As a new resident of Montreal and Quebec, I am struggling to see the need for stronger laws to protect French language and culture.

I often hear it said that the Québécois feel more pressured to learn English than people in the rest of Canada do to learn French — as if incitement to learn another language is a bad thing. Being able to speak two languages, or more, is a huge advantage. Instead of feeling resentful over it, people should feel empowered. Having the ability to speak multiple languages is knowledge, and knowledge is power. I wish I had been pressured more strongly when I was younger to learn and speak French. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but I can guarantee my children will be learning English and French from a young age — and hopefully a third and fourth language on top of that.

I know anglophone Ontarians often have a bad reputation here in Quebec. I enjoy feeling like I am helping to break a negative stereotype. But at the same time I am starting to get the feeling that the rest of Canada is becoming more tolerant of other languages and cultures than Quebec is. Quebec seems to be going in the opposite direction. Under the current language law, French looks like it’s here to stay. But if a new language crackdown is introduced into law, Quebec risks becoming a place known primarily for ignorance and narrow-mindedness. Read more.

See: Montreal Gazette

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