Source:  “Gordon répond aux accusations”, La Presse, Montréal, 30 novembre 1962, la manchette

“Gordon answers the accusations”, La Presse, 30 NOV 1962

13% of top positions at CN belong to French Canadians

Gordon answers the accusations

The president and general manager of the Canadian National Railway, Mr. Donald Gordon, who was violently taken apart lately because of his statements on the role of French Canadians in Canadian National, made a point yesterday of declaring that it is false to claim that no French Canadian occupies high ranking posts in the company.

He underscored that “a number of positions held by French speaking Canadians in Canadian National, taking into account remuneration, authority, responsibility and related prestige, are more important than some others which appear on page one page of the annual report of CN [for] 1961.  This list indeed does not set out positions in our new organization in order of importance, which we will endeavor to do in the annual report of 1962.

“Certain remarks formulated in recent days in the newspapers, on the radio and on television seem to have left a very negative impression in the minds of the public concerning the French-speaking employees at all levels of Canadian National, noted Mr. Gordon.

“The documents submitted to the Committee charged by Parliament with examining the affairs of the Railway show that in fact, there are French Canadians who occupy senior technical, professional and administrative posts

See GORDON on page 2

GORDON

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in the Company, and this is without counting bilingual persons who are non-French in origin who are in the service of Canadian National in high and intermediate executive posts for the whole network, is above 13%.

“Une liste de ces postes, fournie au Comité parlementaire à sa demande, mentionne entre autres la fonction importante d’avocat général, ainsi que celles de directeur général de région, directeur de secteur, directeur de l’expansion industrielle, directeur des immeubles, directeur régional des relations extérieures, directeur de l’exploitation, contrôleur de secteur, analyste sénior de la recherche opérationnelle, chef du service de génie mécanique, directeur général des ventes voyageurs, surintendant des télécommunications, et nombre d’autres. ”