CFN – I like Bob Rae a lot. I think he’s a skilled politician and a great speaker. I think he’s a good man too, and I know from personal experience that he’s willing to listen to people as he’s granted me a few interviews over the last three years.
Today in a great political move of theatre he filibustered his 31 Liberal MP’s out of Parliament over the Unilingual choice of Michael Ferguson as the new Auditor-General of Canada. Not because of he wasn’t capable (I’m not stating that he is), but because Mr. Ferguson isn’t bilingual.
I’m reading Pierre Trudeau’s book, Memoirs. It’s a fascinating read by a fascinating man that changed Canadian politics. I liked a lot of what PET stood for, but his dream of a bilingual Canada was not one I agree with in the way it’s been implemented.
I think we need the best people for the job no matter what. I think that French and English Canadians should be served in their language right across this country. Communism too in theory was terrific, but in practice its been slightly worse than our official bilingualism policy.
We’re at the point where there are suggestions that Supreme Court justices have to be bilingual. A factor yes, but a requirement?
Mr. Rae is a great communicator. He’s a great politician. If the NDP don’t get totally strange and implode I have a hunch he’ll be a key in uniting the Centre before Mr. Harper changes our National anthem to the theme from the Sound of Music with John Baird singing lead instead of Julie Andrews.
In the meanwhile maybe it’s time that Canadians think about how we manifest our bilingual destiny and how we implement it across Canada?
Our federal government has moved away from serving the public in the language of the public’s choice. Now, it is about the employee’s working in the language of their choice. As soon as you get a department, they need to show cause for a budget and create more work and justify those positions.
So, with 41 years into the Official Languages Act and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, I am real happy to see the best person getting a job, instead of the best bilingual person getting the job.
In this case the issue was not so much Mr. Ferguson as, in Bob Rae’s words, this government’s “abuse of process” – breaking their own protocol and ramming the decision through Parliament.
Nothing new from the party of Contempt. What is new and cheering is forceful pushback – by Rae over this, by Quebec over destroying the long-gun registry data, by Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland over the regressive and potentially hugely expensive crime bill, by the Canadian Wheat Board over the government’s bullying tactics, etc. etc.
Most welcome and about time. Canadians must continue to call this government to account and push back, otherwise we slide into dictatorship. What’s good for Canadians is not what Harper decides is good for Canadians. This is a man who divides; a true leader unites.
PJR nails it again. The only effective opposition to our federal government for the next few years will be the people and the provinces. I hope the Dippers and Libs go full tilt opposing and exposing, but they are toothless as far as keeping the Cons in check. Is there an Occupy Cornwall camp-ground?
Actually Furtz I think Mr. Rae did a great job of getting attention with this power move he pulled He and the LIberals now can have some fun because they’re not the official opposition. They can get a lot of headlines while they rebuild.
I can remember a time when Bob Rae didn’t speak french either. For Michael Ferguson what is important? Is it the requirement to be able to count or the need to speak another language? I think its the former rather than the latter.
Not sure if the Libs have stopped stabbing each other in the back just yet. The tradition has a firm hold. it seems.
They have a couple of years to regroup, but they’ll have to check into rehab first.
Thank you, Furtz