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Politics : Prime Minister Jean Chretien -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (213)	11/26/2002 6:02:09 PM
From: SofaSpud	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 443

What language is used in Quebec's public schools? Both? Equally? Does Quebec follow the current Canadian custom of dual-language signage, etc? It's quite difficult to obtain permission to attend an English-language public school in Quebec. If memory serves, one of your parents has to have received English-language schooling in Quebec, otherwise your application won't be considered. That's been a significant issue for immigrants, obviously. No big deal if you come from Haiti or Algeria, but a big problem if you come from a non-francophone country. It's one more example of how the provincial government there puts 'cultural' issues ahead of economic ones. As a rule, the provincial government would prefer unilingual French signage. It's the only jurisdiction I'm aware of that uses the work 'arrete' on stop signs. A business is (grudgningly) allowed to post English words on a sign or ad, but the same message must also be there in French, and the French lettering must be predominant. I kid you not -- there are language police who go around looking for violations, and people have lost their businesses for refusing to comply. There have been some really Orwellian moments in Quebec since 1976.

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (213)	11/26/2002 10:54:54 PM
From: Graystone	Respond to of 443

Bill 101 or Bill 86, Bill 89 Quebec has had several language law fights with Canada's Supreme Court. As it stands now you cannot educate your children in English unless one of the parents is an anglophone, all allophones and francophones must be taught in French. When Bill 101 made English signs illegal in Quebec, many signs had to be changed. Even though that law has been changed most signs are still in French and will stay that way. At one point during the height of the 101 implementation the only way to identify English pubs, even in the predominately English Atwater/Westmount area of Montreal was the prominent Union Jack, an English advert that couldn't be suppressed.