[Sca-cooks] OT OOP "Official Language" OT

[Micaylah]

>language.  Why?  Take Monterey Park for example.
>60% of their citizens are of Chinese origin. 95%
>of their stores prior to this new law had signs
>written only in Chinese.  This means that only
>Chinese readers knew what these stores were
>selling.  Which I find to be discriminatory, but
>that isn't why the laws were written.  When
>emergencies happened and 911 was called to a
>store, the firemen and the police had difficulty
>finding the location, as even the store addresses
>were written in Chinese on the building. Monterey
>Park passed this law and also one requiring that
>all signs had to be at least partially in English
>so that emergency personel could find the
>locations and hopefully save lives.
>
>Huette

Isn't that stupid. This is very similar to what's happening/happened in
Québec. They have "language police", no really! At first Québec had just
French signs, I mean everywhere. Traffic signs, store signs, hospital
etc etc. From what it appeared to the rest of Canada, they had no
interest in their English population, let alone any other English person
in the rest of Canada. It was really hard to be a tourist in Québec, or
be English and live in Québec (it still is), or even feel welcome back
then.

And then in 1977 (I think) the Parti Québécois introduced Bill 101.

Little summary of the Bill.
"The most controversial sections of ‘Bill 101’ were those restricting
access to English schools and prohibiting the use of English on
commercial signs. Both became vulnerable after the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms took effect in 1982. Soon afterwards the Supreme
Court of Canada ruled that ‘Bill 101’ must be brought into conformity
with section 23(1)(b) of the Charter, which guarantees Canadian citizens
who received an English education in Canada the right to educate their
children in English (see Quebec (A.G.) v. Quebec Protestant School
Boards, [1984] 2 S.C.R. 66). In 1988 the provision relating to signs was
struck down as a violation of freedom of expression (see Ford v. Quebec
A.G., [1988] 2 S.C.R. 712), but the Bourassa government promptly used
the notwithstanding clause to re-enact it in a modified form, a measure
that caused three anglophone cabinet ministers to resign. In 1993 a
further modification allowed English to appear on signs posted outdoors
provided the French words were more prominent."

So the "language police" go around making sure all signs conform to the
Bill mostly targeting English and ethnic communities. A couple/few years
ago, in a predominantly English town in the Outaouais, the language
folks showed up and started taking pictures of the signs etc. No word of
a lie, they had there cameras ripped apart and then they were run out of
town. lmao Now they are more careful as this practice has been adopted
by several communities.

At least one has no problems reading the traffic signs now. I love going
to Montreal and for a few years in the beginning it was quite the hairy
ride sometimes. Occasionally one had to guess what the signs said. And
since the signage on stores etc has been changed, there has been little
problem with emergency crews finding a location.

I want to make sure y'all know that while I hold no animosity to most
Outaouais residents (don't get me started on the
trait..errrr....Separatists), their government is a joke that only keeps
getting thrown in the face of all Canadians time and time again with
their whining and bitching about every little thing. Really tries your
patience when its been happening all your life. Please understand that I
have lots and lots of friends and relatives in la Belle Province, both
French and English. Its not the people I have issues with, its their
stupid government..

Micaylah
They do have a kick-ass cultural cuisine though. There, there's the
culinary connection. lol