Stéphane Dion et son anglais...

Whenever I hear people complain about Stéphane Dion’s command of the English language my tendency is defend him against what are normally petty anglo-chauvinist criticisms. It’s harder to dismiss those criticisms when they are coming from Quebeckers, even if they are tongue-in-cheek.

Back in March 2007, when I met Dion in St. Catharines in a face to face meeting concerning the Liberal caucus position on Bill C-257, I wasn’t impressed by his speaking skills in English. He clearly struggled to string sentences together in a seamless way. However, understanding him wasn’t difficult. Over the course of the last year, his English has improved measurably. Each time I see him speak, I’m reminded of how much he has improved. In fact, I suspect that if we don’t have an election until 2009, Dion’s proficiency in English will no longer be an issue… well, at least for those of us who aren’t anglo-chauvinists.