Speaking English can be controversial

My 12-year-old son and three of his friends were enjoying a nice spring afternoon last Sunday in the Pointe-Claire Village when an older adult male approached them. He proceeded to interrupt their conversation, and to tell them in French that they should be conversing in French and not in English, because French is the language of Quebec.

My son (who is bilingual) asked him in English why he should have to speak French, to which the man replied in French that when Quebec becomes a country everyone will be forced to speak French.

I am beginning to wonder whether people come out to the West Island on the weekends seeking English conversations, store signs and menus to be able to report to the language police or French media.

The irony here is they both understood what the other was saying even though they were speaking differ- ent languages because they were both bilingual! Last time I looked on a map, Quebec was still a province in Canada, where both English and French are official languages. We must not allow this nonsense to continue. Let’s let each other live in peace, in whatever language. Donna Cameron

Pointe-Claire

To the métro train oper- ator who announced, in English (as well as French, of course), that there was no stopping at Lionel Groulx on Wednesday morning: Thank you, and I hope you don’t get in trouble. Bill Marcotte

Châteauguay