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This cultural conflict if you may call it that is kind of like British vs. Americans or Old World vs. New World IMO. Centuries of being apart of course will result in some cultural and linguistic variations. That doesn't seem to stop Old World folks from moving to the New World though. What are other thoughts?
Quebec is a lovely province and Montreal is a great city. While this may be cheating as I’m Canadian, I’d much rather live in Montreal than almost any place in France. Not because I dislike the latter, but mostly because I’m more interested in visiting France as opposed to living there.
This cultural conflict if you may call it that is kind of like British vs. Americans or Old World vs. New World IMO. Centuries of being apart of course will result in some cultural and linguistic variations. That doesn't seem to stop Old World folks from moving to the New World though. What are other thoughts?
I had read this article when it was first published on their website. You beat me to the punch sharing it here. My thought on the original topic was, 'I don't understand why people move to Quebec/Montreal at all.'
Now, I think that's overstating it a bit. However, I think Montreal and Quebec are dysfunctional to a point where I do have to wonder why someone would want to move to Montreal unless they had a particularly compelling opportunity or family tie to draw them. Montreal and Quebec are not like a Vancouver or Los Angeles or New York where people flock to in order to make a dream come true.
A lot of my family lives in France, and I have to say that if they ever decided to come or move back to (some of them were born in the United States) North America, it is highly unlikely that they would seek to live in Quebec. They do not find the cultural affinity strong enough to override the limitations that Quebec inflicts upon itself. When my petits cousins français dream about 'America,' Quebec does not feature.
I had read this article when it was first published on their website. You beat me to the punch sharing it here. My thought on the original topic was, 'I don't understand why people move to Quebec/Montreal at all.'
Now, I think that's overstating it a bit. However, I think Montreal and Quebec are dysfunctional to a point where I do have to wonder why someone would want to move to Montreal unless they had a particularly compelling opportunity or family tie to draw them. Montreal and Quebec are not like a Vancouver or Los Angeles or New York where people flock to in order to make a dream come true.
A lot of my family lives in France, and I have to say that if they ever decided to come or move back to (some of them were born in the United States) North America, it is highly unlikely that they would seek to live in Quebec. They do not find the cultural affinity strong enough to override the limitations that Quebec inflicts upon itself. When my petits cousins français dream about 'America,' Quebec does not feature.
This is an interesting post, and a complete opposite of my experience dealing with foreigners, particularly those who speak French.
A lot of my family lives in France, and I have to say that if they ever decided to come or move back to (some of them were born in the United States) North America, it is highly unlikely that they would seek to live in Quebec. They do not find the cultural affinity strong enough to override the limitations that Quebec inflicts upon itself. When my petits cousins français dream about 'America,' Quebec does not feature.
It sounds like they already have an established personal/family relationship with the U.S. and Anglo-America, something which a lot of people in France do not.
It makes perfect sense in the case of your extended family members that Quebec is not top-of-mind, but one must always be cautious when extrapolating from one's own entourage to encompass "most everyone".
I had read this article when it was first published on their website. You beat me to the punch sharing it here. My thought on the original topic was, 'I don't understand why people move to Quebec/Montreal at all.'
Now, I think that's overstating it a bit. However, I think Montreal and Quebec are dysfunctional to a point where I do have to wonder why someone would want to move to Montreal unless they had a particularly compelling opportunity or family tie to draw them. Montreal and Quebec are not like a Vancouver or Los Angeles or New York where people flock to in order to make a dream come true.
.
Quebec is not perfect and not for everyone, but as they say... different strokes, for different folks. (And Quebec actually gets more immigrants relative to population than... the United States of America.)
I'd say your Alberta/Western Canadian roots are really showing right now!
According to official statistics France provides the most immigrants to Canada from the 1st world European nations, I don't remember the exact numbers, but you can look it up online, it's quite significant. Large numbers of those go to Montreal of course.
What I don't understand why these people move to Canada, they speak french french, obviously not for family reasons.
Why would anyone leave gorgeous France, one of the most well developed (not only economically, but also culturally), integrated, refined countries in the world with mild livable climate, beautiful diverse nature (Alps, Normandy, Mediterranean) for place like Quebec or particularly Montreal???
Do they think Quebec is a land of opportunities and when they didn't make it in one of the most developer countries in the world, a 6 figure job will magically descend on them in Canada?
I'm sorry Quebec isn't exactly the US in its better times. You pay 30-40%+ from any decent paycheck here and 13% sales tax, usually start with a 3 week vacation (compared to 5-7 weeks in France) and work generally in more toxic environments.
On a street level Montreal is quite gritty city stuck in 80's (there's some charm to it I admit) with lots of low-brow rough people and dumbed down jock/thug-worshiping culture with little alternative to that.
I can only see a loss in a lifestyle for someone moving from France to Quebec (vacation-, culture-, weather-, everything else-wise, unless you like snow and hockey).
At the same time I don't see Canada, especially Quebec as a land of financial opportunities -- one should move to higher salary/lower taxes country like Switzerland or the US if that's the main goal.
Am I right they're just uninformed people who make a mistake moving here or I'm missing something? This whole french french moving to Quebec or Canada thing is very puzzling for me.
What's the point?
OMG! Read some history. Quebec was a French colony. Why wouldn't French immigrants coming to Canada want to live there? French is French.
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