CFN – You have to love PQ leader Pauline Marois if you want language laws reviewed in Canada. Official bilingualism has cost our great country billions of dollars since implemention, but what it’s chiefly done is create this special class of civil servant which grossly favours those with a French background.
The question is why? In Quebec Ms Marois feels quite comfy not bothering to show up for the English leadership debates. Recently it was reported that Quebecers will have to prove they can speak French before gaining English language services. Something despicable and punitive especially against the elderly.
If many of what Quebec does to English rights occurred in Canada to Francophone rights could you imagine the outcome?
Maybe it’s time to simply say if this is what the largest French speaking population in Canada feels is best for its language and Culture that the rest of Canada do the same? If Ms Marois can’t learn English proficiently after 30+ years in Politics why should it matter if a Canadian Prime Minister should speak French unless they are seeking that Francophone vote? Why should we offer at great cost services in the manner we currently do in remote parts of the country to limited amounts of people at great cost?
With digital translation & communication improving all of the time does it make sense to build French schools in remote locations like the Yukon?
And while Ms Marois and her wacky party may be on the extreme when it comes to language rights the hypocrisy of the Provincial Liberals throwing bones by occasionally supporting small erosions of English rights in Quebec is vomitous.
And yet English culture still survives in Montreal and pockets of Quebec….maybe it’s time to let Francophone culture outside of Quebec sink or swim like the English in Quebec?
I don’t think we’ll see a Premier Marois, but it’s sad to read her quotes and watch the rhetoric during Quebec elections. It’s sad in many ways to see what Quebec has become; but it’s sadder to see its tentacles reach out and infect the rest of Canada.
I say keep Quebec linguistic politics in Quebec and keep it out of Eastern Ontario and the rest of Canada. It’s time for Quebecers to make some big decisions, and while most want to be a part of Canada there has to be change within Quebec and how it treats English residents and businesses or some big changes should occur in the rest of Canada.
What do you think my fellow Canadians? You can post your comments below.
(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.)
Hi Stella, not sure if you’ve noticed, but I personally do not belong to any groups or political party any longer. I’m issue centric. Of course I have my baggage. I am a refugee from Quebec growing up while watching Montreal fade under the burden of language and cultural genocide in the 70’s that saw one of the greatest cities in the world lose its soul and place.
Jamie……I would love to ask you a question whcih in no way shape or form is a personal attack on you.
I would not adventure myself without your permission as you are the adm. and I honestly fear your reaction…….
Well Stella you can ask on the board or you can ask via email – info@cornwallfreenews.com
One other thing I forgot……
Jamie, you being a Cornwall citizen, do you feel that encouraging people not to donate to the CCH fund is alright in your books?
Stella people decide for themselves what they wish to donate to. I think that if CCH or any organization upsets part of their support base they shouldn’t be surprised if their donations go down.
The community I feel at this point has shown huge support for their hospital.
I find it sad that the board of CCH has chosen to disrespect the majority of residents that live in the region they ask for support from.
While I’m not a member of the protest group I do think the core complaint is 100% valid. The hiring or promotion of nurses should only be based on skill. If you have two equal candidates and one is bilingual and one isn’t then of course I’d give the nod to the one with the extra skill set.
Hope that answers your question. Again, to me this isn’t about French or English. It’s about a flavour of Politics that causes an artificial divide. One of the reasons I chose to move to Cornwall is the French flavour. I actually said to a friend that it had some of the best of living in Quebec without the politics.
As I’ve sadly discovered that wasn’t the case….
I have just recently been at The Ottawa General Hospital for testing. While waiting for my appointment I read a plaque on the wall which listed 10 guiding principles of the Hospital. The first 6 were about communication in one of the official languages and number 7 was about the skill and competence of the health care workers. This made me a little nervous. I would much rather had seen skill and competence as number 1.
Thank-you Jamie……
Here goes: You are the adminstrator of this news site which in itself is a professional job. An administrator usually oversees the functionality of the business to make sure it is profitible and a honorable place of business.
Why would an adminstrator get involved in a debate? Why would an admisnistrator write an editorial that shows his preferences? Why would one encourage debate on topics that are controversial and tend to seperate people?
Jamie…it just seems strange.
Ok Reg…whatever. Thinking I may take a drive to Ottawa and check that out for myself……**S**
Stella any editorial by nature is divisive in that some agree and some don’t. Hope that answers your question. CFN’s mandate is to be a platform for many voices; not just my own. I’m sure you must’ve noticed that by now.
All I ask in comments is that personal attacks stay out. Principle over personalities. Nothing in this world is perfect. We try our best at CFN. Some days we do a better job than others.
It’s our community of viewers which you contribute to that makes us as read as we are.
I think in today’s age of very controlled mass media it’s amazing that we exist and that’s because of the distinct voices we have. I just personally wish that some would take rabies meds before posting and realize that this structure takes some give and take by all to work.
j
I come form New Brunswick; we get along! Why can’t the rest of Canada get along like we do?!
The Ottawa Hospital Promise
Our promise
to you
1)We will greet you warmly and introduce
ourselves by name and role.
2)We will listen with care and we
will communicate clearly.
3)We will ensure that you are cared for in
the official language of your choice.
4)We will be polite and respectful of your cultural
values, personal beliefs and abilities.
5)We will treat you as the most important member of
our patient-care team and will include you and
your family in decisions about your care.
6)We will go out of our way to meet your needs and
keep you informed by explaining what we are
doing and letting you know what to expect.
7)We will maintain the highest level of professional
standards, skills and competence.
8)We will practice safe care in everything we do, from
cleaning our hands to ensuring the safety of our
environment, technologies and processes.
Your safety is our top priority.
9)We will protect your privacy and
maintain your personal dignity.
10)We will acknowledge and apologize when a
problem occurs. We will actively listen
and correct the problem.
– Employees, doctors and volunteers at The Ottawa Hospital
Jamie, thank-you for taking the time to respond, however, our views differ somewhat.
You are correct when you say it is an individual choice to donate to an organization, however, it is not alright to tell people not to. (leading statements)
As for upsetting their support base and your comment about the CCH’s disrespect, let me reiterate…..discrimination was never proven. The hospital was following their hiring policies. If an injustice was done to you, would you not fight it to prove that they were wrong which in turn would ascertain it would not happen to someone else. By proving that in fact there was discrimination would have solve the problem for ALL.
As for skill alone versus language and skill…..sorry, we will agree to disagree. You heard both sides a million times.
The most incomprehensible of all is why english people have a problem with funds going towards helping students learn french when it is to their advantage to do so….being Canada has 2 official languages. I know, I said it before….but it just doesn’t make sense.
reiterate….discrimination was never proven
Thanks Debbie…
You saved me a trip and proved Reg was not being totally honest…….the first 6 were about communication Hmmmm …..thinking his post is not accurate……that’s how BS starts……
Stella please don’t try and dance with me. 🙂
“The most incomprehensible of all is why english people have a problem with funds going towards helping students learn french when it is to their advantage to do so”
Stella I never touched that in answering your question. I can tell you though that building a school in the Yukon for a tiny group of students when First Nations are lacking in resources is just not awesome.
The only benefits of having more French are for French Canadians. It’s about preserving their language and culture. Taking a unilingual Anglophone outside of Quebec and telling them that if you don’t learn this language you can’t have a good job in the government, military, or judiciary of CANADA is kinda nuts. You are creating artificial value for the language.
While I have nothing against French the only advantage is the one created by this bureaucracy Canada has created at great expense. It doesn’t help us with our major trading partners or any any field of science I know of.
So if we cherish one of the founding cultures of our great country by making efforts to assist Francophones in having service in their language across this great land it seems quite absurd for anyone to suggest than 100% of our working population be fully bilingual to have access to good employment.
If that’s the case I would challenge people to state that and then start writing cheques to make sure our students graduate from High School with those language skills.
CLARIFICATION OF MISINFORMATION:
Copied from CLF website,
Very good idea!
Thursday, 03 May 2012 17:09
Hi Friends-for all of you who plan not to donate to Cornwall Community Hospital Foundation tomorrow May 4 Corus Hearts Radiothon due to Hospitals’ Discriminatory hiring practices please take the time to call in & inform the Foundation/Hospital WHY you’re choosing not to donate this year; 613-935-7762.
Equality for All
Chris & Deb
Only in Canada is an Irish, Scottish, Polish, Chinese etc. person called English because they can speak it. Such a pat on the back to all the people that have created this wonderful country of ours. The respect for our individual cultures is overwhelming.
New Brunswick francophones have an illiteracy rate of 64%, so it appears they are not proficient in either language, yet are considered bilingual by the government that panders to them for votes.
How about the French learn to read and write their own language before asking the other 99 cultures of Canada to learn it.
Something else you will notice, when Crybec speaks of it’s citizens, it wants them to INTEGRATE into their society…….ask a francophone to do the same in Canada…..it is called ASSIMILATION.
@ Chris Steele… What NB do you come from!!??! I’ve lived in Fredericton my whole life and no, we don’t all get along. Reality is most Anglophones are sick of being second class citizens but are afraid to speak up for the simple fact that they’ll be called a bigot or whatever else a francophone can come up with.
Stella….where is this money you refer to for helping students learn another language. The french immersion system in Canada is a failure or do you not research before you speak. The rate of bilinguals has not really changed in 40 years. The francophones have high illiteracy rates. So where is all this funding and why isn’t it working.
And in regards to the children in the Yukon, the fact that they were ordered to build a multi million dollar french school for a handful of french children when first nations children have to travel hundreds of miles away from home for education sickens me as a parent.
I believe that Canada would be well-served if Pauline Marois were to be elected Premier of Quebec. She, far more than the other candidates, would awaken Canadians to the fact that the $1.5 trillion we have pumped into this bilingual quagmire has been a costly mistake. Our forlorn attempt to buy Quebecer’s love and affection has earned us their scorn and cast Canadians as fools.
Let us end this charade; let us send Quebecers out into the world and let them earn their own way. If they wish to live far beyond their means, let them do it on their own dime, not ours.
@ Chris Steele
“I come form New Brunswick; we get along! Why can’t the rest of Canada get along like we do?!”
We get along ?????????
Please take off your blinders.
We are about 3 steps from open insurrection down here because of the rampant discrimination against Anglophones.
If the rest of Canada were in OUR shoes, I’m quite sure we’d be in a full civil war.
It is to your advantage if you live in Québec or anywhere else for that matter to be bilingual if you work for the government. But, you don,t have to be bilingual to be successful . I would encourage jaime to read Kaedes comments on bilingual jobs…VERY FEW governmental jobs are designated bilingual. I recognize jaime that you are trying to stir the pot…but come on to go as far and say
–Taking a unilingual Anglophone outside of Quebec and telling them that if you don’t learn this language you can’t have a good job in the government, military, or judiciary of CANADA is kinda nuts. The working language of the government in Québec is french. Seriously, if you want a job with the public in Québec, you are going to have to make that concession and learn french…but you wouldnt even go through that effort..and you request others to do the same….and what is wrong with preserving our language and culture.
–I’M CALLING YOU OUT JAIME, my turn to ask questions:
a) Are you a member of LFA ?
b) Do you, like LFA supporter howard galganov advocate the extermination of the french language in eastern ontario.
c) So the french language doesnt help us have you heard of:1. Bénin 2. Burkina Faso 3. Berne (Suisse)
4. Communauté française de Belgique 5. Congo-Brazzaville
6. Congo–Kinshasa 7. Côte d’Ivoire 8. France
9. Gabon 10. Genève 11. Guadeloupe 12. Guinée
13. Guyane française 14. Jura 15. Mali 16. Martinique
17. Mayotte 18. Monaco 19. Niger 20. Nouvelle-Calédonie
21. Polynésie française 22. Québec 23. Réunion
24. Saint-Barthélemy 25. Saint-Martin 26. Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon
27. Sénégal 28. Togo 29. Vaud 30. Wallis-et-Futuna.
All countries that have french as their official language.
–
stellabystarlight is aptly named. She is in orbit. It is terribly sad to hear people using the same stale, incorrect diatribe in defense of one of the most intolerable acts that has ever been inflicted on a decent law abiding, democratic country. The most intolerable was the nazi invasion of Europe. Thanks goodness there were people who valued the principles and rights of their countries enough to join other countries to stop the scourge of Hitler before it totally destroyed our world as we knew it. But there is a grievous lack of support for our rights and values which became frighteningly obvious when numbers of francophone kebecers chose to support Hitler and decided to inflict his doctrine on Canada and get rid of the segment of the population of whom they were jealous and resentful of. The catholic church incited the trouble between the french and the British in Maritimes and in spite of warnings, refused to stop. They got dealt with far more leniently than they themselves would have dealt with those who behaved as they did.
It is time for the members of the minority population to make an honest effort to learn the true history of Canada so that they can understand the wickedness of the actions perpetrated on this country. Perhaps we could then find common understanding and restore our country to what it was always meant to be – fair, equal, democratic and cultured.
Lets not forget:
Belgique
Berne (Suisse)
Burundi
Cameroun
Canada
Centrafrique
Comores
Djibouti
Fribourg (Suisse)
Guinée équatoriale
Haïti
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Mauritanie
N.-Brunswick (Canada)
Pondichéry (Inde)
Rwanda
Seychelles
Suisse
Tchad
Val d’Aoste (Italie)
Valais (Suisse)
and i just had to google it now that is more then 40 places or countries…its a start. Not familiar with most but at least it was easy to google…cory taught me well.
Chris Steele….after reading your comment and rolling around on the floor laughing for 10 minutes….I came to the conclusion that you are not aware there are people from New Brunswick reading these articles, either that or you live under a rock.
New Brunswick is a mini quebec in training and in being such is probably more discriminatory than quebec considering it is about 70% english speaking.
The head of the acadian society published an editorial in the newspaper stating that if one wanted to live and raise their children in english they should move to another part of Canada, US or Australia…..yes everything is smooth here.
Check out the facebook page Bilingual New Brunswick…..there is an article there posted by some guy having a fit because he came upon an english speaking clerk at the liquor store…..he wrote the language commissioner and still doesn’t know if he spent the right amount for the wine (apparently numbers on a cash appear differently if you are french)…….. that is what new brunswick has become.
Bud
You have no idea what your talking about. Why perpetuate these lies in order to further your cause. Most francophones are fully bilingual while most anglophones are not. That is not the issue here, its that your require every francophone to learn english. But when a handful of anglos are required to learn french its .. La crise du bébé gâté. TU devrais apprendre le français bud, ça te sera bénifique j’en suis certain…et tu trouveras peut-être quelque chose que tu n’as pas ..la logique.
Jaime, so when you are proven wrong you edit. LOL or you delete a post. Nice going jaime, way to prove your point.
Yes Patrick. not a single major Trading partner in that group you just mentioned. Again, I’m all for Francophones embracing their language and culture. I just think that the pendulum has to swing back to the centre and make better sense for all Canadians.
There is no value added to our economy or overall benefit by funding the policy of bilingualism. The only people that benefit are the Francophone Culture. Nothing wrong with that either. It’s not as though the United States, Europe, Russia, China, Australia, India, or South America are going to all of the sudden switch to French because we think it’s a hot idea, right?
The issue is purely the dollar amounts and degree of accommodation. And if Quebec can’t bother to accommodate Anglophones it surely makes the argument for the rest of Canada to accommodate Francophones. I’m not suggesting that the rest of Canada slither to Quebec’s linguistic level; but surely we should not demand judges be officially bilingual or generals in the army?
Or nurses in Cornwall Ontario.
So if you’re a Francophone kudos to you for embracing your language; supporting it; cherish it; but please, don’t try and force others to use it outside of Quebec any longer in official capacities that limit growth, employment, or mainstream culture at the expense of promoting French.
We have the technology now to accommodate people without forcing 100% of the work force to be at high levels of bilingualism. And of course we can politely agree to disagree. It’s not always about one side being right or wrong; simply what their vision and perspective are.
too trigger happy, sorry jaime, thought you deleted my post but you didnt.
Patrick contrary to what some may think we do not sit at the screen 24/7 – also sometimes our spam filter snatches comments. Sometimes the internet puts comments into black holes. We generally will not allow a post only if it’s name calling without a person signing their own name; or abusive. We have no problem politely debating topics as long as it doesn’t sink to name calling which frankly besides killing debate alienates viewers.
Alienating viewers is not what CFN is about 🙂
Stella we are all sick and tired of hearing you babble on about discrimination not being proven at CCH with Chris Cameron. That statement bears about as much weight as the man who says I never sexually molested your child!
Several health care workers have already spoke up and protested about this. I for one was discriminated against there for language. I had over a decade of experience and they hired a new grad who spoke French and told me to wait the next job would be mine…..and it was. I don’t respect a health care institution that chooses language over experience. For confidentiality reasons I will not tell you what happened next.
I suggest if you are going to open your mouth, only do it with facts, rather than saying that something NEVER occurred or downplaying blatant discrimination Time for change, better get ready for it! CCH has lost a lot of good experienced nurses in the last few years. I know of several that have quit before retirement. The environment there is toxic! They want more support from the community, then they need to earn it.
..dont we trade with france, sweden, and smaller countries in all of europe. do we need to cater to americans and china…and if there are as many countries as I mentioned.. I’m sure there is some benefit to Canada to exchange with some of them.
I wish we did slither to Québec linguistic values…with the possible exception of Eastern Ontario and new brunswick…that at least try.. Québec has no lessons to take from the ROC.
..You might not be familiar with it jaime, but using technology to translate texts or offer services DOESNT WORK. We are not there yet..that is why supreme court judges should be bilingual. The french language has too many exceptions..
And sure, Give all the anglos in a the hospital service in english..give us francos a computer.. ILLOGICAL .
Patrick. I am not a member of the LFA or any other political group or party at this time. (not about to change any time soon either) I do not advocate the extermination of any language.
http://cornwallfreenews.com/2009/06/francophone-community-cut-short-by-40-in-cornwall/
I supported the flag pole in Cornwall as a tribute to the Francophone community. Why? Because they were paying for it and are a part of the community. I took flack for that position too. Again, I’m all for the Francophone community building itself anywhere in Canada. I’m against the circumstances with the Nursing situation here in Cornwall being an example. I’m also against any community forcing any language on commercial signs. While I’m not a Galganov supporter I think it’s totally insane and anti-business and anti-democratic for Russell to force businesses when it comes to signs.
We also ran French stories for a period of time while David Gregoire was working with us. The local Francophone business community did not support our work and David left. In other words we reached out and tried to have French content. We did not sell a single ad to an identifiable Francophone business or organization. Again, we reached out and tried. The same for Le Journal that had to switch to both languages because they simply didn’t get enough ads while just a French newspaper.
All of the locales you mention are not major trading partners with Canada. Most are wonderful places, but in the big picture not significant. We have the ability to deal with them; but guess what; when they deal with the US and their major trading partners do you think they are linguistically accommodated?
Again, it’s not about bashing French or saying we shouldn’t use French. It’s about bringing that pendulum around. There’s nothing wrong with Canada working in English or French. In my opinion it is definitely wrong to force the majority of non-Quebec Canada to work in French.
There are people losing their jobs and lives because of this. It’s wrong. It’s not productive and only causes divisiveness in Canada which is not good unless you’re a separatist or want to sell our country off to the highest bidder as is going on now.
My Canada is a caring strong country the allows for French and English. Is yours?
Stella, ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR! Are not the first 6 items about communications? Is not the 7th item about skill and competence?
I am expecting an apology from you and if not then your posts should be banned for abusive behavior.
Patric pushing your separatists values -all supreme court judges should come from a variety of provinces bringing local flair of a sort .
So we should choose from that small percentage of population for judges -really and that’s democratic-whats worse then a complete socialist is a separatist ….french first rights patrick …french first …I am Canadian first and proud of that !
Daddy’s little boy needs to grow up and start not smoking that funny stuff -come back to reality.
@ patrick boucher
&
So the french language doesnt help us
have you heard of:
1. Bénin 2. Burkina Faso 3. Berne (Suisse)
4. Communauté française de Belgique 5. Congo-Brazzaville
6. Congo–Kinshasa 7. Côte d’Ivoire 8. France
9. Gabon 10. Genève 11. Guadeloupe 12. Guinée
13. Guyane française 14. Jura 15. Mali 16. Martinique
17. Mayotte 18. Monaco 19. Niger 20. Nouvelle-Calédonie
21. Polynésie française 22. Québec 23. Réunion
24. Saint-Barthélemy 25. Saint-Martin 26. Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon
27. Sénégal 28. Togo 29. Vaud 30. Wallis-et-Futuna.
All countries that have french as their official language.
“All countries that have french as their official language.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If I’m not mistaken,
a- a good number are dictatorships, including Quebec
b- most are almost bankrupt and debt ridden, including Quebec
c- most of those are third world and would include Quebec if it separates.
Reg…..nope, just saying your post was not quite accurate. The only one that mentions language iis #3 which states “We will ensure that you are cared for in the official language of your choice” Other then #3 there is no other mention of language in the top 6.
Debbie…..Did you not tell people to call in and say why they are not donating? Is that not a leading statement? Whether you admit it or not…..in a roundabout way you are getting the point across quite effectively…….
We Anglophones need to understand the mindset of the french language supremacists.
They never were nor ever will be Canadians as the RoC knows it.
In Atlantic Canada they still call themselves Acadians even though no such place exists.
Their aim is to spread the French language into every nook and cranny and will seek autonomy in places where they believe , now get this, “where numbers warrant”.
This is what duality is leading up to.
That’s why they can deny that there is any discrimination against Anglophones. Why would they? As it is we are slowly handling them Canada on a silver platter .
Those of French ancestry who do not agree with them refuse to get involved for the most part. Why would they? They still will benefit no matter what from their silence.
Now Highlander let’s not pick on the funny stuff. I think if more Canadians smoked the funny stuff we’d have a lot less problems and get along better 😉
1)We will greet you warmly and introduce ourselves by name and role.
2)We will listen with care and we will communicate clearly.
3)We will ensure that you are cared for in the official language of your choice.
4)We will be polite and respectful of your cultural values, personal beliefs and abilities.
5)We will treat you as the most important member of our patient-care team and will include you and your family in decisions about your care.
6)We will go out of our way to meet your needs and keep you informed by explaining what we are doing and letting you know what to expect.
With the ‘possible ‘ exception of number 4, these all have to DO with ‘communication’ which requires language.
Hey Monckton……whatever!!! You see it your way……I see it mine…..language is only written in #3 I guess that could be the next debate…..**s**
1)We will greet you warmly and introduce ourselves by name and role.
2)We will listen with care and we will communicate clearly.
3)We will ensure that you are cared for in the official language of your choice.
5)We will treat you as the most important member of our patient-care team and will include you and your family in decisions about your care.
6)We will go out of our way to meet your needs and keep you informed by explaining what we are doing and letting you know what to expect.
OK Stella, please explain how it is possible to accomplish any of the above without the use of “a language”, be it written, spoken or using sign-language ?
Stella you are rude and obtuse. I used the words communication in an official language. The first 6 items are about communication which is a skill that you seem to be lacking. Maybe you should take a course in English reading comprehension.
Here I’ll reprint it for you so you can read it again. Try to read every word so you can increase your understanding.
“I have just recently been at The Ottawa General Hospital for testing. While waiting for my appointment I read a plaque on the wall which listed 10 guiding principles of the Hospital. The first 6 were about communication in one of the official languages and number 7 was about the skill and competence of the health care workers. This made me a little nervous. I would much rather had seen skill and competence as number 1.”
Sadness…
These ego centric folks like Stella what ever and that P. Boucher fella simply drag everyone away from the REAL issue. Look back folks. This whole thing started with “No English Language Debate for Pauline Marois” and her inability to speak English after 30 years. THAT was the topic and it has been put aside to go down to the level of those *a’s*
Don’t let these fools change the topic. The fact is, the French have no use for the English language and Canada in general and that is clear in the province of Quebec where the English language and English people are all but treated as lepers. And what’s worse is they are in their own country. CANADA.
The sooner the English of this country realize this, the better.
http://youtu.be/981IaOhQGvw
Richard….typically when one disagrees with someone’s statement they provide proof….you choose to just call me a spoiled baby. Good come back!
Please provide proof of one lie in my statements. Most francophones are not fully bilingual, if they were, they would be able to speak, read and write properly in two languages. If they were, translation business wouldn’t be skyrocketing. I have francophone friends that can vouch for that statement and come from a province with a 64% illiteracy rate for francophones.
Anglophones as you call them make up the other 99 cultures of Canada, which none, I might mention had their individual languages propped up on the tax payers teat, hence the reason they learned english. Perhaps, our ancestors, were too proud to beg.
As I stated earlier, the french should worry about perfecting their own skills before they ask the rest of us to learn it. After all if a child spends 12 years immersed in french only, is francized in kindergarten and spoken to in french at home……and still can’t master it….how are the rest of us supposed to?
@Robert
You are 100% correct! Black and white. Communication is required for them all as posted.
@ Stella
Not sure why you are pushing so hard to have nurses that speak advanced level French for proper communication. You don’t seem to have a grasp on what is involved in communication! My goodness!!
@Chris Steele
We get alomg in NB???????
68% of all NB Provincial Government jobs are designated bilingual in spite of the fact the NB’s population is 74% unilingual English.
Dieppe, NB has outlawed English signs and fined companies found with English signs.
NB has left drunk drivers go free because they had to wait 30 minutes for service in French
NB has seperate, French, school and healthcare systems
NB’s Official Languages Act was forced on NB without a referendum
What is happening in NB is not bilingualism, what’s happenening in NB is forced Frenchification
What has happened in NB should serve as a warning to all English speaking Canadians to fight bilingualism very vocally at every opportunity
Franchement Stella et Patrick B. et le Renard Bleu et Mike B.et a qui ce soit…this site is not a balanced all sides of the story communication.. it is clear that irritating is more important than life choices to ..best thing to do is let “them” have this forum for back patting and let “them” run for office next election.. it will fail anyway!!! Everybody has an opinion but it takes more than an opinion to change the world.. especially a misguided opinin based on ignorance.. PQ is PQ … let the games begin…
lol, that’s very passive aggressive Touchez!
Thanks, Jamie for a well written article. Canada hasn’t been and will never be a “bilingual” country, even tho Canada has two “official” languages. Quebec has refused to be a bilingual province and the rest of Canada has no reason to be bilingual provinces either. As for Chris Steele, he definitely lives under a rock in New Brunswick. It should be a “choice” for a person to learn and speak another language, whatever that choice may be; it should not be “forced” to learn and speak French. As for qualifications for any jobs in Canada, the number one priority should always be for skills, competence, and experience before language. As for being bilingual, it should only be an additional asset, whatever that 2nd language may be. We all have seen that English has survived in Quebec without any extra funding and so it should be in the rest of Canada; French should be able to survive without all the extra funding that it receives. If Pauline Marois offers a referendum concerning Separation from Canada to the folks in Quebec, I sure hope that it will be offered to folks in the rest of Canada as well.
Hi Folks,
It may come as a surprise to some that Ontario is yet to be designated bilingual!
I say this as our local hospital is now designated bilingual and 50 % are to be bilingual .
Service Ontario is 100 % bilingual and our Ontario courts here in Cornwall is 70%+ are required to be bilingual .
Numerous Ontario agencies you are required to be bilingual yet Ontario is not designated BILINGUAL-So whats going on ?
Through the hundreds of Federal /Provincial sponsored french
language rights groups -lobbyist for these groups have pushed for francophone rights that far surpass that 4% should be ENTITLED to.
Our Government needs to be accountable to its citizens and allow checks and balances with measurable outcomes with bilingual hiring.
That being said our group’s purpose is to advocate Government for fair equity as well merit first in job hiring .
To advocate fair representation by population with regards to bilingual service -and keep the Government honest to ensure that this happens .
Sadly interest groups have mislead /misinformed people of where our group stands -let me say this our group understands the need to provide french services ,with that it is with respective percentage of the community.
These interest groups would prefer to make this an English against French issue of which was never the issue ,but the discriminatory Government policy with regards to hiring !
In conclusion Our group is here for YOU the average citizen in advocating for fair Government hiring practices with measurable outcomes for many are unable to speak up in fear of retribution!
Take care my fellow Canadians