Sunday, December 03, 2006

LA Times looks north, takes right turn at Albuquerque

Yes, yes, we know we're not worthy and we should be grateful they deigned to notice at all what their largest trading partner is up to, but the LA Times posted a real howler in a brief report about Stéphane Dion's election.

"The Liberal Party unexpectedly chose former Environment Minister Stephane Dion as its new leader, overlooking his political shortcomings — a heavy French accent and unpopularity in his home province of Quebec — that could undermine the party in an election expected next year."

"A heavy French accent"? A political shortcoming in Canada? In the same sentence in which they acknowledge the importance of Québec?

Hey, International Editor - it's the Right Honourable Jean Chretien on line 2. He'd like to know why you never heard of him.

ronnie

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3 Comments:

Blogger Brent McKee said...

That "heavy French accent" bit really gets me too. There was a joke about Chretien that he spoke both official languages but was fluent in neither of them. Dion at least incomprehensible in both. I won't vote Liberal in the next election but it won't be because of Dion's accent.

2:39 p.m.  
Blogger ronnie said...

The way I heard the joke about Chretien was that he was "incomprehensible in both official languages", which must be some kind of record.

Dion does indeed still have a few challenges in English; personally I hope they are endearing to the Anglos and that his obvious "French-ness" helps shore him up in Quebec, where it's true he has some challenges; but if the separatist-leaning Quebec pundits want us to believe that when it comes down to the crunch, Quebecers will vote for a western Tory over a federalist Quebecois, they're full of poutine.

ronnie

9:43 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is funny.

Down here, it's Bush who has trouble speaking English...

11:50 a.m.  

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