Quebec, Blackmail, Federalism

[Argus]

As for "assimilation", it's a desperate fear among Francophones, and only Francophones, for the most part.

Given the history of francophones in North America, the fear is arguably not misplaced. After all, it is a small community of several million surrounded by almost 300 million anglophones.

Except the fear exists in France, too, this desperate fear for the purity and longevity of French. Besides, so what if the French get assimilated? Did some long ago Saxon fight desperately against the Saxon people becoming assimilated with the Angles? The melding didn't work out too badly, did it? Speaking as a descendant, I'm not crying in my cereal that I can't speak Angle any more.

Only francophones? Many English-speaking Canadians on this forum seem to fear assimilation from the US.

Yes, but for the most part they are idiots, so you shouldn't take that as an example.

All those parents in BC and Toronto earnestly sending their little ones to French immersion class no doubt provides Quebecers with a little warm feeling inside...

No, it doesn't.

I have never met a Francophone who didn't show delight at this or that person having an interest in, and taking lessons in the French language.

Quebecers would be happy, I guess, if all of Canada were French, but having Anglos learn their language is not really going to affect how they feel about Canada or their place in it.

Most Quebecers are acutely aware of the fact that North America was first discovered by French speaking people.

By Vikings, actually, followed by Italians. Then came the Spanish, followed at more or less the same time, by the English and French.