French versus English Volume 50

Quebec's Most Politically Incorrect Politician

Mayor Stéphane Gendron of Huntingdon isn't backing down over his fight for bilingualism and has written an inspiring rebuttal to his detractors.

"From coast to coast in Canada, there has been a wave of positive reaction to the Huntingdon municipal council’s unanimous decision to stand up to the Office de la langue française, which is asking us to stop any bilingual written communication with our residents.

But here in Quebec, it’s a different story. Last week, all political parties at the National Assembly condemned our decision, which is against Bill 101 (the Charter of the French language). In Quebec, the most hysterical have vowed to come to Huntingdon and to raise 1,000 complaints against our community. Systematic harassment by the language Taliban of Montreal has become a daily routine in Huntingdon. Others have already started vandalism operations targeting private property. As well, threats of physical attacks have begun on social networks.

Huntingdon will never yield to such intimidation. Quite the contrary. For us, it’s an added incentive to fight for what is just and equitable." Read the rest of the story

Then he struck again;

 On his Facebook page he unloaded this zinger, which I've reproduced in the original French because it is just so delicious.

"Allez vous faire foutre et mêlez-vous de vos affaires." 

(Go f*ck yourself and mind your own business)

The mayor was reacting to an access to information  request by an environmental group seeking information about a Huntingdon factory's use of recycled water used in fracking.

"Asked by email about his remarks, Mr. Gendron said he did not consider them as out of  line even for a mayor. "To send to hell those grandstand managers who assume that we are in bad faith and who believe they alone possess the environmental truth?

NO, it is not out of line. We have a democratic mandate to govern, not to be accountable to the environmental Taliban . I repeat: the city council does not give a crap."

Read the rest of the story in French

Then he struck again;

Reacting to the blockade of the Champlain bridge by students protesting tuition fee hikes, who held up rush hour traffic for an hour on Thursday morning, he unloaded this;

"Les tabarnaks d'étudiants. Les criss, ça va finir dans le sang un moment donné. Ils ne cessent de provoquer... Câlisse on veut aller travailler bande d'esties de puants sales. La bastonnade, c'est pour quand?" Link{Fr}

Readers, I'm not even going to try to translate what he said, suffice to say, he said out loud what every driver struck in the traffic jam was thinking.

Gendron is fast becoming the most talked about person in the province. For French language hardliners he is the reincarnation of the devil.
For those who support bilingualism, he may be the most admired Quebecer.
Over at  the Montreal Gazette a reader wrote in proposing a Facebook campaign for Gendron to run for mayor of Montreal.

I'd vote for him! Link

Laurentian town also runs afoul of the OQLF

The small community of Ste. Agathe, about an hour north of Montreal, centers the tourist playground of the Laurentian mountains both in summer and winter.

It seems it has also run afoul of the OQLF by publishing some information to its citizens in English.

The exasperated mayor who said he will find another way to communicate with its Anglophone community was a bit cheesed off at the pettiness of the inspectors who visited the town.

They complained because the town was still using a bunch of old computer keyboards that were in English and demanded that the town replace them with French accented keyboards. Link{Fr}

Quebec's unemployment rate back to normal

During the recession Quebec nationalists cackled that the unemployment rate in Quebec was actually lower than Ontario's number.
Quebec was largely insulated firm the recession because of the high number of government workers, while Ontario's manufacturing industries were badly affected by the North American slowdown triggered by the Wall street meltdown.

Well those days are over now and Quebec's unemployment rate vis-a-vis Ontario's has returned to historic levels. Link
Quebec's Unemployment rate-------- 9.3%     (25% higher than the ROC)
Ontario's Unemployment rate-------- 7.6%
Alberta's Unemployment rate--------  5.8%
Saskatchewan's Unemployment rate  5.3%

ROC's Unemployment rate-----------  7.3%
USA's Unemployment rate-----------  8.3%

This week brought more bad news on the job front as Aveo closed up shop and threw over 1,800 Quebec workers out of work. This was followed by the announcement that a large printer was closing another Quebec plant throwing hundreds more out of work.Ouch!!!

Halal chicken and kosher products cause rage

Incredibly Quebec's job job crisis seems to be taking a back seat to a much bigger issue....Halal chicken. 

The pages of newspapers are filled with outraged commentators decrying the Islamization of Quebec society.
It seems that a large chicken processor has been allowing an Imam to say a blessing over the chickens it slaughters, something that is offensive to many secularists. Link

A PQ MNA André Simard,  held a news conference to decry the nefarious practice of forcing Quebecers to eat  blessed chicken without their permission. Link{Fr}

Permit me to tell you two stories that come to mind;

I watched an episode of Just for Laughs on the CBC the other day and one American comedian was ripping into the debate over gay marriage.
"Gay marriage? Really?
My house is worth eight dollars and I pay 3,000 a month mortgage. If two gay guys want to get married and buy my house--- we're gonna have a wedding!"

When my mother was having bypass surgery in the Jewish General Hospital a few years ago, I waited nervously in a bright corridor outfitted with chairs and benches for family members waiting while their loved ones underwent their procedures.
As the hours drag on, you get to talking with those around you who are also waiting. Every now and then, hospital volunteers brought us updates and various clergyman of all faiths came by to offer comfort. (The JGH may be the most ethnically diverse hospital in Canada)
And so an impressively tall Greek priest, in a flowing black robe, wearing a humongous Crucifix, stopped by and wished everyone well and asked if anyone wanted a little impromptu prayer, to which an elderly and obviously Jewish woman said okay.
After the ten-second prayer in Greek, the priest smiled and left, after which she looked over at me with a twinkle in her eye said, "Hey, I can use all the help I can get!"

Prayers over chickens? Really?
Is this the Earth shattering issue of the day? 

With a 9.3% unemployment rate, do the newspapers really need to devote fifty times more ink and airplay to this stupid story?......Hmmm, I guess so.

So while I'm on the subject of Halal chicken, complaints over Kosher foods by these same people are also getting a wide play in the Quebec media lately.
It seems that many regular products found on the shelves in supermarkets have little designations on the package indicating that these products are also Kosher, a shocking situation to certain watchdogs who complain that it isn't fair that everyone has to pay for the added cost.

The Halal chicken complainers, (including a PQ member of the National Assembly) demanded that the chickens be labeled as HALAL so that consumers could make their own choice, but it's really a smokescreen, because as I said, they are also complaining about KOSHER products that are properly labeled.

Last week the Journal de Montreal ran a story comparing prices in Plattsburgh against prices in Montreal.
None of the above complainers seem overly upset that a four litre package of milk sells for $3 south of the border, while it sells for $6 dollars in Quebec, but a Kosher product that may cost ½ cent more....well that's a completely different affair!  Link{Fr}

Blah....Blah....more righteous ethnic bashing...

Majority of Quebecers want ‘more freedom’ in education, reject mandatory ethics course: survey

“A survey conducted in the province of Quebec revealed that 55% of Quebecers favor the introduction of a school voucher program in which the government allocates a fixed amount of money for the education of each child, letting the parents decide whether their child is educated in a public or private school. The percentage jumped to 63% for parents of school-aged children. 

“To be truthful, I think people want more choice,” said Patrick Andries, secretary of the Coalition for Freedom in Education (CLE), to LifeSiteNews. “They want to get away from the monopoly of the education system so that they can have more choice and not be subject to financial penalties because they want to choose a private school.” Read the rest of the story

Young Francophone Quebecers want more English movies and live entertainment

A survey of Quebec city residents had some not so surprising results.

The younger the respondent, the more he or she wanted access to English movies and live entertainment; Link 

Chinese learn French to get into Canada

"Thousands of people in China are trying to write their own ticket out of the country — in French.

Chinese desperate to emigrate have discovered a backdoor into Canada that involves applying for entry into the country’s francophone province of Quebec — as long as they have a good working knowledge of the local lingo.

So, while learning French as an additional language is losing ground in many parts of the world — even as Mandarin classes proliferate because of China’s rise on the international stage — many Chinese are busy learning how to say, "Bonjour, je m’appelle Zhang." Read the rest of the story

Prank phone call imitating OQLF inspector irks commentator

"The Masked Avengers, or Les Justiciers Masqués, are a Canadian radio duo from Montreal, Quebec, made up of disc jockeys and comedians Sébastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette, known for making prank calls to famous persons by pretending to be government officials or officers in charitable organizations. " Wikipedia

Here is an absolutely hilarious call that they made to a French language radio commentator in which the prankster pretended to be a language inspector from the Office québécois de la langue française who had some complaints about the proper use of French in the radio personality's show.

If you understand French, please listen, the heated exchange is delicious as the 'inspector' is thrashed by the recipient of the call who goes ballistic.
When the prankster finally identifies himself as a  Justiciers Masqués, M. Beauregard is already so worked up in a rage that he doesn't hear him at all and just keeps ranting!
  LISTEN HERE IN FRENCH

Courrier Laval's anti-English bent

For over a year now the largest community newspaper in Laval, Courrier Laval, has been writing stories deploring the fact that so many English speakers are moving to the city and upsetting the language dynamic.
Here's a sample of what the newspaper is publishing:

" An increase which is not surprising the Mouvement Laval français. "I'm not at all surprised, because since 1995  we've published several papers on it. Every time we compiled figures from Statistics Canada, you could see this increase, says Pierre-Benoit Livernois, vice president of the organization.

If the subject is of interest to groups dedicated to the defence of language, member of the Mille-Iles, Francine Charbonneau, considers it equally of concern with the population. "At least once a week, a citizen will call me with a language complaint, perhaps saying" I was at Carrefour and there are signs in English,"he  said. " But I think Laval remains French. Yes, there are English-speaking families, but in daily life, Laval is French "..... Link{Fr}

They even included a handy map to illustrate how big the problem of the spread of English in Laval really is.

Now that the Courier Laval has identified where the Anglos in Laval may be found, is the 'Solution Finale' the next logical step?

FINAL SOLUTION for Anglos in Laval?

In another article, readers were instructed on how to lodge a language complaint at the OQLF. Link{Fr}

In another article the newspaper examines the proportion of Anglophones operating businesses in Laval.  Link{fr}

Now I was working on a piece on the anti-English bent of the Courier Laval when I came across a comment written in French by a reader under one of these stories. You can read the original comment in French HERE.

Elke R.

Sir/ Madam, 

I am writing because I am very disturbed by the level of hatred that we find in the Courrier Laval. More precisely by the anonymous employee who claims to be shocked that one of his co-workers has been welcomed in English. Am I alone in finding this an exaggeration? To use a word as serious as "shocked" in response to a simple "hello" or "good morning". 

For my part, I reserve the use of that word for subjects such as the corruption of our politicians, the poverty of the city where I live, the state of our streets, etc.. 

The way we are portrayed in the Courrier Laval is deplorable and unjust.  

Let me introduce myself. I am the person who opens the door for you at Tim Hortons. I am the one who has given you my seat on the bus. I am the neighbor that you can count on to pick up your mail when you're on vacation. It was me who brought your children home in my car after school when it was too cold to walk. 

I have lived in Laval for 44 years now, in "your beautiful province," which unfortunately, I have to admit, is no longer beautiful to me.  

Can you understand how hurtful it is to read comments like that, the person who has been so scandalized by a word, just because it was in a language that was not his own? Don't you see the amount of hatred hiding behind a comment like that?  

Why all this hate?  

What have we done, the English among you, to deserve a reaction like this?  

I wish I had an answer for that. Because when I look at the situation in Laval and Quebec City, I see two completely different situations.  

Here, the English, have no voice, we have no service and we have no power. So what are you so afraid of?  

My two children attended French schools, my husband is French and in offices, shops and hospitals I must speak French, because otherwise I would not receive service.  

Last week, you talked about a person who was so proud to have called the OQLF because he was "outraged" to have seen a billboard that had no trace of French upon it. 

 "Outraged" is a word I would use to describe my feelings towards men found in possession of child pornography, "outraged" is to see what is happening in Syria, "outraged" describes my feelings  towards Guy Turcotte. But to use that word over language?  

Again, can you imagine how it feels knowing that you are so hated within your own community? 

Anglicization does not come from us. Look instead to the French. I do not change my "tires" I change my pneus. I'll take my pizza 'tout garnie' instead of "all dressed". I even bought 'plaque au plâtre'  instead of 'Gyprock'

So we English force ourselves to learn the exact French words, it is almost comical to hear you use  your Anglicisms.  

I am not your enemy. I am your neighbor, your colleague, your friend, so please understand that your words are extremely offensive. 

I have no voice here in Laval, I have no help in my language or respect from you, so why the need for so much hate?  

Last year I was in a Harvey's with my family. The line was not moving very quickly, because the cashier was new. Not just new, it was the first day of her first job.   

Her second client, the woman in front of us with her young son, screamed so the entire restaurant could hear. "How dare you! Who do you take yourself  for?! I want to see your boss! It is Quebec ICIT!"  

Why all this scandal? Because the little girl, being so nervous, greeted the lady saying "Hi, welcome to Harvey's! "politely. Now imagine the girl, in tears after only five minutes spent on her first job.  

But that's not all! The lady, who insisted on being served in French gave her order to a counterman and used all sorts of anglicisms including  , "Je veux mon 'Hot Dog'  'all dressed' et mon 'hamburger' juste avec des 'pickles.'

  "Yes! We are here in Quebec!  
Can you imagine living in a country and being afraid to display the flag of this land in front of your own house? 

Can you imagine living in a place where such hatred is displayed on Page One of your local newspaper.

Maybe you can't imagine it , but I can.

By the way, the letter was written in perfect French..

I'll leave it up to you to comment upon this letter.

Readers, ending on the lighter side, please have a good weekend.

If you're going to FAIL in spelling, best not be a French teacher

Spring arrives in Montreal!

Does anyone know where this sign is located?- Hint: It's not Montreal

Further reading:

French versus English Volume 49