Don't speak English? No problem. We're bi.

Parlez vous Franglais?

Canada's top language commissioner wants to tie university funding to turning out bilingual graduates. Seems like a good idea. In most countries where university degrees actually mean something, a requirement for the ability to speak a second language is pretty much taken for granted.

In a globalized world, this is a laudable goal. But sticking to the old English-French equation isn't necessarily the way to go, in particular for those of us living in Vancouver's gateway to Asia.

Those Anglos who think they might want to work in government should certainly be encouraged to learn French (and of course, the same goes for Quebecois the other way around).

But I would hope that the government's plan would include some leeway for students to choose a second language spoken outside of this country. Our best and brightest should also be encouraged to take up Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and at least a half dozen other languages that are likely to come in very handy in the coming decades.

Tags: bilingual, French immersion, university education, cunning linguist