Even if the new boss of Canadian National has committed to learning French, it is English that continues to dominate within the management and on the board of directors of the railway company where it has just been named Jean Charest.
• Read also: A new CEO and former Premier Jean Charest at CN
• Read also: Parti Québécois: Lorraine Richard ends her political career
• Read also: Antivax tax: yes, but it will be a challenge
With the arrival of Tracy Robinson, a unilingual Anglophone CEO, nine out of 12 members of senior management do not fully master French.
However, the vast majority of them live in Montreal, where the head office is located, or in the surrounding area.
Within the extended management, where we find mainly CN vice-presidents, Francophones are even more of a minority, with only three managers out of 22.
According to a well-informed internal source, it is moreover English which outrageously dominates at the head of CN.
“I would say that when I interact with them, it’s 99.9% in English. It’s very rare that it’s done in French. But for employees, communications are bilingual,” she pointed out.
On the board of directors, the situation is similar.
Former Prime Minister Jean Charest will also be the only Francophone to sit when Jean-Jacques Ruest, current boss of CN, leaves.
Contacted by The newspaper, Mr. Charest declined to answer our questions.
Unusual proof of the omnipresence of English at the head of CN, it was the public relations firm Brunswick Group who first contacted in English The newspaper regarding the appointment of Mr.me Robinson.
Obeying the law
CN did not want to address the issue of English among its management, but says the company respects Canadian laws.
“CN has been established in Montreal for more than 100 years and is proud to apply the Official Languages Act, thus guaranteeing its employees the possibility of working in both official languages,” said spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis.
Since 2016, CN has been the subject of a dozen complaints to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages regarding language of work, six of which were deemed admissible.
Despite everything, commissioner Raymond Théberge wanted to acknowledge Ms.me Robinson to learn French.
“I firmly believe that bilingualism is a crucial skill for any leader, particularly for those in institutions subject to the Official Languages Act,” he said in a written statement to the Journal.
A sensitivity to French?
For Marie-Soleil Tremblay, a professor at the National School of Public Administration, CN has nevertheless demonstrated sensitivity.
“On the CN side, we chose the person who had the best qualities for the position. Unfortunately, the chosen candidate does not have perfect bilingualism, but it was felt that she demonstrated a great openness to learning French,” she pointed out.
But for the Movement for the education and defense of shareholders (MÉDAC), which wants companies to consider language as a social responsibility, the appointment misses the mark.
“If she’s at the stage of learning French, it’s because she doesn’t master it enough to manage the business in French, to make public interventions,” pointed out Willie Gagnon, director of MÉDAC.
