Moncton Area News

CORNWALL — First, noted social activist Gary Samler honked his high-pitched scooter horn in support of Saturday’s Equality for All demonstration in front of the Cornwall Community Hospital on McConnell Avenue.

About 10 minutes later, Samler was seen carrying one of the signs.

EFA founder and chief demonstrator Chris Cameron said support continues to grow in opposition to what he calls governmental discrimination against 80% of the local population — unilingual anglophones.

After the 100-person rally ended, Cameron announced the EFA is changing its name to Language Fairness to All (LFA).

“This new name better reflects our mandate of language fairness for all,” Cameron said in an email.

The new LFA has also complained about lack of language services for other linguistic communities, such as the Mohawks of Akwesasne. Cameron and his wife, Debbie, have been in the forefront of a months-long effort to change the CCH’s bilingual hiring policy, which he claims has resulted in denying him full-time positions.

People are taking notice, he said, citing an expected visit from a New Brunswick supporter, plus contacts with people from, Gaspe, Que., and B.C. and Alberta.

“If you asked anybody across Canada, do you know somebody who lost a job, just because of language issue...absolutely, I would say the majority would say yes. We know friends, family members, ourselves that lost jobs because we didn’t speak a second language,” he said, stressing he isn’t against scrapping second language education.

This is an advisory of a virulent new communicable disease: Red Patch Syndrome - "RPS"

This is believed to be a HOST - PARASITE relationship.

CLINICAL FINDINGS & PATHOLOGY: After a lengthy incubation period of up to 12 years, affected individuals seem to have the pathological need to associate in large groups and march along broad thoroughfares in cities making repetitive chants and noises with a variety of implements, pots, pans, etc.

The diagnostic indicator of the syndrome is the red patch that appears on the attire of affected individual's.

Affected individuals assert that they have collective rights which supersede individual rights, and that individual property is an artificial construct, so they are entitled to property by virtue of their existence. Additionally some affected individuals choose to cover their faces, no doubt due to the shame of their condition, and many of these take part in violent outbursts destroying property (its theirs anyway, right?) and causing general mayhem. Manifestation of symptoms seems to be worse at night and in good weather.

"This is a day to reflect on the contributions and sacrifices made by the brave men and women who have served our country around the world," said Minister Blaney.

A two-month long investigation by the District 5 RCMP into the trafficking of oxycontin in Elsipogtog First Nation has resulted in the arrest of four people.

In case you haven’t noticed, the massive protests in Quebec have been rather one-sided, culturally speaking. As the mindless mobs fill the streets day after day, protesting the injustice of having to pay a few hundred dollars more in tuition, you will find that amongst them, almost nary is heard an English-language word.

This is a linguistically schizoid protest. There are 43 francophone CEGEPs in Quebec, of which 28 are on strike. None of the five anglo CEGEPs are. None of those students will miss their year. There are four universities in Montreal: two francophone, two anglophone. At the Université de Montréal, almost a third of the students are officially on strike – 12,000 out of 40,000. Many of them will lose their term. At UQAM, more than half — 27,000 of 40,000 -– went on strike and the campus pretty well shut down.

True, at Concordia, a much more politicized and left-leaning population than the generally more bourgeois constituency at McGill, almost a quarter –12,000 of 45,000 -– were out, but only a small number of actual classes were disrupted, unlike at the franco colleges. In fact, according to veteran columnist Josh Freed of the Montreal Gazette, some Concordia profs who couldn’t access their classrooms were actually teaching out of their homes.

At McGill, the situation is unique. Last week McGill estimated only 40 – yes, forty – students out of 38,000 were on strike and no classes had been disrupted.

And Concordia has traditionally been the working man’s and immigrant’s campus. There are plenty of hard-luck stories there. But the fact that those who wanted to carry on with their studies at the anglo institutions were able to, while the franco institutions virtually shut down is instructive.

Heritage Minister James Moore, claims that Canada is “enriched by the fact that it has two official languages”, that “it is not a burden, it’s not a nuisance, it is a gift, and it’s something that we should recognize and celebrate as such, and that’s what we do with our official language policy”.

Canadians for Language Fairness ask MP Moore from where exactly he gets his information, because that is contrary to the reports and complaints CLF receives from people suffering due to language discrimination. How can Mr. Moore make such a claim when his own Commissar of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, refuses to meet with CLF representatives much less anyone else who is English speaking and who wishes to launch a complaint of discrimination?

That is why Canadians for Language Fairness are the TRUE experts on forced bilingualism and the repercussions that have resulted from it, and MUST be included in Mr. Moore’s “round table” discussions.

Many CLF supporters have been affected directly or indirectly by language laws and have turned to CLF for help as no government assistance is ever forthcoming.

He would hear about;

· Nurses not being able to work full time unless they are “bilingual” in British Loyalist Ontario where hiring is now based on language, not merit or experience.

· Teenagers working part time fast food in Russell Township, having food and drink thrown at them and called “stupid” if they could not “parlez-vous francais” well enough.

· How les jeunes patriots radicals from Quebec harass bilingual youth working at the new Calypso waterpark in neighbouring Nation Township if they have an “English” accent.

· How onerous forced bilingual sign bylaws in communities where over 70% of signs were already bilingual, and have divided previously harmonious relations because of language restrictions.

· How an alarming amount of brain drain is occurring in Eastern Ontario as young English adults pack up and head west to compete for jobs based on merit and ability and not language.

· How more and more young adults who took French Immersion are discovering they were lied to, that speaking French does NOT open doors, because they are not “bilingual” enough to gain employment in government agencies because government French language testing is too extreme while there is no English language testing of any degree.

The Nanaimo Daily News is frequently reporting budget cuts by the Harper government affecting many departments both in Ottawa and across Canada.

One area that has never been reduced is the astronomical cost of official bilingualism. Why not? Although our two official languages are established in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Section 16, this does not mean that changes cannot be made outside of the Charter.

Estimated costs of official bilingualism show an annual average expenditure totalling $20 billion and since inception in 1969 a mind boggling total of $1.2 trillion.

Without the imposition of official bilingualism in 1969, we could now have had: no government debt; an adequate military and security capability; a functional health care system without waiting lists; no homelessness; adequate policing, education, and infrastructure.

Also we could have avoided the horrendous interest burden currently running at around $20 billion annually on the federal debt.

To reduce the excessive costs of official bilingualism, a start should be made by removing the office of the Commissioner for Official Languages. This Office is unnecessary. Those who speak mainly French are surely quite capable of keeping their language alive.

When will we ever hear from some MPs and others in authority who have the courage to tackle this horrendous division amongst our population with its excessive tax burden?

By Dave Eagles - Kamloops This Week Published: May 25, 2012 2:00 PM Updated: May 25, 2012 2:33 PM Before the man's answer could reach those curious ears, the traffic light turned green and the boy on the bus drove off.

A&E's highest rated original series, The Glades follows Jim Longworth, a Chicago homicide detective with an attitude, who relocates to a sleepy town outside the Florida Everglades where people keep turning up murdered.

This time last year, Craig Carter-Edwards was working for a government relations firm and had just bought a North York home with his wife, a teacher.

Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley MP Scott Armstrong visited Bass River on Thursday to announce $7,027 in funding towards a Forgotten Heroes monument, the brainchild of Noah Tremblay, 12, intended to recognize Canadian animals sacrificed during... Such will be the case when a new monument is unveiled at Veteran's Memorial Park in Bass River ... (more)

An early spring coupled with warmer than normal temperatures is affecting scallop and herring catches in the local region.

Times & Transcript Editorial:

We are encouraged to learn that Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister James Moore is fluently bilingual and we compliment him for choosing Canada's only officially bilingual province to launch a nationwide series of consultations on official languages under a federal initiative named 'Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013: Acting for the Future.'

We trust the minister will familiarize himself in this process with the meaning of those two special words - 'bilingualism' and 'duality' - as they are played out in this province.

But in recent years 'bilingualism' has been twisted by certain lobbyists to mean 'duality,' which essentially calls for the creation - from bureaucracies right down to the bricks and mortar - of two separate sets of government services for two language groups.

The latest example here in Moncton is an effort by the Dr. Georges L.-Dumont Hospital to make a provincially funded 'breast cancer centre of excellence' the Dumont's exclusive 'territory,' barring all French and English patients and physicians of The Moncton Hospital from use of the facilities. Considering the fact that three quarters of the cancer doctors in the Metro area work at The Moncton Hospital, the majority of francophone cancer patients will therefore be barred from using the centre's facilities. Ironically, this ambition is presented to the public under the guise of language rights.

However it's painted, this effort is not about serving the people, it is about serving political ambition among the directors of the Dumont. Not only is it medically unjust, it is also economically unsustainable.

Moncton and area residents can expect more itchy mosquito bites as a result of this spring's warm, wet weather.

Dear Editor,

During the past few months some of our local doctors have been speaking out through editorials and letters to the editor in New Brunswick newspapers concerning serious issues with our current health care system. Some have politely indicated that politics has been getting in the way concerning the present concept of regional equality. This became very apparent while debating the purchase of updated MRI machines for the major hospitals.

It has also become evident that administration is now grossly inflated to a point where patient service is reduced and wait times are increasing due to the large percentage of funding being directed to that department.

If none of our elected representatives are willing or allowed to question this costly duplication, segregation and political patronage it will surely bankrupt the province.

When the Trudeau Government first introduced forced bilingualism we taxpayers were assured the added costs would be minimal, but now know that was totally false.

In the past several individuals including organizations have condemned this program only to be labeled as bigots and racists in an attempt to muzzle any who dared to question.

Those local doctors who have spoken out are obviously fed up with the current policy and feel they have no choice but to express their concerns.

It would be highly unwise for the government to chastise or fire doctors for speaking out, and to do so would give New Brunswickers the opportunity needed to secretly express our displeasure with this discriminating and costly language issue. Such action could also result in another one term government.

Sincerely,

Matthew Glenn

President, Anglo Society of N.B.

www.asnb.ca

What started as a relaxing holiday at the beach for a young New Brunswick man, quickly turned into a lost-at-sea scenario.

A 17-year-old boy from the Petitcodiac area has been arrested for assault causing bodily harm in connection with an incident that left a 23-year-old man in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A full slate of activities are being organized for June 9, when family and friends of murder victim Sabrina Patterson will get together to host their second annual memorial fundraiser in their loved one's honour.

Two municipal council races were decided on Tuesday by drawing names out of a hat after their recounts confirmed a tie vote.

OTTAWA - The federal government has launched country-wide consultations on how it can best support Canada's official languages — one area of spending that the Conservatives have shielded from cuts.

Other potentially sensitive files such as Old Age Security, veterans affairs, and environmental assessments have felt the belt tightening, but not the programs that promote bilingualism and the development of linguistic minority communities.

The government announced $1.1 billion for an official languages "road map" in 2008, consisting of 32 different funding initiatives over five years in areas such as arts and culture and education.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is now looking at what should happen post-2013, embarking on a consultation that will include 17 round table discussions across the country and an online forum. The first round table took place Tuesday in Moncton.

Heritage Minister James Moore, one of the most visible bilingual ministers in the Conservative cabinet, says Canada is enriched by the fact it has two official languages.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself wrote in 2001 that official bilingualism hadn't worked, calling it a "god that failed."

"It has led to no fairness, produced no unity and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions," Harper wrote in the Calgary Sun.