We're so lucky in Canada - Nous sommes chanceux au Canada! But one of our biggest assets - our French-language heritage - is a squandered opportunity for all but the smartest Canadians.
Last Monday, I took an hour and a half out of my workday to sit a United Nations French language placement exam. I'm embarrassed to say that six years of classes throughout middle and high-school, plus six months of immersion living with a host family in St. Malo, France, did very little to help me struggle through 50 tough questions. Madame Taylor - my Grade 9 French teacher - would not have been happy.
It amazes me, day in and day out, how many of my United Nations colleagues switch between English, French and Spanish with fluidity and grace. When I try to break out my 'Francais rouillant' as I call it, the participants in my conversation know right away they're about to get the blunt end of the anglophone-trying-to-speak-
French sledgehammer. Politely, the conversation continues in English and all awkwardness is avoided.
I have been a longtime proponent of the need for our government to develop a national scheme of intra-Canada student exchange programmes. Its primary purpose would be to build language skills for French and English students across Canada, but it would also contribute to the development of a stronger understanding of Canada and its cultures by young Canadians. This in turn would discourage politicians from taking advantage of a populace that is, by and large, ignorant of the vast and diverse needs that exist between our coasts.
This lack of understanding is being played out on our national political scene right now - a pro-Alberta Prime Minister is, inter alia, hell-bent on avenging the wrongdoings of past politicians from the provinces of the East. The past is the past and politicians acted in a manner which they felt was appropriate for the time - be that right or wrong. But to frame a political approach on regional mistrust and a sense of entitlement, given the frailty of Canadian democracy and identity in an increasingly globalized world, is foolish at best. That foolishness is only compounded by the incredible short-sightedness of pinning the political and economic dominance of one province in our confederation on an industry that is the modern-day equivalent of the dinosaur, all the while promoting deep resentment. The West is indeed "in," but at what cost? From inside the United Nations bureaucracy, where I sit, I see national suicide in progress. Still, considering what's at stake, we must see beyond the petty provocation and childish impudence of the current Prime Minister (and his cronies) and instead, begin the process of healing and rebuilding our very promising country.
In that sense, our French heritage is a critical thread woven into the broader Canadian fabric. Whether it's Acadian French, Quebec French, or Metis French, we must use the resources we have to improve how we speak to each other. For now, I await the results of my UN language exam in the full knowledge that I have a handicap in addressing all Canadians in both official languages.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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4 comments:
Congratulations on starting your blog! It is nice to find a new worthwhile read on the internet.
I think you are absolutely right that contact is a prerequisite to understanding. If politicians can get away with petty regionalism, it is only because the electorate is content to think provincially.
I think Trudeau liked the idea of using government to create a global citizenry. Your post brought to mind an old article where Jan Wong recalled the benefits of Trudeau's exchange programs in her youth. I found it here...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/series/trudeau/jwong_sep30.html
It was Trudeau's friend Senator Jacques Hebert who founded Canada World Youth (perhaps something I should have taken advantage of). After reading your post, I wonder if our efforts should be more modest...it may be as important for Canada to attempt to understand itself as it to try understanding the world.
Hi MD - thanks for your encouragement. I absolutely agree with you - while on the one hand, we should not ignore the wider world - we know so little about ourselves. It's a big country! My next blog post talks a little to that as well.
And thanks also for the link to Jen's article. I read it and felt pangs of nostalgia. It is very clear that, the more time that passes from when he was at peek, Trudeau was not just a visionary, or a successful politician, but a giant of history whose ideas, influence and theories transcend time. He didn't just open up Canadian and Chinese relations, he opened up Canadian and Russian relations, he opened up Canadian and Cuban relations - the man embodied and defined forward thinking at a time when nobody knew what forward thinking meant!
There are days when I ask myself, 'What would Trudeau think of this, or that?' He was the face, attitude and intellect of Canada our generation yearns for today, whether we know it or not. Sadly though, I suspect it's the latter.
Speaking of which, this link might interest you.
Conservative cuts to CBC
Making cuts to the CBC seems a rather devious way to promote the Conservative agenda, and to promote Canadian regionalism by slashing one of our national broadcasting icons.
HI RC - I know. I'm totally furious, I can't even tell you. The challenge for our generation and for like-minded Canadians will be even greater, not just trying to overcome a petty regional mentality, but rebuilding one of the very few national cultural institutions we have. This is pretty terrible news.
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