50
submitted 9 months ago by sik0fewl@kbin.social to c/canada@lemmy.ca

Michel Rochette, president of the Quebec branch of the Retail Council of Canada, sees the Biden administration's message as a "signal'' couched in diplomatic language.

all 31 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 19 points 9 months ago

Say what you want about Québec's language laws; what's a nuisance to American business interests is most likely good for the people.

[-] JamesStallion@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I feel like the the great zeitgeist is going to shift towards vindicating the Qubecois and their bloody minded nationalism pretty soon. You can feel the rest of the western world starting to think and act just like the nationalists here.

[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 17 points 9 months ago

"Bloody-minded nationalism" is a bit of an overstatement, don't you think? Unless you're going back over 50 years ago, Québec nationalism has been rather meek.

I have a lot of feelings about Québec's language laws and its nationalism (I'm French-Canadian from outside Québec, for context) but I find it interesting how Québec making the use of its language necessary for participation in society is seen as nationalistic, even racist, yet Canada making English necessary for participation in society is seen as perfectly acceptable. I bet a lot of the same people who whine about Québec's language laws would go berserk if they saw non-English signage dominate their community.

[-] JamesStallion@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Honestly, I completely agree with your assesment of the hypocrisy involved. As a second generation British imigrant to Quebec I have never felt like I had any nation of my own at all, and so learning French and adapting to the majority culture seemed obvious. I find the "anglo" identity here of stubborn resistance to all homogenization to be as silly and self defeating as any other nationalistically motivated politics. We are aboard the Titanic, the iceberg is dead ahead, and we are arguing about the arangement of the deck chairs.

[-] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

yet Canada making English necessary for participation in society is seen as perfectly acceptable

But it doesn't. Everywhere I turned in Ontario as an immigrant, I was offered bilingual services (in Toronto). No one ever pushed either language on me specifically. It was just stated to know one or the other. Even my first work place in Toronto had accommodated people that spoke French only.

While I know that in reality corpos are okay with conversing in English in Quebec, the government sure as hell don't like it. And their reasoning for implementing the laws is nothing more than racism, xenophobia and to fuck with the "anglos" (whoever those might be, but I suspect it's basically everyone that has no French-Quebecois ancestry).

[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 months ago

But it doesn’t. Everywhere I turned in Ontario as an immigrant, I was offered bilingual services (in Toronto).

I appreciate your anecdotal evidence, but it remains anecdotal. I could go on about my own anecdotes living in a province which, on paper is officially bilingual, but where I struggle to receive services in French. Even workplaces in Francophone-majority areas barely accommodate unilingual French speakers. I suspect your experience is far from the norm.

And their reasoning for implementing the laws is nothing more than racism, xenophobia and to fuck with the “anglos”

Look, I won't pretend racism and xenophobia aren't issues in Québecois society, they are and that deserves to be addressed. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. What I take issue with is equating any and all measures to protect the French language with racism and xenophobia. Are the methods the current CAQ government using to supposedly "protect French" often steeped in racism and xenophobia? I definitely think they are. But the concept of French preservation is much larger than the CAQ's definition of it. Québecois.es have not too distant memories of being second-class citizens under a rich Anglophone elite, I think anyone should understand why they would be apprehensive at multinational business interests entering the province and not giving any fucks about French.

[-] trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This hot take brought to you by someone who clearly hasn't lived or worked in QC over the last decade.

[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 6 points 9 months ago

I did live in Québec a couple of years ago, but you're right I've definitely spent most of the last decade outside Québec.

Do you have any arguments against my "hot take" or did you just feel like speculating on my living and work history?

[-] grte@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

To the extent that I have an opinion on this law, it certainly won't be moved based on it's impact on American businesses.

[-] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

Hue. If French is threatening English as a language of commerce for the Americans, that means Quebec is going in the right direction.

I don't agree with all the policies put in place by the Quebec government, but I'm giggling as I read this article. It's good news for the French language.

[-] nik282000@lemmy.ca -2 points 9 months ago

How about Biden addresses his own country's cultural issues before weighing in on the neighbours.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 23 points 9 months ago

It’s an economic issue not a cultural one for them

[-] Hyperreality@kbin.social 4 points 9 months ago

The US should adopt Chinese as an official language, in order to make it easier to engage with Chinese businesses.

It's an economic issue.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

The US doesn’t have official languages

[-] kfet@lemmy.ca 18 points 9 months ago
[-] LeFantome@programming.dev 20 points 9 months ago

Come on. This is very clearly “howaboutism”.

[-] grte@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I mean, in this case it's, "Mind your business." Quebec's language laws are not the USA's concern.

[-] kfet@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

That's exactly what USA are trying to do, minding their own business.

It's a law directly impacting all businesses operating in Quebec.

[-] grte@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Exactly. Quebec law is not the USA's business. American owned businesses understood they would be subject to Canadian law when they set up shop here.

[-] Carvex@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

An "advisor for the United States Trade Representative" raised concerns.

this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
50 points (94.6% liked)

Canada

7206 readers
344 users here now

What's going on Canada?



Communities


🍁 Meta


🗺️ Provinces / Territories


🏙️ Cities / Local Communities


🏒 SportsHockey

Football (NFL)

  • List of All Teams: unknown

Football (CFL)

  • List of All Teams: unknown

Baseball

Basketball

Soccer


💻 Universities


💵 Finance / Shopping


🗣️ Politics


🍁 Social and Culture


Rules

Reminder that the rules for lemmy.ca also apply here. See the sidebar on the homepage:

https://lemmy.ca


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS