Up here an how's your french, I'm assuming you're canadian? Religion is really that uncommon over there? I would have expected it to be roughly similar to america.
Up here an how's your french, I'm assuming you're canadian?
Québécois. We have our own immigration process where French count more than for the Canadian one. But with the Canadian freedom of movement you are free to apply to both processes and move wherever you wanted once you are accepted.
Quebec is also the only province where you'll need French. Even in officially bilingual New-Brunswick, french is second-class.
Religion is really that uncommon over there? I would have expected it to be roughly similar to america.
As with the US, you have to be careful about generalizing from coast to coast. English Canada is roughly on par with the US. There are bible belt areas (I live in one for 3 months, it was scary) and you have places that are much less.
Quebec is a bit different. It is a former de-facto theocracy. The Church had an enormous say in government and society and even the right of life and death on patients (doctors had to consult with the priest, not with the family or patient for that kind of decisions). In 1940 women voted against the man who just gave them the right to vote because they considered doing so an unchristian thing to do.
The Church really badly abused its power. Enough that some of the clergy would most likely have swung atthe end of rope as was the legal tradition of Canada at the time for truly heinous crimes. And as we say in French, the elastic broke.
In 1960 we started to kick out the church of every piece of power they held, we got higher education (which the church forbid and they were officially in charge of education before that time), we got businesses (which the church forbid too), we stopped going to masses, we changed our vocabulary so that nearly all swear words became blasphemous agains the Church.
We legalized abortions 12 years before Canada (actually it was still a federal crime punishable by emprisonment, we just passed a law saying we would never bring someone in front of a tribunal for it which would make Ottawa unable to judge anyone in the province for it). Baptisms started to decline (they are basically for the benefit of grand-parents who care about such things and as the people who care die, so does the practice. It's a minority that does now), Churches are regularly sold because they are in disrepair and the Church has no money to fix them (no churchgoers = no money).
So today if someone in Quebec that doesn't look like a foreigner shows piety, he'll get a "Are you by any chance retarded?" look.
Oh and support for gay marriage in Quebec is 87%, the highest in the Americas.
Very interesting. I had no idea quebec was so different from the rest of canada. There are other parts with french influence right? Is quebec still distinctly different from those areas?
I get that. But I didn't think I'd get so much flak in Downtown LA either.
Good point. Come up here then! :)
How's your French? :)
Up here an how's your french, I'm assuming you're canadian? Religion is really that uncommon over there? I would have expected it to be roughly similar to america.
Non-existent. :(
I'll just keep to myself then. It's not like I have to make friends with these people.
Well... It's not that bad to learn. :)
Québécois. We have our own immigration process where French count more than for the Canadian one. But with the Canadian freedom of movement you are free to apply to both processes and move wherever you wanted once you are accepted.
Quebec is also the only province where you'll need French. Even in officially bilingual New-Brunswick, french is second-class.
As with the US, you have to be careful about generalizing from coast to coast. English Canada is roughly on par with the US. There are bible belt areas (I live in one for 3 months, it was scary) and you have places that are much less.
Quebec is a bit different. It is a former de-facto theocracy. The Church had an enormous say in government and society and even the right of life and death on patients (doctors had to consult with the priest, not with the family or patient for that kind of decisions). In 1940 women voted against the man who just gave them the right to vote because they considered doing so an unchristian thing to do.
The Church really badly abused its power. Enough that some of the clergy would most likely have swung atthe end of rope as was the legal tradition of Canada at the time for truly heinous crimes. And as we say in French, the elastic broke.
In 1960 we started to kick out the church of every piece of power they held, we got higher education (which the church forbid and they were officially in charge of education before that time), we got businesses (which the church forbid too), we stopped going to masses, we changed our vocabulary so that nearly all swear words became blasphemous agains the Church.
We legalized abortions 12 years before Canada (actually it was still a federal crime punishable by emprisonment, we just passed a law saying we would never bring someone in front of a tribunal for it which would make Ottawa unable to judge anyone in the province for it). Baptisms started to decline (they are basically for the benefit of grand-parents who care about such things and as the people who care die, so does the practice. It's a minority that does now), Churches are regularly sold because they are in disrepair and the Church has no money to fix them (no churchgoers = no money).
So today if someone in Quebec that doesn't look like a foreigner shows piety, he'll get a "Are you by any chance retarded?" look.
Oh and support for gay marriage in Quebec is 87%, the highest in the Americas.
Duolingo gives a strong start in basic, immersion will carry you a long way further
Very interesting. I had no idea quebec was so different from the rest of canada. There are other parts with french influence right? Is quebec still distinctly different from those areas?
Different language, different culture, different legal system, etc.
The majority of Québécois don't consider themselves Canadians.