Former New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord will be heading a revised version of the old B and B commission.
No, not the bed and breakfast crowd.
Bilingualism and biculturalism.
As Canadian Press reports:
Lord, 42, will travel to seven cities across the country during the first two weeks of December to speak to members of English and French minority communities.
He is to report to the federal government in January as it prepares to update its action plan on official languages. [Emphasis added]
And what are the seven cities 'across the country' that Lord will visit? Well, you'll find them listed in the Radio Canada online version of this story: Halifax, Moncton, Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. No stops in Saskatchewan or in Newfoundland and Labrador, even though, there is a substantial francophone population in the province.
Their issues and interests are not the same as those of francophones in other parts of the country, if for no other reason than they are relatively isolated here from francophones elsewhere. Consider that M. Lord and his fellow commissioners will hold two hearings in the Maritimes. One in Moncton, naturellement, and another a mere three hours drive by car away in Halifax.
Yes, Halifax.
Not Stephenville or Port au Port.
Not even in St. John's.
But Halifax.
Why add Halifax to the list? If the federal government wanted at least one session in each 'region", then the session in Moncton would fit the bill. Moncton is well-sited for many purposes and basically if there was anyone in Halifax who wanted to chat with M. Lord, well, he or she could hop a car or a plane and flip over to the New Brunswick city without busting the bank account.
Not so for the Franco-Terre Neuvien(nes) or Labradorien(nes). no matter how you look at it, anyone from this province wanting to participate in this consultation will be forking out some serious cash for a plane ride, all for a few minutes to try and explain to the former premier of new Brunswick what is going on in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nonetheless, the consultation is a good opportunity to give the government some feedback. The English version of the consultation document can be found here while the version francais is here.
-srbp-