Should RCMP officers be fired for not knowing french?

[1967100]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language. Perosnally, I am absolutely appalled at how negative English Canada sees the French. They don't take the time to learn Canada's second language and expects the government to give everything to them at the expense of French Canadians.

[kimmy]

Considering the difficulties that law enforcement agencies are having recruiting quality applicants in many areas (last time I was in Edmonton, there were billboards literally begging people to apply for the city police force...) I think it'll be a boon to English-speaking cities if a bunch of experienced RCMP officers suddenly became available for hire.

However, the prospect of firing otherwise-qualified RCMP officers because they can't speak French makes me ill. Wouldn't a simpler solution be to designate areas where French fluency is required, then just not post anglophone RCMP officers there?

It appears that police forces are having a hard enough time recruiting qualified English speaking officers. If they limit their hiring to fluently bilingual applicants, I can hardly wait to see how far they have to lower the bar to get enough applicants. I am picturing a new Police Academy movie in the making.

-k

[joan]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language. Perosnally, I am absolutely appalled at how negative English Canada sees the French. They don't take the time to learn Canada's second language and expects the government to give everything to them at the expense of French Canadians.

Link please?

I believe you are exaggerating. They wouldn't lay them off, just reassign them where necessary.

[kimmy]

Good point, Joan. The only news items I've found relating to the issue relate to a bilingual Saskatchewan man contesting a speeding ticket because he requested to be served with the ticket in French.

zzzzz

-k

[seabee]

This isolated incident might nevertheless have interesting repercussions if it ever goes to court.

[Drea]

Good point, Joan. The only news items I've found relating to the issue relate to a bilingual Saskatchewan man contesting a speeding ticket because he requested to be served with the ticket in French.

zzzzz

-k

Speeding tickets don't have both french and english?

Strange.

Everything in Canada (with printed text on it) has both languages so I assumed that a speeding ticket would have both too.

[kimmy]

Speeding tickets don't have both french and english?

Strange.

Everything in Canada (with printed text on it) has both languages so I assumed that a speeding ticket would have both too.

He wasn't talking about what was printed on the ticket, he was talking about the language spoken by the RCMP officer. He requested that the RCMP officer interview him in French (even though he himself is fluent in English.)

An article: http://www.newstalk980.com/incoming/200801...lingual-isnt-it

-k

[gc1765]

I agree with kimmy

[kimmy]

This isolated incident might nevertheless have interesting repercussions if it ever goes to court.

Well, if it does, look forward to lawbreakers coast to coast blurtint out "en francaise, si vous plais?" in hopes of overturning the arrest just like Mr Bell is doing.

-k

[Moxie]

There is an easy fix, and most Canadians agree, scrap the Official Bilingual Act. There is absolutely no need for RCMP officers in Canada to know French because 12 percent (that stat is old) of the Country speaks it. Arabic, Chinese perhaps but French hell no, Quebec and NB are the only truely Franco provinces. Why should taxpayers be one the hook to train officers to learn french when the over welming majority in Canada don't speak the language.

[BC_chick]

I take d) only in Quebec. (where it's the official language of the province)

[fellowtraveller]

none of the above.

There is no need for the rank and file RCMP to speak French in Quebec, since Quebec has chosen to have their own highway and general police force called the QPP. They may speak whatever they choose, though I expect it will be French unilingual since French is the official language of Quebec.

The only bilingual province is New Brunswick, and they do have RCMP as highway cops, so they should be bilingual.

Otherwise- English only is required.

There, problem solved and that should ease recrutiing.

[Wilber]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language. Perosnally, I am absolutely appalled at how negative English Canada sees the French. They don't take the time to learn Canada's second language and expects the government to give everything to them at the expense of French Canadians.

If so it would only be a matter of time before the RCMP would be gone from community policing in BC and there would be a provincial force. Probably the same result in some other provinces. The RCMP is having a tough enough time meeting the requirements of municipalities now. It would be impossible of this sort of nonsense was applied. When it comes to provincial and municipal policing, the province and municipality are the customers, they are paying the bill and it is their requirements and needs which are important. Not those of some twits in Ottawa and Quebec.

[Leafless]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language. Perosnally, I am absolutely appalled at how negative English Canada sees the French. They don't take the time to learn Canada's second language and expects the government to give everything to them at the expense of French Canadians.

Beats me why majority English provinces don't learn from Quebec and declare themselves 'OFFICIALLY ENGLISH SPEAKING'.

This would take care of federal discrimination against majority English speaking citizens of Canada except for residents of New Brunswick.

[geoffrey]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language.

Bullshit. Link please?

[Argus]

Beats me why majority English provinces don't learn from Quebec and declare themselves 'OFFICIALLY ENGLISH SPEAKING'.

Because that would be bigoted and insensitive to minorities.

Quebec is allowed to be bigoted, of course, because they call themselves a minority. It seems any amount of anti-English - or for that matter, anti-ethnic racial arrogance from the French is acceptable and merely gets categorized as "nationalism" wheras the slightest opposition is instantly labelled anti-French bigotry.

[Leafless]

Because that would be bigoted and insensitive to minorities.

Quebec is allowed to be bigoted, of course, because they call themselves a minority. It seems any amount of anti-English - or for that matter, anti-ethnic racial arrogance from the French is acceptable and merely gets categorized as "nationalism" wheras the slightest opposition is instantly labelled anti-French bigotry.

What Quebec is doing then could be seen as uncivilized.

They are obviously unfit to share the country in a democratic manner and in a manner that reflects even discriminatory federal aspirations.

The only solution is to restrict the use of the French language to Quebec.

[AngusThermopyle]

This is just getting silly now.

First this Bell fellow should be taken out back of the barn and bitch slapped silly till he smartened up. Next, why the hell should I or anyone else learn a language that is on the decline world wide when they'll never use it? I also think the brakes should be sharply applied to French bigotry.

[capricorn]

There is an easy fix, and most Canadians agree, scrap the Official Bilingual Act.

Although I'm a french speaking ontarian, I hope that's what Bernard Lord will recommend to the government. Well I can dream can't I?

There is absolutely no need for RCMP officers in Canada to know French because 12 percent (that stat is old) of the Country speaks it.

Moxie, today that percentage is closer to around 26%.

This is just zealotry on the part of this character Bell.

We have quite a few of these language zealots here in Ottawa. One filed a complaint because bus drivers are not calling out the stops in both french and english. What a load of bull. How do you translate street names? If I want to get off at William street, all the driver has to announce is "William". This same guy got a $6,000.00 settlement from Air Canada because he could not order a soft drink in french.

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegio...797328-sun.html

[Leafless]

Moxie, today that percentage is closer to around 26%.

If you are saying 26% of Canadians outside of Quebec speak French, then please provide that link or cite other proof.

[capricorn]

If you are saying 26% of Canadians outside of Quebec speak French, then please provide that link or cite other proof.

That's not what I said. Moxie said she thought at one time 12% of the CANADIAN population speak french. I said nationally about 26% speak french. In fact, the 2006 census says 22.1% report french as their mother tongue, representing a decline over past years.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/stor...46-8cc05091ca60

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that the majority of the 22.1% reside in Quebec.

[acer1982]

I dealt with this in my job on a municipal level. They never laid off those who could only speak one language - but they only hired those who were bilingual. Oh - did I mention that there's no french speaking people in this area??

I think that is has to come down to the area that the officers are in. An RCMP officer that speaks chinese and english instead of french and english is more valuable in BC. I know chinese is not an offical canadian language - but that's bureaucracy. It could easily be that way if the house of commons chose to make it one. The fact is that canada is so multi cultural now that recognizing 2 and only 2 languages could inhibit the ability of the RCMP to hire the best man for any given job.

[Pliny]

The RCMP is thinking about having all their officers know both official languages and laying off those who can't speak at least half-decent French, the Canadian official language. Perosnally, I am absolutely appalled at how negative English Canada sees the French. They don't take the time to learn Canada's second language and expects the government to give everything to them at the expense of French Canadians.

Can I have some free french lessons, please?

[Pliny]

Mr. Bell is really lucky. There was this Polish guy at the Vancouver airport and they couldn't find any one that spoke Polish and.........

Edited January 29, 2008 by Pliny

[Pat Coghlan]

Hiring managers should have to certify in writing the number of hours that the minority language must be used before being permitted to classify a job as bilingual.

This would accomplish two things: 1) A metric - subject to challenges by employees - to demonstrate why the minority language requirement is required (currently, there is NO scrutiny of such decisions by hiring managers) and 2) A reduction in the number of positions currently classified as bilingual, since a metric below, say 1 hour per week, is not sufficient justification for the requirement, nor is it sufficient to RETAIN the minority language.