EDITOR:
When I was 18, I decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces. I was born in a small village in Quebec named Bienville. I tried to join (the Armed Forces) in Ottawa, as I was living there at my brother’s place to learn English and work.
When I went to the recruiting depot, they told me my English was not sufficient, so I went to Hull on the Quebec side and joined with no problems. I did my basic training in French in Quebec, and then transferred to Kingston for my training to be a mechanic. That is the first time I experienced problems trying to express myself and understand what my teachers were telling me. In other words, I struggled a lot but passed my courses.
Then I was stationed in southern Ontario. I had problems but I worked at it. I became fluent in English and French, and could get around in Italian and Spanish. I served in many countries with minimum problems because people were judging me not because of my language barrier but my willingness to learn.
The reason I am writing this letter is I watched the French debate on CBC, and turned it off soon when I saw our prime minister, having been raised in a French Canadian background and having been fortunate to also been taught English, try to take advantage of other leaders — especially Mr. Scheer — knowing that Scheer has trouble expressing his view in French and understanding the eccentricities of the French language (let alone the French Canadian (Joual) that he was using.
Shame on Mr. Trudeau. You cannot judge a person that is learning a different language — believe me, all the ribbing I took, including the word “frog.” I lost respect for Mr. Trudeau Wednesday night, and I will show ... when I will be voting. Like they say, language could be a barrier, but if you are a good person and have a strong accent, who really cares in this beautiful country.
Simon Lemay,
North Rustico
