Question to Tammy Hart
You recently issued a public letter denouncing bilingualism and the Provincial Liberal and Federal Conservative governments.
Is that letter from you as a citizen or as an elected official? For the record.
Your vote on bilingualism is a matter of public record within South Stormont.
In the same way that you decry the use of taxpayer’s money to support Canadian Citizens and the Canadian Charter I am opposed to you using taxpayers money to lobby against Canada.
Either resign as Deputy Mayor or stop using taxpayer money in your personal crusade against bilingualism.
James Borer – South Stormont
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She is NOT using taxpayer money for this!!! We (English and all other groups, except French) are NOT privy to funds from taxpayers to promote their agenda! I am talking about the FLSA and the other 176 groups that sap taxpayer monies for a mere 4% of the popluation! Tammy has recently taken French courses(I for one have heard her speak French) and she is fair when it comes to bilingualism. She like the rest of us “Silent Majority” are sick of having it shoved down our throats and the last straw is the continuous and increasing amount of discrimination going on! If you want Tammy to resign then you better watch out! I see her going on to a higher position in the future. She listens to the people. She speaks her mind. She supports the ones that are being thrown overboard because they don’t speak French enough! Keep up the good work Tammy! EQUALITY FOR ALL & LANGUAGE FAIRNESS FOR ALL!!!!!!!
Chris Cameron’s group “Language Fairness for all”(Equality for all) are always accepting new members and donations from the public. By the way, there now small pockets of groups all over Ontario and the Eastern provinces that are working side by side to fight the language discrimination that has been taking place. There is now a petition that can be signed online. The movement is growing fast and furious. Again. We are NOT anti-French, we are for fairness. We support meeting the needs of the French, but unfortunately, taking all of the jobs in Ontario and making language hold more weight than experience will not fly anymore with the people of Canada!
As a private citizen or as a representative of citizens does not matter. Expressing her opinion does not cost anything. If the provincial and federal government would follow her suggestions it would actually save Canadian taxpayers a lot of money.
Now I’m sure Mr. Borer that you will now be eligible for a nice fat juicy francophone grant for expressing opposition to her opinion.
Tammy Hart is the best thing to happen to S,D & G in the past 40 years!!!
Huge KUDOS to her for addressing this long overdue issue of DISCRIMINATION!!!!!!
Canadians are tired of this inequality & we are thankful for politicians like Tammy Hart & Bryan McGillis.The time has come for other politicians to step-up to the plate & speak for the majority.
Luckily we have a few brave souls like Chris Cameron & his new group “Language Fairness for All-LMA”.
Anyone interested in supporting this movement & having language fairness for ALL should make it a point to come out to “Equality for All” Protest Rally May 26 1pm @ Cornwall Community Hospital….
People are equal,but languages are not…..
i guess we have gotten so used to being lied to and manipulated by politicians whose every word is scripted and designed to enrich themselves that we can no longer appreciate honesty and real representation. thanks tammy you are refreshing
I see that ex-MPP Jim Brownell is calling on his Liberal friends to attack Tammy for her views. So, as an elected official, she’s not allowed to express her personal views or defend herself when attacked? She is not being paid by public money for her views in defense of the majority whose interests are within her purview? Just as you think that French interests are legitimately within Jim Brownell’s to defend, why are the interests of the English-speaking majority not within Tammy’s realm of defense? For over 40 years, the French have had every Canadian catering to them because they were told that the French language is very fragile and must be protected, promoted and preserved. How long must this go on for? Already they are over-represented at every level of government and in all government agencies. With about 22% of the population (2006 census) they make up about 30% of the total public service. Check it out at this link: http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/arp-rpa/2009/st-ts/tbl07/tbl16-eng.htm
Read the Fraser Institute report on the cost of Official Bilingualism:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/fraser-institute-federal-provincial-bilingualism-requirements-cost-canadian-taxpayers-1606825.htm
The figure quoted for the whole country is $2.4 Billion and Ontario alone spends $623 million and even this is a huge understatement as the private sector compliance cost is not even figured into their calculations. It is unconscionable when every sector is being forced to cut back and health services are being short-changed for this group to be singled out for special treatment.
Tammy will not be forced to resign because the Liberals want her out – only those who voted her in can vote her out. So please do not use your bullying tactics against someone who has the courage to challenge this policy because the time has come to stop creating
1st class citizens out of a group that speaks a minority language.
Go fly a kite James-get with the program.
The majority doesn’t want “bilingualism shoved down their throat any more”.
Again -Many Thanks Tammy!!!!!
Yes, oh yes……bullying at it`s best. Jim Brownell is getting his flunkies to bark for him….shame shame. Same bullying tactics are used at CCH too. We are not taking it anymore. So yes, as the above concerned citizen says, `Go fly a Kite James`….and take your friend Jim with you!!!!!!!!
My mother is french and she even says this is ridiculous. Come on now. Congratulations Tammy and Bryan for standing up. If all our politician had more common sense like you, we wouldn’t be in dept up the wazoo!
When will attack by language zealots on English Canada end? We cannot work anymore in our own English country, English provinces and English cities just because we don’t speak a dialect particular to one province, Quebec. That’s absurd! Write your MPPs and MPs and demand cancellation of the provincial FLSA and federal OLA.
Tammy called in to CFRA this morning(May 20) on the Nick Vandergrant Sunnyside Morning show;standing up for language fairness.Nurse Chris Cameron & CLF Beth Trudeau were guests on the show.It’s podcasted if your interested in hearing what is really going on with discrimintaion @ CCH.
The truth is that anglophones applying fo a government job are given a exam that they must speak high quality French, while a francophone can barely speak English no problem the job is yours say bonjour fiirst then its allo dis es da gommament -an any knows when you call the government what you get,screwed up English!!
If something gets tax payer dollars, it deserves a fair airing, an audit and needs to stand up to scrutiny. Most od all, it needs to be fair.
We need a clear definition of who we are trying to help with French language acts.
We need full disclosure of where the money is going, what is it being used for and who is getting it.
We seem to stand up so well when a dog dies from being left in a hot car, and rightly so. Do jobs for our kids and grandkids not deserve some of that compassion?
“using taxpayers money to lobby against Canada”…what an arrogant statement given the amount of anglo-funds that go towards lobbying against English speakers.
These kinds of statements continue to lather up the majority of English speakers.
Tammy Hart is to be commended in a big way for standing up for the rights of the English speakers.
This is not a “Personal” crusade, as is quoted above, but a rising up of discontent as more and more of our children are forced to leave their homes, Mr. Borer, while the big push continues to hire francophones.
The french language is worth more than a university degree in English. Grade 12 graduates from a Quebec high school have access to jobs that 4th year English speaking graduates from college or university can only dream about.
Is this your vision for Canada, sir?
Asking for fairness seems reasonable and logical but the lack of any compromise by the minority stakeholders shows the true intent of this language nightmare.
It is so disingenuous a statement that as a Canadian political figure if you stand up for the rights of your English speaking constituency you should resign your post as an elected representative!
What kind of democracy do we live under Mr. Borer?
The charter elevates minorities while trampling all over the majority.
In reading the above commentary by Mr. Borer it seems he may be another one who believes that if you don’t speak French, you’re not really Canadian. We hear a lot of that in Eastern Ontario.
People are standing up against an unfair policy of affirmative job action. There is no mistaking that enforced bilingualism does just that.
If you enjoy language apartheid Mr. Borer, may I suggest that you move to Quebec. I’m sure you’ll be able to espouse your bilingual opinions with bravado and confidence with the “Canadians” in that province.
Quebec said no to enforced bilingualism. Canada should follow suit.
Are you really from South Stormont, Mr. Borer? If you were (I don’t think so), you would have known that Tammy represents 80% of the county’s population who are English speakers and who are being discriminated against in this English province. You see it as their “fault” being born to English-speaking parents, educated in English schools run by English school boards in this English country. Your arrogance is very offensive!
Does it occur to anyone among the posters above that maybe – just maybe – francophones generally make a greater effort to learn English than anglophones to learn French?
In response to P.J. Robertson, English is the majority language, spoken by most Ontarians. French-speakers do not need to make an extra effort to learn English – they just absorb it through the process of osmosis because they are surrounded by it. They may not speak the most grammatical of English, nor are they able to write it correctly, but they are able to make themselves understood to the majority English-speakers.
Learning French, on the other hand, does require an extra effort if you want to speak the “proper” French, spoken by educated people. Speaking the kind of French spoken by most French-speakers may not need one to attend French classes or go for French Immersion, but of what use is that? You won’t pass a government level language test which is what is required to be able to get a job at the CCH. Did you know that French-speaking applicants to a nurse’s position at the CCH only need to pass an easy English test, administered by the hospital staff? These people are not qualified to administer language tests and yet they are the ones that test the French-speakers. On the other hand, English-speakers are sent to professional language testing centres and the level of French is so high that even French-speakers cannot pass them.
How do you like them apples, P.J. Robertson?
PJ Robertson, does it ever occur to you that many of us are taking courses to accommodate 4% of the population and there are many that shouldn’t have to……this is Ontario!
@ Kim Lian Khoo – Without evidence, a tissue of assertions. And the point of your question?
@ Lolochuck – Good for you. Bonne chance!
the biggest thing thats stopping people from getting jobs is crimminal records , english or french !
@ slient franco american-
WRONG!!!!!Are you for real buddy?
English are suppressed in Canada & ethnic cleansing is in full force.
Criminal records are irrelevant ;do the crime then do the time & accept your punishment.
Merit before language!
Check out this link, guys:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/learn-french-canada-its-good-for-you/article2437431/
Why does it have to be French, puzzles that challenge the brain is also suggested to offset dimentia.
Anyway, I am still searching for the report proving that the French Services Language Act will drastically help tourism in Ontario. Mr Rae says as much during the so called debate in the provincial legislature, way back in Novemeber 1986. Someone mst have done research before or since right? That was one of the selling points!
@P.J. Robertson re G&M article
“…many schools (in Quebec) have opted to teach the sixth grade in English only”…lol. What was she smoking when writing this nonsense?
By the way, scientists found that any NEW mental activity that stimulates the brain is good for you (puzzles, crosswords, cubic rubic, chess, poker, reading, new languages, etc.). And you have to do it ALL THE TIME, not just occasionally, to get the benefit.
That Canadian scientist was asked:
Q. So high school French is useful for something other than ordering a special meal in a restaurant?
A. Sorry, no. You have to use both languages all the time. You won’t get the bilingual benefit from occasional use.
I suspect that Canadian scientist found what she was asked to find. “In 1976, there was a job shortage in Canada for Ph.D.’s. The only position I found was with a research project studying second language acquisition in school children”.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html
Jurgen, the closest Quebec has to grade 12 is the first year of CEGEP, which everyone does not take.
They have 5 years of high school but it starts in grade 7, so it ends in grade 11.
It is nice to hear that Tammy is making the time to learn French! As she makes progress, she’s going to find that speaking a second language in no way threatens her original tongue. It’s the same thing with New Canadians; an influx of new ideas and new traditions doesn’t diminish what came before, but enhances the mix. Call it social genetics.
While there’s some value in representing the fears of one’s community, politicians have an obligation to balance those concerns with building the local tools needed for success in the future. That’s why I’m glad to see Jim Brownell’s name raised here, as this is something he was a champion of.
During his time as MPP, Jim Brownell was challenged to support an important cause on behalf of a minority of Canadians – the deaf and hard of hearing – by James Borer (I know this because I was Jim’s Executive Assistant at the time). Thanks to James’ work and Jim’s commitment, Ontario now funds cochlear implants for both ears deaf kids in Ontario, as well as providing support services.
Now, this is all at the taxpayer’s cost. You and I, whether we’re deaf or not, are helping deaf kids to hear. This assistance allows for kids who would otherwise exist at the margins of society to be teachers, athletes, fully-contributing members of our society. Watch this video to see what a powerful difference your tax dollars are making: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQdz1WAtEuQ.
As traditional manufacturing jobs leave for emerging economies like Brazil and China; places who don’t accommodate their citizens (to growing civil unrest) and the Stephen Harper government is focusing on other parts of the country to be our economic drivers, it’s up to local politicians to think big and find new ways to strengthen our communities.
Tammy’s view of keeping diversity at bay, reducing centralized government and focusing on owning land over developing skills is not the answer. What good is it to have no French in your community, no support for New Canadians, own a big plot of land but have to fly to Alberta every week for work?
SDSG’s growing level of diversity is what will give it an edge, if politicians like Tammy can think outside their traditional box and seize the opportunities of the emerging Knowledge Economy. There are huge markets out there in the world that speak French. What opportunities are they looking for? What online services can we develop and sell to them? Beyond that, what other emerging global opportunities can solutions be designed for right in the United Counties?
As Tammy really drills down into French, she’ll find herself blessed with not only a new way of expressing herself, but an additional world view. This is a powerful tool to have. Diversity, as evolution shows us, is what will keep us moving forward.
I don’t see this issue as being personal Craig Carter Edwards. It is admirable that you present a co worker in a postive light, but that does not make Ms. Hart’s position less worthy. ( which is more balanced than people give her credit for by the way.)
More and more jobs are becoming bilingual only. After 40 years of the Official language act, we are not seeing postive numbers of bilingual Canadians, making this an expensive failed experiment.
Yes, provide services where numbers warrant, but not at the expense of a majority. If it was truly about helping people, why not help the very few French only speakers learn English?
The Official Language Act and Ontario’s French Language Services Act need a review for the greater good of all. OK, start directing anger away from the issue everyone…..go!
Mr. Edwards you are going into this with blinders on. Put a spin on it any way you can…….like Eric said it is a FAILED experiment! The rest of Canada has had enough, especially of the over-tolerance that has gone on for 40 yrs too long!
Being bilingual is a mandatory skill now. Just like knowing how to type or use a computer. Customer demands have gone out up and developed as they always do. Speaking french and English is now a necessity of the majority. The Canadian majority. People in Ontario often forget that a huge portion and population of francophones and francophiles live in Ontario and we’re here long before the English population arrived. People shouldn’t be afraid of updating their skills and language is a new skill of this new economy. We should all be happy that we are required to learn 5 or 6 languages like they do in continental Europe. Both the public and private sectors as asking for bilingualism more. To conclude I just want to say are people really willing to get rid of minority rights already? I guess that would mean no more tax breaks or funding for churches or other religions either because those all come together.
“There are huge markets out there in the world that speak French”… lol. Where exactly, Monsieur Carter? Even European Union operates in English. More and more universities worldwide are switching to English to make their graduates more employable internationally. There are more than 4,500 university courses now being taught in English in continental Europe. This is expanding in Asia, with countries such as South Korea using more English.
Monsieur Carter, we do not need French, but your tribe needs English. New Canadians need English, too; that’s why they are learning it regardless of whether it affects their mother tongue or not. Do not drag your tribe into the past. Look into the future. Get with the program.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17958520
Bravo to Pavel for referring to the article from the BBC about the Italian Universities turning to English as their medium of instruction. This is happening in many countries, especially in past French colonies like Vietnam. What follows is an essay written by my good friend, Sharon:
English is an ascendant language, the primary global language of business and science and the prevailing tongue in a host of key developing countries, including India, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Kenya, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Over 40 percent of Europeans speak English, while only 19 percent are Francophone. When German, Swedish, and Swiss businesspeople venture overseas, they speak not their home language but English.
Long-run trends in the developing world also point to the expansion of the English language. French schools have been closing even in former French colonies, such as Algeria, Rwanda, and Vietnam, where students have resisted learning the old colonial tongue. English is becoming widely adopted in America’s biggest competitor, China, and it dominates the Gulf economy, where it serves as the language of business in hubs such as Dubai. The Queen’s tongue is, of course, broadly spoken in that other emerging global economic superpower, India, where it has become a vehicle for members of the middle and upper classes to communicate across regional boundaries. In Malaysia, too, English is the language of business, technology, and politics.
With linguistic ascendancy comes cultural power, and the Anglosphere’s remains uncontested. In total global sales of media, movies, television, and music, it has no major competitor. Its exports of movies and TV programs dwarf those of established European powers like France and Germany and upstarts such as China, Brazil, and India. Exports from Hollywood and the cultural capitals of other Anglosphere countries are growing enormously in developing countries: Hollywood box-office revenues grew 25 percent in Latin America and 21 percent in the Asia-Pacific region (with China accounting for 40 percent of that region’s box office). The hit movie Avatar made over $2 billion outside North America; in Russia, Hollywood films earn twice as much as their domestic counterparts. Anglophone preeminence extends to pop music, with Americans Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift, along with the U.K.’s Susan Boyle, ruling global charts. Japanese, Korean, and Chinese pop artists do have large followings in Asia, but the biggest global stars continue to originate in the Anglosphere. This is true of fashion trends, too: Los Angeles, New York, and London dominate fashion for everything from sportswear to lingerie in the increasingly global “mall world.”
Sharon
p.s. in answer to PJ Robertson. Are you honestly saying that you have not noticed that what I had posted earlier is logical and a matter of common sense? It is a well-known fact that to learn a language properly, you have to “live” in the language, not just attend language classes for a few hours a day over a period of a year or two. If that simple fact escapes you, then you are beyond help.
Garryschmit I am truly looking forward to you putting a spin on how “huge portion of Ontario” translates into numbers. The Francophone numbers, freely available on the Canada Census and taxpayer funded Ministry of Francophone websites, list 4.8% of Ontario’s citizens. Of course, just a short time ago, the definition was changed to get that number up from 4.2%. The only reason I see was to increase the number and therefor, funding.
97% of business in Ontario report English as the language of business.
Our biggest trading partner, about 1.1 billion dollars a day, is with the US who if asked, would prefer we had Spanish rather than French on lables.
And since you mentioned funding, take a look at the dozens of Francophone associations websites. Some list revenue sources, you may be surprised to see how many receive money from other taxpayer funded ministries and agencies, including schools. Even New Brunswick has a type of in and out scheme where the Acadian Association acts as a reciever of cash and distrubtes to about 30 groups under it’s wing.
Is English the next endangered species? Will the stop signs on your street be bilingual? Will the voicemail at the Ontario services office be french only or english only? I would ike to believe we can all get back to living a normal , productive life without the avoidable rancour. And try to remain civil with each other.Have we not learned anything from the last 145 years?
Quebec -French first
Ontario English first
THIS LANGUAGE ISSUE IS JUST STARTING!!
IF WE LEARNED ANYTHING OF THE last 145 YEARS IS THAT -LANGUAGE LAWS CREATE DIVISION and people are equal languages are not!