Languages Commish Slams Tories Over Unilingual Appointments

The perennial Canadian argument over whether our government be fluently bilingual kicks into overdrive over an auditor general who can only speak English.

So this bilingualism rift over Stephen Harper's appointment of an auditor general who can only speak English appears to have some legs, as the Official Languages Commissioner has slammed the government for exposing the AG and a Supreme Court justice to humiliation because of their lack of language skills. Michael Ferguson was appointed AG yesterday, but the opposition parties have been raising a stink over the fact that he can't speak French, despite the requirements for the job clearly stating that all candidates need to be bilingual. And earlier this week, Supreme Court Justice Marshall Rothstein, who was appointed by Harper in 2006, scolded the NDP for accusing him of breaking a promise to learn French, even if he says he did no such thing. Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser said that by appointing these two unilingual men to positions in which bilingualism is expected, the prime minister unnecessarily exposed them to some chance of humiliation. Yesterday, Liberal MPs refused to attend the vote to approve Ferguson's appointment on the grounds that he can't speak French. Ferguson has promised to learn the language in his first year in office.