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Howard,

The most important line from one of your past editorials: "If the French language cannot sustain itself, why should I care?

The fact is that according to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, discrimination on the basis of language is prohibited. Although not explicitly stated in the Canadian Charter, "language" through case law is also a prohibited basis.

Thus, all individuals, regardless of the language that they speak, are supposed to be "equal" in Canada. To be sure, we have the concept of "official language(s)". But this is supposed to ONLY apply to government services...for every other aspect of society, there can be NO discrimination based upon language.

That's why it's so humerous to hear that the French language in Quebec is in danger: it has the support of over 5,000,000 speakers, public funds for schooling in French, it is the official language of Quebec's courts, parliament and everything else under government control.

And yet none of the 52 aboriginal languages -- 49 of which are on the verge of extinction -- are never considered for affirmative action or help, as is French.

That's why your sustainability line is so important.

Language is speech and speech falls under freedom of expression. The language that two or more people decide, freely by themselves, to communicate in during the course of commerce or interpersonal relations falls under freedom of association.

Each and every one of the 300+ languages spoken within the borders of Canada are therefore "on their own" and it is up to the marketplace of culture to determine WITHOUT GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE which language sustains itself and survives and which doesn't.

It is, simply, unfair that French gets the special treatment that it does. No, make that: it is RACIST that French gets the treatment that it does because it must, by law, be on a par with any other language.

Indeed, if anything, by virtue of the fact that it is an official language and therefore has an advantage over other languages, it should be at the end of the list of languages eligible for special treatment.

Tony Kondaks
Mesa, Arizona
USA