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There can be all sorts of grumblings in Montreal (assuming the demographics of the city actually tip in clearly favour of anglophones at some point in the future) but the decision-making power under the Constitution for all such matters still rests with the provincial government in Quebec City. Which is elected by voters all across Quebec.
That balance that hugely favours francophones isn't likely to tip for decades or a century, if ever.
First thing francophone Quebeckers should do is stop demanding provincial electoral reform. Yes, it's unlikely to happen even with people calling for it, but the current electoral system means francophones' political power won't melt anywhere as quickly as francophone demographic majority. Maybe I'm missing something, but francophones hoping to change this strike me as turkeys voting for Christmas.
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Originally Posted by Acajack
A more likely scenario than demographic changes in Montreal actually changing the political scene of Quebec to the point where it alters its legal and linguistic status, would be actually tougher measures from Quebec in terms of language and identity issues that lead to a mini version of the anglo exodus of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
The problem is no measures will ever bring Montreal back once it's gone. And a majority anglophone Greater Montreal and a (hopefully)stable majority francophone ROQ would mean a politically volatile situation forever, far more so than what passes for political volatility in Canada now or in recent history. So many Montreal anglophones can't come to terms with a still overwhelmingly francophone province sometimes sending them mail in French by innocent mistake, and already feel that Montreal is theirs and theirs alone - "we built it", "the French ruined it", "Mtl is different, don't worry about coming here, francophones are quite easy to avoid". Of course that's far, far from everyone. But in an overwhelmingly anglophone Greater Montreal, especially if language laws are tightened, frustration will inevitably, and in many ways understandably, grow.
Frustrations about the minority ruling the majority, about the regions ruling Montreal, about the metropolis and economic motor of Quebec being subjected to outdated laws irrelevant to its reality. This will inevitably be accompanied by some uglier allegations: a majority white ROQ imposing its will on multicultural Montreal, backwards Herouxville lording it over the progressive metropolis. It's a recipe for neverending hostility, volatility, ever uglier and louder allegations, and a political scene that's nothing but constant anglo-franco fighting with little to no room for anything else. Then there's the ROC, which already seems to be constantly angry with Quebec and increasingly eager to meddle in its affairs (IMO, worrying trends for Quebec's future in Canada, no matter what one thinks of Bill 21; and again, significant how often Bill 96 is brought up in the same breath). What would QC-ROC relations be like with such a Quebec? Most anglophones already seem to think their anglo compatriots in QC are somehow ufairly treated or oppressed to at least some extent (with the scale anywhere from "QC is really assholish and hypocritical on language" to "QC is a white supremacist fascist regime committing cultural genocide against non-francophones. Worryingly, Canada's elites are increasingly trending toward the latter. Can you even imagine the constant ****show that would be Canadian politics if francophone regions held political power over a firmly anglophone Greater Montreal?
Another question is, would the stricter language measures even be enforced in such a Mtl? Sure, there would still be francophones in Mtl. But we know that in majority anglophone regions French-related laws tend to remain nothing but words on paper. Just look at the big joke Higgs is making of NB bilingualism, and getting away with it handily, constitutionally enshrined rights and all. I just can't see all that much cooperation and enforcement, even of bilingualism, happening in a future overwhelmingly anglo Greater Montreal.
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Originally Posted by Acajack
While I don't think it will spark much of an exodus, the reactions to Bill 98 (which you rightfully describe as somewhat tepid) are extremely hysterical and irrational at the moment.
Heck, there are even negative reactions from them to the Quebec government wanting muzak on government phone lines and in its buildings to feature Quebec music (in any language BTW) instead of Lady Gaga and Coldplay.
And of course Bill 21 on religious symbols also displeases this demographic disproportionately.
So while they aren't running for the border yet, there is I think as sense of unease among more than a few anglophones and also anglicized allophones about being in Quebec and subject to the whims (even if democratic) of those people.
There's little appetite in Montreal for tightening language measures, and not all that much more elsewhere. You can feel it, and voters' high approval of the CAQ's handling of the language issue proves it. Quebec anglophones know or feel this as well. Sure, many might be making lots of noise about Bill 96 being extreme and threatening and what not, but I highly doubt they truly believe it, especially those with blue checkmarks. It's just a strategy to get rid of even that minor nuisance. Because, why not.
E.g. the CAQ just gave Royal Victoria to McGill. No one can convince me anglophones are actually afraid of what this government will do.
On the issue of the fate of French in SW Nova Scotia, here's an interesting interview from the most successful Acadian musician of the last couple of years (well, Lisa LeBlanc is back now, so his reign is possibly over). The relevant bit starts at 12:12.
I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that at all, let alone so point blank and matter-of-factly, in an interview. (I wonder how it would have gone over if he'd said it in a Radio-Canada interview. And whether he would have.) Even with just random people on twitter or reddit, while you do occasionally see someone say it, but it's almost always people who aren't attached to the language, and this guy definitely is. I'm not sure if he means just his community (and those like it), or Acadians more broadly (well, not the North, I guess?). The interviewer's question does start with something he was told by someone from Dieppe, but I guess the response is still kinda ambiguous as to who it refers to.
It's very interesting to me, because the whole issue seems to be kind of a taboo topic among most of those who do care. On reddit or Twitter suggesting anything similar to his words is a good way to get your head bitten off (though that might have to do with the fact that it's usually Quebecois suggesting it, it would probably be received at least somewhat differently coming from an Acadian). And artists seem to largely have a super positive attitude on the issue, even if they don't often get asked so directly(whether they're all 100% convinced or it's more aspirational or a question of morale for some of them, I don't know). I can only remember a less than positive response once, from Radio Radio, but it was still a far cry from this, more of a "who knows". So I can't help but wonder how this opinion goes over in the Acadian cultural milieu.
The deportation answer is also unusual. Not that artists get asked about it that much in interviews, but the prevailing attitude seems to be one of lightly joking about it or preferring it not get brought up. Of "moving on". So this serious answer about intergenerational trauma just felt in the bones is interesting. Given that the "moving on" sentiment is often with celebratory satisfaction that Acadians not only survived as a community but still speak French, I wonder if his sentiments on this one is due to his opinion on the fate of the language.
Studies of BSM high schoolers about a decade ago (so, this kid's generation) found very little in the way of worry that French could disappear from the community. Some of the kids worried about the anglicization of their spoken French, but pretty much none thought the community could lose it.
Even he himself seemed more positive half a decade ago. Well, that's my impression at least, he doesn't talk about the future directly here. If so, I wonder if it was something specific that changed his mind, or if it was just a change of perspective.
Also, after reading that I was a bit shocked to find out he doesn't seem to come from a wholly francophone household. The "Guimond" isn't even francophone in his case (well, obviously it was at some point) but First Nations (Salteaux, I think), but he seems to have grown up with an anglophone stepdad. (Are Cogginses in SW NS all anglophones? Seems to be the case, but you never know in Canada). Bit surprising how much he makes it sound like he comes from a totally francophone background in that old interview.
Yes, I do feel a bit creepy over googling the kid's family background, but hey, he's a minor public figure now. It was so jarring to hear something like that said out loud with such certainty, I wanted to know more about his perspective. I wish he'd been asked more about the choice to make music in French given his position on its fate in his community. Does he choose to keep doing so in spite of it, because of it, or is it neither. The choices and motivations of minority language artists are super interesting to me, as are the ways people deal with language loss. In a way I wish interviewers would ask people about it more directly more often, but I do understand it's not the most tactful of questions.
The accent from the girl who says she's from PEI is a lot more Acadien francophone sounding (and less anglo) than what I'd expect. Especially from someone so young.
She might be unique case, I dunno. Or maybe she moved there from somewhere else with her parents.
The mother tongue francophone kids from the Evangeline Region that I've heard don't actually sound too anglicized to me. They do have replacement-by-English-R going on at the end of some words, as can be heard when they're singing in the video (the other girls are from the Evangeline region, but not sure if they're native speakers). But it still seems to be early in the replacement-by-English-R process, so when listening to them speak whole sentences (as opposed to isolated words) the overall impression isn't that anglicized.
Here's an Evangeline Region band:
But mystery girl from the other video isn't from Evangeline Region, she's apparently from Charlottetown. And she doesn't really sound like she's from Evangeline either. They roll most of their Rs (the ones that haven't been replaced by English R), and she doesn't. And I think their accent also sounds "broader" than hers.
Or I guess it's possible her family's from there (and that's why she sounds so Acadian despite growing up in Charlottetown) but her accent is different because of some traits picked up in her Charlottetown school?
Or maybe her family's from another Acadian area? New Brunswick? Are there even Thériaults in the Evangeline Region? I tried to look it up and there are apparently quite a few PEI Thériaults, but they pretty much all seem to be from Tignish, an area virtually devoid of young native speakers, so I'd think that's unlikely to be where her family is from?
Where would you guess the mystery girl to be from if you heard her accent without any context?
Also, I was surprised at the difficulty with which the anglophone girl at the Games was expressing herself. I would expect that much difficulty from an immersion student (given how inadequate the whole way French immersion functions in Canada is), but that speaker would likely have gone to French schools all her life, even if they were in Saint John.
Btw, saw quite a few anglophones the other day under the impression P'tit Belliveau is Québecois, so I guess when I said somewhere in the thread that anglophone Canadians overestimate their ear and most couldn't actually differentiate between Canadian French accents with the SW NS accent being a definite exception maybe I was a bit too hasty with that last part. I'm sure low awareness of Acadians west of Ontario plays a part. And to be fair to them, I guess the "financed by Quebec" at the end could be confusing.
The ones who knew he was Acadian nearly all thought it was a Moncton accent. Which I guess isn't that strange, except for the anglophones from the Moncton area who thought that.
There was also not one, but two learners who could tell it wasn't any of the accents they had heard, so they both independently concluded that... he was putting on an invented accent for effect.
But weirdest of all, also saw French folks thinking he was Quebecois. (A couple were even like "This is so Québecois!" and "Oh those wacky Québecois are really something!". Cracked me up ) I know the French usually assume Acadians are Quebecois (and apparently it can be difficult to disabuse them of the notion even after having it explained) because very few know there are francophones outside of Quebec. But surely a SW NS accent is different enough from anything Québecois (strikingly so) that it should at least give them serious pause? Just how little exposure to Québecois accents do the French get?
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) I know the French usually assume Acadians are Quebecois (and apparently it can be difficult to disabuse them of the notion even after having it explained) because very few know there are francophones outside of Quebec. But surely a SW NS accent is different enough from anything Québecois (strikingly so) that it should at least give them serious pause? Just how little exposure to Québecois accents do the French get? 
Uptalkin’ Canadians
