Dave+Jules

I know that Government of New Brunswick spends a small fortune on translating every document and we commercial mercenary types always ensure that translation is scoped out of our project costs and transferred firmly into the Governments hands.

I have personally spoken with the NB Government website support team who maintain two sites to deal with the bilingual requirements. What percentage of visitors click throught the English entry point do you think?

Steady at around 96.9%..... big cost to translate every page, every document just to satisfy bilingual law in NB. The only officialy bi-lingual province in Canada. Mostly people are tolerant of each other but every now and then there are little flares of discontent.

PS I spent the summer in Montreal (lovely city) and only had one instance of rudeness. Generally people switch as soon as I say Bonjour

montreal mike

Much has been said above of the horrendous cost of bilingualism, supposedly in the billions, in this country, at ALL levels of government.

Why some would fret over such matters is beyond me.

(Yes, even the Quebec govt, despite its stringent language laws, does provide certain services and documents in the dreaded, threatening, overpowering and all encompassing English language!)

It is T H A T intellectually challenging, for just this once, to try to look at the B I G picture? Even at that Canada is not a bilingual country.

jimf

I noticed this paragraph in Wikipedia

"Originally, Law 101 required that all commercial signage be in French and no other language. In 1988 Ford v. Quebec (Attorney General) the Supreme Court of Canada ruled this was unconstitutional. After massive protests in support of the legislation, the Bourassa Government invoked the Notwithstanding Clause, allowing the laws to remain static for a period of 5 years, after which they would be reviewed. In 1993, the United Nations ruled that it was outside of the government's jurisdiction to limit freedom of expression in this particular way. Also in 1993, but not due to the UN ruling, Quebec reviewed the law and modified its language regulations to require that French be markedly predominant on exterior business signs, as suggested by the Supreme Court of Canada ruling in the case of Ford v. Quebec."

This suggests that the original desire of the politicians and intention of the legislation was to eliminate English (and all other languages) from all commercial signage and someone had to go to the supreme court to get a ruling that such a ban was unconstituational. It looks like there was then popular support to continue with the illegal ban so a delaying tactic was used until the change in the law in 1993 to allow dual language as long as the French dominates. In parallel the United Nations ruled that the ban of other languages in Quebec was a breach of the right to freedom of expression.

Dave+Jules

Don't get me wrong Mike I have no problem with it personally. I am not a citizen so I don't believe it is right for me to criticise the position.

I chose NB because of the French influence. It makes for a more culturally diverse place (more interesting) and the influence on arts and cuisine is pretty good too

Tangram

Certainly had no problem here in the Moncton area which is heavier than most in Acadian. Never had rudeness from retailers, the only thing I have noticed is if there is a person who doesn't hold a door open, it's usually an Acadian speaker, but really that's as minor/major as it gets.

montreal mike

It's fine ... I didn't have you in mind.

My comments were aimed as those who obviously haven't given the matter enough thought, or don't know the history, or the context, whatever, and thus lack needed perspective.

French Canadians have to feel welcome from province to province, no different really than Anglos need to feel welcome in Quebec.