The Journal asked its director of linguistic revision, Rose-Hélène Côté, to assess the quality of the French of the six candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. Here is his verdict.

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John Charest: 10/10

Unsurprisingly, it is Jean Charest who masters the French language best among the candidates. His remarks are easy to understand, expressed in impeccable French and with great fluidity. He is expressive and his vocabulary is varied.

Pierre Poilievre: 8/10

He has good French. We understand what he says despite his accent and the few mistakes he makes. He has small hesitations, but his pronunciation is good and his words are clear. He hardly looks at his text.

Patrick Brown : 4/10

We can see that he is making an effort, but his words are sometimes incomprehensible. His accent is strong and his pronunciation often difficult. On the other hand, he looks at his text less than other candidates and this is what earns him a higher mark than others.

Leslyn Lewis : 2/10

As in 2020, she has difficulty expressing herself in the language of Molière. We still manage to understand his words. His pronunciation still seems laborious and his accent is to be cut with a knife. She doesn't look up from her text.

Scott Aitchison : 2/10

Although he often stumbles while speaking, he has a steady flow. He also looks at his text a lot. It seems difficult for him to speak in French, and his speech presents many hesitations.

Roman Baber : 1/10

You have to concentrate to understand his words. His speech is not always intelligible. He has a lot of hesitation, a difficult pronunciation and a very strong accent. He has his eyes constantly on his notes.