'LA CHARTE DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE', A QUEBECER LAW

Today, The Grandma has received the wonderful visit of Claire Fontaine, one of her closest friends.

Claire is from Quebec, and they have been talking about La charte de la langue française, a law in the province of Quebec that defines French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government, a law that was adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec on a day like today in 1977.

The Charter of the French Language, in French La charte de la langue française, (the Charter) also known in English as Bill 101 or Law 101, in French Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the official language of the provincial government.

It is the central legislative piece in Quebec's language policy, and one of the three statutory documents Quebec society bases its cohesion upon, along with the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Civil Code of Quebec. The Charter also protects the Indigenous languages of Quebec.

Proposed by Camille Laurin, the Minister of Cultural Development under the first Parti Québécois government of Premier René Lévesque, it was passed by the National Assembly and received royal assent on August 26, 1977.

The Charter's provisions expanded upon the 1974 Official Language Act (Bill 22), which was enacted during the tenure of Premier Robert Bourassa's Liberal government to make French the official language of Quebec. Prior to 1974, Quebec had no official language and was subject only to the requirements on the use of English and French contained in Article 133 of the British North America Act, 1867.

The Charter has been amended more than six times since 1977.

More information: Publications Québec (Française)

The preamble of the Charter states that the National Assembly resolved to make French the language of Government and the Law, as well as the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business. It also states that the National Assembly is to pursue this objective in a spirit of fairness and open-mindedness, recognizes the right of the Amerinds and the Inuit of Quebec, the first inhabitants of this land, to preserve and develop their original language and culture.

The Charter consists of six titles and two schedules.

The nine chapters of Title I, pertaining to the status of the French language, declare French the sole official language (chapter I), define the fundamental language rights of persons (chapter II), and define the status of French in the parliament and the courts (chapter III), the civil administration (chapter IV), the semipublic agencies (chapter V), labour relations (VI), commerce and business (VII), and language of instruction (VIII).

The five chapters of Title II, pertain to linguistic officialization, toponymy, and the francization of the civil service and enterprises.

Title III establishes the Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Office of the French language), defines its mission, powers, and organization.

Title IV establishes the Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Superior Council of the French language).

Title V and VI define penal provisions and sanctions and transitional and miscellaneous provisions.

To achieve the goal of making French the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business and ensure the respect of French Quebecers' language rights, the Charter contains a number of key provisions and various regulations.

In the first article of the Charter, French is declared the official language of Quebec.

The French language was previously declared the sole official language of Quebec with the adoption of the Official Language Act in 1974.

More information: Publications Québec (English)

The fundamental French-language rights in Quebec are:

1) The right to have the civil administration, the health services and social services, the public utility enterprises, the professional corporations, the associations of employees and all enterprises doing business in Quebec communicate with the public in French. (article 2)

2) The right to speak French in deliberative assemblies. (article 3)

3) The right of workers to carry on their activities in French. (article 4)

4) The right of consumers to be informed and served in French. (article 5)

5) The right of persons eligible for instruction in Quebec to receive that instruction in French. (article 6)

The language of instruction from kindergarten to secondary school is French.

The instruction language is the language in which the classes are taught. Learning of English as a second language is mandatory for all children attending French school beginning in elementary school.

Articles 87, 88 and 89 provide for the use of Amerindic languages and Inuktitut as the language of instruction. The rate of introduction of French and English as languages of instruction is left to school committees and parents' committees.

At the request of parents, the following may receive instruction in English:

- A child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in English anywhere in Canada, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary instruction he/she received in Canada;

- A child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of that child, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary or secondary instruction received by the child in Canada.

The original 1977 Charter provided for the English instruction not on the basis of a parent having received his instruction in English in Canada, but in Quebec only. This came to be amended following the adoption of the Constitution Act 1982, which defined the educational right of French and English minorities in all provinces under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

More information: Assemblée Nationale du Québec

Quebec City is the most European of any city in North America;
they speak French all the time.
There is a part of town called Old Quebec
which is really like being in France.
The architecture is just gorgeous, food, shopping.
I'd say Quebec City is the most beautiful city
in North America I've seen.

Sebastian Bach

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Charles Dickens writes in the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities as he paints a picture of life in England and France. The year is late 1775, and Jarvis Lorry travels from London to Paris on a secret mission for his employer, Tellson's Bank. Joining him on his journey is Lucie Manette, a 17-year-old woman who is stunned to learn that her father, Doctor Alexandre Manette, is alive and has recently been released after having been secretly imprisoned in Paris for 18 years...

The Grandma at Malta International Airport

The Grandma and her friends are returning to their homes. Joseph de Ca'th Lon is flying to Lon; Tina Picotes to Monte Carlo; Claire Fontaine to Québec and The Grandma to Barcelona. 

During the flight from Valletta to Barcelona, The Grandma has started to read Charles Dickens' A tale of two cities, a new book that she's going to share with her families. Before reading a book, you must know the author and his/her life. Every author puts a little of himself/herself in his/her books. Charles Dickens is one of the best writers of the history and all his works are considered masterpieces.

This new book talks about London and Paris during the French Revolution. Enjoy it with The Grandma, who is going to post one new chapter, in audio version, every day.

Download A tale of two cities by Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens (February 1812-9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are still widely read today.

Charles John Huffam Dickens

Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. 

Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. 

More information: Biography

Cliffhanger endings in his serial publications kept readers in suspense. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodist expressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens improved the character with positive features. 

His plots were carefully constructed, and he often wove elements from topical events into his narratives. Masses of the illiterate poor chipped in ha'pennies to have each new monthly episode read to them, opening up and inspiring a new class of readers.

A tale of to cities published on Harper's Weekly

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre.  

Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens has been praised by fellow writers, from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell, G. K. Chesterton and Tom Wolfe, for his realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

Authors frequently draw their portraits of characters from people they have known in real life. David Copperfield is regarded by many as a veiled autobiography of Dickens. 

The scenes of interminable court cases and legal arguments in Bleak House reflect Dickens's experiences as a law clerk and court reporter, and in particular his direct experience of the law's procedural delay during 1844 when he sued publishers in Chancery for breach of copyright. Dickens's father was sent to prison for debt, and this became a common theme in many of his books, with the detailed depiction of life in the Marshalsea prison in Little Dorrit resulting from Dickens's own experiences of the institution.  

Lucy Stroughill, a childhood sweetheart, may have affected several of Dickens's portraits of girls such as Little Em'ly in David Copperfield and Lucie Manette in A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens may have drawn on his childhood experiences, but he was also ashamed of them and would not reveal that this was where he gathered his realistic accounts of squalor. Very few knew the details of his early life until six years after his death, when John Forster published a biography on which Dickens had collaborated. 

More information: The Atlantic

Have a heart that never hardens, 

and a temper that never tires, 

and a touch that never hurts. 

Charles Dickens

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT & CLAIRE: COMPLAINTE DE LA BUTTE

Rufus Wainwright

It is a great pleasure for The Grandma to introduce Claire Fontaine, a new friend from Québec, who is going to talk us about music, fashion, marketing and trends.

Today, Claire assists to a Rufus Wainwright’s Concert in Sant Cugat del Vallès. She’s a great fan of this fantastic and enjoyable artist who sings beautiful songs in English and French because he lives in California but he spent his youth in Montréal, Québec, hometown of her mother.

Rufus is Kate McGarrigle's son; Anne McGarrigle's niece and Martha Wainright's brother and his oeuvre contains several recurring themes: opera, literature, pop culture, politics, and love. Kate and Anne McGarrigle are the members of The Garrigles, the famous folk duo.

More information: Rufus Wainwright Official Web

He has recorded seven albums of original music and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written a classical opera and set Shakespeare sonnets to music.

Rufus became interested in opera during his adolescent years, and the genre strongly influences his music. For instance, the song Barcelona features lyrics from the libretto of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, Macbeth. During this time, he became interested in Édith Piaf, Al Jolson, and Judy Garland.

 In the present world, this technological, psychotic, politicised, nonsensical world, you have to believe that the good guys are going to win! That evil will be banished somehow!

Rufus Wainwright