English: the future of French TV
Bazzo.tv is a current affair television show hosted by Marie-France Bazzo on Télé-Québec. The channel reaches a limited number of viewers and ideas to increase ratings are welcomed. Former PQ…
Michel Bolduc
Sacre bleu: New Habs coach unilingual
The year is ending with a bit of linguistic controversy in Montréal. The nomination of a unilingual coach at the helm of the Canadiens two weeks ago didn’t go unnoticed…
Sovereignty on its death bed in Québec
The Bloc Québécois was nearly obliterated in the last federal elections. Support for the Parti Québécois keeps going down. Support for Québec independence has slipped as low as 33%, below…
French in the workplace
Many flagship organizations in Montréal have been reported as hiring English-speaking unilingual managers and not leaving enough room for French. Yeah… I know… old news… still, discussions around these reports…
I’m ashamed to be Canadian
Letter to Mr. Christian Paradis,Since you’re the best known figure of the Conservative government in Québec, please allow me to write you these lines.I’m ashamed to be Canadian, I’m ashamed…
Québec a poor province: a myth
For a decade or so, it's become common knowledge that the Québécois enjoy a standard of living considerably lower than that of our American neighbors, from about 20% less, according…
Quebec: The most corrupt province
A year ago, Maclean's published a cover story claiming Québec to be the most corrupt province. A supporting article to this cover story pointed to the province's nationalist penchant as…
The end of federalism in Québec?
Québec has a corruption problem and, despite the population's remarkably constant demands, Jean Charest is stubbornly staying away from anything closely related to a public inquiry. Anyone who's seen the…
A Québec colony in the USA?
Hmmm... what's this ?... the city of Burlington, Vermont, just passed a resolution to heighten the presence of French?... interesting... Turns out one of the municipal councilors thought that it…
Legislation for a dying culture
I'm a staunch supporter of Québec's Charter of the French Language (a.k.a. Bill 101). Its purpose is to give new stock Québécois the means to integrate with the provincial majority.…
Saint-Jean hangover
Saint-Jean celebrations in Montréal were kind of damp this year. Even though I live at walking distance from Parc Maisonneuve, I skipped the big event. Despite the weather, The Gazette…
A province of panhandlers: a myth
Some people believe that Québec owes Canadians and a quick look will lead most to agree. With 23% of the Canadian population, the province receives 55% of the country's equalization…
Ô Kébèc!
Well... the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste is at it again. A national anthem for the Québécois? Click below to hear it or click here for a look at the lyrics. I can't…
Why are so many young Quebecers still sovereigntists?
English speaking Canadians who believe national media suffice to have a thorough understanding of the political dynamics of our country rarely get the chance to read articulate points of view…
Learn French in one word
In The Marriage of Figaro (1784) the French dramatist Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais observed ironically, "The English, in truth, do add here and there some other words when speaking; but…
Canadian vs. European French
As any other language, French comes in all kinds of varieties. Most of the French spoken in North America is inherited from the early Norman settlers of the 17th century.…
Victoria Day in Québec
Today is a national holiday in Canada. For most of the country, it's Victoria Day; some readers write me it's just another opportunity to get plastered. For the Québécois, it's…
Comment of the day
Despite his political stance, Gilles Duceppe was considered an honest man by many Canadians outside Québec. Here's a reaction to the sovereigntist leader's resignation that captures the essence of this…
Federalism’s last chance?
Québec is a different political beast. After having flirted with a right-wing provincial government in 2007, it's now giving massive support to a left-wing party in Ottawa. One thing's for…
The last neverendum
How much time does it take for a "united country" to enshrine the distinct character of a quarter of its population in its supreme law to make it feel at…