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Do you think the independence movement had/has less to do with the survival of the French language (something which isn't even remotely at risk in Canada) and more to do with resistance of globalization and Americanization of Quebecois culture and the wearing down of sovereignty due to NAFTA and other neoliberal laws?
My relatives and some friends lives in Quebec. Many of them wanted to separate due to threat of decline of French language, different culture, language and certain other things. Thank God Quebec did not separate.. It was only less than half percent on the 95 referendum.
English Canadians are too annoying when they complain why Quebec isn't bilingual, blah blah because they are lazy learning French, an important world language. Quebec is a province of Canada, yet their system is slightly different from rest of the nation, including their law and school system.
Quebec is unique and wonderful! Proud of having Quebec in North America. They are blessed being surrounded by hundreds of millions of English speakers.
My relatives and some friends lives in Quebec. Many of them wanted to separate due to threat of decline of French language, different culture, language and certain other things. Thank God Quebec did not separate.. It was only less than half percent on the 95 referendum.
I've heard the kids now aren't as into it as the older generation that grew up in the 90s ... is that true? Or is the fervour still strong?
Do you think the independence movement had/has less to do with the survival of the French language (something which isn't even remotely at risk in Canada) and more to do with resistance of globalization and Americanization of Quebecois culture and the wearing down of sovereignty due to NAFTA and other neoliberal laws?
No. The independence movement gained steam for political reasons, following patriation (1982), the (failed) Meech Lake Accord (1987-89), and the (failed) Charlottetown Accord (1992).
It didn't have much to do with the survival of the French language either, survival sets the bar pretty low. The typical separatist thinking (warning: oversimplification) is that they (Anglos from the rest of Canada) are not like us (Francos from Quebec), so we can't trust them to affect our lives through political or economic power.
A clear majority of Francophones in Quebec would agree that Anglos from the ROC are "different", but there's no consensus on what should be done about it, if anything. Support for independence has declined over the past 15 years through a combination of good economic times (not looking for a scapegoat), pedestrian PQ leadership, and probably other factors as well. But things could quickly change if consitutional reform became a country-wide issue again.
My relatives and some friends lives in Quebec. Many of them wanted to separate due to threat of decline of French language, different culture, language and certain other things. Thank God Quebec did not separate.. It was only less than half percent on the 95 referendum.
English Canadians are too annoying when they complain why Quebec isn't bilingual, blah blah because they are lazy learning French, an important world language. Quebec is a province of Canada, yet their system is slightly different from rest of the nation, including their law and school system.
Quebec is unique and wonderful! Proud of having Quebec in North America. They are blessed being surrounded by hundreds of millions of English speakers.
1 There is no decline in the French language in Quebec. If anything, it has become more and more prominent over the years, and not as a result of Bill 101 as the decline of English prominence began years before this law was even thought of.
2 Quebec was bilingual for hundreds of years and the separatists decided to strip anglos of the right to send their children to English school unless they are part of a select group that's allowed to, the right to have English on signs (unless French is at least double than all other languages combined) and the right to run their companies in English if they have 50 or more employees. This is not a protection of culture, it's a re-branding of a province that has always been bilingual, as French only, and treating English as a "guest" language, even though half the province would be unsettled if it weren't for anglophone pioneers, and cities like Montreal, an even to a large extent Quebec City, would be insignificant little towns if it weren't for the contribution of the anglophones that helped to build them from virtually the ground up.
3 I'm sick of hearing "hundreds of millions" of English speakers. The United States is a foreign country and irrelevant in the matter of Quebec's languages. Are Haitians speaking Spanish? Are Argentines speaking Portuguese?
3 I'm sick of hearing "hundreds of millions" of English speakers. The United States is a foreign country and irrelevant in the matter of Quebec's languages. Are Haitians speaking Spanish? Are Argentines speaking Portuguese?
Haiti and Argentina are independent countries and are not part of a larger country that speaks a language other than theirs.
Do you think the independence movement had/has less to do with the survival of the French language (something which isn't even remotely at risk in Canada) and more to do with resistance of globalization and Americanization of Quebecois culture and the wearing down of sovereignty due to NAFTA and other neoliberal laws?
No, not really, it's rooted in much deeper history than that stuff, in fact the PQ supports continued free trade with the US in the event of separation.
No, not really, it's rooted in much deeper history than that stuff, in fact the PQ supports continued free trade with the US in the event of separation.
Will they have a choice?
In the event of separation Quebec is going to be doing a lot of Kowtowing to the USA. And expecting Americans to abide by this kind of linguistic intolerance just aint gonna work 'http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle9053403/
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The United States is a foreign country and irrelevant in the matter of Quebec's languages
I think the USA has a massive input on Quebec think all the big box stores all the fast food restaurants,American cars,peoples vacation destinations and of course the American tv shows that are conveniently dubbed in French here in Quebec.
If driving around Quebec Other than the language and some signage some one would be hard pressed to tell they arent in anyplace USA
US irrelevent? Jobs here requiring English are not just because of provincial business relations - it's because of American tourism and business.
PDW I really have no idea what Quebec you lived because it's not the one I live in.
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