Anglo-rights group calls for Montreal to become a bilingual city

MONTREAL – When you take a stroll in downtown Montreal, you may feel like you’re in a French city, see French signs, and try French food. But when it comes to what you hear, you can’t really tell which language is most predominant. Sometimes you hear French, other times you hear English. Does that make Montreal a bilingual city? It might in practice, but on paper Montreal’s official language is French and that’s entrenched in the city’s charter: Chapter one, Article one.

On Sunday, 700 people attended a symposium organized by civil rights organization, CRITIQ. Many of them were calling for Montreal to become an officially bilingual city.

Anglo-rights advocate Beryl Wajsman thinks it will help the city’s image.

“People are tired of oversight, they’re tired of government spectres,  they’re tired of high taxes. A bilingual status will send a message to the world that Montreal is open for business,” he told Global News.

Last week, Mayor Michael Applebaum said he doesn’t support their demand.

Civil rights Attorney Julius Grey agrees that the city should remain officially French.  He explains, “Montreal is, in practice, a city where French and English are spoken, understood and used. Montreal is also an officially French city and that’s part of the compromise and it’s an excellent compromise.”

Making Montreal a bilingual city would create unwanted tensions, say some. In particular with Quebecois who aim to protect Montreal’s French face.

Mario Beaulieu of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste says if Montreal was given bilingual status there would be no reason for immigrants to learn f French at all and it would kill the French language in Quebec and across North America.