The sky is falling! In English yet!

Ottawa Sun October 2, 1998

MONTREAL -- Yes, there is a threat to "linguistic peace" in Quebec. It's the Quebec government. It's Lucien Bouchard, Bernard Landry and Louise Beaudoin.

Recall a few facts. On Monday, a meeting took place between the minister responsible for Quebec's language laws, Louise Beaudoin, and representatives of Eaton's, The Bay, Sears and Wal-mart. The meeting had been arranged by Gaston Lafleur, president of the Retail Council of Quebec. To Beaudoin's dismay, as she recounted during a press conference on Wednesday, the retailers told her that they were about to bring in English signs in their stores in the Greater Montreal Region.

They gave as their reason for changing course the campaign being waged by Alliance Quebec demanding English on commercial signs, to the extent permitted by the law. According to a news report, Eaton's spokesperson told the minister that the company had had 600 Eaton's credit cards cancelled since Alliance Quebec targeted Eaton's for picketing and a boycott beginning Sept. 23. Last week, the flagship downtown store in Montreal was picketed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

"They told me they were about to put signs in English again," Beaudoin reported to the press. " They told me that the pressure from Mr. (William) Johnson and those demonstrators make them think that's what Quebecers want. I told them that was not true-that's now what Quebecers want. I told them they should think twice." Beaudoin was so worried about some English reappearing on signs that she brought the issue before Wednesday's cabinet meeting. Imagine, some English on signs in department stores in Greater Montreal. Wouldn't Quebec's sky fall?

And Premier Bouchard came before the press to wring his hands. He said he had convened the retailers to meet him in his office, along with his deputy premier, Bernard Landry, and Beaudoin. "I want to make them understand just how much this decision, if it is made, is charged with consequences and unacceptable to Quebec," the premier said.

Clearly, he couldn't have had much on his plate to give such importance to a few English signs in Montreal. And he personalized the issue by baring his teeth at your columnist. "We are going to try to convince them not to give in to the intimidations of a radical like Mr. Johnson, not to project Quebec into another language crisis."

What language crisis? "I find it extremely worrisome to see people who know Quebec and its history badly, and who can decide to give in to marginals and radicals. I find it extraordinary that they fall entirely into the strategies of Bill Johnson."

Perhaps I should be flattered that the premier gives such importance to a marginal like me. But his personalizing of the issues only distracts attention. The reality is that you have a government resorting to intimidation and blackmail against private companies. Why did these companies run to the government in the first place before implementing their intention of bringing in bilingual signs? Did they fear retaliation if they acted without Big Brother's permission?

And now, Bouchard is using all the majesty and power of the Quebec government to scare private companies from doing what the law allows and what their economic self-interest dictates. What is particularly odious is that Bouchard is using implicit threats to obtain what he dares not try to obtain directly by law. Quebec law formerly did prohibit all English commercial signs. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 1988 that such a prohibition violated both the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights, and was unacceptable in a free and democratic society. When Premier Robert Bourassa went ahead anyway to reimpose a prohibition, sheltering his tyrannical act behind the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian charter which allows fundamental rights to be suspended, the United Nations' Committee on Human Rights ruled in the 1993 McIntyre case that this violated fundamental human rights.

So the law was amended to permit English signs as long as French is predominant. Bouchard now tries by an odious pressure to make the retailers banish English signs. And he makes a big public spectacle of it, thus inviting anti-English backlash and demonstrations among French speakers.

It's a sad spectacle in the distinct society.