The old Red Rose tea ads on TV used to say, "Only in Canada? Pity." That could sum up the argument over how much French was used in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics last Friday.
After complaints by federal Heritage Minister James Moore and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, it has now been announced that Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser will launch a formal investigation into the use of the French language in the ceremonies. You have to be kidding me.
To Canadians who have not been fully bathed in official Ottawa or are not fully versed in the fact the French is one of the official languages of the International Olympic Committee, Friday's ceremonies likely had just enough French or for many far too much. These are after all the games billed as Vancouver 2010. We had a pop song by Garou, a speech in French by IOC President Jacques Rogge, an oath read out for all officials and every single announcement made in French first. At least that's how it appeared to those of us following along at home on television, but for official Ottawa and language zealots in Quebec, anything short of a word for word parity is giving the short end of the stick to French and of course the many voters all the federal parties covet in Quebec.
I could go on about how the Francophone population of British Columbia is tiny, or point out that Francophones make up just 22% of Canada's population but all of that would be brushed aside by Canada's official bilingualism and the buckets of money the federal government have poured into these games. Instead, let's turn to one of the main complainants, Jean Charest, and see how he conducts himself.
Few people in this country have attended a Jean Charest news conference, I unfortunately have attended several. While Charest calls for greater bilingualism at the games, during his own news conferences he follows what is called in Quebec, "protocol." Protocol is a system whereby Francophone reporters usually have a chance to exhaust all the questions they have and then at the end 2 or 3 English questions are allowed before Charest leaves. Consider it a linguistic apartheid for reporters. Charest is not alone in using this, the system is widespread.
At one news conference I attended sometime around 2001, the Montreal municipal politician that called the news conference noted that the subject matter was regarding the English community; the overwhelming majority of the reporters were Anglos so he said he would start in English. That didn't go over well. The two Francophone reporters present banged on tables and shouted until the official, looking shaken, recanted and began in French. Whether at city or provincial levels in Quebec, you cannot break the protocol, I've tried and been ignored but if Jean Charest were truly interested in giving the languages equal billing he would buck the trend, he doesn't.
It also cannot help but strike me as strange that Charest has commented that he is happy with the French signage at the games. This from the man who leads a province that once used the notwithstanding clause of the constitution to uphold a bigoted sign law and still requires French to be larger than English or any other language on commercial signs.
Charest is not alone in using linguistic politics to curry favour with voters, politicians at the federal level fall over themselves to do the same. While Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton give speeches and refer to "Canadians," they use a different term when speaking in French in Quebec. Most Canadians would likely be outraged to know that the people who lead or seek to lead our national government refer to "Canadians and Quebecers" when speaking in French in Quebec, having travelled the country listening to these speeches, it is not a note of reference accorded to other provinces.
The fight over language is normally a proxy fight for votes, often the votes of Francophones in different parts of Quebec and this case is no different. In reacting so quickly to the opening ceremonies, saying there was not enough French; Heritage Minister James Moore was just trying to get out ahead of his critics in the opposition parties. Yet these political games have consequences including the now launched investigation. Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser, being a denizen of Official Ottawa and given his comments so far, we know he will find fault somewhere with the Vancouver Organizing Committee, a report will be filed and the tut-tutting will begin all over again. Only in Canada you say? Pity.
Brian Lilley is the Ottawa Bureau Chief for radio stations Newstalk 1010 in Toronto and CJAD 800 in Montreal. Follow Brian on Twitter to get the latest as it happens.
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Comments
Simple if they want French then go back to France, just leave the Poutine recipe
Nest will be a formal investigation complaining there weren't enough native (aboriginal? indian? first nations?) dancers at the opening ceremonies.
Oh Canada, we truly are an aggrieved people!
How do the complaints of these crybabies ever gain any traction?
You can't blame Moore's comments on the opposition. He was trying to appease Quebec, just as the Harper government has been doing in an effort to patch together a majority government.
When Quebec stops discriminating against the English speaking minority and when the federal government stops discriminating against English speaking civil servants in Ottawa then maybe their complaints can be taken seriously. Perhaps at some point Canadians will stand up against this social engineering experiment called official bilingualism which has wasted billions of dollars and insist it stop. Quebec is one of 10 provinces, no better, no worse.
You're right that there was adequate French during the more "official" parts of the ceremonies. But that GIANT chunk of time that featured an impressive tech show with dancing, singing, fiddling, etc? The part that was narrated entirely by Donald Sutherland? That was only in English. And it only covered the North, the East, the West and the Prairies. No mention of Central Canada and certainly no French. A French quote was even read out in English. I'm not saying it had to be 50/50 in terms of language parity but there was NOTHING.
Here we go again in the ROC -- bowing to every Quebec demand that comes along. What hypocrites the Quebecers are who complained as for all intents and purposes, they have banned bilingualism in their province. Time to cut them loose.
Tabernack whiners.
I live in Vancouver and after the opening ceremonies, there were several media stories and columns quoting activists in the Asian community complaining about a lack of visible minorities, specifically Asians, in the opening ceremonies, and no acknowledgement of Vancouver's large Chinese population. Whining, not hockey, seems to be our national sport.
I live in Vancouver and after the opening ceremonies, there were several media stories and columns quoting activists in the Asian community complaining about a lack of visible minorities, specifically Asians, in the opening ceremonies, and no acknowledgement of Vancouver's large Chinese population. Whining, not hockey, seems to be our national sport.
Lets just kick Quebec out and be done with it! 1 Trillion dollars spent (public and private) on "bi-lingualism" and what do we have? A "dual-lingual" PC country where the french minority oppresses the english majority. A french dominated bureacracy. A federal government that won't hire over 80% of its citizens. Most of our PM's since Trudeau have hailed from Quebec. A military that promotes based on language skills. A whiny province who takes more from the ROC than anyone else yet still complains of getting the short stick.
FU PQ; you thieving, lying, global warming fraudsters.
I live in Vancouver, as well. While I am not a huge fan of the Games, I find this whining from Quebec to be typical. It is never ending, and constant. They are the most insecure people I have ever met. I lived there for a while, deep in the woods. While the people in the village were nice enough, they were still stand offish, chauvinistic, and very insecure about Quebec's place in the world. I have also lived in the US, all across Canada, and never felt the same insecurity from locals that I got from the Quebecois. I am sick of it, too.
I'd almost be willing to give Quebec the money we spend in the ROC in exchange for our freedom from BI'n BI. The money is gone anyway so we might as well get something for it.
Meaning the money we spend on BI'n BI.
We should ban French in Western Canada. If you don't like it, stay in Quebec.
David - the French don't want them either!
Regrettably, the question of language brings out the worst in some of us, as evidenced by some of the comments here and elsewhere.
Perhaps those questioning why there wasn't more French during the opening ceremonies should also ask why there was so much emphasis on First Nations. Don't get me wrong. I believe they should have a prominent place. But if I'd been asked to contribute to the ceremonies, I would have followed up the First Nations' participation with a depiction of Canada's French & Anglo heritage. That to me (a naturalized Canadian) would have depicted Canada's origins.
As to the "official investigation" I'm sure Mr. Fraser welcomes complaints, even if they come from people like perennial complainer independentiste Gilles Rheaume, since it gives Mr. Fraser's Official Languages Commission its raison d'etre.
Pity, though. I thought Canada had outgrown the tiresome language skirmishes.
There was too much French at the openning ceremony, starting with everything in French-FIRST. We should demand an investigation into why was that? The Olympics was a national event held in Vancouver, de-facto English city in the English province in English Canada. The first official language of the ceremonies in such intsances must be the language of the majority of the population where the event takes place. That is the federal Identity Program Policy regarding sign, and the same logic should apply to events.
Then if you like english so much, just go back to UK, with your so beloved queen.
Then if you like english so much, just go back to UK, with your so beloved queen.
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