"If you can't buy a metro ticket in French, you walk": Bill 14 rally

Posted By: Sarah Deshaies · 3/11/2013 11:44:00 PM

A couple hundred Bill 14 supporters rallied at a small Montreal theatre in Montreal Monday night on the eve of the start of public hearings on the controversial law. The Parti Québécois designed the bill to beef up on the existing Bill 101, including making it harder for communities to maintain bilingual status. 

Société de St-Jean Baptiste president Mario Beaulieu was the master of ceremonies; speakers included prominent  language activists, artists and politicians.

Former PQ MNA Pierre Curzi summed up the evening's main message to the Parti Québécois: "Despite everything, we'll support you, even if we have doubts [about bill 14]."

Speakers decried "instituitonalized bilingualism" and decried what they see as a loosening of enforcement of bill 101. Many referred to recent language flare-ups involving STM workers refusing to serve customers in English, and the Office québécois de la langue française cracking down on restaurants. 

"If the anglophones are today as bilingual as they tell us they are, I think they should be capable of reading a sign in French or buying a metro ticket in French," said journalist Pierre Dubuc to rounds of applause. "And if they can't do it, they walk."

Jean-Paul Perrault also referred to pastagate in his speech. The president of language group Impératif français acknowledged that hardliners wish the bill was stronger, but that the PQ is in a difficult spot as a minority government.

"I don't that the Parti Québécois is in a position to be in an audience like this," Perrault explained. When the minister for Montreal Jean-François Lisée's name was called, some spectators booed.

Still, Perrault thinks bill 14 will pass with a compromise from the CAQ; party leader Francois Legault has demanded three amendments to the bill before the party votes for it. 

Perrault also had strong words for the mayor of Quebec City, who called bill 14 'completely useless' on Monday: "I would say to Régis Labeaume that he should be more connected to the whole Quebec situation."

Public hearings on the bill begin Tuesday. 

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  1. murray posted on 03/12/2013 05:58 AM
    Unfortunately, Quebecois society is replete with sociological problems. It is nice to see them congregating and having a good time. Perhaps quarentining them would be an idea?
    Diobuth effic
  2. LMAO posted on 03/12/2013 06:22 AM
    "If the anglophones are today as bilingual as they tell us they are, I think they should be capable of reading a sign in French or buying a metro ticket in French," said journalist Pierre Dubuc to rounds of applause. "And if they can't do it, they walk." - reminds me of another famous French quote - "Let them eat cake" - that one ended badly too.
    What a great message they send to any tourist who wants to visit Quebec - the ROC should have a great summer season with this attitude.
    How sad that this is the vision some have for Quebec their slogan should be Welcome to the land of ethnic hatred.
    Thankfully there is only a handful of them they must have been very embarrassed at the turn out. It proves how out of touch these people are.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:06 PM
      @LMAO "What a great message they send to any tourist who wants to visit Quebec"
      You're right, but they come to visit Québec city and it's unique french flair that resisted past assimilation attemps by english people.

      They don't come to visit the english minority or Mr. Bain.

      "Welcome to the land of ethnic hatred."
      This has nothing to do with ethnicity but with the language that ALL QUEBEKERS use to communicate
  3. Joe posted on 03/12/2013 07:18 AM
    Must be a slow news day to even talk about the bigot minded people who rehash the same old crap. Maybe Mr. Perrault should understand that the vote that put his cronies in charge was not a vote for his cause, not everyone's remember they only got 33% of the popular vote so les autres have no interest in the crap they are shovelling, but the vote was a vote against corruption in the Charest government. So in retrospect 2/3's of the population are against going backwards and that is the Quebec situation open your eyes.. If you still believe in setting us back because you want to eliminate les autres your in a minority just like the government.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:09 PM
      @Joe "Must be a slow news day to even talk about the bigot minded people who rehash the same old crap"

      Same with pastagate, seems the pot holes in the streets are not large enough we have to talk about pasta instead.

      And the day the pitiful 125 angryphones protest was mentionned in the gazette... well... you know what I mean...

      "les autres have no interest in the crap they are shovelling"
      people that vote for CAQ are not angryphones, they are mostly soft nationalists interested in the survival of our language. Proof is the CAQ will vote for most of it.
  4. Angie posted on 03/12/2013 08:07 AM
    This should be on the GQ website under the tourism section,what great advertising about the culture of the place. I would be the 1st person lined up to come spend my hard earned money and meet the wonderful people of the region-NOT.

    It must be hard to live with yourself when someone else's language is so offensive that you feel so threatened. The point that they completely missed is that anything in life that is forced, our natural tendencies are to push back, but when left to come natural it is amazing what our children pick up just being out in the neighbourhoods playing.

    My Child is working on her 4th language and will have much more possibilities in life but that does not matter to these small bunch of small minded people. I have had french friends tell me that they would like to travel and see the world but they are afraid to because they only speak french.

    You can go anywhere in Quebec and never have to say a word of English if that is what you want, so go do that but leave the rest of us that like being citizens of Quebec and at the same time citizens of the Planet our rightful place in our rightful home as well.

    Life is short, Spend your time enjoying your families, your health, your happiness, because wherever you end up after this world, I am pretty sure they speak all languages.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:12 PM
      @Angie "You can go anywhere in Quebec and never have to say a word of English"
      Not in the West-Island unfortunately but we're working on it...

      It's not us, it's angryphones that have a problem with french being the official language of Québec.

      Anyway, can you be served in french in Toronto, Calgary, St-John's ?
      Do we say they are scaring away french tourists ?
  5. Jonny Anglo posted on 03/12/2013 09:02 AM
    So you're a tourist and need to ride the metro. You don't speak french and they say then you should walk???? Wow - what a "beautiful culture" I'm so tired of these morons. Can't the federal government do ANYTHING for us Canadians in Quebec?
    1. JBC posted on 03/12/2013 08:46 PM
      @Jonny Anglo Reply to Johnny Anglo:
      The Federal government is in an awkward position, and does't want to give the separatists another reason to separate.
      Don't the separitists realize we all get along,are
      friendly and all consider Quebec their home.
    2. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:15 PM
      @Jonny Anglo You misunderstood.
      They didn't mean tourists that usually apologize for not knowing the language of the place.

      They meant angryphones that insist on being served in english and give attitudes to people who cannot, in an attempt to not recognise the fact that the official language of Québec is french.

      For them should'nt walk, they should RUN to Ontario where they can get everything they want in english.
    show more replies
  6. jonico posted on 03/12/2013 09:22 AM
    Great publicity for tourism!! They do & say the most ridiculous things, then instead of blaming themselves for their stupidity, blame the ango press or should I say angry anglo press. They can't even agree themselves - they'll never get it right, but then how can you when you act on emotions instead of your head. DREAMERS!!!!!!!!
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:17 PM
      @jonico Why is italy unilingual italian, why is Argentine spanish unilingual, why is the ROC (in most cases) unilingual english ?
      By your logic it looks like every country in the world is against tourism...
  7. Skibble5150 posted on 03/12/2013 09:47 AM
    It is interesting for the youth of today to understand how the German Nazi party came to fruition at the turn of the 20th century.

    It all started with some soap boxing. Then it got a lot larger and out of control.

    These radicals are already forgotten.
    1. Harpo posted on 03/12/2013 08:43 PM
      @Skibble5150 and countdown to another comment referring to Godwin's Law in 3...2...1...
    2. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:18 PM
      @Skibble5150 "It all started with some soap boxing."
      yes as well as Ghandi's struggle, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. and every good cause that demanded political change in this world.

      Why always refer to nazi as an opposition to statuquo ?
  8. Jacques posted on 03/12/2013 10:00 AM
    I think that the Societe must remove the name of St-Jean Baptiste from what it calls itself, they are a total embarrassment to themselves in the light of humanity, even worse than the OQLF and the BQ and PQ parties. The more they talk about restricting use of any language, the further they push Quebec out of the eyes of investors, it will ruin this province if it hasn't already. They should maybe call themselves the Societe Saint-Mario Pequiste or something like that.

    We should strongly move to have not only Bill 14 but bill 101 abolished, it's time to come to terms with reality, we are living in 2013, not 1759, and we need to have the freedom to speak any language needed to thrive in business, locally or internationally, we can surely do without the expenses being required to restrict English, and "Pasta"s.
    1. George L. posted on 03/12/2013 11:05 AM
      @Jacques I call them the Société St-Jean Péquiste.
    2. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:23 PM
      @Jacques "we are living in 2013, not 1759"
      Yes we are not your "conquered people" anymore.

      "The more they talk about restricting use of any language, the further they push Quebec out of the eyes of investors"
      I'm sure every non-english country in the world have no investments because they don't speak english... lol

      "the name of St-Jean Baptiste"
      For your ignorance it is the St patron of francophones. This is why the former St Jean-Baptiste is now the day of Quebekers.
  9. Anthony posted on 03/12/2013 10:04 AM
    I owe some money to Revenue Quebec this year, I bet they will have no problem cashing in my check that is written in English, along with my tax returns.
    1. Beverly posted on 03/12/2013 04:44 PM
      @Anthony I ALWAYS write my cheques to them in English, and they love to cash them- never a problem!
    2. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:24 PM
      @Anthony And the federal government has no problems cashing in the money of french Quebekers.
      And then used it for the sponsorship scandal.
  10. Katherine posted on 03/12/2013 10:16 AM
    I wonder when our Prime Minister and the Federal government will step in and do the honorable thing and tell them ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? I am waiting patiently, but I am doubtful anything will be done. Just like I am waiting patiently for my MNA Ms. Yolande James to answer my letter (since October) about what she is doing to protect the English minority. I guess they will need to "wait" patiently for my vote too.
    SHAME on all the Liberals, SHAME on the Gazeette and SHAME on all politicians that are sittin idly by and not taking a stand on this insane government and its worshipers.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:29 PM
      @Katherine "Federal government will step in and do the honorable thing"
      They did enough by forcing a constitution down our throats.

      I don't know why it's so hard to understand that this country actually has subdivisions called provinces and they are different from one another.

      Perhaps you might be happier in another province like Ontario maybe ?
      It's just next of Québec to the West...
  11. John posted on 03/12/2013 10:20 AM
    What is wrong with these pequistes, did these idiots all go to Stupid School? someone said 10 years ago that Quebec was about 30 years behind the rest of the country, it is now over 40 years. If CNN and the BBC get a load of what statements these idiots are putting out, it will put us another 50 years back economically, with no hope of recovery. Fact: 15000 jobs were lost in Quebec last month while in the rest of Canada, 50,000 jobs were created. Hey Idiots, if you don't know what your statements and actions are causing, ...do you get the hint???
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:32 PM
      @John Ontario is "bleeding" more than Québec in terms of people (mostly go to Alberta), is it because of their language ?

      And also the economic stupidity of Alberta in refusing to revoke tax breaks even if oil is going down will be their downfall, just wait and see...

      No diversification = economic death in the long run

      Québec has little problems just like every industrialized nation but it's not that bad, and it's certainly not related (at most very minimally) to language !
  12. Bill posted on 03/12/2013 10:24 AM
    I'm and Anglo living 25K from the Ontario border. I will gladly walk about 70K into Ontario for good if this garbage continues and I WILL NEVER come back!
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:33 PM
      @Bill I agree.
      Good bye.
  13. Drew posted on 03/12/2013 11:01 AM
    We have become a big joke of the world. My wife's cousin who lives in France called us on the weekend and asked us what is going on in Quebec? He laughs at paste gate. He says in France it is bilingual in fact when they get news from Quebec there are sub titles in French for they do not know what we are talking about he says your French is so bad it is hillbilly French and you want to preserve that he laughed.
    Tourism will be a mess if you come from the South or from out west or from out east if you read the crap that is going on you will not come. Quebec always shoots it self it the foot all the time
  14. Mister Baker101 posted on 03/12/2013 11:14 AM
    It boggles my mind how ignorant and stupid these people are who represent a minor interest group like the mouvement St-Jean-Baptiste;and get to rattle the media and the population.So out of touch and disconnected with the average Quebecois, this society will never progress and Quebec will always be second class to the rest of North America, whether you are Francais or English. It affects adversely everyone in Quebec society, no question.
  15. Victoria posted on 03/12/2013 11:21 AM
    This is so counter productive. We're to be moving forward and now look what we get; we're the laughing stock of the world at this point. In regards to the "If you can't buy a metro ticket in French, you walk" statement, are you going to make a pregnant woman walk? Someone whom is handicapped? Where is Quebecs' DIGNITY?
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:35 PM
      @Victoria No they don't want to you walk, they want you to drive to Ontario where you will be happier.

      We really want what's best for angryphones and care for your happiness.
  16. Elizabeth cunningham posted on 03/12/2013 11:39 AM
    Does the PQ government not realize what Quebec looks like to the rest of the world. Having language police looking out for businesses using English, how utterly stupid. What are we a Communist country? They should be using their time and energy creating jobs for the thousands of people who are out of work, instead of giving money to the Language Police, what a laugh.
    1. Joe posted on 03/12/2013 02:30 PM
      @Elizabeth cunningham "What are we a Communist country?" what does it mean? In China, you can see an English sign everywhere road sign, airport, restaurant, shopping mall, which is for the courtesy to the tourism. In Cuba, local people love to talk to you in English as more as they can. PQ 's language racist is nothing to do with the Communist or Capitalist. They are just bad!
  17. Matt posted on 03/12/2013 11:44 AM
    There are more problems to focus on in this province rather than what language is being spoken. Get your act together
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:35 PM
      @Matt We didn't create pastagate
  18. Bilingual Montreal posted on 03/12/2013 11:48 AM
    Régis Labeaume is right, bill 14 is useless. But not only useless, it actually serves to segregate the population.

    94.4% of Quebecers speak French and this proportion is stable. So what legitimacy does this new bill 14 have?

    (source http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-314-x/98-314-x2011003_1-fra.cfm)

    Montreal is a bilingual city, and most Quebecers agree it should remain so. I think that citizens should take this opportunity to revise the city charter.

    (source: https://www.facebook.com/MontrealConcordiaSalus#!/notes/montr%C3%A9al-bilingue-bilingual-montreal/montreal-is-bilingual-80-of-quebecers-say-montr%C3%A9al-est-bilingue-disent-80-des-qu/475376052527616)

    M Beaulieu, Pierre Curzi and, now, add Pierre Dubuc - they insite hatred and should be banned from holding a public tribune. This has been dragging on long enough as it is, but it's not 1995, M Beaulieu, The internet has changed the world and misinforming the public is becoming increasingly difficult.
    1. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:37 PM
      @Bilingual Montreal "Montreal is a bilingual city, and most Quebecers agree it should remain so. I think that citizens should take this opportunity to revise the city charter"

      That's the first step to having Montréal called an "english city".
  19. Andre posted on 03/12/2013 12:27 PM
    Perrault also had strong words for the mayor of Quebec City, who called bill 14 'completely useless' on Monday: "I would say to Régis Labeaume that he should be more connected to the whole Quebec situation."

    the quebec situation.....

    - 13,000 jobs lost last month
    - retail sales down
    - home sales down
    - rougue language police
    - longer hospital waits times
    stay tuned more to come
    1. Rudolph S posted on 03/12/2013 06:18 PM
      @Andre yeah but the QOL f...ers get a 25million $ budget to hurt business even more and make Quebec and the whole Maroisie the laughing stock of the world. The Charbonneau inquiry shows increasingly how the mob is running cityhall, no sooner did they start to dig the hole for the new hospital, some of the big boys had already their sticky fingers in the Cookie jar.... I really think Quebec has bigger problems than ganging up on the anglo minority, what else beside speaking french can the separatist and their fanatical leaders offer to their misguided flock....
    2. Le Québécois posted on 03/12/2013 10:38 PM
      @Andre Have you seen Ontario and Alberta's deficits ?
      Seems we are doing pretty well...
  20. Mike posted on 03/12/2013 12:57 PM
    And if they can't read the on/off buttons on a microwave let them eat their frozen dinners frozen.
  21. Skibble5150 posted on 03/12/2013 02:21 PM
    And we wonder why the whining children are protesting in the streets.

    I wonder where that "culture" came from?!?!

    Gimme, gimme, gimme.
    If not, c'est la faute de la Federale.
  22. Bob posted on 03/12/2013 03:47 PM
    I feel a civil war coming on. Welcome to the 1800's ladies and gentleman.
  23. J.S. posted on 03/12/2013 04:37 PM
    And if they don't know on fromoff on a light switch they can live in the dark , wait a minute they already do.
  24. Mike posted on 03/12/2013 07:03 PM
    I wonder if is it possible ( since the Federal Gov't wont do anything) to bring the province of Quebec to the UN....like Obama apparently did with Arizona. Also I would think that the comment..."If the anglophones are today as bilingual as they tell us they are, I think they should be capable of reading a sign in French or buying a metro ticket in French," said journalist Pierre Dubuc to rounds of applause. "And if they can't do it, they walk." would be considered hate speech as it intices hatered against a minority in quebec? Also with the physical abuse that has taken place against English people, just for speaking English and no jail time given to the perpertrtors, not even a whisper of a slap on the wrist.....just excuses for their violent behaviour, maybe its time to take Quebec and Canada to the UN quebec for abusing minorities and Canada for not upholding its responsibility to protect its people. The STM is funded partially by taxpayers money. Anyone who works and contributes taxes is a tax payer, so why in Canada ( the country many of our grandparents fought for) is a province "legally" allowed to discriminate? why should the English pay taxes to Quebec if we are advised "to walk" if we cant ask for a ticket in French-they are also using our tax dollars. You know if an English person attacked a French on just for speaking French, the quebec media would have a field day and I assure you the English person would be thown in jail. If things get worse here, it may be time to look at the UN and international court to fix this
  25. Theo posted on 03/12/2013 07:18 PM
    Journalist Pierre Dubuc writes for the L’aut’journal newspaper. According to the Wikipedia entry for L’aut’journal, Paul Rose is also a contributor.

    Paul Rose is a Quebec sovereigntist terrorist who was convicted of kidnapping and murder by strangulation of Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte in 1970.

    That pretty much indicates the mentality of the people at this Bill 14 rally.
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