QUEBEC HAS A LONG HISTORY OF FASCISM

A taxi with Bonjour on the side is seen Thursday, November 30, 2017 in Montreal. The National Assembly is formally asking Quebec's merchants to "warmly" greet their clients with the word "Bonjour," and drop the old standard "Bonjour-hi."Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Bonjour-Hi?

Sacrilege, mes amis.

The French-English coupling of this popular greeting purportedly so dilutes the sacred language of French-speaking Quebecers that its National Assembly has seen fit to pass an edict to end such loose-tongued behaviour, particularly among sales clerks who want to express a bit of all-encompassing and inclusive warmth to shoppers.

Naturally, it passed through the legislature as smoothly as merde passes through une oie.

The resolution, sponsored to no surprise by the separatist Parti Quebecois, was even supported by three anglophone MNAs, as well as by Liberals whose constituencies have a significant population of seulement English-speaking Quebecers.

The vote, in fact, was unanimous.

Such hallowed mud was not to be stirred.

When the motion was passed, however, cabinet ministers in Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard's government literally tripped over themselves beating a hasty retreat, all to avoid the press hounds wanting them to explain themselves, in either federally official language.

Those who found themselves trapped during their escape told reporters to talk to Marie Montpetit, the minister responsible for the Charter of the French Language who, in turn, also refused to comment.

"I think we can move on to other things," was all she would say.

This is what it has come down to.

On one hand, we have a prime minister in Justin Trudeau who preaches the importance of tolerance and diversity while, on the other, we have the entire Quebec legislature being offended by the simple greeting of bonjour-hi.

Oh, to be in Quebec, where the world is a different place and matters such as Finance Minister Bill Morneau's financial travails are so far removed from the psyche that a sales clerk's greeting takes precedence.

Bad enough that this same legislature saw fit to ban public services to anyone refusing to remove a face covering, a move clearly directed at Muslim women who have chosen to adopt such garments.

But who knew the French language was so vulnerable in Quebec that bonjour-hi had to be addressed by lawmakers in hopes of seeing it vanish from the vernacular?

The final wording of the motion — which is not binding — stated that the National Assembly reaffirms French is the official and common language of Quebec, and that it recognized the fact that 94% of Quebecers understand French.

It concluded that the word "bonjour" is one of the most-recognized words in the French language and "magnificently reflects the hospitality of Quebecers."

So, no more "bonjour-hi."

The National Assembly motion was apparently prompted by a story in the Montreal Gazette, an English-language newspaper, that claimed 80% of Quebecers didn't like the coupled French-English greeting.

Have provincial politicians in Quebec nothing better to do with their time except to get anal retentive over a popular greeting?

Apparently not.

This is not to say, however, that they are climbing the wrong tree.

In a 2016 study published by Le Parisian newspaper in France, it was reported that some 90% of the country's citizens speak a little franglais, smattering their French with English variations.

Par example, le hot dog.

Or, "relever le challenge" (rise to the challenge); "voyager low-cost" (low-cost travel); and "sortier un best-of" (bring out the best.)"

As Le Parisian wrote in an editorial, "You can love them or hate them, but no one can get away from them."

In Quebec, however, even trying to be a bit friendlier with a little franglais is verboten.

Now there's a word — verboten — that is neither French nor English, but German and Latin in its origins.

In fact, it didn't appear in the English language until 1916.

Verboten oui doesn't exist.

Yet.

markbonokoski@gmail.com