Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
While by Law, the Prime Minister of Canada only has to speak one language, but the by law thing is not relevant. An English Candidate with poor language would get skewered in the press and by the Voters for not understanding or respecting all of Canada and its cultures and Language.
How long do you think Harper would last if he went to the French Language debate with a translator?
If you want to be the Prime Minister of Canada you need to be able to communicate effectively and negotiate effectively in both languages.
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I agree that being bilingual is an unofficial requirement for PM, but Dion's already gone through the English language debate, and while he certainly wasn't outstanding, he did display a competent grasp of the language. Besides, I'd be more concerned if it was a stubble that suggested a lack of understanding of an issue (ie, Palin's Bush Doctrine flub). I still don't see this moving the voting numbers at all outside of Western Canada.