Lawyer Guy Bertrand wants respect. Is he looking in the right place for it?

www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=ef54ddb0-d4ca-48f1-8640-228e7b4baf79

Does the fate of Quebec lie in the hands of this man to our left? Is he violating the rights of Quebecers? "To respect the right of Quebecers to be served in French," as he so eloquently put it.


Yes. This from a man who switches more ideological positions than nymphs at a swinger's party. Best to recall that Bertrand once defended the "rights" of the Rwandan maniac Leon Mugesera. Funny that guy; that he would speak of human rights.


That Guy "The Big Gel and Tan' Bertrand found a comforting friend in Pauline 'The Big Poutine' Marois regarding his recent rant can only solidify the credibility of its contents.

Cough.

It's easy to laugh off his comment but does he have a point?

Yes, I'm afraid he does however distasteful it may sound. I don't agree with it but somewhere nestled in this little petty and parochial article is a point.

But enough of that. I can't possible defend this guy or his apologists.

Should Koivu learn some French? Why not? After all, a large portion of the Montreal hockey marker speaks it. However, I don't think the average French-Canadian would be overly concerned about this. Mr. Bertrand uses is offensive language - excuse the pun - to say the least. That he demands Koivu "serve him" is a most unfortunate way to get people to respect you and your language.

I'm just saying.

At this junction I'd like to make my own point. If you're Saku Koivu (man, his name resembles Haiku) and you're reading this what possibly could make him want to learn French now? How does this attract people to the language? What if he simply is not comfortable with it?

French, for the record, is a language that is not in the best of shape to begin with among French-Canadians themselves. Heck, my French is not where it should be. Shouldn't Bertrand and his cronies first find a way to teach it properly to Quebecers first? What if Saku Koivu was deaf? Would it be such an issue?

Character assassination as we see so often in this belle province is the refuge of a person sans politesse.

Come to think of it, it is funny. After all, he's a hockey player.

On to the article and a comment he made that caught my eye.

Bertrand says, "Several people have told me this would not happen in Finland, or in Italy," Bertrand continued. "In soccer if you play for Italy, you have to learn the language."

First, this isn't Italy. This is Canada within a North American framework. We're in a different situation here. Montrealers are bilingual and choose to do so. Get over and used to it. Montreal is the only place that keeps this place from losing its progressive mind completely.

Second, his comment is not exactly true. While there is no doubt that learning the language and customs of a team you play for is a good idea no one forces (or shames) an athlete to do so.

As far as I know, AC Milan is the only club in Italy that goes up and beyond the call of duty to ensure that a foreign player is welcomed and made part of not only AC Milan's culture but the Italian one as well. They strongly encourage players to learn Italian.

In this light, do the Montreal Canadiens take the steps to ensure their athletes are made to feel comfortable here in the same manner AC Milan does? Seems to me given Quebec's distinct situation this would only make sense.

Since we live - and here's the kicker that seems to go over the heads of some - in a supposed free society all action is voluntary. It's called free will. Koivu exercised his right.

As if any of this is all new. Remember former Montreal Expos star Vladimir Guerrero refused to speak English in public? Personally, it wasn't an issue as long as he performed and helped the Expos win games. I feel the same way about Koivu. Let him play hockey. After all, that was his mandate. Alas, some politicians see things slightly different.

In any event, doesn't Quebec have bigger problems to attend to than to go after hockey players?

One last thing, Saku Koivu has done much for the community. He helped bring in MRI's because this country is in a health crisis and fails to have adequate number of machines. He helps cancer patients and has been inspiration to them.

What HAVE YOU DONE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, MR. BERTRAND? Or anyone else for that matter who has attacked him in the past.