Bernier's courageous stand on language is of immense value

MONTREAL - Maxime Bernier said what many Quebecers who speak French or English know to be right. Everyone in Quebec should learn to speak French and be able to use it in everyday life. But the world is too small for ambitious Quebecers to be able to live their lives entirely in French, and it impoverishes Quebec to deprive them of the chance to learn English.    

The parts of Bill 101 that regulate the display of commercial messages in English and that regulate the use of languages on commercial Internet sites are small-minded, vindictive and foolish.

Read the entire column in The Montreal Gazette

Quebec MP Maxime Bernier on Bill 101

"..people know who they are and that it’s not the government’s role to create and protect a national identity. I used Quebec as an example and said that we don’t need Bill 101 to protect the French language.  

I did not expect to create such a storm by expressing my belief that we should let people act like free and responsible individuals, including when it comes to protecting their language, instead of relying on government coercion to do it for them.  

This has since generated several denunciations from public figures in Quebec and a wave of angry comments on the Internet.  

Some people say I am not a “real Quebecer” and are accusing me of “attacking Quebec” simply because I want to be more popular in the rest of Canada. They seem unable to conceive that it’s possible to have a different position than theirs on the basis of fundamental principles.  

My position is this: Yes, it’s important that Quebec remain a predominantly French-language society. And ideally, everyone in Quebec should be able to speak French. But we should not try to reach this goal by restricting people’s rights and freedom of choice."

Read the whole thing at The National Post