Quebec says goodbye to ‘bonjour/hi’ in stores

Quebec’s legislature unanimously adopted a motion Thursday calling on store clerks to stick with a simple “bonjour” when greeting customers instead of the hybrid “bonjour/hi” often heard in Montreal.

The national assembly members voted 111-0 in favour of the motion.

The Parti Québécois says too many people are speaking both French and English to customers and notes that “bonjour” is one of the most recognized words in the French language. PQ Leader Jean-François Lisée said the vote reaffirms that French is Quebec’s official language.

A heated debate on the issue in the national assembly Wednesday was triggered by census numbers suggesting a slight drop in the use of French in the workplace.

Premier Philippe Couillard called the debate ridiculous but admitted his preference for a French-only greeting.

PQ house leader Pascal Bérubé believes saying only “bonjour” is the right approach.

“It’s about being original and being ourselves, and being ourselves is a major francophone city with an anglophone community,” Bérubé said Thursday.

“First thing you have to say, I think, is ‘bonjour.’ It’s about respect, it’s easy to understand.”

The original PQ motion sought to describe the expression “bonjour/ hi” as an “irritant,” but Couillard said such wording was aimed at creating an “artificial crisis and a clash between the English and French languages in Quebec.”

The contentious word was dropped and the motion that was adopted read as follows: “It (the motion) invites all merchants and all employees who are in contact with local and international customers to greet them warmly with the word ‘bonjour.’ ”