Louise Harel, the opposition leader at Montreal City Hall, has been brushing up on her English this week. She has been taking intensive English lessons at Bishop's University and she spoke to CJAD's Andrew Carter Friday morning about her progress.

Harel says she only began speaking English after turning 30 and the most difficult part is getting over the feeling of being shy.

"We have to accept to feel shy, and to learn word by word, step by step, and to spend summer vacation in a classroom," she says.

She says it is not the grammatical mistakes she is afraid of making, it is the political ones.

"You know I can read and write in English, but it's another ball game to speak not only for travelling but during a debate as well."

Harel says part of the reason she is taking these lessons is so that she can better communicate with English-speaking Montrealers.