Trudeau sends letter apologizing for responding in French to English questions
MONTREAL — The Prime Minister has promised to answer questions from the public in the language they are asked, after receiving a slew of complaints from angry citizens who felt he recently violated the country’s bilingualism policy.
On a stop in Sherbrooke, Que., during his January cross-country tour, Trudeau insisted on speaking only in French, even in response to questions asked in English from the province’s anglophone minority.
His actions were called “tone deaf” in the media and they triggered a series of complaints to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.
A Montreal-based anglophone ad vocacy group, which sent a critical letter to the prime minister about the town hall, received a formal apology from Trudeau on Feb. 14 and published his letter on its website Monday.