Here's Another Take On The OLF

Felt like writing another cut on the subject. Sue me.

Recently, McKibbin’s Irish Pub made the headlines thanks to an uninvited guest from L’Office de la langue Francaise. If I were McKibbin’s I would have offered some Kilkenny on the house as a form of advertisement. Why not? It’s free publicity right?

For years we’ve watched with comical sneers the OLF harass businesses with rulers and other classroom weapons of mass annoyance.

This episode is no different.

Following the incidence, it’s not hard to guess what might have been said at the dinner table among us allophones (also affectionately known as “les autres”). Per exemple, “Are they for real?” “Is this 2008?” “They’re so silly” and “No Murphy’s for you!”

Allophones. And I thought we were passed racial labelling. Aw shucks.

Moving along, please allow me to be serious for an abbreviated moment amidst the absurdity.

From my perspective, as the world evolves into whatever it is morphing into, one thing has become apparent: knowledge is paramount.

As such, picture your skills like a balance sheet. In order to succeed today you need to build your asset base and reduce personal liabilities. Not that I’m suggesting your life is all about debits and credits but you get the picture.

Is the OLF adding to the asset base of citizens? What are the unintended consequences of their actions?

We shouldn’t view language as the sole component of culture. Nor is it a means to a political or cultural end.

We should perceive it as an asset that leads to knowledge for its own sake. Why would you prevent Quebecers from achieving this?

Even if nationalists do not accept this line of thinking there’s another aspect the antics of the OLF will never be able to dance around: The notion of civil liberties.

This is not an attack on Quebec culture. Rather its premise rests on one simple foundation: freedom and liberty. Pure et simple.

A culture can’t hide behind the law forever right? At some point, it needs to stand up and fend for itself. It seems to me the OLF would be better off teaching people the benefits of learning French by the free force of its magnificent legacy. You don’t get that by badgering people. That’s just bad karma.

See that outside your window? It’s an evolving world outside and remaining anchored in political language issues suited for the 1840s and 1970s will only serve Quebec a plate of bad poutine – in its face. Pu bon.

It need not be this way.

Our leaders need to take the bull by the linguistic horns and accept the reality of our times.

Sadly, we won’t be getting this from the one party you wild expect to this regarding this issue. I say one, because the Parti Quebecois are not a party that defends the interests of all Quebecers. They can scream until they’re blue in the face that they do care but when push comes to shove...

As for Action Dumont, the rising party, they could have been interesting but Dumont is letting his nationalist ambitions get the better of him. Recently, he was reported to be lost (figuratively) in Catalonia.

That leaves the Liberal Party of Quebec. Yeesh.

I recently read the party’s resolutions and was disappointed with large parts of its content.

I will only focus on the sections that deal with the OLF.

Section 3.7.2 of the resolutions calls for an increased role of the Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise.

Section 3.7.2.2.2 adds that the OLF should regularly visit a great number of businesses while advocating a significant increase in the fines given to businesses that do not comply with the law after a warning.

Nice. So now what? Hurley’s Pub is next?

Quebec considers eternal diligence as necessary in defending and protecting its culture and language. No one disputes this but there has to be a better way. Allowing nationalism to trump freedom of the individual should no longer be acceptable.

No matter how you cut it, whether we are talking about the OLF or large parts of the PLQ’s resolutions, it all adds up to one thing: Whither the individual in Quebec - in any language.