Monday 27 January 2020

What Rempel Garner Forgot.

Just think back to a guy called Stephen Harper. Remember his French when he became Alliance leader? But Harper had something known as guts -- he felt it was somewhat inappropriate for a party leader seeking to serve as his country's prime minister not to be able to converse, at least reasonably fluently, in French. That's why Harper put in the EFFORT and went out of his way to start every microphone appearance in French. Harper got it, today's leadership candidates, not so much.

Sure, MRG makes a strong point when she says that lots of good people don't end up having a political career in Ottawa because they aren't bilingual. True. But it's one thing to get into politics as a unilingual person and learn as you go. It's quite another to become a career politician and not give a shit. The latter can competently serve in government, or in cabinet, but as we say over here: c'est pas fort.

Remember, this is 2020. So, before you unilinguals get your heart set on a federal political career, at least have the common decency to commit yourselves to make the effort -- like Harper did. You don't need to become absolutely fluent but for Christ's sake, don't deliberately come off as too lazy to even make an effort.

In Quebec, almost all of our politicians get off their ass and learn English. How about all of you, with regard to speaking French?

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