Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning (CCERBAL)

Our Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning has empowered OLBI and the University of Ottawa to become catalysts in the development of bilingualism in Canada. CCERBAL endeavours to be a national and international hub for the study and design of public policy on bilingualism and linguistic duality.

CCERBAL connects internationally recognized high-calibre researchers who work in OLBI’s areas of specialization, namely second language teaching and learning, the evaluation of language proficiency, and language planning. Specifically, these researchers focus on the following issues: bilingualism and society, immersion at the postsecondary level, new technologies in language teaching and learning, language skills assessment, and language policies. Their research projects are funded by organizations such as SSHRC, Canadian Heritage, HEQCO, and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

In collaboration with the University of Ottawa’s office of the Vice-President, Research, CCERBAL has just completed a project to create research chairs targeting these research areas. Recently, Ms. Marie-Josée Hamel, currently the CCERBAL director, was appointed to the first research chair on new technologies and computer-assisted language learning. Two other chairs are expected to be filled soon.

CCERBAL has a privileged relationship with centres, organizations and associations with objectives similar to its own: for example, ECML, Latinus, and CASLT. Each year, activities and special events are organized under its auspices in research fields the Centre wishes to promote, through national and international conferences and symposiums, forums and round tables, retreats, and research training. They generate meetings of researchers, the sharing of ideas, networking, and professional development. The most significant CCERBAL research results are reported on its website and published in the OLBI Working Papers, its scholarly journal. OLBI’s annual report also provides an overview of the research activities conducted by the CCERBAL members, including their scientific publications and research grants.

CCERBAL is also an advisory centre par excellence on language planning and social cohesion issues. Its services are available to the Canadian and international university community, to different levels of government, and to public and semipublic organizations that have responsibilities in terms of official languages and bilingualism.

By attracting the best Canadian and foreign researchers and by acquiring an advanced research infrastructure, CCERBAL promotes interdisciplinarity and international exchanges. CCERBAL welcomes researchers in residence who contribute to the Centre’s vitality.

These initiatives now make CCERBAL and OLBI an indispensable reference in regards to bilingualism and language planning.

Marie-Josée Hamel
Director, CCERBAL