Nolinor

[Ramjet555]

Norlinor

Jet Jockey,
Unfortunately, you have conflated Norlinor with an Operator in Montreal.
I got my information from a Norlinor pilot at a time and location I will not name but, I basically go to almost every place they go to in Canada.

I'm also speaking from personal experience and that of other Canadian pilots.

While there may be a few Anglophones flying with Norlin or, these pilots also are Fluent in French, that is, they could impress as speaking with a Montreal accent.

I have no doubt that some of their Captains speak English only, but got hired because Norlinor could not find any Qualified 737 Captains who were bilingual in French. Not too many of their new hires will be qualified 737 Captains who can get a job anywhere in the world. This topic is about FO's getting hired and trained in a 737 at Norlinor.

Its very much a family run business, its "old school" and that "old school" mandates hiring Francophone first, bi-lingual second, and an almost impossible Anglophone only a very distant and next to impossible third.

Just read their ads that specifically state French is required. They have limited themselves to a very small of the pilot pool who
will be offered jobs in a flash at Encore, Westjet etc.

Sooner or latter, when resignations start arriving every day for the above airlines, who will also grab the bi-lingual pilots, they might reconsider that policy, which at present, appears unlikely to change.


Its the same with ATC in Montreal, where you see Anglophones who are bi-lingual, they grew up with both languages, many speak English with a French accent when English is their first ltianguage, consciously or subconsciously,

Then you conflate "your Montreal company" that you claim hires Anglophones without mentioning that they are bilingual or can speak , read and write in French.

Anyone educated in Ontario schools gets some basic french, and many are at least conversational enough to get a job flying in Quebec, anyone who did not get an education in Frelnch is unlikely to have an ability in French or get a job in Quebec period, let alone in the politics of Quebec Aviation.

The discrimination in Quebec against Anglophone non french speaking pilots is sickening.

Take ATC.
"ABC, you have bad radio" is the standard reply at St. Hubert to an Anglophone in English. I've heard it, while instructing at St. Hubert. The CFI was listening on the same frequency and said "there was no bad radio, I heard you perfectly.

This problem has been around for decades. Its also a catch 22 situation, you can't develop proficiency in a language unless you are immersed in it. Many pilots have either no education in French because it was not available when and where they went to school.

I recall arriving in Montreal, excited about the prospect of improving my French by immersion. Lots of very nice people in Montreal carefully explained the political hostility towards Anglophones and immediately got a job elsewhere.
In Europe, most educated people speak English and are generally supportive of anyone wanted to learn another language by immersion. What Quebec does not understand is that they deter away many people including myself who would have become proficient in French if given the opportunity which I was given in other languages but not French.

Back to Norlinor

You "conflated" other operators apparently to support Norlinor who deserve some negative publicity for their blatant refusal to hire those who do not speak french.

There are several other companies in Montreal, who don't want to be named who quietly hire Anglophones mainly because they fly to the USA a lot and their clients do not have the political power to effect revenge or dictate who they can hire as pilots absent that anti-anglophone negativity which can and does border on an unproductive culture of hatred.


At one airport recently, Norlinor and a PC12 from Montreal was there and the PC12 was an Anglophone but was bi-lingual. He stated again, that their company considers Anglophones but, at the end of the day, it saves a lot of political problems by having at least, bi-lingual pilots.

Times are changing in flight schools, many in Quebec still will not have an anglophone unless bi-lingual. Now with a shortage, you now start to see, "will consider a highly qualified instructor who does not speak French"

The Quebec Charter companies have been constantly lowering ltheir requirements to the point that they are hiring with bare IFR CPL as long as they are Francophones or at least, bi-lingual in French and English.


Now lets see if anyone posts who is a uni-lingual Anglophone FO on a 737 at Norlinor. I don't expect any replies.

Ramjet