feh...
Posted on 04/25/2015 9:35:13 AM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
What started as a row over lemonade could end up with international airlines being forced to employ French speakers on all flights that serve Canada, a country where French and English are classed as official languages.
An MP in Canada, Stephane Dion, has lodged a bill with parliament that if passed would oblige all flights to and from Canada to have a French speaker on board and for all passenger announcements to be made in both English and French.
The inspiration for his bill lies in an argument over a lemonade on an AirCanada flight between Toronto and North Carolina in the US.
A Francophone Canadian couple had ordered a 7Up and the air hostess, who did not speak French, brought them a Sprite, reports say.
An argument ensued and the two passengers are said to have become furious not with the fact they couldn't get any 7Up but because no member of staff on the plane was capable of speaking or understanding French.
They later sued the company but their case was dismissed by the Supreme Court last year.
The court acknowledged that while Air Canada failed to fulfill its obligations imposed by the law on official languages, it was powerless to punish the company because the law demanding both languages are spoken on board only applies to internal flights within Canada.
The MP Dion decided that the law needed changing.
“Being able to order 7Up in French on a plane is a fundamental right in Canada and all Canadians should be able to sue the airlines if this is not the case," Dion said this week.
I have noticed the aspect of recognition and some input being given to minorities. It seems that certain of their number then are given to petty nitpicking. They can make it very uncomfortable in a country like Canada. My native Country England is far, far worse. People threatened with jail on the word of some nasty individual of minority status.
My adopted city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario had passed a resolution about 25 years ago in City Council. This was to employ English only during the Monday regular council meeting. A fire storm broke loose. A woman,choking with emotion on the local radio show, claimed conventions were being cancelled. She said business owners were planning to relocate to other cities. She said SHE was leaving. (All nonsense)
The local council meetings at the time took about three hours and often long drawn out. One public gallery member could have demanded translation and the employment of a translator. A six hour session. It was then found out that 93 municipalities had the same resolution passed.
Excuse this rant. I myself boarded with French Canadian working class people in my city. The most hospitable and kind people I have met. They seem not to give a care about nitpicking. Some Muslim persons are masters in playing these games. Are a rarity where I live
Absolutely, provided Ontario has full access to the St. Lawrence.
On a visit to Ottawa some yrs. ago we crossed over the river into Hull, Quebec.
Like entering a 3rd world country. Nasty.
Ottawa on the other hand is probably the most beautiful city my meager travels have taken me to.
“Montreal is actually less French than other places in Quebec.”
By experience, yes. All my American cousins who visit there have the same experience as you because they KNOW American dollars are at stake and being snobby isn’t helpful. When I got my green card in Montreal (all canadians travel to that one embassy to process it which is stupid as Vancouver and the major cities have it’s own US Embassy), all the guys in my group told me it’s more non French in Montreal.
feh...
I think it does apply to federal government employees.
I know I had a relative in Ottawa that was required to learn French.
Canada needs to let Quebec go ahead and secede
with what they entered Canada with , a Small strip of land along the St Lawrence
“Being proper nouns, I would think “Sprite” and “7 Up” would be the same in any language.”
In canada, we called it “pop”. When I first got here, the McDonald’s kid would look at me like an alien when I said it.
Blame it on those same wimps who voted in 95’ to stay. They had their chance.
I have liked the Montreal area a lot.
They have two old time fantastic bagelrys.
There is hardly an area anywhere close to Houston any more where you can go and not hear several people speaking Spanish. Tired of it.
Actually the whole east was French. The maritime provinces were French and still, I read, have pockets of French.
The British ruthlessly kicked them out.
Many of the displaced ended up in Louisiana.
What a strange world we live in, when so much fuss is made over such trivialities as this.
The Froggies/Quebecois have 80% of the Federal jobs in the Ottawa area due to bilingualism requirements.
IOW bilingualism as pushed by Quebec is scam to hire more French speakers
Good one, Nully!!!! Going to take (another) nap now........
That’s why I try to only go places where they speak English - like Germany or Holland.
I’m curious how Denny’s in Canada get away with having the apostrophe in the name. Tim Hortons had to remove it to comply with language laws.
I’ve spoken Spanish as a second language from early childhood-like many/most SW Texans, I learned it at home. We converse in Spanish sometimes at work just to stay proficient-just because we can-so obviously, I have no problem with that as long as you also speak English. But I do not like people who use another language for exclusion or snob value-those of French ancestry seem to excel at it, no matter where they are.
I really think it is a good thing to speak a second language-I read that in times past, it marked a person as being well educated. It is still required to work for many multinational companies.
“only Quebec has a hair across its ass”
Many years ago, my Dad ordered tea at MsDonald’s in Quebec. They wouldn’t give it to them, pretending they couldn’t understand him. Yeah! There’s a huge difference between English and French regarding the word “Tea.”
THANK YOU for clearing up my life long mystery. Thought there was something wrong with my taste buds. I could never tell the difference between Sprite and 7Up.
Give me seltzer water and a slice of lemon and I’m happy.
“Obviously the author of this article is not familiar with Sprite or 7Up. Obviously the Member of Parliament has a few screws loose.”
The obvious clue, Canada.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.