Star reporter
says 'oui' to language commissioner job
OTTAWA - Veteran journalist Graham Fraser has
been pegged to become Canada's new commissioner of official languages,
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Wednesday.
''I'm very excited about this,'' said Fraser,
a fluently bilingual reporter who has worked for several of Canada's top
publications.
The position, which pays an estimated
$224,200 a year, is generally for a seven-year term.
Fraser's nomination now goes to Parliament
for ratification before it becomes official. In the meantime, Fraser is
taking a leave of absence from his current position as national affairs
writer in Ottawa for the Toronto Star.
''I clearly can't go on covering
parliamentarians who are going to be making this decision,'' he said.
In a statement announcing Fraser had been
chosen to replace outgoing commissioner Dyane Adam, Harper praised him as
someone who has successfully bridged the divide between Canada's two
official languages.
''He will bring to the position a deep
understanding of and sensitivity to Canada's linguistic duality, a
profound knowledge of Canada's language policy and its impact on minority
language communities as well as the independence of mind of a
journalist,'' said Harper. ''I am pleased that he has agreed to be
nominated for this important role.''
Fraser's nomination comes only a few
months after the March publication of his latest book, Sorry, I don't
Speak French,which examines bilingualism and official language policy in
Canada.
Montreal Gazette
