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Canadian's, is speaking French really this important? (Airlines/Airports)

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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
I honestly thought stupid law enforcement operations were limited to south of the 49th parallel. I guess I was wrong.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/08/canadas-airports?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/bewarethelaguageplice

Aug 19 2012 5:25PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
quebec almost did secede back in 1995...if it had 1% more of the vote quebec would have seceded:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_referendum,_1995


Aug 21 2012 1:09PM
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-emile-
Posts: 6613 - Karma: 8,593
thank fucking god It didn't work
Aug 21 2012 2:05PM
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Bar_Down
Posts: 5896 - Karma: 395
^Latency I'm pretty sure he knew all that stuff already, I think he's asking you to explain how Quebec would do better.
Aug 21 2012 2:11PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
yes.

Aug 21 2012 6:38PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
Don't bother, you'll be disappointed by any answer he gives. Also, calling QC it's own country if it were to sucede is misleading.. If separated they would continue to use Canadian currency, and evidently still remain heavily dependant on the rest of Canada economically, geopolitically, and many other unforseen ways that probably would only arrise once they gained sovereignty.
Aug 21 2012 8:08PM
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katie.
Posts: 2833 - Karma: 874
Derp yourself
Aug 21 2012 11:04PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
perhaps, but the ROC would not put up with a federal government continuing the transfer of 8 billion dollars of tax dollars from the ROC, to a Quebec that voluntarily separated.
Aug 21 2012 11:58PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
speaking two languages is a benefit. everyone should. and quebec should keep their french signs and etc, but the fight over whos right or wrong, better or worse, needs to die. 200 years of this shit, and i dont understand it. i'm french, and english. a quebecer, and a canadian. it's not complicated. and for the record, i think everyone should speak french in canada, and english. french can be a secondary language outside of quebec. why is that unreasonable? but right now, i'm more concerned my my lack of general practioners, and my health, than what language i'm serve coffee in.
Aug 23 2012 3:57PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
Because French is fucking worthless outside of Quebec, France, French Guiana, and a handful of Francophone Africa countries where Arabic or English has not taken over. Oh, and pretty much every european outside of France also speaks either German, English, or Spanish.

You know a language is worthless, when it takes Government intervention to make people learn and use it, if for nothing more, than the sake of using it.
Aug 23 2012 4:13PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298

Im a franco-ontarian, my girlfriend is from quebec, and most of my family is from Quebec. I also worked most of my professtional life in  western Canada, and went to high school in english. Im gonna throw my two cents here.

We have two official languages. Its part of our constiution, and well as the founding of canada. We have a province of which 90percent of them are french speaking. French is a fundamental part of canada to the core.

So as it stands English, and French in canada are of equal value. Thus in many respects must be represented equaly.

Its not just on AC you will have full bilingual service, West Jet, Porter also have full bilingual service on all its flights. It is to serve all canadians, which as it happens, a fair amount are french.

Also with the seperation things, Canada needs Quebec and Quebec needs Canada.

Most of canada's largest construction firms, media outlets, areospace corporations, and mining companies are based out of and operate in quebec.

We are a large and diverse nation, and i believe that we should protect that at all costs.  

Aug 23 2012 4:20PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15953 - Karma: 9,497
I speak such terrible french that everyone always thinks I'm an American tourist.
Aug 23 2012 4:27PM
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vandersteeze
Posts: 2650 - Karma: 1,511
Bahah that is awesome
Aug 23 2012 4:39PM
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vandersteeze
Posts: 2650 - Karma: 1,511
The cold hard truth
Aug 23 2012 4:40PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
that's because you look like devon sawa
Aug 23 2012 4:43PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298

Having the right to bear arms is also stupid and useless as fuck......on top of that look at how much gun violence is in the states, but its in your constitution....and many in your nation fight for it vigurously.

Our laws uphold the linguistic diversity of which Canada was founded upon. Laws that if they did not exsit, our language and culture would be lost.

I know you don't give a fuck since your an english american, but don't pass judgement on something you don't understand.

Aug 23 2012 4:44PM
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Gypsy_Skier
Posts: 2666 - Karma: 5,237
One can speak both..
Aug 23 2012 4:48PM
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RICK_ROSS
Posts: 6983 - Karma: 3,343
pretty sure english sounds like english to non english speakers
Aug 23 2012 4:57PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
Apples to Oranges

You are have every right to speak French, English, or any other Language you want. If you want to compare the same type of fruit, a more equivalent case would be requiring all Americans to own and use a firearm. Now that would be stupid.

If French is really an important part of Canada, why does the Government have to spend money enforcing it's use? If it was really important, wouldn't it just happen on its own?
Aug 23 2012 4:59PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
This same argument is often seen in Finland, as we are a bilingual nation, although only 2,9% of our populus speak Swedish as their first language. Even with this, most of us who want to work in higher places or public office, we have to be fluent enough in Swedish to at least pass a so-called Public Servant's/Official's test in Swedish. One can be tested in other languages as well, but Swedish is the only one that's often required.

It's a double-edged sword for sure. Swedish is more useless out in the world than French, but it is a Germanic language and helps in language interactions and learning in other Germanic languages. Still, it's a matter of a very large debate, as many Finno-Swedes are seen as bourgeois, richer, self-segregated and more entitled than any regular Finn. This causes hate towards them, the language and Sweden itself, and back in 2005 or so when I graduated high school, we were the first class that could actually choose if we wanted to write finals in Swedish or Math - the choice was ours.

Although population wise it must be quite different, I'd imagine it to be a similar situation as in Finland, and perhaps in Belgium with the strictly French parts against others.
Aug 23 2012 5:09PM
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jeR.
Posts: 1325 - Karma: 58
hahahaha. but seriously I lived in Toronto for 18 years and heard far more cantonese, arabic, mandarin, farsi, portuguese etc than french. anyone who says ontario is bilingually english-french is clearly from ottawa, and therefore their opinion is not valid
Aug 23 2012 5:16PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
what, like protecting it with bill 101?
Aug 23 2012 6:04PM
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Lord.Quasimoto
Posts: 958 - Karma: 33
It's just one of those traditional things we do because we are Canadian. Like the Governor General, it's mostly a formality and no, not really that important.

Re: the article - $90,000 isn't that much money at all. They piss our tax $'s away like this all the time.
Aug 23 2012 6:24PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
im curious as to where in western canada you live, because as an individual living in vancouver bc, and having travelled throughout canada, with exception to quebec, i have not once needed to use any of my very minimal elementary and highschool french education. i am not saying i feel the country should not be multilingual, but in bc, after grade 10 a second language is optional, unless of course you are trying to get into university.
Aug 23 2012 7:31PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298
Alberta actually, I lived for 3 years in Canmore, and a year in Calgary. Now living in a tourist town, and working in the ski industry you would be quite surprised how much French I did use. Also I just want to say that these laws are here to protect the French heritage ( which again has a fundamental part in Canada's history, in it's foundation, and in its current form). Now if we had no laws protecting the French language/heritage we would lose all of it. Assimilation here in Canada is/and has been a very bad word ( native resisdential camps, " le reglement 17" in Ontario, the Riel rebellion, etc). Canada was a nation formed by three peoples, and our laws and constitution reflects that.
Aug 24 2012 4:00PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298
It's not something you will ever understand because 1. Your American, 2. Your English.
Aug 24 2012 4:08PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
french canadian =/= french

huuggeee difference in accents and over all flow. french candians sound like they got potatoes stuck in there mouth.

learn real french ya fucks
Aug 24 2012 4:09PM
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MLB
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 298
But if your french, and you live in Canada ( especially if you live outside of Quebec) you see how important these laws are. PS for those who say there are no French Canadians living outside of Quebec..... There are over 500 000 franco-ontarians. There is also a large francophone population in Manitoba. Sorry if this is all coming out fucked up, I'm on my phone.
Aug 24 2012 4:13PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
get over yourself.

it's true, take your "french" and see how well they understand you in the motherland.
Aug 24 2012 4:17PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
How much does the government spend forcing people to use Dutch or First Nation languages?
Aug 24 2012 4:18PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
a) i am canadian b) i would venture to say that vancouver is far greater of a tourist/international destination than calgary or canmore, alberta. the prevalence of french-canadians is FAR greater in eastern canada than it is out in the west. That being said over 500 000 franco-ontarians, in a province with a population that accounts for nearly 40% of the population of canada with close to 13.5 million people, is a pretty small amount, especially in the largest population in canada. not saying that preserving our heritage isnt important, but, the french canadian language is far less important and prevalent, especially on the west coast
Aug 24 2012 6:03PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
Who were the first settlers in the Hudson Bay area? Or has that part of your 'culture'died?

Anyone who is defending French for the sake of maintaining your culture, is admitting that there is no logical reason to keep using French.
Aug 24 2012 6:04PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
everything thought i was belgian. also, take your american english to the motherland.
Aug 24 2012 11:15PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
everyone.
Aug 24 2012 11:16PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
i learned french from my grandmother who grew up in paris.
Aug 24 2012 11:18PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
cool. i'm just my great great great great grandmother did too. also, i learned "proper french" in high school. we didn't have the quebec dictionary as they do in some school now. also. dialects are prevalent everywhere.
Aug 24 2012 11:22PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
yup yup, but everyone knows true french is only spoken in paris...



































heh.
Aug 24 2012 11:27PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15953 - Karma: 9,497
I learned my french from people who sound/look like the french versions of Patty and Zelma.
Aug 24 2012 11:31PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
god i can imagine how that would sound ha.

iv not kept up my french in the past couple years (fucking pissed about that) so iv lost my touch a bit and it takes me a while for everything to click again.
Aug 24 2012 11:34PM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
you know france is the country and not paris right? ;)
Aug 24 2012 11:40PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
thats not what grammy taught me.

so you must be incorrect. learntogooglenoob
Aug 24 2012 11:47PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
Depends who you ask.
Aug 25 2012 12:02AM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
do you know how many fucks i give?
Aug 25 2012 12:14AM
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vailsux.com
Posts: 1769 - Karma: 440
From what I have gathered thus far speaking french is a valuable tool when traveling Europe. With that said fuck Europe! You boys like MEXICO?!!!
Aug 25 2012 5:07PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,684
Yes, I think that if you ask some Parisians they will tell you that Paris is France, and France is Paris, with seroroundibg areas. If you ask some other French people, you will be told otherwise.
Aug 25 2012 5:54PM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,311
I always seduce girls by speaking French.

(Or Italian, or Latin when they are nerdy.)
Aug 25 2012 6:26PM
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TheGreen
Posts: 504 - Karma: 41
I'm french canadian and I honestly don't mind if I'm out west or something if I can't get french service, but being from right besides the Ontario border, I find it stupid that when english speakers come into Quebec, we are automatically expected to switch to english for them, but when us french canadians go to Ontario, there's no way anyone will switch to french for you.

Personally I don't give much of a fuck, but I can see where that comes from. Some people from far east Quebec and the maritimes can barely communicate in english. And before you say they are stupid ignorant fucks for not learning it, consider how many americans speak more than one language.
Aug 25 2012 7:34PM
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