Finished, the battles in the school

Dominique Scali

Saturday, 17 February, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Saturday, 17 February, 2018 01:07

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Arguments, feeling of being judged, discomfort. The tensions between young anglophones and francophones do not manifest themselves more through physical abuse as in the past.

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Even in a rural area, everyone is side by side with joy, as noted by several speakers.

“My father tells me that in his day there were battles between the francos and the anglos. We no longer hear it at all, ” said Devin Keenan, 18, a native of Richmond, in the eastern Townships.

The time when the young people came to blows, and dealt with the “head square” or”
frogs ” is so over, according to several English-speaking.

These are also more bilingual than before, especially because they have almost all been in French immersion in their school English, ” said Richard Bourhis, professor at the UQAM.

Young people tell, however, to have had altercations with francophones who said they had been the fact that they spoke English or their French was inadequate.

Respect please

“If a person is sentence to serve me in English because she does not speak it very well, this is not serious. But no need to get upset because I speak English. It is a matter of respect, ” said Jennifer Saint-Louis, 17, who notes that some francophones seem to be exasperated by the presence of the English.

The minister of Relations with English-speaking Quebecers, Kathleen Weil, considers that the debate and language policies which are perceived as conflicting by the young people. These are not their reports on a daily basis with the other solitude.

A good number of English-speaking young people do not feel any frustration towards the French-speaking majority, as is the case of eight students in agricultural sciences met by
The Log.

Urban problem

“Honestly, I would say that everyone gets along very well,” said Andrew Boersen, 21 years, president of 4-H Quebec city, a club that brings together mainly young people in the agricultural industry. They all say have francos among their friends or in their family.

In rural areas, there is no segregation between anglos and the francos, said Michael Murray, president of the Commission scolaire Eastern Townships, in the eastern Townships. While in Montreal, it is possible to live each of his side, the population with English being concentrated in certain neighborhoods.

Photo courtesy

Dida Berku
Councillor

“There must be more of a reconciliation between francos and anglos. It is this that is crucial, ” insists Dida Berku, city councillor for Côte-Saint-Luc.