Sharp words on language

Re: “PQ minister softens hard line on bilingualism” (Gazette, Dec. 11)

What a load of rubbish. If they don’t intend to strip cities and towns of their ability to communicate with their citizens in English, let them enshrine that in the law they are writing today.

In fact, if they intend to respect anglo citizens as claimed, the PQ must let all cities, towns and other entities communicate with us in English.

Bram Frank Dollard-des-Ormeaux

In the wake of the newly proposed Bill 14, let me point out just another example (among many) where PQ’s double-standard policies come into play:

According to the Montreal forced merger legislation, municipalities are allowed to hold bilingual status based only on the majority of their residents’ mother tongue. Simply put, someone is considered an anglophone only if their mother tongue is English. But then, what happens to such a person’s rights based on their anglophone status?

Why isn’t a Quebecer whose mother tongue is English allowed to educate their children in an English public school? If anglophone status is based solely on mother tongue, why is the language of education based on another standard (namely for the parents to have been educated themselves in English in Canada, as Bill 101 states)? For example, children of immigrants born in the U.S. or Britain and whose mother tongue is English — why are they forced into the French education system?

Or is the PQ government using the “anglophone” / “non-anglophone” labels (and their respective definitions) only as they fit into its nonsensical agenda for separation? Sorin Rosen

Côte-St-Luc

The decision to withdraw (or to add) English communications should be left to the residents of the municipality, via a referendum following the same rules that the provincial government applied in 2004 regulating de-mergers.

In other words, once 10 per cent of the electors have signed a register requesting a referendum, a change in status would require the approval of more than 50 per cent of the “yes” vote representing at least 35 per cent of the electors.

What could be fairer than allowing for an expression of the popular will?

Michael Wiener Dollard-des-Ormeaux

The hypocrisy of Pauline Marois!

Within few days of announcing measures that will make it tougher for businesses to operate in the English language in Quebec, she has the temerity to go to New York City to ask U.S. businesses to invest in Quebec. Dinesh Patel

Lachine