Ethnic cleansing of Anglos in Quebec

[DasFX]

Kind of you. I'd probably do the same. But I'm sure you'd feel even better if a Spaniard whose second language was French went there and spoke in Broken French, because then you'd also have an opportunity to develop your French at the same time. Would I be wrong on this point?

No, I'd practice my Spanish, it isn't as strong as my French. I sort of see your point though.

 

[Machjo]

Kind of you. I'd probably do the same. But I'm sure you'd feel even better if a Spaniard whose second language was French went there and spoke in Broken French, because then you'd also have an opportunity to develop your French at the same time. Would I be wrong on this point?

No, I'd practice my Spanish, it isn't as strong as my French. I sort of see your point though.

You got me there!

 

[Nascar_James]

My kids go to an English Montreal School Board elementary school and, yes, unfortunately those schools have every year less and less students.

It's too bad, really, since program in this school, for example, is bilingual, half the subjects are taught in French. Kids come out of there with a pretty good knowledge of French. (Unlike francophone kids, that barely learn any English in elementary school and - I know separatists can argue this - but not being able to speak English on this continent is a clear disadvantage.)

It is also understandable that EMSB at some point has to close those schools, if for no other reason then to ensure that the kids who are enrolled get a good education.

You definitely have my sympathy. If you decide to stay in Montreal, you need to keep your traditions and values. This means passing on the English language to your kids and their kids and so on. Force the issue if you must. Whenever you enter any establishment in the city, use English all the time ... no exceptions, just as your folks did and their folks did. I myself have left Quebec for Oklahoma. The folks down here are more of the traditional type.

 

[Nascar_James]

Ethnic cleansing of Anglos in Quebec

Really reaching on this one eh...... how do you get ethnic cleansing from the closure of under used schools?

Ethnic cleansing might be a bit strong expression for what is going on. The fact is that less and less people have the right to enroll their kids in english schools. Closing of the schools is just a consequence.

Population here grows mostly thanks to immigrants, and they can educate their kids in French only.

There used to be a loophole that immigrants used a lot: if they sent one child for one year into a private (and not at all subsidized by the government) school, that child and all the siblings would be eligible for an education in English. That is not possible anymore.

Recently there was a case of a man from Manitoba, I think, who moved to Quebec and who, as a child, went to a French immersion program. After he moved here he had send his children to French school here, since he got most of his elementary education in French.

There are little examples like that, but of course they are of no concern to the rest of Canada, unless somebody plans on actually moving here.

There used to be another loophole that a lot of folks took advantage of (especially English speaking immigrants living in the West Island)... not sure if it still exists. If you are not eligible to send your kids to an English school, send them to a public school in Hawkesbury Ontario for one year (isn't that the city just across the Ontraio/Quebec border?), then they obtain their eligibility certificate. They would be able to transfer to pulbic English school in Montreal the next year.

 

[Nascar_James]

Re: RE: Ethnic cleansing of A

Its ok for Quebec to have "Language police" to rid English and thats ok to them but if we in BC had language police to rid french, Quebecers would be crying to high heaven. Why the double standard?

:?
For the simple reason that French language speaking person is in majority in the Québec province, and in democracy, the majority gets to decide. As a Québécois, I can assure you that we are mature enough to give the same rights to our minority's that the majority have, like it is always been in my Québec.

BC getting rid of French in their province would be seen as a major infraction towards minority's rights. As French Quebecers we would object this kind of abuse and will support YOUR OWN CITIZENS for the damage you would be causing them.

tsk tsk ... that is awful. The argument above makes absolutely no sense.

The language police are definitely not good anywhere. Restricting someone's livlihood thru the language police is a violation of that person's civil rights.

It is completely unacceptable ... I have heard of folks having to close their businesses in Montreal at the request of the language police because their day-to-day operations (including customer service) was done in English. English speaking persons have as much right to their livlihood in Montreal as do the French Speakers. If someone in BC would open up a French only shop, no one would tell them to shut it down!

 

[jackd]

Restricting someone's livlihood thru the language police is a violation of that person's civil rights

Not so. When you have a minute, look at the various Supreme Court of Canada rulings regarding the validity of Law 101...and its amendments.

I have heard of folks having to close their businesses in Montreal at the request of the language police because their day-to-day operations (including customer service) was done in English.

You said you HEARD.... who was making the noise?
What you heard is not true. There is no law, rules or regulations preventing anyone to run his business is English, Polish, Arab or any other language.
Don't believe everything your hear, including "the sky is falling"

 

[Nascar_James]

Restricting someone's livlihood thru the language police is a violation of that person's civil rights

Not so. When you have a minute, look at the various Supreme Court of Canada rulings regarding the validity of Law 101...and its amendments.

I have heard of folks having to close their businesses in Montreal at the request of the language police because their day-to-day operations (including customer service) was done in English.

You said you HEARD.... who was making the noise?
What you heard is not true. There is no law, rules or regulations preventing anyone to run his business is English, Polish, Arab or any other language.
Don't believe everything your hear, including "the sky is falling"

The Supreme Court of Canada is made up entirely of far-left leaning judges that is why I prefer to follow the decisions made my the United Nations. They are a neutral organization and have unbias opinions. Last I remember, the UN ruled that Quebec's language laws were rasist against the English Speakers living in Quebec. So in summary, the language laws in Quebec are a direct violation of the civil rights of the English speaking population living there.

Imagine, a unilingual English speaking person who resides in Quebec, was born in Quebec and who was educated in Quebec in English before French Immersion schools came around cannot open up a business in Quebec if he speaks no French and wants to put up an English only sign outside his establishment. That is surely a violation of that person's civil rights!

When I tell the folks here in the US about Quebec's language laws and the language police, they are truly amazed.

 

[GL Schmitt]

Ethnic cleansing of Anglos in Quebec

Really reaching on this one eh......

Yeah!

Should have been Linguistic Cleansing.

 

[Jay]

If you live in Quebec and you don't send your kids to French schools, there is something wrong.

 

[s_lone]

A good friend of mine was fired from a food store. (and she speaks a beginners french). The reason she was fired is that a french customer complained she said 13 wrong in french. My friend said treize) . She said this french customer was harassing her for a week and finally told my friend's boss that her french wasn't good enough. To everybody that thinks this is o.k I think it' was just ridiculous. It made me mad as hell to be part of this province. There are a lot of spies. Yes I call them spies that just want to rid english from this province. How many times have I gotten on a bus only to see the grafitti., GO HOME ENGLISH CANADIAN. Or yelled at by a bus driver that doesn't want to speak english. IMaybe I'm generalising here but these situations go on all the time. To protect my 3 year old I'm enrolling her in french school . It's the only way to get a half decent job without having to be limited in the job market because you don't speak french.

There are stupid intolerant people everywhere.

If you live in Montreal, it is to anybody's advantage to speak both languages perfectly. Of course it will give you a lot more job opportunities but that's the way it is everywhere. You gotta adapt to your environment and knowing more than one language is always a big asset. I wouldn't hire someone who can't understand and speak a minimum of French or English. It's a different situation in the ROQ (rest of Quebec) but I still think any Quebecer should aim at being bilingual.

 

[bruju]

what is the number of french speaking people that live in Canada ? To get a job for many company's you must speak french.Not English.
Try calling Bell Canada, you get a recording that ask's you if you want to speak to someone in French or English. You answer English and then try to decifer what that french speaking person is saying.I wonder what would happen if the roll was reverced

 

[FiveParadox]

Nature of Employment

To be employed by the Government of Canada, or some of its Crown companies, one must speak both English and French at an adequate level; this is quite reasonable, given the consideration that one would likely need to communicate with persons from English and French Canada in carrying out their duties as an employee.

:arrow: Révision: Mon éducation en français

Je suis désolé, en avance, pour avoir fait des erreurs dans les phrase suivantes.

Je suis content d'essayer de m'enseigner la langue française; si je chercherai un emploi pour le Gouvernement du Canada, je devrais être préparé de parler en englais, et en français, pour pouvoir servir tous les canadians et canadiennes.

 

[Machjo]

Yup!

My kids go to an English Montreal School Board elementary school and, yes, unfortunately those schools have every year less and less students.

It's too bad, really, since program in this school, for example, is bilingual, half the subjects are taught in French. Kids come out of there with a pretty good knowledge of French. (Unlike francophone kids, that barely learn any English in elementary school and - I know separatists can argue this - but not being able to speak English on this continent is a clear disadvantage.)

It is also understandable that EMSB at some point has to close those schools, if for no other reason then to ensure that the kids who are enrolled get a good education.

You definitely have my sympathy. If you decide to stay in Montreal, you need to keep your traditions and values. This means passing on the English language to your kids and their kids and so on. Force the issue if you must. Whenever you enter any establishment in the city, use English all the time ... no exceptions, just as your folks did and their folks did. I myself have left Quebec for Oklahoma. The folks down here are more of the traditional type.

that's exactly the attitude the Brits had throughout their colonies and that's what made English what it is today. Keep the tradition alive folks!

 

[Machjo]

Re: RE: Ethnic cleansing of A

Its ok for Quebec to have "Language police" to rid English and thats ok to them but if we in BC had language police to rid french, Quebecers would be crying to high heaven. Why the double standard?

:?
For the simple reason that French language speaking person is in majority in the Québec province, and in democracy, the majority gets to decide. As a Québécois, I can assure you that we are mature enough to give the same rights to our minority's that the majority have, like it is always been in my Québec.

BC getting rid of French in their province would be seen as a major infraction towards minority's rights. As French Quebecers we would object this kind of abuse and will support YOUR OWN CITIZENS for the damage you would be causing them.

tsk tsk ... that is awful. The argument above makes absolutely no sense.

The language police are definitely not good anywhere. Restricting someone's livlihood thru the language police is a violation of that person's civil rights.

It is completely unacceptable ... I have heard of folks having to close their businesses in Montreal at the request of the language police because their day-to-day operations (including customer service) was done in English. English speaking persons have as much right to their livlihood in Montreal as do the French Speakers. If someone in BC would open up a French only shop, no one would tell them to shut it down!

I do agree that Bill 101 can be a little too harsh though. If it only focussed on the compulsory education front but not on ones daily life as an adult, it would be sufficient I think.

 

[I think not]

When you require laws (like Bill 101) to force culture upon the population, what does that say about the culture itself?

 

[Machjo]

When you require laws (like Bill 101) to force culture upon the population, what does that say about the culture itself?

It says the culture is threatenned and needs a legal counterbalance. Same in Yanbian. Same in Xinjiang. Same in Tibet. They all have similar laws to Quebec but much weeker; all signs must be in both Chinese and the local language, and children can go to school in their native language. However, universities usuall must teach in Putonghua. In my opinion those laws aren't suffiently strong enough and need something more in line with Quebec's Bill 101. Unless of course you believe that the Tibetans, Uighurs, Chinese Koreans, Chinese Russians and Inner Mongolians ought to just assimilate gradually to the majority Han language through the pressures of the free market.

The bottom line is, in any country in the world, when one language is stronger than the other, it needs an appropriate counterbalance of some kind. I don't agree with the details of Bill 101, but I do agree with the principle.

 

[I think not]

It says the culture is threatenned and needs a legal counterbalance.

Bill 101, or language laws discriminate one language over another. If the population is "moving" towards another language or culture, why is there a need by some to preserve something that people are rejecting?

 

[Jay]

It isn't a rejection of the language it is simply being overwhelmed.

Some say if they don't have the right to protect it, they will pull the province out of confederation.

 

[I think not]

Cultures come and go, this has been true throughout history, if French or English or Portugese dissapear because the population prefers another language, then so be it. If anyone misses it, they can visit a museum.

 

[Jay]

Or they can pull the province out of the federation.