“C’est ça.” Literal translation: ‘That’s it, then’. That’s the message the government of François Legault is sending Quebeckers in its bid to preserve the French language — to stop saying ‘hello’.In a $2.5 million multimedia advertising campaign, the Coalition Avenir is urging compatriots to refrain from using the ubiquitous English greeting when addressing people in public places like stores or hailing a cab..According to the 30-second spot to be aired in both Anglophone and multi-ethnic outlets,‘bonjour’ is simply enough.The ad is a not-so-subtle reference to the ‘bonjour/hello’ controversy that saw language activists attempt to have it banned from the local vernacular by store clerks in places like Walmart.So much so, that the Parti Québécois in 2017 introduced a motion in the province’s National Assembly declaring the saying an ‘irritant’ because it suggested English and French were on equal footings. A compromise bill was eventually carried unanimously by all 111 MNAs without becoming law.Polls suggest 80% of Quebeckers prefer to be addressed simply with ‘bonjour’. Indeed, polls have found it to be the most recognized word in the language, even among non-French speakers..The latest efforts on the part of the provincial government to preserve the status of French follows the infamous ‘pasta-gate’ controversy when Quebec language inspectors attempted to crack down on a Montreal restaurant for using a menu with Italian dishes like ‘calamari’ without any equivalents en Francais.But on his Twitter (“X”) account, Legault was unapologetic.As per Google translation, he posted: Quebec is the “only francophone state in North America. It is through our language that we express our identity and out culture. I will never cease defending it. Here in Quebec, it happens in French.”
