Letter to the Editor – Eric Little of Ottawa Ontario on South Stormont Ontario Council – May 28, 2012

At a time when people are powering off the news that surrounds and affects them, they power up computers, cell phones and game players that make them less likely to be involved with society building, and we see the recent voter turnout numbers from that. We are seeing a society that is run by some politicians without getting key observations from the majority. Only special interest groups have been shaping the new society over time, often through the use of marketers, our legal system and lobbyist efforts even.  When will Canadians take notice and take back control?

Pockets of Francophone’s in Ontario and New Brunswick have organized without opposition and have been encouraged with taxpayer funding. Bilingualism is one issue you never see a reduced budget for in Canada, and we are seeing affects in human costs. Ontario alone has dozens of full time Language Coordinator positions that, according to the French Language Commissioner, will strongly promote French. With high debt and deficits, can we, the English majority, afford to pay these costs and not be able to work for taxpayer funded entities because of perceived bilingual requirements? Does this truly sound fair and reasonable to you? Have you been affected by this? Many feel alone when discriminated against but the numbers will just increase without an intervention.

The Official Languages Act was never voted on in the House, the Ontario French Languages Services Act was voted in by the 55 people who bothered to show up for work for that day, all without consultations of the people. After 42 and 26 years, these Acts need to be readdressed. Are they really doing what they should be? Are they affecting employment by mandating language over merit? Is there a better way? Canadians deserve answers and these Acts need to be discussed to inch towards equality and language fairness for all, not just a privileged few who were able to become bilingual. Let your government levels know how you feel and talk to your neighbours about it. Soon!

Concerning the photo.

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Here is lighthearted proof that South Stormont has a balanced approach with concerns over fair hiring in the Cornwall hospital. They are not too far north or to far south on the subject. This picture provides evidence of balance and therefore proof. Of course we can ask a Lawyer and former Prime Minister  for a definition of proof.  “What kind of proof? It’s a proof. A proof is a proof, and when you have a good proof, it’s because it’s proven.” 

Eric Little – Ottawa

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Cornwall Free News

14 Comments

  1. Show us the truth government -FLSA is the tool that discriminates Why does the 80% not have job rights to those provincial institutions !
    Eastern Ontario Health unit -mandates all new hires bilingual
    Courthouse -mandate bilingual
    222 PROVINCIAL INSTITUTIONS REQUIRE BILINGUALISM
    THIS FOR 4% OF THE POPULATION!

  2. Oh concerned citizen I wish someday you and I could have a chat. You are 100% right! No jobs anymore for Anglophones due to FLSA, the mere 4%. The government has let this happen! They have let the people down and let one small group take right over!!!!!!!! Time for change people. This country is no longer a democracy when a mer 4% are running the show…WTH!!!?????(no F on my computer).

  3. CANADA’S NIGHTMARE. ITS 1969 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT
    By Jim S. Allan
    The total cost of Canada’s Official Bilingualism under its 1969 Official
    Languages Act, to March 31, 2010, covering 41 years, is estimated by me, to be
    $1,169,000,000,000. That’s Canadian dollars.
    That is either $1,169 billion. Or $1,169 trillion! Which is approximately $1.2 tnllion, if one can
    believe it! And increasing at the rate of roughly another $19 billion each year!
    Three others: Scott Reid, MP; the Canadian Taxpayer Federation; and The Fraser Institute; have
    also estimated the federal costs only. To the extent their work covers federal government costs only,
    their findings all exceed my estimate for those same federal government costs by about 3 times.
    Assuming all other factors to be equivalent, their total costs could come out to be about 3 times higher
    than my total costs (for federal, plus provincial, plus private sector, total costs)!
    3 times my $1,169,000,000,000 comes to $3,507,000,000,000
    or $3,507 billion, or $3,507 trillion!
    Per our Canadian Census statistics in 1986, only 16.86% of Canadians were bilingual at that time
    (self assessed, English and French).
    In 2006, 20 years later, only 17.44% of Canadians were bilingual (self assessed, English and
    French).
    That is only a .58% improvement (or only just over half of one percent) for an estimated cost by me
    (likely to be too low compared with other estimates, per above) of $1,169 billion Canadian, over either
    20 years or 41 years, depending on how you look at it. (I do not know what the bilingual percentage
    was in 1969.)
    Question: What have we, the Canadian people, got for my estimated $1,169 billion (or $1,169
    trillion), and this divisive, inequitable, 1969 official bilingualism policy that discriminates against the
    majority unilingual speaking Canadians, whether they be English-speaking or French-speaking, a
    majohty of some 83%?
    Or, to rephrase the question
    Could not that money have been better spent on the, for many years, insufficiently funded:
    Reduction to global warming?
    Reduced waiting times and unsustainable Healthcare?
    Declines in Pension equities?
    Inadequate National Security?
    Underfunded Military?
    Underfunded Police?
    The problem of Homelessness?
    Deteriorating municipal infrastructure?
    Etc.
    Furthermore:
    If control of Canada, under Section 20 (1) of the 1982 CANADIAN CHARTER OF
    RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS (so called) lies indirectly only with the 17% officially bilinguals,
    most of whom come from the province of Quebec, and the definition of DEMOCRACY
    requires government by the people; and, per above, in effect, 83% of the Canadian
    people are excluded in practice from participating in effective corltrol of their own
    federal government of Canada; is Canada a democracy?

  4. Re lack of quorum for vote for Bill 8 (FLSA): Liberal Premier David Peterson kept it very secret until it was leaked by a concerned employee over a year later.

    Our present system of government, federal and provincial, is not working. Governments refuse to listen or represent the large majority of Canadians. Only minorities are listened to, especially since Trudeau came to power. Bilingualism is an assault on English Canada. Ontario and New Brunswick are the major victims.

  5. Yeah! English speaking folks have been assaulted long enough! it’s a travesty! If you are part of the small minority who cannot speak English, you don’t deserve to have your doctors or nurses understand you on your trips to the hospital….English people are suffering! Can’t you see the trauma? Suck it up and learn to speak English….if you want medical care.

  6. Destructo, don’t play a victim as if francophones have never been provided medical care in Cornwall. You had it before FLSA where and when you NEEDED it and it should stay that way. To serve your needs (20%) the entire hospital does not have to be bilingual and exclude anglophones (80%) from employment. That is the core of the issue.

  7. Author

    Tom a question. Using your rationale would it be ok to hire unilingual Francophones to serve some of the 20%?

  8. I think the core of the issue Tom is why the bigger push over the last couple of years to bribe taxpayer funded entities with taxpayer money into enacting the French Language Services Act.

    It sure gets tricky when numbers come into play and French only(about 1,000 in Cornwall) and English only speakers are both excluded from a hiring process wanting bilingual.

    Has anyone looked into llanguage complaints at the hospital from say 2000 to 2010 to see if there was any need for French only Nurses? Since Nurse safety may require back up at times, I assume they need to be able to communicate amongst themselves as well.
    When the Ottawa hospital CEO position was filled by Mr. Lavine a few years back, his top concern was looking into language complaints. French only related complaints by the way, and found none.

  9. Is this truly about about equality or really matter of instant gratification for the bilingual person to have a choice of language immediately or is it not reasonable to have a reasonable waiting time for choice of language. Could it also be a silent movement to give themselves and relatives a better chance at key jobs . History is full of what has happened when a small group gain control of a country. The present laws are slowly moving the control of all government key positions to a very small group many of which probably don’t even realize this is happening. A French person has a right to have his evaluation done in language of choice he takes apposition in English town in a year his boss now must speak French to give him his evauation if not he replaced a silent seeding of the French language planned years ago by maybe a few or maybe good intentions hijacked. Don’t think we ever know but maybe time to rethink how we create a better fair solution for all Canadians

  10. Admin, my answer is NO. The language of administration at the CCH is English. All medical records are kept in English and unilingual francophones would not be able to function.

    Patients’ demand for French services at CCH is below 10%; therefore, 10% of the jobs should be bilingual. 20% would be very generous, but the current 50% is an overkill and insult to the majority anglophone community.

  11. TOM YOU ARE SO RIGHT-50% is more of a social policy then actual representation by population .
    The hospital is not serving the community by those actions but only a select interest groups.
    Lets demand a referendum and let Canadians speak for themselves!!
    LETS CREATE A DEMOCRACY!!

  12. Further to concerned citizen’s 80/20 ratio, not only is there clear discrimination against unilingual English speaking job applicants applying for provincial institutions, but one has to examine hiring policies more clearly as well.

    If unilingual nurses say at CCH are only employed part-time, is CCH admin. saying that only unilingual patients are seeking healthcare part-time as well and that bilingual patients though have healthcare availability all hours of the day?

    The more and more these subjects are discussed, the more and more flaws become evident. Or is CCH knowingly keeping full-time positions open for those who have the ability to speak French and allowing unilingual English nurses the ‘honour’ of part-time work as a token bribe to the English community?

  13. Is this truly about about equality or really matter of instant gratification for the bilingual person to have a choice of language immediately or is it not reasonable to have a reasonable waiting time for choice of language. Could it also be a silent movement to give themselves and relatives a better chance at key jobs . History is full of what has happened when a small group gain control of a country. The present laws are slowly moving the control of all government key positions to a very small group many of which probably don’t even realize this is happening. A French person has a right to have his evaluation done in language of choice he takes apposition in English town in a year his boss now must speak French to give him his evauation if not
    he replaced a silent seeding of the French language planned years ago by maybe a few or maybe good intentions hijacked. Don’t think we ever know but maybe time to rethink how we create a better fair solution for all Canadians .

  14. Good point reality-elitism at its best-only in Canada Eh .
    The UN needs to be made aware of Canada’s class systems and how its effects people and the discrimination of Canada’s and its provincial hiring policies!

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