Prime Minister Stephen Harper has his majority government and he has it without Quebec's help, thank you very much. You don't see that everyday!
So why not hire a new director of communications who, a year-and-a-half ago wrote in his column in Canada's biggest-circulation newspaper that “Many are tired of the annoying lament from a province (Quebec) that keeps yelling at those who pay part of its bills and are concerned by the over-representation of francophones in our bureaucracy, our Parliament and our institutions.”
That was Angelo Persichilli, a journalist for 30 years who, on Tuesday, becomes a political operative as the new director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He does not speak French, a fact noted by several French-speaking members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery today who had been grumbling for the last few years that, too often, briefings and other communications from the PMO were in one official language only.
And now, we have a column where Harper's new director of communications complains that there's too many of those complaining francophones in Ottawa anyway.
This should work out just fine.
Maybe this is a sign of Harper realising that pampering to Quebec is going to alienate him in the RoC, especially when He doesn't need them to form majority. (hopefully similar thinking soon comes re: CBC)
Do you speak French, Mr Akin? Is it an issue for you in your job? If not, how does that put you in a position to judge?
Once again if the French speaking members of the PPG don't like the amount of French being spoken they can simply not show up. They have no use for Harper and his government so their absence would not be missed. Canada is not a bilingual country and one only has to visit Quebec to learn to see the evidence. I would remind Mr. Akin and those that support the forced imposition of official bilingualism of what Pierre Trudeau the author of official bilingualism said “There is no way two ethnic groups in one country can be made equal before the law….and to say it is possible is to sow the seeds of destruction”. Pierre Trudeau, 1966.
Originally bilingualism was going to be practiced in federal institutions and elsewhere where numbers warranted. That concept has been distorted now with language police running around harassing private business owners. There is a day of reckoning coming and Quebec will push too far one day.
“Many are tired of the annoying lament from a province (Quebec) … ”
Did Mr. Persichilli say “I am tired of the annoying lament …”? I don't think so.
Mr. Persichilli reported what he read and/or heard others express, which is not anything new. That “lament” has simply become louder and more direct.
La Presse editor André Pratte said basically the same thing back in Jan. 2009.
(Translated version)
“Closed Federalism
… Arguments such as these coming from our political leaders [Jean Charest & Pauline Marois], combined with the rejection of the Conservatives by Quebec voters in the last federal election, show that for most Quebecers, open federalism has value only if it is one-sided. The Canadian government has to be open to the demands of the government of Quebec, but the latter should never be satisfied, should never cease to denounce Ottawa and demand more money and more power. In other words, to the federal government’s open federalism Quebec’s response is a completely closed federalism. …
Anyone who followed the discussions on the reform of equalization knows that the Quebec government came out the winner. …”
Mr. Persichilli is now going to be sporting a new hat, presenting the PMO's POV rather than that of the nebulous “many” or “some people”.
I wish I could recall all the names of former journalists who went on to become directors of communications for Liberal politicians. Jim Munson & Susan Murray are two I recall, and just this morning, via a radio talk show, I learned Ray Heard, former editor of the defunct Montreal Star, was at one time John Turner's director of communications. Of course, Pamela Wallin & Mike Duffy are two prominent recent examples on the Conservative side who have become spokepersons for the Conservatives.
So is it really so strange that a journalist would undertake that kind of position? Or is it strange only when the journalist goes to the “dark side”?
Your day may come too, Mr. Akin! If it does, will it necessitate deleting some of your blog posts?
Good points. Many Canadians are sick to death of official bilingualism and the attempted social engineering experiment that the federal governments have attempted and failed at with billions being spent.
When the PM of the country stands up in speeches, press conferences and on the world stage speaking on behalf of the country in a language spoken by less than 25% of the population there is something wrong with that picture. Including French a some point in his remarks is not an issue but speaking firstly in the minority language of the country is an affront to the majority of Canadians.
Imagine if an American president no matter of which party declared English and Spanish to be the official language of that country and then enacted policies which discriminate against the majority language group there would be marching in the streets to put it mildly.
“When the PM of the country stands up in speeches, press conferences and on the world stage speaking on behalf of the country in a language spoken by less than 25% of the population there is something wrong with that picture.”
That's one point where we part company. I'm of neither French nor Anglo origin, so I'm not pleading on behalf of either language. I'm proud that my PM has made a conscious effort to learn French.
IMO, the PM is simply acknowledging the fact the French were the first Europeans to settle on the American continent and from that small settlement came Canada.
If I had my way, all school children across Canada would be taught both English and French AND the same history, from elementary school on, so that they would emerge from high school as fluently bilingual citizens of this wonderful country.
Someone somewhere in the Canada has to acknowledge that 1/5 of the Canadians are Quebecers and an overwhelming majority of them speak french.
The British should have tried to harder to assimilate the French colonists. They didn't.
The Separatists have their solution. They tried to get out of the confederacy twice. They tried and failed both times. At least someone in Quebec is trying.
Deal with it rest of Canada.
You realize our boss Kory Teneycke is uniligual and was Harper's top communications guy right? Why don't you interview Kory to see how ell he did?
I am a Francophone who left Que many years ago because of the separatist. Am also a retired civil servant and I can tell you by the time I retired all of our HR people were francophones who hired nothing but other francophones to the detriment of the Dept. Many excellent Anglos were pushed out because they did not meet the “new” language requirements. The Ont & Fed gov'ts bend over backwards to appease francophones and they are never satisfied a la the Air Canada 7Up incident.
It it refreshing for someone to finally say enough is enough.