Grassroots 'English language police' launched

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

A new grassroots organization has set itself up to protect the rights of anglophones in Quebec, but its existing governmental counterpart, the Office Québécois de la Langue Française said that French is still the "underdog language" in the province.

"Some big businesses are still shipping goods in Quebec that don't have French writing on them, or that have French only in small font," said Gérald Paquette, a spokesman for the Office Québécois de la langue française.

"That's simply not true," said Gary Shapiro, a Montreal-based businessman who heads the anglo-rights protection group Office Québécois de la langue anglaise. He said that French has become the predominant language in Quebec, and that the language divide could be bridged as soon as the French realized that anglos have accepted their language's status and they can start working together.

"If I'm trying to sell you my product and you speak Greek, then I should be able to speak Greek," Shapiro said. He was particularly disappointed with companies and retail stores in anglophone areas like much of the the West Island, that do not have bilingual signs despite primarily English-speaking clientele.

"The law does not require it," Paquette said when asked about English signage in English sections of the province. "Retail stores can have them if they want to, but they don't need to."

The OQLA is specifically targeting companies that have the word 'Canada' in them at first, trying to force them to have bilingual signs. Shapiro said he had been dealing with Petro Canada for months. "I do believe that they should be bilingual all across the country," he said.

Shapiro said that extra cost should not be a problem, since Petro Canada is one of the few businesses in the West Island that already has bilingual signs. "They should be able to do that in the rest of the country."

There is something that the OQFA and Shapiro can actually agree on. "If they're going to fight for more English in Quebec, they should be fighting for more French in the rest of Canada," said Paquette. "That's the only way they'll get the support of the francophone majority in Quebec."

Shapiro said he fully agreed with the principle. "I can't fight everyone's battle," he said, however.

The OQLA is only a week old but already boasts over 1,500 members, according to Shapiro. Visitors to the organization's website can sign up for a paid membership and are encouraged to post pictures of stores and services that only have French signs.

According to Bill 101, French signs are mandatory for businesses operating within Quebec. English signs are optional, but any existing ones should be half as small as those in French.

check www.oqla.org