Quebec Language Police Harassing Popular Italian Restaurant

[taxslave]

This episode helps explain why Quebec is a have not province.
They have not got a clue
They have not got a brain
They have not got anything better to do than harass people trying to earn a living.

 

[L Gilbert]

Read more: CJAD 800

Once again, we are a laughing stock, and rightfully so. Has anyone, and I mean anyone ever heard of not being able to use Italian on a menu in an Italian restaurant.

After reading the entire article, it appears as though lawyers are involved in this. Good move on the owners part, as the OLF has no case here. As a former business owner, I am well aware of the discriminatory langauge laws as they apply to businesses. Generally, two thirds of any advertisement has to be in French, the rest in any other language. Business owners have several options when advertising in languages other than French. Here are a few:
1. They can have English signs for every French sign provided that the French sign is twice as big.
2. They can have English and French signs of the same size provided that there are two French signs for each English sign.
3. Two thirds of the advertisement is done in French only and one third of the advertisement in English only.
4. Unilingual English signs that are registered trademarks or brand names are displayed.

Of course English above can be replaced by any other language.

If I were the lawyer here, I'd focus on 3. above. If two thirds of the menu is indeed in French, then case dismissed.

What? You don't like Quebec comedy?
I'd simply put one Italian menu out on each table and two French ones along with it. Besides, seems to me that it takes twice as many words in French as it does to say the same thing in English anyway.

The people of Quebec have become scared. Scared of losing their language, and in their fear they have turned to a provincial government that is totalitarian... A government the people of Quebec are content to allow to change and control the aspects of their lives... Mabye im going overboard

If I were a Quebecker, I'd be going overboard, too; preferably eastward. I think I'd be a better Maritimer than on Ontarian.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I'd simply put one Italian menu out on each table and two French ones along with it.

With the french ones double the price. Everything needs to be doubled correct?

 

[Nuggler]

We used to go to Que. every year for a week. Nice little spot on the river. Not for years now. Betcha they miss their $500.00......lol

probably not.

 

[no color]

More of the same ...

CJAD News

OQLF now targeting Plateau bike shop

Posted By: Richard Deschamps
2/21/2013 12:58:00

A bike shop on the Plateau has become the latest target of Quebec's language police.

Bicycletterie J.R. on Rachel St. has been visited twice by inspectors with the Office Québécois de la Langue Française, which objected to a handful of signs posted in his store.

The offending signs are: one that advertises bike rental rates in English, a cute drawing that depicts a bird saying 'cuida tu carroceria' (watch your bodywork in Spanish), a novelty shop sign that says the same thing, and a couple of other novelty signs in English. One of them says, 'prices subject to change, according to customer's attitude', the other says, 'stupid mistakes are made by others; we only make unavoidable errors.'

All this was too much for an anonymous complainant to the OQLF.

Jaime Rosenbluth is the shop's owner. He's an immigrant from Bolivia who speaks four languages, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, and serves his customers with ease in each of them. He says in the 25 years he's been in business on Rachel St., he's never had to confront Quebec's language politics, until now.

"They go into my privacy," says Rosenbluth of the manner in which the OQLF inspectors conducted their visit. "They go inside the place, and they're taking pictures of my business, my store, my little things that I have here that are really personal."

Rosenbluth says, he will comply with the OQLF's requests. In doing so, however, he'll take a page from the OQLF's playbook, and use a little masking tape.

"I'm going to put a cover on top of the signs, saying, in French: 'Warning. Non-French poster or sign underneath. Read at your own discretion.'

Read more: CJAD 800

 

[L Gilbert]

Sounds to me like he immigrated to the wrong spot in Canuckville.
I bet the QC Language Schutzstaffel has spies everywhere.

 

[no color]

This has now gone global. Here's a related Fox News article:

FOX News

Language cops spark furor after Canadian restaurant told 'pasta' should be in French
Published February 22, 2013

Holy pasta, or should we say pâtes alimentaires.

One Quebec eatery has become the target of the region's overzealous language police who said there was too much Italian on Italian restaurant’s menu.

Creating offense were words like "pasta," "antipasti," "carne," "pesce," and "calamari," reports the CBC

.

It all started when the Office Québécois de la langue française, which enforces the province's strict rules that French be the predominant language, investigated a citizen complaint against the Italian restaurant Buonanotte in Montreal.

Language cops spark furor after Canadian restaurant told 'pasta' should be in French | Fox News

 

[Ron in Regina]

Interesting. The 'language police' in Quebec are there to protect the French
language and culture? This is their way to promote tolerance I'm assuming?

Anyone else try this (AltaVista Babelfish Translation for Free)

 

[SLM]

Interesting. The 'language police' in Quebec are there to protect the French
language and culture? This is their way to promote tolerance I'm assuming?

Anyone else try this (AltaVista Babelfish Translation for Free)

Obviously this whole "language police" thing is just a thinly veiled conspiracy to promote French foods over Italian cuisine.

Spagetti lover's unite!

 

[FiveParadox]

Canada as a Bilingual Country

At the outset, let me be entirely clear that I support our Canadian identity as a bilingual country. I support the provision of federal public services in both English and French, as our official languages, in all parts of the country. I support the Official Languages Act, and the equal status that English and French hold in our judicial system, and the way that we give incentives to unilingual federal public service workers to learn the second official language.

I support bilingualism as a bit of an institutional conservative, I suppose. I recognise the unique role that French Canada played in the development of the modern Canada. I also acknowledge that there was an implicit agreement in the coming-about of Confederation, wherein it was understood that the French language would be protected by way of our systems of government.

For this reason, I suppose measures in Québec that are designed to promote the use of French. These measures would be established, presumably, to promote and preserve the use of the French language in the province, and in respect and promotion of the province's distinctive culture. This being said, there is a major difference between measures to promote one official language over the other, while still respecting both languages, and the current reality — which is measures that discriminate against, and unreasonably restrict and prohibit, the use of English as an official language.

Restrictions on the Use of English

It is my view that measures in Québec to restrict the use of English ought to be considered unconstitutional or, in the alternative, certainly contrary to the spirit of the constitution (not to mention the federal framework established for official languages, which provinces ought to use as a model). The idea that any province would contemplate laws to restrict one of Canada's two official languages that might require the notwithstanding clause in order to be enforced, should be of grave concern to people throughout the country.

If the province is going to offer incentives to promote the use of French (whether these are economic incentives, etc.), then that is okay with me. The right to use English in the transaction of business, however, should not be attacked or restricted. Business should have the freedom and the discretion to operate in both languages, and to choose whether or not to thereby receive any incentives or whatever other benefits might be offered by Québec to operate in French exclusively or predominantly.

 

[El Barto]

The people of Quebec have become scared. Scared of losing their language, and in their fear they have turned to a provincial government that is totalitarian... A government the people of Quebec are content to allow to change and control the aspects of their lives... Mabye im going overboard

Yes you are.... Most Qubecers don't give a damn....only those that make the news

We can talk about the prejudice of Quebec all day , but from what I have seen and heard it is pretty much everywhere in Canada.
It is easy to single out because they speak a different language... again prejudice..
I heard there is a certain problem in BC with the Chinese community of a simular nature.... people are going to swear that nothing was done about it .... Quebec ... well bash it for any reason you wish , but it seems to be ahead of certain problems in this area.

 

[CDNBear]

We can talk about the prejudice of Quebec all day , but from what I have seen and heard it is pretty much everywhere in Canada.
It is easy to single out because they speak a different language... again prejudice..

I'm going to agree with you.

But I'll add that Quebec is the only province that has a law pertaining to the restricting of language use.

 

[El Barto]

I'm going to agree with you.

But I'll add that Quebec is the only province that has a law pertaining to the restricting of language use.

That is true, can't argue that.
But laws are created for or from needs be it justified or not.
The visible laungauge sings is an easy target.... Where they have missed for protecting the language is right where they were supposed to have aimed at ... schools.... by the very group that came in to power looking for independence. When you have university students that can't even write their language perfectly you have a problem...
It is sad that the generation before mine with a grade 4 to 6 education can spell and write better than today's university students.

But Quebec will always be a target for the ignorant.

That is true, can't argue that.
But laws are created for or from needs be it justified or not.
The visible laungauge sings is an easy target.... Where they have missed for protecting the language is right where they were supposed to have aimed at ... schools.... by the very group that came in to power looking for independence. When you have university students that can't even write their language perfectly you have a problem...
It is sad that the generation before mine with a grade 4 to 6 education can spell and write better than today's university students.

But Quebec will always be a target for the ignorant.

Gah sorry , typos ....ironic rant eh? lol

 

[CDNBear]

But laws are created for or from needs be it justified or not.

Well generally there should be some justification.

Whether that justification is legitimate is the actual question.

The visible laungauge sings is an easy target.... Where they have missed for protecting the language is right where they were supposed to have aimed at ... schools.... by the very group that came in to power looking for independence. When you have university students that can't even write their language perfectly you have a problem...
It is sad that the generation before mine with a grade 4 to 6 education can spell and write better than today's university students.

That doesn't require the province to be draconian in nature, it requires that the government crack down on education in the province.

But Quebec will always be a target for the ignorant.

No doubt. Which would be a good reason for her government to be careful about the laws they enact and how they enforce them.

Because even to the educated, the present situation is bizarre.

 

[El Barto]

Well generally there should be some justification.

Whether that justification is legitimate is the actual question.

That doesn't require the province to be draconian in nature, it requires that the government crack down on education in the province.

No doubt. Which would be a good reason for her government to be careful about the laws they enact and how they enforce them.

Because even to the educated, the present situation is bizarre.

Legitimate ..... that seems to be controlled by who is behind the wheel at the time.... everyone claims that.

This to me is a twisted way of control..... mind you at times I do see the obvious.... you are in a french province ..But this is not strengthening the French language and this is where the Government be it who is in power failed to see. I mean the effort to strengthen the language

 

[SLM]

Legitimate ..... that seems to be controlled by who is behind the wheel at the time.... everyone claims that.

This to me is a twisted way of control..... mind you at times I do see the obvious.... you are in a french province ..But this is not strengthening the French language and this is where the Government be it who is in power failed to see. I mean the effort to strengthen the language

Of course it doesn't strengthen the language. Because attempting to elevate one thing by focusing on putting down another thing never works.

It's a false elevation.

 

[El Barto]

Of course it doesn't strengthen the language. Because attempting to elevate one thing by focusing on putting down another thing never works.

It's a false elevation.

Exactly

 

[JamesBondo]

Throughout Canada, there are restaurants that do not use english on anything. I think it is absurd that the french get upset when a restaurant does not use french on anything.

 

[taxslave]

The restaurant should have called it "le pasta" and probably no one would have noticed.

 

[JamesBondo]

To me, the very fact that there are language laws suggests that a certain amount of the french suffer from a sense of inferiority. As an english speaking canadian, I do not feel threatened by an ethnic restaurant that doesn't use english. In my opinion, if the french think they are equals to the english, then they should not feel threatened by an ethnic restaurant.