Linguistic Rights of Minorities and Indigenous Communities

The essay examines the legal status of linguistic groups in Canada, comparing them with other experiences especially of common law countries (Australia, New Zealand and Unites States). Both the English and French-speaking linguistic communities and the Aboriginal communities are analysed. Special attention is given to issues concerning education in English and French. For the Aboriginal communities, the experiences of Nunavut and Nisga’a are examined as paradigmatic cases. Finally, the teachings that the Canadian experience, also in comparison with the Italian case, can offer on the comparative level are highlighted.