--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Make no mistake. Canada is not a…" description: "\"Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been.\" — Stephen Harper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/stephen-harper-3432_bilingual_make-no-mistake-canada-is-not-a-bilingua_684577.png" --- # Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In… ![“Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been.” quote by Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/stephen-harper-3432_bilingual_make-no-mistake-canada-is-not-a-bilingua_684577.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/stephen-harper-3432_bilingual_make-no-mistake-canada-is-not-a-bilingua_684577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/stephen-harper-3432_bilingual_make-no-mistake-canada-is-not-a-bilingua_684577.png) > “Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. In fact it is less bilingual today than it has ever been.” [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. Canada’s bilingualism is declining, contrary to its official policy and perception. **In simple terms:** Canada is less bilingual now than ever. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between policy and reality. Themes language policy national identity politics Mood concerned analytical Type political observational When to use this quote - education reform - government communication - media representation - immigration services Key Concepts bilingualism cultural erosion Questions to Reflect On - How does declining bilingualism affect national cohesion? - What policies could reverse the trend? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook regional variations and minority language resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bilingual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingual/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## 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/) > [I think in Atlantic Canada, because of what happened in the decades following Confederation, there is a culture of defeat that we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-think-in-atlantic-canada-because-of-what-happened-in-the-decades/) [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/) > [You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/you-ve-got-to-remember-that-west-of-winnipeg-the-ridings-the-liberals/) [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/) > [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/) > [You'd never be able to convince someone to give you money to do a bilingual story where you're not translating half of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/you-d-never-be-able-to-convince-someone-to-give-you-money-to-do-a/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [My grandmother is bilingual, but she preferred to speak Spanish at home, so she would speak to us in Spanish, and everyone responded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-navedo/my-grandmother-is-bilingual-but-she-preferred-to-speak-spanish-at/) [Andrea Navedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-navedo/) > [If you do not learn English in this country, you cannot get anywhere. We are in America. We are not in Mexico, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/if-you-do-not-learn-english-in-this-country-you-cannot-get-anywhere/) [Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/) > [I think it's not an easy task because there's not enough Latino writers that are being given opportunities to write things - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-it-s-not-an-easy-task-because-there-s-not-enough-latino/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I'm bilingual. I speak English and I speak educationese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hufstedler/i-m-bilingual-i-speak-english-and-i-speak-educationese/) [Shirley Hufstedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hufstedler/) > [My wife and I have spent most of our lives in France, and we are both pretty well bilingual, my wife more purely than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/my-wife-and-i-have-spent-most-of-our-lives-in-france-and-we-are-both/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [My films have become bilingual. When everyone saw 'Chennai Express,' they said it was a bilingual. But I am proud that 'Chennai Express' is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-shetty/my-films-have-become-bilingual-when-everyone-saw-chennai-express-they/) [Rohit Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-shetty/) > [History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/history-shows-in-my-opinion-that-no-nation-can-survive-the-tension/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-i-ve-done-it-for-a-while/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) ## 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 Bilingual quotes > [I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-secada/i-grew-up-in-a-community-that-was-bilingual-i-ve-done-it-for-a-while/) [Jon Secada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-secada/) > [My wife and I have spent most of our lives in France, and we are both pretty well bilingual, my wife more purely than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/my-wife-and-i-have-spent-most-of-our-lives-in-france-and-we-are-both/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [You'd never be able to convince someone to give you money to do a bilingual story where you're not translating half of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/you-d-never-be-able-to-convince-someone-to-give-you-money-to-do-a/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/history-shows-in-my-opinion-that-no-nation-can-survive-the-tension/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [My films have become bilingual. When everyone saw 'Chennai Express,' they said it was a bilingual. But I am proud that 'Chennai Express' is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-shetty/my-films-have-become-bilingual-when-everyone-saw-chennai-express-they/) [Rohit Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-shetty/) > [I'm bilingual. I speak English and I speak educationese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hufstedler/i-m-bilingual-i-speak-english-and-i-speak-educationese/) [Shirley Hufstedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hufstedler/) > [I think it's not an easy task because there's not enough Latino writers that are being given opportunities to write things - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-it-s-not-an-easy-task-because-there-s-not-enough-latino/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [If you do not learn English in this country, you cannot get anywhere. We are in America. We are not in Mexico, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/if-you-do-not-learn-english-in-this-country-you-cannot-get-anywhere/) [Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/) > [My grandmother is bilingual, but she preferred to speak Spanish at home, so she would speak to us in Spanish, and everyone responded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-navedo/my-grandmother-is-bilingual-but-she-preferred-to-speak-spanish-at/) [Andrea Navedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-navedo/) > [“In my opinion, dual language education is a great public good that ought to be developed everywhere, as it can positively transform a child,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrice-jaumont/in-my-opinion-dual-language-education-is-a-great-public-good-that/) Fabrice Jaumont > [My first languages are German and Spanish because I was brought up by a Spanish mother and a German father, so I always spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bruhl/my-first-languages-are-german-and-spanish-because-i-was-brought-up-by/) [Daniel Bruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bruhl/) > [He speaks English, Spanish, and he's bilingual too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/he-speaks-english-spanish-and-he-s-bilingual-too/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) > [I'm bilingual, I speak english and photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mckain/i-m-bilingual-i-speak-english-and-photography/) [Nigel McKain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mckain/) > [My new play 'Chinglish,' which will go to Broadway, is about a white American businessman who goes to a provincial capital in China, hoping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/my-new-play-chinglish-which-will-go-to-broadway-is-about-a-white/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I came here when I was almost 22. I'm perfectly bilingual, but I'm never going to sound like Sandra Bullock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselyn-sanchez/i-came-here-when-i-was-almost-22-i-m-perfectly-bilingual-but-i-m/) [Roselyn Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselyn-sanchez/) [Browse all 56 Bilingual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bilingual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Make no mistake. Canada is not a bilingual country. 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