Très intéressant

[Urbane]

Très intéressant:

MONTREAL • The playgrounds, hallways and cafeterias of Quebec’s largest school board will soon be French-only zones as authorities move to silence other languages, even during recess.

In a bid to ensure its 110,000 students master French, the Commission scolaire de Montréal has announced a new code of conduct declaring French de rigueur at all times during the school day.

Diane De Courcy, the board’s chairwoman, said the approach will be persuasive not punitive.

“There will be no language police,” she said. Instead, monitors who overhear children using their mother tongue during recess will simply remind them of the rules.

“If they are automatically switching to another language, [the monitor] will gently tap them on the shoulder — not on the head — to tell them, ‘Remember, we speak French. It’s good for you.’

“It will be enough to deliver a clear message that French must be spoken, and when we speak it often, we become very good at it.”

She said the policy, which will come fully into effect in September, is needed to improve the French performance of students, who increasingly come from immigrant families.

The school board’s statistics show 53% of its students have a mother tongue other than French. A poll this fall of 811 parents found 70% agreed with imposing French at all times.

Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, Bill 101, requires children of immigrants to attend French-language schools. This has led to generations of allophone Quebecers – those whose mother tongue is neither French nor English – who are perfectly at ease in French. Up until now, the rules have applied inside the classroom only.

But fears French will be swamped by English are not easily assuaged.

This year, the separatist Parti Québécois committed to extending Bill 101’s provisions to the pre-university colleges known as CEGEPs if elected, which would prohibit adults from attending the school of their choice.

“It will be enough to deliver a clear message that French must be spoken, and when we speak it often, we become very good at it.”
Pauline Marois, the PQ leader, has even toyed with the idea of applying Bill 101 to toddlers attending subsidized daycares.

Julius Grey, a prominent Montreal civil-rights lawyer, said the school board’s proposal is a clear violation of students’ rights and would not withstand a court challenge.

“In order to justify it you have to show it’s necessary in a free and democratic society, and it really isn’t. They have no studies at all. They just have an idea about spreading a message,” he said.

“That is quite a weak basis to violate rights.”

Mr. Grey noted the rule could even apply to a couple of francophone children who wanted to practise their English in the schoolyard before a test.

“Bill 101 works when it is not pushed to illogical extremes,” he said. “All laws are subject to common sense. The applying of Bill 101 beyond common sense is rather a recipe for keeping tensions going than for ending them.”

But Ms. De Courcy said she has heard little but praise for the plan, which would also apply to children of old-stock Quebecers who “massacre” the language.

“We are not infringing on children’s freedom,” she insisted.

And she has received support from Christine St-Pierre, the Liberal cabinet minister responsible for language.

“I think that children who attend school in French must, in the hallways, speak French among themselves,” Ms. St-Pierre told La Presse.

“To say that things must happen in French in the schoolyard sends a clear message: You are learning French.’ ”

National Post
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[French Castanut]

Indeed... très intéressant.

Bill 101 has it's pros and cons.

If they want people to speak French in *Montreal's* schools, it's because many immigrants choose to live in the province of Québec, but refuse to learn French.

Bill 101 says many things. Example: if you advertise in Quebec, or have a business, French must be bigger than English on the signs.

Even if you're a business from Toronto, and you have a tiny satellite office in Quebec, you must provide your employees with French documentation on everything.

As a French Canadian, I was not allowed to attend English school.. and when I'll have kids, they will not be allowed to attend English school in Quebec, unless English would be the mother's first language.

Etc..

Why does bill 101 exists? To protect a nation from assimilation.

7.5 million French against 350 million English in North America.

[JOF585]

As a French Canadian, I was not allowed to attend English school.. and when I'll have kids, they will not be allowed to attend English school in Quebec, unless English would be the mother's first language.

In Québec, it used to be mandatory to have english class starting at Grade 5 all the way to Grade 12, even in CEGEP ( college ). I heard it is now mandatory from kindergarten. Which is good since all the good jobs in Québec are bilingual. Here, you only need one foreign language in your entire school years and it doesn't have to be french.

[JOF585]

Why does bill 101 exists? To protect a nation from assimilation.

I watched a documentary once where this french canadian guy said " my grandparents couldn't speak english, my parents can speak a little bit of english and I'm bilingual " and he was afraid of assimilation. I finally understood the reason for the law.

[French Castanut]

As a French Canadian, I was not allowed to attend English school.. and when I'll have kids, they will not be allowed to attend English school in Quebec, unless English would be the mother's first language.

In Québec, it used to be mandatory to have english class starting at Grade 5 all the way to Grade 12, even in CEGEP ( college ). I heard it is now mandatory from kindergarten. Which is good since all the good jobs in Québec are bilingual. Here, you only need one foreign language in your entire school years and it doesn't have to be french.

Yes, we had English "classes", in a French school. But I was not allowed to attend an English school. I had to go to a French school, because both my parents had French as their 1st language.

The only way I, or my children would be able to attend English school is if:

At the request of parents, the following may receive instruction in English:

1.a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in English anywhere in Canada, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary instruction he/she received in Canada;

2.a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of that child, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary or secondary instruction received by the child in Canada.

[Urbane]

Good firsthand info alltattooed. As you say, there are pros and cons to Bill 101. I like to see both sides of all issues and you've helped me do that on this issue. It's easy out here to simply be opposed to Bill 101 but I certainly see the inherent dangers to the French language in Quebec long term. Thanks.

[French Castanut]

No problem

Also, you can read the full law text in here if you're interested (the official govt site):

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.q ... C11_A.html

[sooperphreek]

that's why my dad left everyone and everything he knew growing up in Montreal. bill 101. i was born before the bill and could go to a protestant school and my brother was much younger and would have had to go to a catholic school and be assimilated. rather than face the straw that broke the camels back he figured - how much more English can you get than British Columbia. and came here. he spent the rest of his life missing his home that he grew up in and loved.

[JOF585]

that's why my dad left everyone and everything he knew growing up in Montreal. bill 101. i was born before the bill and could go to a protestant school and my brother was much younger and would have had to go to a catholic school and be assimilated. rather than face the straw that broke the camels back he figured - how much more English can you get than British Columbia. and came here. he spent the rest of his life missing his home that he grew up in and loved.

If your mother was speaking English they would not have forced you or your little brother to go to French school. You go to the school of your mother's language.There are plenty of English schools in Québec still, as well as hospitals. They are very well taken care of.

[French Castanut]

that's why my dad left everyone and everything he knew growing up in Montreal. bill 101. i was born before the bill and could go to a protestant school and my brother was much younger and would have had to go to a catholic school and be assimilated. rather than face the straw that broke the camels back he figured - how much more English can you get than British Columbia. and came here. he spent the rest of his life missing his home that he grew up in and loved.

If your mother was speaking English they would not have forced you or your little brother to go to French school. You go to the school of your mother's language.There are plenty of English schools in Québec still, as well as hospitals. They are very well taken care of.

Lol exactly.

If your parents went to English school, then you had the same right as them.

And a 100% pure English being asismilated French in Québec? Do you REALLY expect not to be? Please explain me how you think not to learn French in Quebec?

It's like if I was saying.. I live in BC.. but I'm ain't learning English.. sorry. People around me have to understand my French.

I'd be told to get the f out pretty quickly.

Something that keeps *bleep* me off BIG time, it's when I go to downtown Montreal.. and some places don't offer French service or don't have French speaking employees. When that happens... I do like I don't understand a word of English. I find this to be really rude as a customer. You're in Quebec, live in French, speak French or move away.

That's why we had to create bill 101, to protect ourselves from assimilation and to give us the right to protect our language.

[Bpeep]

We should have a similar bill for the rest of Canada protecting english.

[sooperphreek]

what protection did your language need? we have the real version across the Atlantic anytime we want to hear it. from what i hear even the Parisians turn their noses up to Quebecois french and treat it like a second class dialect of the real one. if its over there then we dont need the hysteria of protecting it.

[sooperphreek]

Canada is the only country in the world that i know of that has ever put the act of treason up for a vote. thank god that the no side won and Montreal shot themselves in the foot by scaring all the corporate head offices move out west.

[French Castanut]

what protection did your language need? we have the real version across the Atlantic anytime we want to hear it. from what i hear even the Parisians turn their noses up to Quebecois french and treat it like a second class dialect of the real one. if its over there then we dont need the hysteria of protecting it.

Your comment is so close to racism, but here's some interesting facts:

-Canada is a Bilingual Nation.. Quebec stands as a minority in North America. Think about the cajuns in New Orleans. They get closer to assimilation everyday. Now the young ones don't even speak French. Bill 101 protects the Quebec and the French people from assimilation and from losing their roots. Canada has welcome people from 2 different countries to start with, it's normal to have 2 different distinct cultures within our borders, with legal measures to protect our difference.

-As I wrote in a different thread, we, Quebec, created Canada, and you requested us to join. If we want to hear the "real" English, we too, can just hear it from accross the Atlantic Ocean. The beauty of a language is it's different accents. Quebec French is as real as your Canadian English.

-The Frenchs turn up their nose on Quebec, for the same reasons British turn their nose on Australians. Going to school will teach you why. Nothing related to language.

[kina]

Something that keeps *bleep* me off BIG time, it's when I go to downtown Montreal.. and some places don't offer French service or don't have French speaking employees. When that happens... I do like I don't understand a word of English. I find this to be really rude as a customer. You're in Quebec, live in French, speak French or move away.

That's why we had to create bill 101, to protect ourselves from assimilation and to give us the right to protect our language.

We should have a similar bill for the rest of Canada protecting english.

A good idea in my opinion. Walking into Metrotown (in Burnaby) this last summer, this is what I heard: Chinese everywhere. Not one conversation was in English. There were several Mexican women with about 3 or 4 kids each shopping around but most of the stores were owned by Asians. But that's not all. Walk into one of these stores and you wont be able to ask for anything in English and be understood. All you'll get is confused looks as to why in the world you even entered the shop in the first place.

But what really bugs me even more is that when you go on Craigslist to try to find a place to rent or to get a job, on half the posts is written "Fluency in Chinese/Vietnamese/Panjabi/Spanish/etc. is preferred."

I was always happy when I would see Vancouver thriving in multiculturalism and being able to get along together without looking at racial or ethnic differences. But this has gone as far as actually forcing me to either learn the most popular foreign languages used or suffer having less than half the options available to survive.