Has the Language Police gone too far?

[JWayne625]

I just heard a news story where our Official Language Commissioner is attempting to force unilingual private businesses into spending money to provide bilingual signs, and services, just becuase their business happens to be located in a facility owned by the Federal Government. That makes about as much sense as requiring a business to adopt Bill 101 provisions, if the building happens to be owned by a Quebecois, regardless of where it is located. At some point the morons in charge of the zoo will have to come to the realization that regardless of how much money they throw at bilingualism it will never become a reality, simply because the language of commerce the world over is English, not French.

This policy was never meant to be enforced on private companies not doing business with the federal government, or was it? New Brunswick wasn't happy with having a federal language commissioner, Bernard Lord felt we didn't already have enough bureacracy in New Brunswick so last year he appointed his own language policeman in Mr. Carrier. Now we have stop signs in my city that say STOP and ARRET. If someone isn't smart enough to be able to recognize a Stop sign by it's shape, maybe they shouldn't be driving, because the STOP sign shape is universal. What a colossal waste of money!

I grew up and lived most of my life in New Brunswick and as far as French goes I remember how to say cat, dog, the door, the window, hello, but basically the rest is gone. Why, because I have had no inclination to learn more, and no opportunity to use what little I had learned. Yes I live in New Brunswick, and although our Provincial Government would have Canadian's believe that New Brunswick is a bilingual province, and everything is great, the reality is something quite different. Their paradigm is just wishful thinking. Even our former Education Minister, Elvy Robichaud stated that,

" The French Immersion Program was never intended nor expected to produce fluently bilingual graduates."

Now if that is true why have we wasted $billions on a program that is not expected to do what it was promoted to accomplish.

The reality is that bilingualism in Canada has been a very expensive endeavor that was doomed to failure before it even got started because it is impossible, to legislate language. As long as people have free-will they are going to speak and write the language that they are most comfortable with, and since the language of business the world over happens to be English, it makes sense to educate our children in English. Our largest trading partners, whether from the other side of the Canada / US border, Europe, or Asia, they all use English as a common language.

[maplesyrup]

The stop signs in Quebec have been changed, and now just say WWT, which is an abbreviation for

"Woa Woa Tabernac"

[JWayne625]

I was wonder what that meant,

[Big Blue Machine]

Bilingualism isn't a waste of money, with out Quebec would feel more isolated to the rest of Canada. I know some people in the West hate it, because there aren't many French people on that way, except in Manitoba.

[Stoker]

Bilingualism isn't a waste of money, with out Quebec would feel more isolated to the rest of Canada. I know some people in the West hate it, because there aren't many French people on that way, except in Manitoba.

We must not let Quebec get upset right Whats the worst they could do......leave?

[Big Blue Machine]

You don't care about Quebec seperatism, do you? How would you feel if you had to learn english in a basicly french area, because the other people across the country speak english. Wouldn't you want to learn the language of your area that you will use daily instead of the language you will never use.

[caesar]

Well if you are someday wanting to work anywhere in the world; English is a basic language to know. Not so with French these days. Besides Canadian French is quite different than Parisienne French.

I just read a strange fact the other day. More people in China can speak English than those in the USA

[Big Blue Machine]

Ya, but there are alot of people in China.

[Stoker]

You don't care about Quebec seperatism, do you?

Actually I do care........... for a number of reasons....I'm a big believer in freedom and democracy, and if a majority of Quebers want to leave, thats their democratic right.

Also, IMHO by Quebec leaving, I hope that will bring about greater talk of western separation.

How would you feel if you had to learn english in a basicly french area, because the other people across the country speak english. Wouldn't you want to learn the language of your area that you will use daily instead of the language you will never use.

Tough titty. The English (well United Kingdom) beat the French. The French people should be greatfull that the Empire allowed them to retain their language, culture and religion..........I don't know if the same could be said for the British settlers if the French had of won.......the rest as they say is history.

Now if Quebec wants to leave, fine let them. If they want to stay, they shouldn't be able to put the ROC over the barrel.

[takeanumber]

I grew up and lived most of my life in New Brunswick and as far as French goes I remember how to say cat, dog, the door, the window, hello, but basically the rest is gone. Why, because I have had no inclination to learn more, and no opportunity to use what little I had learned. Yes I live in New Brunswick, and although our Provincial Government would have Canadian's believe that New Brunswick is a bilingual province, and everything is great, the reality is something quite different. Their paradigm is just wishful thinking. Even our former Education Minister, Elvy Robichaud stated that,

I'm just waiting for the day that the last of the Leonard Jones types dies off already.

It says in the Constitution that New Brunswick is billingual.

The MAJORITY of New Brunswickers are billingual.

Most counties have a high ratio of francophones.

With the exception of the heretics living in Charlotte County and the drunks out on Grand Mannan, most of the province is in fact billingual.

The Robichaud policies won.

COR is dead.

Get over it.

[Cartman]

Cdns are sophisticated enough to realize that knowing more languages is better than knowing only part of one. In Alberta, there is tremendous demand for FSL classes and it often outstrips supply (waiting lists exist). I wonder if that surprises people from outside the province?

Of course, there is a difference between learning a language and a culture to prosper (not just economically) and being forced to do so for no apparent reason other than to erect cultural barriers. It is shameful when culture is intentionally used to generate hate.

[Big Blue Machine]

What's a clear majority to you people? I think a clear majority should be 55/45 or 60/40.

If Quebec seperates, they won't have a free trade deal with the USA. They will have to negotiate all over again

[Cartman]

A "majority" is 50% and over. Perhaps a "clear majority" is 60-65%?

[seabee]

If the Québec government were to hold a referendum on the question: " Should Québec remain in the federal Dominion of Canada " , a clear majority should be 60 to 65%.

In the last Québec referendum, the "no" side did not win by a clear majority, so the government was not justified in recognizing it.

[JWayne625]

TakeANumber; As for New Brunswick, stats show that far less than 25% of New Brunswicker's are bilingual,and that is a far cry from a majority. That includes even those who have graduated from French Immersion Programs because only a very small percentage of these graduates qualify as fluent in the French language, and thus qualify for consideration for government employment. THe vast majority are classified as having only a working knowledge of the French language according to the former Education Mininster, Elvy Robichaud, and also by the Director of Second Language Training for the Department of Education. Her comment was something to the effect that it surprised her that student who have been enrolled in French Immersion from K to Grade 9 would consider themselves to be fluently bilingual. It was in that same article that Elvy Robichaud stated that " The French Immersion Program was not designed nor expected to produce fluently bilingual graduates." If that is not the goal of the French Immersion Program, than what is the goal of the Program. It was sold to the English speaking people of New Brunswick as the way to create a level playing field for graduates of both the English and French Programs to compete equally for jobs designated as requiring FLUENCY in both Official Languages. But we now have a situation where you will that government has changed the rules of the game again and now requires anyone seeking promotion above a certain level to be bilingual. This has quickly created a situation whereby just about every deparment head within the government mysteriously has a French last name. My self I don't call that a level playing field, I call it like I see it Affirmative Action, and by any other name is descrimination.

Saint John for instance the 1996 Cencus states less that 5% of Saint John resident's mother tongue to be French. Media Digest 2001 - 2003 shows the cultural diversity of Saint John as 1.67% French. I am quoting from a letter written by one Jacques LeBlanc, who is an Acadian, who speaks French. He said, and I quote from his letter which appeared in the Telegraph Journal, "Health care, police, fire services, lifeguards, and lower taxes are far more important services for the citizens of Saint John than language. Saint John cannot afford this unnecessary expense of providing bilingual services when the numbers do not warrant it." He went on to state that many French people he has spoken to feel exactly the same way. That is a service that is not required, because they keep their language and culture alive by speaking French at home and teaching their children the language at home.

Obviously some people have a problem with Leonard Jones, the former Mayor of Moncton, NB, but one thing he was right about. He thought that all students should be taught both languages equally all through school, only by doing that will all of our children be able to speak both languages upon graduation. Instead we now have virtually 3 separate education systems in New Brunswick. We have the French, English, and French Immersion. All three doing their own thing, and none producing fluently bilingual graduates. What we have instead created in New Brunswick is segregation based on language. We have French students riding on their own buses in Saint John, because God forbid they be corrupted by an English speaking driver. We even had the head of Ecole Samuel de Champlain state that some of his students can't speak English as the rationale for the separate buses, but these student live and play in Saint John, NB, basically a unilingual city where it would be next to impossible to function without speaking the English language. Give me a break!

[Big Blue Machine]

Ontario has a lagre francophone population but the legistature isn't bilingual.