Unilingual foreign minister called 'national embarrassment'

There's been an expectation that Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs be comfortable in both official languages. Rob Nicholson's unilingualism may be an anomaly in a Foreign Affairs portfolio but it is emblematic of the wider Canadian population. Today, we're looking at two languages ... one uncomfortable message. 

Rob Nicholson nods to both of Canada's official languages in a speech made last year (above) when he was Minister of National Defence.

You don't often hear Rob Nicholson speak en francais... something that became a real issue this week, after the minister took the high-profile portfolio of Foreign Affairs.

The appointment left some reeling, arguing that Canada's top diplomat should be proudly fluent in French... or at the very least, capable of keeping up a French conversation at international conferences.

Robert Asselin is Vice President, Policy and Research at Canada 2020, a think tank in Ottawa. He was in our Ottawa studio.

Barbara McDougall held cabinet posts, including External Affairs, as a Progressive Conservative Minister under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. We reached her in Toronto.

Like the Maple Leaf or the Beaver, our two official languages have long been thought of as important symbols of what it means to be Canadian. But the fact is, rates of bilingualism are steadily falling ... except in Quebec.

Graham Fraser is the Commissioner of Official Languages for Canada. He was in Ottawa.

We want to hear from you. Do you think Canada's Foreign Minister should be bilingual? What about the rest of the Cabinet members? Let us know.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins and Sarah Grant.