In response to the March 3 letter French-First Insults Canadians.

I write this in disgust. Not to the Olympics or the organizers, but in how much people are insulted by such petty things. As a Canadian, born in Kamloops, and raised in Kamloops, I have absolutely no problem with the order in which they choose to say something that they wrote. The fact that one feels compelled to protest the language that should come first is absolutely childish, and completely disrespectful.

Sure, English is the primary language of Canada, but that does not mean we shouldn't speak French. I am appalled that there still rise tensions between the English and French speakers of Canada. As a youth and recent adult, I was proud that our nation is bilingual, and that I have the advantage of not only speaking one language. The multi-culturalism is key to this country’s heritage, and should not be forgotten.

Why should our children speak only English? I'm quite sure that being a student with proficiency in both languages does have little to no negative effects. In fact, I found that there are a lot of similarities and that both languages can be very useful in making connections between other cultures and societies. French is a very widely spoken language and surprisingly enough is not only prevalent in Quebec or France. Therefore, if you are not proud to speak French, you sure as heck are not proud to be Canadian. Next time, speak on behalf of yourself and not Canada in general, because in no way was I, or anyone I know, insulted by our own country's doings. If anything, you should be complaining about how Rush didn't play in the closing ceremonies.

JOSEPH NYSTORUK

Kamloops