Shut down the country now. Quebec is offended. Again. .And when Quebec gets itself in a huff, Ottawa’s obliged to have a meltdown. Says so somewhere in the Constitution, right?.En temps de crise such as this, perhaps the flag should go down again. .At the very least, oy vey, somebody’s got to pay..As long as it’s not the guy with the federal government’s beloved and protected, albeit scandal-plagued, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Kid gloves and a pass for him. .That guy from Air Canada? Show no mercy. Go for the jugular. .Best to have your children exit the room to spare them the details of this unsavory, tragic tale of two executives both living in Quebec, both working for companies headquartered in the province, and neither one fluent in French..SNC-Lavalin’s chief executive Ian Edwards cancelled a speech scheduled in Montreal next week. After he’s polished his French in a year or two, he promised to step up to the podium at the city’s Canadian Club.. Screen-Shot-2021-11-12-at-10.22.38-AMSNC-Lavalin’s chief executive Ian Edwards. Courtesy CBC .“I want to take the necessary time to better prepare my presentation and make sure it contains more French, the official language of Quebec, in order to better respond to expectations,” Edwards wrote, citing the recent controversy over the use of French in Quebec by executives occupying offices there..No problem. Have fun. Rosetta Stone and Duolingo language learning software are highly recommended..Meanwhile, Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau’s job is hanging by a thread..Rousseau delivered a speech at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, all but about 20 seconds in English..To quote creepy little Greta: “How dare you!”.He was later questioned by reporters as to why, after living 14 years in Quebec, he isn’t bilingual. .“I’ve been able to live in Montreal without speaking French, and I think that’s a testament to the city,” said Rousseau..Unleash the hounds! Fall all over one another to pile on..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “an unacceptable situation” and decreed the minister in charge of unofficial languages is “following up” this allegedly grievous offence..Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland mumbled something disapproving and had someone write a letter on her behalf, about Rousseau’s comments being “utterly inconsistent with the company’s commitment to both official languages that has been in place for decades.”.The Quebec Community Groups Network, an umbrella group representing anglophone organizations, said Rousseau’s comments were “tone-deaf.” .The New Democratic (there’s an oxymoron) Party’s deputy leader Alexander Boulerice accused Rousseau of “spitting in the face of Quebecers and all members of French-speaking communities across the country.”.It goes on..As Air Canada’s shares climbed 6.1% to set a record high on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the calls for Rousseau to be fired mounted..The saddest part of it all is that Rousseau apologized in a written statement to clarify his remarks..“As I indicated in my comments to the media, I would like to be able to speak French. I want to make it clear that in no way did I mean to show disrespect for Quebecers and francophones across the country. I apologize to those who were offended by my remarks. I pledge today to improve my French, an official language of Canada and the common language of Québec, while tackling the serious commercial challenges facing Air Canada as we move from surviving the pandemic to rebuilding to normalcy.”.His initial statement was actually a tribute to the tolerance he has experienced while living and working in Quebec..What’s shocking is this Anglophone hasn’t been pelted with poutine a time or two by some grossly intolerant Quebecers who have benefited from English Canadians. Just one example being $221 billion in equalization payments from those Albertans. But don’t you dare speak English or display an English sign in our superior province..Then there are Quebecers who know that we are all Canadians under one flag, no matter what language is spoken..It brings to mind personal encounters with our Quebec brothers during one visit there to cover the horrific 1998 ice storm, one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history that affected 3.5 million people in the province, leaving them without power for weeks, and claimed about 35 lives. .Members of Alberta’s Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry were among Canadians from all over Canada who rushed east to work in horrific conditions to save Quebecers as the province was pelted with about 100 mm of freezing rain over five days that toppled thousands of trees, knocking power out..One tearful guy at a gas station was so grateful that Anglophones cared, he absolutely refused to take money for coffee. .Then there was the ungrateful old French woman tucked safely in a shelter, fed and kept warm by a generator, after being rescued from her freezing in home..Her eyes got steely when she spoke of the English folk who intruded upon Quebec, particularly the soldiers and said: “We could have gotten through this without them.”.But back to Rousseau. If he loses his job over this, it is his critics on the hunt for something to be offended about —not him — who are tone deaf and unacceptable. .If his lack of French skills is so egregious, why did it take 14 years for anyone to notice?.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
Shut down the country now. Quebec is offended. Again. .And when Quebec gets itself in a huff, Ottawa’s obliged to have a meltdown. Says so somewhere in the Constitution, right?.En temps de crise such as this, perhaps the flag should go down again. .At the very least, oy vey, somebody’s got to pay..As long as it’s not the guy with the federal government’s beloved and protected, albeit scandal-plagued, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Kid gloves and a pass for him. .That guy from Air Canada? Show no mercy. Go for the jugular. .Best to have your children exit the room to spare them the details of this unsavory, tragic tale of two executives both living in Quebec, both working for companies headquartered in the province, and neither one fluent in French..SNC-Lavalin’s chief executive Ian Edwards cancelled a speech scheduled in Montreal next week. After he’s polished his French in a year or two, he promised to step up to the podium at the city’s Canadian Club.. Screen-Shot-2021-11-12-at-10.22.38-AMSNC-Lavalin’s chief executive Ian Edwards. Courtesy CBC .“I want to take the necessary time to better prepare my presentation and make sure it contains more French, the official language of Quebec, in order to better respond to expectations,” Edwards wrote, citing the recent controversy over the use of French in Quebec by executives occupying offices there..No problem. Have fun. Rosetta Stone and Duolingo language learning software are highly recommended..Meanwhile, Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau’s job is hanging by a thread..Rousseau delivered a speech at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, all but about 20 seconds in English..To quote creepy little Greta: “How dare you!”.He was later questioned by reporters as to why, after living 14 years in Quebec, he isn’t bilingual. .“I’ve been able to live in Montreal without speaking French, and I think that’s a testament to the city,” said Rousseau..Unleash the hounds! Fall all over one another to pile on..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “an unacceptable situation” and decreed the minister in charge of unofficial languages is “following up” this allegedly grievous offence..Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland mumbled something disapproving and had someone write a letter on her behalf, about Rousseau’s comments being “utterly inconsistent with the company’s commitment to both official languages that has been in place for decades.”.The Quebec Community Groups Network, an umbrella group representing anglophone organizations, said Rousseau’s comments were “tone-deaf.” .The New Democratic (there’s an oxymoron) Party’s deputy leader Alexander Boulerice accused Rousseau of “spitting in the face of Quebecers and all members of French-speaking communities across the country.”.It goes on..As Air Canada’s shares climbed 6.1% to set a record high on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the calls for Rousseau to be fired mounted..The saddest part of it all is that Rousseau apologized in a written statement to clarify his remarks..“As I indicated in my comments to the media, I would like to be able to speak French. I want to make it clear that in no way did I mean to show disrespect for Quebecers and francophones across the country. I apologize to those who were offended by my remarks. I pledge today to improve my French, an official language of Canada and the common language of Québec, while tackling the serious commercial challenges facing Air Canada as we move from surviving the pandemic to rebuilding to normalcy.”.His initial statement was actually a tribute to the tolerance he has experienced while living and working in Quebec..What’s shocking is this Anglophone hasn’t been pelted with poutine a time or two by some grossly intolerant Quebecers who have benefited from English Canadians. Just one example being $221 billion in equalization payments from those Albertans. But don’t you dare speak English or display an English sign in our superior province..Then there are Quebecers who know that we are all Canadians under one flag, no matter what language is spoken..It brings to mind personal encounters with our Quebec brothers during one visit there to cover the horrific 1998 ice storm, one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history that affected 3.5 million people in the province, leaving them without power for weeks, and claimed about 35 lives. .Members of Alberta’s Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry were among Canadians from all over Canada who rushed east to work in horrific conditions to save Quebecers as the province was pelted with about 100 mm of freezing rain over five days that toppled thousands of trees, knocking power out..One tearful guy at a gas station was so grateful that Anglophones cared, he absolutely refused to take money for coffee. .Then there was the ungrateful old French woman tucked safely in a shelter, fed and kept warm by a generator, after being rescued from her freezing in home..Her eyes got steely when she spoke of the English folk who intruded upon Quebec, particularly the soldiers and said: “We could have gotten through this without them.”.But back to Rousseau. If he loses his job over this, it is his critics on the hunt for something to be offended about —not him — who are tone deaf and unacceptable. .If his lack of French skills is so egregious, why did it take 14 years for anyone to notice?.Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
