I have been in Québec City for just over a day now (after
having visited in July to find housing). Given that my training begins
tomorrow, I thought it would be wise to give an idea of my expectations before
getting too immersed in my new surroundings.
For those unfamiliar with the province of Québec, a brief
introduction: Québec was originally a French colony and developed alongside the
British colonies that also became Canada. After the Seven Years’ War, France was deprived of almost all
its territories in North America. This change in power left a sizable group of
French-speaking settlers under the rule of a British monarch, a situation that
has caused no shortage of friction. The challenge of accommodating the English
and French cultures in one country has been a defining element of Canada’s
identity. Until the mid-20th century, it’s fair to say that Anglophone Canada had the upper hand in many ways, even in French-speaking Québec. The
Quiet Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s led to dramatic change in the province
and across the country, as Canada became officially bilingual and the Québec independence movement rose to prominence.* The debate over independence and
language rights continues today.
My interest in living in Québec began as a curiosity during
my time in Halifax. Although I’d visited Montréal and Québec City in the past,
moving from my parents’ house in Ontario to the Maritimes necessitated a long
drive across Québec. Once in Halifax, studying for a professional degree accredited
across Canada, I couldn’t help noticing how little we spoke about the role of our profession in Québec.** The language barrier was obviously a challenge for
many of us; interpreting policy written in English is challenging enough.
The lack of Québec-related material that I perceived in my
Master’s programme drew my attention to the way Canadians outside the province
appear to think about it. The first thing many Canadians seem to think about Québec
is the independence movement. The second thing they seem to think about is the
independence movement. Beyond that, they might have something to say about the
province’s strange language laws or highlights from their trips to Montréal,
Québec City or Mont-Tremblant. I know Anglophones who have spent time in other
parts of the province, often on language immersion courses, but they’re unusual
(some of them are unusual for other reasons – they know who they are).
Beyond indifference or inexperience, there is significant hostility about the language issue among Anglophone Canadians. I would
guess the same is true of Francophone Canadians, but I have no evidence to back
that up. When discussing my plans to move to Québec, I was frequently warned that Francophones would be unwilling to speak English and unpleasant to those who
did (though the warnings were often phrased in harsher terms). I was even
warned against going to specific areas because of the prevalence of indépendantiste ideas.
Maybe fear and resentment are the other side of mutually
accommodating two languages in one country. But as I mentioned above,
bilingualism is part of Canadian identity whether we acknowledge it or not. When
people from elsewhere learn that I’m Canadian, they frequently follow up with “French
or English?”*** I don’t necessarily feel the need to become fluent in French or
start celebrating St-Jean-Baptiste Day every year, but that question
makes me think about how little I know about French Canada. I’m curious to know
what makes it tick, so for the next nine months, I’ll be ticking along with it.
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| Les Chutes de Montmorency, north of Quebec City |
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| Le Chateau Frontenac, probably Quebec City's most recognizable building |
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| Quebec's provincial parliament - sorry - national assembly |
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| The skyline from too far away |
*A bit
shocking in a country known for its politeness and its commitment to “peace,
order and good governance,” this era also unfortunately produced Canada’s very
own domestic terrorist organization, the FLQ.
**For the
record, I remember talking about Montréal’s two-way bike lanes; the design of
multi-story townhouses in Montréal with spiral staircases that connect each
level to the sidewalk (they have those in Québec City, too); and the Route Verte.
***They also
ask, “so how do Canadians get along with Americans?,” and the conversation
really gets going when they find out my other nationality.
