Teh One Who Knocks
04-27-2015, 11:31 AM
By Ian Sparks - The Mirror
http://i.imgur.com/VzojvJr.jpg
Canada could soon force all airlines serving their country to have a French speaking crew member aboard - after a passenger complained he was served the 'wrong lemonade'.
French language 'extremist' Michael Thibodeau sued Air Canada after he was given a Sprite instead of 7Up by an English speaking stewardess.
He branded the airline's employees as 'malicious, oppressive and reprehensible' for not answering his questions in French during the 2009 flight, despite the fact he's a fluent English speaker.
The legal action has now inspired Canadian MP Stephane Dion to lodge a bill in parliament demanding that all flights to and from bilingual Canada have a French speaker on board.
He said: "Being able to order 7Up in French on a plane is a fundamental right in Canada and all Canadians should be able to sue the airlines if this is not the case."
He is calling for the Official Languages Act - which ensures French and English are given equal status - to extend the rules to all international flights serving Canada.
Mr Thibodeau was initially awarded £8,000 in damages in 2010, but Air Canada appealed and the ruling was overturned.
He then took his case to the Canadian Supreme Court, where judges ruled that the Official Languages Act does not allow citizens to sue for cash damages for being spoken to in the wrong language.
Instead, the airline was only ordered to apologise to the couple and ensure the Languages Act was respected in future.
Mr Thibodeau had also filed a similar language complaint against Ottawa's bus company in 2002 after a driver greeted him with 'hello' instead of 'bonjour'.
Canada's National Post newspaper has described Mr Thibodeau as the linguistic equivalent of a 'supermarket coupon clipper'.
Columnist Barbara Kay wrote: "Instead of haunting supermarkets, he haunts bus companies and airlines, forever on the lookout for a breach of his right to hear the station stop, the weather, the time and the altitude in French.
"Next time Mr Thibodeau tries his little trick, the airlines should offer him a free case 7UP, and if that isn't good enough then they should inform him - in both official languages - that he is wasting their time."
http://i.imgur.com/VzojvJr.jpg
Canada could soon force all airlines serving their country to have a French speaking crew member aboard - after a passenger complained he was served the 'wrong lemonade'.
French language 'extremist' Michael Thibodeau sued Air Canada after he was given a Sprite instead of 7Up by an English speaking stewardess.
He branded the airline's employees as 'malicious, oppressive and reprehensible' for not answering his questions in French during the 2009 flight, despite the fact he's a fluent English speaker.
The legal action has now inspired Canadian MP Stephane Dion to lodge a bill in parliament demanding that all flights to and from bilingual Canada have a French speaker on board.
He said: "Being able to order 7Up in French on a plane is a fundamental right in Canada and all Canadians should be able to sue the airlines if this is not the case."
He is calling for the Official Languages Act - which ensures French and English are given equal status - to extend the rules to all international flights serving Canada.
Mr Thibodeau was initially awarded £8,000 in damages in 2010, but Air Canada appealed and the ruling was overturned.
He then took his case to the Canadian Supreme Court, where judges ruled that the Official Languages Act does not allow citizens to sue for cash damages for being spoken to in the wrong language.
Instead, the airline was only ordered to apologise to the couple and ensure the Languages Act was respected in future.
Mr Thibodeau had also filed a similar language complaint against Ottawa's bus company in 2002 after a driver greeted him with 'hello' instead of 'bonjour'.
Canada's National Post newspaper has described Mr Thibodeau as the linguistic equivalent of a 'supermarket coupon clipper'.
Columnist Barbara Kay wrote: "Instead of haunting supermarkets, he haunts bus companies and airlines, forever on the lookout for a breach of his right to hear the station stop, the weather, the time and the altitude in French.
"Next time Mr Thibodeau tries his little trick, the airlines should offer him a free case 7UP, and if that isn't good enough then they should inform him - in both official languages - that he is wasting their time."