This article pertains to the attitudes in favour or against bilingualism displayed in the English Canadian public sphere. The paper is based on the analysis of close to 800 articles published in English Canadian newspapers between 2004 and 2009 and attempts a detailed analysis of the arguments used in the debate. The objective of this paper is to determine how each side understands the nature of Canada and how that comprehension informs both sides of the debate. The paper establishes that when criticizing bilingualism, critics of the policy tend to invoke pragmatic arguments. On the opposite side of the debate, proponents of bilingualism tend to use arguments that are idealistic in nature. The overwhelming impression one gets from this debate is that a dialogue is taking place in which every one seems deaf to the arguments of others.