“I no longer feel like I have to hide who I am: an anglophone.”
It’s been 14 years since I left Montreal for the U.S. after I was given the opportunity of a great job and moving everything I owned plus my cats to St. Louis, Mo.
Since then, I got married, and this summer I finally took my husband to Montreal to meet family and friends. What a great feeling to be home!
Yes, Montreal will always be home. I filled up on poutine, smoked meat, and chocolate from La Cabosse d’Or on the South Shore. I checked out every place, bar, store that I remembered and had to see again. I can’t say how many times I have cried from missing home.
But the truth is I left Quebec in part because I just couldn’t take the language politics anymore. I’ve become a dual citizen to increase my sense of belonging in the U.S., and I no longer feel like I have to hide who I am: an anglophone.
Sue Kwiaton Larkin, St. Louis, Mo.
Kudos to CIUSSS for sign of respect
Many thanks to Montreal’s West Island health authority — the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal — for its excellent and respectful decision to post electronic messages in hospitals and other health facilities reminding the public: “It’s your right! Tell the staff which language to speak with you.”
It’s about time this right is publicized. Actions like this give people hope amid a lot of confusing rhetoric.
I believe people need to fight back and insist on their rights, while respecting that French should be predominant.
Lynn Hovey, Baie-D’Urfé
Fate of EVs hinges on infrastructure
I have the same concerns as the letter writer regarding the performance of electric vehicles in the winter and the need for more charging infrastructure. In fact, I fully intend to purchase a new gasoline-powered vehicle one or two years before Quebec bans such sales in 2035.
It is not the government’s responsibility to supply charging stations. Companies like Esso, Petro-Canada and Shell, facing reduced market share, should be investing in infrastructure for EVs. Car companies, too, could create infrastructure and sell charging time to consumers who buy their cars.
I foresee a need for charging stations where meals and lodging are offered. At present, driving from Montreal to P.E.I., say, requires a few relatively short fuel stops. The paradigm for recharging electric cars is altogether different.
Paul Clarke, Pointe-Claire
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