The Anglos in Quebec will be facing tougher language laws if (when) the Parti Québécois wins a majority in the next provincial election:
Speaking to business leaders, Diane De Courcy vowed to halt Quebec’s “unacceptable slide” into institutional bilingualism — in Montreal and across the province.
A PQ majority government would make it a priority to bring back Bill 14 and to stamp out examples of creeping bilingualism like sales staff who greet customers with “Bonjour-Hi,” she said at a day-long conference on francization programs held by the Conseil du patronat.
“Montreal is not a bilingual city. Quebec is not a bilingual Quebec,” De Courcy said to reporters after her speech.
Last year, the government decided not to push for adoption of Bill 14, strengthening Quebec’s French Language Charter, because of a lack of support from opposition parties. The wide-ranging bill would extend Bill 101 rules for large businesses to smaller companies with between 25 and 50 employees, and toughen up aspects of the language law on access to English education and bilingual municipalities.
[…]
Employees who deal with the public must be able to address customers correctly in French, “not like what we have right now in downtown Montreal, and not only in Montreal, which is ‘Bonjour-Hi,’” De Courcy said.
De Courcy said she thinks it’s great if individuals want to learn different languages like English, Spanish, Mandarin or Arabic in their private lives, but institutions and businesses must function strictly in French.
“There is a difference with what is institutional and it must be without mercy,” she said.
We can only hope that the drive of economics finally overcomes the idiocy that is the PQ in Quebec. They make the good Quebecers look bad by being this stupid. Montreal is not a French city, it is a Canadian city. Quebec City can rot, for all I care though. Lots of history supressed by the “I remember” crowed. The Plains of Abraham are still there, history cannot be changed, only forgotten or suppresed.
Comment by Dwayne — February 25, 2014 @ 10:27
It’s an amusing mental exercise to consider what would happen if, say, Regina or Edmonton were to suddenly decide to aggressively crack down on French the way that Quebec is cracking down on English. The federal government would lead the charge, one may be certain.
Comment by Nicholas — February 25, 2014 @ 10:34
True, it is sad to see how the Federal Government makes exceptions in some cases.
Comment by Dwayne — February 25, 2014 @ 13:07