H
ow important is it for Canadians living outside Québec to speak French?
Speaking French and English fluently all over Canada is on the verge of becoming significantly more important for one segment certain high profile Canadians after Bill C-232 passed through the House of Commons with support by all three opposition parties. Only the Senate can now defeat it.
Bill C-232 would require all Supreme Court of Canada judges to be able to function in French and English without simultaneous translation services.
All current Supreme Court judges would be grandfathered, but they are required to retire at 75 so a complete turnover wouldn't be too far off.
Considering the already difficult job a Supreme Court judge has, the bill puts a disproportionate emphasis on linguistic skills and could potentially sacrifice more important skills, such as a firm command of complicated legal arguments.
That and their responsibility to make decisions that determine the outcomes of people's lives.
It will also inevitably narrow the pool of judges that can be selected for the position. It remains to be seen whether that will create an extremely elite pool of well-rounded candidates or a pool of candidates not as legally skilled in law, but well-versed in French and English no matter what their mother tongue.
I've spoken French since age 5, have been given two bilingual certificates (high school and university), lived in Québec for five months, lived in France for a year and I still know there are several phrases, words and subtleties that I do not comprehend in everyday life, let alone a court room.
Why cause a Supreme Court judge, if he or she is not a native speaker, to drown in verb tenses, nuanced expressions and terminology?
Especially when we have translators - professionals who dedicate their career to the study of another language. And for that matter, why axe a profession that is so important and thriving?
Then again, unless the bill is amended to require everyone in a Supreme Court setting to be fluent in French and English, the occasion when a judge's skills are actually tested may rarely arise.
Lawyers are often flown into Supreme Court, and the defendant has the right to express themselves in their language of choice while a court translator provides simultaneous translation for the sake of the judge, prosecutor and court recorder.
Therefore, it will only be in the unlikely event that everyone in the courtroom but the judge speaks one only one official language that the judge's skills will be put to the test.
So why all the posturing?
I fully believe our bilingualism is an amazing part of our country and one that I wish everyone did embrace.
