Re- Sen Gauthier, fwd
From: Len McLaughlin <len_at_nospam.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 12:44:27 GMT The shape of things to come or where does it stop or why not Quebec too? Quote of the day- "I wish Senator Jean-Robert Gauthier would tell the public why the federal government is now pushing its Official Languages Act into the private domain."
Senator Gauthier's arrogance is clearly shown in his criticism of the Ottawa Citizen's editorial (shown below Gauthier's letter). I have also attached some well-written letters in reply to Sen. Gauthier's letter.
The Ottawa Citizen
'Language police' a figment of Citizen's imagination Re: Call off the language cops, AUG. 19. True to form, the Citizen's editorial reflects your ignorance and prejudice in linguistic matters. Leasing contracts by commercial tenants in federally owned buildings do in fact contain clauses that call for respect of Canada's linguistic duality. These tenants enjoy prestigious spaces in federal buildings and have known since year 2000 that they are required to provide bilingual signage and service in both English and French. These shop-owners were not "sucked into a bunch of meetings to make sure all their services are available in both French and English," as you state in your editorial. The fact is that Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) invited them to a meeting to review their commercial leases in the national capital region in the hope it could assure full adherence of all commercial tenants to their lease requirements. This was a recommendation of the joint committee of the House of Commons and the Senate in 1998. In her report of March 2004, Official Languages Commissioner Dyane Adam also supported this proposal. Public Works and Government Services Canada is a federal institution and is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic communities in Canada. Ottawa is the national capital and should reflect our linguistic duality. Fostering full recognition and use of both English and French in federal properties is the law of the land. The Citizen doesn't do justice to Canadian unity when it misinforms its readers with such uncalled-for insolent persiflage. There are no language cops; they are the figment of your imagination. Respect, tolerance and understanding in linguistic matters should be the order of the day. Jean-Robert Gauthier, Ottawa Senate of Canada © The Ottawa Citizen 2004
The Ottawa Citizen
Call off the language cops We'll be able to tell a lot about newly Liberalized Public Works Minister Scott Brison by the way he handles his bureaucrats' ludicrous effort to force bilingualism on tenants in government buildings. Shop-owners on the north side of Sparks Street got a letter last week from Public Works saying they're about to be sucked into a bunch of meetings to make sure all their services are available in both French and English. There is a clause in Public Works and National Capital Commission leases insisting on it. It's unfair and should be cut out. Often, it's justified on business grounds -- the government knows better than business owners what their customers want, you see, so Public Works is doing them a favour. That's the same sort of favour that led the government to buy the north side of Sparks in the first place, where it helps business by regularly musing about tearing the buildings down. The government focuses on Ottawa businesses, furthermore, while ignoring its tenants in Gatineau, where Quebec's language police insist on French dominance. Canada's linguistic duality is wonderful, and it ought to be promoted. Most Canadians agree and will do the work on their own where they can afford to. The government should help those who do it willingly instead of ramming it down the throats of people who can't. © The Ottawa Citizen 2004 Letters from supporters
The Ottawa Citizen
Let the market choose Re: 'Language police' a figment of Citizen's imagination, Aug. 23. If business tenants who rent federal properties are compelled to "provide bilingual signage and service" in both official languages, I wish Senator Jean-Robert Gauthier would tell the public why the federal government is now pushing its Official Languages Act into the private domain. The government has always restricted its official-languages policy to its own agencies and departments, and the public has always had the freedom of choice in a free-enterprise system -- the market decides our consumer choices. That right is being taken away form these businesses as well as from consumers. Senator Gauthier said that Public Works Canada "is committed to enhance the vitality of the English and French language linguistic communities in Canada." I fail to understand how this policy "enhances the vitality" of the English linguistic community. Senator Gauthier states that the leases in question call for respect of "Canada's linguistic duality." Respect is earned, not coerced. Michael Neilly, Dunrobin © The Ottawa Citizen 2004 The Ottawa Citizen August 26, 2004
A costly, wrong emphasis
It is interesting how Senator Jean-Robert Gauthier claims that the Citizen "reflects ignorance and prejudice in linguistic matters," when were he to actually read the Official Languages Act, he would find absolutely no reference or supporting regulations covering tenants of government-owned buildings being obliged to provide services in both official languages. Indeed, rather than the Official Languages Act imposing artificial criteria on businesses, it is actually the languages zealots who make up the Senate Official Languages Committee, supported by the ever-eager Official Languages Commissioner, Dyane Adam, who take on this grandiose role. Beyond the $750 million that then-prime minister Jean Chretien deemed necessary for promoting bilingualism in 2003, Treasury Board decided to add another $64.6 million for a grand total of $814.6 million; it's anyone's guess how much more spending has been hidden. These are additional dollars to what is already being spent on official languages by every government department and innumerable special-interest groups across the country. It makes one wonder just how many MRIs, hospital rooms, surgical procedures and additional nurses and doctors this money could have provided if health care were the government's first priority instead of bilingualism. More important, how many more taxpayers on lengthy hospital waiting lists will die while the bilingualism band marches on untouched? The never-ending Liberal chant that "Canada's linguistic duality is key to our collective identity" is really beginning to wear thin. Instead of searching for language problems where none exist, this government should start focusing on the health of the nation, both physically and financially. Sue Hodgson, Kemptville © The Ottawa Citizen 2004 The vitality of the English linguistic community in this Capital city will be enhanced only when it is given equal consideration to that of the French . Not so long ago Senator Gauthier was busy impressing the general public with his expertise in menu reading in the Byward Market, with his expected criticism of course. His efforts have escalated with this recent rant in explanation for the reasoning behind Federal tenants on Sparks Street being told to be bilingual or else. Sounds like unnecessary language policing to me, and coercion as suggested by Michael Neilly. When the majority of Ottawa residents are English speaking , 64%, let the market choose.
Audrey Petersen
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