Un Quebec Souverain

I`ve decided to weigh in on this thorny issue. I study in French, at a university in Quebec, and today there is a Bloc candidate holding a meet and greet conference for the student body. I can`t help but forget the issue is always there.

My g-grandparents were from Quebec. They moved out west in the 1920s seeking a better life in the "land of milk and honey". They ended up in a small, farming community in east-central Alberta, and their, alongside the LaFrance`s, the Rajotte`s, the Touchette`s and the dozens of other expatriate Quebecers, they worked the land.

I was born out west, and the only remnant of my Quebecois heritage is that of my name. This has actually served me quite well here in Quebec - I think I get a long a little better here than were my name Jonathan Harrington or Ronald Smith.

It is too bad that there is such friction between anglos and francos in Canada, and more acutely, in Quebec. I`d like to think that the two can live side by side - and they can - however, I believe, to the detriment of la langue francaise. Because, it is difficult, nay, impossible, for the native French-speaking Quebecers to maintain the dominance of the French language with the current mass migration of both old and new Canadians to their province. Many new Quebec residents are either anglophones or allophones - those who speak a language other than French or English as their mother tongue.

Many newcomers to Canada simply don't want to learn French. And who can really blame them. Imagine a family from Germany or India moving to Montreal or Gatineau. English is the language:

1 - spoken by the majority of Canadians;
2 - spoken by the majority of North Americans;
3 - that is most used in the economy;
4 - that is most used in the entertainment, technology, and sports industries.

It would seem logical therefore, that to give one`s child a leg up in Canada, and in the world, that they should be well versed in the English language.

However, Quebec is not really Canada. When you are here, you are in Quebec. They speak French here. And what`s interesting is that, the people will typically follow the institutions. French is institutionalized here: the universities, law courts, governments (local, provincial), agencies, et al., all conduct their business in French. If a new immigrant or person from out of province wants to get by in this province, he/she must learn a certain amount of French.

I used to disagree with this. I'd ask myself, "Why can`t the bus schedule be offered in English? why can't my utility bill be given to me in English? Is it not enough that I speak French with Quebecers? Must I live completely in French?" The answer is quite simple when you see it from their perspective: that they are a grain of sand, surrounded by an ocean of anglophones. (I have read/heard this line on at least four occasions in the past 6 months). And it does not matter that we english-speaking canadians may feel they are being over dramatic. Many francophone Quebecers feel that they are on the brink of losing their language, culture, and identity.

It is this fear that fuels the government to bring in laws such as the infamous Bill 101 - the language law that requires the French on a sign or label be first, and in larger print, than its English counterpart.

In English Canada we question the need for bilingualism.
"I'm qualified for this government job. Why do I need to speak French? And truth be told. Why does she have to speak French to get that job? If she lives in Calgary, Alberta and everyone speaks English, why does she need to speak French?

I would say she shouldn't have to. However. If that were the case - that federal government workers in Alberta need not speak French, why should the reverse not be true for Quebec government workers? Do the employees of Parks Canada, living and working in the Gaspe region, or the Montreal region, need to speak English if everyone else speaks French? They do.

As for the normal, every day matters like making sense of the bus schedules, restaurant menus, and street signs, we anglophones need to learn French if we are to live in Quebec. Francophones in Alberta after all, like my g-grandparents, had/have to learn English in an english-speaking province.

That's the language issue. Now to the politics behind the movement to make Quebec a sovereign state.

I have stopped using the word "separatist" to describe anti-federalist Quebecers, as it can be easily argued that they are not. In fact, the majority of french-speaking Quebecers feel that Canada was founded by TWO peoples. (They conveniently forget the issue of the Aborginal's claim to this land, however so do the anglo Canadians). Two peoples: British and French. The French were actually here and well established long before the British canadians. By the time the British conquered Quebec in the infamous battle of 1759, les canadiens had formed their own identity and culture - very distinct from the French in France - and thus many Quebecers argue, the the British were actually guilty of colonisation. (Again, forgetting the colonisation of the Aboriginals). For it was largely a peasant, and rural population that was left to deal with the British when the French army reduced its numbers in order to deal with the British elsewhere during the French/British war.

When I speak to my fellow students, or other ordinary French-speaking Quebecers, I don't hear bitter resentment. In fact a lot of Quebecers, although somewhat ignorant of the economics involved, are quite open and casual about becoming their own nation. Many students sport Quebec flags/jakets on their backpacks, wear Nordiques and Habs gear, and speak French with a passion. Professors speak openly of Quebec being a territoire rather than a province, although some even go so far as to call it a nation. Their radio and TV shows are different, their laws are somewhat different, and the culture is somewhat different, than ours out West.

The Queen is not very popular. The class indeed went silent, when I mentioned the monarchy as a level of government in Canada. I had to quickly backtrack and claim it was what we learned out West.

They call us "Canada Anglais".