Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

I would argue that being banned from US airspace is worse than recession. Recessions come and go. Being curtailed in once freedom of movement is worse.

Not at all. That's like saying the biggest impact for Ukrainians of being invaded is not being able to go to Russia.

The level of complete destruction of our current economy if any of that happened is really unprecedented.

[Acajack]

Current températures

Gatineau 2c

Paris 1c

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Current températures

Gatineau 2c

Paris 1c

I'm going to guess our visitor from France is timing his next post for tonight.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

That's like saying the biggest impact for Ukrainians of being invaded is not being able to go to Russia.

Yeah, totally comparable dude!

What's certain is the biggest impact of Ukraine's invasion by Russia is not the recession. But I know it's hard for Anglo-Saxons (and those living in Anglo-Saxon countries) to think beyond just the economy. It's so ingrained in your culture. Growth, growth, growth. Nothing more catastrophic than a recession.

Originally Posted by YOWetal

The level of complete destruction of our current economy if any of that happened is really unprecedented.

Canada's economy wouldn't be "completely destroyed". Your economy would adapt, reorient itself in other directions. Even Russia's economy, which has been submitted to far worse sanctions since 2022 than Canada would ever be, has not collapsed and has adapted.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Current températures

Gatineau 2c

Paris 1c

Today was an awfully cold day. I was thinking this afternoon, it feels already so miserable with those temperatures, I can't even imagine how I could survive -20 and more as you'll happily experience within 48 hours. I would have to change all my wardrobe, probably put something over my head (my ears were so cold today), put some gloves all the time (must be hell using smartphones with gloves), etc.

Can't wait for next Thursday when we'll finally be back in +10C/+13C temperatures and I can go run in the wood again!!

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Current températures

Gatineau 2c

Paris 1c

Sherbrooke was +4C earlier today Take that, Paris!

[lio45]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Today was an awfully cold day. I was thinking this afternoon, it feels already so miserable with those temperatures, I can't even imagine how I could survive -20 and more as you'll happily experience within 48 hours. I would have to change all my wardrobe, probably put something over my head (my ears were so cold today), put some gloves all the time (must be hell using smartphones with gloves), etc.

Can't wait for next Thursday when we'll finally be back in +10C/+13C temperatures and I can go run in the wood again!!

-20C isn’t cold. We’re equipped to deal with that; you guys are not. It’s that simple.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Yeah, totally comparable dude!

What's certain is the biggest impact of Ukraine's invasion by Russia is not the recession. But I know it's hard for Anglo-Saxons (and those living in Anglo-Saxon countries) to think beyond just the economy. It's so ingrained in your culture. Growth, growth, growth. Nothing more catastrophic than a recession.


Canada's economy wouldn't be "completely destroyed". Your economy would adapt, reorient itself in other directions. Even Russia's economy, which has been submitted to far worse sanctions since 2022 than Canada would ever be, has not collapsed and has adapted.

That's a leap. Why always pick a fight? You're like the ugly American, except from France.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Today was an awfully cold day. I was thinking this afternoon, it feels already so miserable with those temperatures, I can't even imagine how I could survive -20 and more as you'll happily experience within 48 hours. I would have to change all my wardrobe, probably put something over my head (my ears were so cold today), put some gloves all the time (must be hell using smartphones with gloves), etc.

Can't wait for next Thursday when we'll finally be back in +10C/+13C temperatures and I can go run in the wood again!!

Yeah luckily with global warming we won't have to put up with it in the long run and you'll have another month of 35C summer heatwaves.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by lio45

-20C isn’t cold. We’re equipped to deal with that; you guys are not. It’s that simple.

Human body is human body, equipped or not equipped. I think it's more a case of pretending to yourself that you can cope with it and it's nothing, just because you have no other choice. Like those people living in coastal Iran who swelter in temperatures of around +80 on the humidex certain days in summer and who probably must be saying the same thing as you (we can cope, etc). Both you and I know +80 on the humidex would be hell on Earth, equipped or not equipped.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

Yeah luckily with global warming we won't have to put up with it in the long run and you'll have another month of 35C summer heatwaves.

Depends where. Northern Cotentin (in Normandy) never exceeds 30C. During major heatwaves they have 25C in general. That's the place to live in the future (I go there during major heatwaves, 3 hours drive from Paris).

Anyway, last summer we had almost no temperature in the 30s (only 12 days above 30C according to the charts). It was an ok summer. And fortunately when it's hot the air here is dry, not humid like on the eastern seaboard of North America, so more tolerable.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Human body is human body, equipped or not equipped. I think it's more a case of pretending to yourself that you can cope with it and it's nothing, just because you have no other choice. Like those people living in coastal Iran who swelter in temperatures of around +80 on the humidex certain days in summer and who probably must be saying the same thing as you (we can cope, etc). Both you and I know +80 on the humidex would be hell on Earth, equipped or not equipped.

Are you just now discovering that Canada is cold?

[theman23]

Originally Posted by lio45

-20C isn’t cold. We’re equipped to deal with that; you guys are not. It’s that simple.

I've spent a couple winters up north, near Inuvik/Tuktoyaktuk. The locals will still go out for their smokes, walk to the shop or gym, and even go for runs in -20C weather. It's pretty much -20 all the time there in the winter though. It isn't until -30C that they start remarking that it's cold, but will usually go out anyways.

It's not that different in the rest of Canada either. -20 is pretty common, even if it doesn't stay that cold for more than a few days at a time. It's only really coastal B.C. where -20C weather is unusual. Perhaps parts of Southern Ontario and the Atlantic. People learn to adapt and with enough gear it's fine. You can't do the same in the extreme heat - there's only so many layers you can take off, and that level of heat is also usually accompanied by poor air quality which you also can't avoid.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Yeah, totally comparable dude!

What's certain is the biggest impact of Ukraine's invasion by Russia is not the recession. But I know it's hard for Anglo-Saxons (and those living in Anglo-Saxon countries) to think beyond just the economy. It's so ingrained in your culture. Growth, growth, growth. Nothing more catastrophic than a recession.


Canada's economy wouldn't be "completely destroyed". Your economy would adapt, reorient itself in other directions. Even Russia's economy, which has been submitted to far worse sanctions since 2022 than Canada would ever be, has not collapsed and has adapted.

You're not wrong but unlike you where our next vacation will be isn't our main focus.

I don't think you understand how integrated and dependent the Canadian economy is. Now sure we could retreat get our act together and be major LNG and oil exporter but there would be a long period of adjustment.

If you haven't noticed we also aren't the most unified country in the world. The infighting would be a mess.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Human body is human body, equipped or not equipped. I think it's more a case of pretending to yourself that you can cope with it and it's nothing, just because you have no other choice.

This is not true. People acclimatize over time to better handle different conditions. If you spend a lot of time in colder winter conditions it's not as hard to tolerate; same with heat. There's a limit but the average in most of southern Canada is well within that range.

I agree you often come off like an ugly American, lecturing Canadians. Canadians are very familiar with having to deal with American politics for example. It's been the reality here for hundreds of years. You're not really dropping truth bombs here, you're providing a stream of semi-accurate observations.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by someone123

This is not true. People acclimatize over time to better handle different conditions. If you spend a lot of time in colder winter conditions it's not as hard to tolerate; same with heat. There's a limit but the average in most of southern Canada is well within that range.

For sure people acclimatize. That's why people living in hot deserts handle the hot weather better. And vice versa for Canada or Siberia. But there's also a part that is "autosuggestion" as we say in French, convincing yourself that it's all fine, because, well, you can't avoid it, so better embrace it, etc.

If cold weather was totally completely well accepted by the Canadians, why would so many of them go to Florida and the Caribbean in winter? People in Southern Spain don't go to the tropics in winter. People in Malaga or Seville never pay expensive plane tickets to go spend New Year in Thailand or the Dominican Republic. People in Sweden do. Guess why. And yet the Swedes should be well acclimatized to the cold by now.

[New Brisavoine]

The Québécois guy at 0:40 in that CBC news story from 1960 about wintering in Miami admitted it quite candidly.

Interviewer: "What do you have against Canadian snows?"

Guy: "Ah, j'm'en vais vous dire franch'ment, j'suis tanné d'trembler !"

• Video Link

That's an honest response.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Current températures

Gatineau 2c

Paris 1c

And the final results are in (courtesy of Infoclimat, whose website is the best for world weather observations).

Gatineau today peaked at +2.3C. Paris peaked at +3.1C.

Lowest temperature of the day was the same: +0.3C in Paris at 2am, and +0.3C in Gatineau at 4am.

Paris has a very big urban heat island effect. For example at 2am it was +0.3C in the center of Paris, but it was -1.3C in the outer suburbs (which is not such a big difference, sometimes the difference can be 5 or 6 degrees). And this afternoon it peaked at +0.5C in the outer suburbs, vs +3.1c in Paris. When snow falls, it can last for days in the outer suburbs, whereas it melts almost immediately in Paris. A few years ago I traveled to Melun (southern suburbs) in winter, and it was surreal because all the roofs were covered with snow, whereas there was no snow whatsoever in Paris. It felt like travelling to another country. I also feel it when I return from day trips to the provinces in the evening. The moment I leave the car in Paris, it feels noticeably warmer than when I left, say, Normandy 2 hours earlier (and that's true both winter and summer, like you leave Normandy at 7pm where you need a light jacket, and you arrive at 9pm in Paris and it's T-shirtable)

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

Another entitled Anglophone blowing his fuse in Montreal?

EN VIDÉO | Un client fâché qu’une employée de Walmart ne parle pas anglais

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2025/0...employee-de-walmart-ne-parle-pas-anglais


I just can't imagine the reciprocal scenario of a Québécois harassing a Toronto Costco employee for not being able to provide service in French.

Making some little buzz up to France.

• Video Link

It seems they actually can understand each other, but neither of them may be comfortable in speaking the other's language.
The Walmart employee only wanted to get some help from a colleague.
Why would the customer make such a big deal of it?

In Switzerland, they have 4 official languages and it's no problem to them at all.
Guess not every people is as wise or clever as the Swiss, lol.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by mousquet

Making some little buzz up to France.

• Video Link

It seems they actually can understand each other, but neither of them may be comfortable in speaking the other's language.
The Walmart employee only wanted to get some help from a colleague.
Why would the customer make such a big deal of it?

In Switzerland, they have 4 official languages and it's no problem to them at all.
Guess not every people is as wise or clever as the Swiss, lol.

In order to post it on social media to draw attention to himself. In reality very few, if any, Canadians would object if a Quebecker in Quebec chose not to speak English and went to get someone else to help. It's pretty normal.