[81-717]

Quebec is a constitutionally unilingual French province. They have zero obligation to serve you in French.

Then why is the rest of Canada obligated to serve them in French? So all of Canada has 2 official languages except QC which only has 1??

There's no Canada without Quebec. And there's no Quebec without French. It's that simple.

Cool. Be sure to tell 'em that next time they wanna separate (Quebexit). FWIW I wouldn't care if they ever do choose to separate from Canada, or even join the US as the 51st state, like you said it doesn't affect me at all.

 

[PinkLucy]

My kid just got a job at a national company. He is bilingual. He is the first employee they have had who is bilingual (small company). The company has managed quite well in Quebec and been very successful, for their customer base it's cool that now they have a French-speaker sellling them things, but they weren't holding out for one.

 

[picard102]

Then why is the rest of Canada obligated to serve them in French?

What law is forcing you, in the rest of Canada, to serve them in French?

 

[81-717]

What law is forcing you, in the rest of Canada, to serve them in French?

The fact that nearly everything is duplicated in both English & French (signs, labels, etc)?

 

[picard102]

My kid just got a job at a national company. He is bilingual. He is the first employee they have had who is bilingual (small company). The company has managed quite well in Quebec and been very successful, for their customer base it's cool that now they have a French-speaker sellling them things, but they weren't holding out for one.

Assuming it's not retail?

 

[picard102]

The fact that nearly everything is duplicated in both English & French (signs, labels, etc)?

What do you not understand about French being an official language?
French speaking Canadians don't cease to exist once they leave Quebec. Some never even have stepped foot in Quebec.
Labels being bilingual has NOTHING to do with Quebec's language laws, or doing business in Quebec.

 

[81-717]

What do you not understand about French being an official language?
French speaking Canadians don't cease to exist once they leave Quebec. Some never even have stepped foot in Quebec.
Labels being bilingual has NOTHING to do with Quebec's language laws, or doing business in Quebec.

I don't understand why QC wouldn't do the same bare minimum of having signs/labels/announcements bilingual, because English-speaking Canadians don't cease to exist either the moment they enter QC. What don't you (or QC) understand about the idea that having 2 official languages should go both ways?

 

[PinkLucy]

Assuming it's not retail?

Commercial -- he sells to retail outlets

 

[Northern Light]

Here's a short summary.

Language Laws and Doing Business in Quebec | Éducaloi

The Charter of the French Language makes French the usual language of business in Quebec. Most freelancers, companies or organizations that provide products or services in Quebec, whether for profit or not for profit, have to respect the rules in the Charter or risk being fined and given other...

educaloi.qc.ca

As others have said, nothing there is particularly arduous.

What's the barrier? That you need one, count'em one employee who can communicate with customers in French on any given shift?

That you must have warranties or contracts available in French? (this is the norm already in Ontario, much of Canada and even portions of the U.S. and Mexico....

Check out Rogers Ignite Cable boxes, the software loads with English, French and Spanish so that's universal through the Americas, plural, excepting Brazil.

It just doesn't seem particularly burdensome.

 

[Northern Light]

I don't understand why QC wouldn't do the same bare minimum of having signs/labels/announcements bilingual, because English-speaking Canadians don't cease to exist either the moment they enter QC. Having 2 official languages should go both ways. What don't you (or QC) understand about that?

1) Most packaging and all ingredient labels are governed Federally in Canada and are bilingual, in Ontario and in Quebec.

2) Most large businesses have all their processes, their websites, their contracts available in both languages including Quebec.

3) Quebec does not prohibit English, nor does it in fact prohibit any other language in contracts, in signage, in instructions etc. It merely requires French be equally or more prominent or the default option offered.

4) Where in Quebec have you experienced difficulty navigating life in English? Notwithstanding that it might be reasonable to make an effort to do so in French, in Quebec, I'm going to suggest to you that its easy to navigate in or do business in Montreal, Gatineau, or Quebec City in English......there may be some smaller communities where it would be slightly more challenging, but rarely an insurmountable obstacle.

 

[Northern Light]

I resent QC for boycotting English while the rest of us have to translate everything into French just for them

This misrepresents reality entirely in just about every way.

It also makes you seem both ill-informed and quite prejudiced.

 

[81-717]

Notwithstanding that it might be reasonable to make an effort to do so in French, in Quebec

And it's not that I haven't tried, when I did go.

I'm going to suggest to you that its easy to navigate in or do business in Montreal, Gatineau, or Quebec City in English

Montreal maybe, but in Quebec City from what I've heard English is essentially nonexistent.

 

[T3G]

And it's not that I haven't tried, when I did go.


Montreal maybe, but in Quebec City from what I've heard English is essentially nonexistent.

So just like with French in Ontario, then?

Official languages only matter in a bureaucratic context. If you don't currently speak French, you are not going to get some disgruntled Quebecer jumping out of the shadows and forcing you to speak it.

 

[Northern Light]

Montreal maybe, but in Quebec City from what I've heard English is essentially nonexistent.

You have heard incorrectly. Tourism is a key industry in Quebec City, it attracts many Anglo Canadians and many Americans, and hotel guests, restaurant patrons, those seeking information on transit etc will all find ample English.

Every ATM has English available, most restaurants have an English menu, or staff that can translate.

From Wikipedia:

How did you arrive at such an erroneous impression? It doesn't seem like you did much research, nor have you traveled there. That doesn't read as a sound basis on which to draw firm conclusions.

 

[txlseries4]

I resent QC for boycotting English while the rest of us have to translate everything into French just for them

There's a very real issue of culture and language disappearing that it feels like you're unaware of, don't value yourself, or maybe don't believe is the issue that many do. How else is Quebec to protect their language and cultural history?

Montreal maybe, but in Quebec City from what I've heard English is essentially nonexistent.

I've been to Quebec City a few times and have never had trouble speaking English to people, who've always been gracious enough to accommodate my abysmal (~non-existent) French. Generally the cities (Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City) have lots of people who know English as a second language, though that diminishes the further you get from the city centres, but unless you have a friend in Rimouski, you're just not going to those parts of QC.