An obscure government notion that big box stores should carry explanatory French wording accompanying their trademark logos has led Quebec to a couple of court defeats but there's some notion that they are still not giving up.
A recent trial balloon has suggests that the provincial government might reopen language law Bill 101 to add a section forcing outlets such as Wal-Mart to carry "les magasins" with its logo, or Tim Horton's would have "les cafes," preceeding its familiar signage and so on.
In the world of real problems it's hard to figure why this would be a government priority so I rang up lawyer Brent Tyler who has been fighting to allow the merchants to stick with their logos.
Tyler tells Coolopolis that the new amendments would also fail simply because trademarks fall under the federal jurisdiction.
"It'd be hopelessly unconstitutional if any of my clients were prosecuted under this amendment," said Tyler who senses an ulterior motive in the government initiative.
"This is a cynical political ploy to lose in court. Then they'll be able to say 'gee without a distinct society clause we can't protect the French language.'" They would come back and say 'we need more powers, we cannot protect our language within this constitutional framework.'"
Tyler doesn't sound entirely convinced that the Liberal government will actually go through with the notion, which was first leaked by a French media personality named Benoit Dutrisac through his sources in the Parti Quebecois.
The government would have to pass the amendment and then prosecute a merchant for violating the rule. "I can guarantee you it wont be Wal-Mart. It'll be one of the little guys, one of my people. Then the courts will have to challenge the law and by then I'll be retired so I won't be involved," said Tyler.
A recent trial balloon has suggests that the provincial government might reopen language law Bill 101 to add a section forcing outlets such as Wal-Mart to carry "les magasins" with its logo, or Tim Horton's would have "les cafes," preceeding its familiar signage and so on.
In the world of real problems it's hard to figure why this would be a government priority so I rang up lawyer Brent Tyler who has been fighting to allow the merchants to stick with their logos.
"It'd be hopelessly unconstitutional if any of my clients were prosecuted under this amendment," said Tyler who senses an ulterior motive in the government initiative.
"This is a cynical political ploy to lose in court. Then they'll be able to say 'gee without a distinct society clause we can't protect the French language.'" They would come back and say 'we need more powers, we cannot protect our language within this constitutional framework.'"
Tyler doesn't sound entirely convinced that the Liberal government will actually go through with the notion, which was first leaked by a French media personality named Benoit Dutrisac through his sources in the Parti Quebecois.
The government would have to pass the amendment and then prosecute a merchant for violating the rule. "I can guarantee you it wont be Wal-Mart. It'll be one of the little guys, one of my people. Then the courts will have to challenge the law and by then I'll be retired so I won't be involved," said Tyler.
Quebec Libral Party = Parti Quebecois. Two peas in a pod.
ReplyDeleteOur Language Zealots Gone Mad--Again: Part One
ReplyDeleteRest assured that, no matter what the outcome, the targeting of large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Costco will not be the end of the story since, sadly, that ever-persistent element of rabid "language protectors" will feel obliged to justify their existence by seeking out additional examples of perceived "violations".
One can safely assume that members of the Language Police--the OQLF--must wake up after dreaming such paranoid nonsense overnight and then, over their morning coffee, consider what, in their truculence, they might be able to get away with in order to further annoy and insult the public's intelligence.
And who might their next victims be? Why not also force Ultramar, Petro-Canada, and Shell Oil to modify all of their signs and even their documentation to read "Station de Service du Pétrole Shell", and so on? After all, no doubt must linger that anyone driving up to the pump knows exactly where they are and what they are going to purchase despite the obvious smell of gasoline!
These corporations could then justifiably retaliate by dismantling all of their worded signage, leaving only the logo or symbol and nothing else. Quebec would end up having the dubious distinction of being Planet Earth's "Pictogram Paradise".
Furthermore, what would prevent the xenophobic fear-mongers from, for example, attempting to force a potential future Expos baseball team to use a so-called "descriptor" in all of their signage and publicity: "L'Equipe du Base-ball Expos", or (for those unable to tolerate the word baseball and club as being "too English"), "L'Equipe du Balle de Base Expos" might be a more "acceptable" choice.
One wonders what the international sports leagues would make of such brazen political interference. Would the Quebec government subsequently require schools to teach our children this ludicrous "newspeak".
Our Language Zealots Gone Mad--Again: Part Two
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what Donald Trump's opinion is of Quebec? I almost don't want to hear it, but, if nothing else, it would undoubtedly be amusing, if not deadly accurate in many ways!
What is clearly needed now is for corporations as well as business leaders and associations to unite; to publically and vociferously deride and derail any and all attempts by present and future provincial governments to bully and penalize businesses who choose to operate here, otherwise they will simply move elsewhere. Smaller companies fearful of potential future harassment will simply close down--as many have done.
Things to come? What is to stop the passing of future laws requiring that companies operating in Quebec give priority to hiring French-mother-tongue applicants before anyone else: a sort of twisted, discriminatory "Affirmative Action", or perhaps demand that all local manufacturers must henceforth use only Quebec-sourced raw materials over imports thus denying them freedom-of-choice, optimum quality and competitive pricing?
How about creating a special "foreign Internet Tax" aimed at punishing consumers who buy online? Too bad for anyone unable to find what they want locally because there is no "French equivalent". Ban the local sale of English video games, board games, English-talking dolls? Using that logic, does that mean the SAQ could eventually decide to discontinue selling foreign wines and spirits?
CTV Montreal's Barry Wilson in his latest June 19, 2015 Postscript editorial hit the nail squarely on the head with his appropriately blistering comments about how Quebec ought to ITSELF "be polite" to its minorities by ceasing and desisting with its ridiculous, unnecessary irritants and punitive mentality. Is it any wonder why Quebec's political misadventures are often compared with fascism?
Surely by now the Guinness Book of World Records has hoisted Quebec to the Number One spot as Laughing Stock of the World, but would that descent into infamy alone be sufficient to embarrass our backward, nationalistically-bent politicians into joining and embracing the Real World?
I am not holding my breath.