Curzi's Proposed Bill 101 an Orwellian Nightmare

With  his political career winding down, (not by his choice) Pierre Curzi decided to go out in a blaze of glory, offering his unadulterated vision of Quebec society to the National Assembly, a separatist wet dream if you will, free from the constraints of real world politics.

Mr. Curzi presented his version of an updated Bill 101 (Bill 593) to the Quebec National Assembly, a bill that has no chance of passing, but a document that represents what language militants, obsessed with tilting at the windmill of anglicization, view as ultimate response to a culture and language 'under siege.'

Mr. Curzi shares with us his vision of the linguistic question that holds that not only is English a threat to the French language but bilingualism as well, and as such should be removed from public life.
And so to support this view, the OQLF shall be imbued with enhanced powers worthy of the Thought Police, interfering in everyday life so as to order society in the image of the majority, based on the tenet that diversity is a cancerous lesion that will inevitably spread and kill its most generous host.

And to those reading this last sentence and who are shaking their heads, telling themselves that the editor is on a hyperbolic flight of fancy at the idea that Mr. Curzi and friends are trying to moderate not only how we speak, but also how we think, I ask you to consider the L'Acualité's primary complaint, which is that Anglos do speak French, but are disinterested in joining or promoting the majority culture.
As pointed out in our comment section in regards to Wednesday's post, Curzi's friendly cohort, Benoît Dutrizac, complained exactly of this fact, that Anglos don't embrace French culture.

"Evidently you aren't interested in Quebec culture. An Anglo is a second rate American."
("Évidemment, tu ne t'intéresses pas à la culture francophone du Québec. Un anglo simili américain de 2ème ordre.")

And so Anglos are chastised for not embracing poutine or the sugar shack and the myriad of second and third rate talents like Julie Snyder, Les Cowboys Fringants or Ginette Reno or insipid television snorefests like Tout le Monde en Parle.
We Anglo Quebecers are branded as culturally insensitive because only 10% of us can name the mayor of Quebec City, while there is not one Francophone in 50,000 who can name the mayor of Vancouver.

To French language militants, it remains a holy tenet that Anglos who wish to maintain their own separate culture within Quebec are evil pariahs, while Francophones who cultivate and maintain a separate culture from the majority of Canadians are heroes.

Deux poids deux mesures, a double standard extraordinaire.

And so language militants are lining up to applaud a document proposing changes to the law restricting English, a vision that is nothing less than an Orwellian nightmare, where the state controls not only how citizens act in public, but how they think in private.
 

"le Mouvement national des Québécoises et Québécois (MNQ) welcomes this initiative with great enthusiasm........"

"The Mouvement Québec français  congratulates Pierre Curzi for his immense contribution to the political debate on the French language..."

The initiative of the Member for Borduas, Pierre Curzi, is significant. It is a difficult job and this is a useful approach. We share the same concerns and same objectives. We must take much more daring actions than those put forward by the Liberal government which is negligent and complicit in the anglicization of Quebec..." Parti Quebecois

The Anglo Press, so freaked out by the article in L'Acualité that characterized Anglophones as not only unsympathetic to the French cause, but purposely engaged in its destruction, issued a slew of articles defending the community and labeling the article alarmist and misinformed.
In their zeal to counter the conclusions, all failed to realize that the article said more about the attitudes of the francophones authors, than anglophones.

It reminds me of the old major league baseball story (I can't remember the characters) wherein a batter hits a tiny infield pop fly and the catcher, as is his role, hollers an instruction at the top of his lungs to the infielders, to allow the third baseman to catch the ball.
The pitcher ignores him, attempts a catch and promptly drops the ball. As the fuming catcher walks back to home plate and passes the opposing team's bench, a player in the dugout gives him a nasty dig;  "Hey, he had to consider the source!"

Yup, all these Anglos journalists reacted in a knee-jerk fashion defensive manner to a skewed story written by a quintessential Anglophobe fanatic, instead of pointing out the obvious fact that anything prepared by Pierre Curzi has zero journalistic credibility.

"Curzi was forced to apologize and retract a statement he made in October 2007 during a radio interview that appeared to suggest that a sovereign Quebec would have "more teeth" and could potentially remove the voting rights of Quebec's English-speaking community living on Montreal's West Island.  He faced some criticism in 2008 as one of two MNAs, along with Daniel Turp, who endorsed a controversial petition opposing Paul McCartney's performance at Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations. In September 2010, Curzi expressed on the television interview show Les Francs-tireurs his theory that there was a shortage of Francophone players on the National Hockey League team the Montreal Canadiens and that this was "damned well political" and the result of a federalist plot." Wikipedia

On Monday, the headline to my  blog piece read  L'Actualité  Poll on Anglophones Says More about Francophone Perceptions

It seems that I was alone in decrying the fact that the article was more an indictment of French attitudes, than English.
Well, I was almost alone.
In an Op-Ed piece in the Montreal Gazette, Jean-François Lisée responded to those detractors and in doing so, let this slip in.

"We at L’Actualité are totally aware that the questions asked reveal just as much about the questioner as the respondents. The questions reflect exactly what we, bilingual French-speaking journalists, wanted to know" Link{Fr}

Either Mr.  Lisée reads this blog or my observation is obvious to all, obvious to all except those Anglo defenders in the Press who completely missed the point that the article was nothing more than Anglo-bashing dressed up as journalism.

There's a lot of this journalistic fraud going around the French Quebec Press and I'll have more to say on the subject next week.

At any rate, let me help enlighten readers as to what changes Mr. Curzi and his supporters would like to see in Bill 101.
I'm sure a detailed analysis will be made available soon in the Anglo Press, but let me give you the highlights lowlights.

Now I'm not going to make direct translations, it would take too long. What I am going to do is to set out what Mr. Curzi attempts to do with his new interpretation of Bill 101 and my interpretation of the impact of these changes.

Chapter 1 Article 1
French is not only the  official language of Quebec it is the common denominator among its citizens.
(An Anglo walks into the license bureau in a predominantly English town and is served, not surprisingly, by an English (albeit bilingual) employee. They both are obliged to speak to each other in French unless a special written request is made beforehand. The same goes for an Anglo employee of the town Huntingdon answering a phone call from a fellow Anglophone resident.)

Chapter 1 Article 11
French is the language of the courts and the legislature, subject to rights already in force in Quebec.
(Pure nonsense, a clause that contradicts itself. The BNA forbids this and the clause actually admits it.)

Chapter 1 Article 17
The government will use French only in writing to immigrants.
 (POW!)

Chapter 1 Article 25
English school commissions must expressly offer their services to the public in French.
(Teachers in English schools must be prepared to have parent/teacher conferences in French )

Chapter 4 Article 32
Someone making a renewal or new demand that the  Health board communicate with him/her in English must prove that they are eligible.
 (English is no longer an option for ethnics and immigrants)

Chapter 5 Article 44
Speaking French for all professionals is an obligation. Temporary permits  may be authorized until the professional passes a French test. Flunk three times and you must stop practicing 
(An English speaking doctor who serves a 100% Anglophone clientele, cannot practice if he/she cannot pass a French test, which by the way is not that easy to pass)

Chapter 7 Article 57-58
The OQLF will impose French rules on companies with less than 50 employees. 
(Massively complicated rules including the establishment of internal French committees will bring a mess of bureaucratic pain to companies without the ability or the financial resources to comply. )

Chapter 7 Article 62
Companies with 25 or more employees must register with the OQLF and furnish all sorts of information and must obtain a certificate of conformity
(Was my reference to BIG BROTHER really out of line?)

Chapter 7 Article 86
All companies must use a French name or in the case of a legal trademark, a French descriptor must be added
(A complete and TOTAL admission that the present act has no requirement for descriptors.) 

Some other highlights

Pertaining to education, the new Bill 101 will apply from kindergarten to university and eligibility to Dawson college or McGill University will no longer be an option to ineligible Francophone or Allophones.

Businesses would no longer be able to make bilingualism a condition of employment unless approved by the OQLF. It would remain to be seen if it were to be legal to ask that a clerk in a downtown Montreal speak English as a condition of employment. (probably not).

As to Bill 103, a law passed in response to a Supreme Court decision allowing students who had some private English education entry into the public education system in English, Mr Curzi suggests that the Draconian Notwithstanding Clause be implemented to deny about 150 students a year an English education.

On and on it goes, but perhaps the most telling nightmarish clause of all, is the frightening Article 43, which authorizes the OQLF to monitor the behavior and mindset of its citizens.
Do not be fooled with it's reference to linguistic groups, it targets Anglos and ethnics only.

Article 43.
The Office shall monitor the linguistic situation in Québec and shall report thereon to the Minister at least every three years, especially as regards the use and status of the French language and the behaviour and attitudes of the various linguistic groups.

WOW! Welcome to our Brave New world. 


 If you speak French you can do your own clause by clause comparison of the the new Bill 101 compared to the old law by downloading a PDF HERE.

You can download  an English PDF of this proposed bill (without a comparision to the old Bill 101) Here  (Thanks Tony for the link) 

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I'd like to share a chart with you which I lifted from antagoniste.net where DAVID writes some blistering pieces in his famous series "Arguing with idiots"
I gave out all sorts of links in Monday's post

Not all of you speak French, so I'd like to share this chart which will put paid to the arguments made in the comments section about Ontario also receiving Equalization payments.


The charts shows how much each citizen in Ontario versus Quebec receives in Equalization.

Finally here's a laugh to send you off.

It's a video wherein the interviewer stops people in a Toronto street and asks them what they think of bilingualism.
I didn't embed the video because it is definitely NSFW.
You've been warned......... WATCH IT HERE

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Paranoid Reaction to Anglo Poll quite Predictable

We are the OQLF!...Resistance is Futile!

"We are the OQLF.

Lower your defenses and surrender your language.

We will add your historical and fraternal distinctiveness to our own.
Your culture will adapt to service us.
Resistance is futile."

I must say I was not a bit surprised at the uproar caused by the l'Acualité poll on Anglophone attitudes towards French. (see Monday's post)

The underlying reaction by the Francophone authors of the article and by French language militants reacting to it, is outright shock and rage that Anglophones have no desire to be assimilated into the great Francophone majority of Quebec.
What's worse, Anglos aren't ashamed of that fact and when asked, they unabashedly admit that they wish to see their culture flourish and expand in Quebec!

HERESY!!  OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

All this rage by militants belies a hypocritical attitude whereby they believe that resistance to assimilation is the highest form of social responsibility when it pertains to French in Quebec and across Canada, but racist anti-socialism when it pertains to Anglos in Quebec.

Every single French language militant has no problem with this apparent contradiction,  that assimilation of Anglos and Ethnics into Franco-Quebec cultural is considered natural and laudable, while assimilation of Francophones into the prevailing English culture in other provinces is cultural genocide.

The fact that the English in Quebec don't want to become Francophones and that they don't want to join in the great Francophone culture comes as some kind of a shock to French language militants, who hoped that by now, the pressure of Bill 101 would have convinced them to leave or capitulate.

Obviously it hasn't happened and so the Pierre Curzis and friends are demanding that the pressure on the English be ramped up, in order to find a 'final solution' to the English in Quebec.

So much harsh reaction to what Anglophones think, Why?

Since when do the French language militants give a hoot as to what we Anglophone's think?

It's understandable that idiots like Louis Prefontaine rant and rave over a silly poll as if it was some type of a declaration of war, it's what he lives for.
I take a measure of joy in his pain, the image of him sitting at his desk, making uncontrollable little dog whimpers of frustration with spittle running down his chin, as he bangs furiously on his keyboard getting out the invective rage as fast as he could is almost too sweet to imagine!

"HOW DARE THEY, THOSE RACIST ANGLOS!!!!!!!! "

PQ members of the National Assembly, Yves-François Blanchet and Nicole Léger told reporters that they didn't need a survey to see that English is taking over Montreal, despite admitting they had no statistical proof Link{Fr} 

To see mainstream politicians reacting to the poll and demanding action because Anglos hold certain opinions speaks to the outright paranoia that permeates the Francophone psyche which is utterly offended that Anglophones reject their vision of Quebec, a place where everybody speaks French in public and where minority languages are restricted to the home.

And so for language militants, the project of one province/one language was thought to be a done deal, where even those opposed have dutifully fled or submitted.

The poll, if anything, serves as a wakeup call that Anglos have never accepted this principle and never will. Nor are they prepared to run away anymore.
Perhaps this is the shock.

Oh those dreadful and ungrateful anglos, imagine the effrontery, caring about their own community more than that of the francophone majority!

Is it so hard to fathom that Anglos believe that Montreal is better for being English?
Is it so incomprehensible that Anglos have no interest in supporting laws that restrict their rights?
Is it difficult to understand that Anglos have a separate culture and society that doesn't include Marie-Mai, Ginette Reno, or other second or third rate talents?
Is it so hard to understand that unlike French language militants, Anglos value their Canadian identity first and feel no compunction at all to conform to Quebec nationalistic ideals, even though they live in Quebec?

And no, Anglos do not accept admonitions such as...."Love it or Leave it!"

And no, as well, Anglos are unashamed and unbowed.

Some say that we have reached some sort of linguistic peace in Quebec.
I see it more as a linguistic stalemate wherein both parties, the English and French are dissatisfied with the status quo, but not so much so that they are willing to risk social upheaval.
Something like the Mutually Assured Destruction doctrine (MAD) of the Cold war.

If the government gives into French language militants and raises the level of oppression, it's hard to predict where all this may end.

In the meantime the hysteria ramps up higher and higher.

A couple of articles in the French language newspapers are all too typical of the sordid and shameful witch hunt against English that is now going on in the province, a situation that would be laughable if not so utterly sad.

In a small town where you'd be hard pressed to find one Anglophone resident, the Chambly Journal, took the time to launch its very own local investigation against the incursion of the dreaded English with the fervor of a HazMat team fighting to contain a virulent contagion.

"Restaurant Bouchard de Richelieu displayed on its outdoor sign "4 to 7 Happy Hour", while a fitness center, 'Proform' displays "Beat the Clock" on its sign in an attempt to recruit new members.
A reader  found this most regrettable that they were unable to find a permanent translation...

In order to respect the French language the bar Éclusier needs to replace the term "bar lounge " with  'bar-salon' and the word "vinotherapy"with 'vinotherapie.'

We also found that  fortune cookies in a Chinese Buffet are mostly in English packaging. It is difficult to see the text in French. For some time the messages within the cookie were in English and Chinese.... Recently, the small citations returned to French and English

"We also found that at a Sushi shop in Chambly, it can be difficult to make oneself understood in French. A lady who asked if they still had vegetable juice, received neither a response nor a vegetable juice. New employees speak French, but when an employee served our reporter the wrong order of sushi, she chose to explain the situation in English rather than French. 

And that's not forgetting that when one paid by debit card, the terminal displayed instructions in English.

Another citizen chastised Tourism Montérégie because documentation was produced in both languages. To the extent that it is tourist documents aimed at attracting new visitors to the area which are widely disseminated, the team chose to include both languages ​​in the brochure....

...You can fill out an online complaint form by visiting the website of l'Office québécois de la langue française (www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca).

Between 1 April 2010 and March 31, 2011, 3661 complaints were filed with the Board. In Montérégie, 35 complaints were recorded.

In 73% of cases, the situation has been corrected or the complaint was unfounded, while two cases were referred to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. The majority of complaints were in connection with sales literature (website, invoices, job applications) or public commercial displays.

Did we miss a display in English or you want to report a situation where French is not emphasized? 

Write us or send us a photo.   Link{Fr}

I particularly like the last part where the newspaper invites readers to participate in its witch hunt.

Another newspaper, this time in La Voix in Sorel complains that too many stores have English names in the local mall.

" 'It's scandalous', according to a retired professor from Sorel-Tracy, Jean Rajotte: "Our mall has existed for several years. How is it that owners and managers of the centre ignored the law concerning French in the name of the businesses. Why not add a descriptor in French? " Link{Fr}

Of course, his contention that there is something in the law to that effect is false, something that the OQLF has been trying to convince us that is true, nonetheless.

At any rate, you'd think the writer and the good professor would have better things to be concerned with.
The mall that they are referring to is a disaster, with over forty empty locations, an economic albatross to the owners and a disgrace to the city of Sorel, English names notwithstanding.

But this is Quebec, language tops everything.

L'Actualité Poll on Anglophones Says More about Francophone Perceptions

The French language news magazine L'Acualite ran a pretty big spread on Anglophones, highlighted by a poll purportedly gauging Anglophone attitudes towards the French language and living in Quebec.
As soon as I saw the cover and the name of Jean-François Lisée, Quebec's most notorious fact-spinner,  I knew that Anglos were in for another hatchet job.
Any story that presents Mr. Lisée as some sort of authority has condemned itself to mockery, akin to having a Catholic Clergyman write an unbiased piece about abortion or a Rabbi writing a piece critiquing the wisdom of Kosher foods.

Mr. Lisée is notorious for painting Quebec in the most favorable light, using cherry-picked facts and figures to convey an utterly distorted view of reality, an alternate world where Quebec is rich, successful, hardly indebted and under-taxed.

He recently wrote a  book entitled  "Comment mettre la droite K.-O. en 15 arguments" (How to knock-out the Right in 15 arguments.)
Of course the book paints a hilariously skewered view of reality, reproducing all sorts of facts and figures, that support his unlikely conclusions.

Thank goodness the blogosphere has the likes of DAVID over at antagoniste.net, a writer who has taken the time to deconstruct each and every argument made by Mr. Lisée, utterly destroying his conclusions.
If you read French, the following is a must read, it will convince you, once and for all, that Mr. Lisée is a dangerous fraud.

• Lisée, prise 1: la croissance économique québécoise
• Lisée, prise 2: le niveau de vie des québécois
• Lisée, prise 3: le travail des Québécois
• Lisée, prise 4: la productivité des Québécois
• Lisée, prise 5: la pauvreté des Québécois
• Lisée, prise 6: la fiscalité des Québécois
• Lisée, prise 7: les syndicats québécois

And so, any work associated with Mr. Lisée is automatically suspect and likely to make use of the same type of misleading and deceitful practices that are the hallmark of his work.

I was not disappointed.

Now a lot of Anglo journos were rightfully insulted by the survey, you can read some reaction here;

" L’actualité magazine has a special edition out on anglophones that suggests many of us don’t know Radio-Canada from Canada Goose."Read the rest of the story; Josh Freed: L’actualité of living in Montreal not reflected in magazine

"Quebec anglophones beware: your relationship with the province's francophones is being tested, and clearly not with a view to strengthening linguistic harmony." Read the rest here --A survey that sets up Quebec anglos to fail the integration test

But what the above writers all miss is the fact that the survey and article is actually more  telling of francophone attitudes then those of the English.
The questions asked were so politically skewed and biased that they laid bare the astonishing preconceptions of the authors.

First let me give you the overall conclusions of the poll, based on a bunch of survey questions asked to Anglophones only;

Do you speak enough French to carry on a substantive conversation?..... 81% YES

Do you believe that's it's possible to live one's whole life in Quebec without having a substantive conversation in French.....59% YES

I'm at piece with the idea that Montreal will become a city where English predominates while the rest of the province maintains its Francophone Charm.....59% YES

Given Globalization and the power of English it's just a question of time before the essential element of work will be in English in Montreal......65% (18-34 year-olds) 42%(55 years old+)

The predominant position of French is a key componant in Montreal's originality. Without it the city loses its soul.....YES 33% (18-34 year-olds) 43%(55 years old+)

Should large companies be allowed to hire unilingual English managers even if it means francophone employees would have to work in French?......YES 63% 

 The survey and the supporting articles comes to the conclusion that Anglophones, notwithstanding the fact that they speak French, don't want to become part of the greater Francophone culture of the majority, not by a long shot.

Others who read the article may dispute that this is the essential element, but it is really the only conclusion that can accurately explain the biased question and concluding spin.

Let me illustrate the political angle of the interlocutors, by way of the biased questions put to an Anglo defender, Jack Jedwab.

•  "Don't you take it as a sign of rejection, the fact that anglophones shun  French culture? 

• The survey reveals that few Anglos feel a responsibility to protect the French in Quebec. Shouldn't they demonstrate more solidarity? 

• Isn't it disappointing that the majority of anglophones don't know who Regis Labeaume, Janette Bertrand or Marie-Mai are ? 

Every question above can be neatly turned around to reflect Quebec Francophones perceived lack of engagement with the majority language of this country.

•  "Don't you take it as a sign of rejection, the fact that Francophones prefer their own French culture to that of  English the majority culture of Canada? 

• The survey reveals that few Francophones feel a responsibility to protect  English in Canada. Shouldn't they demonstrate more solidarity? 

• Isn't it disappointing that the majority of Francophones don't know who Llyod Robertson, Rick Mercer or Rob Ford are?
  

"Jean-François Lisée, who wrote an op-ed piece in the issue, said he's surprised by the lack of empathy among English Montrealers for protection of the French language." Link

IS HE  KIDDING?

Does Mr. Lisée actually believe anglos should actively support measures that limit their rights?

(I would make a burlesque comparison between Jews helping Nazis but I don't want the wrath of a certain touchy anonymous reader  to come down on me!!!!)

Boo Hoo! You live in a country that is 77% English!

Should anglos join the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Mouvement Quebec Francais or Imperatif Francais?
Should they be denouncing clerks that talk only English or signs that offend the majority because a word of English appears.
Should anglophones really defend the French language when its defense consists of limiting Anglophone rights?

If Lisée and friends believe we should be sympathetic to Francophones who suffer from having to speak English occasionally or attend a meeting in English occasionally, they must live in Fantasyland.

 And so.......

A. Francophone Quebecers can live happily in Canada in their own French world, largely apart from the English majority.

B. Anglophone Quebecers can live happily in Quebec, in their own English world, largely apart from the French majority

It isn't more simple than that.

If you can agree with "A" then "B" is a logical extension.

But then again logic is sometimes hard to find in Quebec,

Sunday Housekeeping Volume 6

Thank you all for contributing to whatever success this modest little blog enjoys.  The comments section remain the most interesting part of the blog and I freely admit it.
Let's keep it exciting and interesting.

These last weeks have seen  a couple of post which received more than 200 comments (thank you) and while it is most gratifying, it brought up an interesting issue that I was not aware of.

After a certain amount of comments, either 200 or so, or maybe based on total bits or bytes, BLOGGER only displays so many and in order to view more comments you have to hit the;

 LOAD MORE COMMENTS

button on the bottom of the comments section.

Frustrating if you don't realize this. (Thanks Michel, for the heads up)

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Now I'd like to review a couple of things and make clear the policy of this blog.

First of all, there is no question about the fact that comments in French are happily solicited.
I know it is an issue for unilingual anglos, but on balance to keep the conversation lively, I've made the decision to embrace French comments.
Those who comment in French are important members of the community and have nothing to defend or apologize for.
I hope this ends that debate.

If you need a translation, try Google Translate, even if it is a bit crappy. If you want a translation you can ask for one under the French comment and I'll try to oblige, but I can't translate all of them as a matter of course, it is to time-consuming.

Please no calling people out for French comments or for spelling or grammatical mistakes as well.
This is a blog about competing ideas, nothing else.
Some of us use little keyboards on smartphones and fautes des frappes are normal as well autocowreck autocorrect disasters that can sometimes cause havoc.

Let's argue about issues, not stupid spelling, please.

HOWEVER,  if you see a grammatical mistake or spelling error in the main post, PLEASE let me know via email so that I can correct it for future readers.

The following applies to ALL comments English or French.

Sometimes, just sometimes,  we comment when we're angry or tired, or ....er.. under the influence..
If you want something removed, send me an email.

If you want to re-write a post that's full of mistakes, post anew with the note at the end addressed to the editor advising me that this new post replaces one written a certain time. Include the particulars of the offending post, I can't go fishing.

Any post using someone else's real name, no matter how humorous will not be posted.

Adopt your own screen name and please stick to it.
I know it is fun to play around using different variations, but resist the temptation. People need to reply to you directly and the joke is not always evident.

It is easy to adopt a screen identity, under the comment box that you are filling out, there is a drop down box that allows you to enter a screen name. Please use it.
IT WILL NOT COMPROMISE YOUR IDENTITY!

I do have software that tells me where readers are coming from (city/town) and what post brought them to this blog, but I DO NOT have the capability to identify IP addresses and even of I did I would never compromise reader's anonymity.  Do not fear!

Now, as to the touchy issue of content.

“I shall not today attempt further to define [obscenity]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it….”

That famous statement, uttered by the late Justice Potter Stewart in 1973 when faced with a case involving obscenity, illustrates the difficulty of trying to determine what constitutes obscene or pornographic content.

I use the same criteria in defining what is to be published or not. I always lean on the side of letting things be published, but there are limits, which I will define as follows.

I will not publish;
Cruel or gratuitous comments that add nothing to the debate.
Comments that are made with the sole intention of disrupting or denigrating this blog.
Personal attacks on individuals without any redeeming arguments.
Any comment that is overtly racist, sexist or cruel.
Any comment that promotes hate.
Anything commercial.

That being said, ranting and raging is permitted.

I don't have any problem with commenters promoting their own blog as long as it is non-commercial and is somehow relevant to what we discuss here.

Finally a special thanks to those readers who take the time to comment on a frequent basis. You remain the backbone of the comments section.

I encourage a fair exchange of ideas and will never censor anything based on point of view.

By the way,  BLOGGER works best with any modern browser EXCEPT WINDOWS EXPLORER.
It is easy to down load another browser (CHROME, OPERA, FIREFOX, etc. etc.) and the process takes less than five minutes. You also don't have to abandon WINDOWS, you can run both, even at the same time

Lastly, if have a tip or you come across a story or a link that might be of interest to other readers please email me at;

anglomontreal@gmail.com

THANKS FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!

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