Wonderful News
(Inuktitut: Ningiukadluk; born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian broadcaster and diplomat who is the Governor General-designate of Canada. A fellow with the Arctic Institute of North America, she was a producer and announcer for CBC North, and later entered public service as secretary of the board for the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, playing a key role in the Meech Lake Accord and Charlottetown Accord negotiations. Simon was Canada's first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, and was a lead negotiator for the creation of the Arctic Council. She also concurrently served as Chancellor of Trent University and, later, as ambassador to Denmark.
On July 6, 2021, Simon's appointment as Canada's 30th Governor General was announced. She will succeed Richard Wagner, who as Chief Justice of Canada holds the title of Administrator of the Government of Canada.
RoseAnne Archibald elected
ReplyDelete1st female chief of
Assembly of First Nations.
Wow ... just Wow!
Today, was a good day for the media — regardless of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, or Sir Richard Branson, there is something much closer to home (No, not Justin, either) but the new Governor General, Mary Simon, and Barbara Kay took delight on the front page of the National Post to be, naturally disrespectful.
ReplyDelete“Speaking as an Anglo-Quebecer from Toronto who put thousands of hours into achieving functional French because it was the respectful and Canadian thing to do, I was not amused by the flippancy of Simon’s remark”
What is an “Anglo-Quebecer” who lives in Toronto? Certainly not a Québécois, and not someone knowing how many classes equate to “thousands of hours”.
Allow me to digress — many years ago, when I was offered a job in a Montréal business, and interviewed in the U.K., I was subject to evaluation at le Consulat du Québec in London (In addition to the Canadian Embassy). I happily studied to improve my French and for nearly ten years, thoroughly enjoyed une vie française. Actually, I envied the heritage owned by the Québécois … they know who they are (We are simply undefined Canadians). But am I an Anglo-Quebecer … I don’t think so and, certainly, couldn’t pontificate about it like Ms. Kay.
Ms. Kay describes the remark from Mary Simon that “my bilingualism is in Inuktitut and English.” as flippant and disingenuous … even political. Sad.
As someone who has studied the teaching of a foreign language, and experienced the impossibility of learning a new language at the age of retirement, I would advise her to study the many theses by linguistic and neurological scientists on the subject.
She continues by using immigrants “of all ages” as a good example, and I recommend that she tries to talk to Muslim grandmothers (for example) who are unable to speak either English nor French.
Ms. Kay, you are wrong, it may be political, but a concern of a Muslim Governor General in the future … Ya think?