French versus English Volume 63

Quebecers remain Canada's least generous province

This release provides data from the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP). It is the fifth iteration of a series of surveys that began with the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating in 1997.
Definitions:

• Donors: People who made at least one donation of money to a charitable or other non-profit organization in the 12-month reference period preceding the survey.
• Donor rate: This is the percentage of a given population that are donors.
• Volunteers: People who volunteered, that is, who performed a service without pay, on behalf of a charitable or other non-profit organization, at least once in the 12-month reference period preceding the survey. This includes any unpaid help provided to schools, religious organizations, sports or community associations.
• Volunteer rate: This is the percentage of a given population that are volunteers.

Now there was a lot of discussion the last time these figure were released with many saying that Quebecers are less charitable because they are used to the state taking care of the population. Also because they are the heaviest taxed province, giving is just that much harder.

But here is a table prepared by DAVID over at republiques de bananes that compares the donation rate of the rich, those families making over $100,000.

Credit DAVID at republique de bananes

Pitiful,
I shudder to think what the numbers would be if you took the Anglo and Ethnic component out of Quebec fundraising statistics.
Numbers are hard to come by, the only 'Ethnic' charitable donation numbers I could come up with is the fundraising done by Quebec's Jewish community in which Quebec's 80,000 Jews raise 46 million for its own general charity, the Federation CJA.
This compares to the Montreal/Laval/Longueuil Centraide general campaign which raises only $60 million in a community of 3 million.
Quebec Jewish donations to the the Federation CJA equals $647 per adult while Centraide averages just $23 per adult.

When it comes to University endowments, McGill's $920 million fund is five time bigger than the Université de Montreal's $189 million.
In fact, out of the top 25 universities in Canada, U of M's endowment fund, calculated on a per student basis (at $3,700) is at the bottom of the group LINK

By the way, Harvard university's endowment fund is $31 billion and Yale University's is $19 billion ..cough..cough!

Insult goes viral.

A frustrated francophone movie goer expressed disappointment that the COLOSSUS movie theatre in Laval shows most of its movies in English, especially in its new state of the art theatre. Writing on the movie chains Facebook page she asked why the new technology was offered only for English movies.  You can imagine her surprise when she got this message back from an administrator of the Facebook page.

"If ur not happy go to Guzzo :)"

 

The ironic part in all this is that the reply got 116 'LIKES' almost immediately.

Obviously from the language used, the exchange was from a low level employee who likely caught heck for the insensitive reply and as you can imagine a storm of controversy erupted.

"Laval residents frustrated not to have access to French-language films can be reassured.The Minister responsible for the Charter of the French language, Diane De Courcy, "took note" of their impatience. The anglicization of Laval,a recurring problem cited by the Parti Quebecois campaign is "worrying", she said." Link

Yes, buckets of righteous indignation poured out from the French press as the usual theme of victimization was trotted out once more.

But the question of forced dubbing of English films goes to the heart of free speech. As it stands now, Hollywood blockbusters cannot be shown in the original English before a French dubbed version is available.
Now if you were to ask francophones if this is fair, I'll bet 99% would say that it is, but let's examine the issue a bit further.

Should English culture be translated into French by law?

If so why does this rule apply only to Hollywood blockbusters?

Why not books and magazines? Shouldn't they by right be translated too before the English versions are allowed to be sold in Quebec.
How about music?
Why is Lady Gaga allowed to sing in English and yet talking toys that speak only in English are banned?

Why are real cars allowed to have English on the dashboard and toy cars not?

How about other live entertainment like English  comedians at the Just for Laughs festival?

It begs an explanation and I'd like to hear it.

Quebec billionaire delivers stern message

Last week Quebec billionaire Stephen Jarislowsky wrote an opinion piece published in French in Le Devoir and translated into English, a few days later in the Globe and Mail.

"Switzerland uses four official languages. Two of them – Schwyzerdütsch, a German dialect, and Romansch, descended from Latin – are unique to Switzerland. Neither they, nor French, nor Italian, are threatened by English, which is also spoken by most Swiss.
But, in Quebec, we are repeatedly told this myth that French is threatened and English should be suppressed so French can survive. The province is surrounded entirely by English speakers, but English proficiency is disappearing in the hinterland. Fewer and fewer people can write in English. As a result, Quebec risks becoming a “hermit state,” increasingly isolated from Canada and the rest of the world."  Read the rest of the article {French} {English}

I hope you take the time to read the above article, either in English or French, it is rather interesting in its simplicity and like the little boy who accused the emperor of wearing no clothes, Mr Jarislowsky goes to the heart of the matter, rather succinctly and without to much wordplay to underscore that the whole concept of French being in danger is claptrap.

Of course the reaction in the French media was universally negative. Here is a representative sampling:

"The poor quality of the analysis, the prejudices and falsehoods of the letter from Mr. Jarislowsky do not even deserve thorough response. We feel the frustration of the election of the PQ. The mind boggles reading this letter anti-Quebec."

"In 1950, Montreal was the mecca of head offices in Canada. Now it is only fourth." This is the caption under the the photo
--- The decline of Montreal, Canada's largest city until then, began with the opening of the  St. Lawrence Seaway funded by Canada, the United States and, if I remember correctly by the United Kingdom itself.

"We do not need anyone like  Jarislowsky. This man does not understand the fragility of French culture in North America, it looks a bit like what happened to francophones in other provinces or those in the USA. They have survived, but at what price? Most have lost their French, and what remains eloquently exposes the effects of immersion in the language of the majority. The Swedes who learn English are not surrounded by English as we are. In any case, Jarislowsky's arguments are from a man for whom everything has a relationship with money, not the human experience."

"It is often impossible to be served in French in small businesses in Ottawa, the capital of a country that claims to have two official languages, but which refuses to live the status of a bilingual city. 
You should try to walk a few miles in our shoes before you judge! 
Of course if we had banks where organized crime and wealthy citizens could hide their money tax-free, like Switzerland ..."

Opinion: How am I not une vraie Québécoise.

Here's an opinion piece written in the Montreal Gazette last week which had quite an impact;

"From kindergarten to Sec 5, the language I heard daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. was French. Once I got home, I got a good mix of French and English from my family, and almost exclusively French from my friends and the rest of the neighbourhood kids. They thought of me as "the English girl." But when I made anglophone friends at summer camp, or visited family outside of Quebec, I was thought of as "the French girl."
Here in Quebec I was teased because of my English name, my accent and the anglo twist I put on French words (sometimes to the point of refusing to say certain things because I'd become painfully aware that I was saying them wrong). Other times I was asked to toss out random English for sheer entertainment value, like a dog performing tricks.
One branch of my family tree is French, Québécois de souche, traceable all the way back to France and the shores of Dieppe in the mid-17th century. That part of me is firmly rooted in the history and culture of Quebec, and there is proof of it on a tombstone on the Île d'Orléans.
The other branch came here little more than half a century ago. My paternal grandparents made it out of Nazi-occupied Poland and Germany with their lives and not much else.
Both fascinate me, both make me feel equally proud, and one has left me with awareness, albeit by proxy, of what it might mean to have your rights stripped away bit by bit.

On my mother's side, my mom, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins spoke impeccable French. The extended family — great-aunts and -uncles, second cousins — did as well, amusing me with their Franco-Ontarian twang.
My paternal grandparents, on the other hand, had thick Slavic accents when they spoke English, and barely spoke French at all. My father, born in the old country but raised here, spoke flawless English and heavily accented French. One of my favourite childhood memories is of him helping me with my weekly vocabulary homework, the mangled French words coming out of his mouth never failing to leave me in stitches. Looking back, I am quite certain he laid it on thick for my benefit. Still, to this day, even though he can carry on a French conversation with ease, it's never without that unmistakable anglo accent.
When I was a teenager and becoming aware of my own identity, political and otherwise, I was staunchly pro-American. Bill 101 and the growing language discord on my home turf had already left their mark. I dreamed of a place where I'd feel more welcome, where I thought I'd fit in better, both intellectually and language-wise. "U.S.A. or bust" was markered across my school binders. In a bastion of French-Canadianness and classes full of fledgling Bloc Québécois and Parti Québécois supporters, I was once again "l'anglaise."

Twenty-two years later, I am still here in Quebec. For all its political flaws, it is a place I have come to deeply love.
I live my days in both French and English, navigating both with ease. Technically French is my mother tongue, yet despite 13 years of French schooling, I never fail to have to look up grammar rules and verb tenses when writing in it. When it comes to speaking and understanding it, though, it's a different ball game. Read the rest of the story

Montreal Police show that discretion is the better part of valour.

French language signs no longer required in South Stormont

“Business owners in a small community South of Ottawa will no longer be forced to make their signs bilingual.
South Stormont Council unanimously passed a by-law Wednesday, allowing local businesses to post signs in whatever language they choose.
Supporters say it's a matter of freedom of expression.
"We are an English speaking area and that's what we want," said David Smith, owner of Grumpy’s Sports Bar. "I don’t believe I'm going to get any busier if I change my sign and it's not going to be free to change them.”
The issue has been a heated debate among residents.
"French language is blowing through the rest of Canada," said one resident.
“I don't think the government should dictate what we put on our signs…personal, private, or business,” said another. “We should have the right to put any language on a sign whether it's Mohawk Chinese English or French.” Read more:

Montreal Metro Ticket Seller gives out language lessons

Signs proclaiming an employee’s stance on language issues should not be posted on the window of a métro station ticket booth, Montreal’s transit authority says.
The Société de transport de Montréal was responding to a complaint from a subway user who came upon a printed sign at the Villa Maria métro station Wednesday: “Au Québec c’est en français que ca se passe!” (Roughly translated: “In Quebec, we do things in French”) Link

Thanks to Apple IIGS for the heads up.

Oh, Oh! This isn't going to go over well.

"Quebec’s French language network TVA will soon be airing a French version of the popular sing-off competition show The Voice.
La Voix has been drawing huge crowds for auditions in Montreal and Quebec but — to the confusion of some — the producers say it is OK to sing in English, or any other language for that matter.
Recent press releases state: “La Voix is now looking for talent from all over North America. You think your voice has what it takes? Seize the opportunity to become North America’s La Voix! Singing in French is not a must, but could raise your chances.”
Amelie Robitaille, a publicist for the show, acknowledges it may seem strange to have a French singing program that allows English, but that everyone is indeed invited.
She says there could be legal implications if an individual was barred from auditioning due to language." Read more

Odds n' ends

Rap singer Biz refuses Governor-General nomination

Nunavik board bucks Quebec order on French-language education in Kuujjuaq

French parents stand firm against PQ language threat 

French fight franglais with alternatives for English technology terms 

Air Canada gets 7-up charges reduced

Quebec 2012 deficit heading towards 4  billion{Fr}

Late addition;
Here's an interview in FRENCH that is extremely interesting taken from Montreal's newest radio station, Radio X or better known as 'Radio poubelle' (garbage)

Now I'd like to shamelessly plug this station where you can listen to a variety of anti-separatist/leftist/PQ commentary.
I've downloaded an interview with Nathalie Elgrably-Levy concerning the migratory defect that Quebec has suffered over the last 40 years, only because I don't know how long the station archives stuff. If you've got half an hour, the interview is fascinating. Please give the station a listen...