Blog Post #4 -- OTTAWA, OFFICIALLY BILINGUAL?
There are several French groups pushing for Ottawa to be designated as an official bilingual city.
What's wrong with that you may ask?
"people who choose to live in Quebec, should learn French"
Here, in this clip, we see a high profile leader of one of the most powerful public service unions inside the province of Quebec having no qualms coming right out and unequivocally saying, "bilingualism is a nuisance in the work place that should be stopped."
Bilingualism is a nuisance? Wow !! Coming from a Canadian citizen living in a country where folks like her (while demanding service in French outside the province of Quebec) are among the first ones to forcefully insist that Canada is a country -- with two official languages --
"Bilingualism is a nuisance in the work place"
it seems like a rather derogatory comment to make against one of those so called "official languages" of Canada, don't cha_think?
Meanwhile, we have several well funded French friendly groups like Je Reve Ottawa (I dream of Ottawa) or Imperatif-francais (French Imperative) who are pushing to make Ottawa officially bilingual.
Firstly, what the heck is the title "dreaming of Ottawa" all about? Dreaming of Ottawa? Really? In what capacity are they dreaming of Ottawa? Dreaming of taking over and making Ottawa a French dominant bastion like they did with the province of Quebec perhaps?
Then we have, "French Imperative."
This rather suggests that they're not really into the idea of "bilingualism" at all.
As Mr. Green points out in this clip. It rather seems more likely that they want ALL the English people to be able to speak French so that the French never have to speak English.
That's right. They wish, or should I say, "dream" of living, working and being served in French only in every corner of Canada outside the province of Quebec, while at the same time
maintaining a totally French only province of Quebec where the English are lucky if they are not tarred and feathered (hope I am not giving them any un-thought-of suggestions :-)
for merely { as you see in the clip to the right } requesting service in English on the "public" transit system in the province of Quebec. A province btw which happens to be -- just one of many provinces -- that -- (for those among them who do not realize this) -- happens to reside INSIDE the country of Canada.
You will also notice the gross double standard depicted in the video which clearly illustrates how the FPTB side wants FRENCH ONLY in the province of Quebec while demanding everyone else across the country be able to speak French in order to accommodate them when they are not in the French ONLY bastion of Quebec.
In other words, with the help of P.E.T and his French centric laws and subversive methods of funding "his clan" with billions of Canadian tax dollars, they have skillfully turned the tables and now ONLY THE ENGLISH speaking people across Canada end up with the responsibility of knowing both languages. Of course, the inherent unfairness with this concept, -- just in case you haven't noticed -- is that all those billions of tax dollars being used by the French to subjigate the English speaking citizens actually comes from the majority (80%+) English speaking Canadians tax payers in this country to begin with,.
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So, let me get this straight. The question was, what's wrong with designating Ottawa as a bilingual city?
Humm, well, nothing wrong with Ottawa being designated "officially bilingual" I guess. Unless you happen to be the type of person that is concerned with things like justice, fairness, equality and uhmm perhaps even the idea that an officially bilingual designation for the city of Ottawa means that the 94% + unlingual English speaking people who live there will not be able to qualify for employment in their own home town / slash / city since the rules and criteria that come with the "official bilingualism" designation means that MOST of the job prospects will only be open to those among the tiny remaining 4% bilingual residents would qualify under the official bilingualism rules.
But wait, that's fine isn't it? After all, there are plenty of bilingual French folks that can just simply drive across the bridges from the Gatineau, Quebec side and fill those positions just like they are already filling approximately 65% of the various government positions right now.
So...
It's all good then, right?
NOT !!
Now, let me be CRYSTAL CLEAR.
I am NOT against (and I don't see anything wrong with) helping those FEW French Canadians living outside the province of Quebec, who for whatever reason, do not know English.
Considering that the English language is universally accepted as the common working language (ie: ALL airline pilots and air controllers must know English all over the world) it is then pretty safe to accept that most French people in Canada know English.
However, providing those few who may not know English with fundamental services which they may need in French wherever and whenever possible is just a matter of sheer common decency and courtesy. Something that anyone would expect when traveling to any country with different languages.
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Yes, Canada is a country with two official languages BUT...
The official languages act is CLEAR.
Both languages are equal in Canada's federal government and in all services it controls, such as the federal courts.
Federal government and the courts.
The original idea was to make things comfortable for French speaking people when communicating with their FEDERAL government and the courts.
-- NOT --
Zaza's pizza place or Zulu's towing company and every service in between.
-- AND ALSO NOT -- so that French speaking people could expect to live anywhere in Canada without ANY knowledge what so ever of the main common language -- ENGLISH -- of the ___
Now, let me be CRYSTAL CLEAR.
I am NOT against (and I don't see anything wrong with) helping those FEW French Canadians living outside the province of Quebec, who for whatever reason, do not know English.
Considering that the English language is universally accepted as the common working language (ie: ALL airline pilots and air controllers must know English all over the world) it is then pretty safe to accept that most French people in Canada know English.
However, providing those few who may not know English with fundamental services which they may need in French wherever and whenever possible is just a matter of sheer common decency and courtesy. Something that anyone would expect when traveling to any country with different languages.
---------------------
Yes, Canada is a country with two official languages BUT...
The official languages act is CLEAR.
Both languages are equal in Canada's federal government and in all services it controls, such as the federal courts.
Federal government and the courts.
The original idea was to make things comfortable for French speaking people when communicating with their FEDERAL government and the courts.
-- NOT --
Zaza's pizza place or Zulu's towing company and every service in between.
-- AND ALSO NOT -- so that French speaking people could expect to live anywhere in Canada without ANY knowledge what so ever of the main common language -- ENGLISH -- of the ___
British dominion of Canada.
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