The New Democratic Party (NDP) wants to summon the “management” of the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) before the Standing Committee on Official Languages following the cry caused by the absence of Francophones on the Board of Directors of the largest country . train carrier.
The deputy spokesman for the official languages, Alexandre Boulerice, is expected to file a motion for this effect on Monday afternoon at a committee meeting. It must also be voted on at the same meeting.
The motion will specify that members of CN management be called soon for a two -hour meeting to answer parliamentarians ’questions about respect for official languages within its board of directors and within the company.
However, this does not imply that CN CEO Tracy Robinson is expected to appear. When she was appointed in January, Ms. Robinson began taking French language lessons so he could communicate with CN employees and customers and take full advantage of the experience of living in Quebec.
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will also be summoned to inform the committee what the government intends to do to ensure compliance with the Official Languages Act in CN.
The Unleashed Commons
A controversy erupted last week when it was made public that CN was not retaining any French -speaking candidate for its board of directors.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was blown away according to the situation and the company announced on the same day that it would rectify the situation in favor of terminating the directors ’orders in the coming months.
Mr. stated. Trudeau said the country’s Francophones should sit on the boards of directors of all major national companies, but he declined to say whether the new version of the Official Languages Act should include rules on the composition of groups. it’s the administrator.
The controversy continued Monday morning in front of the Standing Committee on Transport where Bloc MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval asked a CN vice-president to come to testify on the state of Canada’s supply chain.
I feel like we are not on the same planethe launched after five minutes. I have the impression that you have no problem with it and you see nothing. And I have the impression that, on our side, it’s red lights coming on.
It’s like Air Canada
Last fall, the CEO of Air Canada, another company subject to the Official Languages Act, made headlines when he gave a speech mainly in English in Montreal. Michael Rousseau is also proud that he lived 14 years in the metropolitan city without speaking French.
A preliminary report by the Commissioner of Official Languages, released in early April, ruled that complaints about the speech were well -founded.
Mr. Rousseau had a difficult time with his appearance a month ago before the official languages committee. He made sure the French were a priority for the air carrier, which did not impress the Members.
Source: Radio-Canada
