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OTTAWA — When it comes to bilingualism, Stephen Harper has drawn the line at officers of Parliament, the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

In a year-end interview with the French-language television station TVA, the prime minister said he favours “institutional” bilingualism over “individual” bilingualism and believes only certain jobs should require proficiency in both official languages.

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“I think for someone who is at the head of an organization in our system, they must be bilingual, but it’s not the case with all the members of an institution,” he said.

“For example, I seriously think that the prime minister needs to be bilingual but does every cabinet minister need to be bilingual? I think that’s too much. Does the chief justice of the Supreme Court need to be bilingual? Absolutely. Is it important for each judge, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s not fair.”