Rick Perry Thinks Canada Is Not A Foreign Country

[sarge]

french canada's right to language and religion was quaranteed in the BNA act of 1867, which confederated canada into a nation.
they were reinforced when the canadian constitution was adopted in 1982.

i have never had a problem with the bilingual nature of canada.

I don't have a problem with bilingualism either - indeed, I support the notion completely. If, when Canada incorporated as a soverign nation, it was promissed that French would always be accepted as an official language, then Canada should honor that condition. I'm not sure that making French superior to English in some part of the nation is the best way to accomplish that, however.

Of course, it is a Canadian issue, and so far I haven't heard a Canadian express concern with this Canadian approach. I don't give two flips when a European expresses outrage that Americans still own handguns - certainly I am not really entitled to outrage over the offical language status in Canada.

 

[sarge]

No they can speak English all they want, those measures are just for the preservation of French.

Oh stop.

By law, French is superior to English in some parts of Canada. If you believe that the requirement that French be superior to English in some parts of Canada is right and proper, just say so. Either the practice is proper for Canada or it isn't - but don't mischarterize the situation.

 

[Pardalis]

I'm just saying if he wants to do business in Québec exclusively in English, then he's a bad businessman.

 

[sarge]

If you opened a business in Germany, would you do business exclusively in English?

You didn't answer the question. Would the law require him to operate in French? Would the law require him to operate in French and allow him to also operate in English? Would the law require him to operate in both French and English?

 

[Pardalis]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_French_Language#Commerce_and_business

 

[Border Reiver]

You didn't answer the question. Would the law require him to operate in French? Would the law require him to operate in French and allow him to also operate in English? Would the law require him to operate in both French and English?

Yes, the requirements of Bill 101 require that any business operating in Quebec be able to provide services in French, that the signage have the French language version be at least twice as big as any other language. The shop can offer services in any language they choose, so long as they offer services in French.

The federal language laws require that the Federal government be able to provide services in both official languages, and that both languages are to be given equal prominence (which doesn't run afoul of the QC laws as the QC laws do not bind the federal crown).

The Provincial laws require that the provincial government provide services in French, and that where pracitical, that services be available in English. This practically means that there is usually one bilingual person in the office who can provide translations.

 

[sarge]

Yes, the requirements of Bill 101 require that any business operating in Quebec be able to provide services in French, that the signage have the French language version be at least twice as big as any other language. The shop can offer services in any language they choose, so long as they offer services in French.

So for private business in a predominately English speaking country with English as an official language, French is required but English is permitted. Still seems to be a strange concession to a vocal minority to me. I still don't understand why such a concession is good for the country.

The federal language laws require that the Federal government be able to provide services in both official languages, and that both languages are to be given equal prominence (which doesn't run afoul of the QC laws as the QC laws do not bind the federal crown).

That explanation still presents a contradiction (provided Canada has the same relationship between the Fed/Provinces as the US does between the Fed/States). Federal law requires English and French to be equal, Quebec prohibits English from being equal with French.

The Provincial laws require that the provincial government provide services in French, and that where pracitical, that services be available in English. This practically means that there is usually one bilingual person in the office who can provide translations.

But presents the possibility that a Canadian citizen speaking his native language that is also an offical language would not meet a goverment official that shares his language.

 

[theprestige]

I'm just saying if he wants to do business in Québec exclusively in English, then he's a bad businessman.

So the laws that compel me to do business in French are just for my own protection?

"Oh, that poor fellow! He doesn't seem to realize all the revenue he'll be losing by not doing business in French! We better make it a crime to be bad at business!"

Presumably Quebec also has laws against ineffective marketing campaigns and carrying too much inventory.

 

[Pardalis]

So the laws that compel me to do business in French are just for my own protection?

No, you'd be silly to do business in English only in a province where 80% speak French.

 

[crimresearch]

Amazing how many people around the world immigrate to new lands and successfully run businesses before mastering the new language.



Does your poor opinion of imigrants extend beyond their business practices?

 

[Pardalis]

Does your poor opinion of imigrants extend beyond their business practices?

I was asked a specific question about businesses. Nobody mentioned immigrants before now.

 

[sarge]

No, you'd be silly to do business in English only in a province where 80% speak French.

That it might be silly to conduct a business in that manner is probably true, and completely irrelevent. The law does not seem to have been crafted with concern for the efficient operations of private enterprise as a consideration.

The primary purpose of the law seems to have been to preserve Frence as the nearly exclusive language in the areas the law affects. That leaves me with the same question I had comming into this discussion:

In what way is Canada better off with the French language being artifically supported? Why is it desirable for some Canadians to be encouraged to use French over English (and other languages)?

 

[Pardalis]

The primary purpose of the law seems to have been to preserve Frence as the nearly exclusive language in the areas the law affects.

No. Did you read the link I posted?

 

[sarge]

Amazing how many people around the world immigrate to new lands and successfully run businesses before mastering the new language.



Does your poor opinion of imigrants extend beyond their business practices?

I can't see that he has expressed an opinion about immigrants one way or another. Indeed, this series of policies/laws would seem to have the greatest effect on Canadian citizens, the majority of whom actually speak the other official language. I would consider these policies to be immigration neutral.

 

[Pardalis]

BTW, why has this become a thread about Québec language laws?

 

[Bill Thompson]

“Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don’t have to buy from a foreign source,” Mr. Perry said in Clarinda, earning a loud round of enthusiastic applause."

That is not correct but at the same time, he does not say "foreign country". So to make an issue out of this is a reflection on the Liberals, not on Perry. Neighbors are not so foreign. The comment "Perry thinks Canada is not a foreign country" is supposition and a falsehood.


By the way, Perry is making an unexpected surge in the poles now: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227518

The second part here is a joke, in case you don't know.

 

[sarge]

BTW, why has this become a thread about Québec language laws?

Threads drift. It started wh post #67, and progressed from there. It isn't completely off-topic either. The language laws in Quebec do illustrate one way that Canada and the US are foreign to each other.