The Bloc Québécois accuses the Trudeau government of favoring the criterion of “diversity” to the detriment of that of French by appointing someone who is not “of French-speaking origin” to head the federal telecommunications regulator, breaking with the alternation tradition.
“We name a person who is not French-speaking after another person who is not French-speaking. It’s the end of the alternation [traditionnelle entre présidents anglophones et francophones] “, explains the leader of the Bloc, Yves-François Blanchet, in an interview with the Homework tuesday.
The Leader of the Second Opposition in the Commons wanted to react to the appointment of Vicky Eatrides as President and CEO of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Although perfectly bilingual and a specialist in competition and telecommunications, the Ottawa lawyer is not “basically, French-speaking”, criticizes Mr. Blanchet.
“And then, we are told that we want to promote the issue of diversity. [Ça revient à faire] the offensive, insulting assertion that we could not have found a Francophone with a sensitivity for diversity,” he adds.
There is, historically, a principle of alternation between an English-speaking person and a French-speaking person at the head of the federal organization. However, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, told The Canadian Press last May that this tradition “imports[ait] little”, while promising a bilingual candidacy.
NDP Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice also called the end of the tradition of naming a French-speaking candidate after an English-speaking candidate “very worrying”. “It is important that in an institution as important as the CRTC, Francophones be well represented,” concluded his email to Homework. The Conservative Party of Canada has not commented on this appointment.
Francophone diversity
In the job description posted to replace the outgoing president of the CRTC, Ian Scott, the federal government indicated a preference “for individuals who belong to one of the following groups: women, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities and visible minorities”.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, who has made a career as an artist’s agent and who has notably been president of the Quebec Association of the Record, Entertainment and Video Industry (ADISQ), maintains that he knows personally French-speaking people from this definition of diversity who are competent enough for this position. According to him, mastering the language of Molière is not enough.
“The French-speaking origin comes down to the two founding peoples, to the two official languages. It is one of the foundations of Canada,” argues Yves-François Blanchet. Its classification includes Francophones from New Brunswick or Ontario, who have the same “sensitivities” to language.
“Like me, I am quite comfortable in English, but I am not an English speaker! My sensitivity is not that of an English speaker, ”he illustrates.
Underrepresented Francophones
Francophones are under-represented in decision-making positions in various federal departments and agencies. A Radio-Canada count revealed this spring that Francophones represent only 19% of management positions, which is less than their demographic weight in Canada (23%) and much less than their presence in the public service in general ( 31%).
It is important that in an institution as important as the CRTC, Francophones are well represented
The new president of the CRTC as of January 5, Vicky Eatrides, also broached the subject of language during a short interview in French with The duty, Monday. “I am perfectly bilingual. I’m here for Canadians. And I will work with my colleagues and stakeholders to promote French culture,” she promised.
“The new president, Vicky Eatrides, and the vice-presidents, Alicia Barin and Adam Scott, are all perfectly bilingual. As the minister said yesterday, the CRTC will benefit from their common expertise in digital, broadcasting and telecommunications,” Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office replied in an email.