The owner of a small clothing store has been ordered to change the language of the store’s Facebook page to French by the government of the French-speaking province of Quebec. Quebec has a law to protect French which it estimates is threatened by the prevalence of English in the rest of Canada and the United States.
Language law controversial
The law requires newcomers to Quebec and all French-speaking families to send their children to French school, and that all but the smallest businesses deal with their employees in French. Businesses must also make sure their promotional material is in French. These measures have caused some controversy over the years and are seen by some as being overly restrictive.
The government was roundly ridiculed recently for complaining that a restaurant menu included the word “pasta” which is not French but Italian. The government had to backtrack and withdraw the complaint after the story made headlines in Canada and around the world.
Law does not govern social media, says shopkeeper
Eva Cooper says she is happy to speak both English and French to her customers and signs in her store in Chelsea, Quebec feature both languages. However most of her Facebook page is in English and she says there is nothing in the law specifically about social media posts.
Cooper said she requested an English copy of the letter from the government and she wants to learn more background on the law before making any changes.
A promise to get tougher on language
The Parti Quebecois has vowed to make the language law even tougher if it wins enough seats to form a majority government in an election expected this spring. It currently rules with a minority of seats.
The public broadcaster, CBC, has just released the results of a public opinion survey indicating than half of non-francophone Quebecers say they are considering leaving the province. They may be weighing the language promise as well as the Parti Quebecois’ proposed law to ban the wearing of religious garb by provincial civil servants and the official party goal of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada.
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