If Canada was to be a bilingual country with most power concentrated in Ottawa's federal government, in the nature of things it would be francophones who would end up occupying most positions of authority in it. The inclination is always stronger for minorities to learn the language of a majority. Anglos weren't going to be bilingual in significant numbers. Francophones would be, and so rule the land. This part of the three wise men's vision was addressed to the mandarinate in Quebec, actual or aspiring; francophone civil servants, chattering classes and company executives grooming their sons and daughters to be the bureaucrats, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs and administrators of the next generation.

 

Unintended consequences, By George Jonas , National Post, October 14, 2005

What Jonas, a Hungarian immigrant to Canada, (Class of '56) is saying is that Canada's official bilingualism has turned into a jobs program for Canadians of French ancestry, who are the minority language group, entrenching them in control of the Civil Service.

A similar situation prevailed in South Africa, in the 1960's, where Afrikaners had a lock on civil service positions, including the railways, because you had to be bilingual, in English and Afrikaans for those jobs. (Modern day South Africa has an 11-language policy.)

What does that mean for the future of American bilingualism? Well, it means a lot of promotions for Hispanics, and it means that Americans will lose jobs because they can't speak Spanish.

And politically, it may eventually mean that only people who speak Spanish can run for President.

Which means more people named Bush.