Speaking to a potential client in France, I was reminded as to how rusty my French was. It also reminded me that the world is getting smaller for boutique companies that need to focus globally in order to thrive. As a result my company Fixion Media will be launching sites and services geared towards the French and Spanish markets in the coming months.

To weave this thought into my blog post yesterday about Montreal and its internal conflicts I neglected to mention the language divides that still exist. And it’s a point that shouldn’t have been glossed over. Some may be old enough to remember that the Quebec separatism movement grew in the 1970s and 1980s sending many corporate head offices packing their bags en route to Toronto. While the French in Quebec might take issue with the Queen given a long history between the two sides, it’s paramount for businesses to operate agnostically. Remember, Montreal was the economic heart of Canada many decades ago. Present day Montreal, I would argue, is still trying to rebuild what it lost back then in terms of corporate influence.

I was however one of the lucky ones. I befriended many french-speaking kids. I learnt the slang on the streets (albeit the safe suburban streets). I also was able to benefit from entering a french immersion program in elementary school followed by advanced french courses in high school. Given that I could blend seemlessly it would often come later that people would learn that I was actually native english. Others weren’t so lucky. Discrimination is still rampant. Quebec even has a “language police” (Office québécois de la langue française) which uses its time to regulate how big english font should be compared to french font on advertisements, taking down english beer posters in pubs, and other questionable tactics that you wouldn’t expect from a savvy left-leaning society.

This relates back to Montreal in many ways. For one, we need bilingualism. If our tech scene is split between two languages it will be more difficult to propogate a united tech movement. We also need to build bridges between Canada and France, Belgium, Switzerland and other french-speaking nations. This will allow for additional visibility on the international stage. Additionally, while I support protecting the french language and culture given that it has resulted in positive social advancements, a serious debate is required amongst the business and political establishments to determine whether language is helping us or preventing Quebec from making deeper inroads in the tech world. Further evaluation of potentially discriminatory laws and regulations would also be wise.

This is merely one debate within a world packed with dozens of languages and cultures. Is your company evaluating new opportunities and markets? If it isn’t… it should be.

Filed under: Politics, The Future, Montreal

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