Game over for international "FRENCH" hockey tourney
"Dreams of an all-Quebec hockey squad facing off in an international
tournament this summer have been dashed after organizers failed to find
any takers.
The original plan was to have Team Quebec face
Switzerland, France and Italy in Quebec City next August in a
"four-nation" battle for the Quebec Cup.
But after the Swiss
national team announced last December it had declined the invitation,
France and Italy have also bowed out, citing budget and scheduling
constraints." LINK
Only 15% of Quebeckers agree with radical French language stance.
Much
to the consternation of Curzi, Mario Baulieu, Mouvement Montréal
français, the RRQ and Imperatif-francais, only 15% of Quebeckers agree with them that bilingualism isn't important. Download a small PDF of the poll{FR}.
Canadian Revenue Agency to spend $42,900 to help dyslexic worker learn French
"The Canada Revenue Agency has 40,000 employees but the department is spending at least $42,900 helping one worker, who has dyslexia, learn French.
The employee, who has not been identified, has already had two years of federal French language training at two different schools all to no avail, CRA documents show. Now, the federal tax agency is turning to a private school in Ottawa for one-on-one training to help the staffer pass the government’s language test." LINK
Quebec company publishes English only report
A publicly-traded Quebec based franchiser, MTY Food Group, is being assailed for publishing it's annual report and other official documents in English only with the French versions available on the website. The chain owns the flagship banner of Thaï Express and Tiki-Min as well as over a dozen familiar fast food restaurants. It isn't a really matter of disrespecting the French language, the founder and CEO of the company, Stanley Ma is known by employees to be extremely
French skills to be downgraded as immigration criterion?
In an effort to up the quality of those immigrating to Quebec, the government is looking to make French language skills a secondary criterion in the selection of new immigrants. Ouch! LINK
Attending English cegep doesn't anglicize francophones
Montreal hockey fans ranked the worst
"Delegates to a Parti Québécois convention in Montreal next month will be
asked to approve a proposal to extend Bill 101 to CEGEPs, Quebec’s
network of public junior colleges.
The Conseil supérieur de la langue française, an advisory body to
the Quebec government with a mandate to promote the French language,
does not think this is a good idea.
..... a study on linguistic transfers by allophones, conducted by the
Conseil supérieur de la language française, says attending English
CEGEPs has hardly any impact on linguistic transfers." Link-Montreal Gazette
This will become its official policy once the report will be published in the near future. LINK
This will become its official policy once the report will be published in the near future. LINK
Montreal hockey fans ranked the worst
Gentlemen's Quarterly did a story on the worst fans in America. Maybe Montreal isn't in America but it still made the list:
"Forget the riots that erupted last May after the Canadiens made it to the Eastern Conference final; they were nothing compared with the hordes of looters who set fire to five police cars during the 2008 playoffs simply because Montreal advanced past the first round. Meanwhile, inside the Bell Centre, the only things people boo more frequently than the U.S. national anthem are their own players. In 2003, team veteran Patrice "Breeze-by" Brisebois was heckled almost every time he touched the puck; the jeering was so intense it likely induced a stress-related irregular heartbeat. How did then GM Bob Gainey feel about his bloodthirsty fan base? "I think they're a bunch of gutless bastards, to be honest," he said. GQ Magazine
Do Jutras have an anti-English bias?
"Quebec film awards don’t give major prizes to anglophone productions – despite an impressive crop this year....
