Bilingualism is no burden - Soundoff
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Looks like they deleted my post! :angry3:This message should gladden the hearts of all people who have been despondent that all our efforts are getting us nowhere!! Finally, the English-speakers of Canada have found a voice & this is so encouraging!! No longer are we willing to continue to take the garbage dished out by Language Commissar, Graham Fraser!! Everyone who has the time to write to the Ottawa Citizen and Graham Fraser should do so!!! Let us strike while the iron is hot!!! Here are the email addresses:
graham.fraser@ocol-clo.gc.ca
letters@thecitizen.canwest.com
If you can access the link to the comments, you can submit your comment freely. They may not print your letter in the hard copy newspaper but so what?? Let's flood the paper with our comments!! Also, send this to your MPs - they must start to pay attention to the growing voice of English-speaking Canada!!! We've had enough of being ignored!!!
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The Ottawa Citizen has to be congratulated for giving the oppressed English-speakers the opportunity to vent our anger and frustration. The comments are just beautiful & expresses exactly how the majority of Canadians feel. All politicians should take note – the English-speaking majority want their politicians to shed their politically correct coat and start taking notice that the worm is turning!!!
Kim McConnell
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Bilingualism is no burden - Soundoff
Bilingualism is no burden <---:roll:
By soundoff Fri, Nov 13 2009 The Citizen has called for a renewed discussion on language. According to last Saturday’s editorial, “Bilingualism revisited,” the question raised at the University of Ottawa is a larger one: “whether the time has come to give unilingual anglophones a break and free them from the burden of learning French.”
Graham Fraser
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Comments:
Linguistics Lad
"The Citizen assumes that language requirements are a burden for anglophones alone, and that the time has come to give them a break, to liberate them. But learning French is no more of a burden for anglophones than learning English is, for francophones."
First of all, I hope you take the time to read the responses. Here are some facts: 40% of the population of Quebec is French/English bilingual. 4% of the rest of Canada is English/French bilingual. What is happening here is what the field of Linguistics has observed happening to many cultures in history, at many points in history. There's no getting around the fact that English is, at this point in time, the 'world language'. It wasn't always, and it won't be forever, but it currently is. That's indisputable. What has been observed is that people from less dominant languages (in this case and at this point in history---French) are far more likely to effortlessly pick up the more dominant language (in this case and at this point in history---English) due to immersion/bombardment/natural advantage. Those who already speak the dominant language are far less likely to naturally pick up the less dominant language because it is far less relevant to them than when situations are reversed. The statistics I quoted earlier clearly back this proven, tested, and well-documented phenomenon, and I must tell you, therefore, that the burden placed upon English speakers is not at all the same as the 'burden' placed on French speakers.
November 15, 2009
3:11 AM
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Ben Samuel Patrick
English Canada is tired of saving the French from obscurity. The French could save their own language, if they choose too. Certainly, shouldn't need the English majority to do it for them. While, they’re (French) are at it...they can pay the tab for that, as well. Especially, since they (the French) are so special and distinct...better or superior to the rest of us.
Official Bilingualism serves the French minority and discriminates against the English majority, in Canada. Time to reverse that trend and restore English/British rights, language, history, heritage, symbols and prominence to all Canadians.
G. Fraser is a moron who is bought and paid for by the Liberal Party of Toronto and the French. His only duty is to enslave English Canada while promoting, protecting, and empowering the French minority in Canada.
He, like his Liberal cohorts, are pretending to serve all Canadians while trying to trick us (majority of Canadians) into thinking that OB Policies and Agendas serve some noble cause.
Saving the whales/bears, feeding our children/elderly, physically cleaning up our air, water and eco system are all noble causes, worthy of the effort, time, and money. Official Bilingualism is not worth it...it only serves the French.
Canada should be majority governed instead of having Quebec rule the roost.
November 14, 2009
10:51 PM
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Mary Daniels
Mr. Fraser and his Department should be representing, all Canadians across Canada, in whatever language (English or French) they choose to utilize. Point in fact, why even have his services or Offices, as Canadians should have the right to choose the language of their choice for their: homes, communities, businesses, organizations, and cities/towns/provinces.
Have never seen him, his predecessors or his offices/Department ever speak out against the language discrimination that the English majority endures, daily. Nor, have I ever seen them advocate for the English minority in Quebec who have been stripped of their rights, language, history and culture. In fact, he/they have never even promoted official bilingualism in Quebec (which is unilingually French and actually forbids its citizens to be bilingual, officially).
Canadians are English, outside of Quebec, and it's time that the Government and Liberal Courts System stay out of the language issue, altogether. French language and culture are dying, as evidenced by the billions or trillions of dollars infused into this Liberal Party Boondoggle, over the last 40 or so years without any success.
Clearly, Canadians have not embraced the notion of OB and that is evidenced by the complete failure of its Policies/Agendas. If, forty years of constant brainwashing, propaganda, legislation, harassment and discrimination haven't resulted in the frenchification of Canada...it never will! Restore Canada to English status and relieve Canadians of the financial burden of trying to "save" the French from assimilation.
After all, why should English Canada care...we won the war, it's time we started acting like it!
November 14, 2009
10:30 PM
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Stephen Kingly
No more of this nonsense, ROC is tired of hearing and paying for this bulls*&%. Official Bilingualism serves only the French minority in Canada.
Canadians are overwhelmingly English with 96% of the population, outside of Quebec. We are English and not French. Our communities, businesses, homes, neighbourhoods, culture, history and language are English.
Why should the English embrace the French language and culture when Quebec and the Liberal Party of Toronto are erasing and completely eradicating all English language, rights, culture, heritage, symbols and history.
ROC doesn't want or need the services of Official Languages, it's officers or it's language Nazi's, and we certainly are tired of paying for the discrimination endured by English Canadians, across this great Country.
Majority of Canadians are English and we wish to be majority ruled and not minority governed!!! Restore ROC to officially, unilingually English status, once and for all!
November 14, 2009
9:46 PM
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Colleen Mackin
Official Bilingualism Policies and Agendas serve as a French Affirmative Hiring Policy that discriminates against the English majority in Canada. OB policies have sucked Canadian taxpayers dry, for the last 40 years. It is a failed social engineering project that the Liberal Party forced upon English Canada to further their agenda of "frenchifying" Canada.
Interesting that Mr. Graham doesn't feel the need to ensure that Quebec follows the same OB policies and instead: allows, protects, funds, and encourages it's (Quebec) unilingual status while demanding that the rest of Canada be and have enforced bilingual status.
Long overdue to fire this loser, his offices, employees, and his services, as an another massive Liberal boondoogle that has sucked on Canada's teat for far too long.
Imagine if the time, money and efforts that has been wasted on this foolishness had remained with our social safety net of programs that would benefit all Canadians and not just a linguistic minority. Programs, such as: health care, military, children, elderly and even the environment.
Time for English Canada to stand up and demand a restoration of English rights, language, culture, heritage and symbols in Canada (ROC). Let ROC be unilingually English and Quebec can remain unilingually French.
I mean really, Quebec hasn't even signed onto Canada, why are we continuing to pander to French demands or interests. Let them be Canadians, same as all other citizens or time to put up and shut up!!! Basically, s*(%$ or get off the pot.
Let's let Quebec save it's own language and culture, at their own expense for a real change of pace! After all, it's already a dead language when you have to force it's useage into ""being artificially through legislation. ROC is tired of paying the tab for Quebec and it's language, special status, privileges, people and culture.
November 14, 2009
9:32 PM
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George McGill
I am interested in the percentage of francophones who hold bilingual positions, and the proportion of positions that are designated bilingual. This will provide factual evidence of the unfairness to anglos.
November 14, 2009
2:51 PM
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Kim Lian
Graham Fraser, Language Commissar, is very quick to conclude that Official Bilingualism is no burden to Canadians. Of course it is no burden for him – he’s getting a few hundred thousand dollars to keep spewing this garbage about the policy reflecting “democracy, public service, inclusiveness and generosity”. To the thousands of linguistically challenged English-speakers (which only happens to be more than 80% of the Canadian population), this is a burden of incalculable proportion. From the loss of job opportunities, promotion opportunities and yes, even participation in an institution like the Ottawa University, most English-speakers are excluded. This is not even taking into account the financial cost to the country that is taking money from far more important services that serve more people than the policy of Official Bilingualism which essentially only benefits a small group of people (according to Jack Jedwab of Canadian Studies, only 12% of Canadians can be classified as “truly bilingual”).
Voluntary bilingualism is one thing but forced official bilingualism is a policy that is discriminatory and divisive and works against the country’s majority. It is also a failed policy because Quebec is allowed to be officially unilingual, free to prosecute its own citizens for attempting to be bilingual. Is Graham Fraser aware of the fact that Quebec might use the notwithstanding clause again so that the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that Bill 104 is unconstitutional can be side-stepped? I wonder why French Quebec can ignore him & his preaching for Official Bilingualism with impunity – why doesn’t he tell Quebec that bilingualism is no burden? Answer: Quebec knows that having to run the province in two languages is a financial burden & having to do and say everything in two languages is a waste of time and money and that province is desperately doing everything it can to be unilingual French. While we’re at it, can we ask New Brunswick why it has to sell NB Power to Quebec? Is it because having to operate in two languages is breaking that province? On top of being economically challenged due to the lack of natural resources, N.B. has to spend money to appease its French-speaking minority and disadvantage its English-speaking majority.
November 14, 2009
11:52 AM
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Critical thinker
This is not, and never will be a true bilingual country (other than officially), and that is fine....so what??? Knowing french in Nunavut or Prince George is effectively useless, as is knowing english in some of the small towns in the Saguenay. Its like being an expert tailor in a nudist colony...what is the point?? The biggest farce is the huge, and I mean IMMENSE cost placed on the taxpayers in attempt to bilingualize the federal public service, with the additional cost of lost productivity, true job skills underutilized due to priority given to language requirements, and destroyed careers of some people who are very competent in their field but lack the language skills demanded (not needed). This is very much a burden....and burdens are fine....IF the resulting benefit warrants the burden. I ask....what is the resulting benefit and is the value of the benefit greater than the cost of the burden?!
November 14, 2009
10:53 AM
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Bob
Mr. Fraser says, "Over 90 per cent of positions in the federal government that are designated bilingual are filled by people who meet the language requirements." On one hand this opinion is correct but on the other hand this is absolute nonsense and borders highly on blissful ignorance. Almost 100% of the positions in the government are bilingual imperative (NCR) and yes 90% of those positions are filled with so-called bilingual people leaving 10% mainly anglophones. However, meeting the language requirement is nonsense. Yes English speaking people need to meet the requirement but those French first just barely have to be audible in English. Mr. Fraser if you don't believe this, do an independent audit of French first people who are designated bilingual just to see how many actually meet the bilingual requirement for reading, writing and speaking English. You would find that the majority DO NOT meet the same requirements as those imposed on English speaking persons seeking bilingual designations. Better yet, just look at the percentages of English speaking people enrolled in second language training as opposed to their French counterparts in English training. Something like 95% to 5% respectively. Are we to assume 95% of the French in the government are letter perfect in the English language? And if this is news to Mr. Fraser, then he should satisfy his role as Official Language(s) Commissioner and do an audit as suggested. But I sense Mr. Fraser knows this which is why an independent audit will never see the light of day.
November 14, 2009
10:00 AM
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Bob
Unless and until the province of Quebec declares it is officially bilingual, and pursues it with the same zeal with their language police, this exercise is an expensive farce which has done more to divide this country than anything else.
Mr. Fraser, to believe anything else is dreaming or maybe a nightmare is closer to the truth
November 14, 2009
9:45 AM
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Good commentary
Thank you, Mr. Graham, to have exposed the Citizen's editorial board members for what they are: a bunch of whiners.
November 14, 2009
8:31 AM
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English Matron
Hey Mr. Frazer, why don't you have language testing for English. I am fed up with poor service in poor English.
The testing of French is too rigid. My french immersion son can’t pass these tests, and I bet most French couldn't either.
The testing is a way of keeping us nasty non French out of their world.
If you let us English test for the English language, we would have a more level playing field.
November 14, 2009
5:35 AM
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English and not ashamed
I moved to Montreal in the early 1970s and was exposed to oppressive language laws that gave me a year to pass my nursing licence in French. I tried to learn French, attended classes etc but could not hope to get my French license. (I was too old to learn a language that I never ever use)
I left Quebec in the 1980’s. I was driven out economically because all the businesses had migrated out of the province and there was nothing left but government and government subsidized businesses that hired only French.
Now here I am in Ottawa with the same offensive language laws that hold back good hard working salt of the earth taxpayers like myself from working for my Government from the Federal level right down to the Municiple level.
My Father came from a proud heritage that settled this country at a time when nothing was given to immigrants. He volunteered to fight for this country in WW11 and was injured doing so. To see English people treated like we are has my father doubting that this is the Canada he fought to defend.
Its time we take this unwanted policy of bilingualism at shove it. Quebec is unilingual with openly hostile attitudes to English people. Why should they cross the bridges to work in Ottawa, hand out parking tickets, run transit unions or do anything of authority for us. They have made it clear that we are not wanted in Quebec. Well hello , we don’t want them here either.
November 14, 2009
5:25 AM
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No to bilingualism!
Mr. Fraser, the solution to make "Canadians feel represented and be served by their government, whatever official language they speak" is easy: make English the official language of English Canada. Province of Quebec is already offically French, and the federal government communicates with them in French-only since Quebec made it a one-way street issue. There is too much "respect, democracy, public service, inclusiveness and generosity" towards Quebec from Canadians. It is not appreciated and never enough. Lucien Robillard, a francophone from Quebec, former President of Treasury Board, said they "would never be satisfied". Now, it's time to accord some respect and democracy to English Canada (96% anglophone). We want to go our own way and be free from burden of learning the language that we rarely hear and have no use for in our business, social and cultural lives.
November 13, 2009
5:56 PM
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