MacKay has plenty of time to correct his French, but he better hit the books

Canadians would never support a prime minister who could not speak English. So why would we think it’s okay to elect a prime minister who fumbles his French?

Unlike Rempel Garner, Peter MacKay, pictured, understands the importance of a leader who can reach out in both official languages. The ability to bridge the two solitudes gave Progressive Conservative leaders like Brian Mulroney successive majority governments.The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Opinion

BY SHEILA COPPS

February 3, 2020

OTTAWA—Jean Chrétien did not speak a word of English when he was first elected to Parliament at the age of 30. But he understood that to participate fully in Canada’s political process you need to speak both official languages. In the end, his command of English opened up the top job in the c...

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