Xref: utzoo can.general:1771 can.politics:2784
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!watmsg!sccowan
From: sccowan@watmsg.waterloo.edu (S. Crispin Cowan)
Newsgroups: can.general,can.politics
Subject: Re: postings in the French language
Keywords: appropriate, language, subsequent
Message-ID: <29431@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 26 Sep 89 17:33:34 GMT
References: <1178@mannix.iros1.UUCP> <3837.251eb4d9@uwovax.uwo.ca> <1989Sep26.153200.959@utstat.uucp>
Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: sccowan@watmsg.waterloo.edu (S. Crispin Cowan)
Distribution: can
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 49

In article <1989Sep26.153200.959@utstat.uucp> webber@utubrutus.toronto.edu (Bob Webber) writes:
>In article <3837.251eb4d9@uwovax.uwo.ca> J G Miller  writes:
>>In article <1178@mannix.iros1.UUCP>, leonard@pivele.iro.umontreal.ca (Nicolas Leonard) writes:
>>> Oh, jusqu'ici ca va...
>>[and subsequent postings in the French language]
>>
>>Is not the group can.francais more appropriate for these postings,
>>after all this is not can.politique?
>>
>>//Greg Miller
>
>Pourquoi pas?  Consider it a challenge (no, better, an _opportunity_) to
>learn something about Canada's other official language and other imperialist
>running dog founding culture.  Or a chance to make new friends by politely
>asking for a translation if your language skills aren't up to par.

This is one of the issues that I consider to be a major problem.
Among anyone but civil servants, 'par' in French is about zip.  I like
it that way.  I don't do any significant business with anyone in
Quebec.  I don't know anyone i Quebec.  No significant amount of work
in my field (computer architecture) is published in French.
Therefore, I am completely un-interested in investing the man YEARS
required to acquire the language to any degree of utility.

On the other hand, it is becoming a standard requirement that any
medium to high level civil servant be bi-lingual.  Since bi-lingualism
is almost completely non-existant outside of Quebec, this creates a
tremendous bias towards people from Quebec.  In a predomenantly
English country, I regard this as un-fair discrimination.  It is also
divicive.  People tend not to like the federal government now.  How
will western Canada feel about it when every time they talk to a
federal civil servant the first thing they hear is 'Bonjoure',
followed by broken english.  It's not fun feeling like an immigrant in
your native country.

Crispin
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Login name:	sccowan			In real life: S. Crispin Cowan
Office:		DC3548	x3934		Home phone: 570-2517
Post Awful:	60 Overlea Drive, Kitchener, N2M 1T1
UUCP:		watmath!watmsg!sccowan
Domain:		sccowan@watmsg.waterloo.edu

"Everything to excess.  Moderation is for monks."
	-Lazarus Long
>-- 
>Bob Webber, Office of the Dean of Arts and Science, University of Toronto
>Internet: webber@artsci.toronto.edu; webber@utstat.toronto.edu
>UUCP: utzoo!utas!webber; utzoo!utstat!webber