Ottawa, ON – Joël Godin, Conservative Shadow Minister for Official Languages, released the following statement on today’s meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages on the use of French in Air Canada communications:
“It is regrettable that, beyond the obligations under the Official Languages Act – obligations that Air Canada should be proudly upholding – we are still forced to call on its executives to remind them of fundamental requirements that should already be an integral part of their corporate culture.
“Bilingualism should not be a chore or an afterthought; it should be an integral part of the culture of this great Canadian company. Yet even today, French is too often sidelined, which sends an unacceptable message to millions of citizens.
“Today, our goal is to demand a lasting change in culture and concrete, measurable action so that travellers’ language rights are never again treated as mere service options. We are here to hold them accountable: What concrete steps does Air Canada intend to take, starting today, to permanently change its operating practices, and why does it systematically take pressure from this committee to obtain the minimum level of respect required by the law and by Canadians?
“It is high time that providing impeccable service in French once again became standard practice for our national carrier.”