Behind The Curtain (2 June, 2023)
Accessible Audio read by Jason C. McLean
Please Note: The following opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of Forget The Box, its sponsors, affiliates, or even me. At least not my views all of the time. Sometimes stuff like this just gets me mad, as it is intended to. But then, sometimes, I am able to put on my logic hat, look behind the curtain (he said the name of the series in the series!), and enjoy the fact that the absurdity of the situation is on full display. What, exactly, am I talking about? Parts of Quebec’s Bill 96, Premier François Legault’s revamping of French Language Charter, went into effect yesterday. While the impact of most of these new rules will be felt by small businesses, people signing contracts, and immigrants, the part that was most noticeable, and the part that I will focus on, has to do with the “language of civil administration”. Those accessing English content on the City of Montreal website, or calling the 3-1-1 municipal info line, first had to read or hear a disclaimer:
Yes, we were on the “honour system” to only access this content if we honestly believe we fit into one of the following four categories (as outlined on the Quebec Government’s website):
Individuals who corresponded solely in English with the civil administration prior to May 13, 2021
Persons declared eligible to receive instruction in English: aka the “historic anglophone community”, aka people with both parents educated in English in Quebec, aka me.
The Indigenous peoples: Obviously. More on this very soon.
Immigrants: No, not all of them, just those here for fewer than six months.
Services provided outside Québec: ‘Cause let’s not discriminate against tourists, that would make us look bad!
To be real for a moment, of course “the Indigenous peoples” get an exemption. Interesting that it doesn’t mention the particular nation. What they should get, at least for starters, is the city’s website translated into Mohawk. The only people around these parts actually at risk of losing their language and culture soon are the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka. Unless you’ve heard a land acknowledgment recently, you probably don’t even know that this island’s original name is Tiohtià:ke. Our present political discourse, though, is all about colonial political theatre, so, Curtain Up!
I’m fluently bilingual, I went to French Immersion school in Quebec (that makes me a “historic” anglo). I’ve worked in English, in French, and in both languages. Like an old-school Montrealer, I have no problem switching between the two of them. I’ll usually opt to speak in French when the cashier, waiter, or metro ticket booth person sounds Francophone to me. I qualify, according to the honour system, to read the City of Montreal website in English. And if I didn’t, I could get the information I need in French. So, seeing as it doesn’t affect me personally, why does seeing or hearing this notice really get under my skin? Is it because it affects friends’ ability to get or understand municipal services? No, everything is still available in English, just with a warning that can be easily ignored. Am I afraid that they will change from the “honour system” to some sort of “papers please” firewall? Emotionally yes, but logically no, of course not.
So why does this bug me? It’s seeing my world-class city subordinate itself to a provincial government elected by people who don’t live in said city, whose voters want to impose their will on and feel superior to the people in said city. Superior to me? I may have done some embarrassing things in my life, but I’ve never been so out of touch with what is good for humanity that I voted for a bigoted, hard-core capitalist, franco-nationalist, piece of human garbage like François Legault, so get off your high horse. Moreover, they want to impose their will on the francophones living in Montreal, the ones who are, or who strive to be bilingual, to be more cosmopolitan, to be more inclusive. This is not about protecting the French language. Maybe it was at one point, but now this is about protecting the perceived dominance of Legault’s rural and suburban base over the big, bad metropolis. Imagine if the New York State Government wanted to impose Albany values and culture on New York City. What really grinds my gears, so to speak, is that I fear my city has lost the proverbial plot and is going along with it.
But then I take a deep breath and realize that maybe, just maybe, they haven’t. Sure, Mayor Valérie Plante's administration is complying with the letter of the law, but they are doing so in a way that exposes the law’s absurdity without actually withholding any services. Sure, the people who constantly complain in comments every time the Mayor wishes people a happy holiday or anything else in English, despite her posting only in French 99.9% of the time, are probably content. Seriously, most of these people don’t even live in Montreal like the anglo and allophones who can actually vote for her do, why do we have to appease them…but I digress. What this really does is expose the cruel absurdity of Bill 96 for anyone anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Hopefully people will understand that Montreal is simply superficially complying with the laughing stock that are Legault and his base because they are legally required to, and not part of that laughing stock itself.
NOTES THIS WEEK
Heatwave!
It’s hot out there! Montreal’s first heatwave of the year continues until Saturday. This afternoon, expect “highs of 31°C, but feeling more like 36°C with the humidex. UV index 7 or higher” (source: CityNews) plus there are supposed to be thunderstorms. We’ll be updating this post with accurate weather models every hour (Editor’s Note: No, we absolutely will not be doing that). Right, I always wanted to say stuff like that and sound like a real weather reporter, but I guess a weekly series isn’t the best place to do it. What I can tell you is that the City of Montreal has opened up splash pads and cooling stations, and even opened some pools early. You can find out where on the city’s website (yes, that one that I just talked about above). If you don’t want to have your historic anglo papers ready, though, we published a guide to staying cool on no budget back on the old .net, which still holds up to this day.
Fringe-For-All!
The last time I was at a Fringe-for-All was in 2001. I was on stage dressed as a killer clown. Fast-forward 22 years, as on Monday, I took in the annual kickoff of the Montreal Fringe Festival seated in the audience dressed as a media person (to some, a different kind of clown). The intros were fluently bilingual (without a disclaimer!), and fun, plus the acts that appeared on stage for two minutes each did pique my interest. Editor-in-Chief Dawn McSweeney gives us more comprehensive coverage of the event in her article this week, and our team will be providing a bunch of show reviews in the days to come.
Donate Early and Donate Often!
You know what doesn't ask you to swear alliegance to King Charles or whatever to participate? You know what you can do in the warm weather or the cold? You can donate to our IndieGoGo campaign and help us reach our goals:
FTB Founder Jason C. McLean returns every Friday for another installment in his series, Behind The Curtain.
