Quebec Border Patrol

[Kevin Lang]

Did something happen with Canada that I missed out on? I wonder, cause I've been to Canada many times, and at worst they had to x-ray my luggage. Many times they haven't even examined my passport.



Though I haven't gone into Quebec before. Their border patrol actually had to inspect the ST, all luggage, question us for over an hour, check all of our ID and itinerary, have us empty our pockets...it was pretty intense just to get into America's Hat.



Making matters worse, I didn't realize that my friend was packing every non-firearm weapon known to man. That was interesting.



Is Quebec just this serious about their faux-sovereignty, are they still perturbed over the Aroostook War, or were we just the only entertainment at a remote and desolate border crossing?



Inquiring minds want to know :grin:

 

[Shaun Tucker]

KL,



They are a different breed over there. I've been to Quebec many times over the last few years and from my experiences I found that you will mainly see two very different type of people there.



You have those that are comfortable with their identity as French Canadians and see the much bigger picture and then you have those who are self-righteous, self-absorbed, and self-serving.



The first type (of French Canadian) recognizes the vital role that their history has played in shaping Canada as a country. Theirs' is a history of people who were more or less abandoned on this continent when the French fought the English. From that point forward Canada was formed as a country of cultural diversity, whether they liked it or not. The English speaking settlers had to get along with the French speaking settlers and there was nothing they could do about it. SO, there are people who recognize the fact that we are all a single country with multiple identities and embrace their heritage and their historical role as part of the beginning of this. These people are the pleasant ones you will find around Quebec. They are the ones who smile at you when you attempt a "bonjour" or "merci" in whatever broken frrench you can muster. All they ask is that you attempt to embrace their language and traditions.



Then there is the other type of French Canadian. That is most likely the kind you encountered. They take pleasure in "sticking it to" any English first language speakers in any way possible. They are the ones who can't let go of the past and try to make everybody else suffer for the injustices that their ancestors had to endure (kind of reminds you of a few other groups, doesn't it). This mentality is unfortunately passed on from generation to generation, often resulting in angry youths with no idea who they are mad at (hence the riots and looters in Montreal after the Montreal Canadiens beat the Pittsburgh Penguins - it wasn't the HABS fans rioting, but angry french youths "sticking it to the man" and taking advantage of an otherwise jovial occasion).



I went white water rafting in Quebec a couple years ago and while I was there the guides were all locals. They were great people, and a lot of fun to be around, but as soon as the talk turned political their true colours came out. They were originally pleasant because they HAD to be, they are PAID to be. But when talk turned to "separation" all that came out of their mouths was blame and whining.



Don't get me wrong, I'd say the majority of French Canadians are the former rather than the latter, but they exist. I find most of the tourist locations have great locals who are extremely friendly, but in the more remote locations and smaller communities you will find the "True quebecois."



Best of luck on your travels through this great northern nation!

 

[Steve McKellop]

That 70's Show, Tommy Chong ............ What are YOU doing in CanaDa?



:bwahaha::bwahaha::bwahaha::bwahaha:



Mostly appreciated by us that are , sayyyyyyyyyyyy 50's.:grin:

 

[Willie Anglin]

I work for a French Canadian company and it is the best run company I have ever worked for. They are good to their people and know how to adjust to the ever changing business climate. All the ones I have met are super nice and speak pretty good English, better than me anyway.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Well, South Park claims that "There's no Canada like French Canada, it's the best Canada in ze Land..."



And I totally don't agree with it. Most everyone does speak pretty decent English, which is great as I'm the only one in the party who doesn't speak the French--pumped my language "skill points" into other languages.



Montreal reminds me of Baltimore a bit, or a Toronto with all the cool stuff taken out. The signs of just starting to come out of a 40 year decline are immediately evident.



All the travel guides I have list the 1970s Olympic park as one of the top 4 attractions....



Thankfully tomorrow will see me back in "Civilization" :grin:

 

[Bill V]

Montreal reminds me of Baltimore a bit, or a Toronto with all the cool stuff taken out.

Based on my visits to all three cities in a single summer a few years ago, I have to disagree--both Montreal and Toronto are far nicer places than Baltimore can ever even hope to be. I suspect I'll make a point of visiting both of those Canadian cities again with my family in the next few years--but I'll be passing on Baltimore...

 

[Kevin Lang]

Montreal looks eerily like Baltimore, Canadian Interstate 10 into the City is reminiscent of I-395, though without the Skyway. Montreal is Baltimore, without the redeeming interesting sites, but with most all of the bad sites.



The convention centers look similar, many downtown buildings are abandoned and/or vandalized, gentrification is rampant throughout the area with mixed results, seedy ethnic food joints are everywhere, the city looks dirty, construction is everywhere....et cetera.



Baltimore and Montreal share these similarities.



There's even the whole bilingual thing going on--and just as you can find people who don't speak English in Montreal, you find them in Baltimore.



Ebonics & Bawlmorese are like French. There are many words similar to English, and an anglophone can sort of piece together the conversation, but it is not English as what would make an anglophone.

(According to About.com, average anglophone sans French knowledge knows 15,000 french words, so this is a valid comparison. French is more intelligible than Ebonics...anything is)



The only reason Montreal seems more inviting is because you won't get shot at there, but this is Canada, there is no crime.

More than a third of all English words are derived directly or indirectly from French, and it's estimated that English speakers who have never studied French already know 15,000 French words.

http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/frenchinenglish.htm