Protection of the English Language in Ontario Act

[CANADIEN]

Somw on MLW think that English needs to be proected in Ontario through an act. I thought I'd help them by making a few suggestions.

1. English is the official language of Ontario

2. Every person has a right to have the civil administration, the health services and social services, the public utility enterprises, the professional corporations, the associations of employees and all enterprises doing business in Ontario communicate with him in English.

3. Workers have a right to carry on their activities in English.

4. English is the language of the legislature and the courts in Ontario.

5. English is the official language of business.

6. Every employer shall draw up his written communications to his staff in the official language. He shall draw up and publish his offers of employment or promotion in English.

7. An employer is prohibited from dismissing, laying off, demoting or transferring a member of his staff for the sole reason that he is exclusively English-speaking or that he has insufficient knowledge of a particular language other than English.

8. An employer is prohibited from making the obtaining of an employment or office dependent upon the knowledge or a specific level of knowledge of a language other than the official language.

9. Instruction in the kindergarten classes, in the elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities shall be in English.

[seabee]

Why not just copy Québec's Law 101?

[CANADIEN]

Why not just copy Québec's Law 101?

Wnhy? You think law 101 is a good one? I don't.

[Born Free]

I recommend that you learn to speak Mandarin....

[seabee]

Law 101 is much less racist that the one proposed for Ontorio on this page.

[Born Free]

Law 101 is much less racist that the one proposed for Ontorio on this page.

It was intended to be nothing but pure childish bigotry......

[CANADIEN]

Law 101 is much less racist that the one proposed for Ontorio on this page.

You sure?

Because, aside from adding the words colleges and universities, borrowing the term "official language of business", changing re-numbering the paragraphs, and changing the word French to English and Quebec to Ontario, each and every word is taken from Quebec's Charter of the French Languae (aka Bill 101).

Now, I have never made a secret that's a law I do not particularly like, to say the least. But I have always thought that many of those who support Bill 101 would recoil in horror if a similar law was enacted in let's say, ontario. And that at least some of those who denounce Bill 101 woulld have no problem if the language and province was different.

So what's your problem with my piece of fiction? Is it that I cut some paragraphs short (to keep it short)? Or that it would do to French-speakers in Ontario what is being done to English-speakers in Quebec?

[g_bambino]

Law 101 is much less racist that the one proposed for Ontorio on this page.

I don't see anything in it relating to race at all.

[Machjo]

I would shorten Canadien's list to:

1. Make English the official language of government administration.

2. Make English a compulsory subject in all Ontario schools, either as a first or second language. Granted this last one has been done already, so really the only one left to accomplish is the first. In reality though, seeing that English is already the de-facto language of government administration in the province, all it would really do is ensure that it remain that way.

For the most part, its greatest benefit would be more symbolic than practical, though symbolism alone can be a powerful tool in quelling fears about the future demise of the English language in the province of Ontario.

As for Bill 101, I agree that it's too extreme, though granted Quebec would need something with more teeth than what is proposed above for Ontario just because of its own unique circumstances.

[Machjo]

I recommend that you learn to speak Mandarin....

Wei shenme ne?

[Machjo]

Law 101 is much less racist that the one proposed for Ontorio on this page.

Though Bill 101 reveals extreme linguistic prejudices, it does not reveal any racial prejudice at all.

[Machjo]

You sure?

Because, aside from adding the words colleges and universities, borrowing the term "official language of business", changing re-numbering the paragraphs, and changing the word French to English and Quebec to Ontario, each and every word is taken from Quebec's Charter of the French Languae (aka Bill 101).

Now, I have never made a secret that's a law I do not particularly like, to say the least. But I have always thought that many of those who support Bill 101 would recoil in horror if a similar law was enacted in let's say, ontario. And that at least some of those who denounce Bill 101 woulld have no problem if the language and province was different.

So what's your problem with my piece of fiction? Is it that I cut some paragraphs short (to keep it short)? Or that it would do to French-speakers in Ontario what is being done to English-speakers in Quebec?

While I don't agree with the extreme lengths to which Bill 101 goes to defend the French language, I do agree that some kind of law designed to maintain a common language is needed for the sake of social cohesion throughout the province. Perhaps the following would suffice for Quebec:

1. Make French the official language of government administration.

2. Grant each school the freedom to teach the first or second language of its choice from among any of the world's languages as long as French be made compulsory either as a first or second language.

Number 2 above would increase the likelihood that French would increasingly become the only common language across the province, thus strengthening its position while extending rather than curtailing personal freedoms.

[Machjo]

9. Instruction in the kindergarten classes, in the elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities shall be in English.

This is even more extreme than Bill 101. Think Concordia and McGill.

[Born Free]

Wei shenme ne?

I'll have the Peking duck ...

[Machjo]

I'll have the Peking duck ...

Wo bu chi rou. Ni chi ba.

[Machjo]

While I don't agree with the extreme lengths to which Bill 101 goes to defend the French language, I do agree that some kind of law designed to maintain a common language is needed for the sake of social cohesion throughout the province. Perhaps the following would suffice for Quebec:

1. Make French the official language of government administration.

2. Grant each school the freedom to teach the first or second language of its choice from among any of the world's languages as long as French be made compulsory either as a first or second language.

Number 2 above would increase the likelihood that French would increasingly become the only common language across the province, thus strengthening its position while extending rather than curtailing personal freedoms.

This last point, by the way, would not be so unique to Quebec. BC and Alberta both grant schools the freedom to choose from among a list of second languages already. In that sense, Quebec would merely be bringing its system more in line with that of some other provinces.

[Machjo]

Not to mention that Quebec's compulsory English policy is one of the very reasons it needs bill 101 in the first place.

[CANADIEN]

I would shorten Canadien's list to:

1. Make English the official language of government administration.

If you mean internal government administration, it already is.

For the most part, its greatest benefit would be more symbolic than practical, though symbolism alone can be a powerful tool in quelling fears about the future demise of the English language in the province of Ontario.

There is no fearto have of a demise of the English language in Ontario as things stand now.

As for Bill 101, I agree that it's too extreme, though granted Quebec would need something with more teeth than what is proposed above for Ontario just because of its own unique circumstances.

What Quebec doesn't need is legislation that treats its English-speaking citizens like second class. Unfortunately, that's what they have right now.

[CANADIEN]

This is even more extreme than Bill 101. Think Concordia and McGill.

If some in the PQ and BQ had their way, these two and Bishop's would be gone tomorrow.

[CANADIEN]

2. Grant each school the freedom to teach the first or second language of its choice from among any of the world's languages as long as French be made compulsory either as a first or second language.

Number 2 above would increase the likelihood that French would increasingly become the only common language across the province, thus strengthening its position while extending rather than curtailing personal freedoms.

Each and every Canadian should have the right to choose by themselves to send their children to a publicly founded French or English school. BTW, there are French schools in all provinces, as it should be.

[CANADIEN]

Not to mention that Quebec's compulsory English policy is one of the very reasons it needs bill 101 in the first place.

If you are talking about English being compulsory in the curriculum, well there are excellent reasons to have it taught as a second lnaguage ib Quebec' French schools. Even Jacques parizeau apparently once said that those who thought otherwise deserved a kick you know where .

The tendency of past generation of immigrants yo integrate Quebec English-speaking communities rather than the French-speaking ones, and the economic situation of the linguistic communities hsve a lot more to do with 101 than the teaching of English as a second language.

Edited April 21, 2010 by CANADIEN

[Oleg Bach]

Don't worry with electronic communication and the fetish of texting - the English language will be gone in twenty years U NO UR ON DA DE CLINE.

[Borg]

Support bloq

Toss kebec

Then this discussion is a moot point

Let those people go - with their share of the debt of course. LOL

Borg