By evoking his inadequate command of French even if he has remained in Quebec for seven years, the big boss of SNC-Lavalin has decided to cancel the speech he was to make next Monday in front of the business community. Ian Edwards, who has returned to learning the language of Molière, promises to return in the “next year” with a more balanced speech.
The main party announced his decision in a letter sent Thursday to the Canadian Club of Montreal that Press was able to consult. It is justified by evoking “the recent events surrounding the place granted to the French language within Canadian and Quebec companies” – the linguistic storm unleashed by the president and chief executive officer of Air Canada Michael Rousseau.
“I want to take the time necessary to better prepare my presentation and ensure that it contains more French, the official language of Quebec,” writes Mr. Edwards, confirmed in his role as President and CEO of the firm. engineering on October 31, 2019.
Established in Quebec since 2014, he claims to have “taken French courses”, but with “mixed results”.
As part of his speech, Mr. Edwards particularly wished to present the efforts made by SNC-Lavalin – whose reputation has been marred by multiple corruption scandals in the last decade – in terms of ethics and compliance, as well as in terms of the turnaround of its activities.
After seeing the big boss of Air Canada face a barrage of criticism following the speech delivered exclusively in English before the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) last week, the Quebec firm wanted to take the lead .
“I fully understand the reality of Quebec and the importance for our employees, clients and partners of providing a respectful workplace for all,” we read. Beyond language, respect for cultural heritage and recognition of its importance remain a priority for us. ”
Mr. Rousseau’s remarks were shocking to the point where the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages in Ottawa had received more than 2,000 complaints. Air Canada is subject to the Official Languages Act.
Only a few sentences in French had been added to Mr. Rousseau’s speech. In the press, he subsequently told journalists that he had lived in the metropolis for 14 years without having had to learn French, which was “to the credit” of the city.
The president of Air Canada later apologized and promised an effort to learn French.
Despite everything, the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, had sent a letter to the president of the airline, Vagn Sorensen, to express the federal government’s “disappointment” with Air Canada in addition to questioning the governance of directors.