I just got challenged on a French Québec forum and need your help.
I proposed that instead of a sovereignty referendum, Québec should have a referendum on official unilingualism in the Constitution and federal administration.
For example, it could propose that the English provisions of the Constitution and federal government administration, packaging and labelling, etc. would not apply to Québec.
I'd pointed out that one advantage would be money saved for the taxpayer. Another would be that Federal employment in Quebec could be more accessible to those who don't know English and so make it more accessible to indigenous and allophone Quebecers too.
Another would be that Québec would no longer be obligated to provide English language education. It would probably still do that but could limit it more to where numbers warrant it for example without any Constitutional obligation to do so.
Another would be that Quebecers could import products from other countries with or without English labelling and so expand consumer choice.
One forum member said he liked the idea but that English Canada would never agree to it.
I explained that English Canadians are just as tired of having French imposed on them as Quebecers are of having English imposed on them.
I'd given the example of an entrepreneur in BC who'd run into the problem of importing US products with no French labelling. He eventually had to quit importing it because it wasn't worth the expense of French translation in BC.
He was still unconvinced, believing that English Canadians would gladly impose French on themselves if that is what it took to impose English on Quebec.
He seems to believe English Canadians are that massochistic. I disagree.
So, who's right? Would you agree to drop English in Quebec and French in the ROC?
I'll post this thread in the other forum too.
I proposed that instead of a sovereignty referendum, Québec should have a referendum on official unilingualism in the Constitution and federal administration.
For example, it could propose that the English provisions of the Constitution and federal government administration, packaging and labelling, etc. would not apply to Québec.
I'd pointed out that one advantage would be money saved for the taxpayer. Another would be that Federal employment in Quebec could be more accessible to those who don't know English and so make it more accessible to indigenous and allophone Quebecers too.
Another would be that Québec would no longer be obligated to provide English language education. It would probably still do that but could limit it more to where numbers warrant it for example without any Constitutional obligation to do so.
Another would be that Quebecers could import products from other countries with or without English labelling and so expand consumer choice.
One forum member said he liked the idea but that English Canada would never agree to it.
I explained that English Canadians are just as tired of having French imposed on them as Quebecers are of having English imposed on them.
I'd given the example of an entrepreneur in BC who'd run into the problem of importing US products with no French labelling. He eventually had to quit importing it because it wasn't worth the expense of French translation in BC.
He was still unconvinced, believing that English Canadians would gladly impose French on themselves if that is what it took to impose English on Quebec.
He seems to believe English Canadians are that massochistic. I disagree.
So, who's right? Would you agree to drop English in Quebec and French in the ROC?
I'll post this thread in the other forum too.
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