I would like to visit Quebec (the country side) this summer. Unfortunately I can’t speak french. Being a senior citizen, I don’t like to create problems, but the constant news that someone got in trouble because he speaks or writes in English worries me. Will having an Ontario plate on my car give me problems?
Wll i could type all day, but try going into a 7/11 in Quebec speaking english and see how far you get.
it should be safe as long as you don’t do anything crazy.
i’m pretty sure they’ll speak some english.
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"Safe"? Well, as long as you don’t paint french hate slogans on the side of your car, or mouth off to everyone, you’ll be just fine. Say ‘bonjour’ to start with, then speak in English.
The days of the FLQ are long past…
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Don’t worry so much!
Fortunately, you can always learn French now that you have more free time on your hands being retired and all…
Good luck with that and welcome to Quebec!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec
Wll i could type all day, but try going into a 7/11 in Quebec speaking english and see how far you get.
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I don’t think there’s anything to be scared of. Sure if you visit the country side, not everybody will perfectly understand/speak English (although I think a lot of people will). Just bring a French/English dictionary and you’ll be fine. As long as you’re polite (which would apply if you were french speaking) people will be nice. You really shouldn’t have any problems because of the Ontario plaque.
Language related violence is quite rare nowadays! Tourists are welcome here, no matter what language they speak!
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Having an Ontario plate on your car shouldn’t cause any problems. If you’re concerned, your best bet would be to stick to the built up areas of cities. Montreal’s West Island area (Pierrefonds, Kirkland, Dollard de Ormeaux and Pointe Claire) has quite a lot of English.
The media does a great job cultivating fear and loathing in people and that leads to mutual suspicion and misunderstanding. My sister-in-law, who is French Canadian, believed for the longest time that absolutely everyone outside Quebec hated all Quebecers and worked furiously to destroy it. Of course, once she met her husband and moved to Toronto, she saw that her initial impressions were mistaken.
I was born and lived in Montreal for 14 years before moving (not by choice, I might add) to a community just west of Toronto. While I am fluent in French am not francophone. However, everyone I met who learned that I came from Montreal, instantly assumed I was a Quebec French separatist.
Ontario license plates won’t cause you any harm. However, beware of the lunatics zooming along Montreal’s streets!
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I don’t know anyone who’s had any trouble in Quebec, no matter what language they spoke.
If you’re visiting Montreal or Quebec city, you don’t even need to worry about not being able to speak French. Almost everyone there can speak English. It’s when you get out into the small bush-towns in northern Quebec that you will find that people only speak French.
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No you are not in danger. Quebec is safe
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It’s safe. They won’t mug you for being from another province or being an Anglophone.
I went through with American plates about ten years ago and didn’t encounter any trouble. I think if an American can get through, a fellow Canadian certainly can.
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I went to Quebec last year and I can speak French, but I rarely did, alot of the people there speak English.
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"constant news that someone got in trouble because he speaks or writes in English worries me"
I’m curious as to where you’re getting your news from? Tourists from Ontario, other Canadian provinces, and any number of American states visit Québec all the time. You’re not entering a war zone by going there. No trauma should befall you; I wouldn’t worry about this…
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