It seems that an organized group of complainers has bombarded the OQLF (the agency that is charged with applying Quebec's language laws) last year with close to twenty thousand extra complaints.
How did it work out for them?
Not so good, as you can see from the list below.
2007-2008 : 22,057 cases closed, 53 complaints transferred for prosecution
2006-2007 : 3,873 cases closed, 72 complaints transferred for prosecution
2005-2006 : 2,899 cases closed, 147 complaints transferred for prosecution
2004-2005 : 3,330 cases closed, 251 complaints transferred for prosecution
2003-2004 : 2,754 cases closed, 190 complaints transferred for prosecution
The number of prosecutions has steadily declined over time and actually hit a record low last year, with the fewest amount of cases ever referred for prosecution.
It took close 500 complaints to generate a single prosecution.
Keep up the good work, complainers!!
English Chants by Victorious Team Embarrasses a Viewer.
Talking about the victory by the Laval University Rouge et Or football team, a contributor writes in vigel.net ;"....I 'm watching the awarding of the trophy to the winning team, the Rouge et Or of l'Université Laval. As in hockey, the players exchange back slaps and hugs, shouting out their joy. At this precise moment my feelings of joy are overturned, I remain absolutely astonished by what I hear, the players expressing their happiness and joy ... in English.
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! " or "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and even: "That's it baby!"
And the worst occurs after the traditional photo, the team players sing their rallying cry: "All the way! All the way! All the way! "
My pride takes a blow. I imagine that this beautiful college football team that will represent Quebec next week in Kingston Ontario will celebrate a victory and sing in English.
I am ashamed.
When will we make French the language of success, the language of winners?
-Claude Bachand
Scientific Poll not so Scientific
I really don't know what to make out of an article published by the nationalist web site Imperatif francais entitled;
The article states that;
"The results of the poll on Quebec identity undertaken by Impératif français established that 104 Quebeckers out of the 100 people polled are against the imperialism and arrogance displayed by the federal government and it's Supreme Court......"Whaaat??? 104 out of a 100 agreed?
(Les résultats du sondage sur l’identité québécoise mené par Impératif français établissent que 104 Québécois(es) sur 100 sont fermement déterminés à contrer l’impérialisme et l’arrogance du gouvernement fédéral du Canada et de sa Cour ....)
The article went on to to make a bunch of serious arguments about the issue and so I chalked up the 100/104 reference as a typo, or a transposition of numbers. That is until I came across this note at the end of the article.
P.-S. Methodology; This poll was conducted by sampling 104 random citizens attending a Just for Laughs event on Novenber 16, 2009. The margin of error is 1.04%, 104 out of 100 times.
(P.-S. Méthodologie : ce sondage a été mené auprès de 104 citoyens choisis au hasard lors d’un rassemblement au Studio Juste pour rire le lundi 16 novembre 2009. La marge d’erreur n’est que de 1,04 pour cent, 104 fois sur 100.)It would be funny if the body of the article wasn't so darn serious, or if it was April Fool's. What gives? Anyone care to comment?
Well, I watched that game. Imagine my surprise when several minutes before the game was over (at which time Rouge-et-Or was already out of reach from Carabins), Laval fans sang "Na, na, na, na... na, na, na, na... He-e-ey, GOOD BYE!"
ReplyDeleteAre they not the oldest French university in the New World? I can just think of the kind of heartburn French language hardliners have.
Remember that the Supreme Court decision dealt with Bill 104....
ReplyDelete