Dread Specter
New member
This is going to be a rant and it might not be popular. Keep it civil.
I have lived outside of Canada, and in 3 different provices. I live in Ontario at the moment.
I am perfectly bilingual, although I speak oxford english, I also speak spanish, german, and have learned latin. I think I`m pretty well educated. I am a mild monarchist and federalist, a passionate Canadian and a proud french and english speaker.
The main reason I am posting this is because there is something I do not understand. Something that has annoyed me for years a many ; the situation of English people in the Province of Quebec and their revendicating.
Canada is a confederation. This means that although each of it`s parts are not sovreign states united under an umbrella, it is highly decentralized therefore it`s like every province is a small country. The can enact their own laws, as per the constitution of 1867 and have exclusive jurisdiciton over certain subject,s under that same constitution.
Out of all the territories and provinces, one is french speaking, one is bilingual. In new brunswick, everything is bilingual and you can be served under both official languages. If I am french speaking, I have reasonable expectations of being served in french there. If I`m english speaking, I would definitely fancy this place to settle as well as I can reasonably expect to be served in my language. If I am english speaking, and I want nothing to do with the french, I would likely avoid New Brunswick, as chances are I will encounter french canadians. As an anglophone though, I have complete freedom of settling almost anywhere in Canada. There is no doubt that as a majority, my rights will never be compromised. I will never lose my english. I will always be a majority, wherever I go in Canada. In fact, even as an anglophone, I will find people in Quebec who will assist me best I can if I can`t be bothered to speak french, which I don't have to because I am english speaking, in an english speaking country, a majority, and I have no interest in french whatsoever.
Now, don't get me wrong, the French police has been a shame for the province, but here`s my question. Quebec is strictly french, because the people there, under the canadin confederation, have decided to go about and live their lives in french. The are allowed under the Canadian constitution to run their daily lives in french if they chose so, just like people of NWT have chosen to run their stuff in aboriginal languages, and same thing for nunavut. There is no border preventing you as a Canadian to move to Quebec. But I'm going to ask you this question : Why?
Why, as a resident of a french speaking enclave, do you act like a little bitch. Why do you insist on having your business signs in english, why do you insist on running you business in english, why do you refuse to learn the language, why do you wave your english fucking rights in these people's face? You can speak whatever fucking language you want at home, you can watch the telly in whatever language you want, your favourite artists are singing in english, your videogames in english, you can laugh with an english accent with your mates making jokes in english of british humour. Nobody is trying to take away your english but why do you act like you are being denied the right to be an english canadian, when in fact, the courtesey is only to follow the rules, and the rules are in french there. I stopped in some places in the west island a few times and as a Canadian, I find those english qubecers to be the most arrogant, despicable kind of the east coast. They have issues, the act all insecure and try to bite first. They will decline to serve a person in french while being perfectly fluent in french just to spite them. But why? You're not threatened in any way, but why do you insistst on making drama! Here in Ottawa, I go from english to french with the people there, I don't expect everyone to serve me in both languages, but it's granted that I'm in english canada, so you don't see franco-ontarians acting up. They speak french together, they have their neighbourhoods, their own french signs, but they don't try to change the whole place about. The speak english at work with anglophones who will answer in broken french, and go back and forth, with varying degrees of fluency in both languages, just because that's the beauty of this place. Nobody feels threatened, and especially not the anglos. So why are the quebec anglophones so tiny-cocked? And for those who do not with to learn french and just arrived here, what in god's name posessed you to chose Quebec out of all places, if not to troll those people?
I just want to close this by saying that there is "acharnement" on both sides, the french police is clearly picking on some english speaking people in the province, and I do not agree with the whole closure of english colleges if sufficient demand justifies it, but I still cannot understand why the anglos try to push the french like that? I think that unfortuantely, people try to put it as 90% french fault, but I think it's 50/50. And I'm not saying you are not allowed to be english in a french province, but just like you are allowed to set your own arse on fire, why do you do it?
Care to enlighten me, MR?
I have lived outside of Canada, and in 3 different provices. I live in Ontario at the moment.
I am perfectly bilingual, although I speak oxford english, I also speak spanish, german, and have learned latin. I think I`m pretty well educated. I am a mild monarchist and federalist, a passionate Canadian and a proud french and english speaker.
The main reason I am posting this is because there is something I do not understand. Something that has annoyed me for years a many ; the situation of English people in the Province of Quebec and their revendicating.
Canada is a confederation. This means that although each of it`s parts are not sovreign states united under an umbrella, it is highly decentralized therefore it`s like every province is a small country. The can enact their own laws, as per the constitution of 1867 and have exclusive jurisdiciton over certain subject,s under that same constitution.
Out of all the territories and provinces, one is french speaking, one is bilingual. In new brunswick, everything is bilingual and you can be served under both official languages. If I am french speaking, I have reasonable expectations of being served in french there. If I`m english speaking, I would definitely fancy this place to settle as well as I can reasonably expect to be served in my language. If I am english speaking, and I want nothing to do with the french, I would likely avoid New Brunswick, as chances are I will encounter french canadians. As an anglophone though, I have complete freedom of settling almost anywhere in Canada. There is no doubt that as a majority, my rights will never be compromised. I will never lose my english. I will always be a majority, wherever I go in Canada. In fact, even as an anglophone, I will find people in Quebec who will assist me best I can if I can`t be bothered to speak french, which I don't have to because I am english speaking, in an english speaking country, a majority, and I have no interest in french whatsoever.
Now, don't get me wrong, the French police has been a shame for the province, but here`s my question. Quebec is strictly french, because the people there, under the canadin confederation, have decided to go about and live their lives in french. The are allowed under the Canadian constitution to run their daily lives in french if they chose so, just like people of NWT have chosen to run their stuff in aboriginal languages, and same thing for nunavut. There is no border preventing you as a Canadian to move to Quebec. But I'm going to ask you this question : Why?
Why, as a resident of a french speaking enclave, do you act like a little bitch. Why do you insist on having your business signs in english, why do you insist on running you business in english, why do you refuse to learn the language, why do you wave your english fucking rights in these people's face? You can speak whatever fucking language you want at home, you can watch the telly in whatever language you want, your favourite artists are singing in english, your videogames in english, you can laugh with an english accent with your mates making jokes in english of british humour. Nobody is trying to take away your english but why do you act like you are being denied the right to be an english canadian, when in fact, the courtesey is only to follow the rules, and the rules are in french there. I stopped in some places in the west island a few times and as a Canadian, I find those english qubecers to be the most arrogant, despicable kind of the east coast. They have issues, the act all insecure and try to bite first. They will decline to serve a person in french while being perfectly fluent in french just to spite them. But why? You're not threatened in any way, but why do you insistst on making drama! Here in Ottawa, I go from english to french with the people there, I don't expect everyone to serve me in both languages, but it's granted that I'm in english canada, so you don't see franco-ontarians acting up. They speak french together, they have their neighbourhoods, their own french signs, but they don't try to change the whole place about. The speak english at work with anglophones who will answer in broken french, and go back and forth, with varying degrees of fluency in both languages, just because that's the beauty of this place. Nobody feels threatened, and especially not the anglos. So why are the quebec anglophones so tiny-cocked? And for those who do not with to learn french and just arrived here, what in god's name posessed you to chose Quebec out of all places, if not to troll those people?
I just want to close this by saying that there is "acharnement" on both sides, the french police is clearly picking on some english speaking people in the province, and I do not agree with the whole closure of english colleges if sufficient demand justifies it, but I still cannot understand why the anglos try to push the french like that? I think that unfortuantely, people try to put it as 90% french fault, but I think it's 50/50. And I'm not saying you are not allowed to be english in a french province, but just like you are allowed to set your own arse on fire, why do you do it?
Care to enlighten me, MR?
