Final answer:
The language issues in Canada have created tension through conflict over official languages, disputes over indigenous languages, and bilingualism policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The language issues in Canada have created tension in several ways:
- Conflict over official languages: The country has two official languages, French and English, which has caused conflicts between French-speaking and English-speaking areas. The French-speaking areas, especially in Quebec, argue that they are treated unfairly and feel threatened by the dominance of English. This has led to the declaration of French as the only official language in Quebec and laws requiring all public advertising to be in French.
- Disputes over indigenous languages: Canada's native population is culturally and linguistically diverse, and their languages are in danger of dying out. Historical processes of colonialism and assimilation have suppressed and marginalized indigenous languages. Indigenous children were forbidden to speak their languages in boarding schools, and gradual processes of endangerment occur when new languages offer economic opportunities available only to speakers of that language.
- Bilingualism policies: Bilingualism policies in Canada, which aim to celebrate diversity and respect the rights of immigrants to maintain their identities, have led to growth in the number of immigrants and their descendants who speak both English and their language of birth or heritage fluently. However, indigenous languages have not fared well, and the number of indigenous languages has drastically reduced.