Show Notes
When there’s a complaint about languages in this country, it often lands on Raymond Théberge’s desk.
As the commissioner of Official Languages of Canada since 2018, Théberge is tasked with protecting language rights, both English and French, in federal institutions. He joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week’s episode of The Corner Booth at the Snowdon Deli to talk about support for bilingualism across the country and how to build bridges with linguistic communities in Quebec.
A good example of the types of complaints Official Languages of Canada might receive was the double whammy in 2021-2022 of two high-profile Canadians — Governor General Mary Simon and Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau — and their inability to speak French.
More from The Corner Booth
After the Parti Québécois won a minority government on Monday with only 28 per cent of the popular vote, some political commentators have downplayed the chances of a sovereignty referendum in Quebec.
The Quebec election is officially in the books, with Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois winning a minority government. In this special election recap episode of The Corner Booth, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand at Snowdon Deli to share his thoughts the rise of the Quebec Conservatives, the wipeout of the CAQ and what he thinks PSPP’s first 100 days in office might look like.
Audio-only: Stéphane Dion calls Monday’s provincial election a “double election” for Quebecers. The former federal Liberal leader, who drafted the Clarity Act in response to the 1995 Quebec referendum, establishing the conditions under which the government of Canada would enter into negotiations if a province voted to secede, joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand for a special edition of The Corner Booth at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount to explain why.
The latest polls say Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois is potentially on the cusp of winning a majority government in Monday’s provincial election. Should the PQ be held to a minority, all eyes will be on the other main sovereignist party — Québec solidaire — and whether they’ll work with or against Plamondon’s goal of holding a referendum. The way party co-leader Ruba Ghazal described it to hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on the latest episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli, Québec solidaire’s vision of an independent Quebec is quite a bit different from the PQ’s.
The Quebec election campaign is in the final stretch. Right now, it’s looking like the Parti Québécois are on the cusp of a majority government. For Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard, that means his final days on the trail will be spent reminding the 70 per cent of voters who don’t currently want a referendum that his party could be the federalist alternative with the CAQ in a free-fall. He joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on the latest episode of The Corner Booth at Snowdon Deli to explain why the Quebec Liberals are "the most rational people in town.”