Moncton — The province is submitting a bid to host the 2021 Francophone Games, an international sports and culture competition for French-speaking communities around the world.
If the bid is won, the event will be organized by Sports Acadia, who have stated they will prioritize French-speaking applicants for all vending and service jobs over the course of the Games, a decision some say is unfair and discriminatory toward New Brunswick’s anglophones.
Susan Burroughs of Miramichi is unemployed and looking for work. She says if she doesn’t get a job by 2021, she would be willing to relocate to Moncton to work at the Games, but is doubtful she’ll win any job over less-qualified French applicants.
“I can serve 65 percent of the province’s population,” she detailed. “Why should I lose the job to someone who can serve 100 percent of the population?”
Others are drawing similarities between Sports Acadia’s decision and New Brunswick’s current job market.
“Unskilled French speakers are always stealing job offers right out from under me!” explained Ted Ingalls of Moncton. “I recently applied for a job at Service New Brunswick and lost to a guy who doesn’t have any education, but speaks French. Sure, I don’t have any education either, but why give him the job? Because he can do everything I can do, but serve French people too? Discriminatory!”
“You’ve got to take a French class to get a job in this province these days,” angled Thomas Cameron of Boiestown. “Why can’t this province just give me a job? Why should I have to learn a marketable skill in order to get a decent paycheque?”
If this trend continues, some worry that the French will soon hold every job in New Brunswick, while the province’s English community will slip further into economic depression.
Phil Sutherland of Saint John explained, “Sure yeah, when you look at the statistics, francophone New Brunswickers actually have a lower average weekly income and a higher unemployment rate than their anglophone neighbours. But who can believe cold-hard facts? I’m telling you, I can’t get a job because I’m not French!”
I know your trying to be funny but your closer to the truth than you think.. Good story.
you’re*
Who wants to bet those bigots either won’t get this is satire or will think it’s supporting them?
First off I know the difference between Satire and News. Second of all YOU “Fiddy Cent” have the Typical Knee jerk reaction of calling any one who defends them selves against unfair hiring policies due to the lack of training to gain a second language A BIGOT, we are still not french enough after french emersion . Giving the Francophonies the majority and best pics of the jobs and leaving the Uni-lingual Scraps. You want Bigots Look at Quebecs Caroline St-Hilaire ( A BLOC ACTIVIST)and all of Longueils city council all being offended at even the sound of English and refusing to give service in English at all… And now The president of the Accadien society Communicating with the BLOC trying to get into bed with them.. You tell me who the real bigots are. Look who is coming down here to support the Accadiens Look at Serge. the segregation pro fool , Katherine thinking she has the right to influence who comes in to New Brunswick And And Victor trying to deny dual services by trying to block Saint John from getting a single Genetics Sequencing machine when Moncton has 4 something guaranteed to us thanks to Duality and then shutting down the whole service in a hissy fit saying its too expensive, The new machine costs nothing to health care and the cost of using it is not that great.. SO WHO ARE THE REAL BIGOTS!!!! Let us know when your fully awake instead of Fiddy percent asleep..
“unfair hiring policies due to the lack of training to gain a second language”
-While there are problems with the French education in NB’s public schools, there are numerous alternative resources out there that make learning a second language accessible, no matter your schedule, financial standing or learning style. Then you’re just a simple test away from being officially bilingual and in a better position to market your skills.
“Giving the Francophonies the majority and best pics of the jobs and leaving the Uni-lingual Scraps.”
– I know this may seem like it’s the case (because knowing more than one language is extremely useful and employers would be stupid not to recognize and try to take advantage of that), but the reality is closer to the other way around. The statistics part of my story was not made up. Francophones have a higher unemployment rate than anglophones. They average lower weekly incomes than anglophones as well. When it comes to jobs unilinguals have no slimmer pickings than any other demographic in this province. NB is Canada’s only bilingual province and, ironically, French people are financially farther behind their English-speaking neighbours here than they would be in any other province.
Thanks for the read!
Other than Rosetta Stone name me what other ones are out there to to make a Mother Tongue Anglophone Officially Bilingual many are still told they are just not french enough and passed over for there Francophone counter part,,. When jobs are deemed Bilingual are they just going to fire people and replace them or are they going to give those people an opportunity to further there language skills … Prime example is what happened with our Commissionaire in Fredericton, until Charles Leblanc got a hold of it.. They were going to can him they give no opportunities nor was he given a chance, they just stuck him some place out of the lime light and ordered not talk… Maybe what needs to happen is a federal and provincial language center needs to open for everyone on both sides, not everyone can afford to pay for much beyond there own expenses to live, this would help smooth the rift . Rosetta Stone sure is not the answer but hey we have YouTube also right. It sure would have been nice to be able to under stand my uncle (who was an Acadien) when he spoke french around me , truth of the mater is even if there were resources out there they still were not made public enough nor promoted enough to make a difference … Please don’t think I am anti French, I am for a United New Brunswick….
Where is your research to show they are farther behind,, I am sure if you do some digging you will find inadequacies all over the province, and if you look at the Roadmap you will see where most of New Brunswick s cash is going.
Every one can cry poor me I’m being assimilated but the truth of the matter is we are all in this province, but there is no equality…. please look at this link to understand our fustration Kirk.. https://youtu.be/VXrYSHqJBxQ
It takes an intelligent and trainable person to learn more than one language.
Absolutely!
I moved to Toronto in 97 for the same reason.
I said it before and I will say it again… The reason why they are looking for bilangual people is to accomadate the French and the English… If you are bilangual then you should not be refused for a job even though your primary language is English. Being bilangual means you can talk to an English person and you both understand each other or visa versa. I however feel like the government could help people with paid schooling to become bilangual then guaranty a job if the qualifications are there….
Well it is the francophone games so French has to be a priority don’t you think??? Come on
It’s too bad we have come to this…French people not allowing unilingual English to serve them. Public schooling is indeed the problem. Only a third of the graduates from NB’s English schools are able to converse at an intermediate level (but even that’s not a high enough level to meet hiring requirements). Our education system continues to marginalize the majority.