[PublicAnimalNo9]

Psssst EB, that's THE reason I freakin HATE Celin Dion. When she's out of country she's a Canadian, but IN Canada she's a Quebecois. I mean hell who among us in Canada refer to themselves by provincial name. Well maybe the Newfs but they're so damn lovable who cares? I swear Quebec is the only province with an identity crisis no matter how often their little egos get stroked by the feds.

[MacDonaill]

kenmore kenmore:

OldChum OldChum:

I do not like the price tagg it puts on all of us Quebec wants it then let them pay .

Hmmm some how I don't think Québec does want it... more like the feds want it.. but hey its good for the country... C'est la vie! suck it up!

Good point, in a way. Something people consistently are ignorant of, because they jump to conclusions instead of doing actual research, is that separatists HATE official bilingualism because its success is their failure.

Most everyday Quebeckers are placated to have government services and jobs available to them in French, and as long as this is provided, separation is unnecessary for them. This is the hugest thorn in the separatists' ass.

It're regular, everyday, non-separatist Quebeckers who want bilingualism. Separatists, on the other hand, don't really care about bilingualism. They want separation and that's it. Bilingualism actually harms their cause, and they are the first to denounce it as a waste of time and money.

[MacDonaill]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

Psssst EB, that's THE reason I freakin HATE Celin Dion. When she's out of country she's a Canadian, but IN Canada she's a Quebecois.

In Canada, among other Canadians, aren't you differentiated by what province you live in? When people ask you where you're from outside Canada, you say Canada. But when people in Canada ask you where you're from, you'd look pretty stupid to say 'from Canada'. You would naturally say 'from Alberta, from Quebec, from Newfoundland'. These are differences which are understood within the country, but ignored outside of it, naturally.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

No, you don't get it. I don't go around throwing my WASPism in everybody's face. I tell people I'm from Ontario, I don't say I'm an Ontarian.

One is a PLACE, the other is a THING.

[MacDonaill]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

No, you don't get it. I don't go around throwing my WASPism in everybody's face. I tell people I'm from Ontario, I don't say I'm an Ontarian.

One is a PLACE, the other is a THING.

But at the same time, given the context, being a Quebecker in Canada differentiates someone more from everyone else than being an Ontarian or a British Columbian. Besides Newfoundland, most English provinces don't have a very strong sense of identity. Quebec does, for obvious reasons. Why wouldn't it? It's the only province that speaks an entirely different language than all the others. If the Acadians had their own province, they would speak in the same way. If French were the majority language in Canada, and Ontario were the only English province, the shoe would be on the other foot and people from Ontario would have a strong Ontarian identity.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

I disagree. I just can't see someone from Alberta telling another Canadian that they are an "English speaking Albertan." They say, "I'm from Alberta."
And why do Quebecois feel the need to differentiate themselves from the rest of Canada. What, the rest of us ain't good enough for 'em?

[MacDonaill]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

I disagree. I just can't see someone from Alberta telling another Canadian that they are an "English speaking Albertan." They say, "I'm from Alberta."
And why do Quebecois feel the need to differentiate themselves from the rest of Canada. What, the rest of us ain't good enough for 'em?

They don,t have to differentiate themselves. It's already done for them. A language is a huge differences. It entails a change in cultural references, in values, in literature and in many important things. You can't expect Quebeckers to just be 'English Canadians in translation'.

And saying you're from Alberta sort of makes it understood that you speak English. If you were a Franco-Albertan, however, I guarantee you would say that you were a French-speaking Albertan. It's the same with me, when I say I'm from Quebec, I almost have to say that I'm an English Quebecker because if I don't, people will be confused.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

French speaking Albertan... hmm Would they be an Albertois then?

[EyeBrock]

MacDonaill MacDonaill:

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

No, you don't get it. I don't go around throwing my WASPism in everybody's face. I tell people I'm from Ontario, I don't say I'm an Ontarian.

One is a PLACE, the other is a THING.

But at the same time, given the context, being a Quebecker in Canada differentiates someone more from everyone else than being an Ontarian or a British Columbian. Besides Newfoundland, most English provinces don't have a very strong sense of identity. Quebec does, for obvious reasons. Why wouldn't it? It's the only province that speaks an entirely different language than all the others. If the Acadians had their own province, they would speak in the same way. If French were the majority language in Canada, and Ontario were the only English province, the shoe would be on the other foot and people from Ontario would have a strong Ontarian identity.

Newfoundland didn't join Canada until 1949. Newfies will always have a strong identity, plus they are an island province, the culture was deepened by the isolation of the outports up until the 1960’-70’s. Comparing them to other Anglo provinces is inequitable.
Ontarios do have a strong identity. They identify with Canada. It's a novel choice from a Quebec point of view but, hey you guys might consider it.

Quebec has been 'Canadian' since the 1760's yet you would never know it. It's culture is inward looking and isolationist. They have always treated Anglo-Canada as interlopers at best, invaders at worst.

The reason why Quebeckers identify themselves as Québécois first and sometimes Canadians second is that they don't want to be Canadians.
They want to go back to being New France.

I can get my head around that, I don't blame them.

They want to be their own country, but trying to pretend otherwise is disingenuous.

We know what they want, save your excuses and deep meaningful posts. We have the measure of Quebec and we know it doesn’t want to be a part of Canada.

[Proculation]

Woh woh EyeBrock... Quebeckers never said they were against being Canadians. Only a minority does.

[EyeBrock]

Really? So the millions who vote for the Bloc are flag waving Canadian patriots?

[Proculation]

I didn't say that. But they are only a minority. Even some "soft" separatists consider themselve Canadians. But they want a country.

[Saskanna]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

The problem is, as MacDonaill says.

A majority of the Quebec population put Quebec before Canada. The rest of us are Canadians, Quebeckers are Quebeckers and Canadians when it suits them.

That's the crux of it and no amount of rhetoric apologising for the self-serving attitude of those inhabitants of New France will change it.

All you can do is take the money and tell us Canadians how like Yanks we are.

It suits them when they turn up in Florida for their annual holiday!

[EyeBrock]

In 2008 40% of the Quebec vote went to the Bloc. Only a minority? That was by far the largest vote for a party in Quebec.

Only a minority? Come on. This isn’t some underground movement, the Quebecios don’t want to be part of Canada. It’s not news. Nothing has changed since 1759.

The symbols of Quebec nationhood abound.

The provincial legislature is called the Assemblée nationale du Québec.
Saint Jean Baptiste day is called La Fête Nationale Du Québec.

Even the cops in Quebec refuse to look like the cops in the other 10 provinces and 3 territories. They couldn’t look any more different if they tried! Er, I’d say they really tried hard in retrospect.

You guys refused to let a North American historical society re-enact the 1759 battle on the Plains.

Did you not think we would notice this stuff?

[Proculation]

Still, it's a minority. 38% voted for the Bloc yes but 62% voted for a federal party. that's about one quarter of the population margin. That's a lot.

I understand you hear a lot of negative things but that's because that minority is very loud. Most of us don't care and are very happy to be Canadians.