Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

and Quebec's Treasury would take a hit.

Not if the federal government puts some sort of equalization scheme in place (for example, people keep paying their taxes in Ontario, no hassle, but the federal government redirects part of the tax money towards Québec to compensate them). This is probably the sort of scheme that exists in Switzerland between cantons. This way, a guy from super-low taxation Zug canton doesn't get reported by neighbors if he goes live in neighboring Zurich canton where taxes are higher and parks his car with his Zug license plate there.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

^^France is far less centralized than most people imagine. And federal countries don't have tax issues as crazy as explained here. In Germany, federal country par excellence, if you move from Berlin to Potsdam in Brandenburg, neighbors are not going to denounce you to the authorities if you have a Berlin license plate and pay your taxes in Berlin! Even in the US, I've never heard of such stories.

PS: Actually the stories I heard in the US were about people from LA establishing their residency in Las Vegas for tax reasons (the details I've forgotten... no income tax in Nevada I think), but I've never heard of people in Las Vegas reporting to the authorities people with Californian license plates. The only people who don't like Californian license plates are the Oregonians, but for entirely different reasons.

Those examples of yours all lack the linguistic tension dynamic. I’m pretty sure you can imagine (for example) locals in the Brabant Flamand right outside Bruxelles denouncing a neighbor who’s a suspected Francophone, no?

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by lio45

Those examples of yours all lack the linguistic tension dynamic. I’m pretty sure you can imagine (for example) locals in the Brabant Flamand right outside Bruxelles denouncing a neighbor who’s a suspected Francophone, no?

Income tax in Belgium is federal. These is no Flemish income tax. Belgian regions have surprisingly few tax powers.

[Acajack]

Not sure if they still do but I recall certain Flemish suburbs of Brussels a few years ago imposing a Flemish language test on francophones wanting to buy property. I think some also forced them to sign a waiver promising to never ask for services in French.

[New Brisavoine]

The test was for those asking for social housing (and it targeted mainly Francophone African immigrants from Brussels moving to the Flemish suburbs, even though of course the Flemish authorities would never admit it openly). It has nothing to do with taxation. If anything, the Flemish authorities would gladly lose some tax revenue if that could get them rid of the tens of thousands of Francophones who live in the Flemish suburbs of Brussels.

The Brussels cartoonist Kroll had a hilarious cartoon comparing social housing in racist Flanders vs social housing in corrupt Wallonia. The Dutch text means "Do you speak Flemish?" The African guy responds: "A little". The book on the desk of the Flemish civil servant is the "Housing Code", the one in which this infamous test was inscribed by the Flemish nationalist parties in charge of Flanders.

[Acajack]

Yes I know it was not a taxation issue.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

It's beyond me how in a country like Canada that always obsesses about its unity you guys haven't devised something like that for cross-province workers. And the authorities going as far as expecting neighbors to inform them when someone with an out of province license plate lives in the neighborhood. That sounds pretty insane.

We obsess about our unity?!? That's news to me.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

We obsess about our unity?!? That's news to me.

Not in any constructive or effective manner, anyway!

[P'tit Renard]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Not if the federal government puts some sort of equalization scheme in place (for example, people keep paying their taxes in Ontario, no hassle, but the federal government redirects part of the tax money towards Québec to compensate them). This is probably the sort of scheme that exists in Switzerland between cantons. This way, a guy from super-low taxation Zug canton doesn't get reported by neighbors if he goes live in neighboring Zurich canton where taxes are higher and parks his car with his Zug license plate there.

You're probably not familiar with Canadian federal politics, and don't realize how toxic equalization is. The equalization mechanism put in by Trudeau Senior (based on other parameters/metrics) is extremely polarizing and contentious.

The federal government will stay away from implementing another equalization program like it's the plague.

Don't get me wrong, your suggestion is rational and reasonable, but doesn't take into account the reality of Canadian federal and Quebec politics.

[New Brisavoine]

J'espère que le Québec va mettre en place de grosses mesures de sécurité pour les meetings du PQ lors des prochaines élections de 2026...

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

J'espère que le Québec va mettre en place de grosses mesures de sécurité pour les meetings du PQ lors des prochaines élections de 2026...

Vous êtes au courant de ce qui s'est passé en septembre 2012?

[New Brisavoine]

Justement !

(tu peux me tutoyer)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Justement !

(tu peux me tutoyer)

Ma mère m'a bien élevé.

[New Brisavoine]

Sur les forums on ne se vouvoie jamais. Le vouvoiement ça fait anglophone qui a appris le français à l'école et maitrise mal les codes...

[kwoldtimer]

This may not end weill ...

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

This may not end weill ...

Lapsus révélateur.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Sur les forums on ne se vouvoie jamais. Le vouvoiement ça fait anglophone qui a appris le français à l'école et maitrise mal les codes...

Sauf quand on voit bien que le reste du texte vient d’un francophone. Tout comme Acajack, je vouvoie toujours les “inconnus” lorsque j’interagis en ligne (Facebook marketplace, forums, etc.)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Lapsus révélateur.

Kurt Weill ou Simone Weil? L'embarras du choix.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

Sauf quand on voit bien que le reste du texte vient d’un francophone. Tout comme Acajack, je vouvoie toujours les “inconnus” lorsque j’interagis en ligne (Facebook marketplace, forums, etc.)

En fait vendredi j'étais dans un magasin de Gatineau et le caissier (trentenaire) tutoyait une cliente (cinquantenaire) à qui mieux mieux, et ça m'a heurté sur le coup.

J'ai tout de suite pensé que c'était un anglophone ou un Franco-Ontarien qui me maîtrisait ces subtilités de la langue.

Cela dit si Brisavoine s'abonne à mon compte sur Twitter je le tutoierai volontiers.

[Acajack]

Small numbers but interesting just the same


https://x.com/JF_Martin007/status/1812543255373922549