Quote:
Originally Posted by whatnext
Canada's two official languages are English and French. When you immigrate to a country you should understand that participating fully in that country and taking on its values is part of the package. Having a sign only in one, non-official language, sends an exclusionary message. it's not only Caucasians who can't read it, Hispanics, Turks, Syrians, Indian etc etc are also excluded. A core tenet of multiculturalism is inclusiveness, not exclusion.
By all means have the sign in Chinese AND French or Chinese AND English.
BTW, the "spending tax dollars" argument is extremely weak. City councils are meant to debate issues of concern to the public. Publishing a new bylaw is a minimal cost and municipalities all have bylaws officers already to enforce such things.
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But what do private companies have to do with it? If you move to a country, yes, you should expect that public services will only be available in the official languages. If you need the hospital, you'd better bring a translator! If you hope to understand a driver's test, fill out government applications, or apply to school, you need the language. But noodles? Seriously, who cares what language/alphabet they sell them in.