it with all I can. I did it for many years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/one-day-god-showed-me-a-rock-and-told-me-to-push-it-with-all-i-can-i/)

[Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/)

> [Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/knowledge-of-languages-is-the-doorway-to-wisdom/)

[Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/)

> [Bilingualism opens doors and provides opportunity to our children so they can shine and become successful in a labor market that is increasingly competitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fortuno/bilingualism-opens-doors-and-provides-opportunity-to-our-children-so/)

[Luis Fortuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fortuno/)

## More by Stephen Harper

> [We're always willing to look at ways NAFTA can work better. But it's a fine line between looking at ways to make it work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-re-always-willing-to-look-at-ways-nafta-can-work-better-but-it-s-a/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/in-terms-of-the-unemployed-of-which-we-have-over-a-million-and-a-half/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [The media is tremendously important for all governments that are able to communicate through the it. It doesn't mean there is a balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-media-is-tremendously-important-for-all-governments-that-are-able/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-believe-in-small/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-think-when-ordinary-working-people-come-home-turn-on-the-tv-and-see/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [The world is now unipolar and contains o-nly o-ne superpower. Canada shares a continent with that superpower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-world-is-now-unipolar-and-contains-o-nly-o-ne-superpower-canada/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [I forget what the relevant American rate is, but I can tell you that our goal is to have a combined federal-provincial corporate tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-forget-what-the-relevant-american-rate-is-but-i-can-tell-you-that/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [The jackasses at Elections Canada are out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-jackasses-at-elections-canada-are-out-of-control/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [I will strive to make this not the highest-spending country in the world, but instead the lowest taxing o-ne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-will-strive-to-make-this-not-the-highest-spending-country-in-the/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [ I think what everybody believes and agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach \[to the drug trade\] is not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-think-what-everybody-believes-and-agrees-with-and-to-be-frank/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [The job numbers are positive. We've had more jobs created now than were lost during the recession. We're seeing that the creation, we're seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-job-numbers-are-positive-we-ve-had-more-jobs-created-now-than/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-ve-got-to-see-a-state-where-the-afghan-government-can-handle-its/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [It is imperative to take the initiative, to build firewalls around Alberta, to limit the extent to which an aggressive and hostile federal government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/it-is-imperative-to-take-the-initiative-to-build-firewalls-around/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Whether Canada ends up with one national government or two governments or 10 governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/whether-canada-ends-up-with-one-national-government-or-two/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

[Explore all 131 Stephen Harper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

## More Bilingualism quotes

> [“The virtually unanimous support of bilingualism among Hispanic activists, “leaders” and “spokesmen”—in contrast to Hispanic parents—is understandable only in terms of the self-interest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-virtually-unanimous-support-of-bilingualism-among-hispanic/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/knowledge-of-languages-is-the-doorway-to-wisdom/)

[Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/)

> [Bilingualism is a great asset for any individual, but it has perilous consequences for a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/bilingualism-is-a-great-asset-for-any-individual-but-it-has-perilous/)

[Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/)

> [We were doing the same thing. We will never have "a" Chicano English or Spanish because of regional differences. But I think that because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/we-were-doing-the-same-thing-we-will-never-have-a-chicano-english-or/)

[Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/)

> [Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/bilingualism-for-the-individual-is-fine-but-not-for-a-country/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/)

[Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/)

> [Bilingualism used to have an undeservedly bad reputation; then it got an undeservedly exalted one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/bilingualism-used-to-have-an-undeservedly-bad-reputation-then-it-got/)

[Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/)

> [Bilingualism lets you have your cake and eat it. The new language opens the doors to the best jobs in society; the old language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/bilingualism-lets-you-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-the-new-language/)

[David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/)

> [“There are those who eagerly learn another language to be one with another culture, then there are those morons who insist on the exclusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-those-who-eagerly-learn-another-language-to-be-one-with/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere-2/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Bilingualism is not an imposition on the citizens. The citizens can go on speaking one language or six languages, or no languages if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/bilingualism-is-not-an-imposition-on-the-citizens-the-citizens-can-go/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

> [“how bilingualism has been shown to benefit • bilingual children’s precocious knowledge of language, • their enhanced cognitive development in general, and • the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-zurer-pearson/how-bilingualism-has-been-shown-to-benefit-bilingual-children-s/)

[Barbara Zurer Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-zurer-pearson/)

> [Bilingualism opens doors and provides opportunity to our children so they can shine and become successful in a labor market that is increasingly competitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fortuno/bilingualism-opens-doors-and-provides-opportunity-to-our-children-so/)

[Luis Fortuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fortuno/)

[Browse all 15 Bilingualism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingualism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Harper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-that-failed-it-has-led-to-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bilingualism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-that-failed-it-has-led-to-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6b/stephen-harper-3432_bilingualism_as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-th_2317092.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost…” — Stephen Harper",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stephen Harper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As a religion, bilingualism is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-that-failed-it-has-led-to-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/as-a-religion-bilingualism-is-the-god-that-failed-it-has-led-to-no/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
