Bizarre thread not really about anything in particular

59 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2019-02-12 12:47

Pondering

With a heavy heart I have submitted my letter of resignation to the Prime Minister as a member of Cabinet... https://jwilson-raybould.liberal.ca/news-nouvelles/statement-from-the-honourable-jody-wilson-raybould-member-of-parliament-for-vancouver-granville/ …

Trudeau, yesterday stated:

"I respect her view that, due to privilege, she can't comment or add on matters recently before the media. I also highlight that we're bound by cabinet confidentiality. In our system of governance, her presence in cabinet should speak for itself."

Tue, 2019-02-12 13:03

bekayne

So you've thrown Singh under the bus in record time.

Tue, 2019-02-12 13:28

lagatta4

There is no evidence that she agrees with NDP policies; if so, why did she stand as a Liberal? Honesty is essential, but it is not enough.

Tue, 2019-02-12 15:51

robbie_dee

Deleted (thought better of it)

Tue, 2019-02-12 15:43

(Reply to #4) #5

Unionist

lagatta4 wrote:

There is no evidence that she agrees with NDP policies; if so, why did she stand as a Liberal? Honesty is essential, but it is not enough.

Just out of curiosity - how many NDP policies can you name that are different from Liberal policies? No rush.

Tue, 2019-02-12 16:23

Martin N.

Liberal Official Hypocrisy Denial Policy, Librano Wing Corruption Mitigation Policy, Liberal PMO Walkin' back the Talk Policy.

*Not to be confused with party platforms.

Tue, 2019-02-12 16:29

Martin N.

The NDP is in its current state of despair because it has ethics, not in spite of them. The Liberals, on the other hand, talk of ethics while doing the opposite.

Sunny ways is a simple stooge for a Liberal crime syndicate that has neither ethics nor morals.

Tue, 2019-02-12 18:35

lagatta4

Unionist, far fewer differences and far less commitment to declared policies than I'd like. That is why I'm a member of Québec solidaire and not the NDP, though I will vote and sometimes work for candidates who seem principled and progressive.

General strike in Belgium tomorrow, by the way!

Tue, 2019-02-12 19:29

(Reply to #8) #9

Pondering

bekayne wrote:

So you've thrown Singh under the bus in record time.

I don't think so. I've defended him a long time. I think he might have been the right leader after Jack Layton. At this point I think he is too soft and I am bothered that he knew nothing of the "white surpremist" comment as it is part of a major on-going news story.

I was being a little facetious suggesting JWR for leader but not entirely. She has more than honesty she has intelligence and integrity.

Tue, 2019-02-12 19:52

#10

Pondering

I would quote the whole thing as every point is right on.

Nine subtle (and not-so) signals in Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation letter

Anne Kingston: The letter from the former cabinet minister is a masterclass in how to communicate volumes between the lines

by Anne Kingston

Feb 12, 2019

6. Covert slam of Real Change™: “When I sought federal elected office, it was with the goal of implementing a positive and progressive vision of change on behalf of all Canadians and a different way of doing politics,” Wilson-Raybould writes. Her commitment to “fundamental change” hasn’t changed: “This work must and will carry on.” (Left unsaid: But not in the Trudeau cabinet.)

Tue, 2019-02-12 20:43

#11

R.E.Wood

I see no reason to speculate that she has any inclination of moving to the NDP. But I do think she may have her eyes on the Liberal leadership!

Tue, 2019-02-12 21:02

#12

Pondering

As I said, I was being facetious, however she is better than anyone within the party. Though I have lost some faith in Singh I still think he was and is the best choice that the NDP had or has right now.

If it were between Singh and JWR I would pick JWR in a heartbeat for 2019. That is, I think she would have a better shot at beating Trudeau and Scheer than Singh has.

I don't blame Singh for the state of the NDP. He is the scapegoat not the problem. There is a war within. There has always been a left that is too radical to win in the NDP, but the wannabe liberals are wrong as well. That might have worked in 2015 but not 2019.

Being "right" as in "correct" has little to nothing to do with winning in politics.

Tue, 2019-02-12 22:34

(Reply to #12) #13

Unionist

lagatta4 wrote:

Unionist, far fewer differences and far less commitment to declared policies than I'd like. That is why I'm a member of Québec solidaire and not the NDP, though I will vote and sometimes work for candidates who seem principled and progressive.

I'm also a member of Québec solidaire - and looking forward to national council at the end of March. But I don't vote on "party" lines. I vote for individuals whom I support and respect. Don't take this the wrong way - but parties can go fuck themselves.

Quote:
General strike in Belgium tomorrow, by the way!

A la huelga!!

Tue, 2019-02-12 22:41

#14

Sean in Ottawa

JWR made a point of saying she will retain her seat but not mentionning anything about the Liberal party or Trudeau. When I made the comment earlier about her joining the NDP I did this with this in mind in humour. I would have been more serious if the NDP were not on life support. It is difficult to imagine a jump to the NDP under these conditions.

As for her as leadership material -- on her federal commons page her language preference is marked English and French suggesting some French ability although I have found no example of her speaking in French.

There is a lot of good things to say about her. I would not assume the NDP would be so lucky to have her go to them. Fantasies of leadership are obvious given that it would be hard to see the party not advanced considerably with ehr as a leader. But we are ahead of ourselves -- she is still a Liberal at least for now.

Tue, 2019-02-12 22:57

#15

NDPP

I think such a practiced comprador hustler and 'extinguisher' would make the perfect addition to the NDP stable. And if not, she can always go back to her old speciality as a Crown Prosecutor locking up lots of Indigenous people on Vancouver's Downtown Lower East Side.

https://twitter.com/ArticulateDinos/status/1095477466272022528

Tue, 2019-02-12 23:07

(Reply to #15) #16

Unionist

NDPP wrote:

I think such a practiced comprador hustler and 'extinguisher' would make the perfect addition to the NDP stable. And if not, she can always go back to her old speciality as a Crown Prosecutor locking up lots of Indigenous people on Vancouver's Downtown Lower East Side.

https://twitter.com/ArticulateDinos/status/1095477466272022528

Wow - thanks for that, NDPP.

Wed, 2019-02-13 00:01

#17

Pondering

While I certainly respect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Manuel JWR is not the enemy of indigenous peoples. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Wilson-Raybould#Crown_Prosecutor_(2000%E2%80%932003)

It is unlikely in the extreme that Canada will be given back to indigenous peoples or that they will be reimbursed for its value. International law has no enforcement mechanism. Some people choose to work within the system, some oppose it. Both can be right.

Wed, 2019-02-13 02:23

(Reply to #17) #18

Ken Burch

Martin N. wrote:

Liberal Official Hypocrisy Denial Policy, Librano Wing Corruption Mitigation Policy, Liberal PMO Walkin' back the Talk Policy.

*Not to be confused with party platforms.

Small point, Martin-but would you mind not using the term "Librano"? It's a Con meme which goes back to the years when Harper was using it on Martin and Co. Yes, the Liberal Party is corrupt-but no, they aren't actually comparable to members of the Mafia as depicted on cable tv in the States.

Wed, 2019-02-13 04:48

#19

voice of the damned

I don't have a problem with someone using a Conservative-derived epithet for the Liberals, just as long they accept that many people will assume they are Conservative supporters as a result.

As for the Liberals not actually being like American TV gangsters, well, no, obviously they're not. By the same token, though, none of our elected politicians are like the Nazis, but that doesn't stop people from using hyperbolic phrases like "Doug Ford's speech sounded better in the original German."

Wed, 2019-02-13 11:31

#20

Mighty Middle

She would have to leave the Liberal caucus and sit as an independent, because the NDP policy (at the federal level) doesn't support floor-crossings.

Wed, 2019-02-13 11:43

(Reply to #20) #21

WWWTT

NDPP wrote:

I think such a practiced comprador hustler and 'extinguisher' would make the perfect addition to the NDP stable. And if not, she can always go back to her old speciality as a Crown Prosecutor locking up lots of Indigenous people on Vancouver's Downtown Lower East Side.

https://twitter.com/ArticulateDinos/status/1095477466272022528

Classic imperialist divide and conquer. Centuries old successful tactics. White western imperialist powers love it! See Venezuela thread for further details

Wed, 2019-02-13 11:50

#22

NDPP

"I think it should be obvious that Indigenous participation in colonial political structures is never going to lead to decolonization or any other aspirations of Indigenous peoples."

https://twitter.com/VeldonCoburn/status/1095427578205294592

Don't vote for Canada.

Wed, 2019-02-13 14:54

#23

Misfit

I don’t think that the NDP needs to flatter themselves that she would consider joining the party. She is a Liberal and has an excellent future in politics wherever she decides to go. She is well respected. The NDP is on a collision course to nowhere right now.

I can see her running again as a Liberal if Trudeau steps down. I can even see her running for the leadership of the Liberal party if not now due to what’s going on then at some future leadership run.

If JT cannot salvage himself from this then they may need a new leader.

Wed, 2019-02-13 17:03

#24

Ken Burch

OK, Pondering, this said-do you support Singh staying on as leader if he wins the by-election?

Wed, 2019-02-13 18:27

#25

Geoff

Indeed, there's no reason to believe she's got the NDP on her mind. However, if, at some point, she becomes interested, she should have a chat with Charlie Angus and see how much common ground exists between her priorities and those of New Democrats like Charlie.

Should she decide she wants to junp ship and join the NDP, she could sit as an independent until the election, then run as a New Democrat, which would take care of the floor-crossing issue.

Having said that, I think it's probably far too early to speculate as to whether or not she would consider switching parties.

Wed, 2019-02-13 19:48

(Reply to #25) #26

bekayne

Geoff wrote:

Indeed, there's no reason to believe she's got the NDP on her mind. However, if, at some point, she becomes interested, she should have a chat with Charlie Angus and see how much common ground exists between her priorities and those of New Democrats like Charlie.

Funny you should mention Charlie Angus

https://twitter.com/charlieangusndp/status/1071763321328754689

Wed, 2019-02-13 21:37

#27

Pondering

That was Dec. 9th and there is no explanation as to why he felt that way.

Thu, 2019-02-14 20:48

#28

Pogo

Yesterday I was thinking the PM office spin was out of control. Now all I hear is how pure and above reproach the former AG is which makes me wonder. I have met a lot of Liberals that I admire for one reason or another, but I have never met a Liberal politician that wasn't closely attached to the Liberal political machine.

Thu, 2019-02-14 00:05

(Reply to #28) #29

kropotkin1951

Pondering wrote:

That was Dec. 9th and there is no explanation as to why he felt that way.

This was in the time period he was advocating on behalf of legislation to end the forced sterilization of indigenous women. Here he is in committee on Dec 10th. Maybe he thought the indigenous AG might be an ally and was disgusted when she followed the party line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVUXwU4m39o

Thu, 2019-02-14 10:33

#30

blairz

This is all fun wishful thinking, but the way this scandal is being played in Quebec might make her the only candidate that would under perform Singh as leader. I like Jagmeet, but he does not perform well in Television interviews, and basically that is all he has to build a credible profile. This scandal has created a real opening into the election and the NDP is incapable of seizing the moment. To be sure, that is not entirely Singh's fault, but as leader it is mostly his fault. I don't know if Wilson-Raybold intends to remain in Parliament or not, but if she does, one hopes the party has the good sense to reach out to her.

Thu, 2019-02-14 14:17

(Reply to #30) #31

Sean in Ottawa

Pogo wrote:

Yesterday I was thinking the PM office spin was out of control. Now all I hear is how pure and above reproach the for AG is which makes me wonder. I have met a lot of Liberals that I admire for one reason or another, but I have never met a Liberal politician that wasn't closely attached to the Liberal political machine.

I think there may be some MPs who are not closely tied to the machine: before the last election it was not clear the Liberals would make it all the way to power and the party was trying to reflect a new fresh group of faces. I think if ever there was an opportunity for people not connected to the machine it was then. Now I think not so much

Thu, 2019-02-14 16:05

#32

Mighty Middle

Is there is a requirement for an Federal NDP leader to be bilingual? Because JWR doesn't speak french, I don't know how that would play in Quebec.

Thu, 2019-02-14 16:33

#33

kropotkin1951

Yes there is a requirement, otherwise we might have Libby Davies as a PM instead of Justisn't Truedo.

Thu, 2019-02-14 17:19

#34

Pondering

facetious

If someone is being facetious they’re being playful with an edge. A knock-knock joke isn’t facetious, but if you call it the most advanced form of comedy, you’re probably being facetious.

The word facetious comes from the French facétie for “joke,” and has come to describe a joke with a little drop of sarcasm. It used to imply “funny and witty,” as in, “Oh what a facetious chap!” But now it has taken on a darker tone, like a joke that’s not quite appropriate. Whether appreciated or not, facetious things are not for real.

I was not seriously suggesting that she is in the running to lead the NDP. With the state the NDP is in I doubt she would be interested. I do believe she would make an excellent leader.

As to French, depending on policy, Quebecers would vote for someone who doesn't speak French if they believed they would get the best deal from them.

Thu, 2019-02-14 18:26

#35

kropotkin1951

A unilingual Libby had a chance against Justin but the received wisdom was it would be a slap in the face to Quebec. I think Mulcair's performance was a slap in the face to all leftist Canadians, in both official languages.

Thu, 2019-02-14 19:03

(Reply to #35) #36

Ken Burch

kropotkin1951 wrote:

A unilingual Libby had a chance against Justin but the received wisdom was it would be a slap in the face to Quebec. I think Mulcair's performance was a slap in the face to all leftist Canadians, in both official languages.

Agree that Mulcair was a train wreck, but how could choosing an unilingual leader NOT guarantee a wipeout in Quebec? It goes without saying that no Quebec francophone would ever vote for a party whose leader didn't speak French. Why would anyone in Quebec ever think a leader who didn't speak French could possibly understand and respect what people there want? Look at how it went for the NDP there when Douglas and Lewis led it.

Thu, 2019-02-14 19:40

#37

kropotkin1951

I'm sorry I disagree that people in Quebec are so xenophobic they would not vote for someone who was not fluent in French. To me it is what a politician does in office and what bills they pass that is important not what language their stump speech is in. I know that is is an unpopular believe but I think any "rule" in a federation that bans over 90% of a province's citizens from the highest office in federal politics is just not right.

But even pragmatically from an electoral viewpoint I think unlike Tom, Libby might have excited someone in some language and would certainly not have had Justin play the fake feminist card effectively. I think that if she had been leader and had led her caucus into the streets of Montreal like she used to march in Vancouver her Quebec caucus would have fared better in the last election.

Thu, 2019-02-14 20:05

(Reply to #37) #38

bekayne

kropotkin1951 wrote:

I'm sorry I disagree that people in Quebec are so xenophobic they would not vote for someone who was not fluent in French.

I'm sorry I disagree that people outside Quebec are so xenophobic they would not vote for someone who was not fluent in English.

Thu, 2019-02-14 20:06

(Reply to #38) #39

brookmere

kropotkin1951 wrote:
Yes there is a requirement

No there isn't, and that's a good thing, because the membership ought to be able to evaluate a candidate's language skills, not some anonymous people in an office.

You might recall Dave Barrett ran for federal leader and he didn't even pretend to speak French.

Thu, 2019-02-14 20:40

#40

kropotkin1951

Brookmere, it is not a requirement only a reality that was apparent in the last leadership race for the party or by reading the reaction above to the suggestion.

I still think that left leaning voters in Quebec who care about the many issues especially around harm reduction that Libby fought for would have voted for her Quebec caucus. We elect MP's in Canada not PM's. I don't understand why speaking both official languages is somehow indicative of ones ability to lead however being fluent in English and Mandarin does not count. BC voters that MP's are elected by and go to Ottawa to represent speak it not French. Its not like the House of Commons does not have simultaneous translation in both official languages. I see Canada as a federation of geographic regions that elect MP's to make national laws. I do not see it as a two state federation.

Thu, 2019-02-14 21:41

#41

Pondering

I think Libby is in favor of legalized prostitution. That knocks her out of the running. The file is poison. It's no win. Conservatives know it, Liberals know it, and so does the NDP. From what I have read about 10% or fewer men have ever used prostitutes. Assuming each prostitute services multiple men the number of prostitutes must be under 1%.

Depth of feeling matters. the percentage of people that answer polls saying they support legalization is high but they don't feel strongly about it and they don't think it is a job like any other.

On the other side there is a high percentage of women voters who would be strongly against legalization. The Conservatives would have an ideal vehicle to completely derail any party that moves towards legalizing prostitution. The party would be so busy defending their stance on prostitution it is the only message that would make it through.

The Duffy affair was huge yet Harper was almost re-elected. He did take the lead at times.

People mostly vote pragmatically. Quebec is heavily in favour of cutting a deal with SNCL because Quebec stands to be badly hurt if they don't get one. Alberta insists on pipelines because that is what the industry has convinced them is needed for Alberta to survive economically. People care, maybe even deeply, about other things but they tend to rationalize that whatever is in their economic self-interest also happens to be the right thing to do.

Whomever convinces the most voters that they will serve them best economically wins. The middle class is hugely important. As long as neoliberals have the middle-class convinced that they pay for everything and that taxing business chases them away and that we need free trade deals neoliberals will win.

That is the central issue on which everything else rests. Climate change, reconcilliation, truly universal health care. Pretty much every problem we have would either be solved or be much easier to address.

I think it would take a leader who zeroed on the financial elites and how they are transferring wealth to the already wealthy along with a very strong Quebec representative by their side.

Thu, 2019-02-14 23:42

(Reply to #41) #42

cco

kropotkin1951 wrote:

I I know that is is an unpopular believe but I think any "rule" in a federation that bans over 90% of a province's citizens from the highest office in federal politics is just not right.

Nobody's banned, legally or by NDP statutes. That's like saying 36 million Canadians are banned from practicing medicine, just because only 84,000 in the whole country graduated from medical school. 90% of BC residents have chosen not to learn French. That's a learnable skill, not a genetic trait. If that excludes them from being prime minister (on the grounds that 1/4 of the country likely won't vote for a leader who can't speak their native language), well, they're welcome to take classes instead of treating it like an insurmountable obstacle. Stephen Harper was prime minister for a decade, despite having come up in the "No more PMs from Quebec, ever!" Reform Party. Let's not forget that the last time the West voted for a leader from Quebec was 1988, and the last time BC voted for a francophone was 1968.

Fri, 2019-02-15 12:42

#43

Sean in Ottawa

I really think that the idea that Quebec cannot warm up to someone who does not speak French well ought to have been in the dustbin with the election of REB.

I think any NDP leader that would spend enough time in Quebec, be candid with the language probelm and work like hell to improve it could have a chance.

I am not convinced that a leader cannot do this -- even though they would ahve to work insanely hard learning French while being leader. It would take a person of extraordinary skill to do it and a person who could come across as very sincere.

I actually think that Libby Davis had the kind of personality that might have pulled it off. It would ahve been very hard for her as she would have needed to spend half her time in Quebec but half the seats were there so that is not even unreasonable.

Sure I may be attacked for this but I have always noticed a lot of emotion in politics in Quebec when it comes to leaders -- a person who is compassionate, honest, respects them and would work her ass off to know them and to learn French -- even if only passable -- would get support. Davis had a connection to the kind of street politics that has always been a big feature of Quebec. Her walking with someone like Caron on the side of Quebecers on many issues would not have gone unnoticed.

She would not have blurred the field between her and the Liberal party either. She woudl ahve attractedpeople in Quebec who supported many of the same things. She could have inspired.

I actually think in many ways Davis could have done better in Quebec than much of the rest of Canada. she is an anglophone but her politics and style and apporach tunes better with Quebec than much of the rest of the country. I think she might have become a phenomenon. She might have increased support in English Canada after getting the attention of Quebec.

I am not sure she was up for such an epic battle but I would not have ruled her success out of the question.

My opinion of course...

Fri, 2019-02-15 13:06

#44

JKR

I think one reason that a NDP leader needs to speak fluent French is that the federal election leaders debates and the NDP leaders debates during NDP leadership elections now all include French-only debates. Like it or not, leaders debates are probably the greatest determinant of success in Canadian politics nowadays. Not being able to debate well in French is a huge disadvantage for a party leader nowadays. Mulcair’s relative fluency in French compared to the other candidates at the time was probably the greatest reason Mulcair became leader.

Fri, 2019-02-15 14:09

#45

Ken Burch

For the record, I actually like Libby Davies-it's just that I think that, having been in federal politics for years, she should probably have been taking French lessons while doing that-btw,doesn't the House of Commons offer French language instruction for free for sitting MPs?-as should any sitting MP considering seeking her, his(and, inevitably theirs, since it's likely there will be non-binary MPs sitting in the House sooner than later)party's leadership should do that simply as a part of their responsibilities to work for some sort of cultural amity with the country. BTW, does Libby speak Mandarin or Cantonese? That would be something an MP from her old riding should probably try to do as well.

Fri, 2019-02-15 14:09

#46

Ken Burch

Truthfully, I doubt Libby ever seriously considered standing for the leadership. She seemed happy as an MP and a caucus critic.

Fri, 2019-02-15 16:19

#47

NDPP

Canada's Justice System is Impeccable and Impartial, Free of Political Influence or Interference: Latest Example

PCO Lawyer Asked Prosecutor if There Was A Way to 'Engineer Issues' in Norman Case, Court Hears

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-norman-cabinet-leak-trial-prosecut...

"The top lawyer at the Privy Council Office apparently asked federal prosecutors if it was possible to 'engineer the issues at stake' in the criminal case against Vice Admiral Mark Norman. The remarks - made on Sept 14, 2018 and attributed to PCO lawyer Paul Shuttle - were contained in prosecution notes entered into evidence at a pretrial hearing involving the former vice-chief of the defence staff, who faces one count of breach of trust...The director of the prosecution service denied the claim of interference..."

What hand in what cookie jar?

Fri, 2019-02-15 18:11

(Reply to #47) #48

kropotkin1951

Ken Burch wrote:

Truthfully, I doubt Libby ever seriously considered standing for the leadership. She seemed happy as an MP and a caucus critic.

I don't know the answer to that but if you buy her new book it might be in there.

Fri, 2019-02-15 18:22

(Reply to #48) #49

kropotkin1951

cco wrote:
kropotkin1951 wrote:

I I know that is is an unpopular believe but I think any "rule" in a federation that bans over 90% of a province's citizens from the highest office in federal politics is just not right.

90% of BC residents have chosen not to learn French. That's a learnable skill, not a genetic trait. If that excludes them from being prime minister (on the grounds that 1/4 of the country likely won't vote for a leader who can't speak their native language), well, they're welcome to take classes instead of treating it like an insurmountable obstacle.

Sure no problem. Learning a language when no one around you speaks it is so easy, right? Apparently you have no clue how hard it is to learn a second language when you have no place to speak it regularily. That is why we have French immersion programs for our kids. But even for that you actually need someone to teach your kids. But hey anyone that doesn't learn French in BC can't be serious about politics. Maxime Bernier speaks well in both official languages so that makes him more qualified than Libby.

Parents in various provinces share Staeheli's frustration, but advocates in B.C. say demand for French immersion enrolment is particularly strong in their province, where a Supreme Court of Canada decision in November 2016 restored small class sizes, requiring more teachers in all subjects.

Education Minister Rob Fleming said nearly 3,700 teachers overall have been hired in the last year and the hiring process continues, but demand for French immersion far outstrips the number of available teachers, leaving the province competing for educators with other jurisdictions in Canada.

Fleming said 37 of 100 new seats added to education faculties at British Columbia universities are specifically for those intending to teach French immersion, which is taught to almost 10 per cent of B.C.'s public school population.

His trip to France and Belgium earlier this month was an “aggressive” effort to recruit French teachers, he said, adding the province made assurances about removing barriers to temporary work permits and citizenship, along with faster accreditation of education degrees and teacher licensing.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/french-immersion-lottery-losses-have-b-c-parents-h...

Fri, 2019-02-15 18:35

#50

kropotkin1951

Here is some info on what languages Canadians speak. I find it interesting that we still only have two official languages given how much our demographics have changed since 1867. Currently a little over 17% of Canadians qualify to be PM.

Official Languages in Canada

Canada has two official languages at the federal level of government: English and French. [In the 2011 Census, about 17.5 percent, or 5.8 million, reported that they were bilingual in English and French, in that they could conduct a conversation in both English and French.] That's a small increase of 350,000 over the 2006 Census of Canada, which Statistics Canada attributes to an increase in the number of Quebecers who reported being able to conduct a conversation in English and French. In provinces other than Quebec, the rate of English-French bilingualism dipped slightly.

About 58 percent of the population reported that their mother tongue was English. English was also the language most often spoken at home by 66 percent of the population.

About 22 percent of the population reported that their mother tongue was French, and French was the language most often spoken at home by 21 percent.

About 20.6 percent reported that a language other than English or French was their mother tongue. They also reported that they spoke English or French at home.

Diversity of Languages in Canada

In the 2011 Census, eighty percent of those who reported that they speak a language other than English, French or an Aboriginal language, most often at home live in one of the six largest major census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Canada.

Toronto: About 1.8 million people in Toronto reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home. That's about 32.2 percent of the city's population and around 2.5 times as many as in Vancouver who reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home. The most common languages were Cantonese, Punjabi, Urdu and Tamil.

Montreal: In Montreal about 626,000 reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home. Nearly a third spoke Arabic (17 percent) and Spanish (15 percent).

Vancouver: In Vancouver, 712,000 reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home. Punjabi led the list at 18 percent, followed by Cantonese, Mandarin and Tagalog. The total accounts for 64.4 percent of the total population speaking one of these five languages most often at home.

Calgary: In Calgary, 228,000 people reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home. Punjabi (27,000 people), Tagalog (nearly 24,000), and non-specific Chinese dialects at nearly 21,000 were the languages most often reported.

Edmonton: In Edmonton, 166,000 reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home, with Punjabi, Tagalog, Spanish and Cantonese accounting for about 47 percent of these people, a percentage quite similar to Calgary.

Ottawa and Gatineau: About 87 percent of the people in this census metropolitan area who reported speaking an immigrant language most often at home lived in Ottawa and Arabic, Chinese (non-specified dialect), Spanish and Mandarin were the leading immigrant home languages. In Gatineau, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and non-specified Chinese dialects were the leading home languages.

https://www.thoughtco.com/languages-spoken-in-canada-511104

Fri, 2019-02-15 22:03

(Reply to #50) #51

cco

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Sure no problem. Learning a language when no one around you speaks it is so easy, right? Apparently you have no clue how hard it is to learn a second language when you have no place to speak it regularily.

I know exactly how hard it is. I learned French from classes, before immigrating to Quebec, in an area where nobody except those teaching classes spoke it.

kropotkin1951 wrote:

But hey anyone that doesn't learn French in BC can't be serious about politics. Maxime Bernier speaks well in both official languages so that makes him more qualified than Libby.

They can be perfectly serious about politics, and become premier of BC, or a cabinet minister in the federal government, or even the auditor-general under a Conservative government. They're going to face some obstacles in becoming prime minister, though (not steep ones, however – it's not like Harper's French is mellifluous, and even Justin Trudeau's is awkward). The good news is that people usually don't become prime minister as their first gig in politics, and being an MP in Ottawa gives you a workplace where you do indeed have a place to speak French regularly, not to mention federally provided language training. Meanwhile, until Trudeau appointed Diane Lebouthillier (who's taking said language training), there hadn't been a unilingual francophone federal cabinet minister in Canada since the Mulroney years.

Bizarre thread not really about anything in particular

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