If you do not speak French, you can not run for office.

[TheNewTeddy]

Story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebecvotes2012/story/2012/08/21/parti-quebecois-non-french-speakers.html

I'm wondering if anyone around here would care to try and defend this as I can not comprehend how it is in line with freedom and democracy to bar a uni-lingual Anglo, running in a uni-lingual Anglo ward of a uni-lingual Anglo municipality from running for municipal office.

I'm also wondering how Marois manages to say these things without getting thrown in jail for hate speech.

[Wild Bill]

The double standard is obvious!

"Pur laine" is really code for racism.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Charles Anthony
removed entire Opening Post quoted in reply

[TheNewTeddy]

The obvious intent is to get all the non "Quebecois" to leave the province.

I wonder if anyone will stand up to this ethnic cleansing plan, or if we only do that in places with Serbs.

[The_Squid]

It's a French region. Why would anyone have expected differently? Learn French if you want to run for office. If you run for office in BC, does anyone think that they could get elected without knowing English? Of course not!

Banning non-French is just stupid, however.

Edited August 22, 2012 by The_Squid

[TheNewTeddy]

It's a French region. Why would anyone have expected differently? Learn French if you want to run for office. If you run for office in BC, does anyone think that they could get elected without knowing English? Of course not!

Banning non-French is just stupid, however.

If it is a community in BC where English is not spoken, and you are running municipally, then yes, I think you could get elected. So long as you speak the language there. IE if you know Punjabi you are not likely to be elected on a native reserve.

Provincially, however, this "rule" is not as insane as it is applying it to municipal governments. The legislature in many provinces, like PEI (I used to live there, so I know for a fact) operates in English alone. Therefore making a rule that you need to know English to run provincially is not out of sorts. However, there is a municipality on PEI called Abrams Village that is the heart of the Franco community. Something like 95% of the residents know French, so if you did not know English, only French, and wanted to run to become mayor of Abrams Village, I say knock yourself out.

86.8% speak French. Looked it up.

In the town (250 people) nobody does not know English, according to the 2006 Census, but around the town in Lot 15

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1103026&Geo2=PR&Code2=11&Data=Count&SearchText=lot%2015&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=

30 people know only French.

2/3rds speak French at home. Of those that speak English, half also know French.

Are you telling me it is fair In any way tolerable on any level to banish someone from running for democratic office, and thereby banishing people from voting for these persons, because they speak the language of their community and not the language of their province?

Edited August 22, 2012 by TheNewTeddy

[TheNewTeddy]

The PQ is now saying this rule will not apply to those who already live in Quebec.

[Topaz]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the language law was French AND English were the official languages of Canada? Not just English or French but both.

[PIK]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the language law was French AND English were the official languages of Canada? Not just English or French but both.

And both languages treated equal, in all parts of the country. To bad white people with poor or no french are not allowed to work for the federal goverment. Ever wonder why there is so much screw ups in goverment. To many people hired for language skills and nothing to do with the job.

[TheNewTeddy]

Federal laws are Federal. Many provinces are officially uni-lingual, including Quebec.

[The_Squid]

To bad white people with poor or no french are not allowed to work for the federal goverment

This is a falsehood that you are attempting to perpetuate that has been shown to be wrong time and time again.

[PIK]

This is a falsehood that you are attempting to perpetuate that has been shown to be wrong time and time again.

No it is not , even white english women are now excluded. Francocanadians make up 31 % of the pop and now hold 34% of the jobs and the "others" have more then they represent. Only the diabled ,which is about .6% shy and then the anglphones way behind.

and if you know english only employees, asked them how the promotions are going. It is people like yourself that will not admit to the special treatment that certian groups receive in this country, and that is allowing it to happen. I suppose you disagree with the fact quebec has recieved 50% of all transfer payments since it was started?

Edited August 23, 2012 by PIK

[Argus]

It's a French region. Why would anyone have expected differently? Learn French if you want to run for office. If you run for office in BC, does anyone think that they could get elected without knowing English? Of course not!

Banning non-French is just stupid, however.

There are some small municipalities which are almost all English. Why should you need French if all your constituents are English?

Btw, it's not just that you won't be allowed to run for office, you won't even be allowed to contribute money to a candidate if you're not French.

This week, for instance, Ms. Marois revived a 2007 proposal that would bar non-French speakers from holding public office in Quebec. It would even bar non-French speakers from funding political parties or petitioning the legislature

Pauline Marois Continues her Assault on Democratic Values

Edited August 23, 2012 by Argus

[Lyon]

The_Squid I think is right, it makes better organization

through connected communication but then again there are

people who can make it so to translate messages and etc., no real harm done unless the translation gets horribly messed up. I guess to learn another language that is used (even remotely) is a thoughtful preference, I.e. it should be considered to be more harmonious with people.

Definetly a leadership quality! (not just French!)

I think!

[Signals.Cpl]

The_Squid I think is right, it makes better organization

through connected communication but then again there are

people who can make it so to translate messages and etc., no real harm done unless the translation gets horribly messed up. I guess to learn another language that is used (even remotely) is a thoughtful preference, I.e. it should be considered to be more harmonious with people.

Definetly a leadership quality! (not just French!)

I think!

Good luck doing that in any other province. What reaction can we expect from Quebec if say New Brunswick passed a law that prevents their French speaking minority from seeking office or even contributing funds to their preferred candidate/party?

Some from Quebec want to treat the Anglophone minority as second rate citizens but if the laws proposed were applied anywhere else in the country it would infuriate the same group and will be used as an example of how English speaking Canada is "oppressing" Quebec.

[Wild Bill]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the language law was French AND English were the official languages of Canada? Not just English or French but both.

Topaz, this is precisely the reason for much controversy. You are right as far as federal law and throughout the rest of Canada but in Quebec, it has not been so ever since the first PQ government.

Rene Levesque, the first PQ premier of Quebec, passed Bill 101, a language law that supposedly was just to protect French language and culture but severely contradicted many rights of anglophones in the province. Later came Bill 178, along the same lines. A "brain drain" started which is still going on of anglophones leaving Quebec, often from communities where their families had lived for hundreds of years. A popular bit of graffiti at the time was "101 + 178 = 401!", referring to anglophones traveling Hwy 401 through Ontario as they left Quebec.

These Bills were challenged of course as being unconstitutional but Quebec simply invoked the "Notwithstanding Clause" which gives provinces the right to do such things anyway. The irony of Quebec using a clause in a constitution they refused to sign has not been politically correct to mention, in Quebec circles.

If like me you have Quebec friends with school age children who are Anglos, you might want to talk to them about how they feel their rights to have their children schooled in English are respected. When you cross the border from Ontario into Quebec, notice how all the bilingual road signs disappear.

When shopping in Montreal, notice the stores can't even have an apostrophe in their names. An apostrophe, for Pete's Sake! What an anal-retentive way to supposedly protect french language and culture.

So the fast answer to your question about English and French both being official languages is, yes, you are right! Except that Quebec doesn't give a damn! It hasn't for nearly 40 years now, It slowly gets worse and worse. This attitude is responsible for much of the alienation many in TROC feel towards Quebec and why we now see threads actually calling for Quebec to be kicked out of Canada! This is not a feeling shared by just a few. There are a respectable number of citizens outside of Quebec who feel this way and sadly, the number is slowly growing.

[GostHacked]

It's a French region. Why would anyone have expected differently? Learn French if you want to run for office. If you run for office in BC, does anyone think that they could get elected without knowing English? Of course not!

Banning non-French is just stupid, however.

You have an easier time getting a government job with only french compared to only english.

[Antiochus]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the language law was French AND English were the official languages of Canada? Not just English or French but both.

The Canadian federation is bilingual; but each province has its own linguistic policy. Quebec is officially French and the rest of Canada's provinces are English, with only one province which is officially bilingual: New Brunswick.

You have an easier time getting a government job with only french compared to only english.

Depends on where you are really. Since all of Canada's public service must be offered in both languages and the proportion of people in Quebec that are bilingual is higher than anywhere else to the country, its obvious that francophones get an easier access to certain jobs.

But about the law itself, I would like to point out that the law was bashed all across the board in the Quebec Media cycle. Do not associate this proposal (which as yet to see the light of day) to the whole province or even with the whole party which proposed it; it started a violent debate and its clear that it was noting but an attempt to charm the more conservative and nationalistic part of the electorate. The law would never pass, neither under Quebec's own Charter of freedoms and rights or under the Canadian Supreme Court. It was an ugly electoral ploy.

[Smallc]

Quebec is officially French and the rest of Canada's provinces are English,

No other provinces (except NB and Quebec) have official languages. Manitoba and Ontario would have to be bilingual if they did

[Antiochus]

No other provinces (except NB and Quebec) have official languages. Manitoba and Ontario would have to be bilingual if they did

It probably would, but the fact of the matter is that if I wished to have access to all services given under provincial authority in any of those provinces in French, I would have a few problems.

And please do not only quote a fragment of a sentence when answering...

Edited September 7, 2012 by Antiochus