Since the beginning of August, some Montreal sidewalks have become slippery. The rain isn't to blame, however: Pedestrians are watching out for large stickers affixed to the ground. Candy-pink ot melon-green stickers with slogans such as "Dindon, champignon, cornichon. Le français, ça sonne bien partout, même à l'épicerie" ("French sounds good everywhere, even at the grocery store"), have quickly drawn the ire of pedestrians in Parc-Extension. It's the only area where the mayor's office has pasted these stickers encouraging people to sign up for refresher courses in French using a QR code. This multicultural neighborhood is "historically very mixed" and "many ethnic minorities" live there, said Jack Jedwab, president of the Metropolis Institute, an independent research center on migration, integration and inclusion.

The Parc-Extension sticker campaign illustrates Quebec's francization policy, spearheaded by Premier François Legault (Coalition Avenir Québec, nationalist, center-right). In 2022, the province's parliament passed Bill 96, which restricts the use of English in certain contexts, to the detriment of the 10.4% English-speaking Quebecers (according to 2021 government census figures). Businesses and shops are at the forefront of this linguistic crusade, and while the Parc-Extension stickers are the city's initiative, they were funded by the French Language Ministry to the tune of $6,696 (€4,538).

Within a few days, most of the stickers had been removed from the sidewalks. "Even if the intention is good, this campaign is patronizing," said Louis Demers. Leaning against the counter of the grocery store where he works, this 30-something has spent a third of his life in "Parc-Ex" and sees the neighborhood's regulars pass by every day, often more talkative in Greek or Urdu than in French. "And I don't even know a French speaker who would have a positive word to say about these stickers," the former law student said.

The reaction from community associations has been similar: "By targeting an immigrant neighborhood, this campaign is an affront to the identity of its residents," said Josh Goldberg, a member of the Parc-Extension action committee, an organization that defends the rights of the most disadvantaged tenants.

The French Language Ministry has confirmed that the district was chosen "because of the significant presence of allophone immigrants living there." Surprised by the fallout from the campaign she spearheaded, Dominique Ollivier, president of the city's executive committee, believes that "the unease provoked by the stickers highlights the tensions affecting Montreal's linguistic peace."

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