Language to feature in election
If you’d told me during the last municipal election that language would be one of the hot potatoes in 2021, I don’t think I’d’ve believed you, but it’s shaping up that way. Le Devoir has an op-ed Tuesday from Hadrien Parizeau, grandson of the sainted Jacques, pushing the city to do lots more to promote French.
The thing is this: it does already. Everything the city does is in French. All its communications, all its activities, are in French. Unfortunately where this tends to go is subtracting anything done in English (or other languages) to make it even more perfectly, piously, prodigiously French.
Valérie Plante has always been aware of having other communities in her city, speaking English and many other languages, and it being sometimes important to communicate with them in their language, especially during a pandemic. She knows she’s a mayor for everybody.
The comedy here is that Denis Coderre – federalist, at least by his track record – may be allowing his followers to paint him into a perfect little French-only corner.
In tangentially related news, Justin Trudeau says Quebec is absolutely allowed to unilaterally modify the Canadian constitution.
Update: Some additional thoughts on belonging in Quebec from Émilie Nicolas and on Bill 96 from Toula Drimonis.
dhomas 16:37 on 2021-05-18 Permalink
Unrelated to these stories, but what the hell is this at the bottom of the CBC article?
“This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook-Canadian Press News Fellowship, which is not involved in the editorial process.”
I’ve not noticed it before. It’s this new?
Kate 16:37 on 2021-05-18 Permalink
I meant to note that, thanks dhomas. No idea what’s up with this, and not seen it before today.
Kevin 19:55 on 2021-05-18 Permalink
Dhomas
Long story short: it’s a wire service item.
Long story long: https://www.thecanadianpress.com/about/partnerships/facebook/
GC 20:33 on 2021-05-18 Permalink
Thanks for that Drimonis link.
Kate 09:03 on 2021-05-19 Permalink
GC, Toula Drimonis is always worth reading.
Jack 10:01 on 2021-05-19 Permalink
Toula is the best ! She is absolutely representative of the English speaking community now.
GC 13:17 on 2021-05-19 Permalink
I generally only read her stuff when you link to it but, yes, it’s usually on point.
Martin 15:30 on 2021-05-19 Permalink
Indeed, that Toula Drimonis article is the best *balanced* summary I’ve read so far.
I especially like her emphasis on the low literacy and graduation rates among Quebecers. What should be an important part of *any* plan to strengthen the French language in Quebec is conspicuously absent from Bill 96.
It’s almost like the Bill isn’t about the French language at all… just like Bill 21 can be construed as not being really about “la laïcité”.
Daniel 07:11 on 2021-05-20 Permalink
Too much stick, not enough carrot, as she says.
It’s also sad to see “which language is spoken at home” used as any sort of barometer. I could study French for the next 20 years and I would never speak it at home. The measurement seems purpose-built to make some people an other.
GC 08:37 on 2021-05-20 Permalink
100%. If a couple has the same mother tongue–whatever it is–of course that’s what they are going to speak to each other at home. And there’s a high chance they will also teach that language to any children they have. Which is not a bad thing.
It’s not a statistic that any legislation is going to change–other than restricting immigration to people who have French as a mother tongue.