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Originally Posted by Acajack
There is a key bit of missing context here in that all of the provinces (except Quebec of course) historically "stuck it" to their francophone populations, to the point where they are in most cases have been reduced to shadows of their former selves. (There are some exceptions like New Brunswick, but even there there are red lights on the dashboard.)
So even though all of the attention in the ROC is on Quebec being mean to its poor anglo minority, in Quebec people know the (far worse) history of francophones in other provinces so they're mostly unmoved by all of this crying.
And of course part of Quebec's resolve is all about avoiding what happened to the ROC's francophones, being done to them at some point in the future.
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It's an interesting narrative that I can't quite wrap my head around. Have francophone populations been actively attacked in the 'ROC' (I'm not talking 1764 - which most people agree in today's world as being wrong, even though it was an act of war at the time), or has it been a natural progression of francophone communities blending in with the majority anglo communities surrounding them? Has the massive influence of the US through television and internet caused some of the language/culture bleed? It's not clear in my mind that anglo society has actively 'stuck it' to francophones, but it appears more to be an osmosis-type process.
Further, is it the government's responsibility to ensure that a language/culture continues untouched, in its original form? For example, should NS have protected the remaining Acadian communities by creating zones where English is not allowed to be spoken, in order to ensure that the Acadian culture continues?
I had the impression that French-speaking communities in NS (for example) were still retaining their language and were still very proud of their culture and heritage. I gather this from interactions I've had locally, plus I always see a lot of vehicles on the road with Acadian flag license plates on them (you're not getting a plate if you're not aware and proud of your heritage).
For those not aware:
Quote:
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Service Nova Scotia, in partnership with Acadian Affairs, have developed a new French-language licence plate celebrating Acadian and francophone culture. The colourful licence plate features an image of the Acadian flag with the words Nova Scotia, Nouvelle-Écosse across the top.
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Source
Of course you would have a vastly greater knowledge of Acadian communities than I would, but it's never been clear to me how to quantify the fact that communities change with time, and whether that's an indication that people are really losing something in terms of quality of life and happiness, or if it's more that the ideals of some members of the community don't line up with the direction that society is taking.
I always had the feeling that Quebec would always retain its francophone culture, whether the government propped it up or not. But also wondered if enforcing the use of the French language really made a difference for the average person, or if it just serves to satisfy the more activist members of the community. I felt that Quebec culture is very strong and unique (definitely not the same as France), and very (gasp!) Canadian. Maybe I was (am) wrong, though.
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