Justin Trudeau faced criticism this week after responding to an English question in French on his tour stop in Sherbrooke, Que. Initially, the prime minister defended his choice, but then conceded he should have answered the question in the language it was asked.

Trudeau now faces a number of official complaints filed with the federal languages commissioner.

Some commenters say responding in French was disrespectful, but others weren't bothered by the apparent blunder.

Was it the right question?

The questioner could have had the courtesy to attempt a question in French in a highly francophone region. Even fractured French is better than an obvious lack of interest in speaking French at all.

The prime minister was addressing an audience that was largely French-speaking. Yes, he might have defused this situation by initially responding in English, and then switching to French, but I am not losing any sleep over the fact that Trudeau spoke French to a French audience.

- Arved Sandstrom

​Common courtesy

Trudeau is arguably the most bilingual prime minister this country has ever had. Answer the question in the official language it was asked. End of story.

- Ben Smith

Second-class citizens

I am a Quebec anglophone and I will not support Trudeau again. This just highlights the systemic discrimination that anglophones face in Quebec. I should add that my children have been raised to be bilingual so that they won't have to feel like second-class citizens in their own country.

- David Walker

Rude

A person takes time out of his or her life to go to a town hall and ask a question: to not actually talk to the person in a way he or she understands is rude. To worry more about the audience and the media than a person who has a problem is just awful.

By now I think Trudeau gets that. I doubt he was trying to disrespect the questioner. He was in a venue where the vast majority of the people speak French, and that surely influenced his choice of language. I think it is ridiculous to believe that Trudeau was deliberately dismissing the person by not answering in English. In hindsight he should have, and he has said so.

- Arved Sandstrom

Go back on vacation

No wonder Trudeau's handlers try to keep him out of the country so much; every time he opens his mouth in Canada he just keeps giving us more and more ammunition for getting rid of him at the next election.

- Anne Foster

Anglophone rights not protected

Trudeau has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has no interest in protect the language rights of English-speaking Quebecers.

- Harold Fitzgerald

It shouldn't have been a surprise

If the prime minister was surprised to encounter questions in English in the eastern townships, he either needs to fire his handler or start listening more intently. Through the lens of political strategy, this was perhaps a masterful move, but that's not really the point of the listening tour, is it?

- Derek Heatherington

Boxed himself in

​In his attempt to highlight his respect and defence of the French language in Quebec — and perhaps to differentiate himself from the gaggle of Conservative leadership candidates whose French is poor or non-existent — Trudeau both insulted English Quebecers and boxed himself into a language fight he doesn't need.

To add insult to injury, the question was about English services: you'd think Trudeau would have the wherewithal to answer in English, even if his initial plan was to answer everything in French. It may have further solidified his support in Quebec, but now if someone asks a question in French in Alberta will he answer only in English "out of respect"?

- Cameron Kernick



Comments have been edited for length and clarity.