As it was once written, bilingual today, French tomorrow, it appears tomorrow has arrived. Quebec again becomes the beneficiary of a major make-work program under the Liberal government.
The new enhanced federal bilingual policy is a further attempt to make Canada a French-speaking country.
This policy disregards the English-speaking majority and overlooks our history.
Since we live and function in North America, the practical need for bilingualism applies mainly to citizens in Quebec.
Consequently, the recruitment for the newly required bilingual positions will primarily take place in that province.
The most significant structural change and the greatest concern is the new requirement for all Supreme Court justices to be bilingual. This limits the pool of qualified candidates and may exclude preferred nominees.
All of this is an insult to our country’s history, giving the French language a much greater significance than justified.
English-speaking citizens now face significant discrimination in terms of employment and advancement, particularly in the Armed Forces and RCMP, where promotions are limited for those who are not bilingual.
This discrimination is likely to extend to federally regulated industries nationwide.
At a time when Canada is
facing so many other problems, such as inflation, the economy and being shunned on the world stage by allies, the prime minister and his gang waste time and resources on divisive matters like this.
We should be ashamed for tolerating such actions.
Lorne Christensen | Sooke
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editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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