Mary Simon is this country's latest representative of the Canadian monarch. She is of Inuk ancestry (mother's side), and the first Indigenous person to hold the post. From what we are told of her past accomplishments, Simon appears qualified. Except she doesn't know French. According to a Government of Canada press release, Simon “was denied the chance to learn French during [her] time in federal government day schools.”
Such a strange way of saying Simon doesn't know French. Did the Kuujjuaq Federal Day School offer a French class, but wouldn't let her take it? More likely the school didn't offer French when Simon was there in the 1950s. Yet if that's the case, how does denial enter into it? We, the Canadian federal government, deny you your request to enrol in a course that is not on offer?
I'd call Kafka if it didn't sound like this country's two charter members (Britain and France) were so frightened of losing everything over their historic treatment of Indigenous Peoples that they overlooked that which for years they insisted upon, fought over. All English Canada had to do was take the blame -- admit, in effect, that it has had its way with French Canada too. Bon cop, bad cop. On le voit dans les policers tout le temps.
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