An article article written by Rod Mickleburgh, April 22, 2009 and published on The Globe and Mail Website.
But, zut alors, they could well be disappointed, according to the country's language czar, Graham Fraser.
Appearing yesterday before the House of Commons' official languages committee, Mr. Fraser said organizers of the 2010 Olympics are falling short in their efforts to make the Games sufficiently bilingual.
He identified significant shortcomings in plans for English-French translation, simultaneous interpretation, signage and broadcasting.
Mr. Fraser also took a shot at the Vancouver Organizing Committee's one-year countdown concert earlier this year, starring Sarah McLachlan, for its paltry francophone content - confined to singer Luke Doucet, who was asked at the last minute to sing some songs in French rather than the English he normally uses.
"People in the francophone community and some MPs were very upset about the minimal presence of French at the event," he said in an interview.
"Look, this is a big deal. The two official languages of the Olympic Games are French and English, and they are Canada's official languages, too. What worries me is that there is a gap between where VANOC [is] and where it needs to be ... to ensure that people at the Games get their information in French as well as in English."
The Commissioner of Official Languages said the matter is not merely academic, pointing to the fact that many of Canada's winter sport athletes hail from Quebec, and their parents, should they come to Vancouver for the Games, may not be conversant in English.
"They are unilingual francophones who will be there to support their sons or daughters. What is their experience going to be like?" Mr. Fraser asked. "There's often a tendency in English-speaking Canada to assume that this is all about symbolism. It's not. It's about service to people."
In his report, Mr. Fraser said VANOC appeared "ill-equipped" to provide sufficient translation and simultaneous interpretation at the Olympics. "The allocated budget seems inadequate to me ... [and] the issue remains a significant challenge."
VANOC, however, should not bear the entire blame, he added. The federal government, which has a translation bureau with a worldwide reputation for excellence, has provided hardly any assistance to hard-pressed Olympic organizers, Mr. Fraser said.
"There's been this attitude that, 'Oh, that's not really our job, that's not our responsibility and everything's fine.'... The federal government, which does have the expertise, has a whole body of resources that they should be discussing with VANOC."
For its part, VANOC has enlisted the services of former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to assist its bilingual efforts. Mr. Raffarin was appointed last month to VANOC's six-member advisory committee on official languages. He will be in Vancouver on Friday for the first meeting of the newly formed body.
In a statement released late yesterday, VANOC's spokesperson on the issue, Francine Bolduc, said the organization is looking to the committee to "guide us in everything we do in these crucial last months to make sure no avenue for promoting or delivering bilingualism is overlooked.
"VANOC is committed to ensuring the atmosphere and services for athletes, spectators and other visitors is warm, welcoming and bilingual."