Last Tuesday, on his Twitter account, Jean Charest wrote that he hoped that the next debate on August 3 between the candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada will be bilingual, because “bilingualism is the strength of Canada” and that ” the two official languages must be defended equally”.
Here’s a quick rundown of the comments his tweet elicited.
Written comments in English, of course…
“BIG M…”
“Nobody gives a damn regarding bilingualism, except Quebeckers who believe that their language is important for the rest of the country. »
“I do not believe that the French language should be imposed by force on the English-speaking majority of Canada. Sorry, but most people have no interest in French. »
“Charest seems to forget that Quebec is a unilingual French-speaking province. We should stop imposing French in Canada and we would save billions. Long live Poilievre! »
“By trying to appease Quebec with bilingualism, we are weakening the presence of Western Canadians in essential positions in the country. »
“The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages is a waste of public money. We should abolish it. It is not the role of the government to meddle in the labeling of products. »
“Jean Charest’s statement is big shit. Life in Quebec has become a horror because of language restrictions. »
« WTF ? »
“With all the problems facing Canada, the issue of bilingualism should be number 300 on the list of priorities for the next leader of the CPC. »
“The Spanish, Ukrainian and Chinese communities must therefore find that French is a strength for Canada! »
“What’s the point of having two official languages in Canada?” »
“Canada must always bow to please Quebec teenagers…”
“Bilingualism only benefits Quebec, at the expense of the rest of Canada. »
” Disgusting. Canada is a predominantly English-speaking country. »
“Outside of Quebec, who is interested in bilingualism? »
“Bilingualism is Canada’s main weakness. »
“We will establish bilingualism in Canada the day Quebec becomes a bilingual province. »
“Bilingualism discriminates once morest immigrants. »
“This vision of a bilingual Canada is outdated. We must move forward, not backward! »
QUEBEC VILLAINS
“It’s funny, because the last time I went to Quebec, the road directions were written in French only! »
“In Quebec, people who don’t speak French are treated like second-class citizens. »
“Quebec is making English illegal. »
“Bilingual Canadians do not speak French, but Punjabi, Korean or Cantonese! »
“French is not a language, it’s slang. »
“Ah yes, bilingualism is a strength? Tell that to Quebecers! »
“Bilingualism means that Quebec occupies a disproportionate place in Canadian institutions. »
“And meanwhile, in Quebec, Anglos are fleeing the province, because they are afraid of no longer receiving health care in their language…”
“And the indigenous languages? »
It’s like that on pages and pages…
As I have often written, the two official languages policy will become increasingly untenable…
And we want to continue to stay in this country?
Really ?