The politics of language has been a key issue in Canada since the founding of the country in 1867. The choice of a party leader is greatly influenced by language proficiency, as is electability with the public. All Canadian prime ministers have spoken either French or English, some both, but only a few were fluently bilingual, and few have spoken any other language. All prime ministers have had one of English or French as their mother tongue with the possible exceptions of Sir John A. Macdonald and Alexander Mackenzie, who may have spoken Scottish Gaelic or Lowland Scots as their first language.