Controversies arise over French language in Canada

Montreal: Do French-speakers face discrimination in Canada, despite its status as an official language along with English?

A string of recent leadership appointments and statements has revived the controversy over the French language’s place in Canada, prompting a response from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The latest blow: There are no longer any directors on the corporate board of Montreal-based CN, Canada’s largest railway company, who speak French.

The question of whether Canadian corporate leaders should be bilingual received a lot of attention last fall, after the president of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, said he did not have the time to learn French. He had to publicly apologize for those remarks a few days later. Under Canadian law, state-owned businesses, such as CN and Air Canada, as well as airports and federal ministries, are required to provide services in both French and English to clients.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that he was frustrated by the situation with CN. "French-speaking Canadians across the country should see themselves reflected in our major national institutions," said the bilingual prime minister, who also asked the responsible government ministers to ensure CN works quickly to rectify the situation.