Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  Next

Oh god that took me so long to catch that.

   

At least someone gets me.

   

Big F Deal that he doesn't speak French, he said he will learn it enough in a year from what he knows already. Yes don't let the door hit you on the way out and be careful you don't get carpet burns on you knuckles either. This goes for the entire liberal delegation what is is two people?

   

Took a minute, but a great zinger!

   

So zip have you learned to say in any of the local dialects,"If I'm taken hostage the only people who will see any money are my wife and kids."?

   

Ditto.

I wonder how many teacups are being used to conjure up the storm.

   

I wonder how many Bloc MPs are bilingual?

   

Most of them, I'd lay odds. Because out east in places where French is used most often, they still get exposure to English.

Out west, we get exposed to French hardly at all. We're more likely to hear German or Ukrainan. Which is why the Liberals will always be irrelevant in the west, because they discriminate against us like this because we aren't exposed to French. And that won't change anytime soon.

Like Dan says, he can just get some underling to translate for him. The same as a Supreme court judge could. Blackballing a qualified person from a job because they aren't fluent in French to me is counterproductive.

   

During a session which I believe was some sort of interview/hearing, he admitted that he could not have a good conversation in French, but he can read and understand the language.

   

Perhaps, but it's not like your exposure to non-French languages like German and Ukrainian pushes you in any way to learn those languages either.

I don't care where you are in Canada, the opportunities to learn French if you want to are abundant. I know plenty of people out west who have learned how to speak French quite well. People in China learn it, people in South America learn it, peaople all over the world learn it despite having even less exposure to the language than English Canada (where there are French calsses, French immersion schools, French language television and radio, etc.).

When will people just admit that the reason they don't learn French is not beacuse they can't, it's just because they don't really want to and are not motivated to learn French or any other language really (with statistically rare exceptions). It's only when they want an important job in Ottawa that they realise they shat the bed on all the opportunities they had to learn the languge and then they cry no fair.

I started learning French in high school in the southern United States. I paid attention and learned it. Peeriod. Today it's my second language that I read, write and speak in every day. Motivation.

If one doesn't see the utility in something, and more so if his judgement is clouded by generations of bad blood between English and Frnch speakers in this country, then he will most likely blow off French class and treat it as just a hassle he has to put a minimum of effort into. From my understanding, that's how most students treat the subject.

   

No, but that seems like a useful one. My boss is Italian though and doesn't speak any English. I've learned "I go out for smoke now, back in an hour."

   

You can learn French out west, but it's difficult to hold on to. It's rarely spoken out here.

I think you got it backwards-- it's the Liberals nd NDP who are crying no fair at this appointment. My concern is the cost to the taxpayer to keep this guy hired for a year while he learns French on the taxpayer's dime.

   

Fixed it for you. Around here is is actually considered a dick move to ask to be served in french because almost nobody understands it, including people in jobs that normally require it.

   

You funny thing is that many of those NDP MP's who voted against Ferguson can't speak fluent French themselves such as little Miss Brosseau.

   

I understand that French is not spoken out west. That's not the issue. But if someone from out west wants an important job in Ottawa, bilingualism is often required because these jobs have a country-wide importance. People say 'just hire a translator', but then you're paying two people to do what should be the job of one.

I'm a soveregntist; I didn't set up this federal system or federal bilingualism, but as long as it exists, it's perfectly normal to require that people occupying high positions be capable of working communicating in both official languges.

   

Previous  1  2  3  4  5  6  Next