British citizen creates national uproar in Quebec

[Zoupa]

I see that this issue still hasn't lost any of its appeal.

I'm not usually separatist but sometimes you guys make it very hard to not be.

I don't usually cheer on the separatists, but sometimes you guys make it very hard not to.

Zombie De Gaulle is confused.

[Grey Fox]

maybe he meant "jeered"?

[Neil]

It's odd that the only person here who can comment intelligently on anglophones educated in unilingual French is ignored.

[Zoupa]

It's odd that the only person here who can comment intelligently on anglophones educated in unilingual French is ignored.

You forget that I've met you. You're not that anti-frog 

[Neil]

It's odd that the only person here who can comment intelligently on anglophones educated in unilingual French is ignored.

You forget that I've met you. You're not that anti-frog 

That's true.  I like French.  It has enabled me to fleece American corporations looking to do business in Quebec, but take advantage of Alberta's forgiving labour laws.  I just like English better.

[garbon]

It would seem to me to be pretty self-evident that the apparant insistance of the French-speaking population of Canada that the country as a whole be bi-lingual English/French but that Quebec itself be uni-lingual French is inherently unfair and rather hypocritical.

Yeah that does appear somewhat strange.

[Zoupa]

I don't know where you get the insistance part.

Qcers don't care much about the postmaster in Yukon being bilingual or not.

[dps]

I don't know where you get the insistance part.

Qcers don't care much about the postmaster in Yukon being bilingual or not.

Well, from a distance, it appears that there is an insistance on the rest of the nation being bi-lingual--not necessarily that every "postmaster in the Yukon" actually be able to communicate in French, but that there is a legal fiction that such is the case.  (I'm not sure that "legal fiction" is the term I actually want to use here.)  It may be more a thing that applies to the political leaders of the French-speaking community, rather than the typical French-speaking citizen.  That's why I included the "apparant".  The reality may not quite match the appearance.

[Eddie Teach]

maybe he meant "jeered"?

I believe he meant "Good Riddance." Which is odd, since he's not Canadian.

[Zoupa]

Well, from a distance, it appears that there is an insistance on the rest of the nation being bi-lingual--not necessarily that every "postmaster in the Yukon" actually be able to communicate in French, but that there is a legal fiction that such is the case.  (I'm not sure that "legal fiction" is the term I actually want to use here.)  It may be more a thing that applies to the political leaders of the French-speaking community, rather than the typical French-speaking citizen.  That's why I included the "apparant".  The reality may not quite match the appearance.

The political leaders of the french community in qc and the average citizen of qc doesn't insist on any of these things.

[crazy canuck]

Canada is a federation, where provinces decide a lot of things.

What a lot of you guys don't seem to get is that Quebec is unilingual francophone. That's a fact. There's really no point in complaining when you don't get served in english. 90% of the population is francophone and a big chunk of that doesn't speak english, especially out in the countryside.

There's no real incentive for them to learn english. There's even less incentive for them to serve you in english.

Just like you shouldn't expect to be served in english in a small town in turkey, china, italy or wherever.

On parle francais icitte. Calisse.

I agree.  By the way I have a great deal of fun being in places where people dont speak English.  It generally means that the culture is different from what I am used to and that is what I am after when I travel.

It seems the person who wrote the article in the opening post is ignorant of geography.  If he wanted to be in an English speaking area he should not have travelled to Quebec.  What an idiot!

[crazy canuck]

I see that this issue still hasn't lost any of its appeal.

I'm not usually separatist but sometimes you guys make it very hard to not be.

I was thinking the same thing.  Hell, this thread has me leaning that way.

[crazy canuck]

It's odd that the only person here who can comment intelligently on anglophones educated in unilingual French is ignored.

Probably because, while he has the capacity to comment intelligently on the issue, everyone is waiting for him to do so.

[Grey Fox]

Today (September 7th) is the 40th anniversay of the Law on Official languages.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Ha ha.

So what would you have us do exactly?

Why not allow people to choose for themselves?

I know it's a radical notion, but it appears to be working well everywhere outside of Quebec so far.

Didn't work in Belgium whee it resulted in massive pressure to go francophone and look down on anything Flemish/Dutch
Won't work in Quebec for much the same reasons I guess.
On the contrary: it only increases the speed at which nation-forming happens in the mind of those who feel repressed.