Xref: utzoo can.politics:2005 can.francais:94
Path: utzoo!lsuc!maccs!gordan
From: gordan@maccs.McMaster.CA (gordan)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.francais
Subject: Re: Notwithstanding clause -- truly a sad day for Canada
Message-ID: <1736@maccs.McMaster.CA>
Date: 23 Dec 88 02:12:33 GMT
References: <1988Dec13.133220.28851@lsuc.uucp> <4321@hcr.UUCP> <809@auvax.UUCP> <230@electro.UUCP> <2521@looking.UUCP> <560@cavell.UUCP> <165@ecicrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: gordan@maccs.UUCP ()
Distribution: can
Organization: Worldwide Phlogiston Cartel
Lines: 28

In article <165@ecicrl.UUCP> clewis@ecicrl.UUCP (Chris Lewis) writes:
>
>Impossible - half the signs in downtown Toronto are Greek or Italian or
>Cantonese or Vietnamese already.
>
>I even patronize some of stores being advertised.
>
>Nor do I feel that my "Anglais" culture is leaking.

There have been a lot of posts along these lines.  Something like:
   "Well once I saw a Greek-only sign on some store and the other
   day I was in a Chinese restaurant and the menus were all in Chinese
   but it was a fascinating experience and I didn't feel my English
   heritage was the least bit threatened no sir so what's the problem
   with these silly French people in Quebec whining all the time?"

Yes, there are lots of Chinese-only signs in Chinatown, but if you want
to make a valid comparison, you would have to imagine half of Metro
Toronto being Cantonese-speaking (say, everything west of Yonge).  You
would further have to imagine the rest of the country and the continent
(other than roughly six million people in southern Ontario) as being
Cantonese-speaking.  Furthermore, Cantonese would be the worldwide
language of commerce and popular culture.

Now you have a valid comparison.

What would the English-speaking majority of the tiny enclave of southern
Ontario do under such circumstances?  Hard to say.