The controversy over the place of language in Canada is about to resurface. This happens after the recent appointment of a number of managers. Now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also joined us.

The question became relevant when it turned out that none of the members of the board of directors of Canada’s largest railway company speak French. The company is called CN and is headquartered in Montreal. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec. In this province, approximately 80% have French as their mother tongue.

Should Canadian business leaders be bilingual? The subject caused a lot of ink to flow last fall. Air Canada President Michael Rousseau said he had no time to learn French. He had to publicly apologize for these statements a few days later.

SOEs are required under Canadian law to provide services in both French and English. It includes companies like CN and Air Canada, as well as airports and federal departments.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week he was frustrated with the situation with CN.

– French-speaking Canadians across the country should feel that they are reflected in our great national institutions, said Trudeau. He himself is bilingual. He asked the ministers responsible to ensure that CN gets things done quickly.

– Hypocrisy

The uproar is a reminder that the French language is in a vulnerable position in a North American sea of ​​English speakers. It is also reminiscent of earlier struggles to gain official language status. The French language has been enshrined in the Canadian Constitution since 1982.

But the government has failed to live up to expectations, according to prominent spokespersons. Canada has 37 million people. 8 million are French-speaking.

– It’s clearly hypocritical on Trudeau’s part, said Stéphane Beaulac. He is a professor of law and co-director of the Center for Linguistic Rights at the University of Montreal.

The Prime Minister is troubled by the CN saga. But he chose last year to appoint a non-francophone to the post of governor general of Canada, he underlines. This person acts as the official representative of Queen Elizabeth in the country.

Mary Simon is the first Governor General to be of Aboriginal descent. She is originally from the Nunavik region of Quebec and speaks English and Inuktitut, the Inuit language.

English on Facebook

This week, the Prime Minister’s Office was also reprimanded by Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages. The reason is that they did not ensure that all video streams from the official Facebook page were subtitled or dubbed into French.

More than 90% of Canadians support bilingualism, according to recent polls. People believe that both languages ​​are part of Canadian culture. However, less than 20% say they are fluent in French and English.

– Everyone must be able to be welcomed in their preferred language since so few Canadians are truly bilingual, says Stéphanie Chouinard, professor of political science at the Royal Military College of Canada.

– But, she adds, since 2019, Canadians have been waiting for the Official Languages ​​Act to be modernized.

Considered pro-separatists

For a long time, the defense of French was seen as pro-separatist, noted law professor Beaulac.

– Things have changed. Today, people are increasingly daring to challenge the dominant position of English, he says.

People are angry and shocked by the recent CN appointment, says language law professor Frédéric Bérard. The anger is justified, he believes.

– Today, however, this type of situation occurs relatively rarely, especially in Quebec, he adds. Bérard leads Canada’s national consultations on official languages ​​reforms.

The situation is much more complex for Francophones outside Quebec, he adds, although there has been progress in recent years.