Too many young people think it's “cool” to use English words, Legault says

“Il ya des jeunes qui, unfortunately, trouvent ça 'cool' de sortir des mots en anglais”.

“Unfortunately, there are young people who think it's 'cool' to use English words,” Quebec Premier Francois Legault said.

The irony of this statement was not lost on representatives who took part in the debate between Legault and his opposition in the national assembly on Thursday.

As laughter rang out in the Salon Bleu, it took Legault a few seconds to realize he was slipping.

“His ad could not have been a response that made it clear that he had done nothing to prevent the use of English words. And he agreed to it,” answered Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, to laughter.

Premier Liguet last year defended government funding of an advertising campaign aimed at promoting the French language.

The ad, which mimics a nature documentary, poked fun at some Quebecers' penchant for using English words in everyday conversation, describing the majestic falcon as “vraiment sick” and “assez chill.”

Tanguay questioned the effectiveness of such a campaign and said Legault's slip of the tongue proved his point.

“Even he couldn't understand the message,” he said.

Watch the video above to see how the debate unfolds.