Safe-guarding the gravy train for the next generation
June 18, 2008
…of Francophones. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. In order to score a really great government job in New Brunswick, it really helps to be bilingual. How do you ensure that future generations of Francophones will continue to enjoy employment in New Brunswick’s civil service? Make sure that the Anglophones don’t learn how to speak french.
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Wouldn’t it be easier to pick one language and make sure every one speaks it like Singapore did?
I have no problem with the idea of bilingualism but when a government makes it necessary for you to speak two languages in order to have a job in public service, the government should make darn sure that EVERYONE in the country has an equal opportunity/and is required as part of normal schooling, to learn the two languages – otherwise incompetent people who speak french and barely speak english will get a job over a highly qualified english speaking person.
That is why Singapore chose one language, so every one could communicate. That and in this case because they had to deal with three different groups and three languages they chose English since it was less likely to be a problem for the Malay, Chinese and Indians and they wouldn’t have ethnic strife, plus that was already every ones second language. I know in Canada you have a lot of people whose first language isn’t either French or English it is a problem to try to make them speak both they need to pick one. Now maybe it’s my own bias but I think English is the better one especially if you think about global business and or the people next door (you know Bushhitler, Obama the Messiah). You need one standard language as a nation otherwise it will cause immense problems.
The government is barley capable of teaching a kid to read how the hell are they going to teach them two languages fluently?