Xref: utzoo can.politics:2051 can.francais:115
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!onfcanim!dave
From: dave@onfcanim.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.francais
Subject: Re: Notwithstanding clause -- truly a sad day for Canada
Message-ID: <17039@onfcanim.UUCP>
Date: 2 Jan 89 06:09:38 GMT
References: <1988Dec13.133220.28851@lsuc.uucp> <4321@hcr.UUCP> <809@auvax.UUCP> <169@ecicrl.UUCP> <433@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP>
Reply-To: dave@onfcanim.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Distribution: can
Organization: National Film Board / Office national du film, Montreal
Lines: 21

In article <433@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP> freedman@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Daniel Freedman) writes:
>
>Just out of interest,
>
>Since the French have a majority in Quebec, and
>assuming that they have kids at the same speed (or greater) as the
>English in Quebec, then as time goes on the province would become more
>and more French-speaking, thus preserving the language and hence the
>culture.

Part of the problem is that the birth rate in Quebec is among the lowest
of any place in Canada or the U.S.  If Quebec were to forbid immigration,
or allow immigration only for people whose mother tongue was already
French, its population (and economy) would steadily decline.

So, Quebec needs immigrants, and the immigrants have to be convinced
that they need to learn French, not English, to live and work.
If the immigrants all learn English, francophones will eventually
become a minority even in Quebec.  (or so the reasoning goes - I
can't vouch for its accuracy, but don't see anything obviously
wrong).