QUEBEC MAY UNLEASH LANGUAGE POLICE (this is beyond ridiculous!)

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/11/23/quebec-language-041123.html ^ | Tue, 23 Nov 2004 13:48:29 EST

[UpHereEh]

QUEBEC CITY - Quebec's premier may unleash the language police to crack down on the growing use of English in workplaces around the province.

A report released on Monday found English continues to gain ground in the province. Premier Jean Charest says he favours doing whatever needs to be done to promote the French language and culture.

That could include asking Quebec's language watchdog to tighten up enforcement of the rules, he said.

Under Bill 101, the controversial language law passed in the 1970s, the Office de la Langue Française, can order businesses with more than 50 employees to translate all internal correspondence into French.

"The English language has become very much – throughout the world – the language of business," Charest said.

"So the constant pressure will be there."

The report, released on Monday by the language watchdog, says the French language is in a "precarious" state in Quebec as English usage continues to expand.

It says efforts to require businesses to comply with language laws aren't halting the trend.

The report also finds that although immigrants are still more likely to learn French, English is the language of choice for more than half of all new arrivals to the province.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I'm all for anything that makes Quebec more irrelevant than it already is.

[kx9088]

Please tell me that is not a serious article?

[TXBSAFH]

Are all the frogs drunk?

[Semper Paratus]

Quebec will be in la monde le merde.

[Gefreiter]

Sounds like somebody doesn't want to celebrate diversity.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Sacre bleu! The evolution of a common language might unify the country. Can't have that.

[Bahbah]

Bonjour, mon ami. C'est absolutement fou.

[Diddle E. Squat]

More proof that the French are total a-holes, for no other reason than because they are total a-holes.

[UpHereEh]

They are dead serious. Will the french-speaking liberals stop at nothing?

[wideawake]

When I was Montreal I noticed that all the employees in the shops would begin speaking to you in French until you indicated that you wanted to speak English.

It was clear each time that I was an English speaker, they were an English speaker but in order to placate "the rules" we both had to pretend for a moment that we expected to converse in French.

[OSHA]

Blue Crown! How can this be?

[NewLand]

Note to all French speaking nations:

Keep speaking French only, and continue to isolate yourself.

Au revoir!

[kx9088]

So they sit up there and tell us that we need to loosen up on gay marriage and medical weed but they are now looking to force their citizens to speak a certain language?

[Mogger]

Sadly, this is true. I live 45 minutes south of the PQ border and listen to CJAD radio, an english speaking Montreal station.

It's just that looney up there.

You can listen to CJAD on the web and find out for yourself.

[blackie]

Yes ~ they are drunk with arrogance!

[NetValue]

"Quebec's premier may unleash the language police to crack down on the growing use of English in workplaces around the province."

Just another symptom of Canadian self-hatred.

[avg_freeper]

The Ministry of Funny Walks can't be far behind.

[Sam Cree]

It's ridiculous, but in a socialist society, government has license and even mandate to be involved in damn near every part of life, no matter how insignificant or how important.

[Pyro7480]