Quebec family leaving as Californian mother admits she struggles with French
Kristina Ronnquist has lived in Quebec for five years, but now, following the recent reform of the Charter of the French Language, she says she's leaving the province.
"We definitely had plans to move [to the United States before Bill 96], but it definitely didn't help," the California native told Noovo Info. "When you see things like language inspectors and search-and-seizure without a warrant and making sure...that English is not being overused... I felt like a criminal."
The controversial Bill 96 was passed in Quebec's National Assembly on Tuesday, causing dissension among Indigenous and English-language rights groups in many sectors, including education, justice and health care.
"We are committed to protecting your access to health care in English," insisted Premier François Legault in response to criticisms.
Nevertheless, Ronnquist admits her level of French remains greatly insufficient.
She says she met her husband, a Quebecer, in Thailand in 2015 and after falling pregnant, decided to move to the province to be near his family.
Ronnquist recalls a time when she was at a doctor's visit and wanted to make sure she fully understood what she was being told.
She asked if she could call her mother-in-law, a francophone, and was met with the response: "I don't have time for that."
"It's hostile enough towards English-speaking people," she lamented. "This [Bill 96], for me, just feels like it's going to take it to this whole other level."
Her husband, Olivier Ratti, points out his family may not be the only one relocating in the near future.
"In a Quebec that's having a labour shortage, we're going to push people away," he said. "They're going to go to western provinces or Ontario because they'll feel more welcome."
The family says they are planning to move at the end of July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.