I think I disagree. I've lived in 5 provinces and only in Quebec was it "necessary" to be able to speak French. In the rest of the country it simply wasn't an issue. Even in Quebec one can get by with English.
In culture yes. In the government no. French is the main language of the Canadian government.
I'm originally from Canada. If you want a good job, especially if it's with the government, you need to know French. I lived in in Windsor, Ontario and all the federal civil servants were French. As a government employee, you are expected to be bilingual in case you have to deal with someone wanting to speak French, even if they can speak English. It's the constitution. You are entitled to government services in either English or French and it's your choice, not the government's, as to what language is used. ontario is officially bilingual and the same thing applies at the provincial level. If you want career advancement, you need to speak French. Now I live in Florida, and I see Spanish becoming the same problem that French was in Canada.