CFN – Heather Villeneuve is the face of the language wars leaking out of Quebec right across Canada. She’s the victim of a system of hypocrisy.
The Cornwall girl, born and bred has spent over $30,000 on her education graduating as a Medical Lab Assistant in 2011. While the two other Cornwallites got jobs instantly Heather has yet to find employment. Her crime and fault? She’s not bilingual.
Bilingual advocates like Jean Lecompte will tell you the importance of bilingualism; but essentially that’s a political correct way of saying French. The levels of testing for French proficiency are secretive and frankly most native Francophones could not pass these tests. And there are no equivalent English language tests for most employment in particular with government agencies.
Official bilingualism in Canada has been a failure. In the forty years or so of its existence less Canadians speak French than before. Frankly this isn’t an issue any longer about protecting the French language and culture. It’s about an industry that’s evolved to spread Bilingualism that has led to situations where advancement and the ability to gain employment if one isn’t French or able to pass these tests is the life and death knell for communities across Canada.
When you can’t go over the rank of Major in the Canadian Armed Forces without being bilingual that’s scary. When nurses get suspended or fired for speaking out costing hospitals thousands of dollars while appealing to the public for funds that’s an issue.
And when someone who doesn’t want to leave her home after investing in her education locally has to move to find work that’s an issue.
Being bilingual is a wonderful asset; but should it be the deciding factor in someone gaining employment to the degree that it has across our great country?
It’s more about the definition of Official Bilingualism and what society finds acceptable or not and that’s a whole other issue as most of these issues are dealt with behind closed doors. The new buzz is that government employees are now going to have to be bilingual as there is a push for the them to have the choice of what language to speak with to each other. That it’s not about serving the public anymore.
You can get a few hard core political types at a remote government office in the West and bam. The entire team will have to be able to communicate at high levels of French.
While this debate is a much broader subject here in Canada and Ontario Heather Villeneuve is dealing with its injustice in her life. She’s working a minimum wage job trying to pay back her student loans. She’s not even sure she could afford to move when a job opens up hundreds if not thousands of kilometers away from her home.
And sadly she felt that she had to try and turn to a local politician for help and not even in her own town where the Mayor and City Council have ducked the subject entirely.
She wrote a letter to the media and to South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis:
My name is Heather Villeneuve, I am a certified Medical Laboratory Technician and I pump gas part-time at minimum wage for a living. Why am I not using my diploma and working in my field? It’s not by choice; it’s because of the discrimination happening in Cornwall and the surrounding area. I am very skilled in my field, but I am not being given the chance to prove what I am capable of, due to one simple factor: I don’t speak French.
For years, I have been discriminated about my appearance; I don’t look the way society generally dictates as “normal”. But it upsets me that I am now being discriminated against, because of a skill that I lack and don’t necessarily need. I was not raised French, and I honestly do not believe that it is a skill I need to possess to do my job properly. I have applied time and time again to hospitals and clinics in the area, for the end result of them all telling me that I am not what they are looking for, because of one small aspect. As someone who has lived in Cornwall my whole life, I have never come across a person that can’t at least speak enough broken-English to get the point across. And as a MLA, patient contact is so minimal that extensive conversations are not needed to be carried out.
I have tried to stand my ground on countless occasions and explain that I can still complete every task assigned to me with the upmost attention to detail, but unfortunately it all comes down to a specific way of thinking, a bilingual way of looking at things. A Census from Statistics Canada shows us that only 3/10 individuals in our province have French listed as their primary language spoken. This proves that more than three quarters of Ontario’s residents are English speaking. ONLY 14% of the French population in Ontario lives in our South/East region.
.
So here I am, stuck in Cornwall, with a college education and nowhere to go. I can’t afford to move with my large sum of student loans, and it will be a very long time until they are paid off from pumping gas at minimum wage. So here’s my question, when is this discrimination going to stop, so the residents of Cornwall will have a chance to better our small community?.
I would like to take this time to thank the South Stormont Council, and Bryan McGillis for advocating for people like me trying to make a difference in the health care system. I appreciate all of their support and efforts in helping me in this process.
We had a chance to catch up with Heather and Mayor McGillis at the Township offices.
Mayor Bryan McGillis:
Mayor McGillis and I spoke about the challenge of retaining young people in Eastern Ontario and the ability to gain employment after finishing education was a hot point.
Were the Heather Villeneuve’s of Ontario told that they’d need such a level of French to attain employment? Did St. Lawrence College inform her before taking her $30,000 locally that she’d need that level of French to attain employment?
Are we ready in Ontario to demand that our schools turn out students with those language schools so that they can fill jobs at home? Does it make sense to try and import people from Quebec purely for linguistic reasons? And are there even people from Quebec ready to fill those positions?
It’s time to look at these issues and talk about them clearly instead of some labeling those that do talk about them as bigots or racists.
Canadians that earn their educations should have the right to work where work is available; French, English, or any language.
You can post your comments below.
Fiona, I just have one quick question concerning your posts.
You said twice: “The fact of the matter is, I WAS hired & promoted as a unilingual registered nurse. I made sure that beyond the basic qualifications I needed for the job I was looking for, I had more skills that make me a more desirable employee. I didn’t speak french, but I had other things to offer that made me stand out among the applicants.”
What are your special skills that trump language? You are extemely proud of these extra abilities, so please share what they are. Either you are full of baloney, or you are extremely talented. I admit, I think I already know the answer, but for the “paranoid whining fingers-in-ears writers” you claim post here, give us all a glimpse into what can improve our own employment challenges in the future.
Thanking you in advance for your eloquent and speedy reply,
Bella
*s*
Heather you wrote,
“This overall, was not meant to be a political debate. It was meant to point out all of the corrupt actions taking place right in our very own neighborhood!
The main points here are:
-I DO NOT HAVE TO SPEAK FRENCH IN ORDER TO DO MY JOB PROPERLY!!!!!
-WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO LEARN FRENCH IF THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO SPEAK/ LEARN ENGLISH????
English is the primary language of the WORLD!!!”
The answer to your question Heather is that you are absolutely right. You shouldn’t have to know French in order to do the job you’re qualified for and outside of Canada’s language laws, anywhere else in the world you wouldn’t need to or have to know another language to do the job.
I can tell you that if you went to the States you would be hired in a heartbeat. But this issue isn’t even about language anymore. Large segments of our population who are highly educated, highly qualified and who can sometimes speak more than 2 languages are being regularly turned down for jobs because of a lack of a knowledge of 1 language. This situation is absurd and everyone sees it for what it is except those who benefit from it and who have made an entire career out of it. (Parti Quebecois, French social groups, etc.)
You have seen the words of some here distort reality for what it is. Let me tell you something. A few weeks before the Parti Quebecois came to power, I and a few others warned everyone on this public forum the impending problems of a PQ victory and what would be it’s impact on the non-Francophone population of Quebec. We knew that there would be an increase in language laws but never in a million years did we ever think that the PQ would be so brash as to remove the Canadian flag from Quebec’s National Assembly despite, still to this day; not officially being a separate nation from Canada.
All of this to say, Heather, that there are statements being made by pro-Franco Ontario citizenry on this blog that finger point various Language Right’s groups here as being every negative thing under the sun. The fact remains that South Stormont is the only municipality in Ontario that permits the posting of signs in any language, period. There are now four municipalities in the Province who’s laws state that signage needs to be in both English/French – that being that no other languages are permitted!
I encourage you Heather, as I think you’re new to this blog, to read some past comments and to keep an eye out for what I’m talking about.
Yours in Language Fairness,
Cory
Concerned Citizen 2,
You forgot to mention that those 25 area encompasses 90% of the population.
Areas get desigignated if francophones are 5% of the population or 5000 in that area -with the designation of francophone does not mean government A-but if they speak a little.
Therefore eg:
Toronto with what 3,500,000 (3.5 million) with 5000 people it is designated under FLSA thereby now all bilingual hires till they reach 60% bingual staff at all government entities.
This all done for a potential of. 1 in 700 possible francophones or .001 % and the billions to implement.
Privileged aren’t they.
No Highlander…..let’s have a revolution, forget the referendum…….you have been hinting for a revolution for months now….how sick is that? So what is your gang going to do once french and english are no longer the main languages of this country? Will you guys fight the Asians? YOU CAN NOT RULE AND TRY TI CONTROL BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MAJORITY…(for now that is) **s**
yorlik……..you got that right for once “What is happening today is completely insane” but you forgot to add the insanity is created by hate mongering from those on the left…english speaking people that is…….not all mind you, but this group of radical activist.
Richard…….lack of personal skills you say? Absolutelty!! I can name a few on the left (english not all) who were probably denied jobs for that reason. Talking about personal skills, as I was setting myself up to enjoy a day of doing what I like best, a thought struck me.
How can one aspire to get involved in politics, with an attitude like a bull dog in heat, has a mouth like a garbage can, has no respect for others who’s views differ from his, who curses and uses blasphemous language? It’s not someone I would vote for and I am sure many would agree…(not here mind you) but most don’t get off on this type of common attitude. It just proves my point that having high education and being involved in committees doesn’t necessarily make a man smart, nor does it make him more of a man……..far from it. What that tells me is he has serious issues.
Fiona…..hang in there buddy. Decourage toi pas!! Tu as raison.
@ bella-b
October 28, 2012 at 7:10 am
Do you hear the crickets????
Chris Cameron had 8 years of hemo-dialysis experience @ a level 1 trauma center, plus his Certification in Nephrology, only to be passed over by a french speaking nurse with no hemo-dialysis experience!!!!
Figure that one out!!!
DISCRIMINATION
Maybe Heather should move to Alberta, or other areas that don’t have a lot of francophones. Serving the public is more important than one girl being able to get a job. Quit whining; it’s a big country.
I learned French in only 2 years. It’s not hard.
Poor Heather ,Poor English Speaking Canadians and Poor English Speaking Canada. A language war began in peaceful Canada when the Official Language Act was passed in 1969.
Only in Canada is there disrimination now against anyone who does not speak fluent French from getting a job even in an English speaking establishment like the situation Heather is in. How can only 15% of the population who live mainly in Quebec take control of Canada’s job market?
Just recently a boy was badly beaten in Montreal for speaking English. And the language battle goes on and on. In the next election we should have one question about Canada’s language problem– English or French. It is now in a disasterours situation. Dot Fuhrman
“There is no way two ethnic groups in one country can be made equal before the law…and to say it is possible is to sow the seeds of destruction”. Pierre Trudeau, 1968..
So why did you do that, Pierre?
Hey Dot Davies-Fuhrman, How exactly is bilingualism ruining your life in Kelowna BC? Tell us again about the people imprisoned in Quebec for using the English language.
There are no winners in any discussion on language but there are winners in the job category ! Sorry Heather your a looser in your own town but the real loosers maybe the ones who live’s might be in jeporday when a inexperienced nurse or technician is assigned to them !
Hiya everyone,
Please visit http://roygreenshow.com/ and see hour 3 for Sunday Oct 28th podcast with Tammy Hart, Chris and Debbie Cameron. The podcast even has a caller call in from Timmins Ontario. Wow, his name is Cory too, 😉
Hi guys, this one is for all of us who are fed up with Stella lowlite, Richard Tremblay, Fiona and those others who defend the French side of this issue while simply refusing to admit that this all began with bill 101 and with how the French “radicals” are treating the English people in Quebec. So yes, what is happening is indeed completely insane but if it wasn’t for the French “radicals” pushing bill 101 down the throats of the English in Quebec and the feds pushing the OLA and the FLSA, then the English would not be bothered pushing back right now as they are.
So, Cory, Highlander, Colleen and all the rest of the brave ones here speaking their minds and standing up… This says it all…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-icNqUZASGc
PS: Lowbright and “that gang” don’t check out the links and even if they do, so what… It’s the best medicine for types that cannot be reasoned with :- )
Heather one of my first jobs here in Ottawa was working in a lab that was run by a doctor from Pakistan. There was a registered nurse, and a woman posing as a lab technician and she was originally from Cornwall but living a long time in Quebec across the river. Anyway one day the nurse was away and God forbid I was supposed to stay and look after the office routine for the nurse. Well one day the nurse was off and there was the woman posing as a technician using another man’s licence to work on patients. The woman went and had a lady who was pregnant and took blood from her and the lady passed out. The technician yelled at me to hurry and come. The woman’s vein was up and I laid the woman on a table, took away the pillow and put her legs up until she came to. When she came to I told her to get medical attention and she left. Heather the job is a lot more complicated than you may think and you are taking this from me. I don’t care what language one speaks whether it me Russian, Chinese, Arabic or any other the job is a huge responsibility and there are many different tests that has to be done.
That very day (I am not kidding) I went home (that was a part time job I had) and when I went home the phone rang and I answered and it was the public service calling for me to go to a job interview. I was one of the top 10 in the exams. Well that was like winning the lotery Heather and folks. I was so afraid for the lady who went in for the blood test that I would be dragged in to testify in court for what happened. I wasn’t in the room when it happened either. It is a big responsibility and that I can say. I worked as a volunteer in my young years in Cornwall in both hospitals and I can tell you that a job as a nurse and a technician is very hard indeed. Nursing is one of the hardest jobs there is.
Chris Cameron sure has a lot of experience and it is one of the hardest is what he is working in and should get a good job but already he is working here in Ottawa at the Civic Hospital. The Civic has one of the nicest nursing staff much better than the General Hospital campus that is for sure. Hang in there Chris.
Funny how you guys get Corus exposure out of Cornwall, but not so much locally 🙂
Jules ,
Thank you Jules ,I take pride in my job and it is an privilege to just touch another human.
Let me explain this a little ,there is no more personal of a possession then the human body ,I have the privilege through my profession to care for you .
My patients are deemed terminal ,the service I provide through dialysis only prolongs life ,if they were to stop they would have but 1-2 weeks to live .
One must remember that I see these patients 3 times a week as well as their families and I truly appreciate the time I spend with them.
I am privileged to deal with AT LEAST 40 different ethnicity’s and certainly as mainly religions if not more of which all have taught me much .
Dialysis is a short term solution to a long term issue and I have watched many hundreds pass to better pastures .
For this: Every opportunity I get ,as I know when a patient and or family decides the time is to let go ,I make every attempt to touch them the last time by holding their hand and saying good by , and once again feel privileged to be part of their life.
Sorry for being mushy but hey the losses have made me appreciate life that much more ….go enjoy your loved ones and friends .
Take care
Chris
admin:
“Funny how you guys get Corus exposure out of Cornwall, but not so much locally ”
Well apparently we got exposure from Ontario through B.C in 11 different regions in Canada…well with exception of our home town .
Question: Now is the message controlled ?
People what do you think?
People your voice does count!
Chris Cameron
My husband drove a man 3 times a week from his house to the Riverside Campus Hospital for dialysis and he had juvenile diabetes as well as he was blind. He drove him back as well. My husband did this for 6 months and stopped because my husband was petrified that if he got into an accident this poor man could get badly hurt.
I salute you in every way and my eldest sister was a nurse and in charge at a hospital in Cornwall – she was Chief Supervisor of Nurses so I know what it is all about. Your job in dialysis is one of the hardest there is. You hang in there and keep on trudging away. This French language thing is hitting everywhere and my husband read that yesterday in Ottawa’s newspapers. There are many qualified people out there but language is keeping them behind. My daughter has to get back into the French conversation and written even though she was in a French school system all her life. She understands it but when it comes to speaking it isn’t easy at all. I paced my parents living room to all hours of the night and early morning learning French poetry and other subjects and I know how hard it is. My English is horrible so excuse my grammar it is atrocious.
Someone in your field should be given high comendations for what you do and it is above and beyond the ordinary nursing.
“Linda Cardinal, Professor at the School of Political Studies and chairholder of the University of Ottawa’s Chaire de recherche sur la francophonie et les politiques publiques, suggested that the Commissioner conduct a study to document the reasons why the French Language Services Act should be enshrined in the Canadian Constitution.”
http://www.flsc.gov.on.ca/en/content/colloque-summary-of-panel-discussions#8
Bill Davis, Ontario Premier in 1986, said “No” to this craziness, but franco zealots do not give up.
believe me there are persons who will not even consider anyone wearing choice of “jewellery” saying way to radical.
French language skills may not be necessary to perform the duties of a lab tech, but to land a job as a lab tech in Cornwall (at a provincially funded institution), that’s seems to be quite another matter.
The law is clearly an ass in this instance, as are the folks that enacted that law (and the current batch of cowardly seat warmers that don’t have the gumption to change it). But unless this community quits carping and starts writing to MP’s, MPP’s, and municipal councillors and — most importantly — gets off its arse to call them out at every photo op and ribbon cutting, and selects representatives instead of politicians… well, its not going to change anytime soon.
So in the meantime Heather, don’t get bogged down in this political nonsense, or be a sacrificial lamb for bigots. Move past this foolishness and take care of you and yours.
Your letter has caught the attention of the public and politicians, let it ride and don’t get drawn into the rash debates on this forum. You’ll do fine.
And if you end up in a new community, put your head down and work hard, that’s your priority. Don’t forget the injustice that happened here, but don’t dwell on it.
i’m just trying to encourage you to not get too fixated and upset about it. also, i’ve been in your shoes before – got rejected by air transat back in winter after having the highest score of the day on the aptitude test, getting 12/12 in both french and italian, passing 3 interviews in the same day. so i believe i have the right to make such recommendations 😉 life went on for me, i analyzed what i did wrong and got the next FA job i applied for. if you stay positive and turn this experience into a lesson, you’ll get it too, maybe not this time but the next. good luck & don’t give up.
stellabystarlight at it again with propaganda:October 28, 2012 at 9:27 am
“So what is your gang going to do once french and english are no longer the main languages of this country? Will you guys fight the Asians? YOU CAN NOT RULE AND TRY TI CONTROL BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MAJORITY…(for now that is) **s**”
If language laws are to exist LFA wants at maximum of representation by population -not 21% FRANCOPHONE HAVE 65% OF FEDERAL JOBS.
I glad you think Stella that we are that influential to rule the country,but we only want “FAIR GOVERNMENT HIRING POLICY”.
LA
October 28, 2012 at 11:50 am
“Maybe Heather should move to Alberta, or other areas that don’t have a lot of francophones. Serving the public is more important than one girl being able to get a job. Quit whining; it’s a big country.”
So the solution for unfair hiring practices is to move from everything she knows her family and friends simply because of a language?
Your statement is a very bullying one did you learn this from the french zealots? Cant speak a language then leave …..whats next if your not catholic then leave? B*G*T
Ed
October 28, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Hey Dot Davies-Fuhrman, How exactly is bilingualism ruining your life in Kelowna BC?
Hi Furtz from standard freeloader trolling over here -you had nothing good to say about CFN so why are you on here?
As for your statement -1.4 % of B.C is francophone yet 45% of government jobs are deemed bilingual ,many family and friends don’t have the opportunities for those coveted federal jobs .
1.4 % does not equal 45% -where is the reasonable accommodation here?
That right there isn’t !
Across the country where Job hires in bilingual FAR SURPASS that of the community at times 60-70 times that in the community .
Public service commission Newfoundland and Labrador with 0.4% francophones appointment to public service there is 38.9%.
PEI is – 4.2% francophones with 35.7% appointment to public service.
Nova Scotia – 3.7% francophones with 50% appointment to public service .
Every province Francophones way over represented in Public service across Canada .
If you ask the average parent why they enroll their children in french immersion the will tell you -opportunities in government jobs as the government is the largest employer in Canada.
Therefor this is called SOCIAL ENGINEERING!
IT HAS EVEN BEEN MENTIONED IN THE UNITED NATIONS !
Wake up Canadians talk about bilingualism there is no harm to do so ,you are not a bigot ,racist or french hater and many other terms used rather then a gun to oppress people.
Highlander
Amazing post!!!!
SOCIAL ENGINEERING is exactly what this is all about.
If we let nature takes its course, as many lost languages our watered own version of french will too become lost.
destructive OLA
Very good point!!I believe it was 1966
In simple terms globalization doesn’t work!
Why do you think we have stuff like religion, and social services, government? It was all brought into light to help the masses get along. How they all went askew later was merely caused by education and greed.
Had whomever or whatever deity you believe in wanted us to live as one, they would have made us as one.
Only religion says love they neighbor and that too was written by man is promoted by man.
Bob Peters says:
43% of Cornwallites have knowledge of both English and French. In comparison, only 17% of Canadians can claim the same, and only 11% of Ontario residents have knowledge of both Official Languages. Cornwall ranks higher than the Nation’s Capital where 37% have knowledge of English and French.
Bob Kilger says:
“Being able to converse in both English and French is a marketable skill that is in demand by many employers. This feature of our workforce is a competitive asset that makes Cornwall a good place to do business.”
Methinks if that were really true we’d be able to attract better quality jobs than Call centres & Distribution centres, no? Nothing wrong with either of those industries, but surely if being bilingual were the end all we’d attract more government jobs and high tech.
Mr. Peters & Mr. Kilger have both failed Cornwall. They both fail to support small business which is the engine to most community’s growth and culture and looking at Cornwall’s further slide in the Community’s in Boom report from the CFIB certainly supports that position.
Again, being bilingual is an asset, but should it define whether someone is qualified or should gain employment and advancement?
I have known people in high tech for many years, French is the least spoken in what has become a global united nations of workers industry. Many head offices are in California where Spanish is number 2 even.
Cornwall has the cheapest electricity in Ontario, some lower priced housing, proximity to Canada & US markets and a decent quality of life, maybe the high bilingual numbers or past strong union history is keeping business away……or?
Great post Admin had to give you a thumbs up!!!!
Bob has failed Cornwall on many levels. It appears the rest of Eastern Ontario seen this when he was MP and did not vote for him again. Cornwall for some reason elected him as mayor….
Simon
October 29, 2012 at 8:01 am
Bob Peters says:
43% of Cornwallites have knowledge of both English and French. In comparison, only 17% of Canadians can claim the same, and only 11% of Ontario residents have knowledge of both Official Languages. Cornwall ranks higher than the Nation’s Capital where 37% have knowledge of English and French.
What knowledge? A couple of words or are they classified A- like the federal government -if so clearly it would be significantly less !!
Very ambiguous in fact it ,but the intention is to make it look like more .
So are the school children in french immersion counted as well ,perhaps If I teach my Dog a few french words he could be added to that counted too.
Why isn’t anyone mentioning the cost of O.B.? That is one of the biggest issues for shelving it. A retired Federal Government accounant has come up with these figures $19 Billion a year or $1.169 trillion for the past 41 years. Isn’t anyone worried about our debt? Nor do they mention that we are definately not a bilingual country because Quebec is unilingually French -Bill 101 Are they not part of Canada ? Do they not receive over 50% of the $10 million that the Governments distibutes to the provinces on Canada Day? And do they not realize Quebec receives over 60% of the Transfere Payments sent to the poorer provinces?
Canada was cosidered an English speaking country in the early 1800’s but what has made it a dual national now with two languages, and the minor one in control?
When will Canadians realize you can’t have two bosses run a home?
Dot Davies
The problem so far Hailey is that certain council members and certain city staff are all covering each other’s behinds and not enough of the public are calling them on it….yet.
Highlander. You got that right. I’m a perfect example of that. Used to consider myself bilingual and would have checked off the box for having knowledge of both languages but I cannot pass the test so that leaves me unilingual English. Have to wonder what the numbers would be if there was a test.
Seriously Dot, who is this retired accountant who came up with the $19 billion/year cost of bilingualism? I’d like to see his/her figures, and how that cost was arrived at. Can you provide us with more details?
Frustrating…
Blaming bilingualism, and saying it’s a question of choice, and to a point it is. Some are so disgusted with the french language, they move from their home province. Hard headed enough, they want everyone else to learn english so they don’t have to learn french. They want good employment yet they are saying its ok to forgo the needs of nearly 24% of Canada’s population…just as long as they don’t have to learn french, even basic french is too much.
It’s actually more like…
Some are so disgusted with the “English” language , they pass laws (bills 22 & 101) and make their home province of Quebec UNILINGUAL French ONLY (lot’s of love for the English language there). They want everyone else in the ROC (even though their numbers are tiny) to learn French to “accommodate THEM” so they don’t have to learn the the “common language of their own damn country” — English. They have the pick of 100% of the jobs even though they are only 4-8% of the population — Completely unjust and unfair… And, in Quebec it’s completely OK to outlaw (and forgo) the English language even though the English people that live there are still in their own damn country… And all this just so they don’t have to learn English, “the common language” of their own damn country (remember, that’s Canada and NOT Quebec as Quebec is “JUST” a province ha ha… there mes petits) even basic English in order to get along in their own country CANADA where again, the common language is ENGLISH. Try moving to Russia with your tiny 4-8% minority French speaking group and demand that they speak to you in French. They’ll tell you where to go and then tell you you MUST learn the “common language of the COUNTRY you are IN” just as you should do here.
Oh and, remember, have a nice day eh… 🙂
Richard for you this bilingualism debate is about language. For most of us, it is about equality within the hiring field. The only reason why we’re pissed with French is because this catering to the French language practicioners is what is going on with regards to good jobs. And you know what, it’s not even the language nor the Francophone population that is the cause of the problem – it is, in essence, this ‘pushing’ of one linguistic group which is causing a dominance over all the others. It is, in one expression, bad government policy to hire based on language alone. There are countless examples on this site about this occurring everyday! Why is it our focus on the French language? Because this is the langauge that is getting the preferential treatment! If it were English, German, Russian or any other language that was being catered to our efforts would be focused on those other language(s). Hahahah, don’t think there is anything special about your linguistic background that warrants special attention from us! You may think well, if it were preferential service being granted to the English you would be okay with that. Well sir, if that were the case, I would have never, ever offered my protesting services to Stella’s real or imagined friend!
You came on this scene late but there used to be a woman who blogged here that spoke 3 languages and because one of those wasn’t French, she was unable to secure great full time employment. Tell me Richard, what if tomorrow you needed to learn Mandarin? Would you be okay with it? Please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me that you would embrace this wholeheartedly. Something tells me that you would be alongside Jean Lecompte handing out flyers at a public meeting mocking the efforts of LFA, CLF and Howard Galganov. What? You already speak/read/write both French and English and you have a problem with some English speaking people taking an active stance against what they see to be a problematic issue. Do you realize that there are members of the LFA and CLF organizations whose first language isn’t English nor French and they feel the same way about the current situation in hiring practices? What do you say to them? Remember, these are practicioners that have no proclivity towards English nor French and they see a problem with this bad government policy!
I learned French right from an early age and I must admit, what the hell good did it do for me? Who cares? I mean, really, if I had a good paying job then maybe I could say that my parent’s tax dollars were worthwhile but alas, I cannot admit that. It was, is and probably will continue to be a waste of time, effort and money for those learning a second language; unless of course they become a translator. Why is it that the American hospitals have translation services that work wonderfully – with no language listed as a ‘MUST’ within their hiring circles? This is telling in and of itself. They don’t have our problems. Stella once asked why is it that everything was working fine before Dr. Tombler’s letter and Chris Cameron’s nursing protests started and to that I have to admit I had heard in closed circles for years people complaining about the issue; but not knowing what to do about it.
What? All to service one linguistic group? It’s absurd, elitist and simply put, economically, socially, and even politically retarded to prop up one segment of the population like this!
Quebec in the 80’s classified themselves as a ‘distinct’ society. I have a big problem with this. To me, this term’s meaning in this context couldn’t be any clearer – and that is, Quebec sees itself as being ‘entitled’ in comparison to the ROC. And you know what, this snobbery, which, has a large basis in the idea of linguistic domination; has unfortunately crepped into Eastern Ontario.
I can already hear your outcry, Richard! “Bien non, Cory, c’est pas comme ca!” Yes it is Richard. And I can prove it to you many, many times over.
1) French only Health Care Clinics.
2) Hiring of Quebecers (evidenced by cars with Quebec license plates) in many government institutions within the Cornwall area.
3) Publicly funded organizations which ‘protect’ the French culture to the cost of millions per year. The French culture needs no ‘protecting’ and this description is simply a gentle euphemism which in reality isn’t so much protecting as it is ‘imperialism’ in regards to the French culture.
4) The separating, (that’s right) the SEPARATING of French and English schoolchildren from taking the same bus together as requested by the French parents of Alexandria! This last point really, really sickens me by the way. When I heard that, I was very, very ashamed to be a Canadian that day. Had anyone asked if I was a Canadian that day, I would have said NO!
Enough, Enough, Enough.
I’ll fight this bullshit to the end,
You and everyone else reading this have my word.
Cory
Oh, would that $19 billion a year or $1.169 trillion for the past 41 years were spent teaching English to anglophones and French to francophones.
Right on Cory. i’m with ya…
(has to be my shortest post yet) 🙂
@Dot Fuhrman RE: October 29, 2012 at 1:36 pm POST
Dot wrote: “When will Canadians realize you can’t have two bosses run a home?”
BRAVO. Well said Dot. I’m with you too 🙂
@Simon. Would you care to provide a link to the study that shows that Canadians have spent $19 billion each year for forty-one years? I can say that a retired geologist has said that Cornwall is entirely built on a layer of Bravo spaghetti sauce, and actually, that would be more believable.
Great post, Cory. Indeed, this debate is not about the French language per ce, but about a BAD government policy that DENIES EMPLOYMENT to anglos in their own English-majority cities and provinces. It’s absurd! Canadians never agreed on this type of “bilingualism”. We have to demand our politicians repeal this idiocy.
19 billion a year. 1.69 trillion. MAKES NO SENSE.
Corey, you rambling interested me a bit, so I only read bits and pieces. So I’ll be brief.
1) French only Health Care Clinics.
– It fulfills a need plus its a maximum capacity and in a case of an emergency, anglos will get medical care. If you have a laceration on your head, and you go to the clinic, they aren’t going to say. Parle moi en français.
2) Hiring of Quebecers (evidenced by cars with Quebec license plates) in many government institutions within the Cornwall area.
– how would you know you moved…and if no one is qualified for a position and can serve the population, hire anyone. WE are all canadians for god sake.
3) Publicly funded organizations which ‘protect’ the French culture to the cost of millions per year. The French culture needs no ‘protecting’ and this description is simply a gentle euphemism which in reality isn’t so much protecting as it is ‘imperialism’ in regards to the French culture.
4) The separating, (that’s right) the SEPARATING of French and English schoolchildren from taking the same bus together as requested by the French parents of Alexandria!
– I AM ALL FOR THAT. Parents know that it is soooo easy to learn english in our environment. 15 years ago, when my kid was just 4 years old he could already get by speaking fluent english. In an environment where there is an anglophone and five francophones present, chances are they will converse in english. FOR that point corey … YOU HAVE NO IDEA what you’re talking about. I’m happy that your learning french and that you married a french person. BUt chances are, in your own household, english the language mostly spoken. ANd i’d add, probably your wife, when she speaks french with you, she forgets words in french and uses english to get by.
We are getting side tracked here. Bilingulism and the perceived need is the problem. “Need”, “required”, “qualified” what ever you say Richard Tremblay, French is being protected and expanded because of taxpayer money, all taxpayers.
How would we ever get the right number for the actual cost? I guess you could start by adding the salaries/benefits for translators in every level of government, positions such as language coordinators ( Manitoba has 37, Ontario 40), language training ( teachers, classrooms, replacement workers), costs to hiring, duplication of documents and even services (NB wants seperate hospitals with all the trimmings for Eng & Fr). Millions to Francophone groups (are there any taxpayer funded pro English groups?) as well.
Richard tremblay:
Numerous people have been refuses entry into the French only goverment sponsered clinic,of which is against health Canada’s rules .
I guess its alright to break the rules in the interest of francophones as this is a common occurrence with the charter of rights and freedoms with the notwithstanding clause.
So Richard your all for separating the students?
Do you realize what you agree with is segregation ?
So do you think we shoul have separate water fountains and bathrooms?
So where’s the inclusion that we
Ed, I think the point is there has been alot of money thrown at this.
http://www.freealberta.com/language.html talks about it being in the governments best interest to play down the amounts, but even the Spicer report on bilingualism talks about 10 billion a year.
Sorry posted accidentaly .so continues.
So where is the inclusion of francophone society that we have heard so much of .
So Inclusion with exception -English must except french ,but French with limitations accept English?
Well that’s what happen’s in Quebec ,English is treated as a second class citizen even with 2 out of 10 speak the language.
Yet in Ontario Francophones demand inclusion across Ontario with 1 in every 27 being francophone.
Yet across the province of Ontario the push is on to hire bilingual,federally it’s 65 % francophone hires?
Annnnnnnnnnnnndddd the spin continues, right Richard.
Thanks good sir for acknowledging to myself and the good readers here at CFN that indeed sir, you are a bigot…..
I wrote,
“4) The separating, (that’s right) the SEPARATING of French and English schoolchildren from taking the same bus together as requested by the French parents of Alexandria!”
to which you replied,
“- I AM ALL FOR THAT. Parents know that it is soooo easy to learn english in our environment. 15 years ago, when my kid was just 4 years old he could already get by speaking fluent english. In an environment where there is an anglophone and five francophones present, chances are they will converse in english. FOR that point corey … YOU HAVE NO IDEA what you’re talking about. I’m happy that your learning french and that you married a french person. BUt chances are, in your own household, english the language mostly spoken. ANd i’d add, probably your wife, when she speaks french with you, she forgets words in french and uses english to get by.”
Glad to see that you endorce segregation, Richard. When I woke up this morning and read your comment, I thought, once again to my chagrin, I am not proud to be a Canadian and I cannot believe we live in the same country, you and I. My Canada includes a multicultural and diverse background with friends from many
different cultural backgrounds whom I respect deeply. My Aboriginal friends aren’t coercing me to speak a language I don’t need to get by in work or life; neither are my Indian nor Pakistani nor African friends.
Need to highlight something else here you wrote:
“FOR that point corey … YOU HAVE NO IDEA what you’re talking about. I’m happy that your learning french and that you married a french person. BUt chances are, in your own household, english the language mostly spoken. ANd i’d add, probably your wife, when she speaks french with you, she forgets words in french and uses english to get by.”
I find it very telling indeed sir that your ‘happy’ that I’m learning French and that I married a French person. Why would you care if I married a French person or not. Oh yes, yes I digress, all part of the Franco cause of assimilation, right? For what other reason would my marrying a French woman cause you such a level of happiness? The only reason why your ‘happy’ with me speaking French in my household 55% of the time is because I can now be of service to you and your ilk in your native tongue sometime, somewhere and somehow.
As far as my wife forgetting words in French, well like most people who read my comments here, they know that I hate to answer questions for somebody else. I’ll tell you what, I’ll let her answer that question for you at a later time.
Things that make you go hymmmmmmmmm,
Cory
The figures “$19 Billion a year or $1.169 trillion for the past 41 years. ” come from an earlier post (Dot Fuhrman on October 29, 2012 at 1:36 pm).
Those numbers were either pulled out of a hat or at the very least, completely mangled and out of context. They’re inventions.
Richard Tremblay
Are you sure they will not refuse service to Anglos? I believe a clinic in Cornwall has already come under scrutiny for just that offence.
If the French culture needs no protection, why do they want, at the costs of billions to all Canadians, to be known as a distinct society?
They are not even French n the truest form. The people refuse to speak English yet their own language is franglais?
Why should anyone care to save a langue its own people do not speak!!
@ Simon and Dot. For an argument to be taken seriously, facts should be presented with some backup. $19 billion per year for 41 years is just silly.
Ed
October 30, 2012 at 8:31 am
November 19 ,2010
Jim S Allan a respected governmental financial researcher
accrued the costs of bilingualism from 1969 to march 31/2010
costs $ 1,169,000,000,000 .
The Canadian Taxpayer Federation and The Fraser Institute have indicated that is the Federal costs only with the costs provincially plus private costs added to this :its estimate is $ 3,507,000,000,000