Threat of separation, capital fleeing, Bill 101. Yadda yadda yadda
Québec has many choices. As Gugu correctly pointed out, the Liberals had already passed a pretty wide-sweeping French Language Law before the PQ formed the government in 1976 and passed 101. Through this time, no government has wanted to tamper much with 101 simply because public opinion is for it.
A lot of people frown upon this and I partly understand. Lets' look at it from an environmentalists' standpoint: the only significant territory in North America left with a "viable" French-speaking majority is Québec. Everywhere else is just "pockets", no matter which way you cut the cake. English rules in all the rest of Canada, fact. Because of sheer demographics, an even more so now with Web 2.0 and a globalization that is mostly taking place in English, it is time to take a good look at this.
A full-blown economy driven language approach would eventually revert to the old "English or bilingual" standard being in effect in business. We have already seen ominous shades of this last fall.
The PQ is going too far and doesn't have majority support to strengthen 101. That won't happen.
Québec made a choice way back in the 1970's and has supported it ever since: French is the language of the majority here, and would soon stop to be if education, work and service to the public regulations were not written accordingly. One could say the choice stemmed out of wanting "to protect an endangered species" (a French speaking community in North America).
Did this choice hurt QC economically? It is possible. Was the French language saved in the process? I believe yes. Is Bill 101 or its' enforcement perfect? No. I am particularly irked by the "smaller other languages" commercial sign and the welcome signs when I come in from Ontario that greet me in big French, then smaller English, Spanish and Portuguese. That is way, way over the top in my book.
One thing is clear, harping about it won't change a thing because all major parties won't tinker with it much, as should be.
François Legault said some time ago that Ottawa was not lending much of an ear to QC because its' "balance sheet" was in the red. He proposed the wild notion to start contributing to the federation and then see what happens. Let me tell you that the PQ had a field day with that one...
I happen to agree with a lot of what Legault has to say. No one is perfect, so pick one. The mildewed PQ with these leveraged threat tactics which I have always despised, and just as indebted to third parties as the others. The cynical Liberals who are filling their pockets blind while staging the election during pivotal events to what they hope is their "advantage by default". They figure there is no way for them to capitalize on the student crisis other than call an election, and now. Whatever would have come next would have probably been unfavourable to their already shaky standing. Charest is also doing it now before Legault had time to slowly build up the CAQ.
So I am tossing my hat in the ring with Legault and the CAQ.
