Documents on the Controversy Surrounding the Language
of Commercial Signs in Quebec (Bill 178) December 1988
Is
the British Minority of Quebec Mistreated? Rosaire Morin Publisher of
L'Action Nationale According
to Alliance Quebec, and its associates King and al., the anglophone minority of
Quebec is mistreated, deprived and oppressed. Some of its recent pronouncements
border on indecency. They affirm that, with the PQ in power, here it is Mr. Keaton
speaking, that a major crisis will break out among anglophones. They invite French
Quebecers to move to France if they do not wish to see signs in English. Abroad,
they spread that French policemen will arrest any person that advertises in the
English language. In the New York Times, an editorialist recently wrote that Quebecers
are attempting to erect new barricades ... against the assaults of English.
The Foundation of Citizens of Canada of Beaconsfield has just erected in Trout
River an immense billboard so that Americans will know that Quebec has suspended
fundamental freedoms. They accuse the defenders of French of being
extremists, fanatics and sectarians. We are sometimes reminded by them that Canada
is an English land and that British troops vanquished the French. These
views are frequent. I have picked two from among twenty or so. The first is that
of professor Donderi who seriously affirmed that Montreal is the capital
of linguistic racism and repression. The second is that of the writer Ronald
Wright. For him Quebec nationalism has a dangerous cousin on the other
side of the planet... In South Africa obviously. Are
French -Speaking Quebecers so intransigent and intolerant that they persecute
the British of Quebec (English, Scottish and Irish)? Supporters of the Equality
Party and of Alliance Quebec affirm, to whoever will listen to them, that we oppress
them, that we limit their freedoms. Are we truly despotic? Oppressors? At another
time we will demonstrate that our openmindnessess has been so generous that the
anglophone minority of Quebec is one of the best treated minorities in the world. Quebecers
of British origins (English, Scottish and Irish) are about 7% of the population
of Quebec. What place do they occupy in the public institutions? Is their language
banished from the National Assembly? Do the courts ban the use of English? Have
French Quebecers refused to finance the schools, the colleges and the English
speaking universities? Have they limited the freedom of expression of their anglophone
compatriots? Have they been submitted to economic slavery and servitude? These
are the questions that I seek to answer here. The
Parliament In
the domain of political institutions, Anglophones possess privileges that Acadians
and Francophones from outside of Quebec would wish to have? (Sic) In the National
Assembly, the English language is used to print, publish, adopt and sanction proposed
bills, laws, regulations and acts of a similar nature. English
is used in the debates of the Assembly and in the Commissions and committees of
the Parliament. 22% of the members of the National Assembly are anglophones. Their
language is used in a large number of municipalities and school boards. 79 health
and social establishments of Quebec are require to furnish their services in English.
Nearly half of the delegations and offices of Quebec established abroad are in
English-speaking countries. No anglophone province of this bilingual Canada respects
its French minority to this degree. The
Judicial system In
the judicial field, the English language may be used in all matters brought before
or issued by the Courts as well as in all matters of procedure that emanate from
the Courts. At the request of one of the parties, any judgement rendered by a
judicial tribunal and any decision rendered by a quasi-judicial body will be translated
into English and the Public Administration will assume all necessary costs. No
anglophone province of this bilingual Canada respects its French minority to this
degree. Education In
the field of education, the anglophone minority of Quebec has access to English
language courses from primary school to university. Its schools may be attended
by children whose father or mother have received their primary education English
in Canada; other categories of children, as defined in bill 86, also have access
to these schools. The teaching is governed by anglophone institutions. This is
done in 306 elementary schools as well as 66 schools designed as bilingual. Anglophones
also have 7 English cegeps as well as 2 bilingual cegeps. There schools and cegeps
are all financed by the Government of Quebec. No anglophone province of this bilingual
Canada respects its French minority to this degree. In
the field of universities, three anglophone institutions are generously financed
by the Government of Quebec (McGill, Concordia and Bishop). In these three institutions
is found 29% of the student population of the province; one fifth of these are
francophones. These institutions grant 48% of all of the Arts' doctorates of the
province. Anglophones also control several centres of excellence renowned throughout
the world: Saidye Bronfman, Centaur, McCord Museum; these have the support of
the francophone majority. No anglophone province of this bilingual Canada respects
its French minority to this degree. Communications In
the field of communications, 30 regular channels in English are offered on the
cable, three television stations as well as three channels accessible through
pay-tv. Anglophones have 11 radio stations with a market share of 36%, three daily
newspapers with a 30% share of readership and 18 weeklies. Furthermore nearly
50% of Quebecers go to English movies and more than 30% of video-cassettes rented
are in English. No anglophone province of this bilingual Canada respects its French
minority to this degree. Economic
Affairs In
business, 31% of all enterprises were owned by anglophones in 1987. 26.3% of managers
were of English mother tongue and the communications between management and subordinate
are in the language of the manager [Paul BELAND, Indicateurs de la situation
linguistique au Quebec, Conseil de la langue française, 1992, p.51]. 45% of
anglophones in Quebec work primarily in the English language [at least 50% of
their time or more]. 195 head office of companies, and 55 research centres, function
essentially in English In
1989, 41.3% of Montrealers used computer programmes in English and 21.1% worked
with French and English programmes; The computer user manuals are in English for
41.5% of French speaking users in Montreal; in the rest of the province, the proportion
is 25%. Circulars distributed throughout the province are bilingual. Henceforth
[Bill 86], English will also be used on signs and in the names of companies. No
anglophone province of this bilingual Canada respects its French minority to this
degree. The
life of francophones in the anglophone provinces In
practice, the English provinces are far less generous toward the french and acadian
minorities than the Francophones of Quebec are toward their compatriots of British
origin. In their parliaments and courts, the use of French is very rare and in
some of the provinces it is nearly forbidden. On the contrary, the other provinces
take a parsimonious and stingy attitude. Yet, in signing the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms in 1982, they undertook to guarantee to the French communities
the control of their schools. Ever
since, a war of attrition has been waged. The governments of the anglophone provinces
delay, equivocate, hesitate, procrastinate and play cat and mouse games. The Commissioner
of Official Languages, Victor Goldbloom "found that no progress had been
achieved in the last year to grant control over its schools to the francophone
minorities and this despite the decision of the Supreme Court confirming the rights
of francophone parents. He even notes that the province of Manitoba is retreating
[La Presse, May 27, 1993]. In
British Columbia, in 1993, the Government of Mike Harcourt expressed the intent
to authorise in the future the establishment of one French language school board. In
Alberta, in 1992, the government folded the parliamentary session without having
voted its legislation to grant control of the schools to francophones. Yet, in
1925, the teaching of French as a mother tongue had been "authorised by a
regulation of the Department of Public Instruction and regulated by a specific
and detailed programme similar to the one governing the teaching in the English
Language". 68 years later, Franco-Albertans must still live on hope. In
1993, the Romanow government of Saskatchewan adopted bill 39 to put the administration
of their schools in the hands of francophones. The regulations have not been published,
the government policies have not been elaborated and the financing has not been
settled between Regina and Ottawa. In
Manitoba, the Filmon government has proposed to grant the administration of their
schools to the Franco-Manitobans who will signify their intent to belong to the
new francophone school district. In
1993, Franco-Ontarians continue to be subjected to the elastic clause of "where
numbers warrants it". In
Prince Edward Island, the government has not moved yet and the 7,000 francophone
acadians have only two French schools in the entire island. In
1986, the Government of Nova School [sic read Nova Scotia] voted a law for the
creation of French school councils; however, they are still wondering, in 1993,
if they should establish such councils. In
Newfoundland, the Wells government has established a school law that conforms
to the requirement of the Charter, but a ministerial committee has been studying
for year the applicability of such a measure. Conclusion In
Quebec, French has rights. French speaking Quebecers are equitable, and honest
but they intend to protect their culture, their language and their collective
future. The heirs to British "fair play" established here cannot indefinitely
be opposed to the aspirations of the majority in Quebec. To the contrary, they
will profit from their integration into the Quebec people and thus help fashion
the Quebec of tomorrow, this country which is within reach and to which they have
been opposed. They should request [Note from the translator: demand?] that the
Government of Quebec re-establish Bill 101 in its original form and pledge not
to challenge the law before the tribunals. It would also be to their advantage
that they use their influence to better the status of French for the francophones
minorities outside of Quebec. Source:
Rosaire MORIN, "La minorité britannique du Québec est-elle maltraitée?",
in L'Action Nationale, Vol. 83, No 8 (Octobre 1993): 1110-1117 Translation
by Claude Bélanger. ©
1999 Claude Bélanger, Marianopolis College [for the translation] |