In what has to be one of the most bizarre and strange quotes, Liberal hopeful Justin Trudeau has weighed in and said if made Prime Minister he’d push for Bilingual judges on the Supreme Court.
His exact quote from Global News;
It’s not just a question of symbolism of being a bilingual country and expecting that our prime minister and our most important adjudicators and judges be bilingual.
It’s more than that.
Imagine a situation in which those nine judges are in their chambers discussing a case as regularly happens, the fact is that if all of them are to be able to understand each other in their desired mother tongue, they have to be able to follow along that conversation without having to have the inference of translation and all that.
I understand deeply how much when you’re in a room where everyone speaks English but nobody or only a few people speak French, how the French speakers end up having to use their second language and can be at a disadvantage. And we want to make sure that the message of Canada being a country in which French and English are truly the official equal languages that anyone can be reassured that all the arguments will be properly understood by everyone on the Supreme Court.
Imagine? Doesn’t our justice system from coast to coast have enough problems without dropping that bomb? That’s like voting for Bill C-51?! Holy inherit your dad’s looks and mom’s brains!
The Supreme Court should have our finest legal minds. That should be the sole criteria. Nada, nothing, not a speck of anything else. We have those headphone thingy’s for translation at the UN if necessary and if our country can spend millions translating Canada Council applications it can translate whatever a judge needs.
And that means there’s nothing wrong with a unlingual Francophone judge if that person is at the top of the judiciary food chain.
Quebec clearly has not embraced Mr. Trudeau’s vision for bilingualism so why force the rest of Canada to?
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Photo: facebook Justin Trudeau smiling with drunk driver and deadbeat Mike Bedard in Cornwall Ontario
I just voted for bilingualism and I am 100% and more behind bilingualism. Just lately presidential candidate Jeb Bush spoke both English and Spanish in the US and anybody who says that bilingualism is not import is the nut. If you go to B.C. you (as a Canadian) are being replaced with Mandarin and Cantonese. If you do not have bilingualism and trilingualism, etc. then you are left behind. I am 100% and much more behind bilingualism. If you are not bilingual here in Ottawa and many places you are literally screwed.
You nailed it Jules!
Hilarious
So not only are u losing skilled experienced nurses to less skilled new French grads your going to lose judges wisdom and experience over language!
If everyone spoke the primary language, life would be easy- and cheaper. My tax dollars going to extra signage on roads and highways…if I have to move to BC for work, I then have to learn ANOTHER language!
Come on folks- this is getting rediculous. Speak English, like the majority of the planet.
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Tracy, I know life is tough, but speaking more than one language never killed anyone. In fact, proficiency in a few languages usually leads to better payed employment.
I am not against bilingualism, however, I am against forced bilingualism on the majority. Skills & experience are taking a back seat to language.To many French,especially in Quebec, bilingualism means French only. I have friends in Montreal who speak 3 languages & understand a 4th but they too are thinking of getting out & moving on.
And what is the point of accommodating in the rest of Canada if Quebec is going to stay unlingual French? I don’t begrudge Quebec that choice as it clearly seems to be what the public wishes. I just think that the rest of the public in Canada should have that option to weigh in too rather than have one leader demand that SC Justices be bilingual.
Why is a minority given such power? There is only one official bilingual province in Canada and that’s New Brunswick. And the main reason New Brunswick is bankrupt is because of bilingualism.
The language commissioner {MODERATED} the cabinet ministers are {MODERATED} along with the premier, who’s rating by the way is now at 27%, 2nd worst in Canada among premiers, all because the forced french on a province with nearly 80% English. No jobs unless you can speak french . Lots of government contracts going to Quebec, and the English leaving in droves to find work in other provinces. Trudeau is an embarrassment to his party and Canada. A CONservative in Liberal clothing. Hopefully he along with Harper will be history come election time.
Common sense is not a language it is a cognitive power. A day and age when universal translators operate in real time effortlessly in the majority of languages signifies that we should have embraced common sense. Justin Trudeau seems to be stuck in days gone by. Not real inspiring of a young man who wants to bring Canada into the future. A very small percentage of Canadians speak Quebec french to begin with and most are regionalized.
Quebec courts provincially can exercise their linguistic options unrestricted. In the rest of Canada I personally would hope that we put common sense and the law ahead of ridiculous political maneuvering. Give your head a shake Justin these side bars to your political campaign will not serve your aspirations well I fear.
Given that the Supreme Court of Canada is comprised of nine judges one bilingual judge would be more than representative of the Quebec french speaking population.
SCC reports are produced simultaneously in English and french (braille in both official languages as well) Pamphlets are produced in twelve languages. Canadians maintain the right since 1970 of having their case heard in either official language.
Yes Mr. Trudeau we are simply not doing enough. Right.
Why is a minority given such power? Easy answer really, because it’s Quebec. The federal government continues to bend over for Quebec. And because of that the rest of us get screwed. I wanted to use a stronger word, but know that Jamie would have {MODERATED} it.
Young Trudeau is fast becoming a walking contradiction. Greater fairness, in his opinion, is needed in the electoral process yet unbalanced representation in our highest court he considers fair. ??? His handlers need to get together more often otherwise the image of a puppet is going to be his downfall.
This is absolutely ridiculous!! The person best qualified for the job should be in the position – period!! Time to quit accommodating Quebec and consider the rest of Canada. If Canadians was watching – Mr. Trudeau just shot himself in the foot again!!
Having the nine Supreme Court judges proficient in both our official languages doesn’t seem at all outrageous to me. As far as blunders go, this isn’t even on the scale as compared to supporting bill C-51, or bringing on (Chief) Bill Blair and Eve Adams to run as Lib candidates.
Furtz I agree it isn’t that outrageous it just simply doesn’t make any sense. Eve Adams still gets my vote for the number one slot. Bill C-51 wasn’t so much a blunder as an necessity as it separated Trudeau from Mulcair so that he looked more like a Liberal candidate than an NDP candidate. He has to be concerned with loosing potential votes to the NDP party as it would simply split the vote and likely only assist the conservatives and your buddy Harper.
Bill C-51 was a necessity?? Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know, David. Supporting Harper’s repressive bill to differentiate himself from Mulcair seems pretty bone-headed to me. And when he did it, he took a big hit in the polls. You were correct in a previous comment re the merging of the Libs and Dippers. Regardless, it looks like the Harper Cons will be going down in flames this fall.
I still love how Harper himself didn’t vote on C 51 leaving Justin as the only Federal leader that did.
Furtz… considering your feeling that Justin made a bone-headed move supporting Bill C-51 are you not concerned that votes may simply split on the left and end up with Mulcair and the NDP thereby securing the NDP’s continued status as the opposition to another minority or majority conservative government? Personally I see a merger as the only viable way to give the left the strength to be other than a voice of opposition.
Harper must have been getting his spring bikini wax that day.
David, I agree that the Libs and Dippers should merge or at least agree to a coalition if required to form the next government. Let’s hope the over-inflated egos don’t get in the way. Either way, I’m I’m pretty sure that Harper will be kicking his lunch-pail down the road in October. Canadians, including a lot of conservatives, have had more than enough of him.
Furtz wouldn’t that interfere with the NDP and Harper coalition? 🙂
Actually, Jamie, for the seven years that the Harper Cons had minority rule, it was the Libs who kept them in power by supporting every confidence bill. The Libs were the Official Opposition, but they never opposed. And that’s why they sank to third place in the last election. Now they have an apparent air-head for a leader who just supported one of Dear Leader’s most oppressive and regressive bills!
No wonder Mulcair seems so jovial and happy these days.
Having bilingual judges as a requirement in a country where the French Population is just under 13% is unnecessary. Should we have some? Maybe. But you just limited both very capable English or French only speaking judges who’s experience and knowledge because of their ability to speak a language? That’s like sending in raw recruits on a critical mission best suited for the JTF2 or paramedics refresh out of schooling instead of one’s with 10+ years experience.
Just under 13%? That’s funny!
Don’t forget the NDP also want this. http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=4327490
The Supreme Court has been around since 1875, how many times did they screw up a decision because they missed a subtle point in language interpretation?
To be fair to all Canadians, all should be able to attain this level of job, all should be able to be fair to minorities and majority in decisions, and a fair representation of all provinces needs to be considered.
More and more, it appears that Canadians need a discussion and review of language laws.
if our country is bilingual why isn’t Quebec?
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Chris…federal services must be available in both official languages and have been for some 45 years. Provincial bilingualism is completely voluntary. Quebec has chosen to remain unilingual as have the majority of Canada’s provinces and territories.
The Charter allows for communication with the government, but no where does it say everyone needs to be bilingual. It would be reasonable for a few judges and workers to be bilingual, but those percentages are beyond reasonable.
Communications by public with federal institutions
20. (1) Any member of the public in Canada has the right to communicate with, and to receive available services from, any head or central office of an institution of the Parliament or government of Canada in English or French, and has the same right with respect to any other office of any such institution where
(a) there is a significant demand for communications with and services from that office in such language; or
(b) due to the nature of the office, it is reasonable that communications with and services from that office be available in both English and French.
Eric, I’m totally outraged that I will never be appointed as a Supreme Court justice because I’m not proficient in both of our official languages! Life ain’t fair, I tell ya! Right now, I’m actively looking to move to a uni-lingual English tropical island where I don’t have to pay taxes. Life in Canada really is a PITA.