Friday, June 17, 2011

French versus English - Volume 29

Separatists launch Quebec Anthem
It's become a custom for many years now for sovereignists to conduct themselves as if Quebec were already an independent country, as if it would somehow hasten the glorious event. In this fine tradition the Societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste in collaboration with a Quebec songwriter has launched a proposed national anthem without of course the requisite status of actual nationhood. Story + Lyrics{Eng}



The anthem, with the very original title of 'O Kebek' was to my Anglo ear, entirely tedious and flat, with words right out of a separatist handbook. Now I wouldn't voice my irritation at the song which sounds like a rejected number from the musical Notre Dame de Paris, except that the whole thing is being razzed rather cruelly in the Francophone press.

Montreal La Presse columnist Patrick Lagace in an article entitled "My Bleeding Ears" said if Quebec ever separated and chose "O Kebek" as its anthem, he'd be seeking political asylum elsewhere.  Raôul Duguay, the songwriter, boasted that he graciously gave the song for free via the web. "Lucky for him," Legace went on to say, "nobody would pay for it." LINK{FR}

Small business' in Ethnic neighbourhoods to get French language lessons
A new government initiative will focus on small business' in ethnic neighbourhoods of Montreal that operate largely in English. LINK{FR}
Inspectors will be  'visiting' stores and where deficiencies are found, will offer various tools to help business' to adapt to the French language.
The program has its own dedicated website which aside from the default French, offers Spanish, Arabic and Chinese versions, but amazingly, none in English!

Nothing to get upset about, none of the alternate language links work anyway!!  Check it out yourself!
What a colossal waste of money!


Muslem immigration to Quebec to be subjected to quota
"Nearly a year after the release of a study that pegs the unemployment rate for Algerians living in Quebec over the last five years at 35.4%, the Minister of Immigration of Quebec, Kathleen Weil,  proposes a system which would result in restricting the entry of Arab-Muslim populations in Quebec....

According to Pierre Anctil, a specialist in Canadian immigration history at the University of Ottawa ..... With this policy, the proportion of immigrants of North African origin would decrease from 38% to 30%.
"We are disguisingreligious, cultural and linguistic
quota by a geographical reference. Selecting immigrants based on color, religion and language is discriminatory in the eyes of the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms... "
  Link{FR}


PQ does an about-face on restricting access to English cegep...... or not?
According to La Presse, a Montreal newspaper, the PQ has decided not to subject colleges (cegeps) to Bill 101, which would disallow many Francophone and allophone students from attending English cegeps.
Readers might remember that this was a central plank to the PQ platform that was affirmed at a conference in April.  
It appears that Pauline Marois has either changed her mind, or never really intended to follow through on this hard line approach.
When asked about the issue, Ms. Marois refused to confirm this shift.  

As the a controversy built around the La Presse story, Madame Marois felt pressure from within the party and issued a press release saying that the story was false. LINK{FR}

Readers, do you get the feeling that the PQ and Marois are starting to lose it? LINK{FR}

NDP imposes English,  for Ottawa aide jobs
"Is Bilingualism important?
Yes, says the New Democratic Party ... but only for Francophones.  
The party of Jack Layton in fact requires bilingualism as a condition of employment for any person wishing to work in Ottawa for one of its members from Quebec, but it does not require fluency in French for those who work for MPs outside Quebec. Following the election of 66 additional members on May 2, the NDP is in the hiring blitz. Its website displays 42 vacancies..........
...The hiring criteria is however not the same for those who apply to work for a Quebec  MP as it is for the rest of the country.
Bilingualism is "required" for anyone wishing to work in Ottawa for a member from Quebec. The reverse is not true. The job of parliamentary assistants to MPs outside Quebec only indicate that bilingualism is an "asset". Even British Columbia MP Denise Savoie, though French herself, does not require of her future deputy parliamentary a knowledge of French.... READ THE REST OF THE STORY {FR}

Militants demand French songs at High School Prom
Another French language defence committee "Le Mouvement Mauricie français" has been inaugurated in  the the massively unilingual French region of La Mauricie, centered around the Three Rivers Trois Rivieres area, where one would be hard pressed to find an anglo, an anglo sign or someone who spoke fluent English. 
No matter, it was down to business and the first order was to embark on a tour of local High schools to make sure that English artists and songs would be limited at the PROM. .LINK{FR}
THE PROM!!!!!
I'm not kidding!...Readers, can they scratch any lower?

Camille Laurin honoured with bronze bust.
Camille Laurin, father of Bill 101 and chief inquisitor of the Parti Quebecois of the Rene Levesque era, has been honoured with a bronze bust displayed beside the Office de la langue française building in Montreal which also bears his name. 
Mr. Laurin may be well loved in the French community but remains the most-hated politician EVER, among Anglophones. 
Mr. Laurin's defence of the French language was tinged by a particularly mean streak towards Anglos,  of whom Mr. Laurin had a very deep and particular dislike. LINK{FR}

 Quebec Rules?  
For those who believe that Quebec takes up too much 'space' in Canada, according to 'Ice Road Truckers' on the Discovery Channel, this is the latest Canadian reality;

Further Reading: French versus English Volume 28

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

98 comments:

  1. Just wanted to mention that I'm born and raised in Three Rivers. I also happen to be an avid reader of your blog :P

    ReplyDelete
  2. We should have a pool.
    1. How long will the bust of Camille (Goebbels)
    Laurin sit there un-touched?
    2. What will be done to it (ie. swastika on the
    forehead, custom "paint" job, etc.)?

    DD

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  3. DD,

    I would think that the OQLF has a survellaince camera specially dedicated to the general direction of the statue.

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  4. A tous ceux qui ont abandonné leur langue et leur âme au profit du globish :

    « La langue est le fondement même d’un peuple, ce par quoi il se reconnaît et il est reconnu, qui s’enracine dans son être et lui permet d’exprimer son identité ».

    -Camille Laurin

    Quel homme exceptionnel,auteur d'une grande loi canadienne.

    @Chesty DD : Attention aux caméras ;D

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    Replies
    1. "18. Que les langues française et anglaise seront en usage dans toutes les affaires publiques".

      Par ordre du gouvernement provisoire.

      ROBERT NELSON, Président

      Cette déclaration d'indépendance de la République du Bas-Canada fut rédigée par Robert Nelson et ses hommes, alors qu'ils étaient réfugiés aux États-Unis. Nelson proclama l'indépendance du Bas-Canada le 28 février 1838 à Caldwell's Manor (Clarenceville), alors qu'il rentrait au pays. Il a ensuite relu celle-ci le 4 novembre à titre de « président de la république du Bas-Canada », à Napierville.

      Delete
  5. Among all nasty, unilingual and brain-damaged comments on Le Pourboire, there was an link (probably from a bilingual person, who chose to get over the dead past, move on with dignity and get a REAL life in the REAL world among REAL people):

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conver

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  6. Sorry, broken link

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/science/31conversation.html?_r=1&scp=1

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  7. "A tous ceux qui ont abandonné leur langue et leur âme au profit du globish :"

    Laurin abandoned his language too for a while, and went down to Boston to mingle with the "Amerilocks". Just as did Parizeau (he mingled with the British lords, and aped them religiously), as did many other "statesmen" of Quebec. As the Francophone mother of my gf correctly points out, Parizeau discovered his people and his roots only when he realized he can make a political career off of them.

    And just because they all eventually came back to Quebec to exploit the language issue for their personal gains doesn't make them anything special. Au contraire, it makes them a bunch of opportunists who felt the zeitgeist and capitalized on it politically (and financially too).

    Protection of indigenous cultures against McWorld and Americanization is a noble goal, but it does attract many opportunists who put on an act. It's imperative to be able to distinguish these fascist creeps from those who genuinely care for their culture.

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  8. Vous avez raison adski.

    Vous êtes chanceux vous les canadiens d'être a l'abri des fraudeurs,opportunistes et imposteurs de tout acabit.

    Comme je vous envie....

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  9. @ Press 9:

    "Quel homme exceptionnel,auteur d'une grande loi canadienne."

    Camille Laurin was an exceptional fascist, whose law was labelled discriminatory by the Supreme Court of Canada and the United Nations.

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  10. "Vous êtes chanceux vous les canadiens d'être a l'abri des fraudeurs,opportunistes et imposteurs de tout acabit."

    Nice sidetrack.

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  12. @ Anonymus 12:19 PM

    La Cour Suprême de ton pays a dit que la loi 101 est discriminatoire mais que c'est raisonnable compte tenu de la situation du français au C*****.

    Concernant l'avis des Nations Unies à l'effet que l'interdition d'afficher en anglais était discriminatoire, il a été prouvé que le point de vue du Québec a peu ou prou été défendu par le gouvernement LIBÉRAL alors aux commandes.

    Mais dans le fond, vaut-il vraiment la peine qu'il existe un droit d'afficher dans une langue que les singes pourraient apprendre s'ils avaient un peu plus d'intelligence ?

    Y.

    « Un bon Anglais est un Anglais qui vit à l'extérieur du Québec. »

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  13. Has anyone noticed the so-called national anthem of Quebec, very fittingly, starts up in a very dark and ominous tone?

    It very much reminds me of the theme songs used for villains in animated films. "In the Dark of the Night" from Anastasia, in which a dark and evil sorcerer sings about murdering a princess. Or "Be Prepared" from Disney's Lion King, in which the villain sings about plotting the murder of the king and his son.

    I wonder if they weren't inspired by these. After all, Quebec separatists and nationalism is dark and evil. Hah, Louis Beaudoin would make a wonderful fitting evil queen in a Disney film.

    As for the song itself, it is indeed awful. Not just the lyrics (figures "We speak French in Quebec" is in there) but the just how terrible it sounds overall. My brother gave me a chuckle, he said the guy singing it sounds like a farmer. :)

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  15. @Apple IIGS

    Vous n'auriez pas des références canadiennes par hasard?Oups!J'oubliais les canayens n'ont pas encore la techno 3D...Désolé!

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  16. @ Anon. at 1:20 PM:

    "Mais dans le fond, vaut-il vraiment la peine qu'il existe un droit d'afficher dans une langue que les singes pourraient apprendre s'ils avaient un peu plus d'intelligence ?"

    French is a ridiculous language that gives masculine and feminine genders to inanimate objects. English is much more sensible. That is why it has surpassed French as the lingua franca of the world.

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  17. "In the Dark of the Night"

    Les seppies ne sont pas intéressés par les films pour enfants demeurés...surtout si ils sont amarrricains.

    Connaissez-vous plutôt "Night of the Long Knives" Réalisation canayenne produit en 1980?

    Non?...Continuez a parfaire votre "culture" américaine alors.Pauvres canayens,dépendance totale aux amerlocs!

    ReplyDelete
  18. "That is why it has surpassed French as the lingua franca of the world."

    Saviez-vous que chez-nous au Québec,la lingua franca,c'est le frança ? Pas l'angla!

    HéHé!

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  19. I think Gens du pays is a good enough song. The negative thing is - besides its refrain - that song is hard to memorize.

    However, this O Kebec is really taking the cake. BTW, why is it Kebec? Does that not tick Press 9 off when someone refers the province as Kebec? In the history of national anthems - actual or proposed - this one stands right there with the Borat's version of Kazakhstan national anthem.

    I mean, come on! Is it a geography course? We have North America, St. Lawrence River, France, Great Britain and Ireland. Or is it a biology course with iris versicolor, swallow, birch, moose and owl? And to top everything off, do not forget the aurora borealis, fleur de lys and - drumroll please - French language.

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  20. Anomynous 1:20 PM wrote:

    "A good Anglo is an Anglo who lives outside of Quebec."

    "When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."---Oscar Wilde

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  21. "this one stands right there with the Borat's version of Kazakhstan national anthem."

    Tout a fait daccord avec vous Troy.Nous sommes plusieurs a trouver cet hymne moche mais ce n'était qu'un concours,rien d'officiel.Ce ne sera jamais l'hymne nationale du Québec.

    Pour ce qui est du "Kébec",je crois comprendre que c'est de l'Iroquois ou de l'algonquin.

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  22. @ Troy

    "In the history of national anthems - actual or proposed - this one stands right there with the Borat's version of Kazakhstan national anthem."


    You are sooo right - it is exactly what it reminded me of. Nobody else noticed that?

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  23. Speaking of Borat, I think Sacha Cohen is missing fantastic opportunity for new comedic material right here! Imagine a new character, based on a typical middle aged Quebecois male.

    I think I'll suggest it to him. The best thing Quebec can offer the world is humor...intentionally of course! :D

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  24. Its funny how some peoples dont even know the true definition of the word Fascist....

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  25. "Speaking of Borat, I think Sacha..."

    Les référents culturels de l'anlo moyen sont très représentatifs de leur Q.I.

    Disney,Borat...Ouch!Vous vous demandez pourquoi on vous interdit de vous afficher...

    En passant si vous voulez communiquer avec Sacha,allez faire un tour dans le village gai.

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  26. I remember a line from the Ken Burns TV series "The Civil War" that has been aired on PBS. It refers to quotes from the time period of the US Civil War. One line referred to South Carolina. The line went some thing like this...

    South Carolina is too small to be a country. Yet too big to be an insane asylum.

    Every time I read your Blog and you point a spotlight on the nuttiness that is going on in our dear province, That line from the Civil War TV series always comes to mind. I just wish the people acting in this crazy fashion would realize what they are doing.

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  27. "I remember a line from the Ken Burns TV series "The Civil War"..."

    Encore une référence américaine.Je ne connais pas beaucoup le Canada mais pourriez-vous publier quelques référents qui ne proviennent pas des U.S.A?

    Question de savoir un peu plus qui vous êtes.Nous savons que vous êtes anglos et c'est a peu près tout.Merci de faire de petits efforts sinon comment voulez-vous qu'on communique?

    J'ai parfois l'impression que votre pays n'est que le 51 ième état americain.

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  28. From the online Canadian Encyclopedia: "Camille Laurin once likened Bill 101, Quebec's landmark French language charter that he ushered into law, to shock therapy."

    Mordecai Richler, in his book much maligned by the French speaking population also wrote of this collectively putting the Anglophone population on the chaise longue having mentioned the shock therapy aspect himself.

    There are many, me included, who compared Laurin to Josef Goebbels. I consider him the cerebral verson of another Josef: Mengele. This loateful cretin, given the chance, probably would have performed evil, perverse mind experiments on Anglphones and other minorities given the chance.

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  29. Office Canadien de la langue AnglaisSaturday, June 18, 2011 at 2:37:00 PM EDT

    Mr. Press 9,

    You have violated section 51-2B of the English Charter of Rights bill. All written text on in this discussion must be conducted in the official language of the Internet: English.

    This is to protect the English language and culture. Furthermore we do not recognize the language you are corresponding in, however it vaguely looks like the scribbles we found on an old can of pea soup in a landfill. As we do not know what it is, perhaps even alien, it must be dangerous--so stop using it!

    You must comply immediately or a fine will be issued to you.

    We trust your attention in this matter, my fellow Canadian.

    -Queen Elizabeth II
    Royal monarch of the United Kingdom and Canada (and most certainly Queerbec).

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  30. "Furthermore we do not recognize the language you are corresponding in, however it vaguely looks like the scribbles..."

    Hmmm...pourtant c'est une des deux langues officielles du canada.Avez-vous déja fréquenté une école canadienne?Ou simplement une école?

    "-Queen Elizabeth II "

    Parlant d'"alien" (extra-terrestre),connaissez-vous beaucoup d'humains se présentant en public avec un abat-jour sur la tête?

    Une chose certaine c'est qu'on va bien rigoler quand les deux clowns britanniques sortis tout droit d'une autre époque,vont se pointer a Québec.

    I'd really like to write in english on this blog but i think many anglos need some good French lessons.

    ReplyDelete
  31. ...to Office Canadien de la langue Anglais:

    FYI, although my mother tongue is English and I left Quebec because I was not interested in being subservient to that tyrannous majority, I am not a monarchist. I'm this way because I believe there is enough of an ethnic mix to enable us to become a republic, a nation unto ourselves. I have no known British blood in my genetic makeup, and I believe our Head of State should be from Canada, not a foreign country.

    Of course, now the separatist trolls will read into this what they read into their own agenda, even though that's different from breaking up the country altogether. Being a republic, Canada would remain intact, except the Head of State would be either the Prime Minister, or, like Israel, we would also have a president.

    As for Quebec, it's still no skin off my nose if they separate or not, but if they don't separate, I would expect the disrespect for English to ease, or form a federal party putting itself first and Quebec's selfish aspirations on the backburner. None of this sovereignty-association crap. Either Quebec remains a province within Canada, or it leaves--none of this have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too stuff (althought they practically have that right now, unless and until Quebec is shown they've lost the political leverage they enjoyed most of my lifetime).

    I've written many times before and I'll write it many times again, it's time to usurp the proverbial knife Quebec held to Canada's throat and put the blade to their jugular.

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  32. ...to Press 9: The very same question you posed to Office Canadien de la langue Anglais could just as easily be posed to you:

    "Hmmm...pourtant [le français] est une des deux langues officielles du Canada.Avez-vous déjà fréquenté une école canadienne? Ou simplement une école?" [Minimal editing + two spelling corrections based on French writing errors].

    Appuyez-le-neuf, tu as toute simplement fréquenté une école! Canada has TWO official languages you write and here is something I'm cutting and pasting from an official Quebec government website: «Le français est la langue officielle du Québec.»

    I didn't write what is between the « ». That was copy-and-paste. Typical separatist, that Appuyez-le-neuf, thinking one can suck and blow at the same time.

    So, Appuyez-le-neuf, since Quebec is not separated from Canada at this time, or ever, and you FULLY AND COGNIZANTLY poined out there are TWO official languages in Canada, how is it a Quebec WITHIN Canada has only ONE official language?

    Now Nunavut has come out with language legislation. I cannot see that, in a practical sense working out well. Why? There are only about 30,000 people in Nunavut, more or fewer depending on the year, and the main Inuit language, on the Government of Nunavut's official website, is explained as follows:

    "The Inuit language includes Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut.

    There are two different ways people in Nunavut write the Inuit language: Qaliujaaqpait (or Roman orthography) and Qaniujaaqpait (syllabics). The first group, the Inuinnaqtun, almost always use Roman orthography. In the 2006 census, 64% of respondents reported using the Inuit Language in the home, even though it is the mother tongue of 83% percent of the population."

    That means under 20,000 people use the language in the first place, between two oral dialects and two completely different means of writing in the two dialects. How does the Government of Nunavut plan to implement their obscure languages always available in the public service? That's an expensive proposition, and the latest Auditor General's report stated how our people of the north and reservations closer to us live in terrible squalor.

    Being Jewish, you'd think I was taught Yiddish, especially by my late father who ALWAYS spoke it to his parents (but not siblings, except when he wanted to shield what he was saying to my brother, me and my cousins). He used to write his cousins in Israel in Yiddish.

    I don't see my not knowing Yiddish as the end of the world, or my culture. It would have at best been a "bonus" if I could speak it, but I don't feel my identity as a Jew will be lost if I don't speak or write the language. Language is just one aspect of Judaism, Islam and other religions and cultures.

    The most interesting paradox is my parents sent both my brother and me to Hebrew school, but not only language is the focus. We learn history, prayers, and rituals as well, as is the case in other parochial schools as well.

    I suppose it means a partial loss of my culture, but I don't see a need to coerce other communities to live in my culture for it to survive. Too bad Quebec society doesn't see it that way, but like in Nazi Germany, there seems to be a superiority complex in the works.

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  33. @ Press 9 :

    It's English not "english". Perhaps you need some "good" English lessons.

    "I'd really like to write in english on this blog but i think many anglos need some good French lessons."

    ReplyDelete
  34. pour la St-Jean 2011 _
    le perroquet vert de Morcedai Richler _
    No street for Morcedai

    Le perroquet vert de Morcedai Richler
    C’est l’histoire du perroquet vert
    de Brent Tyler et de Morcedai Richler
    il était montréalais et unilingue anglais

    Très drôle, il répétait
    c’est normal pour un perroquet
    No Street for Morcedai
    No Street for Morcedai

    Dans son univers de perroquet
    Les victimes, c’était les Anglais
    La loi 101 l’horripilait
    La police de la langue irritait
    deux tiers un tiers il ridiculisait
    no dogs or anglophones

    Un soir qu’il se taisait
    On se demanda ce qui arrivait
    Le silence inquiétait, troublait

    Le perroquet de Brent Tyler et de Morcedai Richler
    Le perroquet qui était vert
    qui était montréalais et unilingue anglais
    fut retrouvé sans vie et personne n’en parlait

    Un crime symbolique, c’est ce qu’on disait
    Ce fut un crime parfait, pauvre perroquet.
    Un crime symbolique, un crime parfait.

    pauvre perroquet, pauvre perroquet
    No street for Morcedai
    Pas de rue pour Morcedai Richler

    (5 novembre 2010)

    Robert Barberis-Gervais, Vieux-Longueuil, 18 juin 2011

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  35. Wow… so much to comment on.

    Let’s begin:

    > In this fine tradition the Societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste in collaboration with a Quebec songwriter […]

    A bit ironic, considering how the SSJB now distances itself from the maple leaf and the (O Canada) national anthem that all Canadians have accepted and made their own. Some of the other, more moderate aspirations the SSJB initially advocated—given time, reflection, and sober pragmatism—have come to fruition.

    How unfortunate it is that the organization that a cultural organization that was originally founded to promote the interests of all French-Canadian Catholics within a united Canada has, with time, allowed itself to be co-opted by some the most virulent and discredited brand of exclusionary nationalist separatism, degenerating in the process into a navel-gazing bigoted backwater of its former self.

    Maybe it’s time we realize that the lot of French-Canadians has changed a lot in 180 years. In a once-British (very English-speaking) colony that actively sought to assimilate its French minority, it has become normal to see French-Canadians accede to the highest offices in the land.

    At the same time, the very meaning of “francophone” and “Québécois” have come to mean different things to different people than they did even a generation or two ago, when the less ambiguous term “French-Canadian” came to be rejected by extreme nationalist zealots who overnight became self-proclaimed keepers of orthodoxy and unchallenged guardians of nomenclature. Try as the latter might, our new reality cannot continue to be ignored by this reclusive and ragtag set of failed revolutionaries who tout their “tolerance” of (even French-speaking) immigrants… on condition that there aren’t too many.

    As a francophone (part French-Canadian? 100% Québécois?), I could only wish that a cultural society could spring up that could proudly and confidently advocate in favor of ALL French-speaking Canadians, no matter where they live, and not—in the very same breath—leave our dwindling francophone communities elsewhere in the country for assimilated (and dead) and bemoan their own creative interpretation of statistics here in Quebec.

    On second thought, maybe it’s time we look at the Société’s current state of fermentation of ethnic nationalism for what it is: a quaint paragovernmental relic of pre-Confederation whose true relevance today is obscured only by the undue deference shown to it (if not the outright lip service paid to it) by other nationalist (e.g. MMF, RRQ) or would-be nationalist (e.g. Quebec wing of the NDP) start-ups in the marketplace (whether they be run from the Plateau or Trois-Rivières).

    The sad thing is that while all these groups claim by their words to cater to the contemporary needs of Quebecers, they are, by their actions, desperate to shore up credibility and support among what is already a comparatively small, ultra-incestuous and reclusive petty bourgeoisie. How ironic is it that not even the Orange Order has (or needs) this kind of clout in Canada anymore.

    I agree with Lagacé on this one. B+. And that’s already generous.

    (1)

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  36. > A new government initiative will focus on small business' in ethnic neighbourhoods of Montreal that operate largely in English. […] What a colossal waste of money!

    … or is the fact that they can’t set a tangible objective to meet a sign of the very obvious foregone conclusion that is pretty obvious to any careful observer?


    > Muslem immigration to Quebec to be subjected to quota

    How deliciously ironic that after the 1991 Canada -Quebec accord on immigration granted Quebec the right to issue a “certificat de sélection” to immigrants chosen by Quebec in yet another misbegotten bid to socially engineer our province’s linguistic landscape, we’re reaping the bitter fruits of a misbegotten policy, plucked from a tree that has long rotted from within.

    Add to that the promises of a better life and professional opportunities that we make to refugees still living in foreign countries, only to have them emigrate here and have our bloated professional orders not recognize their skills.

    Genteel state-sanctioned bigotry is still bigotry. The notion of creating an immigrant underclass in a “first-world” country has been played so many times it’s become stale. If we clearly don’t want non-white, non-“de souche”, and non-Catholic men and women to fill the upper echelons of our professional orders/classes, why cherry-pick Haitians with business degrees, Lebanese lawyers, and Algerian doctors to come work as security guards, sweep our floors and drive our cabs? Clearly, desperate and eager day laborers from any country will do.

    > Readers, do you get the feeling that the PQ and Marois are starting to lose it?

    Not really. The four recent resignations are an eloquent zeitgeist of the deep malaise going on within the Parti Québécois—and within the “sovereignty” movement itself.

    You see Editor, French-Canadians’ desperate need for emancipation—both from the Church and from an exclusive WASP-only business class—were what made the Quiet Revolution an absolute necessity. The Revolution went off the rails when it was hijacked by various elements promoting virulent and insidious hatred of anything that didn’t fit into those same elements’ narrow vision of our future.

    René Lévesque himself—the spiritual leader of the PQ—was much more of a moderate than many in his own party, both then and now. While he might have been a dreamer, he was also an idealist and a pragmatist. Recall that Lévesque himself didn’t agree with Laurin’s bill 101 and even refused to side with many of the more radical demands of the FLQ-friendly agitators who played a key role in the Saint-Leonard school crisis a decade earlier. In what would become a recurrent theme in his twilight years, he was denounced as soft.

    French-Canadian emancipation within Quebec has symbolically—and systematically—borne Janus’ two-headed nature ever since. Indeed, some might say that we’ve been of two minds for nearly half a century now. It’s time we proudly embrace our reality rather than waste our time (re-, re-, re-, …)defining and agitating for a state that can never exist. Step one is backing off from the extremism.

    Now let’s see whether the chickens have begun coming home to roost.

    (2)

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  37. > The party of Jack Layton in fact requires bilingualism as a condition of employment for any person wishing to work in Ottawa for one of its members from Quebec, but it does not require fluency in French for those who work for MPs outside Quebec.

    I read your description as well as the original Le Devoir article and found laughable how few people who commented on Hélène Buzzetti’s article actually went to the NDP’s site to read the job postings. Granted, the article was published June 9th and I’ve only read it today.

    Notwithstanding my deep disgust of Layton’s two-faced (federalist-in-Canada/nationalist-in-Quebec) schtick, I was compelled to investigate this one, just for fun. Of the 9 remaining openings [http://www.ndp.ca/jobs], “Bilingualism is an asset” seems to be the regular phrasing for most of the Constituency/Legislative assistant jobs that remain. Two postings (one for BC, another one for QC) say nothing about language, while only one out of nine (Constituency Assistant – Outreach (in for the Sept-Iles MP)) specifically states that “Bilingualism is a requirement”.

    In the meantime, Dan Harris, MP for Scarborough Southwest, is still looking for a “bilingualism is an asset” Parliamentary assistant to work in Ottawa. Clearly, Buzzetti either didn’t do her homework, or she’s deliberately misrepresenting the situation to fuel an unnecessary fire.

    A tempest in a teacup, perhaps? I’d love to see this (nonetheless very easy) fact-check done on the original list of 42 postings. Anybody?

    > Militants demand French songs at High School Prom
    Anybody bother asking the kids what songs THEY wanted to slow dance to? Whose party is it, anyway?


    > Camille Laurin honoured with bronze bust.
    A future target for pigeon poop? BRILLIANT! I couldn’t have thought of a better way to honor him myself!

    … and finally…

    > This is the latest Canadian reality.
    I could just imagine it now:

    “Quebec, a province in eastern Canada with 23,525,546 inhabitants, of which 7,477,181 are French-speaking. As a result of its French language, its culture, and its institutions, the Québécois people form a nation. It is both the largest and most populous province in the country, and is home to that nation’s main economic, cultural, financial, and manufacturing centers. Major cities include Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, and Moncton. It holds a majority of seats (213 out of 308) in the House of Commons.”

    By the way, where did Manitoba go?

    (3)

    ReplyDelete
  38. > […] And just because they all eventually came back to Quebec to exploit the language issue for their personal gains doesn't make them anything special. Au contraire, it makes them a bunch of opportunists who felt the zeitgeist and capitalized on it politically (and financially too).

    I completely agree with you, adski. They’re no different from the French-Canadian priestcraft that kept us under thumb for two centuries. Plus ça change.

    > Un bon Anglais est un Anglais qui vit à l'extérieur du Québec.

    Wow, Anonyme… c’est profond ce que tu viens de dire là. Tout comme « un bon juif est un juif mort », ton propos doit définitivement s’inscrire au top 10 des idées les plus avant-gardistes de notre ère. Gandhi lui-même en serait fier.



    > Mais dans le fond, vaut-il vraiment la peine qu'il existe un droit d'afficher dans une langue que les singes pourraient apprendre s'ils avaient un peu plus d'intelligence ?

    Tant qu’on ne retrouve pas des singes dotés de cette même intelligence, je propose qu’on continue d’afficher dans une seule langue – la langue de tous les singes qu’on dit moins intelligents. Ainsi, les singes dits moins intelligents se sentiront moins menacés.

    > French is a ridiculous language that gives masculine and feminine genders to inanimate objects. English is much more sensible. That is why it has surpassed French as the lingua franca of the world.

    Oh please. And how, precisely, do you evaluate “sensible”? English is about as un-phonetic as French genders are random. All dialects are intelligible to the people who speak them because of some underlying rules that can be absorbed by most humans.

    And regarding “lingua franca”, haven’t you ever heard the saying “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy”?

    > Connaissez-vous plutôt "Night of the Long Knives" Réalisation canayenne produit en 1980?

    Est-ce la seule que vous connaissez? Ce n’est certainement pas la plus notable des remakes. Voyez plutôt celle de 1934 et la demi-douzaine d’autres.


    > J'ai parfois l'impression que votre pays n'est que le 51 ième état americain.

    Et le vôtre, si jamais il parvenait à naître, même mort-né, ne serait que le 56e gouvernement membre de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

    > I'd really like to write in english on this blog but i think many anglos need some good French lessons.

    Do what I do. Use both. Editor lets you. Besides, you’ll reach a much wider audience. And then maybe you’ll eventually come to see that multilingualism, far from being a threat to your individuality, is actually a thing of great beauty.

    (4)

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  39. You know what is really ironic about the new Quebec anthem "O Kebec" which is being proposed as an alternative to "O Canada" in Quebec? "O Canada" was not only originally written in French, it was commissioned for St. Baptiste Day in 1880. It was only translated into English in 1908.

    Also ironic are the last lines of "O Canada" in French considering the raison d'être of this blog:

    Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
    Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.


    "O Canada" Wikipedia entry

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  40. "I suppose it means a partial loss of my culture, but I don't see a need to coerce other communities to live in my culture for it to survive."

    Vous êtes passé du bagel au donut.Personnellement je dréfère le premier.

    P.s : Nous sommes sur un blogue,ce n'est pas une thèse de doctorat.Prenez les fautes d'inattention avec moins de sérieux.Certains peuvent écrire a partir d'un cellulaire.

    ReplyDelete
  41. > No street for Morcedai

    Robert, auriez-vous l’amabilité d’expliquer clairement et sans ambigüité à tout le monde sur ce blogue en quoi la mort du perroquet est signifiante? Et quel est le rapport à la Saint Jean?

    En passant, vous auriez intérêt, en tant que professeur de littérature et écrivain à la retraite, de faire au moins une vérification sommaire de votre texte avant qu’il paraisse.

    C’est bien Mordecai et non pas Morcedai, comme le semble répéter à plusieurs reprises le perroquet... et votre plume sénile.

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  42. @ Phil JUNE 18, 2011 7:58 PM

    "It's English not "english". Perhaps you need some "good" English lessons."

    In fairness to Press 9, "English" and "French" are not capitalized in the French language. Although I also consider it impolite not to attempt posting in English on this blog, it's possible that more Quebecois might do so if they didn't have to worry about English grammar Nazis crucifying them for every mistake.

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  43. > Saviez-vous que chez-nous au Québec,la lingua franca,c'est le frança ? Pas l'angla!

    héhé!

    [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca]: “ The original Lingua Franca was a mixed language composed mostly (80%) of Italian with a broad vocabulary drawn from Turkish, French, Spanish, Greek and Arabic.”

    ........Scusi?

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  44. @ Anomynous JUNE 18, 2011 8:19 PM

    Not only should Mordecai Richler have a street named for him in Montréal, so should the most famous actor to come from the city of Montréal or the province of Quebec:

    http://i54.tinypic.com/2vcxkw5.jpg

    [IMG]http://i54.tinypic.com/2vcxkw5.jpg[/IMG]

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  45. @Edward:
    The irony wasn’t lost on those of us who know our history.

    The issue that the separatist elements in Quebec take is to the fact that all Canadians have appropriated what were initially “Canadien” symbols. In the historical sense, and specifically in French, the word “canadien” traditionally referred to French-Canadian. Some separatists take issue with this, and see the later adoption of such names, markers, and symbolisms by everyone as typifying the encroachment of the English conquerors, rather than an adoption of a common set of cultural icons. This is why, during the Quiet Revolution, many of them decided it was ultra-insulting to call them “canadiens-français” and insisted to be known by a new ethnonym: “Québécois” (and not by any term that includes the word “Canada” in it). Unfortunately, the latter denomination, with immigration and mixing, is far less clear than “French-Canadian”, and is used both to refer to “native French-descended inhabitants of Quebec” as well as “any inhabitant of Quebec”. I’m not sure what part of me was recently recognized as a “nation”, and to be brutally, I don’t really care.

    That’s why someone of part-French ancestry like me much prefers calling things by their most descriptive names. I am a “Quebecer” both because I live in Quebec and have European ancestors who settled here (I prefer to say ‘conquered and stole the land from the natives’) in successive waves. My use of “Québécois” is inclusive rather than restrictive.

    I am also (proudly) part French-Canadian because some of my own ancestors were “native-French-descended in habitants of Quebec” who settled here in the late 17th/early 18th century.

    I am also (equally proudly) part English-Canadian because some of my ancestors settled here from the British Isles in the early-mid 19th century.

    I am also (equally proudly) the product of 20th century immigration.

    I am (and identify as) a Quebecer and a Canadian, both by history and by culture. I can’t possibly refuse either label, or justify granting it for exclusive use to one group alone.

    Jealous exclusionary ethnic nationalism has no place here. For example, some people go nuts and say that the upcoming annual St-Jean ("Fête Nationale") is no place for (even Quebec) Anglo bands to perform in English. My view is that either our "fête" ought to be recognized as a limited ethnic folk festival, or be embraced by all and for all as a representation of who we are TOGETHER. I prefer the latter, while many demand the former.


    By the way, that reference in the French version of O Canada to protecting our homes, laws, and rights is predicate to the earlier part of the stanza which says “and your [Canada, land of our ancestors] valor steeped in faith”.

    ReplyDelete
  46. @Apparatchik

    Est-ce que vous voyez beaucoup de "band" francophones a la fête de la St-Patrick ?Pourtant,beaucoup de francophones partout a travers le Québec participent allègrement aux festivités AVEC les Irlandais.
    Ceci dit,personne n'empêche les anglophones de venir célèbrer avec nous.Même Edward et sa famille sont les bienvenus.

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  47. @ Apparatchik

    J'ai lu tes commentaires avec attention et je tiens à te faire part de mon admiration pour tant de connaissances et de passion. La rationalité et l'émotivité qui s'exprime en un seul être, c'est génial !

    Y.

    "A good Anglo is an Anglo who never asks his language has a place in Québec." John Charais

    ReplyDelete
  48. ...first, to respond to Appuyez le neuf: I prefer bagels, too. There are good ones now made in Toronto, mostly thanks to an ex-Bagel Shop employee who came to Toronto and emulates those round wonders of rue St-Viateur.

    Nevertheless, I'm coming into Montreal for a few days next weekend, and I'm gonna get me some! I'll be going to Schwartz's during my visit too...I just might see you there! BTW, the daughter of the founders of the Snowdon Deli run the Centre Street Deli in the Toronto north suburb of Thornhill. My son loves the place! It's the closest thing to classic Montreal deli, so I miss Schwartz's less. I still have to try Smoke Meat Pete's that I hear is good, too.

    ... to Apparatchik, your next-to-last paragraph says it best. I simply refer to St-Jean-Baptiste Day/La fête nationale/whatever as The Separatist Stat Holiday. That and January 2nd are my fave workdays because Quebec is closed for business and my workload drops by 20-25%. Frankly, I think Quebec should completely shut down commerce from June 24th to July 1st, even though the latter stat holiday is barely appreciated in Quebec--just another day off. Then again, that's what I thought of June 24th in Quebec.

    When I was in school, June 23rd was always the drop-dead date for the end of the school year, for obvious reasons. In Ontario, it's one week later. At least back then Quebec schools still didn't open until the Tuesday after Labour Day, sometimes the Wednesday. Such is still the case in Ontario, but Quebec, with all its "professional days" means the school year has to start in August.

    I still think it's high time there is a federal political party that puts the interests of the Real Canada first and Quebec's second. Any rebuttals to that, readers?

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  49. @Apparatchik

    I've never really understood how one can be "proud" of an ethnic origin. You don't chose it, it's part of who you are. It's akin to being proud of being right-handed, handsome or gemini.

    You sound like a wise fellow, perhaps you can explain that one to me.

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  50. So now we have Robert Barberis-Gervais treating us to some of his poetry. Aren't we lucky! It seems to me that he is plagiarizing the green parrot from the British (gasp!) Monty Python dead parrot skit.

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  51. @Press 9:
    J’ai souvent l’impression que vous comparez des pommes avec des oranges comme si c’était une épreuve olympique.

    > Est-ce que vous voyez beaucoup de "band" francophones a la fête de la St-Patrick ?

    D’abord le défilé de la Saint Patrick de Montréal est le plus vieux au monde. Quand fut la dernière fois que les organisateurs de ce défilé ont insisté que cette célébration se tienne uniquement en anglais, (ou en gaélique irlandais, tiens)? Une fête qui se veut inclusive et ouverte à tous n’a pas honte (ni horreur) à ce qu’elle reflète les gens qui y participent.

    > Pourtant,beaucoup de francophones partout a travers le Québec participent allègrement aux festivités AVEC les Irlandais.

    Le mot-clé c’est bien participer allègrement. Et c’est très bien. Moi j’ai déjà vu des arabes, des juifs et des haïtiens participer au défilé et je n’y vois aucun problème. J’ai cru comprendre qu’un sondage fait il y a quelques années révélait que quelque chose comme 40% des Québécois auraient au moins un ancêtre irlandais.

    > Ceci dit,personne n'empêche les anglophones de venir célèbrer avec nous.Même Edward et sa famille sont les bienvenus.

    Ta logique comporte de sérieuses lacunes : ou bien les anglophones sont la bienvenue ou bien ils ne le sont pas. S’ils prennent part aux célébrations, en tant que Québécois, ils devraient avoir le droit de s’exprimer dans la langue d’un nombre important de Québécois, et du continent dont nous faisons partie. Les Patrick Bourgeois, Mario Beaulieu, Pierre Curzi et Louise Beaudoin de ce monde ne détiennent pas le monopole sur ce que veut dire être Québécois (loin de là!), tout comme les indépendantistes (toujours minoritaires) et les nationalistes ne balisent pas à eux seuls l’identité québécoise.

    Ou bien on dit haut et fort que le Québec appartient à nous tous, sans équivoque et sans discrimination, ou bien on avoue publiquement que la « fête » et la reconnaissance de la « nation » ne sont que des privilèges indus accordé aux vaincus de 1759.

    @ Y :
    > J'ai lu tes commentaires avec attention et je tiens à te faire part de mon admiration pour tant de connaissances et de passion. La rationalité et l'émotivité qui s'exprime en un seul être, c'est génial !

    Merci. Merci beaucoup. L’exception fait parfois la règle…sinon la loi.


    > "A good Anglo is an Anglo who never asks his language has a place in Québec." John Charais

    Je ne l’ai jamais lue celle-là.

    Permettez moi toutefois une légère paraphrase : “A good Quebec anglo is a world citizen who never MASKS his language or identity because the province he lives in has finally matured beyond such pettiness.”

    (1)

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  52. @Mr. Sauga (what’s with the new name btw?)

    > ... to Apparatchik, your next-to-last paragraph says it best.
    Thank you. I think that if we want to be recognized as a nation, it only makes sense that we first recognize what makes up our nation and not seek, by legal or political means, to disenfranchise any part of it.

    > Frankly, I think Quebec should completely shut down commerce from June 24th to July 1st […]

    Even out of context, I would completely welcome a free week off! But in reality, there are a few negative side effects that I’ll be willing to discuss with you some other time. In short, those days will have to be “made up” somehow, so it’s not like we’d be getting anything for free.

    > Then again, that's what I thought of June 24th in Quebec.

    A part of me finds it really sad that you never sought to define yourself as a Quebecer irrespective of the ethnocentric nationalist rhetoric coming out of the separatists/nationalists, dig your heels in and demand the rights you naturally have coming to you. (After all, that’s pretty much what’s at the root of their emancipation!).

    On the other hand, is it fair for me to expect an anglicized Ashkenazi Jew with little cultural and linguistic involvement in Quebec to suddenly appropriate what was traditionally a Catholic French-Canadian celebration?

    I guess a fair outlook would be somewhere in the middle. A wise person once told me: claim your spot within the crowd and tell your story, lest you have no spot in the crowd and your own story told differently by others.


    > I still think it's high time there is a federal political party that puts the interests of the Real Canada first and Quebec's second. Any rebuttals to that, readers?

    Oy this again. I thought I told you already how much I disagreed with this.

    The problem here is that the separatists hijacked the megaphone and distorted our constitutional framework, successfully making French-Canadians in Quebec believe that the National Assembly belonged to us but that the House of Commons somehow didn’t.

    Many Canadians don’t really understand the distribution of powers as set laid in the BNA on a good day, and the separatists seized upon this relevant ignorance and built a platform around it. This is why, even today, we have nationalists in Quebec bemoaning how “Canada” is “adding” delays to immigrants wishing to settle in Quebec (when clearly the redundancy is much more the product of our provincial government bloat). This is also why even the NDP (and most of the separatists who voted for them in Quebec) think it makes sense to force federal corporations to comply with our provincial language laws (even though many already do).

    How about just a federal party that understands its job, is willing to educate all Canadians, and won’t give in to blackmail?

    (2)

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  53. It is all assanine and ludicrous. Let Quebec and the french canadians, Quebecoise or whatever separate so the rest of the country can have a rest from this absolute silliness of maintaining the charade of Canada having two official languages.

    Enough is enought.

    Stupid OLA and the 3 to 4 hundred billon wasted on dumb programs to bilingualize the federal civil serivce.

    Equalization payments and special permits to Quebec at the expense of the other members of the family. Pour moi, je suis fatsigue de payer le impots pour Quebec et leur progames des soc causees.

    Il est temps pour Quebec a prendre la porte. Apres ca, Le Canada serais plus forte sans Kebec.

    Desole pour ma pauvre francais. Bien sur. Who really gives a shit for a language which has limited time left on life support.

    Your all a bunch of idiots, argueing and debating over schisms of zero consequence.

    Bottom Line , the ROC is stuck with Quebec as a prisoner with a ball and chain. Nothing will ever change unless some politician really pulls the trigger and generates some intestinal fortitude to do the right thing.

    Nation state of Quebec, what a joke. If they were a nation, they would have already left but unfortunately this has not happened and likely never will.

    Its all really the same and very boring.

    Get lives and/or a job (not some job as a federal civil servant with a bilingual designation where the bilingual nature precedes competence).

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  54. “A good Quebec anglo is a world citizen who never MASKS his language or identity because the province he lives in has finally matured beyond such pettiness"

    Dites-moi,quelle langue parle un Québécois (francophone) lorsqu'il réside dans le ROC?

    Pourquoi un anglophone vivant au Québec ne pourrait pas vivre dans la langue de son environnement immédiat,c'est-a-dire le français,langue officielle de la Nation Québécoise?

    Lequel des deux a l'esprit fermé ?

    ReplyDelete
  55. "...bilingual designation where the bilingual nature precedes competence."

    Être bilingue démontre une certaine capacité intellectuelle,une ouverture d'esprit et de la polyvalence.Atouts non négligeables pour la plupart des employeurs,y compris l'état Canadien.

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  56. Être bilingue démontre une certaine capacité intellectuelle>>>>

    Comme des separatistes au Quebec? n'est pas.

    Foolishness. Outside of Quebec and some parts of NB there is little french of consequences. To make bilingualism a prerequiste simply reduces the competent pool of people allowed in to federal jobs. You don't have to be bilingual in Calgary Alberta to have a local job with Industry Canada.

    As a matter of fact, we would better educate our people in Espangnol which is much more widely spoken in the Americas than French which is really only spoken in Quebec and represents less than 2 % of the North American demographic.

    Argue with facts and not fallacy or the continued issue of Quebecois culture which is really not significant in North America. Quebecois are only significant to themselves it would seem.

    ReplyDelete
  57. "langue officielle de la Nation Québécoise?"

    Il n ya pas une Natione Quebecoise. Only one "have not" province within Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  58. @NDG’s pride
    You are absolutely right in saying I didn’t *choose* to have been born and raised an anglo-franco-allo, just as I didn’t choose a lot of other attributes I have.

    Far too often, we confuse identity with the random way in which prefabricated markers—both tangible and intangible—are woven into our existence and that we use—both consciously and unconsciously—to express our individualism.

    The pride I’m describing isn’t one of fake pomp, insecure conceit or bombastic splendor. It is rather one of humble yet deep pleasure and satisfaction that I personally take in belonging (in however minuscule a part, in most cases) to one or more particular groups. It is one thing to have certain attributes bestowed upon you passively. It is quite another thing to not only be conscious of these attributes but also to seek to actively extract the best elements in each of them and use these in a way that betters you and the society around you. I think that when done right, this is a lifelong—and often discomforting—Sisyphean endeavor.

    @Anonymous:
    > Let Quebec and the french canadians, Quebecoise or whatever separate so the rest of the country can have a rest from this absolute silliness of maintaining the charade of Canada having two official languages.

    It’s sad that you think that bilingualism is the problem, and not those who crusade against it. The problem is that too many RoCanadians are ambivalent or dismissive of the importance of a fully-functioning bilingual country, while too many Quebecers are hostile to it out of an irrational fear of being assimilated. I have at least three languages in my head and I’m just one person! It doesn’t cost more, and I don’t need to endorse one over another.

    > Equalization payments and special permits to Quebec at the expense of the other members of the family. Pour moi, je suis fatsigue de payer le impots pour Quebec et leur progames des soc causees.

    I agree with Quebec needing to assume the role of equal member in the federation, and that much of our recent marginalization has been the result of the separatists and of spineless though opportunistic federalist politicians. On the other hand, the whole point of a federation is to allow each province within it the ability to grow in their own unique way, while maintaining and facilitating the creation of fundamental bonds.

    The “have” provinces of today can complain about the “have-nots”. But in a rather twisted and almost Marxist way, this has worked out surprisingly well, even since before Confederation: once upon a time, Lower Canada paid the way for Upper Canada, just as Quebec and Ontario later paid the way for the emerging provinces out West.

    (1)

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  59. > Il est temps pour Quebec a prendre la porte. Apres ca, Le Canada serais plus forte sans Kebec.

    Des “statements” comme celui-ci font beaucoup plus pour réduire votre crédibilité en tant que locuteur et intervenant que de faire d’avancer un point quelconque. Have you even given any thought to the modalities through which the day-to-day details would be worked out? Take a second look at our energy sector alone.

    > Desole pour ma pauvre francais. Bien sur. Who really gives a shit for a language which has limited time left on life support.

    People have been about to sign our death certificate for two and a half centuries now. We showed them. And I’m willing to bet that in the next half-century, we’ll realize the excesses of the Quiet Revolution and moderate our stance on most of these. (Look what we did to our Church. It can and will happen again).

    > Bottom Line , the ROC is stuck with Quebec as a prisoner with a ball and chain. Nothing will ever change unless some politician really pulls the trigger and generates some intestinal fortitude to do the right thing.

    “Right” in this case is subjective, and history is a strange and fickle bitch. For two solitudes who supposedly despise one another, we’ve managed to coexist rather well. You also fail to recall that were it not for the French element in Quebec, there would have been no Quebec Act in 1774, and eventually, no Canada as we know it. Manifest Destiny would have likely swallowed much of North America, politically turning it into one Washington-based superstate. Go on and call us the problem. The truth is you wouldn’t have “your” flag, “your” emblems, “your” Queen, and, yes, “your” country, were it not for us. At the very least, take a look at your medicare card right now and say “merci”.

    > Your all a bunch of idiots, argueing and debating over schisms of zero consequence.

    I agree. Those are growth pangs. For God’s sake, look at our own whimsical approach to politics. If it helps, think of us as your older, more rebellious teenaged sibling who’s made a few interesting choices throughout the years. For the record, you were mom and dad’s favorite, although that’s less and less relevant as we get older. With a little effort, time, and a lot of love, you’ll probably see us mature into the indispensable partners you never thought you could have.

    > Nation state of Quebec, what a joke. If they were a nation, they would have already left but unfortunately this has not happened and likely never will.

    Probably. Like many in Scotland, many of us are realizing just how much we have tangibly acquired in the last few decades. The onus is increasingly being put on the separatists, who will increasingly need to sing for their supper and justify their raison d’être. Their largely historic gripes and emotional appeals ring increasingly hollow, even to soft nationalists who are collectively asking themselves exactly what would be “better” once independence were achieved.

    In this climate, RoC’ers like you would do well to get us thinking about how to better integrate through economic opportunities and cooperation with all of you, rather than give fuel to the extremists who are finding it increasingly hard to peddle their wares.

    > Get lives and/or a job (not some job as a federal civil servant with a bilingual designation where the bilingual nature precedes competence).

    What about the rest of us, most of whom don’t actually work for the Federal government?

    (2)

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  60. "compris l'état Canadien."

    Yes, the state Canadien and not the Natione Quebecois.

    Canadians (aucun Quebec) for the most part speak english and have no real use for french unless they chose to work for the federal civil service where some are forced to learn french at huge taxpoayer expense...so they can return to their jobs without ever having to utilize french evermore. Ridiculous, expensive and a waste ot time and money.

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  61. Actually, the more languages you know, the better it is for your brain, so, learning another language (in this case, French from France, not the horrific joual) is useful.
    The problem is not French or to invest money to learn it. The problem is represented by this huge mistake of the history, called Quebec, a hopeless, cheap, rebellious land.
    Anyway, learn both languages (plus a third one, otherwise you will end up like Press9...scary, no?)

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  62. "Actually, the more languages you know, the better it is for your brain"

    I have no problem with this and totally agree with you. What I have a problem with is the enforced bilingualism in Canada in areas where there is no functional requirement. The OLA costs since 1969 almost equal our national debt.

    For instance in SK there is a population base of less than 0.1% of the population who are unilingally french. The Federal hiring quota for SK is 5%. You will find similar results in other provinces outside or Quebec. The hiring quota for bilinguals across Canada is 40% when the actual need of unilingual francos is less than 13%. Does this make any sense?

    Sure, learn french, learn spanish, mandarin or whatever you want. Just do it on your own dime, as you indicate.

    On Quebec, je suis d'accorde avec vous.

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  63. "The problem is that too many RoCanadians are ambivalent or dismissive of the importance of a fully-functioning bilingual country"

    What importance outside of Quebec and perhaps parts of NB?

    "It doesn’t cost more, and I don’t need to endorse one over another."

    It (enforced bilingualism) has cost Canadians a great deal. (some estimate as high as a trillion dollars although I believe likely 300 to 400 Billion). No problem learning french or other languages....Just do it on your own dime.


    "Have you even given any thought to the modalities through which the day-to-day details would be worked out"

    Read Scowen's book (Its time to say Goodbye) There might be some difficulty in the beginning with negotiations but in the end it would be as they say "short term pain, for long term gain". Its not hard to split a dollar. Energy sector? Quebec could still sell their hydro to the US or other Canadian provinces....what would be the problem. The Cons have already agreed to fund NL for a hydro line which will essentially bypass the Quebec grid.

    "At the very least, take a look at your medicare card right now and say “merci”."

    Actually I don't think this was a Quebec initiative. I believe the father of our health care system (medicare) is Tommy Douglas, former CCF leader of socialist SK at the time. So, I guess, Merci a Tommy. On the rest and the founding nations...that was a long time ago and both sides of the equation benefited mutually. Times have changed, haven't they?

    "In this climate, RoC’ers like you would do well to get us thinking about how to better integrate through economic opportunities and cooperation"

    Oh, you mean like excess equalization payments to Quebec. You must mean the eoncomic benefit of the dairy subsidies. You must mean the one sided representation in the Supreme Court. You must mean the OLA which favors the lingua franca of Quebec across the nation, whilst at the same time ignoring fundamental rights and freedoms for Anglos in Quebec. (101 et al,) What I see is inequities where the door only swings one way and that is in the direction of La Belle Province. I clearly remembery the maintenance contract for F18 aircraft where the lowest and qualified bid was from Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg, MB. Of course this was overturned and the maintenance contract awarded to Canadair (Bombardier)in Quebec by the feds. Thats sure a fair deal, isn't it. Not only poor usage of taxpayers dollars in not accepting the lowest qualified bid but in fact political favoratism to Quebec. The list is long!!!! Look at the HST where Harper is like a fool giving Quebec 2.2 Billion in reparations over harmonization. Last time I checked Quebec still collects their own PST (QST) and the GST is separate. What harmonization. NONE>


    "What about the rest of us, most of whom don’t actually work for the Federal government"

    Actually outside of Quebec, where there are draconian language laws which forces a language of usage on companies: there really isn't a great deal of need corporately for bilinguals (anglo/franco). Likely more need for bilinguals who speak spanish, mandarin or another language.

    He Appartchik, you seem like a reasonable and balanced person. But, the issues and facts are as they appear. I doubt there would be a huge love in Montreal on the part of Canadians if Quebec was to hold another referendum which is exactly the reason why they won't risk it. I believe this time, the ROCians would simply show them the door as they should have done years ago.

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  64. A apparatchik

    What's in a name! Merci de la correction; un ami me l'avait dit: c'est Mordecai. Je vais faire la correction sur Vigile. Excusez l'erreur: déformer le nom d'un grand écrivain, ça ne se fait pas. J'adore me faire insulter. Vous avez dit: "ma plume sénile". C'est bien vu. Qui êtes-vous apparatchik? La "poésie" ça ne s'explique pas...
    Robert Barberis-Gervais

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  65. Je vous recommande fortement la lecture d’un article de Nathalie Petrowski publié samedi le 18 juin dans La Presse et intitulé : "Raöul Duguay, L’hymne de sa vie."

    Je ne citerai que sa conclusion.

    "J’ai écouté Ô Kébèk en version courte de deux minutes, en version longue de huit minutes et en version instrumentale. À côté des marches militaires sanglantes de trop d’hymnes nationaux, celui-là m’est apparu mélodique, lyrique, pacifiste et assez audacieux sur le plan de la forme. Quant au propos, (…) si on se concentre sur la version de deux minutes, c’est un hymne tout à fait respectable. Non seulement mes oreilles n’ont pas saigné, mais je me demande si, dans 5 ou 10 ans, nous n’entonnerons pas tous en choeur l’Ô Kébèk de Raôul Duguay."

    C’est un jugement que je partage.

    En écrivant que ses oreilles n’ont pas saigné, Nathalie Petrowski répond à l’article de Patrick Lagacé intitulé : "Mes oreilles saignent" où il s’était montré particulièrement détestable et, dit Raôul Duguay, "violent".
    Je soupçonne d’ailleurs Patrick Lagacé d’avoir fait un contresens. Raôul Duguay a écrit : "Le Saint-Laurent nage dans notre sang" et Lagacé commente : "C’est pour ça que mes oreilles saignent."

    Duguay écrit :

    Le Saint-Laurent nage dans notre sang
    Coule en nos veines mille vagues d’espoir
    Notre grand fleuve berceau de notre histoire

    Avec son grand sens poétique, je pense que Lagacé n’a pas compris la métaphore du sang qui coule dans nos veines et notre corps comme le fleuve St-Laurent qui travers le Québec. Lagacé a compris que notre sang a coulé dans le fleuve Saint-Laurent dans des batailles navales que nous aurions perdues…et qui n’ont pas eu lieu.

    Robert Barberis-Gervais, Ph.D. Vieux-Longueuil

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  66. Si ça vous intéresse.

    Voici le texte de la version courte de 2 minutes 50

    Ô Kébèk

    "Kébèk c’est nous gens d’ici gens de coeur
    Pays unique du nord de l’Amérique
    Grand peuple uni sous le fleurdelisé
    Nation qui fleurit et aspire au bonheur

    Sous l’arc-en-ciel de l’amour
    Nous chantons liberté
    Au fil des jours nous gardons
    En mémoire notre histoire
    Nous allons à la rencontre
    De nos ressemblances
    Accueillons nos différences
    Respectons nos croyances

    Notre fierté notre victoire
    C’est de parler français
    Et de vivre ensemble en paix

    Ô Kébek
    Pays de nos amours"

    Raôul Duguay

    cité par Robert Barberis-Gervais, 20 juin 2011

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  67. Robert Barberis-Gervais, Ph.D. Vieux-Longueuil

    Ph.D = piled higher and deeper

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  68. I wonder how much Nathalie Petrowski got under the table for her piece on the anthem. The song got such a rough ride, they had to get someone to spawn a servile, congratulatory, pretentious piece. And who better to do it than a second grade blogger specializing in triviality and banality?

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  69. Or even better:
    Ph.D (of course only with reference to the fake one given to this unknown dwarf called Robert Barberis-Gervais by some unknown funky separatist institution) = Pauper Honoris et Dignitatis

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  70. Westphollophage ++

    J'espère que vous serez des nôtres afin de célébrer notre fête Nationale.Si vous n'ouvrez pas la bouche,je vous assure que vous n'aurez aucun problème.Ne faites surtout pas comme ces effrontés de Québécois qui déménagent le jour de la fête du canaya...Quel affront aux clowns fédérastes.

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  71. "effrontés de Québécois qui déménagent le jour de la fête du canaya..."

    Oui, car, des gens du Quebec sont foux. Moving on one day causes a lot of problems ...costly...not enough movers...house prices and rental pricing properties affected by silly moving day Pour vrais, les Quebecois sont ne tres intelligentes.

    Mais,nous savons cette idee pour une long temps. :):)

    Stupid does as stupid is. Juste comme vous, mon petit pauvre l'homme du Quebec. Ha ha ha. .

    Bon St. Jeanne. Enjoy it while you still can. :) Le processus est sur la route.

    Parlons blanche est tres bien, ;)
    n'est pas.

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  72. Press9, don't worry, we don't take it personally. Enjoy the moving day while the fédérastes all over Canada celebrate.

    We, on the other hand, will spend the SJB day sitting on our butts doing nothing, yawning in boredom, swatting mosquitoes in our backyards, as you séparatistes hold your serious festivities and somber historical reenactments.

    Meaningless as SJBD may be to us, it's still a day off. We'll take it.

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  73. "Enjoy the moving day while the fédérastes all over Canada celebrate."

    Qui fête le canaya?Qui allez-vous fêter en premier?Les tamouls?Les sikhs ou les chinois.
    C'est quoi la nationalité canayenne au juste?

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  74. messieurs les loustics

    Votre mépris d'un diplôme (Ph.D. en lettres de l'université Laval de Québec) que j'ai obtenu en 1987 à 50 ans après beaucoup de travail vous déshonore. Vous faites bien de vous cacher derrière de l'anonymat.

    Au fond, vous êtes des nobody; vous n'êtes rien. Alors vos remarques ne sauraient me toucher. C'est de la bêtise gratuite.

    Robert Barberis-Gervais,
    B.A.; B. Péd,; Lic. en Théologie; M.A. Sc. religieuses; M.A. Lettres; Ph.D. création littéraire

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  75. "Qui fête le canaya?Qui allez-vous fêter en premier?"

    Anon, relax. Don't worry about it, we'll be fine. What do you care anyways? Just concentrate on moving and don't get distracted.

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  76. "Alors vos remarques ne sauraient me toucher."

    Your response proves otherwise. Etes vous mal de sens avec vos lettres de rien plus. LOL

    Pauvre petit seppie.

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  77. "Just concentrate on moving and don't get distracted."

    Aucun problème,tant que les unifoliés demeureront discrets,idéalement dans les placards.J'ai aussi remarqué que le fleurdelisé (Quel joli mot) semble plus populaire a Montréal durant les festivités...Aurais-je la berlue?

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  78. @ anon 2:17

    Bonne profiter de votre drapeau sur la 24. Pour l'instant, mais probablement pas pour longtemps. ;)

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  79. À l'anonyme June 21, 2011 8:25 PM : ''Bon St. Jeanne. Enjoy it while you still can. :) Le processus est sur la route.'' Vous avez bien raison, le processus est en route depuis bien avant ! Le Québec sera un pays car des racistes et des idiots comme vous, ça mérite toute une leçon de modestie ! Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste !
    D'abord dans toute l'histoire de la Nouvelle-France, soit de 1534 à 1763, seulement 30,000 Français sont venus vivre ici. La moitié sont retournés en France fait que les quelque 6 millions de Québécois, le million de "francos-hors-Québec" et la dizaine de millions de Francos-Américains, descendent essentiellement de 10,000 colons français. Pas étonnant que Toybee ait dit un jour qu'à la fin des temps il ne resterait que les Chinois et..les Canadiens français

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  80. Anyway, on Friday there will be lots of rain (and I hope some hard grail onto the seppies' heads, provided they have one).
    "Jupiter tonat, Jupiter fulgurat". Thanks, Jupiter!

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  81. I must have been speaking too much French these days...I meant "hail", not "grail".
    Sorry, Editor

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  82. "Anyway, on Friday there will be lots of rain..."

    Hé Westphallofunfromacontainerintheportofmontreal,
    les frogs adorent la pluie.Venez-donc nous voir bondir et chanter notre culture sous les nuages!

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  83. "Pas étonnant que Toybee ait dit un jour qu'à la fin des temps il ne resterait que les Chinois et..les Canadiens français."

    Excellent!Petite anecdote dont j'ignorais l'existence,merci!Je crois bien que ce Toybee a bien raison.Nos frères et soeurs se retrouvent au quatre coins du monde.Bonne fête nationale a tous!

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  84. "Pas étonnant que Toybee ait dit un jour qu'à la fin des temps il ne resterait que les Chinois et..les Canadiens français"

    Have you checked the census figures over the last ten years. Have you checked how many people speak french in Louisiana today. How about in New England where the name Pelletier is pronounced "pel le tear."

    Comme je disant, le processus est sur le route.

    6 million francos in Quebec amongst 330 million others in North America.

    Bonne St.Jeane avec plus pluie.

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  85. "6 million francos in Quebec amongst 330 million others in North America."

    Just because something is a fact, it doesn't mean that it's also an excuse.

    There is a native dialect (I forgot its name) that is spoken by some 1000 speakers (mostly elderly). It's on its deathbed. Why isn't it protected by the Quebec law? Why isn't it obligatory on signs, 3 times the size of French and 6 times the size of English? Why aren't immigrants taught in that language?

    It's all so arbitrary, isn't it?

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  86. "Have you checked the census figures over the last ten years. Have you checked how many people speak french in Louisiana today. How about in New England where the name Pelletier is pronounced "pel le tear.""

    I used to spend a lot of time in northern Maine, where many people are of Quebecois or Acadian descent. Few of them speak French anymore and many have anglicized their surnames.
    Levesque is pronounced "Lee ves queue", Lefebvre is "Le fever" and Daigle is "Day gull." LOL.

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  87. Adski,

    The point I was making is that assimilation will continue. Whether its good or bad it will likely continue. The enormous amount of money spent by the Feds on the OLA have been for the most part pissed down the drain with absolutely no concrete results. A failed program. French will become more irrelevent in Canada as time progresses. As for Quebec, likely survive for about 3 more decades at which time most will parlons de anglais. Could be wrong but I don't think so. What is arbitrary is the provisions of the OLA which discriminate against the anglo majority in Canada. And worse yet, Quebec's bill 101 and other legislation which is an outright attach on the anglos in Quebec, which, by the way, is contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights.

    I don't suppose you will be painting your face with the Quebec flag and attending the great
    spectacle fete national (aka fete St. Jeane)

    In reality its just an excuse for a large drunk and a couple of days off by the Quebecois.

    Now some are pissed off in Quebec because Harper is going to possibly enact legislation on Friday June 24 to force the postal workers back to work.

    Imagine that, Ottawa working on the fete nationale. I doubt they will need the few Conservative MP's to be in attendance to bring the bill forward. Wonder if Jack Layton will be doing any face painting???:):)

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  88. Anon, yes I agree with you. I was just saying that demography is often used in Quebec instrumentally, as an excuse for (often far-reaching and discriminatory) policy. My take on it is that not everything can be used as an excuse, and some excuses are lame and lack proportionality.

    The situation of Quebec is rather complicated, and a few factors play a role. The major 4 are: 1. genuine concern for language and culture, 2. opportunism and exploitation of language and culture to extract entitlements, 3. jealousy of having been dethroned as the lingua franca, 4. resentment on historical grounds. All 4 are mixed together, and sometimes cannot be easily disentangled.

    And, no, I will not be attending SJB festivities. Not my cup of tea, and I feel these celebrations get more parochial with each passing year.

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  89. Mostly resentment and jealousy from historic events. Which both manifest in the Quebecois French disliking anything anglo. Which then translates to item 2, as they feel they are owed a great debt for and of course are entitled people.

    On the fete, Well, what can I say when Guy Lepage is the MC of the grande evening. I really can't stand this guy on TLMP when he obviously baits people and talks down to any one who do not share his beliefs which would be, anyone not Quebecois Pure Laine.

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  90. "Have you checked the census figures over the last ten years. Have you checked how many people speak french in Louisiana today. How about in New England where the name Pelletier is pronounced "pel le tear.""

    "6 million francos in Quebec amongst 330 million others in North America."

    Merci d'argumenter en faveur de notre lutte.Votre aide est fort appréciée :)

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  91. "Merci d'argumenter en faveur de notre lutte.Votre aide est fort appréciée :)"

    Juste les faits, mon frere. Votre culture et langue sont en peril, mais, il y a pas de rien vous peut faire avec ca. Il est terminee comme vous savons. Desole pour ca. Je donner vous 30 ans pour le manifeste le fin de francais en quebec et moins temps d'hors Quebec. Encore, desole, mais vous avoir perdu cette guerre. Apprendrez le anglais pour votre profitez. Les chiffres sont claire.

    Simply, en anglais ,, your screwed by the numbers.

    Bonne chance.

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  92. "...Je donner vous 30 ans pour le manifeste le fin de francais en quebec et moins temps d'hors Quebec."

    Oufff!30 ans.

    Merci d'ajouter 10 ans a nos propres prédictions.Selon tous nos calculs,le résultat est de : 19 années,7 mois,2 semaines et 3 jours.

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  93. "Je donner vous 30 ans pour le manifeste le fin de francais en quebec et moins temps d'hors Quebec"

    Maybe not the end, but gradual marginalization, displacement to rural Quebec, and loss of importance.

    I don't think all these movements who claim to fight against the disappearance of French really mean what they say. I think they use this terminology because it's powerful (telling people that their race is about to die), but in fact it's all about prestige. They see the persistent deterioration of the impact their language has on "les autres", and their pride gets in the way. So it's a combination of feeling slighted and ignored while at the same time being convinced that you should be the center of attention. Nothing good can come out of this dichotomy between reality and expectations + assumptions created by Quebec politicians in the 1970's, who knew that nothing works on the masses better than appealing to their vanity.

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  94. "19 années,7 mois,2 semaines et 3 jours."

    Etes vous sur avec cette chiffres. Tentez 19 ans , 95 jours et 50.4 secondes, un bien nombre pour tout le monde.

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  95. completely agree with adski

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  96. The rhetoric does not change the fact that the Joual (quebecois version of french) is on the demise and will be reduced to folk language in a matter of a couple of decades. Statistic don't lie and the Quebecois has sunk their own boat with immigration.

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  97. "completely agree with adski"

    So, if you agree with Adksi that the french language is experiencing "loss of importance" then why as a country are we still investing huge amounts of money into the Official Language Act and bilingulism. This program failed as is clearly evidenced by statistics and figures. Akin to betting on a horse which has a broken leg. Diminishing returns and good money poured down the drain on a failed investment.

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