During last spring’s federal election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney declared himself a fan of Quebec musical artists Coeur de Pirate and Rock et Belles Oreilles, stating in the same breath that French is at the heart of Canadian identity.
Since his election, however, the language has held a more modest place in his speeches.
A comprehensive analysis by Radio-Canada reveals that less than one-fifth of the content of the prime minister's speeches since he was elected has been in French.
Radio-Canada analyzed Carney's 59 speeches and news conferences from April 29 — the day after the federal election — to Sept. 14, the day before the House of Commons returned.
Carney spoke for 402 minutes in English compared to 83 minutes in French — about 17 per cent. The proportion drops to 13 per cent during events abroad.
For example, when the prime minister announced the list of major projects of national interest on Sept. 11 in Edmonton, 25 minutes of his speech were delivered in English. He spoke for less than four minutes in French, mainly about the Port of Montreal expansion project.
Former PMs spoke more French
According to experts, the data col
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