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 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.