Stéphane Dion has rejected calls by some senior Liberals that the party's national director be fired over comments he allegedly made regarding hiring more francophone Quebecers.

During a closed-door meeting in Ottawa last Sunday, Jamie Carroll was confronted about the need to hire more francophones for Dion's staff.

Jamie Carroll, shown in a 2006 interview, is the Liberal party's national director. Carroll has been under fire over a recent comment, but Stéphane Dion has defended him and said the comment was being misinterpreted.
(The Halifax Chronicle Herald)

According to some witnesses, Carroll is said to have responded: "Do we also have to hire people from the Chinese community to represent the Chinese community?"

Carroll's alleged comments were leaked to Le Journal de Montreal. But others at the meeting have said Carroll was taken out of context.

Speaking in Halifax on Friday, Dion agreed, saying he believed Carroll's comments have been misinterpreted and that he has full confidence in him.

"I know how much the Quebec distinctiveness, the cause of the French language and the multicultural reality of Canada is key for him," Dion said.

Others, however, say that Carroll should be removed from his post.

Robert Fragasso, president of the Liberal party's Quebec wing, who was also at the meeting, said party supporters in Quebec were shocked and surprised by his remarks.

"We have the impression that we have gone back 40 years," Fragasso told the Montreal Gazette.

Some Liberal caucus members, including Montreal MP Pablo Rodriguez and former heritage minister Liza Frulla are calling on Dion to fire Carroll.

"It is not only shocking, it is revolting," Frulla told the Gazette.

In a statement Thursday, Carroll explained the nature of the conversation, saying that he never meant to insult Quebecers or Chinese-Canadians.

"It was agreed that we should both increase the number of francophone Quebecers working in the national office, and maintain our party's long-standing commitment to official bilingualism," he said.

"I should note that in addition to this discussion, I commented on the need to find ways in which to effectively communicate with — and reach out to — the growing number of ethnically diverse groups that now compose Canada's electorate."

The internal bickering comes following the Liberal defeat in three Quebec byelections.

The party also lost two high-profile candidates in Quebec — Paul Leduc, the former mayor of a Montreal suburb and former astronaut Marc Garneau.

Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, head of the party's Quebec caucus, said public feuding won't do the party any good

"We've got to shut it down. We've got to shut down the fighting," he said. "And if there is differences in opinion, we have to keep it within the party. As long as we're united, we're moving forward."

With files from the Canadian Press