- I grew up in the French community and the English community of Québec city... obviously, the English community is very small... and must abide by many, many provincial language laws to restrict public usage of English (ex.: in English institutions, all signs must have French in prominence and English in smaller letters)...

these laws are mainly targeted at the English language... even though the 'English' problem was 400 years ago...

Indépendantiste... a person who believes Québec is a distinct nation / culture from the rest of Canada and strives to make Québec its own country, separate from Canada... usually a very intolerant group to others who don't speak French in their province, they are a driving force behind our Office québécois de la langue française (we affectionately dub them the language police, they emit the fines). 

these talks come about not because I start up on the subject, but from an outsider's point of view, it's pretty extreme and hard to follow (from my insider's view as well)... so I guess they want to know where I stand on the issue... 

I am not a political person in the least... but I have thoughts about what's going on...

Whenever I have conversations

With other Canadians who do

Not live in Québec, talks inevitably

Turn to my province's politics.

You know, the whole Québec

Separating from Canada and all

Those language laws put in place

For the 'protection' of our culture.

I've grown up with all of this

Hogwash, and the level of

Embarrassment it brings is very

High, 'cause all of it is just dense.

The English threat is just ridiculous.

Making a whole population unilingual

And presenting it as a duty to protect the

Existence of our culture is disingenuous.

Knowing more than one language

Is not a slippery slope for any culture.

Knowing the universal language English

Is not a betrayal of our French culture.

The whole thing doesn't make sense,

And it's always embarrassing to be

Associated with it since I live here.

In no uncertain terms, I reject this BS.

I've lived first-hand the deluded hate

A lot of Indépendantistes mete out

When they hear English being spoken

In their surrounding, get very aggressive.

In reality, though, I'm one of their own,

Fully French from birth, but I know

English and use it on a regular basis,

Since half of my people are anglophone.

But that I dare to speak English in public

Is an offensive affront to these people.

It's mind blowing to be attacked like that,

'Cause they believe if you live in Québec,

Then you should be speaking French.

As if the fact I'm speaking English means

I don't know French, awfully presumptuous,

But even if that was the case, so what?

Someone doesn't know their language,

Big deal.  They don't know any other

Language than their own, so what's the

Difference?  Deux poids, deux mesures, ici.

Having gone through those attacks,

I guess it shaped my perspective in seeing

All of this as absolutely ridiculous and

Lacking proper rational reasoning.

These people have been sold a lie

And they've bought die-hard

Into the non existent fear that their

Culture will be obliterated, otherwise.

Shaking my head.