I am a Canadian, Quebecer, who immigrated from Colombia, South America.
I came to Montreal (instead of Toronto) because I wanted to learn French and experience the French culture.
I did all the typical things immigrants do to learn French. I took French classes for four years, I found a Québécois girlfriend, I listened to the radio and TV in French, and I tried to integrate as much as possible into Québécois culture.
After my graduation from Concordia University, I tried to find a job and I failed miserably because my French was not good enough. Employers didn’t give me a job based on my Spanish accent.
It was at that moment that I said, “Screw this!”
I gave up trying to learn French and I gave up trying to integrate.
On the other hand, I felt welcomed in the Anglophone community. They didn’t care that I had a Hispanic accent. I was just one more among so many people who didn’t feel welcome by Quebec.
And so, the years have passed. I have maintained much of the French I learned at Concordia, but in 25 years, I have never felt welcome in the Francophone community.
In the recent years, a frenzy of anti-immigrant and anti-English laws have been enacted in Quebec.
The Quebec government is continuously targeting the English language and language speakers with a mix of laws.
One of the biggest victims of the Quebec anti-English laws has been English-speaking colleges and CEGEPs. The Quebec government has restricted their growth and has put caps on the amount of students they are allowed to have.
Quebec doesn’t live in isolation
The big problem is that Quebec doesn’t live in isolation. Quebec is surrounded by the U.S. and the rest of Canada.
If a citizen has ambitions that are a bit bigger than the province of Quebec, that citizen has to learn English.
Even die-hard nationalists, once they graduate from their French-only universities, they discover that there are bigger job opportunities outside of Quebec, and they have to learn English in a hurry.
But at the same time, there are many Quebecers who are missing out on the big job market that is available to them by looking outside Quebec.
In short, I think that the province of Quebec is hurting its own citizens by making it difficult for them to learn English.
Those Quebecers who do learn English will see a world of opportunities. Those who don’t learn English will see their opportunities limited to the borders of Quebec.
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