The Canadian National (CN) began the process of replacing Jean Charest, who sat on the rail carrier’s board of directors before he returned to politics, promising to choose a French -speaking administrator.
Appointed to the board of directors of NC in January, Jean Charest submitted his resignation on 1eh April due to his return to politics. Since then, the company has received criticism for the absence of Francophones on its board of directors, while the head office of NC is based in Montreal and is subject to the Official Languages Act.
The Chairman of the Board of NCRobert Pace, gave a written statement on Tuesday, stating that the company respects the rich history of the company in Quebec, where the official language is French and is proud of it.
Mr. Pace clarified that the selection process for Quebec’s new director will be strictly and should take several months.
A situation in Itama
Following the departure of Jean Charest, some political and economic stakeholders are considering the situation. not acceptable comparing it to the unilingualism of the Chairman and CEO CEO from Air Canada’s Michael Rousseau, who gave a speech in English just last year in Montreal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, first and foremost, told himself blown away that the NC did not see what happened to Air Canada and learned the lesson it’s obvious to extract from it, added that he asked the ministers responsible for make sure that NC act quickly to rectify the situation.
The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Luc Berthold, said the case had surfaced the lack of sensitivity NC and above all disrespect for the people of Quebec.
Subsequently, the NC stated in the letter that two of the directors currently serving on the board will complete their terms in the coming months and promises to correct the situationwhile adding that the board of directors is fully aware of the issues.
The Conservatives want the amendment
On Tuesday, Conservative spokesperson for official languages, Joël Godin, informed that his party is preparing an amendment aimed at modernizing the Official Languages Act.
He felt that Ottawa should force companies subject to the Official Languages Act, such as Air Canada and the NC, to have the lowest proportion of French -speaking directors. Elected officials are currently wondering about the minimum proportion of Francophones and the mechanism for its imposition.
We need a tool to force federally chartered companies to have francophonesdecided on Tuesday Mr. Godin, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
The current situation, [c’est que] the boards of directors have no obligation and do not care to be respected, so […] there must be laws or regulationshe said, adding that not only do we have the authority to do so, we have an obligation to do so.
For his part, the chairman of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, Liberal MP René Arseneault, said he believed it was very unlikely that the federal government would have such influence on organizations independent of government and want to know. where the cut.
The committee he chairs is preparing to study a bill that would allow the Commissioner of Official Languagesimpose commands at Air Canada, insisted last month the Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, before a parliamentary committee.
Bill C-13 would also create a new law that would give French private businesses the right to work and serve under federal jurisdiction in regions with a strong francophone presence.
We will begin the study of our Bill C-13 here in committee […] and see what the possibilities aresaid Mr. Arseneault, a lawyer by practice.
When he entered the cabinet, Minister Petitpas Taylor cautiously avoided saying whether the government saw fit to add rules to the bill in the composition of the boards of directors.
I think we should always have francophones on the boards of directorsdid he say. This is very important. We live in a bilingual country.
Fix the problem
The Bloc Québécois will be in favor of the bill that adds provisions to the composition of the boards of directors. I think. The French should be strengthened as much as possiblesaid Mario Beaulieu, its official spokesman for the languages.
However, Mr. reiterated. Beaulieu that his political party wants the new law to specify that all companies established in Quebec are subject to Bill 101, which currently does not happen for companies under federal jurisdiction.
” All parties agree, except the Liberals, that Quebec can apply Bill 101 to businesses under federal jurisdiction, with very broad consensus in Quebec. “
Its leader, Yves-François Blanchet, believed that the imposition of a quota of Francophones was possible, although it represented a legal challengenot to mention that the government does not will.
In the New Democratic Party (NDP), Deputy Critic for Official Languages, Alexandre Boulerice, said he don’t think that the feds will dictate who gets accepted or not to form boards of directors.
” That may go too far, but at least I think the Official Language Act needs to be strengthened, and then give the commissioner more power to investigate and possibly impose fines as well. It is going in the right direction. “
Asked if Ottawa could force bill companies under the Official Languages Act to have the lowest percentage of French -speaking directors, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages The Canadian Press said. this question. exceed the mandate of the commissioner.
In a written statement, Commissioner Raymond Théberge, however, maintained thatby appointing bilingual senior executives, Canadian companies with national or international reach can set an example of respect and appreciation for official languages, both for their own employees and for the public..
Source: Radio-Canada
