Bombardier Inc. | French as official language at Bombardier

Status
0.60% votes in favour
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
3
Resolution details
Lead filer
Mouvement d'éducation et de défense des actionnaires (MÉDAC)
Resolution ask
Adopt or amend a policy
ESG theme
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Industrials
Company HQ country
Canada
Resolved clause
It is proposed that the corporation’s language be French, notably the working language in Québec, including the language used at annual meetings. Its official status must be formally recorded, in writing, in the corporation’s letters.
Supporting statement
The corporation’s head office is in Québec, a French-speaking state. The state of Québec has existed for over 400 years, and its official language is French. The state of Québec is the only French-speaking state in America. A people’s language is their most essential, fundamental and existential attribute. Global diversity can in no way be reduced strictly to questions of human biology or the arbitration of individual privileges. Global diversity is first and foremost a collective issue essentially based on the culture of the world’s peoples. The people of Québec, through their territorial state and public institutions, beginning with their National Assembly, constitution and charters, ensure the protection of global linguistic diversity by rigorously protecting the collective and public nature of their language. The spirit of the law is clear, as is the spirit of the federal and Québec legislative reforms. Respecting and promoting this feature of global diversity is, among other things, the social responsibility of all businesses. This is in the interests of all stakeholders, starting with all members of the community, regardless of their origins. Sustainable development and long-term returns are otherwise inconceivable. It is society’s duty to scrupulously comply with these sacred principles. It is absolutely possible to do business throughout the world with a head office that operates in the language of the state where it is established. For example, the annual shareholder meeting of Samsung (Suwon) is held in Korean, Heineken (Amsterdam) in Dutch, Nissan (Yokohama) in Japanese, Foxconn (Taiwan) in Mandarin, Volkswagen (Wolfsburg) in German, and L’Oréal (Clichy), Danone (Paris), Christian Dior (Paris) and LVMH (Paris) in French. The content is translated into other languages. The principle is clear and simple. The French language is not a choice. It is a collective instrument used for communicating. Besides, foreign languages can be translated, whether or not simultaneously. French is our language. It is an issue of social equity, justice and dignity. It is a national issue.

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