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

[viper37]

Are there really that many people who ONLY speak French in Canada?

that's beside the point.
If I were to be judged for a crime I supposedly commited in Alberta, I would very much like a trial in French, and have a bilingual judge, just to make sure nothing is lost in translation.  Alas, it is not considered important for my English Canadian friends. But they have the right to an english trial anywhere in the country, though.

[Berkut]

Are there really that many people who ONLY speak French in Canada?

that's beside the point.
If I were to be judged for a crime I supposedly commited in Alberta, I would very much like a trial in French, and have a bilingual judge, just to make sure nothing is lost in translation.  Alas, it is not considered important for my English Canadian friends. But they have the right to an english trial anywhere in the country, though.

I is almost certainly beside SOME point, but it is not at all beside MY point, which is really just a question.

Are there a lot of French speaking Candians who do not speak English?

[viper37]

Being a monopoly doesn't exclude rude behavior.  It's not like it's the first time Air Canada is in trouble.
And as can be seen by the various comments here & on the blogs, English Canadians totally ignore that and judge this immediatly as a frivolous lawsuit.  Yet, some Quebec anglophone suing the government because he doesn't have english only signs on his street is not.  Weird country.

Two points here.   First, what about this behavior was rude?  Is not understanding a Language now rude?  Is not employing perfectly bilingual staff on all flights now rude?

This one was probably not rude.  Other customers have been expelled from Air Canada's flight just for asking someone who speaks French.
As I said, for Thibodeau, it wasn't the first time he was denied his right.

What you are totally ignoring is that the claim for 500,000 is what makes this claim frivolous not that fact that someone was claiming he was not served in French.

So, let's claim 500$ instead.  Or the price of a ticket.  Or just nothing, just write a complaint.  And once more.  Once again.  And at some point, you get angry, because things don't change.  And then you realize: what's the best way to make a company actually comply with its policies and the law?  Sue them for an enormous amount of money.
500 000$ may not be that big for Air Canada, but it's not pocket change either.
So they think.  "Do we get sued for 500 000$ by each of our clients or do we do things rights once and for all?".
Even Albertans will understand this

[crazy canuck]

Or do you really require someone fluent in French be in a post office in Quesnel BC in case one day someone might enter that buiding asking for service in French?

Yes.  Just as there's always someone bilingual in my post office.

Then I agree, lets scrap the whole idea.  If people are not prepared to be reasonable what is the point.

[Razgovory]

I wonder if I have a right to an English trial in Puerto Rico.

[crazy canuck]

And then you realize: what's the best way to make a company actually comply with its policies and the law?  Sue them for an enormous amount of money.
500 000$ may not be that big for Air Canada, but it's not pocket change either.
So they think.  "Do we get sued for 500 000$ by each of our clients or do we do things rights once and for all?".
Even Albertans will understand this

If that is the thought process he went through then he really was in this for the media exposure since there was never any chance he was getting 500,000 - that is the very definition of a frivilous law suit - and why English Canada is treating it as such.

[Berkut]

Being a monopoly doesn't exclude rude behavior.  It's not like it's the first time Air Canada is in trouble.
And as can be seen by the various comments here & on the blogs, English Canadians totally ignore that and judge this immediatly as a frivolous lawsuit.  Yet, some Quebec anglophone suing the government because he doesn't have english only signs on his street is not.  Weird country.

Two points here.   First, what about this behavior was rude?  Is not understanding a Language now rude?  Is not employing perfectly bilingual staff on all flights now rude?

This one was probably not rude.  Other customers have been expelled from Air Canada's flight just for asking someone who speaks French.

Wow, if you can get half a million for not getting French 7-Up, how much do you get for being kicked off of a flight for speaking French!

[Palisadoes]

Quebecers should just stop speaking French and speak English instead. Problem solved.

[viper37]

Are there really that many people who ONLY speak French in Canada?

that's beside the point.
If I were to be judged for a crime I supposedly commited in Alberta, I would very much like a trial in French, and have a bilingual judge, just to make sure nothing is lost in translation.  Alas, it is not considered important for my English Canadian friends. But they have the right to an english trial anywhere in the country, though.

I is almost certainly beside SOME point, but it is not at all beside MY point, which is really just a question.

Are there a lot of French speaking Candians who do not speak English?

35% of Québécois are bilingual.  That means 65% don't understand english.
About 95% of French Canadians outside of Quebec understand english.

I sure wish it would change, I sure wish we would be as bilingual or trilingual as many europeans, but that's a difficult point to press home.  Lots of resistance against the anglo-saxon invaders.  And the fact that not everyone is able to learn a second language or simply does not want to, and other problems related with education.
If we were to achieve 70-75% bilinguism (english-french), I'd be happy.  Still wouldn't want of an unilingual Canada though.

[Malthus]

Your second point would be valid, if the commentary over the media had been focused over this guy's charming personality. Rather, it became yet another spin over "whiny Quebecois".

What does his personality have to do with anything? He's suing for big bucks over a trifle. Of course commentary is going to be negative! To the extent he politicises the matter, and his cause is taken up by others in Quebec as symbolic of language rights (and it was), some of that very natural and predictable opprobrium is going to smear them, too.

The francophone advocacy group Imperatif francais welcomed the ruling.

"We hope that Air Canada will get the message and stop insulting francophones and the French fact in Canada," said president Jean-Paul Perrault.

As for your first point, I try to differenciate between Languish posters, media reception, and my political generalizations (which I do think are unavoidable, to a large extent). Comments over how things are portrayed in the media need not to implicate you, CC, Buddha or any other "you English Canadians".

And I'm making a different point. That in this very thread, this story is ironically enough being provided as an example of unreasonable Anglo Canadian behaviour.

[viper37]

if you can get half a million for not getting French 7-Up, how much do you get for being kicked off of a flight for speaking French!

Can't say, that one was solved out of court, without divulgation of the amount.

[viper37]

Quebecers should just stop speaking French and speak English instead. Problem solved.

Canada should merge with the United States.  Same culture, same language, same origins.  It's silly to have to seperate english countries in North-America.
They'd have to abandon monarchy though... that might not go well.

[Oexmelin]

No, go back and read my post where I said resources should be spent where language of choice services is more critical.  Ordering a 7up in the language of your choice does not seem that critical. 

And thus, what constitutes "critical service", in your opinion? And why is it unreasonable to expect French service on a plane connecting Montreal and Ottawa? Would it be unreasonable to expect English service between Vancouver and Calgary?

The language laws were not introduced for matters of life and death - there were introduced in order to provide the possibility for a Francophone in Canada could live his or her daily life in French. And, that being said, even in matters of considerable more importance (consular services, health issues, immigration) it is incredibly difficult to get such services outside of Quebec.

[Berkut]

Are there really that many people who ONLY speak French in Canada?

that's beside the point.
If I were to be judged for a crime I supposedly commited in Alberta, I would very much like a trial in French, and have a bilingual judge, just to make sure nothing is lost in translation.  Alas, it is not considered important for my English Canadian friends. But they have the right to an english trial anywhere in the country, though.

I is almost certainly beside SOME point, but it is not at all beside MY point, which is really just a question.

Are there a lot of French speaking Candians who do not speak English?

35% of Québécois are bilingual.  That means 65% don't understand english.
About 95% of French Canadians outside of Quebec understand english.

I sure wish it would change, I sure wish we would be as bilingual or trilingual as many europeans, but that's a difficult point to press home.  Lots of resistance against the anglo-saxon invaders.  And the fact that not everyone is able to learn a second language or simply does not want to, and other problems related with education.
If we were to achieve 70-75% bilinguism (english-french), I'd be happy.  Still wouldn't want of an unilingual Canada though.

See, that wasn't so hard was it?

If there are that many who do not speak English, than clearly they should be accommodated in some fashion. Just like Spanish speakers in the US in many places should be accommodated where the impact of the language barrier is significant.

On the other hand, I don't know that said accommodation needs to extend to a guarantee of getting any particular service in your chosen language, much less a soft drink on an airline flight.

[Razgovory]

Wow, if you can get half a million for not getting French 7-Up, how much do you get for being kicked off of a flight for speaking French!

Depends if it's already in the air or not.