Historical context you should know before visiting Quebec

Québec is one of my favorite places to visit in the world. It’s close to the United States and has a rich vibrant culture that’s unlike the rest of North America. I love how it’s such a proximate place to enjoy a culture different from the predominantly English- and Spanish-speaking regions of North America.

However, as an English speaker, you may find Québec a bit too much to swallow if you don’t understand why Québec is the way it is today. Changes in the 1960s-1970s were very far-reaching in Québecois society and will be extremely obvious the moment you step outside of the airport.

I believe it’s important to have cultural context in mind while visiting a destination. You will be more immersed in the areas you travel in, and locals will appreciate your cultural awareness. That’s why I want to make a special post to share my thoughts for Québec. Most of Canada feels very similar to the United States, so American tourists may think it is just “another” tourist destination in Canada that will be similar to the United States. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

I should preface this by stating I am an American who has no connection to Québec in any way, other than being a tourist who loves visiting. However, I want to try to give a brief, unbiased, and frank summary that’s enough for you to be a cognizant tourist without turning this into a history lesson. I also wish to thank my French Canadian friends from whom I’ve learned more about Québec and incorporated their advice into this post.

Québec and its uneasy status in Canada

It’s quite obvious that Québec, being the only French-majority province in Canada, is different from other provinces. The settlers of Québec were from Catholic France, whereas in the rest of Canada, they were from Anglican (protestant) Britain. Not only was there the lingustic difference, there were the differences in culture, religion, and class/wealth. The anglophones (English speakers) tended to be wealthier than the francophones (French speakers). This caused an uneasy relationship that has lasted since the beginning history of colonial Canada.

What made Québec into what it is today?

In the 1960s and 1970s, Québec went through the Quiet Revolution, which could be considered the “wake-up call” for French Quebecers. These changes were far reaching in Québecois society and spanned many areas, from economic reforms to secularization (i.e. the true separation of church and state). However, the most pertinent events were associated with the election of the sovereigntist Parti Québecois (PQ) led by René Lévesque:

• The PQ enacted a law called the Charter of the French Language, which essentially removed English from the business world and signs in public, as well as restricting enrollment in English-language grade schools to children who already lived in anglophone families or already had some English-language education in other provinces.
• The PQ also ran two Québec status referenda, the latter of which was about Québec gaining independence. It was particularly contentious and Québec only narrowly voted to stay in Canada.

Essentially, it could be stated that these laws are trying very, very hard to preserve Québec’s unique French identity. The laws compensate for being immersed in a continent and country that are both predominantly English-speaking. These measures fight back against the “English culture creep” coming in from outside.

At the surface level, you’ll see that these changes really made an impact on Québecois society, because many of the boulevards in Montréal are named after famous figures associated with the Quiet Revolution, such as Réne Lévesque and Robert Bourassa.

But deeper inside, this has major ramifications for what Québecois society is like today.

What this means for English-speaking tourists

The effects most impacting tourists in Québec are:

• In most cities, with very limited exceptions, signs in public are in French.
  • English enclave cities like Westmount are the very limited exceptions.
• Public transit signage and announcements are all in French.
• Many anglophones fled Québec in the 1970s after the Parti Québecois’s sweeping reforms, causing Montréal to go from first to second in population (whereas Toronto switched places with Montréal) and the remaining population is more French-speaking than it was in the 1960s.
  • Therefore, don’t expect for there to be that many native English speakers (anglophones) in Montréal, or in the rest of the province, for that matter. They exist as a significant minority in the population, but they are definitely in the minority.
• Even signage for private businesses must include French. For instance, Costco’s logo has the word “entrepôt” (warehouse) on top of it, instead of the “Warehouse” subtitle like in the rest of North America.

This all seems very unfriendly to tourists who only speak English and know either no French or very little French. At this point, you may wonder what the point of going to Québec (and especially Montréal) is if you’re going to just go there to be clueless the whole time about what’s around you. And that’s completely understandable.

But I don’t think that should detract English-speaking tourists from visiting Montréal. The good news is, as long as you are respectful of the province’s culture and history, you will be rewarded with an easier tourist experience. For example, in Montréal, many businesses in or near the center of the city have bilingual staff. Restaurants typically have English menus. If you book a hotel, chances are, you’ll be able to go to that hotel and check-in in English. In general, speak in English to receive service in English.

That being said, there is only so much accommodation given to English speakers in Québec. The more you stray away from Montréal, the harder it will be to get serviced in English. (Québec City is not known to be as accommodating to English-speaking tourists as Montréal is.) Also, not everyone in Montréal speaks English. I have visited a Couche Tard at night before where the clerk only spoke French. He wasn’t going to try to speak English to me, so it was my prerogative to speak in French. Also, don’t be surprised if the bus driver won’t speak in English with you. Municipal and provincial public services will not be offered in English.

In Canada, a lot of road signs are pictorial rather than written. For road signs that are solely in French, the good news is, you can use Google Translate.

I highly recommend trying your best to learn some basic French. For example, if you see the buses 747-O and 747-E, the O stands for “ouest” (west) and the E stands for “est” (east).

Sensitive topics to avoid in Québec

It’s best to stay away from discussing Québecois sovereignty, as it is a very charged and controversial topic. Many people have strong opinions about whether Québec would be better off as an independent country or remaining in Canada.

It’s also best to keep your opinions about the prevalence of the French language in Québec to yourself. Do not say “oh, well the rest of Canada speaks English, and English is an official language of Canada, so therefore Québec should treat English speakers better”. After a few days on the streets in Québec, it may be tempting to say that the French reforms have went too far in aggressively disadvantaging English speakers, but it’s best to not bring this up with residents of Québec. Anglophones in Québec are not necessarily happy about the limited English services available in the province and many francophones will not enjoy hearing about any efforts to try to make Québec more accessible to English speakers.

Final thoughts

Québec is a unique place and it should be approached with a unique attitude. Before visiting, I recommend being mentally prepared for the province’s attitude towards English and English speakers. While it’s fine to speak English (and in fact you should be speaking English when interacting with most service staff, so as to not cause confusion about which language you want to speak in), always be prepared to fall back to French. I hope you consider visiting Québec as long as you follow these tips to have a successful and fun trip!