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Quebec Language Police Target Store Owner's Facebook Page
New submitter wassomeyob writes "In Canada, the province of Quebec has their Official Language Act of 1974 (aka Bill 22) which makes French their sole official language. It has famously been used to force business owners to modify signage to give French pre-eminance over other languages. Now, the Quebec language police seem to be extending their reach to Facebook. Eva Cooper owns Delilah in the Parc — a shop in Chelsea, Quebec near the Quebec/Ontario border. She received a letter from the language office telling her to translate everything posted on her store's Facebook page into French."
France is obsolete today. Face this and get over it. Idiots.
We all know that the Québécois are assholes. What else is new.
"Language Police"
Anything after that is kind of irrelevant.
Ok, its a stupid law, and I'm not going to defend it.
But if the Quebec based store is maintaining a website, it needs to have a french translation, and a company's facebook page is little different than a geocities site from 1998, and is just another form of advertising for the company so this is entirely consistent with how the law has been enforced in the past.
Now if only we can get all those Mexicans to speak Murican!
She should be made to translate everything into French, learn to enjoy champagne, smelly cheese and foie gras.
On a side note, any language that cannot survive without being enforced legally should be allowed to diminish naturally.
What's next? forcing women not to shave their armpits?
Quebec has some bizarre sensibilities, they're definitely not into this whole people-can-decide-what's-best-for-themselves crap. If you think that's bad, you should see their tax rate - believe it or not, taxes go to supporting these bizarre laws. Anyone under the age of 30 who wants to make a life for themselves, in my oppinion, should live anywhere else in Canada.
I live in Québec and because of those law I can't purchase product from the local store because the box is not en French. It happend to me last year where I purchase some headphone (nothing fancy there were even NO paper in the box to explain how to plug it). But since the box wasn't available in French, Best-buy would not have the product, online I could see it but they would refuse to sell it to me if my address was in Québec. So I've went to competitor in Vancouver that is not affected by Québec law and purchase it. Result? The law has remove a sale from my local store and move that else where.
In the late 90s, I worked at an internet software company in Quebec - we developed software for servers and sold it over the internet. No boxed copies, but your standard suite of services - a knowledge base, online documentation, phone and email access to sales and support staff, all of which was based in the province of Quebec.
Eventually, we got big enough to be noticed by the Quebec language police. They sent a letter, and then there were phone calls. They provided us with a list of requirements - you must answer your phones in French first, your web site must have all content that is available in English available in French as well, and so on.
We started costing out the implications of this, especially the confusion of the majority of our international (as in, American) clients. Then someone asked the important question - what happens if we don't comply?
"Well, you won't be allowed to sell to anyone in Quebec!" came the indignant response.
From then on, I took so much pleasure in informing the our small number of Quebec government clients that no, they would no longer be able to buy upgrades, tech support contracts, or anything else. The 98% of our out-of-province sales were unaffected.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Eva runs a brick-and-mortar store, so will need to comply or face actual fines.
Imagine you are somewhere in the USA and someone telling you go fuck yourself and speak Spanish. How are you feeling ?
Almost every state have law to protect their culture, Quebec is not different than Florida.
Remember, even if people in Quebec are 75% speaking Québécois, some racist people don't want the business of these people,
But, then Québec, is the only place in the world where people speak Québécois and the only agnostic country/region in the wolrd (the only place in the wolrd where a real separation between state and church really exist).
These people have to protect their cultural heritage.
And Facebook is just another form of advertisement and public image.
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
Why not translate it into a useful language, like Klingon?
Who did what now?
The Chrome browser offers to translate whatever website's text into whichever language my operating system defaults to.
If all of the common web browsers / smart phones / google glass equivalents start doing this, I guess there will be no more need for this mandatory translation at the source side of things.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
She should have an English page and then a French page on which all the prices are elevated slightly. When asked why there's a difference, she can say it costs more to translate and host more content, thereby increasing her cost of doing business.
Gotta get me one of these!
Thank you, Quebec... For making the product manuals on my bookshelf take up 50% extra space and consume 50% more trees.
Canada is a democracy. They make their own laws and govern themselves. It is none of my business as an American what they decide to do inside their own borders any more than it's my business what happens in the privacy of my neighbor own home as long as it stays inside their home. Privacy, mmmmkay?
The actual Bill that clarifies the issue is the infamous Bill 101, not Bill 22.
Proof that pride is indeed a terrible sin, even if you aren't religious. This attitude is almost as archaic and nasty as people who still insist on interpreting the Book of Genesis literally. Get with the times guys. You're leaving yourselves behind, and looking like infants in the process. Nobody wants to join a culture that nasty, so you're only dooming it to an eventual extinction your own way.
Besides the drive from Toronto to Halifax being that much quicker, you can reign over something like facebook.que instead and leave .ca to real Canadians.
How do you translate "fuck you" into French?
I'm a native Quebecers and I speak french, but who care if she have a Facebook page only in english? As far as i'm concerned if she pay her taxes it's all I care about.
If I start a business and create a website in portuguese and all my signage is in portuguese maybe I will go out of business and it will be just my fault.
OQLF is a waste of taxpayers money and another thing that make this province so miserable.
We want a charter to remove rights, we have a language police, others province pay for our social politics. We are a looser province, the Quebec Government want the Quebecers to be looser and ignorant because when a nation is ignorant you can control them far easily and in bonus if you can prevent them speaking another language you can prevent the ignorant french Quebecers to move in another province.
http://www.languagepolicy.net/...
read pass the first page, you will get a lot of information about language laws in the USA and you will stop looking like a idiot.
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
Never mind the argument . . . I give up.
How fucked up has the world become where everyone gets to decide what a store owner "needs to" do but the store owner.
Oh you mean we shouldn't require people to keep their storefront clear of trash? We shouldn't require them to pay their employees? How about we let them dump hazardous chemicals wherever they want? Look, this language law is stupid both morally and economically but let's not expand the stupidity by claiming that every requirement a business is subjected to is dumb. Some are very good ideas and others not so much. This language law falls into the not so much category.
What I'm confused by is why both France and Quebec are so damn defensive about their language. It's not anything special.
like if you forbid a store owner of kosher food having a sign in Hebrew, or one store owner of halal food having a sign in arabic...
Facebook is an American storefront, not a Quebec one. I did not read the article but this seems very wrong indeed.
---Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A START
"Au Canada, la province de Québec a sa Loi sur les langues officielles de 1974 (aka projet de loi 22) qui fait du français la seule langue officielle. Elle a notoirement été utilisé pour forcer les propriétaires d'entreprises à modifier la signalisation de donner pré-eminance français sur les autres langues. maintenant, la police de la langue du Québec semblent être d'étendre leur portée à Facebook Eva Cooper possède Delilah dans le Parc -.. une boutique à Chelsea, Québec, près de la frontière Québec / Ontario Elle a reçu une lettre du bureau de la langue en lui disant de tout traduire affiché sur la page Facebook de son magasin en français ".
Jésus H. Christ, l'homme. Si la Sûreté du Québec nous bien pour ce que nous pourrions ne pas être en mesure de payer la conversion de bêta!
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Vive Jay Sherman. Vive Quebec
I'd encourage you to bring this matter to the public eye. Specifically, in French. That it is stiffling local business, should be a concern. That the police are treating it with enough importance as to attack someones Facebook page, is also a bit disturbing. I can see their justification for not wanting 'English' to take over, but legislating over it, making it mandatory, is rather myopic in the scheme of things. It's probably a safe guess this was passed initially out of fear, rather than heritage.
Of course, I'd also like to see them 'force' this in a court of law. What you can and can't do online, as opposed to a physical location area, are 2 different arenas, and the court should acknowledge that fact.
Personne ne conteste ton droit de sucer de la bite anglaise. Surtout pas les anglais.
Too many people equate "The Law" with morality and consider it a forgone conclusion that whatever "The Law" states must be adhered to, and if violated must be enforced at all costs. Unfortunately there exist just too many unjust, absurd, horrific, ridiculous, and outdated laws such as, Jim Crow, Apartheid, FATCA, the Patriot Act, FATCA, the Nuremberg Laws, .....compulsory TV licensing *even if you don't have a TV*.... Most people who are negatively affected by such laws are usually met with derision and marginalized and told to suck it up by the majority of society simply because "It's the law!". It's a shame that we all live in societies that have placed "the Law" above justice and common decency.
So what, let them suffer.
The people that are silent about laws , are de facto, supporting it in effect.
Let them lose sales.
J'ai du mal à saisir le rapport avec le message parent. Sans compter que les termes sont un peu crus.
Near a border is a an irrelevant legal distinction. You're in one region or the other. And you have to comply with the laws of that region. And yes, you should have to.
Even if those laws are morally wrong or economically stupid? Just because it is a law doesn't make it a good idea nor does it mean that you should automatically comply with a stupid and pointless law. Fight the good fight if it is worth fighting. I know plenty of businessmen (including some of my family) who refuse to do business in France because of the burden of this language law.
They want to defend their culture against the cultural imperialism of the US and their use of the English language.
Passing laws like this will not "defend their culture". It merely hurts them economically, makes them look stupid to the rest of the world, and at best delays the inevitable changes that will occur. Furthermore, the VAST majority of Canada (you know, the country they are part of) speaks English as their primary language so your argument that this has anything to do with the US is bogus on the face of it. Just because you speak a different or additional language doesn't mean your culture has to change in any significant way. They can still speak French all they want. But if people want to speak or otherwise communicate in a different language then that should be their prerogative. Not much of a democracy if you can't speak in your own voice with your own language.
I live in Québec and because of those law I can't purchase product from the local store because the box is not en French. It happend to me last year where I purchase some headphone (nothing fancy there were even NO paper in the box to explain how to plug it). But since the box wasn't available in French, Best-buy would not have the product, online I could see it but they would refuse to sell it to me if my address was in Québec.
So I've went to competitor in Vancouver that is not affected by Québec law and purchase it.
Result? The law has remove a sale from my local store and move that else where.
Yes, yes, we all remember the news stories about The Great Lost Headphone Sale of 2012. We don't need to be reminded about that calamity.
The owner just needs to say a firm "No." and hope that the Quebec Language Police throw down their guns and surrender.
I will. There are a lot of good reasons to have an official language. Costs, same expectations, safety, I could go on.
Most places have a de-facto language or at most two. People need to communicate and they're pretty good at figuring out how. In any locality there is a strong tendency to end up with the same language because of the need to communicate. Making it a law is at best redundant and at worst economically damaging if you take it to the extreme's Quebec has. The US doesn't have an official language because it doesn't need one. Neither does Canada really and I've spent enough of my life in Canada to know.
The US is spending many billions of dollar trying to make every in every language.
Nonsense. At most the US worries about English and sometimes Spanish. You might find other languages in places like airports where people might just be passing through but there is hardly any big effort to accommodate every language out there. You put signs in the most common language and if that eventually changes then you change the sign. Language should follow the people, not the other way around.
And how many of them go on to be fluent with that otherwise useless language?
Hawaii has two official languages (English and Hawaiian), but 80% of the population speaks "Pidgin" (Hawaiian Creole English) and fewer than 4% are fluent in Hawaiian. In Hawaii's case, "official language" means that all official publications are available in these two languages (people specify which one they want, so as to not make the manual twice as thick, for example). Nothing prevents people from speaking Tongan, Samoan, Japanese, or Pidgin in everyday life. Nothing says that only Hawaiian and English are acceptable for store signage. Nothing says that private entities (including stores) have to make everything available in these languages. Indeed, only limited Hawaiian is taught in our regular schools (by the fourth grade I could count to ten and say the primary and secondary colors). What Hawaiian I know is purely by luck that it was preserved in Pidgin.
But that's okay, no matter how economically self-destructive their policies are, they'll just take the shortfall from the rest of Canada.
I'm a born and raised anglophone Quebecker. This is an issue I've faced (yes, faced) my whole life. There is a great deal of prejudice and discrimination against anglophones in Quebec, both socially and legislatively. Two applicants to the same job, both perfectly bilingual, one Francophone, one Anglophone, most times the Francophone gets the job. I've had people pick fights with me in bars, because I was speaking English with my friends privately. If you didn't attend English school as a child, you can't send your children to English school. I've gotten attitude from merchants for using the wrong conjugation or gender. The language issues touch every aspect of life here and truly divides Quebec. I've been against these discriminatory laws my whole life. In spite of all this, recently, after the last federal election, I'm starting to get it. Quebec is different than other provinces. The things we care about are different than the general population of North America. We believe in free health care and education for all. Not as a concept, but to the core of our being. It's ironic that we care so much for everyone, but lose sight of it over something as trivial as language. Francophone Quebec is afraid that we're going to lose these differences, this identity by way of dilution of the language. This is where the animosity comes from. It's rooted in fear, not in hatred. The fear of losing the language is justified and real. French is fading and being mixed against the cultural influence of English media. In 50 years, it will be the second language in Quebec. The fact is, today it's a French province with clear laws that signage and publicity must be in French first, and in English second. This said, the language police are overly aggressive and make silly moves like this pretty often.. and unfortunately it undermines Quebec and the social issues it faces. It makes us seem silly and petty to the rest of the world. If you live here, after things like this you have a harsh taste in your throat once you're done rolling your eyes. It is getting better. The next generation understands the world better than the previous generation, and things continue to improve.
I'm really surprised to see such lacking arguments on this post. I have come to see slashdot as a place where reasoned argument rules and the sort of ambiguous attacks displayed in much of these comments are driven down.
Here are some useful links. Canada is a bi-lingual country, and we embrace that fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O... Quebec has laws in-place to protect its heritage which the citizens believe are necessary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
Sure these laws seem strange to outsiders, but there is a large segment of the Quebec population that take seriously that their land continue to reflect their culture. And to the people that use business as the ultimate barometer of a laws efficacy, remember that there are some people who hold other things higher than cash and they have every right to do so. I'm sure the Quebec people understand the negative effect that these laws have on their economy, but can balance the sting by appreciating the positive effect they have on their lands and people.
Personally I would like to live there and experience these Canadian peoples way of life.
Bonjour!
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My thoughts exactly. Uninformative crap post. Suppose this is "shocking" news if you are not familiar with Quebec's history and language / culture laws. Really just seems like enforcement of existing laws,
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have over the content of a web page not hosted on a Canadian server?
Or else what? Are they going to revoke her business license?
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
How very classy of you. Typical response of someone with a crappy hockey team and garbage beer. Just admit you're America lite and move on Sally.
Time to run all the acronyms, idioms, and misspellings through Google Translate. That will make the language police happy I'm sure.
By the way, WE NEED THIS LAW in the southern US!
French inferiority complex. Well earned though they may be, surrendering to them is a sign of French weakness. Here's an idea French speakers...why not just put on your big boy pants and do something that would actually give people the urge to use the French language voluntarily. Viva la Lafayette!
The USA is only 4X older than me...perspective
I like how you describe Best Buy as a local store. That's kind of cute.
to please send the letter in French
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
I'm sorry -- can you translate your slashdot comments into French, and post them above the English? Then we can help you.
Quebec wants to keep its culture distinct ( not the absolute majority (cf. referendums on independance), but a sizeable portion of the Quebecers (cf. the Sovereignists run the provice today). ... ... do not take this as a political endorsement of the stalinists there )
Surrounded in a English-speaking continent, Quebec is taking affirmative actions so ensure that...
Quebec companies have to use French, which is not the same as being barred from using English
Ostie de calisse en tabernak', americans are laughing at us, quebecers, because they are jealous : we can go to Cuba on cheap and sunny vacations (well, actually considering our winter
From the article, "Eva Cooper owns Delilah in the Parc". She also owns Delilah Glebe, which is in Ontario. Thus, in effect, she does own / rent / lease / has bought land on the other side of the border.
Exactly. If Cooper cannot obey the laws needed to run Delilah in the Parc, she always has the option of sticking to Delilah Glebe.
The concept is to what jurisdiction does one's FB feed belong to?
As I understand it, it belongs to the joint jurisdiction of the jurisdiction in which Facebook is headquartered, the jurisdiction in which the server exists, and the jurisdiction from which the business that maintains the page operates.
And does *any* governing body have veto powers when it comes down to what it is that you have to say?
Governments have seen fit to regulate commercial speech by business located within their borders more strictly than political speech.
Actually it's Bill 101 that is the cause of all this. Basically, Bill 101: french must be everywhere and people who don't speak french aren't people. (disclaimer: I'm french canadian, it's my native language. and I had to learn english on my own starting 16 years ago.)
If there's a subject on which I can't agree with my fellow slashdotters, it's anything that touch the language laws in Quebec.
Yes I'm a french canadian, yes I'm partial on the subject. But please, try to understand. To us, language protection is as important as the right to bear arms in the US.
With 330 millions english speakers around us, french would rapidly become extinct without laws to protect it. And to us, language IS our culture. Therefor we have democratically passed laws to ensure that our culture will still exist in the future.
There is no language police in Quebec. It's barely a small branch of a ministry that can give you a slap on the wrist. Best Buy is still called "Best Buy" and you can still buy your kids clothes at the "Children"s place". But at least it try to preserve our culture.
And I'm saying that and on the other hand I want my kids to learn english from preschool at the same time than french. We are not in the 70s anymore.
Really, I have to idea why would this be of any importance to us on Slashdot.
Fuck le police.
The jurisdiction is over the store, which is why Facebook probably wouldn't be sued, and sure, they could revoke her business license, or fine her, the same if she didn't comply with laws requiring various notices or whatever posted in her store.
sorry couldn't resist...
Quebec's irrational ide'e fixe reaches to Southern California and Mexico as well.
Many products in local stores have packaging printed in two languages- French & English. In my American city we have roughly 10,000 Spanish speakers for every French speaker. In Tijuana the imbalance is more extreme.
The language police have a long reach.
...omphaloskepsis often...
Quebec does not want to be a part of France... Not at all and far from it... the "damn cousins" is how they call French... and the current influx on French people leaving the Eurozone troubles is not well regarded...
...did anyone catch the reference to "Montreal French" in The Monuments Men.
We run a B&B in Ontario; we speak pretty good Frog, and we have a web-page in Phrog for the Phrog tourists. So I'm gonna take it down (the Phrog version) and return some error code to the bastards. 406 (not acceptable) is a good one, but also 402 (payment required) might come in handy.
Doh.
With climate change, the U.S. is becoming a desert. They need an influx of water in vast quantities. To facilitate this, the CIA has infiltrated the Quebec government to lead Quebec to independence. Canada will then be free to sell the St. Lawrence river to the U.S. for trillions of dollars. Quebec will get french stop signs. Follow the money.
To whoever modded the parent: You keep using the word "Troll". I do not think it means what you think it means.
The Canadians can keep their power and use it to refine their own stinking tar sand oil.
Bravo moderator. Don't let the troll's bitching deter you.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Genie comprendy pass? What the fuck does that mean?
...as to why this kind of crap is bullsh*t.
For those who don't know, the most common second language(s) in British Columbia are the major Chinese dialects. Some people refer to Vancouver as Hongcouver because of the influx of Chinese after the Hong Kong changeover to western Canada. They've brought a lot of money and business with them.
Anyway... everything has to be bilingual (French and English) in even Vancouver where very, very people speak French, and there's nothing requiring signs in Chinese. It costs a fortune for every business in Canada to have to do this, BUT yet when you go to Quebec, it's perfectly ok for signs (even #@$! road signs) to be ONLY in French,
THIS is why so many English speaking Canadians get so pissed at the Quebecois
'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
Vive le Quebec libre !
If you are one of a very few people in a jurisdiction who disagree with a law, it's almost as hard to change as gravity. You have to make a business decision on whether to comply, leave the jurisdiction, or start a PAC to get the law changed.
Since everything must 1st be in French, then isn't Facebook the one in violation?
I assume you are an american so I've use one company that you know but name sell electronics. For your information Best buy DO have local store near me that employ local people. Americans don't travel the border state everyday to do work in all Best Buy in Canada :)
I could have name a small company that you have no clue what it is... what's the difference?
Bill 22 should be against section 2b. I have no idea why it has not been struck down. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
It's still better than the Grammar Police.
If Quebec border towns start losing provincial tax revenue to towns on the other side of the border, then perhaps Quebec will notice how harmful the law is.
Those who live in Texas are forced to due to their arrogance. It's the only state in the nation that is large enough to fit their oversized heads.
Phoque off.
nt
Yes.
Smart-ass, multiply this by hundreds to thousands of sales small and large and see if it doesn't add up.
And move.
Quebec please fuck off, next Referendum vote yes we don't want you and you don't like us
It`s actually: Je ne comprends pas.
Fines and revocation of business license.
Don't be a dick, his point is that the law is causing a loss of sales that could have otherwise been made. It's completely valid and relevant.
It's weird I know you're joking but the poster had a point. He's complaining about the absurdity of the law prevents stores from stocking products because the labels or manuals not available in french language. He had to purchase off-province, I wonder how much business is lost to local market because of this.
And when full compliance is cost-prohibitive, nothing gets your story out like a fermé sign on the front door.
being legally recognized as a "distinct society"
Sovereignty had been a thorny issue for decades and using the word "nation" would just add fuel to the fire.
Don't they have la tribune libre (the op-ed page) in les journaux (the newspapers) in Quebec?
Most young Quebecers speak English. The official stat is 43% of Quebecers are bilingual English and French, but I have a feeling it's actually way over 50% if we are talking passable English. Certainly it will be by the time the baby boomer generation dies out. I hope this law is challenged before that tho.
---- wait for it.... Trans Canada Highway, heading west!
Why didn't you oust the dirty french from these shores when you defeated them on the Plains of Abraham? Or at the very least why didn't you assimilate them and not grant them any special privileges? You screwed up Canada from that day forward.
...and then you defend it
I didn't defend the law. I defended the consistency with which the law is being applied. There is a difference.
So . . . if I create a website which I intend to be read in Berlin, or Pamplona, or Rome . . . it still has to be in French?
If you are located in quebec and dealing with the quebec public via the website, then there would need to be a french version of the page in addition to the others..
If you are located in quebec and ONLY doing online sales to customers in berlin in germany in german, then i suppose technically the law might require you to have a french version of the page ... but who would ever complain if you didn't?
Never mind the argument . . . I give up.
Yes. Its a stupid law and should be repealed.
I mean if any, however local, authority in the US did the same thing to a Spanish-centered store, we'd see demonstrations. Even mentioning English-only laws is considered racism now. So Canada is openly violating human rights, right? Where are the protests around the world?
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
I'm not sure if you are familiar with the Quebec Separatist movement. If not.
You may be 100% correct. Just know that they don't care. Not about you, not about your opinion, not about how practical or just the language law is. They are inward focused and have their own priorities.
Before anyone points out that the Separatists and the language laws aren't the same thing, I know that. However the cultural mindset and historical origins of both are the same.
In the process of correcting certain historical injustices, the Separatist movement won power, achieved everything they ever wanted (except actual political separation), and immediately overreached beyond where they should have gone in terms of policy.
Recent gems out of Quebec:
1). They wanted an Italian restaurant to translate the menu to French. Because, you know, the Italian names for the Italian dishes offended Quebec language sensibilities that all things must be French (officially, French must predominate);
2). They are trying to pass a law defining acceptable Quebequois behaviour. Most controversially, all public displays of religious symbols, worn on the person, are to be banned for provincial employees. No crosses, headscarves, kirpans, yarmulkes, etc. They want to be a strictly secular society insofar as the instruments of government. Also the cross on the wall in the National Assembly is coming down.
In the opinion of many outside of Quebec, and non-Separatists inside, these activities are designed to stir up trouble, appeal to the base, and try to keep the Separatists relevant.
Sounds like something crazy out of North Korea! Does anywhere else in the world have something similar to this?
Twinstiq, game news
If Quebec is protecting its heritage, why don't they require everything to be in a language Native Americans understand? Because culture is a constantly evolving thing, and you can't just mandate or regulate it. Quebec needs to realize this. They sound like facists.
Twinstiq, game news
You are wrong. Quebec is not officially recognised as a distinct society since neither the Meech Lake nor the charlottown accords were passed into law. The only parliamentary motion that did pass specifically uses the word NATION.
Then its not "official" advertising related to the shop and so not subject to the Quebec language rules.
DAMN Those arrogant, ignorant AMERICANS demanding everyone speak their language!
(Yes, folks, Canada is part of America...North America...) ;)
Result? The law has remove a sale from my local store and move that else where.
Yes but allowing the area to be overwhelmed with English only products would hurt the lower classes mostly. I have met people in Quebec that could not speak english and they tend to be rural and poor. I usually run into them as retail workers (Couche Tard mostly and sometimes La Belle Province). Going English only would probably hurt their ability to buy things.
What's really funny is watching a Parisian French speaker and Quebecois Couch Tard employee try and communicate as sometimes they can't understand each other. Although I have had the same experience with some Scots before.
As only a few US/UK citizens are open minded enough to understand few words from other langages.... they will really suffer when China will wake up, and every new interesting products only available in chinese... :P
Then they will remember this thread...
Interestingly, the US has no official language and, according to Wikipedia, has well over 300 spoken/signed languages in general use. Of course, 80% of the population are native English speakers but it still has the fifth largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. However, 20% of the roughly 300 million people in the US means some 60 million people have a native language other than English... in other words, the US contains a population nearly equal to the UK that does not speak English as a primary language. No word on how Americans speak Klingon natively, but they're not expected to have children to pass it on to.
jeez now Quebec is behaving like the US of A sticking their nose up everybodys ass
Yup its messed up OK.
The simple fact that they don't speak modern french in that province but a "bastardised" and "ancient" variety of french that many "REAL" french people cannot understand fully speaks volumes.
Sure have your shop in dual language but Facebook ? WTH !
Most CNC machines come with language options including French and many times I have set the language to French at the request of a client only to be called back a short while later to change them from "REAL French" to "English" just so they can operate them in that province. that's how messed up the French language is in Canada.
Let them keep that Province and form their own government but also cut ALL other money, taxes, grants, subsidies etc,etc. from the rest of Canada and lets see how long they last.
Bill 22 was written and allowed to persist when the French language was threatened. It is not threatened by we English who live here, but by the exodos of Francophones who move to other provinces.
And the French are racest and biggoted. There is a proposed legislation to baan Hijabs, Kippas, Turbins and perhaps visible religious symbols (large crosses) for all public servants.
Quebec lost 12000 net net population last year. Mostly francophones who found better living conditions elsewhere.
I won't relocate because I am a grandfather, and my grandchildren are in school in Montreal. Were my own kids portable, I would strongly advise them to leave the province. Discrimination is at an all time high.
There are two population groups that are leaving, the well educated who are engineers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, whose training was in English, but can't pass the French test at 90% level, and the unemployed. Both for opportunities elsewhere.
The result of this outward migration is that the tax base is being eroded. Quebec will not be able to ever clear their tax deficit. Shame..
Its too bad, as I get to my mid to late 70's I will be one of the bilingual English who will remain to close the lights.
LS in Montreal
PS.
French will definitely disappear from North America. It will take about 250 years, perhaps less. My reasons for so say are as follows:
There are 50 million Latinos in the USA and a very large number in Canada. There are more Spanish speaking in North America than the 6 million 2nd generation French.
The internet is in English. Business in North America, and mostly in the world is in English.
There are 350 million Spanish in Latin and Central America, by all rights, the second language of Canada should be the modern Spanish.
Is it worth doing business for 6 million citizens for a population that is ageing? Six million population is not 6 million consumers.
In closing, the French extremists, instead of encouraging an adoption by offering incentives, are using the whip. Don't like it here, then get out.
Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
The situation is resolved, OQLF dropped the case!
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Language+police+drop+attack+Chelsea+boutique+owner/9574668/story.html