Before I go any further, I must state that during my lifetime, I have voted for most of the various political parties but my decision was based on my trust in the candidate and view on their party policy rather than one party over another. As for my background, my family left France in 1066 and have lived in Quebec for 10 generations. There have been many pretty girls who were English, Scottish, Irish, German, American, Quebecois and Ontarian who won the hearts of my ancestors.
There seems to be an elephant in the room that most parties and the candidates who represent them are afraid to talk about. Their opinions about Bill 96 and the implications that it will bring to Quebec, Canada and the people who live here are very seldom addressed. The French press and most of the English press be it paper, radio, or television report very little or nothing about why it was introduced nor the implications that come with it if it passes in the Quebec National Assembly. Many of the people that I have talked to have little or no knowledge of Bill 96.
So what is Bill 96 and why was it introduced? Bill 96 is a 99 page document written in legalese that makes even lawyers have trouble understanding all the implications and hidden implications that it contains. Why was it introduced? The premier of the present government in Quebec claims that it is necessary to protect the French language in Quebec from diminishing. He claims that the “French population” in Quebec is diminishing. A closer look will show that both the French and English youth who are bilingual are leaving Quebec in search of better, higher paying jobs. Whether they leave for a job in the Alberta tar sands or to work in a bank in Toronto, they have a lot better chance of advancement if they are bilingual. Why do they pay more than jobs in Quebec? A half century ago, many head offices that had been in Montreal or Quebec City where the Canadian economy was based moved out of Quebec because they dealt a lot in the international markets which operated in English. In Quebec at that time, large businesses were being forced to use French in the workplace.
In our own county of Pontiac we have noticed most car, agricultural machine dealers, and other large employers that served both sides of the river in Quebec and Ontario, move across the river to Ontario where there are less restrictions to operate than in Quebec.
Quebec now has the highest number of bilingual English in Canada. In Pontiac County I am sure that there are more bilingual French than English. When I try to practice my French when talking to my French friends they quickly switch to English because their English is much better than my French.
Most of the English schools today offer a French immersion program to students and in both Quebec and Ontario most students are enrolled in French immersion classes. Many Quebec English CEGEPs now have a lot of French students enrolled so they can improve their English skills and also prepare them to enter an English university anywhere they chose. Bill 96 will restrict and reduce the number of French students attending English CEGEPs. This will restrict many French students from becoming more bilingual unless they have very well off parents who can send them to private schools. I do not believe that this is fair to French students trying to prepare themselves to work in two languages.
Another clause in Bill 96 will modify the Canadian Constitution allowing any province to modify the Canadian Constitution to give that province an advantage over another province. This is very dangerous and could lead to the destruction of Canada, which today is recognized as the most desirable country in the world to live in. There is another clause in Bill 96 that will further strengthen the Quebec sign law that has already reduced visitors and buyers in Quebec stores that used to get a significant amount of business from outside Quebec. When unilingual English visitors and shoppers cross the border into Quebec they are at once confronted by road signs they cannot read and storefronts that only can post French or predominately French signs.
The potential shoppers don’t know if the salespeople in the stores, be they English or French owned stores, can talk to them in their unilingual English language. This is bad for all store owners; especially those close to the Ontario, New Brunswick, New York, and Vermont borders.
Unfortunately most politicians and political parties create policy and laws based on polls rather than what is ultimately best for the people.
This province and country is yours. Make yourself familiar with Bill 96 and other proposals put forth by the candidates and don’t be afraid to ask “why?” Talk with your family and friends and your representatives in government. It’s your right.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
