It’s not the language; it’s the tone of the debate.
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I know it might come as a surprise to some — including Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, who took me to task for my Gazette column after I called out his “two Quebecs” comment — but I occasionally agree with the Bloc.
Quebec’s liquor commission recently reminded its employees they shouldn’t use “Bonjour-Hi” after Bloc MP Jean-Denis Garon complained he was greeted with “Bonjour-Hi! Suivant-Next!” at the Jean-Talon Market SAQ.
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“Shouldn’t Quebec’s Crown corporations set an example?” he asked on X. “French is our only official language.”
Is he right? Well, I don’t think he’s wrong. But I also don’t think it merits the kind of attention some seem intent on giving it.
In fact, I had managed to ignore this latest language kerfuffle until someone tagged me on X, saying I (and other “Quebec bashers”) would be “up in arms.” I hate to disappoint, but I’m not.
When I enter an SAQ outlet, I hope to be assisted in finding what I’m looking for. I have found service to be routinely unpredictable, ranging from “I’m thoroughly invested in helping you” to “I can see you, but I’ll just pretend you’re not there and continue talking with my colleague and maybe the next time I casually glance in your general direction you’ll be gone.”
As a rule, government monopolies aren’t great for customer service. They stifle competition and control prices. Customers are essentially trapped. I mean, where else can you go? Dépanneurs and supermarkets sell plonk, but if I want good wine, the SAQ is where it’s at. Whether you ignore me, adore me or greet me with “Quoi?”, we’re stuck with each other.
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While I’ve rarely, if ever, noticed in what language I’m greeted, Garon’s demand is based on a simple premise. If Quebec is officially French, then isn’t it normal that a Crown corporation representing Quebec operate in and greet people primarily in French? That doesn’t mean that if you need help in English someone won’t assist you. When I occasionally fumble, employees who can switch to English usually do. Unprompted.
It’s not petty to expect a French greeting in a French province. The problem lies with the open disdain and disrespect for anything non-French that’s often incorporated in and associated with these demands. French-speaking customers should absolutely receive service in their language. One shouldn’t, however, experience an existential crisis if others are also served in theirs.
We can aim to promote French without bristling if we hear an English word in areas where lots of non-francophones shop and clerks presumably know their clientele. As taxpayers and SAQ customers, English-speakers (locals and tourists) greatly contribute to the $2.6 billion of dividends from the liquor board that help finance hospitals and schools.
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How we discuss language matters. Not leaping on “English minority extremists” — as Blanchet did on X in response to the Garon controversy — would be a good start. I can assure him and everyone else: the English-speaking minority is not holding secretive cabal meetings to devise ways to inject more English into Montreal. And francophones unoffended by English haven’t “given up,” as Blanchet claims.
“Bonjour-Hi!” is nothing more than a naturally occurring phenomenon that mimics the interactions of Montrealers — an organic expression of the daily bilingual (and multilingual) reality of a modern, cosmopolitan city.
If some English-speakers express frustration about these language squabbles, it’s rarely because they dislike being addressed in French. It’s because they’re tired of their mother tongue being treated as a threat, as something shrill and unpleasant to expunge from the public space, to eliminate at all costs from our auditory environment.
The request for French is never petty. What’s petty is presenting the naturally occurring presence of English in some parts of Montreal as a moral failure or underhanded attack on the French language and culture.
Toula Drimonis is a Montreal journalist and the author of We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada. X @toulastake
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