Should the Canadian federal government force Quebec to repeal its language laws?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Strange we already din't see Hash on this topic. Anyways, it obviously shouldn't.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The only thing worse than the French are the French-Canadians.

Hash, were are you ? If he were here, you wouldn't last any longer...

[Antonio the Sixth]

Is he a French-Canadian?

Yep !

[Antonio the Sixth]

One, I strongly doubt the federal government has the right to repeal provincial laws, especially in domains such as this one.

Secondly, as Max said, the law in the 1960s and 1970s made historical sense. In the Grande Noirceur and until the Quiet Revolution, Quebec business interests were dominated by wealthy English-speakers in Westmount and everything, from menus to medicine information, was in English, in a province which was by far majority French. And the education granted to the French population was the education of the Catholic Church and the UN government which ensured that everybody was dumb, poor and with little future. French was under serious threat by the '60's and '70's, so Law 101 made perfect sense, even if some clauses were excessively authoritarian.

Certain parts of Law 101 could, arguably, be repealed. The famous education clause which forces children of French-educated parents to go to French language schools is authoritarian and pure stupidity (and the reason why I'm a citizen of Ontario today). However, the nationalists will argue with you that if the clause is removed, you potentially face the risk of having English grow in Quebec - but English is growing in Quebec because of more immigration and because the clause only applies to elementary and secondary education, meaning that the clause does not apply to CEGEPs and universities. And the clause is also potentially open to loopholes of all sorts and so forth. And it's stupid (you must go to a French school if both parents were educated in French) and now represents the close-mindedness of certain Quebecois, mostly nationalists who are still sprouting OMG ENGLISH IS EVIL. And repealing it, imo, won't do anything important. And that type of linguistic nationalism also incites people, from open-minded liberal Quebecois to immigrants to immigrate to Ontario or the West instead of facing old regressive nationalism. Example: yours truly.

As to my answer, the law did good things for the French language in Quebec and the lack of language legislation in Quebec would seriously threaten the French language, and in this era of globalization and immigration, it is arguably even more under threat than before. I say this with no nationalist undertones (I would vote NO in any future independence referendum). Some facets of the language laws are necessary and should be kept, while others are stupid and their repeal wouldn't represent a blow to French in la belle province.

The close-minded nationalist attitude which exists in Quebec amongst many Pequistes (which consists of saying that English Canadians are evil monsters and evil evil evil) and exists in English Canada (which consists of saying that French sucks, that Quebec sucks) are both equally stupid and regressive. If people want to hold those ridiculous close-minded, nationalist, stupid and regressive views, then so be it. I don't really care.

As to the typical "Canada sucks" stupidity, I don't care. I've heard that bullsh**t enough and I stopped caring. And many times, it's nothing more than a joke, even if a joke in bad taste.

Finally you're here ! I was waiting for your post...