Your thoughts on official unilingualism?
- Thread starter Machjo
- Start date
Honestly, all I care about is common citizenship and a common passport with total decentralisation beyond that.
Though if Canada were that decentralised, Parliament would be excessive. All we would need is a committee with a representative elected by each provincial legislature to legislate citizenship and passport laws with everything else going to the provinces and territories. It's about as decentralist as we could get while still maintaining national unity, yet I could support that.
This a definition of a confederation. About what european union is and what canada was supposed to be.
And I should be a big supporter of a confederation of Quebec-Canada.
I think my problem is this. As a fiscal conservative, I support official unilingualism. As a member of a family that straddles the Ontario-Quebec border, a common citizenship and passport is non-negotiable.
However, I don't know how many in English Canada would support this degree of decentralization while maintaining a common citizenship and passport.
However, I don't know how many in English Canada would support this degree of decentralization while maintaining a common citizenship and passport.
It would depend entirely on the cost. Also the military would have to be included. We cold do away with transfer payments and let provinces that want to be backwater cesspools be just that.SHould their citizens wish to work in the more forward provinces their income tax would remain in that jurisdiction. I'm also thinking a higher incometax rate as well if they are taking money out of province.
You know equalization is a federal program. It's up to them to cancel it.
In fact, if federal can cut most of his programs and leave the juridiction of Quebec and provinces, it will be perfect for most of us.
I didn't get that last part. You mean like if an Ontarian lives on the border with Manitoba but works in Manitoba would pay a higher tax than the one who lives and works in the same province?
Why?
And taxslave. How would official unilingualism make Québec a cesspool?
Firstly, it would save translation costs to pay off debt at the fed and provincial levels.
Secondly, it would allow for a freer market. For example, small businesses in the ROC could import products with or without French packaging, same in Quebec for English packaging. This holds both sides back.
As as for skilled labour shortages, since we're talking just official unilingualism and not separation, French speakers from the ROC could still fill positions in Quebec and Quebec's English speakers in the ROC.
Ironically, with the Federal Government ditching bilingual requirements, the private sector would probably become more bilingual nationwide as bilinguals turn to the private sector for jobs.
That could increase trade between Ontario and Quebec too.
Good point. You can't blame Québec alone for a federal programme.
Neither Switzerland nor France is a part of Canada. Are you proposing we annex France?
Hmmmm... It alone would take up the majority of Parliamentary seats and make French more spoken than English in the newly expanded Canada.
In Quebec about half the people refuse to speak English because they hate it. The other half is not that one-sided. I lived there for eleven years and had no problem with learning French and getting to like it. My English I learned in Manitoba and Ontario on the street, I have never forgotten my first language and now I love all three. (been a lunchbox man all my life)
Tell me, how much people speak french in ROC ? About 7% ?
Is it because 93% of canadians hate french ?
The membership of this forum is heavily skewed to the Right politically and to the West, geographically. It really isn't that bad in Canada unless you have already made up your mind that it is. The opinions that you read here are by no means a cross-section of Canadian thought.
So what forum would you recommend that would be more representative?
What I can say for sure is that this forum appears to be more Francophobic than Canadian thought generally.
And though I can't prove it and could be wrong, my impression is that ironically ROC francophobes and Quebec sovereignists see eye to eye more than they realise. For instance, they are more likely than ROC francophiles to support official unilingualism.
Though I'm by no means the only exception, those like myself who are francophones and francophiles who live or at least have lived in the ROC seldom support official unilingualism.
What causes me to fall more in the same camp as ROC francophobes and Quebec sovereignists on this front is pure coincidence. ROC francophobes, Québec sovereignists and I each come to the same conclusion after having followed radically different rationales.
There may be others here who support it for different reasons too.
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You like this "two solitudes" thing, do you?
I'm a born and bred Anglo Quebecer and I don't see my reality represented by either camp.
I'm a born and bred Anglo Quebecer and I don't see my reality represented by either camp.
What I see here is more supporter for unilingualism all over Quebec and canada.... English all over including Quebec.
I seen nobody telling that french unilingualism in all sphere of the society in Quebec is legitimate and a good way for the future.
Some time ago I spent three weeks in Stockholm on a holiday. To my surprise I found that all Swedes speak perfect English. It is taught in school and the kids love it. Most Scandinavians are bilingual and it is a pleasure to see. It would be easy to teach our two national languages in school and follow the example of the Scandinavians.
I noticed that a lot of people of Québec origine call themselves French Canadians (Canadiens Français)...
I call myself Canadien Francophone!
I'm Canadian first and my first language is not a religion and I don't celebrate la St. Jean Batiste....
I call myself Canadien Francophone!
I'm Canadian first and my first language is not a religion and I don't celebrate la St. Jean Batiste....