Editor:

Re: Maybe Henderson should go to sleep, Chilliwack Times, Jan 31.

Goodness gracious, it's difficult to figure out if letter writer Solms Coutinho hates: (a) the French people, or (b) the French language, or (c) the nation of France, or (d) French Canadians (who incidentally do make up considerably more than one per cent of our population) or (e) anyone who happens to speak French.

No one is forced to send their children to French Immersion (which is thriving just about everywhere) but on the other hand no one should be condemned if they wish to do so.

The Second World War has been over for a very, very long time. Terrible sacrifices were made on all sides. To use personal feelings from war as a rationale for not speaking or teaching French is strange to say the least. Using this logic we should also not speak German since they were a bit of a factor in the war as was France.

Each year we travel extensively in Europe and elsewhere and have never, in more than a quarter century, had a language problem by using English or our smattering of French.

Canada is a bilingual country, like it or not. The languages are English and French. To learn them both can be nothing but beneficial.

And as the students advance, the opportunities for them to learn even more languages will present itself. Can't really see anything wrong with that.

Andy and Bev Fraser Chilliwack