Canada to firmly re-assess its status as a British colony

[HVC]

Does English Canada has a whole have any concerns right now?  I mean, the provinces are devoted to sticking it to the feds, but there isn't really a lot of common interest going on.

The project of not being the United States is a powerful unfying force.

the possibility of a province turning into, say Florida of the north, is to great a chance to take. We must fight the American influence.

[Neil]

Does English Canada has a whole have any concerns right now?  I mean, the provinces are devoted to sticking it to the feds, but there isn't really a lot of common interest going on.

The project of not being the United States is a powerful unfying force.

Yeah, but at this point that goes without saying, and doesn't really take much work.

[Neil]

Does English Canada has a whole have any concerns right now?  I mean, the provinces are devoted to sticking it to the feds, but there isn't really a lot of common interest going on.

The project of not being the United States is a powerful unfying force.

the possibility of a province turning into, say Florida of the north, is to great a chance to take. We must fight the American influence.

The feds have control over firearms policy, and as much as the Harper Tories are considered pro-gun by Canadian standards, they would never allow people to carry handguns and encourage them to murder each other.

[HVC]

Does English Canada has a whole have any concerns right now?  I mean, the provinces are devoted to sticking it to the feds, but there isn't really a lot of common interest going on.

The project of not being the United States is a powerful unfying force.

the possibility of a province turning into, say Florida of the north, is to great a chance to take. We must fight the American influence.

The feds have control over firearms policy, and as much as the Harper Tories are considered pro-gun by Canadian standards, they would never allow people to carry handguns and encourage them to murder each other.

Florida has problems that go much deeper then gun laws. Half the whacky news that the marti's of the world point to as proof of America's backwardness come from that messed up state.

[Malthus]

Similarly, I don't agree with the lady in the blog you linked who called Quebec all kinds of terrible things. I do think that some of Quebec's language policies go a bit over board at times, but her characterization and conclusions are extremely polemical and rather offensive.

And yet she expressed a position that's quite prevalent in certain circles.  Go no further than our dear Malthus here - who I note is conspicuously absent from this current exchange.  He has voiced similar opinions in the past - in fact he used the same rethoric about tribalism, racism, etc - albeit without the vitriol that cunt put in her own piece.  The position is part of the Canadian mythos - and like with any mythos - it requires a moral repellent to validate itself.  It so happen that Quebec serves that purpose for many Canadians.  I guess it's ok since Canada is used pretty much in the same way by many Quebecers.




G.

This is, of course, pure bullshit. If not, it ought to be easy to find a post in which I go on about the alleged "racism" of Quebec.

I have not commented on this discussion because I am not all that interested in some obscure BC decision on the costs of translation.

Grallon, you are looking into a mirror and seeing your own reflection, not seeing the "other" as it truly is - both in respect of English Canada as a whole, and of me in particular.

This appears to be characteristic of certain types of extremists - they assume everyone else is equal-but-opposite in extremity. In point of fact, English Canada as a whole does not require Quebec as a "moral repellent" to validate itself. English Canada as a whole has other concerns.

That's exactly what a racist denying their racism would say

Fine. I admit I'm racist against wise-cracking porto-canuck accountants. 

[HVC]

[Valmy]

Fine. I admit I'm racist against wise-cracking porto-canuck accountants. 

I am encouraged to see you finally coming to terms with your non-wise-cracking porto-canuck accountant privilege.

[Neil]

Does English Canada has a whole have any concerns right now?  I mean, the provinces are devoted to sticking it to the feds, but there isn't really a lot of common interest going on.

The project of not being the United States is a powerful unfying force.

the possibility of a province turning into, say Florida of the north, is to great a chance to take. We must fight the American influence.

The feds have control over firearms policy, and as much as the Harper Tories are considered pro-gun by Canadian standards, they would never allow people to carry handguns and encourage them to murder each other.

Florida has problems that go much deeper then gun laws. Half the whacky news that the marti's of the world point to as proof of America's backwardness come from that messed up state.

Yeah, part of their problem is that they're in the United States, and so they have all kinds of silly baggage with slavery and the other brutalities committed in the past.  Florida has also been victimized by Republican depredations.

[Malthus]

Fine. I admit I'm racist against wise-cracking porto-canuck accountants. 

I am encouraged to see you finally coming to terms with your non-wise-cracking porto-canuck accountant privilege.

I plan to redress this historical imbalance by making one mis-spelled witticism per week. 

[HVC]

Fine. I admit I'm racist against wise-cracking porto-canuck accountants. 

I am encouraged to see you finally coming to terms with your non-wise-cracking porto-canuck accountant privilege.

I plan to redress this historical imbalance by making one mis-spelled witticism per week. 

I demand reparations for the years of mistreatment. That's right, one gold plated stroller. 24K, none of the shit gold leaf.

[Savonarola]

Florida has problems that go much deeper then gun laws. Half the whacky news that the marti's of the world point to as proof of America's backwardness come from that messed up state.

We like to think we're better than Mississippi.   

While Florida is indeed messed up, there's an awful lot of Canadians who vacation here.  As a Porto-Canuck I would have thought you desired nothing more out of life than a winter home in Miami.

[viper37]

Given the costs of translation services and the small proportion of natural French speakers in British Columbia compared to even other minorities (2% compared to 10% for the Chinese languages, for example) I, as a total outsider, see nothing wrong with the judgement.

well, that's the problem here.  French speakers being put on the same level as Chinese, Hindu or Vietnamese speaker.

This country has 2 official languages, not 30.  They are French and English.
When you do everything you can to prevent a community from thriving, by denying them basic services
in their own language, over time it goes down, to the point where people say "oh, there's not enough of them to warrant any services now".  And that's what's happening in Canada.

Our language laws are sometimes idiotic, the Office de la Langue Français seems be fille to the rim with assholes, but no english canadian has ever been denied decent education in his language of choice.  They always had their own school boards, they always had their own hospitals.

So bilinguism in this country is a real joke.

[Maximus]

well, that's the problem here.  French speakers being put on the same level as Chinese, Hindu or Vietnamese speaker.

That is not a problem.

If anything French language should be put on a lower level in BC if those numbers are correct.

[MadImmortalMan]

the possibility of a province turning into, say Florida of the north, is to great a chance to take. We must fight the American influence.

Canadians don't need a Florida of the north. They already have Florida of the south. Half of the Canadian pensioners live there all winter as it is.

[Jacob]

well, that's the problem here.  French speakers being put on the same level as Chinese, Hindu or Vietnamese speaker.

If French speakers are treated acceptably (and I'm not saying that they are), then surely it's up to the province in question how they'll treat Chinese or other language speakers?

In any case, at least in BC they are not being put on the same level. Whatever the problems the CSF may face, it is a French language school board while there are no other language specific school boards in the province.

This country has 2 official languages, not 30.  They are French and English.

Sure.

When you do everything you can to prevent a community from thriving, by denying them basic services
in their own language, over time it goes down, to the point where people say "oh, there's not enough of them to warrant any services now".

Agreed,  and we shouldn't encourage that.

And that's what's happening in Canada.

Are you sure. Is the French population in British Columbia significantly smaller than it was? And is this due to assimilation (rather, than say an influx of non-French speakers)?

Our language laws are sometimes idiotic, the Office de la Langue Français seems be fille to the rim with assholes, but no english canadian has ever been denied decent education in his language of choice.  They always had their own school boards, they always had their own hospitals.

So bilinguism in this country is a real joke.

Is seems that you think that there should be a perfect mirroring of language policies across the country, so that however Anglophones are treated in Quebec is how Francophones should be treated in every other province from New Brunswick to British Columbia?

If so, that doesn't seem reasonable given the different population levels. Secondly, it would seem to require the provinces to set language policy together, taking away individual decision making which doesn't seem like it would suit Quebec either.

Question for you: are there any Canadian provinces where there are no French school boards?

Second question for you: do you think language specific hospitals should be provided in a community if there is not a sufficient population to support it?