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Welcome to the Olympics. Come look at the francophones

by Paul Wells on Sunday, February 14, 2010 5:36pm - 271 Comments

The Minister of Canadian Heritage is one of many people doing a good job of pointing out the simple fact that, for a public event in Canada, and especially for the games of an international association whose official languages are French and English, there simply wasn’t enough French at the Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday. “Period,” as James Moore puts it. “Full stop.”

So I would have no particular interest in piling on if it weren’t for the transparently ridiculous excuses VANOC spokeswoman Renée Smith-Valade gave at a news conference this afternoon. There was plenty of French at the event, she said, in effect. You just didn’t hear it.

“Let me give you a bit of background on the French content at the opening ceremonies,” she said, before listing dance choreographers Jean Grand-Maître and Jacques Lemay; flag-bearers Julie Payette, Jacques Villeneuve and Roméo Dallaire; and acrobats from the École Nationale du Cirque.

Now, choreographers, flag-bearers and contortionists aren’t normally thought to have much in common, but one thing that does connect them is that they don’t speak.

I read the excuses offered by Smith-Valade, who is perfectly bilingual, to Graham Fraser, Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages, and over the phone I could hear him sigh. “That speaks to an idea that people will tolerate French as long as it’s not actually heard. And that francophones are part of Canada, but not the French language.”

Fraser wrote his first report warning about serious limitations in the amount of French at the Olympics in December, 2008. He had meetings with 20 federal departments and agencies to encourage them to make French part of the experience of francophone visitors to the Olympics. “And a lot of them really stepped up to the plate,” he said. “I fully recognize that VANOC put a lot of effort into improving the infrastructure.” Cable companies put “a huge effort” into ensuring that coverage is available coast-to-coast through CPAC, Fraser said. “And that deserves to be recognized.”

But at the opening ceremonies, organizers “seemed to believe it would be an imposition on the audience to hear French spoken,” Fraser said. “So much so that they took a quotation by François-Xavier Garneau and translated it into English to read it to the audience.”

Garneau asked, “En quel autre climat la Reine du Silence montre-t-elle plus de splendeur?” In the circumstance, it seems an apt question.

Tags: bilingualism, French, Graham Fraser, opening ceremonies, VANOC

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john

Bienvenou!! hahhaha. Saying thing like that his very frustrating for french canadian. They have 4 years to learn word and they didn't know how to prononce it correctly. Bienvenue not Bienvenou!. If we exclude the presentation that was good for the bilingual language it was good. But for the show wow very instructive how the rest of the canadian threat other culture.
R Gagne

I can't get uppity about the french or lack there of. But how about, during the introductions of the countries, that rude man who kept correcting that poor woman who kept on mis-pronouncing the country names.
performer

There was no emphasis on English either – the opening didn't deal with our linguistic heritage, it dealt with our climactic challenges and how we've overcome that in each region. If including French as a specific cultural piece is mandatory, even if out of context, wouldn't that ruin its sincerity? We love you, Quebec, but everyone gets airtime…not JUST you. calm down, small child, and stop threatening to run away.
Werthit

This is what happens when people who are not native to our country are hired to put on the show.

BTW, many Canadian Olympic medal winners are from Quebec. Many Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan are from Quebec.

FightrGrl

BTW…many Canadian Forces casualties are also from BC, Ontario, Nova Scotia…..ect. They died in the service of their COUNTRY, not their PROVINCE.

Loraine Lamontagne

The International Olympic Committee's Olympic Charter (2007), page 53, section 24, 1) The official languages of the IOC are French and English; 3) In the case of divergence between the French and English texts of the Olympic charter and any other IOC document, the French text shall prevail unless expressly provided otherwise in writing.

This document was not written with Canada and its linguistic battles in mind. The Chinese understood, the Italians did too, that French is an important language of the Olympics.

In Canada, hatred of French Canadians prevails. Vancouverites let their feelings cloud their good judgment. They are hosting the Olympic games, not a local event, but an international event with rules to follow, including the prevalence of the French language.

http://intensedebate.com/people/TwoYen TwoYen

This an ignorant comment that demonstrates a lack of understanding of British Columbians. It is simply not true that a "hatred of French Canadians prevails in BC". Pleeeease cool it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the organizers were more focused on responding to the need to be sensitive to the First Nations component in the Opening Ceremony. The result may have been that this may have resulted in less attetntion being paid to other aspects. If British Columbians are guilty of anything it may be not haviing an all-consuming focus on the English-French linguistic debate that dominates in Ottawa. It certainly is not a result of "hatred" of anyone.
http://intensedebate.com/people/TwoYen TwoYen

This an ignorant comment that demonstrates a lack of understanding of British Columbians. It is simply not true that a "hatred of French Canadians prevails in BC". Pleeeease cool it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the organizers were more focused on responding to the need to be sensitive to the First Nations component in the Opening Ceremony. The result may have been that this may have resulted in less attetntion being paid to other aspects. If British Columbians are guilty of anything it may be not haviing an all-consuming focus on the English-French linguistic debate that dominates in Ottawa. It certainly is not a result of "hatred" of anyone.

Joe

I guess no FRENCH who had been the best solution for you. When you have to translate a quotation in english and hired a guy from Australia to do your opening ceremony,it s just showing that you have no culture. You can hate french people but you will have to recognize that it s make the difference between USA and Cananada
Simon

I just don't know why I'm posting a comment. I'm so tired of the debate, and because of it, I'll generalyse. You guys just don't get what respect is. The respect of your language, and from it of your culture. Last time I checked, there were only two official languages, as in two founding nations. I welcome every citizens from different countries and I am pround that they choose to come here to start a new life, but I won't put Mandarins ou Pundjab ahead of French just because they are more speakers.

What a exemple VANOC made. French is a official language of Olympic Games, and in a bilingual country, but we forget to use it as "un égal" to English. VANOC should have take their lessons from the Montréal Canadiens and all the games in the Bell Centre. Even if more than 90% of its customers are french speakers, everything is done in both language. Everything. And it doesn't bother anyone, it seems just normal… to respect the others.

Is respect a French word?
Fred – Brandon MB

Hogwash! I am a native Quebecker and know full well that the French will only be satisfied with all French and no English. Otherwise they will always complain.
Nat

I understand the complaint, to an extent. It would have been nice to see a segment on Quebec, in addition to the parts on the Maritimes, North, Prairies, West that we saw. They tried to incorporate it in the beginning of the Maritimes fiddling segment, but they could have done more. But I did think therer was enough French speaking in it.

Its definitely a tricky subject….although I have an appreciation for French culture, having visited Quebec twice, I know my fellow West Coasters don't think about it much.
OttawaValleyVoice

Equal and open use of both official languages in such national and international events as the Olympics should be a given in Canada. This isn't about Quebec. It is about whether or not we actually recognize that we have two official languages including French spoken by 7 million French Canadians across Canada and practiced and nurtured by probably at least another 3 million Canadians. It is a pan-Canadian language institutionalized, alive and energetic contributing immensely to our national character and international stature. Many French Canadian musicians, writers, poets, sculpters etc come from Western Canada including Gabrielle Roy, Daniel Lavoie, Harte- Rouge to name only a few. I could go on, but in the end it is a question of mutual respect, of openness, of tolerance and of a common vision of one Canada not several.
Rick

Okay, I am an anglophone living in Quebec and I am tired of hearing the whole french english debate, at least here in QC. I can't stand most separatists since they are almost nazi like, and try to shove the french language down our throats all the time. I should be able to lead my life in English because this is still canada, and english is an official language.

That being said, I do agree that the opening ceremony was not really bilingual at all. The bit of french that was there was only there because french is used in any Olympic event. There are plenty of francophones who understand no English at all, so imagine what it must have been like for them watching that ceremony. Yes, many announcements were made in both languages, but pretty much all the performances and narrations were done only in english. The event is not simply a BC event, it is a canadian event, hence all the canadian flags. If the country is officially bilingual, why was that not reflected in the ceremony? A francophone should not have to learn English to understand what was going on, no more than an anglophone (like me) should have to learn french, if the games were held in Montreal or something and presented only (or majorly) in french. Other languages need not be represented because they are not official languages of the country. It doesn't matter how large the immigrant population is.
I guess what all this is saying is what we have known for ages – the whole bilingual canada thing does NOT work.
Paul

As an American, i use the sad example of how language divides peoples and hamstrings government when the subject of an official language comes up. I can not discern how french or any other minority language can enrich a society. It looks, to me, like the francophones will never be satisfied with anything less than 90% french.
In Europe, the muslim invasion has ghettos full of people that only speak their native language and have little or no contact with the larger society, They seem to have no interest in assimilating to their new home, demanding that their cultural norms must be “respected”. HOGWASH!!!
Your doom as a country will come from the foolsh notion that all cultures are equal. Look at the world as it is, not through Pollyanna lenses. There are winners and losers. There are those on top and those not. Respect for others is important, but submission to everyone is suicide.
ARNIE M

The HALF and HALF PEOPLE are alive and well. In Quebec half the people want to leave Canada half the time and the other half the time they want more from Canada.

Dealing with confused minds is a waste of human talent.

This country needs to move on to something more productive.
Gotta_Wonder

I'd perhaps be willing to discuss the issue when Quebec's language laws reflect the same expressed expectation concerning English. Until then?
Keep your language police at home in La Belle Province.
Marie

Why can't each host country be able to speak their first language first? French is NOT Canada. Actually French outside Quebec is no longer the 2nd language for our multi cultural country. Canada is an English speaking ountry first.period!
Who makes these decisions? Are Canadians ever given a voice for these language decisions?