Roulau Commission: Mathieu Fleury “humiliated” by truckers’ lawyer | Commission of Inquiry on State of Emergency

Often it is ignorance [unilingues anglophones] Those who are not aware of bilingualism or native language facilityHe said in an interview with Radio-Canada on Thursday morning.

If the politician has to give an explanation on this incident. Right-wing media in Canada He was criticized for wanting to avoid the question. However, the main interested party confirms the opposite I took the question seriously and wanted to answer it specifically..

There is Matthew Fleury He testified for about five hours on Fridaynext to Catherine McKenney, who is running for mayor of Ottawa. After a few minutes of exchanges between convoy organizers and Albertan’s lawyer, a linguistic dispute arose. Brendan Miller.

He took a definition of a word and asked me to state it. That’s why I answered in mother tongue, and that’s where everything turned upside down.

It all starts when the lawyer asks Matthew Fleury his first five questions in English. He replied in the same language.

As the sixth question, Mr. Miller Matthew asks Fleury to explain specifically what microaggression is. He answered that he spoke French, and If you want to be specific, you’ll have to ask me in FrenchBecause My knowledge of English terminology may not be sufficient.

Responding to this.. Brendan Miller Smiling, he grabbed a headset with simultaneous translation and tried to plug it into his computer. Later he started the microphone in French, My name is Brendan. The scene drew a few laughs in the room.

Matthew Fleury intervened and replied in English: You think it’s funny, but it’s notHis testimony was to add his best effort to reflect his thought without linguistic confusion.

The lawyer repeated some of the key words in his question by asking the outgoing municipal councillor, which word was synonymous with chaos for him. On the recommendation of Catherine McKenneyMathieu Fleury chose to answer in French.

At the end of this response, the lawyer asked Matthew Fleury to give him a headset so that we could translate for him what was said in English during the commission, which the politician refused.

The rest of his testimony continued in English.

Is the French under-represented in the Commission?

When contacted by Radio-Canada, Matthew Fleury wanted to respond to the lawyer’s stance for the truckers’ convoy, but he declined to make a big story out of it. On the other hand, he insisted that as a Franco-Ontarian, it was important for him to protect himself.

As soon as I spoke in French, he introduced himself again as if I didn’t understand the first time. If I speak French I need a translation headset, which I don’t.

” You know, if I wasn’t on the committee I’d be a little more grumpy, but I respect the way the committee works. »

In a written statement to Radio-Canada, lawyer Brendan Miller criticized those who wanted to turn the interaction into a conflict between Anglophones and Francophones, pointing instead to the stance of the two advisers. He leaves it to everyone to form an opinion by looking at the passage in question from the commission.

For her part, the president of the Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities (FCFA) of Canada, Leon Roy, indicated in a written statement that her organization would consider. It is absolutely disgusting that a monolingual English speaking lawyer should be treated in an arrogant and insulting manner by a municipal councilor for exercising his right to express himself in French..

” We have before us a striking example of Anglonormativity and an example of the fundamental asymmetry of our two official languages. »

President of the Association of Francophone Communities (ACFO) Ottawa, Eric Barrett I think it is unfortunate that Mr. Fleury was criticized for answering in his mother tongue, French. It is disappointing to know that he is specifically blamed for this when he has every right to choose the language he wishes to communicate during this commission..

” I find it unfortunate that francophones are criticized for wanting to communicate in French or for not encouraging a francophone to respond in French. »

If voices were raised over the absence of French in the Commission – and this was when the Commissioner Paul Roulau is a Franco-Ontarian And several French-speaking witnesses chose to answer in English – Mr. Fleury insisted he was not criticizing Rouleau’s commission.

On the contrary, he recalled that it provides simultaneous translation – allowing everyone to answer in the official language of their choice – and that all commission members are bilingual.

Serge Arpin, Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Ottawa, gave his testimony in English on October 17, 2022. (Archives)

Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Mayor Jim Watson’s office explained the reasons for Serge Arpin, the French-speaking director of the mayor’s cabinet, to answer in English.

Given the convoy situation, it is important to note that City of Ottawa officials have worked with several partners and agencies that operate only in English. So to accurately convey the discussions that took place, it would be easier for Mr. Arpin to testify in English.

At the time of publication, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages ​​of Canada told Radio-Canada that it had not received any complaints regarding the Roulau Commission.

McKenney should explain himself

During the exchange between Brendan Miller and Matthew Fleury, Catherine McKenney For the past eight years on the Ottawa City Council, he has intervened to encourage his colleague to speak in his native French.

In the following days, a short montage of these interventions Catherine McKenney They propagated on social media that justice is being prevented.

Catherine McKenney hopes to win the mayoralty of Ottawa on Monday night. (Archives)

Photo: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wilde

Ottawa is in the midst of a mayoral election campaign, Catherine McKenney Had to make a point on Wednesday evening through his Twitter account to deny A wave of misinformation.

I sat next to Matthew [Fleury] Eight years at the municipal council table. He is one of the most bilingual people I know. But francophones must be able to express themselves in their mother tongue when dealing with municipal, provincial and federal institutions.in detail Catherine McKenneyWho qualifies as a lawyer disrespectfully.

In Matthew Fleury’s view, interventions Catherine McKenney No barriers at all. Quite the opposite.

Naturally, Catherine only encouraged me to speak French and not wear a helmetThe councilor concluded Those who quit politics within a month.

With information from Stéphane Leclerc and Remi Authier