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Does the Candidate Have to Speak French to Become Prime Minister? By Shaunpal Jandu, Project and Public Affairs Lead, CPF National The case for proficiency in both official languages of our country has been extensively studied and widely discussed for decades in Canada. The realm of political engagement and service by Canadians at a national level is also an area that has given rise to discussion and debate, and there are current and past examples to highlight the relevance and importance of official language bilingualism for those who may aspire to national leadership in this country. In January 2017, businessman and reality TV star Kevin O’Leary entered the race to become the leader of the federal Conservative Party. Three months later, in April, Mr. O’Leary dropped out of the race stating that due to a lack of support in Quebec it would be difficult for him to win the province. When he started his campaign the day after the French-language debate, he said, “you can become Conservative leader even if you don’t speak one of the country’s two official languages” (Boisvert, 2017). However, soon after, he started working to improve his French, spending every day with a French teacher. Eventually when Mr. O’Leary decided to drop out of the race he conceded “You can’t govern this country without speaking French and English.” (Boisvert, 2017) The change in Mr. O’Leary’s stance on French makes sense from a purely numeric perspective, as there are 75 seats in the House of Commons from Quebec – second only to Ontario. So, if a potential leader wants to contribute to and have a strong impact in the federal government and the country, he or she needs to garner support from Quebec, and proficiency in French is widely acknowledged as a determining factor to achieve this. In 1983, during the federal Progressive Conservative leadership race that would be won by Brian Mulroney, John Crosbie, a charismatic MP from St. John’s NL, was considered a front runner for the position. However, as a unilingual Anglophone, he knew it would be a challenge. “Crosbie’s closest advisors – including his wife – acknowledge that the lack of French is a problem.” (Diebel, 1983) To further illustrate the importance of official language bilingualism for Prime Ministerial candidates, during the leadership campaign Mr. Mulroney would say, “there are 102 ridings in the country with a francophone population over 10 per cent. In the last election the Liberals won 100 of them, we won two. You give Pierre Trudeau a head start of 100 seats and he’s going to beat you 10 times out of 10.” (Maher, 2017) In 1983, after the leadership race, former Conservative MP David Kilgour (from Edmonton-Strathcona) stated “The days of unilingualism in Canadian politics are past.” (Diebel, 1983) It is of interest to note that since that time Canada has not elected a unilingual PM. Today Mr. Crosbie is a supporter of bilingualism and, when talking to youth, he acknowledges that his failure to lead the federal Progressive Conservative party was in large part due to his not knowing French. But looking beyond being Prime Minister of Canada, learning both official languages is an asset when being considered for employment in many positions within the federal public service. There was much political fury when the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed the very well-qualified, unilingual Michael Ferguson as federal Auditor General in 2011. Now halfway through his 10-year term, Mr. Ferguson is earning grudging praise from some of his toughest critics, including Quebec’s French-language media. They note the strong improvement of Mr. Ferguson’s French, stating that he now speaks the language with assurance. Mr. Ferguson has shown great motivation to learn French on the job in Ottawa. The federal public service, Canada’s largest employer, requires many of its employees to be bilingual prior to stepping into a position. A 2009 parliamentary committee study (Herry- Saint-Onge, 2015) found that of the 180,000 jobs reported in the study, 72,000 (or 40%) were listed as bilingual. Furthermore, most senior level positions within the federal public service have a mandatory bilingual requirement. What does this mean for youth who may dream of becoming Prime Minister? Knowing both official languages before declaring your candidacy is your best bet! Although potential leaders will be judged on a full range of attributes, official language bilingualism is a significant asset and potentially a determining factor in a candidate’s success. In an officially bilingual country such as Canada, many citizens believe strongly that our leader should be able to speak directly to the entire country. So if you want to be Canada’s next Prime Minister, it is essential to understand the need for proficiency in both French and English to truly represent this great nation. n References Boisvert, Y. (2017, April 27). The O’Leary lesson: You can’t run this country without speaking French. The Globe and Mail: https://beta. theglobeandmail.com/opinion/the-oleary-lesson-you-cant-run-thiscountry-without-speaking-french/article34830284/?ref=http://www. theglobeandmail.com& Diebel, L. (1983, July 4). The rise of a bilingual Canadian elite. Maclean’s, pp. 22-24. Herry-Saint-Onge, V. (2015, February 12). Bilingual Benefits: Is It Worth The Trouble Of Learning French Anymore? Huffington Post: http://www. huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/04/bilingual-benefits_n_1628679.html Maher, S. (2017, January 14). If the Conservatives choose a unilingual leader, they’ll lose. iPolitics: http://ipolitics.ca/2017/01/14/if-theconservatives-choose-a-unilingual-leader-theyll-lose/ Canadian Parents for French Vol 5 • Issue 1 • 2017 19
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