Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[dleung]

Lol I KNEW there's gonna be a big stink raised on SSP (if nowhere else) about the new GG

Not speaking French in a country that is 70% unilingual anglophone? Incroyable!

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by dleung

Lol I KNEW there's gonna be a big stink raised on SSP (if nowhere else) about the new GG

Not speaking French in a country that is 70% unilingual anglophone? Incroyable!

You have to admit that the GG (even if 90%+ of Canadians have no idea who it is) is an important symbolic position and the choice of that person matters. In this country, language remains an important division.

Does it really matter? About as much as the GG position itself matters, I suppose.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by dleung

Lol I KNEW there's gonna be a big stink raised on SSP (if nowhere else) about the new GG

Not speaking French in a country that is 70% unilingual anglophone? Incroyable!

We just knew that, given the opportunity, you wouldn't hesitate to tell the (wrong side) minority to go suck a lemon!

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by p_xavier

Yes it's MacPoulet. As someone who's from there, Edmundston is mostly an extension of Québec branding (also because it's the end of the distribution chains from Québec too). It's still one of the most French speaking town in Canada. Shoppers Drug Mart was not translated but Sobey's was rebranded to IGA a decade ago. It was one of the few places to have a Vidéotron store instead of a Rogers store.

I've only ever spoken French in Edmundston. You can definitely tell that most of the marketing there is from Quebec. It even has a sign with both KFC and PFK. I've never seen PFK on signs in majority francophone places in Ontario.

I worked at McDonald's just over 20 years ago and almost all francophones said "McChicken" when ordering in French. If they said "MacPoulet" then it meant that they were most likely from Quebec.

[Hali87]

Chaotic neutral approach: I think the GG should have to conduct all of their business in French (or a First Nations language that's widely spoken enough to have a reliable network of interpreters to draw from at a practical level, and standardized legal terms). They would have translators when addressing people who might not speak French and anything that they had to sign off on would be presented to them in French. Maybe we could rotate between French and the various First Nations languages as more and more of them become practical over time.

This could be an extra check and balance that most other countries don't get to have, because laws would have to be filtered through multiple languages (more than they already are), and would therefore have to be more carefully worded. Plus it would be an interesting quirk for our country to have, something that we tend to lack.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Hali87

This could be an extra check and balance that most other countries don't get to have, because laws would have to be filtered through multiple languages (more than they already are), and would therefore have to be more carefully worded. Plus it would be an interesting quirk for our country to have, something that we tend to lack.

There are some countries that reserve this or that appointment for a person from group X or Y. I don't think that is a good idea (and is a different thing from conducting business in a given language, no group identity needed), but I wonder if it means that some countries have different offices conducting business in different languages in this way.

Official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by someone123

There are some countries that reserve this or that appointment for a person from group X or Y. I don't think that is a good idea (and is a different thing from conducting business in a given language, no group identity needed), but I wonder if it means that some countries have different offices conducting business in different languages in this way.

Official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.

In Lebanon, the President's job is reserved for a Christian, and the Prime Minister is always Muslim.

They've had mixed results with that, I'd say.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by someone123

Official languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.

A friend of mine from Malaysia has had to explain to me multiple times how the education system in that country is handled because it seemingly changes with every incoming government. Primary schools in English/Malay/Chinese, Secondary schools in English/Malay/Chinese, Universities in English/Malay/Chinese...all with differing requirements, all with differing rules whenever governments change. Akin to New Brunswick switching back and forth on French Immersion whenever there's a PC or Liberal government brought in.

I think the idea of multi-tiered Official Languages is neat on paper but can get very muddled very quickly once you have more than two, but at least in Malaysia the demographics line up more neatly (Chinese & Malay are roughly 40% each nationally) providing a necessary need for both nationally with English as a middle ground.

[MolsonExport]

Let me say that I firmly believe that our country's leadership (PM and GG) should be bilingual in both official languages.

That said, I am amazed (err, not really). Not at how incredibly sensitive some people are at anything that is perceived as a slight or injustice against Quebec/French-speaking people, but the fact that those people who are the most shrill in their sensitivity are the very same ones that seem utterly incapable at recognizing anything that could be perceived as a slight or injustice against other minority groups.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Let me say that I firmly believe that our country's leadership (PM and GG) should be bilingual in both official languages.

That said, I am amazed (err, not really). Not at how incredibly sensitive some people are at anything that is perceived as a slight or injustice against Quebec/French-speaking people, but the fact that those people who are the most shrill in their sensitivity are the very same ones that seem utterly incapable at recognizing anything that could be perceived as a slight or injustice against other minority groups.

It is actually possible for an intelligent individual to simultaneously:

1) harbour no ill-will personally towards Mary Simon

2) view her appointment as a landmark step forward for Indigenous people

3) deplore this apparent lack of consideration for French as yet another ominous sign of Canada's backtracking on its commitment to the official languages duality

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It is actually possible for an intelligent individual to simultaneously:

1) harbour no ill-will personally towards Mary Simon

2) view her appointment as a landmark step forward for Indigenous people

3) deplore this apparent lack of consideration for French as yet another ominous sign of Canada's backtracking on its commitment to the official languages duality

So, how do you reconcile the conflict between #2 and #3?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

So, how do you reconcile the conflict between #2 and #3?

It's not my job to reconcile. I am just observing.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I've only ever spoken French in Edmundston. You can definitely tell that most of the marketing there is from Quebec. It even has a sign with both KFC and PFK. I've never seen PFK on signs in majority francophone places in Ontario.

I worked at McDonald's just over 20 years ago and almost all francophones said "McChicken" when ordering in French. If they said "MacPoulet" then it meant that they were most likely from Quebec.

There is the saying that the Brayons are the Quebeckers of New Brunswick. There's basically no cultural sharing between Brayons and Acadians.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by p_xavier

There is the saying that the Brayons are the Quebeckers of New Brunswick. There's basically no cultural sharing between Brayons and Acadians.

Nice to see you back. SSP is a drug.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Nice to see you back. SSP is a drug.

Only for a bit. I'm on holidays and nothing to do.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by p_xavier

Only for a bit. I'm on holidays and nothing to do.

It hasn't changed that much.

If you were frustrated by this place back then you'll likely be frustrated again.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It hasn't changed that much.

If you were frustrated by this place back then you'll likely be frustrated again.

I'm not dealing with the woke racialists anymore, that's helping.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by p_xavier

I'm not dealing with the woke racialists anymore, that's helping.

Ouin.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Acajack

This discussion makes me think that Canada and Canadians as a whole are totally unprepared psychologically for the re-emergence and (self re)casting of francophones as a poor, downtrodden, historically mistreated minority.

I am already hearing quite a few rumblings about this. And not just from the ROC provinces. From Quebec too.

Watch out.

I warned you guys about this a few months ago! Prepare to be annoyed!

https://globalnews.ca/news/8039614/governor-general-mary-simon-official-languages-investigation/

[Dengler Avenue]

Bring Romeo Saganash back.