From: laviers@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Cocotte Minute)
Subject: Re: Access denied?
Organization: Universite de Montreal, Canada
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 18:51:09 GMT

In article <1993Jan20.153913.4802@seachg.uucp> chrisb@seachg.UUCP (Chris Blask) writes:
>In article <1993Jan18.140817.28475@spxtech.qc.ca> steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steve Potter) writes:
>>Posted: 18th January, 1993
>>

[lotsa good stuff coming from the american hat deleted]

>
>	A great deal of talk and debate (and action) in the 'English'
>	provinces about meeting the needs of the French-speaking members of
>	the population.  Just recently one of the big news items in Ontario
>	was the need for more French school space, and I believe the space
>	was alloted (I may be wrong, but the point remains).  Everything I
       
       It's all a question of proportions... Ottawa, for example, which
has always had a very big franco population, has never had a public franco
school before 1979. When Francojeunesse school was founded, I went there for
one year in 1980. The quality of French being taught was pitiful: the
teachers even made serious grammar mistake in our report cards. 
I still don't know if there are any more public franco schools in 
Ottawa, a part from that one.

My point is: Ontario (and I assume the other anglo provinces) has always 
been behind Quebec in it's treatement of lingual minorities.

One BIG "BUT":
The problem, is that I would like to send my kids (when I get some :) )
to engligh kindergarden here in Quebec, as a franco (under 101), I'm not
intitled to a choice.
101 and 178 should not prevent a choice of language, but should ensure
the PRESENCE on french in quebec.

>	see is French and English, and I think it's great!  As an American,
>	I find it wonderful that people should actually make an effort to
>	speak more than one language, seeing how the rest of the world does
>	it.  Most of the French I know (limited) I learned from jam jars
>	and cereal boxes.

        Grammar and spelling mistakes for free!
        The current trend in Quebec seems to be to discourage bilingualism.
        It is seen as "giving in" to the enemy. As one can see with the 
        flaming of that "nintendo" franco person for posting in english.

>
>	On the other hand (maybe this is just the media, but I don't think
>	so), the news I hear out of Quebec is of _limiting_ languages!  No
>	non-French signs, apparently no non-French schools...  This is teh
>	attitude that is always attributed to the States, with great
>	disgust.

Exactly my point! I see a very short sighted and demagogic (does this word
exist in English?) attitude coming from our leaders in Quebec city.
>
>I wonder what the rationalization for the difference is?  The referendum
>vote seemed to clearly show that the majority of residents of Quebec don't
>want to separate, but why the political antagonism?

Ahhh, but the independentistes will tell you that you are wrong, and
if a referendum would be held today, they would win. I beleive the contrary.

>
>-chris blask
>

Seb


-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
|Sebastien Lavier [Calimero]    | Centre de recherche, Hopital du Sacre-Coeur  
|laviers@iro.umontreal.ca       | "The opinions expressed here are mine and  
|Universite de Montreal, Canada |   should also be yours!"               
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