Must be Friday. ATV (the Atlantic division of CTV) released outtakes of Stephane Dion misunderstanding or apparently misunderstanding of anchor Steve Murphy’s question.
It must be a Friday prior to a federal election.

Let’s hope someone in Halifax doesn’t decide to release some Steve Murphy outtakes in his language.
Do Quebec stations have interview restarts or outtakes of Stephen Harper?

I find it painful to listen to Dion - after about 5 minutes I get that headache over my left eye, I’m straining too hard to comprehend him. I live in a region where 50% of the population speak French as first language and all I can say in French is I don’t speak French.

I have an english speaking friend who grew up in Quebec who can switch languages mid-sentence. His french is fast, he matches his pace and colloquialisms with the person he is speaking to. That ability is something you grow up with and around, the rest of us muddle through.
I have had immersion classes, a private french tutor and it doesn’t make me stupid because I am never going to handle the language. I’m also not planning on running for federal office.

If I had to ask a question in French, it didn’t matter how much I rehearsed, I was still sweating buckets simply because I don’t get the verbs and the tenses and the nuances and I know I don’t. Never did, never will. I speak poorly and without comprehension.
And having watched out takes of the many times I’m mangled my mother tongue, I’m inclined to cut anyone working to master either official official language some slack.

Dion can’t blame his hearing problem or noise in the room. His english probably isn’t going to get better. The Liberals knew that when they elected him leader, and knew Canadians in different regions are going to respond differently.
There are 100 languages spoken in Canada, two official and we require our federal politicians and bureaucrats to be fluent in both.
It would be nice if journalists asked succinct questions, while we should require they do, they don’t.
In outtakes I’ve watched or listened to myself flub basic questions. It’s part of being human and it’s part of learning to communicate clearly. I expect I’ll spend the rest of my life improving my communication skills.

There have been 50 thousand views of the ATV clip, which for the start of Thanksgiving weekend isn’t too shabby. The gloves are off. This is what will probably be talked about over turkey this weekend. I’d swear I was watching US election coverage if it wasn’t for the accents.;^) Media-phobic Stephen Harper grabbed the wedge and called a rare media conference last night to inform us that leaders don’t get to get ‘do-overs.’

“If you were Prime Minister now, what would you have done about the economy and this crisis that Mr. Harper has not done?”
If you were the Prime minister during this time, already.
If you were hypothetically the Prime Minister right now.
I’m saying if you were Prime Minister today.
If you were Prime Minister now, what would you have already done in this crisis that Mr. Harper hasn’t done.”

Warren Kinsella makes his point interviewing Bart the fish.

Colby Cosh makes his.
The Globe & Mail has Dion’s response, literally.
Is it Tuesday yet?

Ipso-Reid/CanWest Friday, October 7-9th

Conservative 33%
Liberal 27%
New Democrat 22%
Bloc 10%
Green 8%