Language is the Key: The Canadian Language Benchmarks Model

Abstract

(CCLB) in the fall of 2015 that really brought home to me the scope, value, and quality of the Benchmarks project. The great efforts involved in the development of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) gave birth to the highly efficient system of official language training that we know today. Indeed, as I was perusing documents related to the French and English standards, and various research papers, I came to realize that this success depended on many factors, namely: twenty years of outstanding, yet understated work by leading Canadian scholars (often not even directly acknowledged in the published documents); a steady commitment by government and non government stakeholders at the federal, provincial, and local levels; and, last but not least, unconditional commitment and caring on the part of an invested community of practice.Modern Canada has a humanist view of immigrant integration and prides itself on being a welcoming land. As recently as March 6, 2016, during an interview with Lara Logan on the American television program 60 minutes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that "accepting 25,000 Syrian refugees does right by the values that define us as a nation," and that "welcoming those immigrants is not 2 LANGUAGE IS THE KEY just about welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees, it's welcoming 25,000 new Canadians." These statements fall in line with the last fifty years of Canadian non-discriminatory immigration policy and implicitly underline the importance of immigrant access to official languages: a necessary, even though not sufficient, means to successful integration, as underscored in the CCLB motto: Language is the key.It is towards this humanist goal that generations of Canadian researchers and practitioners have offered their knowledge, expertise, hard work, creativity, and problem-solving ingenuity. This book is a testimony to the journey that led to the present state of Benchmarksrelated language training, and a tribute to all those who contributed to the excellence of this Canadian product. Intended ReadershipThis book is intended for broad readership. Given the dearth of comprehensive appraisals of the Canadian Benchmark system, it is meant as a basic academic reference for discussion, in the Canadian context, of language policy, linguistic integration of adult migrants, second language teacher education, and taskbased language learning. It is relevant to Canadian researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, policy-makers, and various second language training stakeholders (administrators, instructors, assessors, curriculum and teaching material designers, and others). Finally, the book is of relevance internationally as well, in an ongoing reflection in the community of researchers and political decision-makers concerned with similar products abroad, such as the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and the ACTFL guidelines. Book StructureThe book guides the reader through a reflection on the past, present, and future of th...