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Add onerous language requirements on top of that and it’s easy to see why government faces a hiring challenge. Why would someone already successful in the private sector choose to master a new language just to work for the government?

Most would agree that service for the public in both official languages is necessary. It is in the workplace that the system breaks down.

In a designated bilingual area such as the National Capital Region, home to the largest number of public servants, workers have a right to be supervised in the language of their choice. In effect, that means if a group of 50 employees has even one person who insists on using French as the language of work, his bosses have to be bilingual to accommodate him.

Is accommodating the language preferences of individual employees more important than choosing the most qualified person to be his boss?

The results of a hiring regime that gives French speakers a leg up are predictable. Francophones are over-represented, relative to their percentage of the population, in both the core public service and in the executive ranks. For those who want to advance to the top jobs here in Ottawa, bilingualism is essential.

The Liberal government prides itself on being forward-looking and sensitive to the needs of minorities, but government language policies don’t reflect those values.

Canada admits more than 250,000 immigrants a year – many with substantial job skills. And yet, the federal government might as well tell most of these new Canadians not to apply. No doubt some speak French, but the top immigrant-supplying countries are the Philippines, India and China.