Fight for fewer words: Pierre Poilievre promises new law against government jargon
OTTAWA
Pierre Poilievre is waging one of his final battles in the Conservative leadership race - one in which even his main rival is onside.
His latest target? The jargon used by the federal bureaucracy.
In a video posted to social media on Thursday, the apparent front-runner promises to enact a “Plain Language Law,” that he says would bring an end to government jargon, including in legislative documents.
Poilievre began his announcement by invoking the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the famous French author of “The Little Prince,” who once wrote a line about perfection.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to subtract,” Poilievre said.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, “our governments do nothing but add and add and add paperwork and forms and endless red tape.”
Poilievre said his new law would ensure government publications are instead written in simple, straightforward sentences,but he didn’t explain how such a law would work or how the bill itself would be written without using jargon.
The law would also empower the auditor general to scan government publications for the presence of bureaucratese, he says, and provide Canadians with a government website where they can report any gibberish.
He said the law would also make it a job requirement for the government to hire writers that can write plainly and adapt bilingual language training for public servants to ensure they learn the most easy-to-understand words.
As for why it’s needed, Poilievre argues government documents, including forms, are needlessly complicated because the bureaucrats who write them use overly technical language, which creates hurdles for small businesses that have to read them.
All that time spent trying to understand what the documents say adds up, he says.
The federal government already has a policy about how its communications should sound, with rules stating its messages must be non-partisan and clear. The policy came into effect in 2016, early on in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure.
Poilievre’s announcement
Thursday sparked a rare moment of agreement with Jean Charest, the former Quebec premier whom Poilievre has lambasted throughout the race for being out of touch with the current party.