If the unilingualism of the boss of Air Canada must be denounced, the fact remains that anglophones in Quebec feel abandoned, in particular by the Liberal Party of Quebec, judges former MP Robert Libman.
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The former leader of the Equality Party, which campaigned for the rights of Anglophones, called for the resignation on Thursday the president and CEO of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau.
“We were insulted and embarrassed by the fact that he told him that we could live in Montreal without speaking a word of French,” he declared at Richard Martineau’s microphone on QUB Radio.
“The famous archetype of the big English saleswoman from Eaton no longer exists,” he explains. Most of our community can speak French easily today, especially our young people. It reinforces certain stereotypes that existed before, but which no longer exist today, ”added Mr. Libman.
Room for everyone
At the same time, Mr. Libman deplored that the Rousseau affair is reviving the divisions between Anglophones and Francophones, especially in the context of the upcoming adoption of Bill 96 aimed at strengthening Bill 101, in particular by limiting access to CEGEPs. English speakers.
The former politician expects the law to be adopted unanimously in Quebec, including by the PLQ.
“The Liberal Party does not reflect the concerns of the Anglophone community today. […] People feel completely abandoned by the Liberal Party and raise the possibility of creating another party, ”Mr. Libman also suggested in an interview with Mario Dumont at LCN.
The latter judges that anglophones and francophones must collaborate and stop seeing each other as an adversary.
“There is a need for a dialogue between the two great linguistic communities of Quebec. […] Protecting the French language does not require the elimination of English or the reduction of the English-speaking community, ”he pleaded.
– With Carl Marchand, QMI Agency.