It is “unfortunate” that young Quebecers “find it cool” to express themselves in English, launched François Legault, to defend his government’s choice to spend $271,000 for a humorous advertisement on New Year’s Eve.
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“There are young people who, unfortunately, find it “cool” to say words in English or to speak to each other in English,” lamented the Prime Minister in the chamber on Thursday.
He then responded to the leader of the official opposition, Marc Tanguay, who asked him if he was aware that the Ministry of the French Language had spent $271,000 to make a nod to the peregrine falcon advertising campaign with an advertisement during Infoman’s New Year’s Eve special.
The irony of using an English word in a plea to defend French was immediately noted by the interim leader of the PLQ, who stressed that the publicity of the peregrine falcon does not prevent the Prime Minister from resorting to even to anglicisms.
But French is vulnerable in North America, retorted Mr. Legault, before adding that “unfortunately, there are young people who find it “cool” or “chill”” to express themselves in the language of Shakespeare, precisely. as illustrated by the peregrine falcon advertisement.
Thus, unlike the Liberals who denounce a “waste of public funds” in the production and distribution of the December 31 advertising, the Prime Minister believes that this type of advertising is necessary “to protect and promote our language”.
Mr. Legault also took the opportunity to attack the Liberals, in particular by recalling that PLQ deputies demonstrated in front of Dawson CEGEP to oppose the 17.5% limit on the number of places in English-speaking CEGEPs.
To respond to these attacks, Marc Tanguay affirmed that the development of French is important for the PLQ, which gave rise to brawls in the chamber. The leader of the government, Simon Jolin-Barrette, rose for a point of order, arguing that the leader of the official opposition was misleading the chamber, which provoked laughter and protests in the room. Mr. Jolin-Barrette was immediately invited to sit down again by the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy.