CFN – Language is a hot topic again in Canada this summer and I have a hunch as our economy slithers down the loo as resource prices tumble we’ll see it get even hotter.
While I have many personal feelings on this subject as a Quebec Anglo refugee living in Ontario who will most likely never live in Quebec again of course that slants me.
But now some of the bizarre banana republic laws and wants are creeping into Ontario in a big way.
Russell Township has spent almost as much taxpayer money as Howard Galganov and Friends have spent fighting a commercial sign language law. It’s stunning. How it’s got through the courts this far I have no idea. It’s enough to even have someone like me start to consider some of the language conspiracies hard right wingers and Libertarians love to talk about.
We live in an amazing country. Truly one of the best, but one that’s always been divided to a degree; but that divide is also something that’s made us special.
That has been at a cost that is now being used by the right to help solidify the Harper Majority and help them hold onto power.
This last election left the NDP Quebec centric as they recorded the most seats they’ve ever won by over twofold. Not an easy chore. Led by now leader Thomas Mulcair they are on the precipice of possibly even winning an election.
And that’s where the language war steps in. Most Canadians and I think deep down most Quebecers find many of Quebec’s language laws repugnant. You really can’t force people to embrace a language and culture. That only happens by choice; by wanting what’s there.
As a youngun I’d watch Hockey in French sometimes. I’d sneak and watch Bleu Nuit 🙂 Growing up in the 70’s I’d rebel against my dad and threaten to join the PQ and there was a part of me enjoyed a lot of what was happening.
But then as I grew older I hit those walls that only an Anglo Montrealer can empathize with. I like thousands of others made the choice to leave. Heck millions of French Quebecers have left too.
Now Eastern Ontario has become the new battleground. From the Bilingual Nurse issue here in Cornwall; to Commercial signs in Russell Township it’s creeping in.
Personally I don’t think anyone should ever be told what to put on their commercial sign. A commercial sign is what you choose to use to attract business. If you live in an area that is 90% English and want to put up a Chinese sign that’s your silliness. It’s up to customers to pursue your service or not.
Language of work and government services? English is the majority language in Canada by far. Do we really need to require Supreme court justices to be bilingual? Does that make any sense? We have technology now that can translate things quite well. It’s improving too. Where do we draw the lines? I live in a city with a nursing college where the grads have to leave to find jobs unless they are French or can pass ridiculous French tests that many Francophones could not pass!
In Montreal local McGill med students have had to agree to not practice in Quebec. This is utterly silly. It’s embarrassing. It’s not productive. It will not make people want to learn French or embrace the culture. Does the rest of Canada have any obligation even to help preserve the French language and culture? Should it not simply be Francophones who do that?
Should we offer French services in Hospitals and government services. Yup. I agree, but should people have to move from Ontario because they don’t speak French? Nope. Should people lose jobs that they’ve had for years as one woman I know here in Cornwall has experienced simply because she can’t speak French well enough in Ontario?
Even Quebec doesn’t agree with such policies as it has used the Not Withstanding law to avoid language fairness. Nobody in Quebec loses their job because they can’t speak English.
So we have two choices. We create a fair and even playing field where if we require true bilingualism we have to pay the cost to ensure that children graduate high school with the level of French and English that allow them to be employed or we come to some more practical solution.
English in provinces that chose that language; French in provinces that chose French; or Bilingual as is the case in New Brunswick. We have to decide if Language is truly the domain of the Federal government or Provincial ones. We have to stop spending millions wastefully; and we have to be fair to all Canadians from coast to coast.
In the meanwhile we need to be wary of politicians who would pit Canadians against one an other because of language. We need to unite and not divide. We need to listen to all concerned and at the end of the day give and take and show the world why Canada is so great!
We may just need a language Referendum in this country at the next election….
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)
Dearest Patrick. If the French language is to survive in North American it’s up to Francophones to preserve it. Not other people, or to force people to speak it. That probably isn’t the way to go. That’s why Mr. Harper is having his way with this public backlash and causing dissent amongst Canadians.
Your right Jamie! -A referendum would resolve a lot of issues .
est cost 500 million x 1 time cost only .
French services language act cost 623 million every year .
There is a hell of a lot of saving to be had!
$ 623 ,000,000
Every hospital in ontario could have an MRI .
that’s just the first year!
The Ontario Gov froze welfare payments -623 million would put a lot of food on the table of the disadvantaged .
Bilingual budget-WAS NOT REDUCED -its more important then the disadvantaged!
how can you hold a legal referrendum to deny a major cultural and language foundation of Canada? seriously without seeming like its a bunch of anti french stompers?
globally there is major language preservation going on for lost languages and cultures!! experts and scientists and anthropologists are discussing the sad loss of language as we type…if french canadians are not on that list they soon will be with this attitude…
I wish the fraser institut would have added the benefits of official bilingualism. 621 million is alot of money, even with a referendum we need to modify the constitution, and we need 50 % of the population plus 7 out of 10 provinces… Give it time, if nothing changes, and assimilation being the way it is. In 10 or 20 years you wont need a referendum.
623 million saved..ok
– lets not have children anymore, they cost too much
– lets not have handicap ramps or elevators they dont support public majority.
-take out the ministry of indian affairs, the environment they serve no purpose
– lets have just one party, the one that most canadians support..
-lets put all the minorities in one boat and the deport them..
Yes, I might have used sarcasm, but to have a Canada united strong and free… we need to preserve our status as a bilingual multicultural country…otherwise, we might as well be just the 51st state.
621 million bucks is a drop in the bucket over 43 years compared to money wasted on perks and postions of high ranking politicians and their needless staffing, transportation,travel meals and haircuts on taxpayers dime , and war spending and education for english only schools until 1969 billions wasted.. at least bilingualism opens doors and understanding education and builds businesses that in turn pay employess who pay taxes…
ftaser institute only counts the pennies it does not measure the huanistic values ….shame really.. I guess with that kind of thinking and blaming small groups for all the ills of society Prohibition should be brought back because a few alkis like to drink and drive and cause pain and suffering for the over all good of the nation rigth? Alcohol serves no good for society right? do lets save billions on cutting out booze and causing family break ups and cirrohsis…that is way more dangerous than a french language lesson or two!!
correction… “humanistic” values….Temperance movement in US failed too.. so will any far far out there right wing political wants that fear what they don`t understand…unless breaking up Canada is the only purpose.. that will never happen..
Protesters question bilingual requirements in New Brunswick
FREDERICTON – Two veteran health-care workers who say they were refused full-time positions at the Oromocto Public Hospital because they can’t speak French stood in protest on Monday in Fredericton.
Letters to the editor by Mary-Faith Mazerolle and John Lowther printed in the Telegraph-Journal and The Daily Gleaner sparked the Protest in Fredericton in front of the Centennial Building, home to the premier’s office.
Mazerolle, a diagnostic imaging technologist with 17 years experience, and John Lowther, a retired military medical radiation technologist with more than 29 years experience in the X-ray field, say were both told by health authority officials that they were passed over because they weren’t bilingual.
Both currently work for the hospital as part-time employees.
Upwards of 25 people attended the Protest.
“I don’t think the majority of people know this is happening,” Mazerolle said, who can speak conversational French but doesn’t meet the province’s second-language fluency requirements.
” I was not even offered to be tested. They just passed right by the fact that I could speak some French.”
A recent university graduate has since been hired to fill the position.
“I’m not anti-French.
“This is just about having equal opportunity for jobs.”
“I have 17 years experience but was denied the job because somebody who could speak French but has no experience applied,” she said.
Lowther, who has been deployed as a chief technologist in Afghanistan and Bosnia with the Canadian Forces and was recently in Haiti after an earthquake devastated that country, said he has worked part-time for more than six years at Oromocto Public Hospital and wanted to go back to full-time work.
The group was also collecting signatures calling for an official referendum on Bilingualism.
You have quoted John Lowther three times by my count. If your in Moncton, and a third of your population is french speaking, and you can’t deal with them in french, isnt that a problem. Your a hospital worker and you can’t deal with a third of your population, 1 in 3 you will need help dealing with them. Isnt that reason enough for him to not get the job.
Equal opportunity, well if speaking french is one of the requirements, your not qualified for the job…
Patrick & habitants, if you can not get a job at home, globally is less of an issue. English is the language of business worldwide, and other countries are taking notice, Itally for example. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17958520
Business owners being forced to include languages they do not speak on signs, or forcing people to learn another lesser used global language is not what Canada should be.
Just because a law says something, does not mean it is just or wanted and man made the rules, man can change them. The government with tax dollars from all, are only promoting a few. There was not the “force” we see today 45 years ago and French survivied, and French / English lived and worked together, it can happen again, but stop trying to force assimilation on the English!
Patrick, why it is a “reguirement” is the issue. In Ontario, money from taxpayers is being thrown at institutions to favor French speakers.
Please, lets have discussions on who really needs help, definitions and how much involvement the Country truly needs to do.
money spent on bilingualism
first of all $623,000,000-every year in Ontario
$2,4000,000,000 every year in Canada
$ 3,100,000,000,000 spent on bilingualism since onset!
6x our national debt
how much does the rest of Canada have to spend to preserve the language of a minority .
All other minorities in Canada support their own language -to maintain it speak it at home.
Why must the ROC protect the language when its own mother tongue speakers -do not teach it to their own ?
How much collateral damage been caused by the implementation of the FLSA -such as these people in NB as well as Cornwall ?
Hundreds of thousands of individuals chosen for language not skills /experience .
Canada will never be the 51st state -QUEBEC DOES NOT DEFINE WHAT CANADA MEANS – YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY A SIMPLETON TO BELIEVE THAT !
Quebec is but one culture of many in our great country .
Quebec demands only the one language but expect all other provinces to be bilingual -as they continue to loose favor with the ROC -as which is happening now.
But one must remember that it all comes down to the $$$$-and the west is paying the tab
It is truly unpatriotic that a Man/Women can fight for their country ,but cannot work in it !
There is a lot of DEAD soldiers rolling in their grave -they did not fight for that!
SADLY we don’t live in a democracy any more!
To prove that the democracy works we need as a society to vote as a whole on bilingualism!!!!!
Known fact -Quebec sent as many soldiers to fight in WW2 as Saskatchewan -yet had 9x the population .
Where they not interested in fighting and protecting the motherland(France)…its interesting as to why?
4% in Ontario are bilingual -Quebec its 10%-
numbers :
ONTARIO-OVER $1200 PER BILINGUAL PERSON SPENT
QUEBEC -OVER $ 80 SPENT PER BILINGUAL PERSON.
Why vastly the difference in money spent ?
Clearly Quebec does not believe in bilingualism …so why must the rest of Canada ?
Solution:let all Canadians vote on bilingualism in that Quebec can be given a chance as well to vote on this!!
Silent the math is wrong, if you say 2.4 bill after 20 years or after 30 years equal to 3.1 trillion…math is wrong.
Eric, dont get the ¨reguirement¨word ? Is it sarcasm ? If the job requirements specify that you need to be fluent in french and english and, in Moncton, a third of the population is french…then if your unilingual english or french for that matter, you should not be hired even if you have experience. You should find someone that has experience and can speak in both languages required for the job.
Québec is Canada, so is Ontario, so is Alberta, so is every other province and territory. SIlent…could you please prove your figures..You said 1200 $ per bilingual person spent ?
At the risk of repeating myself, even with a referendum, I don’t think it will work. Even if it passes. It is very hard to change the constitution. At the federal level, if you wanted to change our status as a bilingual country, you need the support of 50 % of the provinces plus 7 out of 10 provinces….and even then, if by chance you get it. A seperatist in Québec said on tout le monde en parle… le meilleur cadeau pour les souvernistes au Québec, c’est stephen Harper.
Correction, not 50 % of the provinces ..but population and 7 out of 10 provinces.
EXCELLENT!!!!! Excellent facts silent majority 2! Too common sense to even argue with! What we need is everyone to visit Cornwall Free News, where the real facts and figures are continually being brought to light. Every Canadian needs to follow what is going on here in eastern Ontario and in New Brunswick! Quebec needs to learn to stand on it’s own two feet rather than sucking the rest of the provinces dry, continually demanding more and forcing French on others. Nobody is denying that you don’t try and preserve your culture, but don’t do it at the expense of all the “REST OF CANADA”.
So true… “le meilleur cadeau pour les souvernistes au Québec, c’est stephen Harper.”
No sarcasim Patrick, someone added the word requirement to the job ad, why? Was it really deemed to be neccessary? An artificial need to complete a checkbox for funding? For government records of minorities etc?
“souvernistes” are a special interest group in my Canada, which is 10 provinces / 3 terriTORIES…..LOL
Eric, isn’t it logical though to require both official languages. Isnt it a need, think of this, if you hire a bilingual person it is in the long run cheaper. Because that bilingual person that you just hired can deal in a third more people then the unilingual one.
Les souverainistes are frustrating… every where you look they are looking for an opportunity to break up our country. The one thing I can’t argue with them though is this, is there a better way to preserve the french language in North America then to have Québec separate and become an official country.
Smaller communities, be watchful….. http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/fitzroy-harbour-enters-bilingualism-battle-over-mail-1.558760#axzz1yuagzl1L
Patrick, I’m curious. You say that if Mr. Lowther is in Moncton, and a third of the population is french speaking, and you can’t deal with them in french, isn’t that reason enough for him to not get the job. How do you suppose Mr. Lowther got along in Haiti.
To make it simple rosie, we are not in Haïti. We have a constitution that says we have to give rights to french speaking canadians in Canada. And I, wouldnt give much credit to a letter printed in a newspaper that identifies itself as the moncton news, your conservative alternative…
Patrick, French speakers have the same rights as other Canadians, would you like to go back to the level of rights just assigned by the constitution?
It is admirable that each side try to explain and help others to understand concerns, but at some point, we need to get the government to address those concerns.
Quebec does not need to seperate, you will not keep the internet, TV and Hollywood out anyway. I don’t see how forcing English speakers to learn French, either respects the heritage or keeps the language alive.
And no, I do not think a “reguirement” for bilingual is logical. If we did not have an experiment for the last 42 years called the Official Language Act, I might think otherwise. The numbers of “bilingual” have not changed during that whole lifetime.
I have no issue with trying to help, in Cornwall’s case, the 995 French only speakers to recieve basic needs services by the way.
perhaps the best gift to souvernistes in Quebec is Stephen Harper-perhaps .
But believe its mulclair -he will come riding the white horse and the Quebec flag.
I don’t have a problem with Quebec separation but are the people ready to Deal with the TRUTH -become a 3rd world nation-
you can only toss the coin so long and finally achieve what they want.
Let Quebec separate who are we to stop them!
Patrick-3.1 trillion that is the est cost -untold cost with regards to lost opportunities -incalculable
solution : french in New Brunswick =34 %-therefore hire French only 34% remaining English only -proportional .
Patrick when Quebec separates will you join them them too?or would you prefer to be a turncoat and stay in the ROC.
I still cant believe that you agree that that Man who was in the military -able to fight and die for his country can not work in his country .
Patrick you should be ashamed of yourself many have fought so that you can have the life you lead .YOU KEEP YOUR FRANCOPHONE ROOTS.
I WILL PROUDLY KEEP MY CANADIAN ROOTS.
A**h*l*
I am a very proud Canadian and to see Patricks response disgusts me .
To be in the military is the ultimate sacrifice!
You serve your country and you proudly put your life in harms way to protect YOUR country-
But sadly you cant work in it!!
Many Men and Women have payed the ultimate sacrifice -for ALL to have rights .
Its sad for what they fought they would no longer recognize .
Democracy is DEAD in Canada!
Patrick;
Both letters by Mary-Faith Mazerolle and John Lowther appeared in the Fredericton newspaper, The Daily Gleaner in ‘hard copy’, as in the paper edition.
The online version is avilable by subscription only and a link is therefore not possible.
Actually all main stream newspapers in New Brunswick are accessable online by subscription only.
Both were also made available to Metro Moncton News which is accessable to all. They freely offer what the others charge for.
Eric, in 1982, when the constitution was repatriated, the laws are still in effect, so yes, i’m all for it. You said 995 people are uni lingual in cornwall, perhaps. But there are thousands more that are french speaking and deserve the same rights that you have. I learned english and french growing up, my 6 year old can get buy in english and in french. Are you telling me you can’t do the same ?
Quebec will do fine if it ever separates. They give 34 billion to the federal government every year…they have every tool at their disposal to succeed as a country. 3.1 trillion is an imaginary figure..2,1 billion times 30 doesnt equal 3.1 trillion…heck, will you blame bad weather on official bilingualism. Calling me an ass hole weakens your position.
YOu can’t have proportional representation when it comes to a persons rights. Whats next ? Lets not hire blacks, or gays, or handicaps because they represent a small percentage of the population. PLus my rights as a french speaking canadian are guaranteed…non negotiable.
Mr Lowter can work anywhere he is qualified…but to apply for a position that has bilingualism as a requirement, and he is not bilingual..why the heck is he applying there in the first place…he is not qualified to serve a third of the population..thats alot of people.
RObert, here is the link where i read the letter. http://metromonctonnews.com/language-discrimination-at-oromocto-public-hospital/
Same old same old, Patrick we’ve been through this before.
According to Stats Canada 40% of self declared francophones in SD&G have not been able to learn English. Your 6 year old is fortunate to be exposed to both languages at an early age.
Yes Quebec gives money to the federal government as do all provinces but they also receive the largest amount of transfer payments of all the provinces.
Yes the constitution was repatriated in 1982 and Quebec promptly used the “Not Withstanding Clause” to opt out of the language equality section. Maybe Ontario should consider doing the same.
Why are you wasting your time here, Anglophones. No worries. When the proverbial !@#$ hits the fan, do you actually think these turncoats will stand up for what they believe in? I say no, not at all! They will say anything, do anything to keep their priviledged place in society. But only if there is something to benefit from doing so!
Right now, they defend their positions because the laws of the land benefit them and are discriminatory to everyone else. They receive the lion’s share of funding for the promotion (not protection) of their culture. They are the ultimate Machiavellian princes. You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of deal. They have learned very well from studying ‘The Art of War’ and would do the French diplomat, Talleyrand, proud.
Where, for instance, are the Francophone supporters in crying foul play for what has occured within the boundaries of Quebec with language/religious rights for the minority populaces. And where for that matter, are the Richelieu Club buses to bus those people to/from any protest? And I’m not just referring to the English speaking minority there, either. 😉 Perhaps Fracophones should consider carefully the Liberté, égalité, fraternité! statement of Revolutionary France. It seems where language is concerned, at least ‘equality’ is ignored in both Ontario and Quebec.
The thing is, this argument for Fracophones isn’t about equality. No, it’s about superiority. The only chance an Anglophone person has to garner a good job in Ontario or Quebec is to learn French. No amount of education, experience, volunteerism will put you ahead of a less qualified French speaker. None. It’s the best speaking French person or else it’s back to posting the job.
Young, determined hard working Anglophones best get out of the province as soon as they’re educated. It serves no one, especially yourselves, getting educated and working at McDonalds or Wal-Mart. Trust me, don’t end up like me! At this point in my life, I would rather live off of welfare then to hang my head low and go to my nightshift every night to make minimum wage. If not for the constant, (though misguided) encouragement of my wife, I would have already done so. I would like to believe her when she tells me that things will get better, but well, unfortunately I know they will not.
So young university and college kids, you’d better brush up on your French skills and totally ignore your English upbringing! This is the only fashion in which you will reach any point of success. You can have your cake and eat it too, but only Si veux dit en Francais.
I am at a loss for what rights are being discussed.
Cory, I have shown proof, and you have chosen to, as they say in english, use a blind eye. The proverbial doodoo as you say will not hit the fan because most canadians have good sense. They recognize, according to statscan, that our status as a bilingual country makes Canada as a whole much more attractive. Cory reminds me of this proverb, and it will lose alot of its meaning if i translate it in english so I wont. ¨Les yeux ne servent de rien à une cervelle aveugle.”
To answer eric, you have a right to be served in english, and according to the constitution, where the numbers warrant the need, i have a right to be served in french.
Committee considers bilingual social media and language rights
THE USE OF THE INTERNET, NEW MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND RESPECT FOR CANADIANS’ LANGUAGE RIGHTS
2012 06 28
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/411/ollo/press/reference-e.htm
A Parliamentary Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages wants to to find out if Canadians’ language rights being violated in government communications using social media.
That right. They want to know if you are violating language rights if you tweet and text in English only.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY
The Internet, new media and social media have become a way of life for many Canadians. These new forms of communication are affecting the lives of Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, who are using them in many sectors, including the public sector, the media and education. They are a preferred – and indispensable – way of sharing information, communicating, delivering services, networking and interacting. The use of these new technologies is spreading quickly, but are Canadians’ language rights being respected?
A. The public service
The Government of Canada uses the Internet as a platform to disseminate information quickly and to communicate with the public. Even though the Internet has been in existence for many years, some federal institutions still have trouble offering content of equal quality in English and French. In addition, more and more federal institutions are using the Internet to provide online services. However, Internet access may be restricted in some regions. It must also be acknowledged that the Internet is a place where most communication takes place in English.
I won’t post the whole article, but it is available on the government’s website.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/411/ollo/press/reference-e.htm
Patrick……well said!!!! Whether one is French or English makes no difference as far as jobs in Ontario or any other province is concerned. Good paying jobs are hard to come by these days. It would be interesting indeed to have a survey to see how many people had to leave their hometown to get gainful employment after graduation. There are not many good paying jobs to be had in our area, so let’s blame it on the french language legislation which is BS. Can’t blame french speaking people or the FLSA if one is working for minimum wage…..can we? It’s all about choices we make in life and taking the easy out doesn’t pay in the long run. Playing the blame game just doesn’t cut it!!!
Exactly well said Stella!
I took the easy way out by attending university and not seeking out the job market directly after high school graduation. Now getting a post-secondary education; that was the easy way out Stella!!
So university/college grads the choice is simple=make French your first language, or go look for work elsewhere. You will make it nowhere without French. Trust me and Stella and Patrick, French will get you everywhere, even if you don’t like it do it guys! That’s the plain simple truth as well!
The equation is simple, but too bad Stella thinks I’m joking! But it’s true, when the laws (OLA, FLSA) favour a specific group, just change to that group. Now notice folks how there is never any response to French only clinics, or how I discuss Machiavelli, Rousseau, French Revolution.
If I said to group, who is Michel Ney? Betcha little to no one would know? Now quickly, within a minute tell me who he/she/they are yup Ney? Quick, no google searches now!
Okay I waited my minute. Michel Ney was one of Napoleon’s closest advisors during the Revolutionary Wars in France as well as one of Napoleon’s most favoured generals. Oh my, Cory’s talking about FRENCH HISTORY? Can that be? Yes, actually. I love French history all kinds of awesome history. Too bad we didn’t have a Napoleon to bring back merit instead of birth and patronage appointments. Even the ‘Code Napoleon’ was pretty good in scope. More to follow folks
Talleyrand was an awesome at diplomacy and even today’s American diplomatic artist, Henry Kissinger, borrows tactics developed by Talleyrand!
Hey Stella: Do the hundreds of people who attended college and/or university and are now slaving away at call centres in Cornwall have hundreds of gov’t jobs lined up for them? I bet the same cannot be said in Shawinigin, Quebec, where a tax centre was moved there from Ottawa in the 70’s! At least these call centre employees make a decent wage.
Cory, you sound so bitter . Again, i’m reminded of the saying. Now I could wrong be wasnt the call center moved during chrétiens reign as P.M. Well, I wasnt around in the 70s but I remember a tax center being moved from Ottawa to shawinigan. With the low employment back then in Shawinigan, I was all for it. I have nothing but respect for Chrétien and in my opinion he is one of the best PM s Canada as ever had.
Well back to the subject at hand, a referendum wont work and is not needed. Bilingualism is a good thing, most canadians are for it and, even if the referendum is 50 % plus 1 it might not be doable.
It might also be dangerous for the future of our country. Imagine if mr harper wanted to abolish bilingualism. The PQ party in Québec would win, Madame Marois would rejoice in her victory by calling for a third referendum, again a waste of money. I share the opinion of admin on this, we have to get along, either side can’t live without the other wether we want to admit it or not.
I
Patrick, please take a better look at the Charter of Rights concerning rights. You are getting the exact same as any unilingual English under that document.
A business owner does not have to provide service in any language to anyone, it may help to have customers return if they meet the community needs though.
Please show me the clause that mentions “where the numbers warrant”.
what makes you say that most Canadians are for bilingualism? what non existent poll did you take that from?
While reading the paper this am, I come across this article which states that the Prov. and Fed. Govs has given MORE then $57,000,000.00 towards immigrants. The funding will help more then 11,000 newcomers TO OUR PROVINCE. It also said that the immigrants are an essential part of strenghtening Ontario’s economy. This isn’t “FAIR” so I am starting up a group called “Fairness For All Canadians” (FFAC) The Gov has no right to take my tax dollars to fund immigrants. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?? It should. Do we have control over how our tax dollars are spent? I don’t think so….though some think they have the power to do so. Question: How much of our tax dollars go towards organizations, minority groups and other functions that we don’t hear about? Time for a referendum!!!! Yep……thinking by now you may get the picture. So why is your fearless leader and followers fixated on the FLA? If it wasn’t so ridiculous it would be funny. Shortly, we will be picketing on the corner of Pitt and 2nd……all are welcome. Don’t forget your signs…….”FAIRNESS FOR ALL CANADIANS!!!!
Patrick, actually Quebec would fair very well on it’s own without the rest of Canada. Tourism alone with many Americans enjoying the Quebec City, Montreal areas would boost revenue for the province.
I think the PQ has a valid agenda. Quebec isn’t like the rest of Canada and would fair better on it’s own. I like going to Quebec, don’t mind speaking French and enjoy spending time there. What I don’t enjoy is imperialistic tendencies; that’s all. Why do I have to work in a language I don’t want to – especially with 2 official languages. I don’t understand why that’s so hard to understand. Do you want to speak English if your primary language is French? And vice-versa. I speak French, write and read French.
Of course I’m bitter – there a few hundred thousand of us that are who have lost out on jobs due to people speaking better French or not being French enough. Is it fair that I’m university educated, and have lost out to a high school grad?
At least the PQ recognizes the differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada. As-a-matter of fact, I used to be best friends with 2 card carrying members of the PQ until they moved away from Cornwall – guess why? Because of langauge BS bahahahahahahahahahah believe it or not they got tired of it. Yup, imagine that! Tired of the fighting! What does that tell you
Patrick -Chretien was considered the friendly dictator through the world .
Of course you would not hear that in Canada -I say this only because I lived abroad -he was not well liked and a very poor speaker in English and French .
He even admitted on American TV -the french arte a better people they should have won the war -sept 1999-duke university
A complete Idiot -he did not respect the public with that statement.
Oh by the way CBC never would show that -so much for independent media!
-Referendum is coming and Quebec is the key -if they don’t want bilingualism they can vote as well -lets bring it on!
Saying either side cant live without the other -what drugs are you on.
Quebec is near the stage of Greece in a matter of a few years -They will stay isolated as a society and eventually have to sell their souls to maintain their privileges.
Quebec is the monkey on Canada`s back-their policies on language and social behavior will only continue to isolate itself from the ROC.
Patrick you are 1 of 2-3 people that keep trying to defend your privileged class -many more on here that disagree with you -it could be said it represents the population.
Les be a democracy again and vote on BILINGUALISM
Hey Stella! At the very least it would be nice to see you get off of your inflated !@#$ and picket rather than write increasingly infuriating comments to upset Anglophones? Really, are you going to picket? Are you sure you haven’t written a proposal before doing so? Remember, can’t do something for nothing in return, right?
Stella, you wrote:
“Do we have control over how our tax dollars are spent? I don’t think so….though some think they have the power to do so.”
Actually, the whole idea about democracy (other then the right of suffrage), is to dictate the terms of how we want our elected officials to represent us. And taxation is a huge component of this. Hence, why people have discussed this ‘taxation without representation’ idea. Here, I’ll dumb it down for you. Billions spent on bilingualism every year whenever second language should/could be taught at home -whether English or French or any other hundreds of languages on Earth.
Most of us aren’t receiving any benefits from this policy, hence our ROI is in the negative and are not seeing the benefits from it. Hence why we don’t want to pay taxes for something we don’t use. Why doesn’t private French companies flip the bill for bilingualism for those communities that want it? Excellent tax write-offs for them? Desjardins, Caisses could easily afford this! I don’t think Moncton wants it (bilingualism)?