I've decided to start this column because there's just too much bigotry, hate, nonsense obsession and hilarity concerning Quebec's pathological obsession with the French.
Most of us don't have the time, the language skills or for that matter the inclination to follow what is being said in the French media which has embraced a paranoid narrative enounced by the cynical and racist government which pedals the falsehood that 'real' Quebecois are in mortal danger of losing their language.
Premier Legault's direct and insulting attacks on Quebec's minority constituents have opened up the floodgates and emboldened the haters to come out of the shadows and into the mainstream media.Here is a compendium, by no means complete, of recent stories that you may find interesting.
Anglo-basher puts her ignorance on full display
When somebody makes a mistake in another language it's a bit gauche to make fun of them, but in this case, I'll make an exception because the gaffe is just so delicious and ironic.
Sophie Durocher is one half of the Journal du Montreal Anglophobic power couple, along with her husband Richard Martineau.
My favourite Martineau quote is when he told a radio audience that a teacher wearing a hijab is akin to a teacher wearing an FLQ t-shirt.
But I digress...
In a recent article Durocher goes off on the French over their propensity towards English phrases. On a visit to Paris, she was scandalized by what she saw and heard.
"What makes me laugh is when the French think they speak English, but use faulty expressions. “Take away” instead of “take-out”."
Are there no editors checking her stories to prevent this embarrassment?
I don't think Durocher spends any time in England where 'takeaway' is very much their word for 'take-out'
It's always amusing to see a dunce giving lessons.
Bonjour-hi
Le Droit online devoted a long report on the dangerous and anglicizing term 'Bonjour-Hi' that has become the poster term of creeping anglicization, a phrase utterly despised by defenders of the faith.
The story describes that, unlike Montreal, Bonjour-Hi doesn't seem to be making much headway in the Quebec city region. The reporter sent out to investigate this important issue says that for now, things remain safe. THANK GOD! MERCI DIEU!
Interestingly the story goes on to negate the idea that French is in decline in Quebec, veering away from the conventional wisdom of an unfolding linguistic disaster'
"Sociolinguist Calvin Veltman doesn't believe that "Bonjour-Hi" is a symptom of the decline of French, as others fear. “It’s normal for languages to borrow expressions from each other,”
Quebecers - Francophones at least - have a feeling of inferiority towards the English, so we are much more touchy about cases like that than the French, for example," According to Mr. Veltman, this feeling of inferiority had its raison d'être before Bill 101 was passed in 1977. But today, it is no longer justified. In a recent article in La Conversation, Mr. Veltman argues that French is in a much better position in the 2016 census than in that of 1971, even if it has been in slight decline since 2001. LINK{fr}
Ikea's neat language hack
The Ukrainians are keen to learn French through a company immersion program and are doing well, some have already been promoted.In the meantime, they are fulfilling clerical, logistical and administrative roles but sometimes come in contact with customers and therein lies the rub.
To prevent 'incidents' where the English-only speaking employees might be confronted by customers for not speaking French, the company has devised a clever fix.
The Ukrainians are wearing big badges on their chest in the form of a Ukrainian flag with the message
Maybe I'm too sensitive but I can't help but be a little creeped out by the idea of forcing people to wear ethnic or religious identifiers in public.
Ex-Habs Petry asked for Trade because of Anglo Discrimination
If you think confrontations over language are rare, read this story where the management of the Habs admitted that longtime veteran Jeff Petry asked to be traded for lHis wife and kids were so miserable here that they decamped back to the USA, while Petry remained.
It seems that his wife felt persecuted because of her lack of French.
"In a recent Instagram story Julie Petry, the wife of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry, has reported being the victim of discrimination while simply doing groceries for herself, her family, and of course Jeff Petry himself. According to her story, Julie went to a local Costco where she was mistreated on the basis that she does not speak French, something that is of course perfectly understandable given that neither her nor her husband were born in a French speaking part of the world.
In order to avoid putting any words in Julie's mouth, here is her story in her own words:
Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens this will only help fuel the negative perception that many players in the National Hockey League have of playing in this market and will only serve to make it harder for them to attract free agents that often choose to go elsewhere when the option is available. Not only do players have to contend with a rabid fan base, which can also be a positive, but they have to deal with both French and English media when coming to the Montreal market.
Stories like this have a way of getting around and both players in the National Hockey League and their spouses are often in constant communication with one another. This will no doubt reach the ears of many players around the league and unfortunately for the Canadiens, who have done absolutely nothing wrong in this scenario, it could serve to hurt their chances of attracting players in the future."
Bill 96 threatens Quebec's video game industry
Here's an interesting article taken from a French (France) tech website discussing the video gaming industry in Quebec."A new law aimed at protecting the language of Molière in Quebec could have a strong impact on video game studios.In another story
We love our French language, but we probably don't love it as much as it is appreciated in Quebec. In this province of Canada, everything is done to preserve the use of our language, to the point that it sometimes becomes ridiculous.
Certain laws put in place force the titles of films and works of all kinds to be fully translated, often giving rise to more than laughable names. We think in particular of Fiction Pulpeuse for the famous film by Quentin Tarantino or even the Pixar Cars which has become Les Bagnoles. Even fast-food brands are not immune and KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) bears the sweet name of PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky) there.
The problem when love turns to obsession is that the dynamic can quickly become toxic and harm others. And this is unfortunately what is about to unfold with the adoption of a new law for the protection of the French language.
But what does this have to do with geek culture you might ask?
The video game industry with a strong presence in Quebec could well and truly be destroyed from the inside by this new projected law adopted by the government.
For those who do not know, Quebec is home to many studios and some of their branches such as Ubisoft, Warner Bros Games, and Eidos Montreal to name a few. The video game industry is so developed there that no less than 11,000 people are direct employees. In this profession, English predominates as the main language, but this is not going to last in Quebec studios.
Indeed, the new Bill 96 law provides for many changes in the legislation around the French language and the entire province will find itself impacted. With the adoption of this project, the French language will have to be applied everywhere and systematically, including at work and in business, everyone will have to learn French. International employees are starting to get scared and many are ready to jump ship to avoid the language barrier.In an effort to maintain the purity of the French language, officials in France have banned popular gaming terms such as 'pro-gamer' and 'streamer'. Going forwards, official government communications will use more traditional terms such as 'joueur-animateur en direct' in place of 'streamer', which literally translates to 'live player-host', and the slightly more forgiving 'joueur professionnel' for 'pro-gamer', which, as you've no doubt guessed, translates to 'professional player'.
Other terms effected by the change include 'eSports', which is now 'jeu video de competition', and 'cloud gaming', which became 'jeu video en nuage'. All in all, we guess it makes sense; the French language is beautiful and words like 'eSports' don't exactly have the same... je ne sais quoi. Hey, look what we did!" Journalgeek
A group of 138 Quebec tech industry leaders signed an open letter to the provincial government taking issue with the six-month language restriction as an “unrealistic deadline” for newcomers already dealing with a life-changing move, as well as the bill’s provision that all business contracts must be drafted in French. Link
Big stink over English on Quebec ferry
This utterly hilarious article offered in Le Soleil In English only sur un traversier de Charlevoix is my favourite story of the week.It seems that Quebec's scandal-plagued ferry service could not find a boat and crew to man a ferry service in the outback town of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive where anglophones are virtually nonexistent and bilingual francophones as rare as a Leafs fan.
For the ferry service (STQ,), it was a choice between bringing in an outside boat (with a crew who come from away and speak no French) or no ferry at all.
And so you can imagine the calamity when the decision was made to bite the bullet,
In the best tradition of the error-prone ferry service, a spokesman had this to say.
« Nous aimerions que l’équipage soit 100 % francophone, mais l’anglais demeure une langue acceptable dans les circonstances. »
The story doesn't end there as the Anglo crew and the captain seem to be rather incompetent, crashing into the dock more than once and on one occasion knocking down and damaging several parked motorcycles.
Of course, complaints have been duly lodged against the boat and the ferry service, not for the bad driving, but rather for the lack of French amongst the crew
I told you it was funny!
Why Bill 96 is good for National unity
"In the end, the two controversial clauses are mainly about symbols and perceptions. But symbols and perceptions matter. In this case, they are a much-awaited step for many Québécois on the long (and tortuous) road to enshrining Quebec’s distinctiveness in the Canadian Constitution. The final paradox is that, by explicitly invoking the Canadian Constitution, Bill 96 thereby acknowledges that Quebec recognizes, albeit implicitly, the existing constitutional order. Bill 96 may well be ultra vires, but it is not an attack on national unity. Au contraire." Link
Two Solitudes
"Whatever your image of Quebec English-speakers -- rich Westmount-dwellers, perhaps -- odds are that it dates back a few decades.
A new report has created an updated portrait, and it's starkly different than what many expect, showing that English-speakers are struggling financially compared to their French-speaking counterparts."
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study Link
French music is unpopular amongst francophones (especially the young)
Only two of the top 20 artists played in 2021 are French and none in the top 12
"According to a report by the Office québécois de la langue française, with regard to Francophones, “young people aged 15 to 34 are those who practice their cultural activities the least in French”.Anglo-Saxon cultural imperialism must end!This imperialism endangers the cultural future of Quebec, the cultural industry of Quebec, cultural diversity in the world, the Quebec difference, the survival of the Quebec nation, etc.It is essential to reverse the current trend to safeguard Quebec's difference. Quebec culture should occupy a predominant place in the lives of Quebecers and constitute the culture of reference for them. " TVA{fr} Link (Eng)
What does the author propose as a solution?
"This is why I suggest that Quebec parliamentarians adopt a Charter of Quebec Culture.
The adoption of such a Charter should allow Quebec culture to regain the place it should always have occupied, that of common culture."
...of course.
No Comment.....
"France violated an international rights treaty when it banned a woman from wearing a headscarf while she studied at a school, a UN committee has ruled.
The move broke the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Human Rights Committee said" Link
Montreal real estate broker in Quebec fined $1,500 for English-language social media ad
American network's story on the decline of Quebec's Catholic Church
Algeria to ditch French in favour of English in schools
Should the Habs draft more French Quebeckers {FR}
Ottawans move across the river to Quebec for cheap housing but work and pay taxes in Ontario.{FR}
What crazy times, eh? Listen - the Liberals certainly dropped the ball on Bill 96. The law has caused so much anger and anxiety; it certainly is every bit as divisive as anything in recent memory. And yet, the Liberal leader says that if her party forms the next government, the law will remain on the books with a few minor tweaks. Talk about digging the knife in the backs of us naive anglos (or gluttons for punishment?) The Bloc Montreal and Canada Quebec Party have no chance to elect any MNAs.
ReplyDeleteI am putting my money where my mouth is. I'm running as a Quebec Conservative Party candidate in the Nelligan riding. The QCP has promised to abolish 96. No need to worry about their Federal cousin whack-jobs. The only link is the name "conservative." QCP is fiscally conservative (i.e. lower taxes, smaller government, controlled spending), and liberally social (pro-choice, freedom of expression, practice whatever religion you want.) My interview with Eric Duhaime went well. He insisted on speaking English almost the entire time.
So now, anglos of Montreal will you still blindly vote for the Liberals? I had a look at the history of Nelligan. Created in 1980. The Liberals have won 11 out of 11 elections. 10 of those elections were won with 70% of the vote. The only time they took in less than 50% was in 1989 when the Equality Party took in 30%. We all know the definition of insanity. Let's change the narrative - drop the Liberals and give the Quebec Conservative Party a shot.
1 of 2:
ReplyDeleteGary: Since 1980, the best MNA in Nelligan was the first: Clifford Lincoln. Born and raised in Mauritius, he came first to Vancouver and was then motivated to come to Quebec because of its dual language identity (notwithstanding all Quebec parties since 1974 have made every possible effort to put English on a leash, never mind "other" languages. The "other" languages B.S. was just a smokescreen to prevent English alone from being the truly targeted language. Mauritius officially educates in French, but using many English texts, so many of the island nation's inhabitants are bilingual. They also teach English in school.
Sadly, the reality for Anglophones and Allophones is there is no "real" representation for them. The closest that there was since Bill 22 was legislated in 1974 came about in 1989 when a grand total of four candidates won for the Equality Party in 1989. There has been no truly English speakers' party before or since; too, mostly in the West Island, the last bastion where English lives (aside from pockets in Westmount, Chomedey, Greenfield Park, maybe Knowlton/Lac Brome in the Eastern Townships, and a few other areas), English, after mass exoduses in the 1970s and 1980s (I was part of the latter), is slowly being choked to death, with this new law possibly being the death knell, especially if those of you remaining bump on a log and act like sitting ducks while bitching endlessly about it.
There is talk that if the CAQ win handily again, and so far it looks as if they are destined to do so, then they'll start talking up separation again (stick the "sovereignty" semantics where da moon don't shine!). This time, I'll root, root, root for separation. Why not? I have lived in Ontario now for close to 60% of my life, I'm fed up with an ungrateful to those of the majority population who are supposed to be neighbours getting ridiculous amounts of equalization and other federal payments exceeding what THEY put into the federal tax coffers, and besides, those nearest and dearest to me are now dead. Those who are of my generation and/or cohorts made the decision to stay at their own peril.
The only thing in all this that surprises me is how long it took for a more stringent law to finally pass, although the likes of past viscerally hateful, rabid racist politicians like Louise Beaudoin and Pauline Marois tried, and surprisingly didn't succeed...until now. Lest we forget others like former Minister of Education, Diane De Courcy («l'anglais est une langue étrangère») and sore loser ex-premier Jacques Parasite («...c'est vrai on était battu ..par quoi? par l'argent et la vote éthnique...essentiellement!») "We were actually beaten. How? Money and the ethnic vote...essentially!" There are those that state the parasite was drunk! Really? I do remember watching CTV and CBC where ex-politicians like Marc Lalonde and Bob Rae (one on each channel) were shocked and convinced he was drunk.
While that may have been so on Referendum Night, October 30, 1995, the sore losing parasite said during a radio interview (in English) seven weeks or so later at some kind of political junket in Calgary, while supposedly sober, he unequivocally clarified he meant the Jews ($$$$$) and the ethnic vote (Italians and Greeks). His words, not mine.
I was in the process of writing an email to my campaign team and fellow West Island candidates when I received and read your blog. Here is my message:
ReplyDeleteThe continuing Liberal support of Bill 96 is an unintended gift for those us PCQ candidates of Montreal Island ridings that have a plurality anglophone-allophone base.
As far as the three West Island ridings are concerned, past election results show at least 65% and as much as 86% support for the Liberals. The only exception to these overwhelming vote percentages was in 1989.
The current political climate today is eerily like 1989 – as far as angst in the anglophone community is concerned. Robert Bourassa’s Liberals invoked the notwithstanding clause to override a Supreme Court ruling that overturned parts of Bill 101. Axel – you said you weren’t around for that election. I can tell you that – being a West Islander for all my adult life – anglophones were extremely pissed off! We all know that an angry voter is a motivated voter.
In the 1989 election there was so much dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party that the Equality Party managed to get 4 MNAs elected to the National Assembly. One of those MNAs represented the ultra-Federalist riding of Jacques-Cartier. This one-issue party had no real platform and yet they performed reasonably well. The following chart summarizes the performance of the Liberals and the Equality Party .
1989 Results
Nelligan: Liberal 47% Equality 30%
Robert-Baldwin: Liberal 46% Equality 41%
Jacques-Cartier: Equality 44% Liberal 42%
Lessons to be learned for the upcoming campaign:
1. We must capitalize on the disappointment and anger directed towards the Liberal Party. As 1989 demonstrated, the Liberals’ support of Bill 96 should result in a substantial erosion of their support.
2. I realize that we are not a one-issue party. However, in the West Island, among anglophones and allophones, Bill 96 is one of the top concerns. As such, I think we should mention at each opportunity that we promise to abolish this law.
3. The participation rate in 1989 was 75% whereas it was only 66% in 2018. I believe that anger will serve to motivate electors to come out and vote.
4. We are allocated several 4 x 8 billboards. I wouldn’t mind seeing several installed in strategic locations with the message : Dites ‘non’ à la loi 96 --- Dites ‘oui’ au Parti Conservateur du Quebec. Maybe even have a pictogram of a large 96 with a red line crossed through it – like a traffic sign.
Part 2 of 2
ReplyDeleteWhoops! forgot to include what the parasite said on Referendum Night in a short 20-second clip for those of you who forgot and/or need proof: Parizeau's diatribe.
While I'm not thrilled to see my former confrères stuck in a terrible situation, at the same time they decided to take the risk that I knew eventually would be regretted by them, I am thrilled this will finally bring out the animal in many of us. I still would like to see Montreal and other nearby areas remain federal because of heavy minority populations (such as the ones mentioned in Part 1). I would therefore fully and heartily welcome partition as Montreal is still worth having in Canada, even Point-aux-Trembles and other predominantly French communities. One of two things would happen, and I can't truly predict what the French speakers would do:
1. Those who want to rid themselves of English forever, and
2. those who would be unable to live on what would inevitably become a more expensive federal territory to live in.
Wow! What a dilemma, and already thousands upon thousands of people have had to leave the Island of Montreal due to escalating housing costs, ownership and rent.
Sadly, that could end up being a double-edged sword because many in the minorities who can't speak French are already being systematically oppressed, economically and otherwise, and are becoming the poorest in Quebec. Would they be therefore forced to move to the separated, poorer Quebec (and they all WILL be poorer without federal benefits), or would they end up leaving Quebec heading westward to Ontario and the Western Provinces, or eastward to the Atlantic Provinces where opportunities are not as in abundance? Either way, within the first decade anyway, poorer individuals with poor French language skills would have a hard time adjusting.
Too, should Quebec not negotiate in good faith, including taking on their fair share of the federal debt, when it comes time to decide if Quebec could join the USMC or other trade agreements, Canada can say "no", and Quebec would not be part of beneficial trade agreements with other countries. Dilemmas, dilemmas!
Look out, Quebec! You may get your just desserts! For minorities who stay behind, don't say you weren't warned!
Hi again Mr. Charles!
ReplyDeleteI remember the 1989 election vividly. Interestingly, I was in Montreal that day on a business trip. I actually stayed with my parents most of that trip and I remember it with mixed feelings.
Primarily, my mother was very ill, in the late stages of a terminal illness that took her life a mere six months after that election. She had lost most of her mobility, but I managed to take her out to dinner. I discussed taking her to the polls after dinner prior to their closing. She was an avid supporter of democracy and I reminder her of the stories her mother (my grandmother) told her of the pogroms and other persecutory horrors her parents and oldest two (of eventually seven siblings) endured prior to leaving Russia with whatever they could carry.
During dinner, she was thinking of skipping the vote, but I reminded her of what her family endured and why they came a long, long way from Russia with little. They left in 1914 and arrived in Quebec's Eastern Townships Region, where a great uncle of mine in Sherbrooke was already established and helped them settle in.
After dinner, I drove to the polling location, went in, explained my mother was too ill and weak to come in, so the DRO, polling clerk and other officials brought a ballot to my car, enabled my mother to vote, and they profusely and heartily thanked her for making the effort, and she retorted she had a determined son who brought her. She participated in that election as she should have. It brings tears to my eyes remembering that moment as I write this because it was she who strongly extolled the virtues of democracy to my big brother and me at a very young age. Since voting age, I only missed one (federal) election as I was out of the country prior to the election, including the advanced polls. There were no mail-in votes back in the day. I have never missed another election since, be it federal, municipal, Quebec (with my last time being April 1981) or Ontario, and as long as I have life and the capacity to vote, I never will.
As for that election in 1989, while four Equality Party members won, as I wrote in Part 2 above, they never saw the light of day again. Too, unfortunately, Joan Doherty was the Liberal candidate in that election, and her defeat was not a great victory. She was a good MNA, but sadly, she remained with the "wrong" party. Such is politics sometimes.
Someone I associate with in Quebec with interest in talking politics has told me about the leader of the party named Duhaime(?). Sounds like he has signed up a plenitude of memberships starting from scratch, but in reality, I don't see him doing much better than Equality did. I certainly hope I'm wrong and he does better, but will he get enough to form official party status? Hmmmmm.....