[A-List] new colonial posting: knowledge of French an asset, tho not essential

["Jim Yarker" <sjy_estrien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Parlez-vous français?
Editorial
The Globe and Mail Monday, February 13, 2006

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The new Conservative government is like a farmer crossing a cattle pasture
and, instead of dodging the cow pies, carefully stepping in every one. The
masterminds who thought it was all right for a party that has condemned
party-switching to get David Emerson to cross the floor and for a party that
advocates an elected Senate to make Michael Fortier a senator and cabinet
minister has come up with another inspired idea. Why not appoint a
unilingual anglophone as parliamentary secretary for official languages and
la Francophonie?

We are not making this up. We're not allowed to make stuff up.

Alberta farmer Ted Menzies will assist Quebec City's Josée Verner in her
duties, which also include international development. Mr. Menzies was
foreign aid critic for the Conservatives before the election, so his
qualifications on that file are good. As for his other jobs, French would be
handy to say the least. La Francophonie is an organization of 53 countries
and governments "brought together by sharing a common language: French."
When it holds its biennial meeting this year, is Mr. Menzies going to take a
translator?

Mr. Menzies has a novel explanation for his appointment. "There are two
official languages in this country. The parliamentary secretary will
represent the anglophone, and the minister will certainly represent the
francophone."

Nice try. But as the parliamentary secretary for official languages, he has
to help oversee Ottawa's efforts to promote bilingualism and to ensure that
both francophones and anglophones can be served by the federal government in
their mother tongue. What message does it send about the Conservatives'
devotion to language equality when they appoint as overseer of official
languages someone who does not speak one of them? What will francophone
voters think when they see the parliamentary secretary for official
languages being questioned in French in the House of Commons and answering
only in English?

Mr. Menzies says he is working hard to learn French and "I can understand
alot of conversational French, but I just haven't quite got up the nerve to
speak it yet." Well, good for him. But the Conservatives elected 10 Quebec
MPs and quite a few others who speak French. It would have been wiser to
give one of them the job. Instead, they stepped merrily in that pie.