I'm pretty sure I just escaped from the Confederacy. In the case of Canada, the Confederacy is called 'Quebec'. It's going to be a struggle to express the level of rising frustration both Drake and I have experienced over the past two weeks. We've spent this time in a place where the people consider themselves simultaneously to be victims and also superior. Last time I checked, Canada was an English speaking country. It became one in 1760 when the English militarily kicked the French government out of North America. They graciously allowed the French Canadiens. who were living in Quebec to stay, to continue speaking French, to continue to be Catholic, and to run their legal affairs as if nothing much had changed. Big mistake. Really big mistake. Note to self: No good deed goes unpunished.
Fast forward 255 years and visit Quebec today. The residents behave as if they are not part of the rest of the country. They stubbornly cling to outmoded, outdated ways of thinking in the 21st century, and they are proud of it! They expect the rest of the country to be bilingual and accommodating to the French language, but this consideration is certainly not reciprocated. The Quebec provincial government is uber protective of fostering the use of French language and only the French language inside the province and especially in the schools. English is 'nominally' taught in French schools, but our experience has been almost none of the young people we have encountered here can speak English. The older people who learned English before the Draconian 'French only laws' went into place speak rusty English. Why is this a problem?
First, it's isolating. If you are a 22 year old Quebecian who has gone through the school system and NOT learned English, where can you go? France? You certainly can't find a job in the rest of Canada - life there is in the English language. All of Canada, with the exception of Newfoundland/Laborador because of their oil and gas production, is suffering from lack labor productivity. Labor productivity in Canada is one-half of that in the United States. Quebec has certainly led the way in swirling red tape and 'rules' not only around the school system, but also around their labor force. Even without the language barrier, it's very, very difficult for the skilled work force of Quebec to move between the provinces. While the states in the USA have different certifications and state tests for certain professions, there is very little which keeps most of the United States work force from being mobile.
Surprisingly, after 250 years, there's still a sense here among the people of having been 'conquered'. They still think they are victims. Their attitude toward the rest of the Canada is: 'You defeated us, but we aren't taking it laying down, and you can't make us become a part of YOU! (English Canada). If you do, we'll secede from the country.' It's that attitude which reminds me of the Southerners after the Civil War. After the loss of that war, the white Southern upper class glorified the Confederacy, cemented institutional racism in place, romanticized the entire war along with their roles in it, and set their region back 150 years.
That mentality is exactly what has happened in Quebec since the 1970's. It's an ingrown society from top to bottom being governed by the French first, French only, French forever being institutionalized by the separatist leaning government. It seems stagnant here, and I can only assume it's hard for new ideas to percolate - and if they aren't in French, they are instantly unacceptable. Add to the hidebound attitudes an overbearing Catholic church which is only slightly separated from the state and which controlled the culture and mores. About 45 years ago, the Catholic Church had this province in an iron death grip, and even after the power Catholicism wielded has faded, there still resentment on both sides.
There's always a certain level of frustration living our lifestyle - always moving in someplace or moving out. Always getting lost or having to retrace our steps because we 'missed' the crucial turn. We are always looking for good gas, supermarkets, post offices, and car washes - to name a few of the mundane. The exotic is often even more difficult to find. Add French signage to these problems, and it's easy to see my steaming gasket. I've only blown up once, and it was over something minor. My temper tantrum was representative of the problems we've encountered struggling to find places, and running headlong into 17th and even 16th century thinking. I've felt like I've been constantly seething with the frustration and anger of having to put up with it.
Yes, this place is beautiful. Yes, there's some amazing architecture. Yes, the food is tasty, but in my opinion, it's not worth the constant irritation. That said - you can judge the pictures for yourself.
https://goo.gl/photos/J1xnFufyPJ3xLEiU6
https://goo.gl/photos/ozVj1YLnU3AioB8E8
