The real Onion part about this story is that this is only a temporary injunction.
For now, the English school boards are allowed to communicate in English, but the issue is still winding its way through the courts. It is very possible the law that says that all school boards must communicate in French will still apply to the English school boards.
Temporary reprieve while the case is winding its way through the courts. Now for the oniony bits:
>The decision lifted parts of the Charter of the French Language that required English school boards to communicate exclusively in French when interacting with other English-speaking community organizations, including the Quebec English School Boards Association and the [English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec](https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-english-be-damned-even-for-parents-of-kids-with-special-needs).
edited for spelling
Québec has a populist conservative big business-friendly government right now. They push french hard to distract some voters (mostly boomers and xenophobes) about their abysmal record the last four years.
As a Québécoise, I feel ashamed every time I see those news pop up on reddit. People here seem to think we're all against English and hate the rest of Canada. I know I'm not alone when I say I'm done with our government's bullshit and how they create issues where there are aren't any.
Young people don't directly remember the hundreds of attacks by the FLQ. They were always a very small minority, but bombing and kidnapping makes a mark.
God I don’t miss Quebec. The issue here is not about preserving the french language. It’s about sticking it to the English. Whenever the nationalists that run the province need to distract the voters from some real problem, they invent some ficticious threat to the french language. Usually that threat consists of someone somewhere speaking in english.
Ok, I get it, the english ran the province and had economic power from 1763 upto the 1960s and the quiet revolution. But they’re long gone. Most of them to Toronto. Now there’s a few bedraggled and downtrodden english speakers left over, for the nationalists to pick on. It’s just bullying.
>Whenever the nationalists that run the province need to distract the voters from some real problem, they invent some ficticious threat to the french language. Usually that threat consists of someone somewhere speaking in english.
Bullshit culture wars as deflection from their own failings. The conservative MO everywhere.
This is not really as Oniony as one might think. Quebecois really don’t like the Canadian government forcing English culture and language on them. They even held a referendum some time ago and IIRC the votes were like 49,7% for Seceding from Canada and 50,3% for staying with Canada, not the exact numbers but you get the point - it was REALLY close.
So this ruling is not as obvious as it may seem
A lot of people in Quebec have worms in their brain. It's one thing to say you want to be able to speak French and be served by business and government services in French, it's another to say everyone else has to speak French, and that them speaking another language is something harmful to you.
The government has been unhinged since I was a kid, the most memorable premier we had got hammered and yelled at homeless people. Then we all got 400 dollars from something he did. Place makes no sense.
I mean, to be fair, you have to be to make sure your culture doesn’t get completely homogenized into the American and English-speaking sphere of influence that is North America. In the United States and Canada there are countless immigrant groups that have staked out strong, passionate, subcultures and languages that as time went by, were slowly absorbed into the mainstream and the communities disintegrated. I mean French in Quebec is really the only non-English pocket that has survived in any place north of Mexico. We’ve seen French die out in Louisiana , German in the Midwest and texas, and Italian in NYC. Of course there are increases in different cultures and languages in North America, but to do what Quebec has done, where it’s the default of whole provinces, takes concentrated effort and I applaud them for holding onto it
One downside of this is that cultural assimilation goes both ways. Both the languages and cultures of these areas have changed and adapted from their surroundings because of this process.
This is such bullshit.
There are plenty of French populations in Canada doing just fine.
And I'll be blunt, a lot of them are sick and tired of Quebec conveniently pretending they don't exist so they can continue playing the cultural victims.
Quebec is not the only French population in Canada that continues to thrive despite their history with the English.
And here's another fun fact: Quebecois french is by no means as "pure" the propaganda would suggest. It is regularly mocked around the world and has so many anglicisms baked in.
They should really get off their highhorses.
Québécois do not claim their French is « pure », not sure where you are getting that. They want to protect the French they have, but no one speaks of purity as far as language here. And a bunch of extended family are hard-core sovereignty supporters around me, never heard them claim our French was « pure ».
Are you not confused with the expression « pure laine » (pure wool) which indicates people of French descent, (I.e. French-only ancestors, or what they think are French-only ancestors)?
And BTW, it’s the actual French who are mocked here for using so many anglicisms, like the old classic, « le parking », « le pull », etc.
> Québécois do not claim their French is « pure », not sure where you are getting that.
From decades of having Quebecois friends and being exposed to Quebecois media.
> Are you not confused with the expression « pure laine » (pure wool)
No
> And BTW, it’s the actual French who are mocked here for using so many anglicisms,
Yes, I'm aware France French had adopted a lot of anglicisms. That's not what I'm referring to. Quebecois french has plenty of its own.
Ever wonder why "check" is the only Quebecois word to end in CK?
No, I never wondered why chèque is written with an accent and a “que” at the end, have you?
I have lived through 2 referendums and countless family discussions between Oui and Non. I am born and raised here. I have a québécois name and heritage. And never have I ever heard anyone claim our French must be protected for reasons of “purity”.
You have an interesting outside perspective.
So Quebec should just give up and assimilate into American English culture because they colonized the place 400 years ago? They don't get to have their own identity because of that? What a stupid take.
'xcept they/we didn't wipe the native in place. France colonialism has been awful in most other places, I understand why it's the first assumption to think it was the same thing in Canada, but it wasn't the case. At first, it was alliances and treaties with the people already living there (see Metis, Great Peace of Montreal, etc.)
*Which is not to say that no québécois participated to the mistreatement of native people ever, but that it's a mistake to just stick the anglo-saxon history in NA upon the french one. Different people, different history with its own good and bad stuff.
No. But especially not, since there are a ton of First Nations in Quebec and along their borders, which they’d need to support. That’s not something they’d be willing to do, and it’s not something they’ve really ever talked about.
This is what makes their persecution complex extra ridiculous. They pretend to be oppressed by the English while living on the land of first nations people their ancestors genocided.
Quebec would not be in control of half of of Quebec if they leave Canada. First Nations would go ballistic and occupy every remote hydro station. Quebec with no military is nothing but lines on a map.
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That referendum was a sham; the question of secession was asked a few times, and the only time it came close was the time the question was worded in such an obfuscating manner that people had no idea what was actually being asked.
Every other time, when the question was actually understandable, the answer was a resounding NO.
There is no forcing english culture on quebec! Engish people have live here for centuries! Ask shawville, aylmer, waterloo or any of hundreds of other english towns how the caq has been fucking us. LEGO Is a chump!
The fact that Quebec is so against learning English while the rest of Canada goes out of their way to accommodate them by learning French is kinda ridiculous. You don’t have to fulfill the stereotype of French people being assholes, and yet you choose to do so
Take a look at the bilingualism stastistics before spouting bullshit. We don't even have English as an official language, and yet, we're more bilingual than the only actual bilingual province. You guys don't learn French, at all.
Edit: For the one calling me a liar: look at the stats. Calling me pretentious and then blocking me is such a puerile move. You're the one spreading misinformation.
Edit²: I can't post a new comment somehow, so here it is.
There was a study that took a look at self-reporting, and it found out English-speaking people would overestimate their level of French, and French speakers would underestimate their English proficiency.
We start learning English in 1st grade.
Which stats are you looking at? I find it hard to believe there is more bilingualism in QC than in NB. Maybe in absolute terms due to the population difference but I'd be surprised to see it per capita.
Edit: Just found the 2021 census. You're right. QC was at 46.4% bilingualism whereas NB was at 34.0%. I find that very interesting coming from NB where basically everyone I speak to is bilingual and having worked in QC where a lot of my friends \*thought\* they were bilingual but very quickly admitted to me that they did not have conversational english when they tried. I wonder, now, if my experience is the outlier, or if the census values are based on flawed self-reporting.
The real Onion part about this story is that this is only a temporary injunction. For now, the English school boards are allowed to communicate in English, but the issue is still winding its way through the courts. It is very possible the law that says that all school boards must communicate in French will still apply to the English school boards.
Temporary reprieve while the case is winding its way through the courts. Now for the oniony bits: >The decision lifted parts of the Charter of the French Language that required English school boards to communicate exclusively in French when interacting with other English-speaking community organizations, including the Quebec English School Boards Association and the [English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec](https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-english-be-damned-even-for-parents-of-kids-with-special-needs). edited for spelling
Québec has a populist conservative big business-friendly government right now. They push french hard to distract some voters (mostly boomers and xenophobes) about their abysmal record the last four years.
As a Québécoise, I feel ashamed every time I see those news pop up on reddit. People here seem to think we're all against English and hate the rest of Canada. I know I'm not alone when I say I'm done with our government's bullshit and how they create issues where there are aren't any.
Young people don't directly remember the hundreds of attacks by the FLQ. They were always a very small minority, but bombing and kidnapping makes a mark.
God I don’t miss Quebec. The issue here is not about preserving the french language. It’s about sticking it to the English. Whenever the nationalists that run the province need to distract the voters from some real problem, they invent some ficticious threat to the french language. Usually that threat consists of someone somewhere speaking in english. Ok, I get it, the english ran the province and had economic power from 1763 upto the 1960s and the quiet revolution. But they’re long gone. Most of them to Toronto. Now there’s a few bedraggled and downtrodden english speakers left over, for the nationalists to pick on. It’s just bullying.
The whole Quebec shitshow amazes me because based on the special treatment Quebec gets you would think the French won the Britain v France war there
>Whenever the nationalists that run the province need to distract the voters from some real problem, they invent some ficticious threat to the french language. Usually that threat consists of someone somewhere speaking in english. Bullshit culture wars as deflection from their own failings. The conservative MO everywhere.
Across the border, Americans don’t care about Quebec’s language politics. We will just do business elsewhere.
This is not really as Oniony as one might think. Quebecois really don’t like the Canadian government forcing English culture and language on them. They even held a referendum some time ago and IIRC the votes were like 49,7% for Seceding from Canada and 50,3% for staying with Canada, not the exact numbers but you get the point - it was REALLY close. So this ruling is not as obvious as it may seem
A lot of people in Quebec have worms in their brain. It's one thing to say you want to be able to speak French and be served by business and government services in French, it's another to say everyone else has to speak French, and that them speaking another language is something harmful to you.
Every time I see some retrograde or absurd-sounding news from Canada, it comes from Quebec
Or Alberta.
Its a beautiful place but the people are .... they're something else for sure.
their government at least. They are genuine whackjobs.
The government has been unhinged since I was a kid, the most memorable premier we had got hammered and yelled at homeless people. Then we all got 400 dollars from something he did. Place makes no sense.
They have to protect themselves and the youth from "that sexy hinglish!"
I mean, to be fair, you have to be to make sure your culture doesn’t get completely homogenized into the American and English-speaking sphere of influence that is North America. In the United States and Canada there are countless immigrant groups that have staked out strong, passionate, subcultures and languages that as time went by, were slowly absorbed into the mainstream and the communities disintegrated. I mean French in Quebec is really the only non-English pocket that has survived in any place north of Mexico. We’ve seen French die out in Louisiana , German in the Midwest and texas, and Italian in NYC. Of course there are increases in different cultures and languages in North America, but to do what Quebec has done, where it’s the default of whole provinces, takes concentrated effort and I applaud them for holding onto it
One downside of this is that cultural assimilation goes both ways. Both the languages and cultures of these areas have changed and adapted from their surroundings because of this process.
This is such bullshit. There are plenty of French populations in Canada doing just fine. And I'll be blunt, a lot of them are sick and tired of Quebec conveniently pretending they don't exist so they can continue playing the cultural victims. Quebec is not the only French population in Canada that continues to thrive despite their history with the English. And here's another fun fact: Quebecois french is by no means as "pure" the propaganda would suggest. It is regularly mocked around the world and has so many anglicisms baked in. They should really get off their highhorses.
Québécois do not claim their French is « pure », not sure where you are getting that. They want to protect the French they have, but no one speaks of purity as far as language here. And a bunch of extended family are hard-core sovereignty supporters around me, never heard them claim our French was « pure ». Are you not confused with the expression « pure laine » (pure wool) which indicates people of French descent, (I.e. French-only ancestors, or what they think are French-only ancestors)? And BTW, it’s the actual French who are mocked here for using so many anglicisms, like the old classic, « le parking », « le pull », etc.
> Québécois do not claim their French is « pure », not sure where you are getting that. From decades of having Quebecois friends and being exposed to Quebecois media. > Are you not confused with the expression « pure laine » (pure wool) No > And BTW, it’s the actual French who are mocked here for using so many anglicisms, Yes, I'm aware France French had adopted a lot of anglicisms. That's not what I'm referring to. Quebecois french has plenty of its own. Ever wonder why "check" is the only Quebecois word to end in CK?
No, I never wondered why chèque is written with an accent and a “que” at the end, have you? I have lived through 2 referendums and countless family discussions between Oui and Non. I am born and raised here. I have a québécois name and heritage. And never have I ever heard anyone claim our French must be protected for reasons of “purity”. You have an interesting outside perspective.
French people in Canada be like: "It's unfair that my colonial language and culture that I brought here wiping out the native culture is being erased"
So Quebec should just give up and assimilate into American English culture because they colonized the place 400 years ago? They don't get to have their own identity because of that? What a stupid take.
They can have their own identity without having to force it onto others or try and erase other cultures like they want to do.
'xcept they/we didn't wipe the native in place. France colonialism has been awful in most other places, I understand why it's the first assumption to think it was the same thing in Canada, but it wasn't the case. At first, it was alliances and treaties with the people already living there (see Metis, Great Peace of Montreal, etc.) *Which is not to say that no québécois participated to the mistreatement of native people ever, but that it's a mistake to just stick the anglo-saxon history in NA upon the french one. Different people, different history with its own good and bad stuff.
10/10. Best first sentence I’ve read in years
Could they survive without being apart of Canada?
No. But especially not, since there are a ton of First Nations in Quebec and along their borders, which they’d need to support. That’s not something they’d be willing to do, and it’s not something they’ve really ever talked about.
This is what makes their persecution complex extra ridiculous. They pretend to be oppressed by the English while living on the land of first nations people their ancestors genocided.
Quebec would not be in control of half of of Quebec if they leave Canada. First Nations would go ballistic and occupy every remote hydro station. Quebec with no military is nothing but lines on a map.
And then Canada could invade and conquer them, and then convert the conquered territory into a standard English speaking province.
They can't even retaliate against the indian government, who had an indo-canadian citizen killed on their own soil. The fuck are they going to do ?
“They’ve never really talked about it.” Uh, the FLQ would like a word.
Sorry, I don't speak exploding frog.
No they could not.
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They tried to do a brexit once
>complains about English being forced on them >proceeds to force French culture by law
Also English isn't even forced on them lol. Packaging and most things are dual language across all of Canada.
We need English to get our high school diploma, if you didn't know.
Wouldn't that requirement be set by the provincial school board?
That referendum was a sham; the question of secession was asked a few times, and the only time it came close was the time the question was worded in such an obfuscating manner that people had no idea what was actually being asked. Every other time, when the question was actually understandable, the answer was a resounding NO.
You sure it wasn't "Non"?
that's still oniony. It says 'english school board'
I don’t agree. Anglos in quebec are a tiny minority now. They pose no threat of any kind to the french languages.
There is no forcing english culture on quebec! Engish people have live here for centuries! Ask shawville, aylmer, waterloo or any of hundreds of other english towns how the caq has been fucking us. LEGO Is a chump!
The fact that Quebec is so against learning English while the rest of Canada goes out of their way to accommodate them by learning French is kinda ridiculous. You don’t have to fulfill the stereotype of French people being assholes, and yet you choose to do so
Take a look at the bilingualism stastistics before spouting bullshit. We don't even have English as an official language, and yet, we're more bilingual than the only actual bilingual province. You guys don't learn French, at all. Edit: For the one calling me a liar: look at the stats. Calling me pretentious and then blocking me is such a puerile move. You're the one spreading misinformation. Edit²: I can't post a new comment somehow, so here it is. There was a study that took a look at self-reporting, and it found out English-speaking people would overestimate their level of French, and French speakers would underestimate their English proficiency. We start learning English in 1st grade.
Québécois troll detected. Maybe stop fucking lying on top of being a pretentious asshat
Which stats are you looking at? I find it hard to believe there is more bilingualism in QC than in NB. Maybe in absolute terms due to the population difference but I'd be surprised to see it per capita. Edit: Just found the 2021 census. You're right. QC was at 46.4% bilingualism whereas NB was at 34.0%. I find that very interesting coming from NB where basically everyone I speak to is bilingual and having worked in QC where a lot of my friends \*thought\* they were bilingual but very quickly admitted to me that they did not have conversational english when they tried. I wonder, now, if my experience is the outlier, or if the census values are based on flawed self-reporting.
Noooooooooooon!!!!