Whenever Canadians elsewhere downplay the importance of French, an incipient paranoia raises its head among nationalists.
Air Canada is subject to the Official Languages Act, and its CEO, Michael Rousseau, will retire after facing numerous complaints for not communicating in French, following a condolence video for two Canadian pilots who died on March 22. Commissioner Kelly Burke says the scope of the reaction shows ‘official languages are highly valued in this country.’
In a province obsessed with the status of French, this controversy will boost Bloc fortunes in the federal byelection in Terrebonne, and also assist the separatist Parti Québécois in its quest to form government after the fall provincial election.
In the wake of the airline leader’s unilingual message following a tragedy, bilingualism, or a lack thereof, was a costume for political opportunism.
Despite being thousands of kilometres from Quebec, the territory’s francophone community is meeting the challenge of building a bilingual society.
Kelly Burke, the nominee to become the next official language commissioner, says her goal in that position is ‘substantive equality’ between French and English across Canada.
The so-called Quebec ‘Constitution’ legislation doesn’t respect international law or the Canadian Constitution, and is a threat to the province’s English-speaking community.
François Legault consistently failed over his two mandates to fulfill his promise of being the ‘premier of all Quebecers.’
As of last March, 84 freelance interpreters were covering Parliament Hill. Only 37 such bids were received by the first deadline for submissions under its new standing offer.
The newly published contract terms for freelance interpreters on the Hill maintain a shift to prioritizing offers by ‘lowest evaluated price.’
Changes to contract rules for freelance interpreters may lead to their mass exodus from the Hill, and a troubling decline in quality, according to a group representing these workers.
The Legault government’s document is a fantasy, especially when it comes to Quebec’s non-francophone population.
Proposed changes to procuring official language interpretation services would reduce their quality and availability on Parliament Hill.
Language training is a budget line that can be seen as extraneous, but Commissioner Raymond Théberge says reduced training could ‘severely impact’ managers who now are required to have higher second-language levels.
Canada stands to lose more than revenue and jobs. We are losing a sector that strengthens our identity, boosts productivity, and fosters diverse communities.
Parliament must update the Copyright Act so that Canadian creators are compensated when their works are used for education.
Recent court decisions have recognized that English-speaking Quebecers are a unique community, with our own important institutions, and we need more of this.
Make no mistake. Trump has designs on the cultural and linguistic foundations of our nation. But are Canada’s political leaders ready to defend our bilingual character, to say nothing about standing up for Indigenous languages and cultures?
Although the Montreal Canadiens have fewer Quebecers than in the past, it continues to be the standard-bearer of French Canada.
Along with signs of a rightward turn in government, there is the use of anonymous complaints against businesses and individuals.
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says it’s important to complete her mandate, but Carleton journalism professor Chris Waddell says he’s ‘not sure this will survive much longer than the announcement.’
The failure of our leaders to acknowledge the legitimate grievances of anglophone Quebecers is a sign of indifference and intolerance.
ITK President Natan Obed says the inclusion of Inuktut on the translation platform can empower Inuit to ‘interact more fully in the digital world.’
The new legislation deliberately avoids providing the same boost for English speakers in Quebec as it does for francophones in the rest of Canada.
Longtime DJ Marc Denis says his objective has always been ‘to bring the ‘Two Solitudes’ together through radio.’
