Current and former Liberal party officials, both French and English speakers, say the Liberal leader chosen to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be bilingual.

91裸聊视频淚n my opinion, it91裸聊视频檚 essential for the leader of the Liberal party to speak both official languages,91裸聊视频� said former housing minister Sean Fraser, who announced in December he would not run for re-election in his Nova Scotia riding.

91裸聊视频淚f a leader doesn91裸聊视频檛 have the ability to understand the reality for linguistic minorities and the populations of Quebec as well, it91裸聊视频檚 not possible to be a good prime minister or a good leader of the Liberal party,91裸聊视频� said Fraser, who is taking French courses to improve his French.

Although Manitoba MP Kevin Lamoureux said he doesn91裸聊视频檛 believe that unilingual candidates should be disqualified from the race, he stressed that he would not vote for a unilingual candidate.

91裸聊视频滻t would be very uncomfortable if a Liberal party elected someone that was not bilingual,91裸聊视频� he said.

On Thursday, the Liberal party said a new leader would be announced March 9, giving potential candidates just two weeks to decide whether to pursue the role. With a federal election on the horizon following Trudeau91裸聊视频檚 decision to step down as party leader, the new party boss would face Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh 91裸聊视频� both of whom are fluent in French. In Quebec, the Liberal candidate will have to face Bloc Qu茅b茅cois leader Yves Fran莽ois Blanchet.

Former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya have said they plan to run while former B.C. premier Christy Clark and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney are among those considering a bid.

Clark, in an interview with CBC radio91裸聊视频檚 The House which aired Saturday, agreed the leader of the Liberal party 91裸聊视频渁bsolutely must be bilingual.91裸聊视频� She said she can speak French, but wants to be better.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not bad. It91裸聊视频檚 improving and you will never find another Canadian who91裸聊视频檚 working harder on improving their French than me,91裸聊视频� she said.

Arya has downplayed the fact that he doesn91裸聊视频檛 speak French, rekindling calls for a bilingual requirement. In an interview with CBC/Radio-Canada, Arya said that mastery of the language is a secondary issue for Quebecers, who, in his opinion, are far more interested in the person being able to 91裸聊视频渄eliver.91裸聊视频�

However, some elected officials in Quebec were quick to respond that the next leader must master Canada91裸聊视频檚 two official languages.

The leader 91裸聊视频渨ill absolutely have to be bilingual. It91裸聊视频檚 a question of respect and values. It91裸聊视频檚 also essential to maximize our chances of winning the next election,91裸聊视频� the Liberals91裸聊视频� Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos wrote on the X.

On the same social media platform, Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon, who is considering a bid to succeed Trudeau, said it is 91裸聊视频渃rucial91裸聊视频� that the Liberal leader be bilingual.

91裸聊视频淏ilingualism means appreciating the French fact in Canada, appreciating Quebec as a whole and all communities in the country, whether they are French-speaking or English-speaking,91裸聊视频� said MacKinnon, Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister.

Ex-Liberal strategists also shared similar views.

Sandra Aub茅, Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly91裸聊视频檚 former chief of staff, said in an interview that mastery of French is 91裸聊视频渋nescapable,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频渘on-negotiable91裸聊视频� and part of the 91裸聊视频渧ery DNA of the party.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚f there were a leader who spoke little or no French in an upcoming election campaign, he or she would be guaranteed to face major challenges in Quebec, at the very least. And so, it would affect the Liberals91裸聊视频� result overall,91裸聊视频� said Aub茅, who now works for TACT, an agency that provides government and public relations services.

Announcing on Friday that she would not throw her hat in the ring, Joly added that, 91裸聊视频渁s a Quebecer and a francophone,91裸聊视频� it seemed 91裸聊视频渙bvious91裸聊视频� to her that the next leader must be able to speak both French and English.

Ex-Liberal strategist Greg MacEachern, now president of lobbying firm KAN Strategies, agreed: 91裸聊视频漌hoever the leader is has to be bilingual, full stop,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频滻 think the really key point here is that the province of Quebec is really important to the Liberal Party, to the Liberal Party fortunes right now.91裸聊视频�

Traditionally, Liberal leaders alternated between Quebec and the rest of Canada, MacEachern added.

For Fran莽ois Rocher, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Ottawa, Arya91裸聊视频檚 argument that francophones are primarily looking for effective, accountable government is 91裸聊视频渇allacious and asymmetrical.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚magine a unilingual francophone candidate raising the same argument,91裸聊视频� he said.

The candidate 91裸聊视频渨ould be immediately derided in the rest of Canada, including by unilingual English candidates who wouldn91裸聊视频檛 understand why 91裸聊视频� we wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be able to reach 75 per cent of the Canadian population.91裸聊视频�