Vive Le Quebec libre

Carlos (P)(e)(R)(u)   Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:20 am GMT
THE ANLGOSAXONS FEAR OF A DEVELOPED LATIN NATION IN AMERICA RIGHT??? THE ANGLOSAXONS SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THE FRENCH AND SPANISH OWNED FIRST WHAT IS NOW THEIR TERRITORY AND HAVE THE RIGHT TO CLAIM IT (THROUGH THEIR LATIN ANCESTORS). AND.... I WONDER WHY IS SANDER SO INTERESTED IN KEEPING LATINS SEPARATED.
Sigma   Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:56 am GMT
If the Anglo Saxons has the control over the "Saxon" Countries fine, but don't expect to have similar control in the culture in Latin Countries (Le Québec included), we will not speak English instead of our Mother Tongue, like it happens sometimes in English dominated countries such as Sweden or Denmark (yes I was in Sweden the last year, and some Swedes prefer to speak in English to me even that I was able to speak a bit of Swedish, and it was so sad to see them as a bad copy of the English people instead of seeing them speaking and practicing their own language and costumes) , also we will not embrace the English culture to become a bad clones of them.

I don't hate English language don't missunderstand me but I refuse to give up my own culture and become a bad copy of the Anglo Saxon.
Trunks   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:41 am GMT
Merci à tous pour votre soutien encore
French   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:50 am GMT
AND.... I WONDER WHY IS SANDER SO INTERESTED IN KEEPING LATINS SEPARATED. >

Cuz He is racist, a racist dutchman
Guest   Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:40 am GMT
then I find your remarks about our supposed passivity to protect our culture quite offensive (especially coming from a british person.)>>
Well, I didn't mean to offend you. But you haven't really answered my point: whether Quebec is independent or not, you'll still have to share a continent with several hundred million English-speakers. So tell me what the difference would be? I just get so sick of all the people on this forum whining about the English language or 'Anglo-Saxon' culture taking over their own precious language and culture - that was my point about 'standing up to it'. I didn't claim that you were passive - I've been to Quebec, I know that's not true and I applaud your efforts to retain your language. But why the hostility to English???
And please explain your VERY offensive remark 'coming from a British person'. Am I not entitled to an opinion? And my Canadian friends are entitled to theirs too. They do not fear the independence of Quebec - the politicians might, but my friends mostly have an emotional reaction which is highly in favour of Quebec leaving Canada. Or do you think that as native English-speakers they don't have the right to an opinion either?
Candy   Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:42 am GMT
oops, that was me above - forgot to sign!

we will not speak English instead of our Mother Tongue, >>


I refuse to give up my own culture and become a bad copy of the Anglo Saxon. >>

Fine, then don't!!!!
greg   Wed Aug 24, 2005 8:32 am GMT
Sigma a écrit :

[ < PS : la réintégration du Labrador dans le Québec va de pair avec l'indépendance. >
Es cierto el Labrador era parte del Québec, pero el Canada lo separó del el. La palabra "Labrador" no es anglosajona, para empezar. ]


Exactement ! Je crois que le mot <Labrador> est d'origine portugaise. Vous confirmez ?
Stephane P Spanelle   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:03 pm GMT
Independence for St Pierre & Miquellon! (or however it is spelt) And French Guiana too! And Kerguelen island!
Even if, like the Falklands, they don't want their independence.
Or like the majority of people in Quebec, for that matter. Non?
Candy   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:09 pm GMT
WHy do posters on this thread keep referring to 'Anglo-Saxons'?? Who ARE these people? Why should they be so afraid of 'Latin' culture?
Sander   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:31 pm GMT
=>AND.... I WONDER WHY IS SANDER SO INTERESTED IN KEEPING LATINS SEPARATED. >

Cuz He is racist, a racist dutchman <=

If you claim that 'the latins ' are a race then you are the racist.You are really sick French.
French   Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:58 pm GMT
'Anglo-Saxons'>


You English (and their descendents in the other continents) are Anglo Saxons

Don't deny it !
Candy   Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:16 pm GMT
Thanks French, a contribution well up to your usual standard.

For your information, the English haven't been pure Anglo-Saxon since about the 8th century. We're mongrels, a mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Viking and, yes, Norman FRENCH, plus goodness knows what else. And these days Britain is a richly multicultural country.
Sigma   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:01 pm GMT
Exactement ! Je crois que le mot <Labrador> est d'origine portugaise. Vous confirmez ? >

Je chercherai greg
Ne t'inquiete pas
El C   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:05 pm GMT
norman at this time were not french...
Sébastien   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:15 pm GMT
"whether Quebec is independent or not, you'll still have to share a continent with several hundred million English-speakers. So tell me what the difference would be? "

Candy,

Why does Québec want to become an independent country? What would the difference be? This question really seems to baffle most English Canadians. The cause for which being of course their incapabilty or even unwillingness to learn French. The wall blocking communication between the English and the French here in Canada is much greater than the Berlin wall ever was and often seems to be more comparable in size to the Great Wall of China.
Here are the most important reasons why Québec wants its independence.

Politics is the act of self governement, thus Québecers want naturally to govern themselves without always having their policies shot down by Ottawa.

Could you tell me why we should be a minority and badly treated in Canada when we could be a majority and control our own futur in Québec?
Always being a minority can easily lead a people to fall into the trap of defaitism, always putting themselves down. For a long time, this was the case in Québec and only now after years of slowly learning to take control of our own destiny has this monkey been shook off our back. For a long time, we were used to the idea that only those who were or who spoke English would get decent jobs in Québec. We definitely don't want history to repeat itself and naturally are sick of getting stepped on. By being an independent country, this risk is practically eliminated.

The confusion of the minority/majority situation is also eliminated by independence. Quebecers are always being told that they are already "masters in their own homes" but at the same time we have to listen to Ottawa who interferes with our development. We also believe that we are a majority in Québec, but when we are part of Canada we are a minority and lose all our rights. It's extremely hard to get service in French outside of Québec, even in French-speaking communities because these place associate success and business with English.

It is important to note that this question is far from being a recent one, in fact, it goes back to way before Confederation, back to the original Conquest of Québec itself. Demographically speaking, French is deminishing in the rest of Canada. An astounding number of francophones outside of Québec have been assimilated into speaking mostly English, and Montreal risks to fall below the 60% mark of francophones making up this city.
By becoming independant, Québec could control its own immigration laws to increase the number of francophones as well as make it mandatory for English-speaking immigrants to learn French. We could also restore parts of Bill 101 shot down by Ottawa.
Linguistic clivage = language determines voting. Francophones are divided on most issues including sovereignty in a way that is normal and healthy in any good democracy. Anglophones, however, almost invariably all vote exactly the same way every time, whatever way is AGAINST sovereignists or French rights. This is not at all normal and is in fact linguistic discrimination of sorts that makes a healthy dialogue between linguistic groups almost impossible.

Maybe your friends have told you Canada is officially a bilingual country? Actually bilingualism is really most of the time a francophone who speaks English and is much more rarely the opposite. Bilingualism was really an idea designed by Trudeau to assimilate the French.

On the contrary, it is a huge myth propagated by unworthy English-only-speaking journalists who say that English-speakers in Québec are somehow oppressed. This is not at all true. The English make up only 10% of Québec but are much more powerful and treated much better than the 25% of Francophones who make up Canada.

There is absolutely no doubt in the mind of anyone who speaks both French and English that Québec and English Canada have distinctly different cultures. "La petite vie" for instance would never exist in English on the CBC and no English Canadians actually know who "Noir Silence" is. On the other hand, Québecers know significantly more about English culture, being exposed to it more often, but still are oblivious to Sesame Street or Great Big Sea for example. There's a ton of other examples that would take too long to list, but suffice it to say that most Anglophones are completely unaware of the distinct culture that makes Québec what it is, and for this reason often find it hard to understand why we want to be independent. Basically, we are not at all like English Canadians and have on top of that a whole other set of values and attitudes and cultural references that are impossible to understand without speaking French adequately.

Have your friend ever tell you how they treat us (the "lousy french" as they say)? Here are some recents events:
1980 - Referendum. Ottawa illegally spends $17 million on the campaign against official referendum regulations.

1982 - Québec loses a lot of power in Constitutional negotiations when the other 9 provinces go behind René Lévesque's back to make a new agreement. Québec doesn't sign the new Constitution but the unilateral ratification by Ottawa is paradoxally considered "legal but not legitimate". Québec loses its veto, IS NO LONGER considered a founding nation on which Canada was built and no longer has a specific statu in the new "multicultural" version of Canada which seeks to further assimilate the French by making them one of many peoples. This is the first time since 1867 that one province loses powers due to agreements made solely by others.

1984 - Supreme Court overrules parts of Bill 101 in the area of English schooling.

1996 - "Info Canada" is created with a $20 million budget for unity propaganda.

2004 - Canadian government STOLE US $250 MILLION to promote Canada through "cultural" and sporting events in Québec. $100 million of the $250 million were spent on the sponsorship program of the Liberal Party (federalists). It is currently a huge scandal in Québec.


"And please explain your VERY offensive remark 'coming from a British person'"

Believe me, I have nothing against the british nor against the "anglo-saxons" in general (I have some english canadian friends you know) but with regards to what we suffered from your country in the past, it seemed to me that your comment was out of place.
Another thing: Why should I accept to be a subject of Queen Elizabeth II (Canada's head of state is the monarch of the UK) and forced to see her face on my money? Sorry, it just makes me sick.