Xref: utzoo can.politics:1989 can.francais:84
Path: utzoo!telly!evan
From: evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.francais
Subject: Re: Notwithstanding clause -- truly a sad day for Canada
Message-ID: <446@telly.UUCP>
Date: 20 Dec 88 19:01:38 GMT
References: <1988Dec13.133220.28851@lsuc.uucp> <4321@hcr.UUCP> <809@auvax.UUCP> <230@electro.UUCP> <2521@looking.UUCP> <560@cavell.UUCP>
Reply-To: evan@telly.on.can (Evan Leibovitch)
Followup-To: can.politics
Distribution: can
Organization: System Telly, Brampton, Ontario
Lines: 38

In article <560@cavell.UUCP> gilles@cavell.UUCP (Gilles Simon Dionne) writes:
>In article <2521@looking.UUCP> brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes:
>>The decision to use the famous notwithstanding clause to me marks one of
>>the worst events in Canadian political history.
>>[...]
>
>how would you feel if half the signs in downtown Toronto (or Kitchener)
>were in Swahili only? Would you not be bothered by the fact that the
>merchants didn't have the decency to advertise in your language(English)?

As I recall, the court said that Quebec had the power to force French on signs,
it just didn't have the right to prohibit other languages. Bourassa had an
option of amending the law to allow muiltilingual signs, while forcing French
to be predominant. So your analogy doesn't hold.

Besides, there are significant pockets of Toronto where signs are not in
English (Spadina-Dundas, St. Clair-Dufferin, Danforth-Pape), and it doesn't
bother me at all.

>Before Bill 101 that problem existed in Montreal. I know you can always avoid
>buying in those stores to show your disapproval, but if there are a large
>proportion of the available ones, you may not have the choice.

Oh, please. A whole economy changed in the 70s as francophone businesses
(Provigo, Dupuis Freres, etc.) sprang up to take business away from stores
who insulted French-speaking customers. The others had to respond or they would
not be able to earn a profit in Quebec.

>have been going overboard as far as
>French only signs were concerned, but this is what it was reacting to...

And in the process, made itself somewhat more of a closed-mided police state,
complete with 'culture police'. My only good news out of this is that it
scuttles Meech Lake, which I always hated for other reasons.
-- 
Evan Leibovitch, SA of System Telly                   "I am most concerned that
Located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario, Canada          nobody will remember me
evan@telly.on.ca -or- uunet!attcan!telly!evan            when I am dead" - Anon.