Press release
Measures to promote French in Montreal:
Minister St-Pierre made the right choice
Montreal, March 20, 2008 The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes new measures to promote the French language announced today by Quebec's Minister of Culture, Communications and the French language, Christine St-Pierre.
French is an exceptional asset for Montreal. It is the basis of its diversity and its rich culture. By adopting measures to promote and improve the standing of French, the Minister is showing that she understands the importance of contributing in a positive manner to the vitality of the French language in the city. We especially appreciate that the government favours dialogue and incentives as regards francization, rather than opting for restrictive measures that are maladapted to the realities faced by SMEs. As we see it, this is the wisest and most effective way of contributing to strengthening the French character of Montreal, declared the Board of Trade's president and CEO, Isabelle Hudon.
Another aspect of the announced measures that seems particularly significant to us is that which aims to foster awareness in all actors in Quebec society, as well as in the general public, of the importance of the quality and richness of French. Indeed, the quality of our linguistic situation resides in the fact that in Montreal, as in the province, our French is proud and strong, spoken by people who have a true love for the language. In short, we need as many francophiles as we do francophones. The measures announced today are in keeping with this view and, for that reason, we commend the Minister's work, concluded Isabelle Hudon.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of the Greater Montreal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca