I often call 311, the City of Montreal line. To find out when the next green waste collection will take place. To request a parking sticker or report a pothole. Since Thursday, I can also call this number to practice my English!
And all this, thanks to the entry into force on 1er June of Bill 96 which modifies the Charter of the French language and, according to the text of the law, has “the purpose of affirming that the only official language of Quebec is French”.
So Thursday morning, I called my beloved 311. After wishing me a brief “welcome to the City of Montreal” in French and giving me the option of pressing 1 to continue my communication in the language of Pauline Julien, the automated telephone system immediately launched into a long explanation – in English – of the new rules in place for receiving services in the language of Leonard Cohen.
“We will be happy to provide you with services in English if you state in good faith that you belong to one of the following exceptions…”, continues the unilingual English-speaking message before listing the said exceptions: being an Aboriginal person, being a new immigrant to Quebec in the last six months, be eligible for instruction in English, call from outside Quebec or have exclusively communicated with the City of Montreal in English before May 13, 2021.
“If you say this in good faith, press 2,” the recording suggests.
This awkward recording by the City of Montreal – which inflicts a long message in English on Francophones and asks Anglophones to fit into small boxes – demonstrates how the new rules imposed by the government of François Legault will be difficult to apply in the everyday life. And especially in the most diverse settings of the province.
In Montreal, where 24.2% of the population at the last census reported speaking English at home, where the vast majority of new immigrants arrive, where the largest number of Aboriginal people live in urban areas in Quebec and where finds most of the 304,000 children eligible for English education and, by the gang, their parents, the word “exception” is a misnomer.
Think about it. If Francophones representing 22.8% of the Canadian population were asked to describe themselves as “exceptions” when appealing to the federal government, many would cry out loud.
And imagine if you were also asked to certify this exceptional status “in good faith”, as if you were taking a telephone polygraph test, you would probably feel somewhat watched, infantilized. And all this to receive services for which you pay municipal taxes and taxes.
And it’s not just on the phone that it shows. The unease is equally evident on Montreal’s website, where it is announced that the City will “progressively comply” with the law. The English version of the site is always accessible, but it is stipulated that its use is reserved for the same “exceptions”. The others, close your eyes so as not to break the law!
The situation is the same in Laval.
The city of Longueuil, for its part, has completely removed English from its website since Thursday. Under the “language” tab, English speakers are offered to translate the website using Google Translate. We even give the procedure to follow to get there.
Will the approximately 15,000 Longueuil residents who have English as their only mother tongue consider that the use of Silicone Valley software is equivalent to receiving services in their language? Allow me to doubt it!
Once again, if I was forced to do the opposite in French, I would kick in the stretchers.
Far be it from me to say that nothing should be done to further protect French in Quebec. One of the objectives of the law is to send a clear message about the central role of French in public life. However, it has been clear since the beginning of the debate that the decision to limit the services offered to the population in English will not be without problems.
Of course, Thursday was Day 1 of the new standards coming into effect. It would have been surprising if the reforms immediately found their best embodiment. That said, the first blunders show that it is easier to have laws passed in the National Assembly of Quebec than to face the reality of a Quebec that will never be homogeneous. In good faith.