HAMILTON – Aware that the national anthem was sung only in English before the Eastern final between the Argonauts and the Montreal Alouettes in Toronto last Saturday, Canadian Football League (CFL) commissioner Randy Ambrosie wanted to emphasize that he “great respect” for Quebec.
“We want to be respectful to our partners in Quebec, our Alouettes partners in Montreal and our French-speaking fans,” he commented Tuesday morning in Hamilton when asked about the recent controversy during his press conference. to the 110th Gray Cup final.
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When the question was asked in both languages, Ambrosie, who is originally from Manitoba, inevitably answered in English. Be that as it may, the answer mainly indicated that the mistake made in Toronto was mainly due to the Argonauts organization.
“I understand that the artist chosen for the national anthem simply couldn’t do it,” he explained. The person who will sing the anthem must actually be able to do so in both languages.”
“During the offseason, we will review and evaluate this process to ensure we are prepared in advance,” the commissioner added.
The greatest irony of this story is that the Canadian national anthem was sung in both languages in Winnipeg before the Western final between the British Columbia Lions and the Blue Bombers. The CFL also assured that the rendition of O Canada will also be bilingual on Sunday during the Gray Cup final. Ontario singer Simone Soman is scheduled to sing the national anthem.
Hats off to Danny Maciocia!
Otherwise, Ambrosie said he was very pleased with the Alouettes’ presence in the Gray Cup final and gave credit to general manager Danny Maciocia, head coach Jason Maas and owner Pierre Karl Péladeau. It’s a big turnaround for the team to be in the final, while the future of the club didn’t bode well in the off-season.
Canadian Football League Commissioner Randy Ambrosie took stock of the end of the season during a press conference on the sidelines of the 110th Gray Cup Final between the Montreal Alouettes on Tuesday, November 14, in Hamilton. Montreal at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Photo Benoit Rioux
“We have to take our hats off to Danny Maciocia,” the commissioner said. The situation was stressful for him when the free agent market opened. He lost some very good players… The situation regarding a new owner had not yet been clarified at this point. I remember some intense phone calls from Danny because he cares deeply about his football team. We have to recognize what he has achieved and what coach Jason Maas has done by bringing this team together and believing in them.
“I cannot emphasize enough how professionally everything was handled with Pierre Karl Péladeau in the negotiations that led to the purchase of the team,” Ambrosie remarked afterwards. For Pierre Karl, the goal was not only to buy the team, but also to become a partner of the league. He has demonstrated a long-term commitment to success every step of the way.”
Commendable effort in Hamilton
Concluding the edition of the national anthem played only in English in Toronto, let us recall that President Mark Weightman himself denounced the situation on Monday in a report published by Le Journal.
“I was very disappointed, especially for a playoff game like this,” he commented. I personally raised the situation with a senior league manager and he was very receptive. He assured me it wouldn’t happen again.”
We would like to note that there are currently numerous efforts in Hamilton to respect the French-speaking community. Quebecers Olivier Poulin, senior director of communications and public affairs for the CFL, and Guillaume Tremblay-St-Gelais, senior manager in the same departments, are doing tremendous work on this issue.