If you're looking at moving to Montreal or are new in town I've been building up a playlist called Montreal Fundamentals which might be useful for you. Topics in development include renting, options for French classes, where to get news and how to meet people. Check it out on the channel.
@@kateb2643 In Toronto you get a very small and in the basement rent for $1 300 with a very small window. In Montreal you get a very nice and big 3 1/2 for $700. or a big 5 1/2 with a balcony and 10 windows on an old building for $700. Lot of transportation and very good food and day care is the cheapest by far in North America ($10. a day.).
@@davo1822 One of the most industrial in the province and it's very safe and nice,all the buildings on the other streets around are worth +$600,000,mine is worth 2 millions; the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal and it's common in my province. It's $715.
As a francophone, i can assure you need to speak both languages to find a well paid job. English is also a barrier for french speakers. That is why more than 60% of montrealers speak english and french
I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this video through an endless list of mostly useless vlogs and general information about Le Plateau and poutine. Very informative and comprehensive and I loved the objective approach and the research that was done; as well as the humor. Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos! Thank you.
I came to Montréal as an international anglophone student, and my suggestion to anglophones is to not come here if you do not intend to eventually stop speaking English. I learnt French while here, and will do my masters at a Francophone university. Learn it as fast as possible (yes it is possible to do in a few years), and stop living in anglo bubbles. The truth is that Québec is a francophone society, Montréal included, and that you will never feel you belong if you don't get out of English. FInally, it's simply a sign of respect, and an opportunity to learn French here. I cannot understand why some anglos want to come here, then try to live completely outside of what makes Montréal what it is!
Quebec has of a latin mentality and Canada is more anglosaxons, it's obvious that montrealers are quite happy due to the cultural differences, people may say montreal is more European but I say what European? Europe has so many culture and not all European countries is happy and open minded.
I think people are often saying "European" because of the old buildings and Francophone culture. Of course I don't think any city is really like Montreal. It's the closest thing to a North American city state, and one of the largest French speaking cities in the world.
@@PaigeMTL I get it, but people misunderstood, Quebec's old building and architecture and culture is more of a French influences and custom, like in Mexico, old fortress, cathedrals, colonial towns and architecture is european too but from Spain, customs and cultural influence from Spain, of course it's a mix culture. Europe has many countries and culture but not all is friendly and open mind what people like to describe.
Yeah, I guess people think mostly of the large liberal democracies of Western Europe. But yeah, all the continents are cuturally diverse places... Even Antarctica has people from everywhere!
Do you know that the french part it the original Canada, until the beginningof the 19th century only the french speakers were called Canadians( Canadiens)
I was a student in Montreal 45 years ago. It was my first exposure to a major city outside of the U.S. My God, I loved Montreal! To me, it was and is the greatest city I've ever lived in - and my home city in the U.S. (which shall remain nameless) is of comparable size but is, in comparison to Montreal, a pathetic and dismal failure. After those three years in Montreal so many decades ago, I never had the opportunity to return - but I've watched plenty of RUclips videos and continue to be amazed at how it just gets better and better.
@@PaigeMTL Ah, one day. Money and free time seem to be limited, and when I travel, it's always to visit relatives. BUT, if money and time were no issue AND I would go someplace just for fun, it definitely would be Montreal. Back in the 70's, the slogan CKGM used to use was "CKGM in North America's GREEEEATEST city!" At the time, I thought, "Yup, they're right!" God, where I'm living, we don't even have a subway. I do have a good friend down here from Brossard, though.
This completely understates how disrecpectful it is to come to Quebec and hope to remain 100% anglophone. Imagine going to Japan or any country and planning your entire life around English or worst, Chinese? It would sound out of place, but even more-so in Quebec considering the rate at which French can erode. Think not so? Look at the state of French in the US, in the old French speaking communities: they're virtually non-existent anymore. Quebec is the last bastion of French speaking culture, and citizens are either helping French survive, or diluting it into non-existence. The "historic" part is also complete BS. If you want to include a speech, start with "Speak White" poem and give the full spectrum of history. (Otherwise informative and interesting, although a little disrecpectful for the first 10 minutes)
I noticed that you wrote a comment and promptly removed it, not wanting to open the discussion on the matter. This is unfortunately frequent among Anglophones in Quebec, who simply choose to disregard history and important social issues while, as you did, painting the French as oppressors... sometimes by painting previous French generations as literal murderers as you did in your intro. I don't think you can get immediate sympathy when you open up a video by painting a culture you partake in diluting by immediately pointing to murder in bad-faith.
@@Davmm96, je suis sur le neutre: moi qui avance c'est quand je commence à pomper des chiffres pour supporter mes propos. Et la vitesse "Recule" c'est les mecs qui participent au génocide culturel tacite d'une nation. Va voir l'excellent vidéo de Ravignon sur la construction des nations et le cas unique du Québec. La tactique d'assimilation lente afin d'assimiler et éliminer le Français Canadien est en cours depuis plus de 200 ans. Voici un brin de ton histoire, les mots de Lord Durham, que tu sembles avoir manqué (visible vers la 19-20e minute): ruclips.net/video/gHQPvUk6nFY/видео.html
@@themore-you-know Génocide culturel... Est-tu du genre à pas vouloir taper du pied sur le reel de pointe-au-pic parce que c'est dérivé d'un style des royaumes-uni? Que tu le veut ou pas, notre culture restera un mariage bizarre de plusieurs cultures; Quand les Anglais ont pris le pays, les habitants était bien content d'utiliser le système judiciaire anglais tout en gardant les divisions des terres à la française. Si après 200 ans y'ont pas réussi à nous assimiler complètement, j'pense qu'on a réussi.
Your comments about language in the work place are bang on. No one at work cares that I'm an anglophone; they respect my ability to do the job needed and even the francophones love the chance to practice their English with a native speaker of the language and respect that I want to converse with them in their language. Even outside of the work place I've never encountered a Montrealer that ever had a problem with someone with a very obviously English accent conversing with them in French even if it is far from perfect. They're happy to stumble around in broken French and I feel its a point of pride for them that someone would put so much effort into learning their language. Its endearing and I love that about this city and encourages me so much to put even more effort into perfecting my French. Outside of Montreal it might not be quite the same and I've gotten used to all the conversation in the restaurant stopping in my Mum's home town of Granby when folks hear my accent. This is a great channel, please keep it up. I love seeing my city (People living in Laval are totally Montrealers; Laval doesn't have its own identity) from someone else's perspective.
Granby is at the frontier of the old Eastern Townships (Cantons de l'Est) where you will still find, to this day, not only a lot of places named after English people but also a lot of small anglo enclaves with very peculiar accents or expressions. In Granby itself, not so much, but as you go towards Sherbrooke, a lot of small villages in that area have a really interesting history.
I lived on a work permit in Ontario and later Montreal Quebec and had to leave because there was no way to extend it or apply to another category. Actually, I felt like an alien in Montreal's HoMa. with my experience from Toronto, which has 2 regulary German spoken communities and meetups, there was only one German community in Montreal which met at times when I had to work. I got more luck when I tried learning French at the YMCA language school when I met a German there who left after a few lessons. I did not see the first Self Actualisation in Quebec because there was no community like in the GTA. I actually worked in the game industry and there was no support at all. I had to put in long hours. In the hindsight, it was affordable in Montreal. This was one of the perks. Would I do that adventure again, I would look into Montreal first. But now I am rooted in Germany again with a better job than I had in Montreal with more safety. I might not get it in Quebec but back in germany. Another anecdote: I once stopped at a Subway in Levis, Quebec next to Quebec city and must have been looking very confused that a local helped me order in French. I did not ask for help but I felt more at home and welcome. I haven't been to Quebec and Canada since january 2019 but I'm planing to visit Quebec next year again.
That's not even an exagerration. Go to Shaughnessy village, Hudson, Hampstead, Cote St Luc, Baie D'Urfé, Beaconsfield, and Kirkland, good luck finding someone that actually speaks French.
@@JakubCA1 I'm not sure about 70%. It's much easier to be served in French in Kirkland and Beaconsfield than Hampstead or Cote St-Luc. Either way, regardless if it's 70% or less or ,more, they SHOULD be able to speak French. Any French speaking community in an english speaking province can speak english fluently. Just go to Shediac, Hawkesbury, or St-Boniface just to name a few.
@@666mathew source: wikipedia but anyways... everyone should at least know english in Quebec... its North America bruh (rip Mexico) and some quick story 2 years ago my cousin was on business trip in mtl and there was like some shooting or something outside his airbnb and he called 911... well he tried to... 1 minute later he was finally able to tell someone where and what was going on lol... so yeah french is french but english is more dominant...
To achieve respect as an Anglo in Montreal is simple, just actually try to improve your French. You don't have to be perfectly bilingual, you just need to TRY. Anglos who say Quebecois are not welcoming to Anglos are probably the same people who refuse to even try. You know, those Anglos who have been living here for 20 years and can't be bothered with a "Merci"... There's assholes everywhere, I guess is what I am saying.
Thank you for this video, I have also been considering staying here in Montreal, I am here already as a visitor but one thing that stuck in my head is the fact that it's a French speaking city. I know French but not as much to have work in it. So i also always have that question in my mind about meeting my full potential. However visiting has been good, i even started a RUclips Channel talking about my experiences there. I like it here, even though there is that language problem.
Wow - excellent videos! Where have you been hiding?! As a long-time educator and trainer, I would use your videos without hesitation with my classes. Very well-done. You have nailed how to make an engaging, fun and interesting presentation. I recently moved to Montreal but have been coming here since I was a kid growing up in Ottawa and Kingston and know the "whole story" from the 60's onwards. Loved how you incorporated Maslow and did it in a very effective way. Bravo - keep making these great videos and don't be afraid to expand your topics. Oh and as for the French English thing - I have never found it to be a problem. The people of Montreal are generally very friendly whatever language they speak. My French isn't the best but I know enough to get by with the basics. Never had a problem. I always start out speaking French and either people will understand or they will switch to English, always with smiles. I lived in a French-speaking area when I first moved here on purpose, just to improve my French. It was no problem....and if I got stuck I would just say Go Habs Go, and everything would be smooth from there!
I definitely need to move away. I will miss it a ton, but I've spent a long time here and still am barely conversational. Most of that time in university and in a relationship I was struggling to leave. The problem is there's no where that's actually better than Montreal in terms of what places are going to offer you. It's a hard decision to make, but I really suck at learning new languages and don't enjoy the process at all.
That's brutal, I'm wondering if a few single people I know will move because thanks to Covid they're having a much rougher year than they should be. It sucks to live in a cultural center when there's no culture to experience.
This was a good video. As an anglophone (who speaks some French), I absolutely LOVE Montreal! I am not sure why there is such an aversion to learning French. It is a beautiful language and the Quebecois are wonderful people! I would want to experience all that I could, should I move to Montreal. The Quebecois tend to vote in a more Leftist manner, but that is true of most large cities in North America, so it is NOT a deal-breaker. Perhaps one wants to live in Ouest Montreal, among more Anglos, but I want to live amongst the French, and hone up on my skills. I often take the Francophone tours in Montreal or Ottawa on purpose. Yes, there may be some PQ radicals you do not see eye to eye with, but to improve understanding, it helps to speak their language. The French were first in Montreal, and the Brits gave them a raw deal. Why not celebrate the unique French culture that Montreal and Quebec offers? If you lived in Europe, you would be navigating many languages. Americans and Anglo-Canadians are lazy and disrespectful, to not learn French - especially in Quebec or Eastern Ontario. I love all the French culture offers, and why Montreal is one of the nicest cities in the world. The 2 cultures add a richness of culture to Montreal. I would NEVER think of living here without French fluency. Life is more than just basic conversation, ordering food, and getting directions. It is about deeper connection. The Quebecois will not bite, and basic respect demands you learn their language. They were here first, the French history is very interesting, and many of their ideas are superior to English ideas. I say celebrate the two cultures, and seek understanding - not mistrust or trying to prove superiority. J'aime beaucoups le ville de Montreal! Allons les Canadiens!
Underrated comment. The world needs more people like you! Only thing I would correct though is referring to PQ supporters as radicals, the party is actually behind some of today's most popular policies. And the desire for independence is not radical, it's just part of the political landscape :)
As a local, I've always been interested in the "would-be" citizen's perspective. Good job in being objective and honest. Definitely going to refer this video to those considering to move.
I'm actually a dual-citizen, but the fact I didn't move here until I was 21 has been endlessly useful when analyzing things. Stuff that is odd and remarkable stands out, and it's not poutine, it's things like the banking monopolies and outdated voting system.
If anyone knows of bars/pubs where they seem to employ mostly english speakers please let me know! I am practicing French every day but it would still be handy to know where to start (I bartend)
I have very recently found your channel and as some one moving to Montreal in 1 month from Vancouver, Your stuff has been incredibly useful and informative.
I've become increasingly frustrated with living in the southern United States and am looking to move somewhere where I can experience a more urbanist way of life. I find Montreal extremely appealing and was captivated by it when I visited a few years ago. The language barrier doesn't intimidate me, I have so many friends and family who came up from central America not speaking any English and they could adapt so I should be able to as well. Right now I need to focus on applying to the schools in Montreal and practicing my French and hopefully things will work out so that I can move next summer.
Come! You'll enjoy and learn so much! Mcgill or Concordia are both good schools. And do get some French friends, or even better, a girlfriend, to really learn :)
@@okaywhatevernevermind Yeah I moved up to MTL last September and I'm studying planning at Concordia. Living up here has been life changing and I absolutely adore it, faults and all.
As a native anglophone originally from Montreal, hats off to you! You've really done your homework on the city's demographic history and socio-linguistic dynamic between the city's anglophone and francophone inhabitants. Good on ya mate! The 🇨🇦🇦🇺
Sorry, but where did you hear that anglophones were a majority in Montréal in the past. A little more and you will say that anglophone founded Montreal. Get out Jeanne-Mance and De Maisonneuve ! Just look at what we call the West Island, there is a reason. A majority of Anglophones who live in Montreal say they are Canadians and stay in the WI. They wish to separate the West Island from the province. In 2000, they still said "speak white" to french Quebecers. They have not changed their view, for proof, read the opinion comments of Montreal Gazette. It is amazing. Did you know that at the time, Quebecers were cutting the tongue of indigenous people? If you want to appreciate Montreal. you must read historic books in french to know where the french people of Montreal are coming from. Otherwise, it is just blabbing as we saw on CTV The Social, the 13. Those ladies do not know what there talking about but they have opinions. Thanks, Richard
My family is from trois rivieres, I have lived there for three months in 2018, I'd like to move back there or try living in Montreal, and finish learning quebecois francais and meet girls and get yelled at, when I finish my rambler I'll be able to go, your video was full of useful info, and it's one of the better videos I've seen on life in Montreal instead of videos of people eating at like 11 diff restaurants. Thanks for the time you took to make a great video! - tom.
Most honest opinion I’ve heard so far on social media. I’m living this dilemma for the last 5 yrs. and still can’t get my head around investing in being a bilingual Montrealer or a more experienced knowledgeable person in my career. I already see myself not being able to achieve my full potential at work despite the praise I get (not necessarily intentional outcasting from francophones), I still can’t navigate as easily and smoothly as a mediocre bilingual.
It's interesting that you use the word investing. Everyone who learns a language as an adult invests like it's an RSP. However many try to invest like they're hopeful bond traders, trying to save up their first 500k, which will probably never happen. So many aspiring writers are out there waiting for a perfect time to write a book, but every professional writer is doing a page a day. There's a million strategies to get that investment happening for French. We just need to ask ourselves, which one are we trying this week?
Mais lorsqu'une minorité n'est pas d'accord avec une politique du gouvernement du Québec comme le projet de loi 101 ou la nouvelle loi sur la laïcité au Québec, on nous dit toujours que nous devrions déménager ailleurs au Canada. Comment les anglos et les allos peuvent-ils participer aux débats politiques au Québec alors que nos opinions sont rarement respectées.
Je ne crois pas que c'est "toujours" le cas. Si vous pouvez appuyer votre argumentation avec des preuves, certains vous ecouteront et partageront votre message. On ne peut pas cacher la verite.
Je suis content de ton commentaire (même s'il est dur à recevoir). J'aime bien savoir ce que les anglophones et les allophones ressentent par rapport à leur appartenance au Québec. Je pense, en tant que francophone, que c'est difficile d'entendre que quelqu'un est contre la loi 101. Pour les francophones, cette loi nous a assuré la survie linguistique, culturelle et identitaire. Dire qu'on veut l'abroger ou l'affaiblir, pour nous, c'est comme nous condamner à mort comme peuple et comme culture. Ça réveille un sentiment de survie. Je comprends donc que les francophones réagissent fortement. Par contre, je trouve cela très violent ce que tu te fais répondre et je suis triste aussi qu'on soit si peu capable de se parler entre Québécois (franco, anglo, allo...sans oublier les autochtones).
Comment voulez qu'ils participent aux debats quand certains( pas tous) s'excluent volontairement du Québec ( ne font pas l'effort de parler francais) ! ils connaissaient mieux la culture des U.S que celle du Québec.
Il faut déjà sortir du 'ghetto anglais' c'est pas un endroit , pire une mentalité. Des gens connaissent rien de la culture québécoise tout en vivant au Québec !
I just found your channel through this video, thank you for the amazing content! I moved to Montreal one year ago after my partner that has a company here. I like people here in Montreal and I'm convinced about good career opportunities as well (I work in IT) but I struggle with my French skills. I started learning learning French as an adult some years ago and even though I like the language, producing an interesting conversation is still very difficult to me. That makes me concerned, will I ever learn the language well enough to be able to assimilate in the society?
Well I have no talent for language so it is a humbling experience. I used to be in IT too, and I remember the times I judged people who couldn't figure out things that were so simple to me. Living in Montreal has made me a better person because success here isn't a solitary exercise so it's made me more collaborative and community oriented. To me that is a type of assimilation too, there are a lot of ways to be useful, accepted and valued by people in Montreal even if your language skills are slow to develop. People will give you a lot of slack provided they see you are trying your best.
I'm legit confused about why it's so hard for so many anglophones to learn French. Montreal is FILLED with Latin-American immigrants who spoke good enough French to work less than a year after their arrival. Just a few examples: I onboarded a new Colombian guy at work last year and his French was clearly not native and then I learned he had only been in Canada for 7 months. I asked if he had taken French in Colombia and he said he only started learning when he got here!!! Same for a Brazilian doctor who learned good enough French to do his residency in a francophone hospital AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR of practice. Whether it's English Canadians, Aussies, Americans, learning another language seems like an unsurmountable herculean task. Even in Europe, Brits have got to be some of the most monolingual people in Western Europe. I'm starting to think it's the mindset they were raised in. When you know for a fact your native language is the most widely spoken on Earth, it could subconsciously seem like a waste of energy to commit to learning a language that is less spoken. I'm not shading on you though! Few immigrants understand the Quebec society as well as you so I think it more than makes up for your lack of French fluency! I absolutely love your content, I was simply sharing a curious observation :) I'm actually glad you understand Quebec better than most English Quebecers!
Montreal is hard to love but hard to leave as well. I haven't lived anywhere else in Canada so I can't speak about those cities but Montreal seems very hard to break into. I have been living here for 2 years now and have no Quebecois friends. All my friends are from France, swiss, or other parts of Canada. The only Quebecois friend I have was born and raised in the US and that's why we get along, as we share the same cultural references. If you're an outsider its very hard to break into their bubble as Quebec culture was sort of isolated when compared to the rest of Canada and the US. Furthermore, the government is less than welcoming to new immigrants and super indecisive about immigration policies (let's not forget the sprinkle of racism too). While other provinces judge you based on your overall skills (education, work experience, etc) the Quebec government is super heavy on French (which I completely understand why). Montreal is an amazing place for students or new artists as it is cheap and you can gain a lot of experience but for someone with prior experience in their field you can go to other Canadian cities and achieve all the 5 stages. Cool video my man !!
I'm not gonna start with the whole racism or no racism here. However, I will respond to your comment in a professional capacity. I'm an immigration consultant based in Montreal, and I can tell you that the Quebec government does not pay more attention to language than the federal government or other provincial governments. Quebec immigration programs do have points for speaking French, whereas Alberta immigration programs have points for speaking English, and whereas Federal immigration programs have points for speaking English and/or French (and bonus points if you're bilingual). My point is that these points based immigration systems mean to meet the needs of the labour market, and the Quebec labour market needs more francophones than it needs anglophones, in the same way that the Alberta labour market needs anglophones more than it needs francophones.
@@gabrielle2966 Par ton commentaire, fort à propos d'ailleurs, on peut se demander qui sont les véritables racistes dans cette province : de refuser d'apprendre et de parler la langue de la majorité ainsi que rejeter sa culture une vie durant - parce qu'il est possible de vivre ici sans avoir à parler un traître mot de français - comme s'en est vanter le PDG d'Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, ça s'appelle comment, si ce n'est du mépris, du non respect, voire du racisme !
If you're already fluent in French before coming to Montréal : Ok. Otherwise, you'll probably end up speaking "emergency French". The last thing Montréal needs, to survive as a french city in North America, is more anglophones.
... et on pourrait ajouter ces immigrants qui viennent s'établir au Québec et qui ne se donnent même pas la peine d'apprendre ou de parler la langue de la majorité, favorisant ainsi le déclin du français au profit de l'anglais. Que mépris et irrespect !
the number of times I've heard, "I can't reach my full potential in mtl" is ridiculous. people definitely use that as a reason to leave the city. I'm not from mtl but have been here for about 20 years and i love this city and I'm always disappointed and confused when i hear ppl saying they can't real their potential. I'm bilingual and learned French here mostly by going to a French university though.
Hey Paige... Really constructive and organized way of explaining. Just got one question: What level of French were you talking about to realize the "self-Actualization"? B2, C1, C2? Like the level required to just realize the top of Maslow's pyramid? Once again, great content mate. Cheers!
At 3:23 you say "the colorful locals started murdering diplomats". Wow, that's a very strange way to describe the October crisis, to say the least. The Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) did kill one person: Pierre Laporte, provincial minister with the liberal party. The only "diplomat" involved with the crisis was James Cross (a british citizen): he was kidnapped and then released unharmed. As for the "Quebec history is insane" comment, let me remind you that the Federal governement decision to invoke the War measures act was not motivated by a desire to "keep people safe from terrorists", but rather by Trudeaus' will to "act tough on Québec" and show them "who's the boss" (always a very popular stance in English Canada).
@@PaigeMTL Thanks for the ironic comment. The rest of your video is interesting, it just ticked me off that this short section on October 70 was so misinformed.
It's ironic that my comment was sarcastic right? The thing that is strange to you is generalization for the sake of humor. This is to portray the stereotypical position of a fleeing Anglophone "they're killing diplomats here". The history of a place can be crazy without it being the fault of the residents. For example the history of Poland is crazy.
@@PaigeMTL Ok, I guess I understand your joke a little better now. However, I'm afraid that your humour will be lost on the majority of english-speakers that watch your video and are not aware of what actually took place in Quebec in October 1970. I mean, there is a strong tendency in English Canada (yes, I include english-speaking Montrealers) to exagerate the threat the FLQ really represented in order to justify the War Measures Act... your comment just seemed to go in the same direction, that's why I reacted. That being said, with the 50th anniversary of the crisis coming soon, why not make a video about it? I'd be interested in knowing what's your take on the whole thing.
@@PaigeMTL also, it's not a good look to be so defensive, arrogant and borderline gaslighting in your response. He took the time to politely try to set the record straight as far as Quebec history goes, he wasn't rude or cruel in any form or shape. You're falling into the stereotype of the egocentric anglophone in Quebec and that is not a good look.
Learning in french is not just being able to live your full potential in Montreal. It's to live your full potential in the whole province ! Quebec is way much more than just Montreal. Get out of the island, discover the province. You'll understand why french is so important.
After 10 years I think its time to leave! Nope I dont have time to work and learn a language as hard as french. And most of francophone use me to practice their english. No help from them on the daily. Thank you for confirming my conclusion. I can do better somewhere else
If someone works in EduTech industry, can they survive with intermediate French? I mean does technology speak English or French in Montreal? I mean what is the language of software & code?
In the workplace? Probably less well than hard technical skills, Quebec city is not bilingual at all. When it comes to job prospects I'd be interested to know which would be more valuable if you chose to stay in Quebec, a master's or several years doing French full time. I suspect full time French.
If you study accounting or finance finding a job in english is not a problem in Montreal, but for other majors such as human resources or marketing, knowing french is probably necessary to find a job
I've never lived in Ontario, but the access to general practitioners (family doctors) here is a massive problem. There is actually an ongoing problem that shows up in the news every year or so, people near the provincial border cross into Ontario to be able to see a doctor.
Oh yeah, I grew up in Ontario but attended university in Montreal. There was a weekend where my mom came to visit me from Toronto, then developed a herpesvirus infection while in Montreal. Having exhausted all options of healthcare in Montreal I drove her to Cornwall, the closest Ontario town to Montreal where she was able to receive significantly better healthcare at a fraction of the cost compared to Montreal. She recovered within a week!
@@PaigeMTL hahah well maybe she had enough of them already lol. I'm still binge watching all the vids strong, laughing out loud and getting ready for Montreal💃 (Don't be surprised by getting notifications and many questions about it in the next few days. I hope it's okay :D)
It always baffled me that so many Canadians --- living in a country in which you can usually hear hundreds of languages spoken on the street ---- seem to think it's an imposition to be bilingual. When I hung around in the Netherlands, it was perfectly normal to see ordinary teenagers conversing not only in English (which is the current "global language" of pop culture and business) but also in French and German. Few people spoke ONLY Dutch --- and they were elderly people in small towns. Even in the Netherlands itself there is a "native" language, Frisian, not at all the same as Dutch, spoken in some of its northern corners for the last thousand years or so. I have a long-time friend in Prague. When I met him, he was still a teenager, but he spoke Czech, German, and Russian, and his English was damn good. It wasn't long before he became superbly fluent in Spanish. For all I know, he's picked up several others. Knowing multiple languages is normal for most of the world. It's being monolingual that is peculiar. But only a few countries have the good fortune to have both English and French as major and official languages... since French was the previous global language before it was supplanted by English, and it still has huge cultural clout. And Canadian French, once sneered at in France, is now quite fashionable. (Australian and New Zealand English went through the same sort of struggle). It's a gold mine of opportunity.
Well, for many Canadians, it's literally an imposition. The Netherlands borders a lot of countries that speak different languages, BC and Alberta don't, so they're annoyed. If you go to Ontario though, it starts to make more sense. By the time you get to eastern Ontario, where you are a few hours from a huge French speaking population (just like Amsterdam is) it doesn't feel like an imposition, it feels like a logical investment for your yearly trip in to Montreal, or to speak to the francophones in town, or in case you want to move to Quebec one day. I enjoy speaking French, think it's cool, but I totally get why a lot of people would not be happy with the various efforts to push French outside of the places it's naturally spoken.
@@PaigeMTL For centuries, the foundation of education was the teaching of Classical languages [i.e. Latin and Greek]. These languages had zero places where they were "naturally spoken". The purpose was to hone the intellect and give a foundation that meant that a Scottish Highlander, a Swede, a Parisian, a Bavarian and a Londoner had a common base-line of culture and learning... and that their minds would adjust to the concept that "the word is not the thing". You learned to speak an assortment languages at Oxford or Cambridge, then they sent you out to India or Zanzibar to build a bridge or run a shipping line. The idea was that if you could learn Latin, you were probably smart enough to figure out how to build a bridge. Of course this was "pushed" in the education system. All learning is "pushed". Everybody finds it an imposition to learn algebra and trigonometry in high school ----- and most people never end up using either. Yet, if we didn't teach those things, knowing that only a handful of people will make use of them and you can't guess who that handful will be ahead of time, then we would living in mud huts and growing beans by poking holes in the soil with a stick. Canada has access to two very culturally powerful languages. If we don't take advantage of it, we're fools.
I actually find the healthcare system here so much better than in NS! I was able to find a family doctor right away because I'm considered at risk. Also porn is def not a good job for anglos, Pegas only takes people that can speak some french.
@Notger, Prince-évêque de Liège . The Majority? All of them should be bilingual they after all live in a french speaking society . And many refuse to be served in french
Everything is Montreal is ok. Lots of events and things to do. The only real problem is that the taxes are so high that it is hard to save a significant amount of your disposable income. Income taxes are so high plus the consumption tax. The city is never boring though.
Very good video. Montreal isn’t perfect but it may be perfect for you! ⚜️🌹☘️🌲 (sorry no thistle emoticon) 10:21 Those are totally my experience too. Effort is highly rewarded. Mixed marriages: not just these days. It’s a long-standing tradition for example between the Irish and French, which is what I am. Which is why so many Francos have Irish names. C’est aussi la meilleure façon et la plus facile d’avoir des enfants complètement bilingues et biculturels, comme moi. It’s also my experience that Montreal is very welcoming for LGBTQ2 persons of all origins. Which is why so many Gay Village bar staff are anglos. 🏳️🌈
I've lived in Montreal for 2.5 years. The whole time I've survived as an anglophone working backhouse in restaurants. My French has slowly improved but it's not very conversational even now. I've managed to save some money and am considering leaving. Theirs been a significant rise is housing costs here which was one of the main reason I stayed as long as I did coming from Vancouver. I think I want to see more eastern Canada, but I also want to keep working on my French. I've seen english speakers do alright here based on who you know and your skill set and qualifications. I wouldn't recommend coming unless you have the connect, or a extreme dedication to learning french. I know some people who can survive being self employed especially online. But I know things are gonna change when the train is finished being built for the Anglophones for the better.
Learning a language is something that never ends, just think of how easy it is to find a new word in English. Settling in for the long haul with French means figuring out how to be able to always say "I'm better than last year" because after 20 years that person is doing great. All you have to do is enjoy the process, that might mean letting yourself watch Netflix guilt free, but only in French. It might mean signing up for one class a year to reinvigorate yourself. After 3 year I've hit a bit of a wall myself, but for me now that I've recognized that (last week actually) it just means I need to change things up again with strategy... #344 I think I'm up to :)
That's right, although the Montreal archives seem to think it had switched to majority English by the 1830s. Did you know that the same influx of British immigrants caused Quebec City to be about 40% anglophone too?
@@PaigeMTL Les anglophones ont toujours été minoritaires au Québec, tant dans le passé qu'à l'heure actuelle. Toutefois, leur importance démesurée avant la Révolution tranquille des années 1960, était non pas par rapport à leur poids démographique, mais économique en tant que possesseurs du capital, pour lesquels les francophones étaient à la solde, comme main-d'oeuvre bon marché.
Is it wrong that I smoke a joint and immediately reach a state of "I want to do nothing but reach my full potential" and actually forget everything and get lost in creating/accomplishing something?? Do hallucinogens/psychedelics help you leapfrog most of the pyramid, even tho the effect wanes over time??
My dream is to live in Canada and later this year i'm going to Montreal only because i have family there and nowhere else in Canada. As a Cuban myself i speak spanish , but rn i'm living in Brazil so i also speak português easily, but here comes the catch, french have some words and even pronunciations are kinda the same in some words in spanish or in portuguese to french, but french itself it's a fucking pain in the ass, it's nowhere near to these languages and i have been trying to learn it for the past 3 years and to this day i don't even now how to spell je m'appelle correctly, i rly been trying to figure out some way of learning this shit, duolingo and even payed courses, i still don't understand no fucks about baguette language. I'm getting rly frustrated so i'm thinking in living sometime in Montreal and then go to Alberta or idk any place where it's only english because that frech shit it's hard as fuck like the bald dude from brazzer's dick
This was the most informative, interesting and funny video I saw on the topic of moving to Canada and only speaking English. Thank you for devoting the time and effort to make our journey much easier to digest. We really appreciate it!
That's so nice of you to say and really appreciated. You'd probably want to checkout a different video for the rest of Canada though because Quebec likes doing things differently. It's more challenging for a non-native French speaker here, but worth the effort for the many upsides.
@@PaigeMTL Yes! I know it kind of has it's own rules. But I think at least for me Quebec, and specially Montreal is the way to go since I am a video game designer, so fuck it. I'll learn French.
It's not about moving to Canada and only speaking English. You only need French in Quebec. Only knowing English anywhere else in Canada is not a problem.
@@anthonydemitre9392 Pas étonnant, des personnes qui habitent au Québec mais qui méprise culture Québécoise! C'est pas un endroit , pire une mentalité !
Are you sure? I've only heard of Cirque du Soleil, and as a high profile bankruptcy it'll probably just get restructured. This episode of Planet Money might cheer you up: www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/10/04/555646290/episode-648-the-benefits-of-bankruptcy
If you're looking at moving to Montreal or are new in town I've been building up a playlist called Montreal Fundamentals which might be useful for you. Topics in development include renting, options for French classes, where to get news and how to meet people. Check it out on the channel.
thank you man, very insightful.
Thanks a lot man I just subscribed
I can sense a genuine unselfish interest in helping others. Thanks, again!
Most In depth video i've found about moving to Montreal as an english speaker Thank You!
Thanks! Glad all the research was useful for you
Pessimist people will see french as a barrier. Optimist people will see french as an opportunity.
Even if you did have to be good at French to live there, it seems like such a miniscule obstacle compared to the payoff
@@kateb2643 In Toronto you get a very small and in the basement rent for $1 300 with a very small window. In Montreal you get a very nice and big 3 1/2 for $700. or a big 5 1/2 with a balcony and 10 windows on an old building for $700.
Lot of transportation and very good food and day care is the cheapest by far in North America ($10. a day.).
@@joannewilson6577 so in short Montreal is a good place for making babies.
@@joannewilson6577 In what neighborhood can you find a 5 1/2 fo $700??????
@@davo1822 One of the most industrial in the province and it's very safe and nice,all the buildings on the other streets around are worth +$600,000,mine is worth 2 millions; the borough of Saint-Laurent in the city of Montreal and it's common in my province. It's $715.
As a francophone, i can assure you need to speak both languages to find a well paid job. English is also a barrier for french speakers. That is why more than 60% of montrealers speak english and french
I'm so glad that I stumbled upon this video through an endless list of mostly useless vlogs and general information about Le Plateau and poutine. Very informative and comprehensive and I loved the objective approach and the research that was done; as well as the humor. Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos! Thank you.
I'm sorry to say this, but live in Montréal and keep being anglo only, it's just laziness
Disrespecful and arrogant! Period !
@@9grand I wouldn't consider moving to a mostly spanish city if i only spoke french and didnt want to consider learning spanish
I came to Montréal as an international anglophone student, and my suggestion to anglophones is to not come here if you do not intend to eventually stop speaking English. I learnt French while here, and will do my masters at a Francophone university. Learn it as fast as possible (yes it is possible to do in a few years), and stop living in anglo bubbles. The truth is that Québec is a francophone society, Montréal included, and that you will never feel you belong if you don't get out of English. FInally, it's simply a sign of respect, and an opportunity to learn French here. I cannot understand why some anglos want to come here, then try to live completely outside of what makes Montréal what it is!
Quebec has of a latin mentality and Canada is more anglosaxons, it's obvious that montrealers are quite happy due to the cultural differences, people may say montreal is more European but I say what European? Europe has so many culture and not all European countries is happy and open minded.
I think people are often saying "European" because of the old buildings and Francophone culture.
Of course I don't think any city is really like Montreal. It's the closest thing to a North American city state, and one of the largest French speaking cities in the world.
@@PaigeMTL I get it, but people misunderstood, Quebec's old building and architecture and culture is more of a French influences and custom, like in Mexico, old fortress, cathedrals, colonial towns and architecture is european too but from Spain, customs and cultural influence from Spain, of course it's a mix culture. Europe has many countries and culture but not all is friendly and open mind what people like to describe.
Yeah, I guess people think mostly of the large liberal democracies of Western Europe. But yeah, all the continents are cuturally diverse places... Even Antarctica has people from everywhere!
@@PaigeMTL even some eastern Europeans are not quite happy and joyful.
Do you know that the french part it the original Canada, until the beginningof the 19th century only the french speakers were called Canadians( Canadiens)
I was a student in Montreal 45 years ago. It was my first exposure to a major city outside of the U.S. My God, I loved Montreal! To me, it was and is the greatest city I've ever lived in - and my home city in the U.S. (which shall remain nameless) is of comparable size but is, in comparison to Montreal, a pathetic and dismal failure. After those three years in Montreal so many decades ago, I never had the opportunity to return - but I've watched plenty of RUclips videos and continue to be amazed at how it just gets better and better.
Borders are open again Tim, why not this summer?
@@PaigeMTL Ah, one day. Money and free time seem to be limited, and when I travel, it's always to visit relatives. BUT, if money and time were no issue AND I would go someplace just for fun, it definitely would be Montreal. Back in the 70's, the slogan CKGM used to use was "CKGM in North America's GREEEEATEST city!" At the time, I thought, "Yup, they're right!" God, where I'm living, we don't even have a subway. I do have a good friend down here from Brossard, though.
This completely understates how disrecpectful it is to come to Quebec and hope to remain 100% anglophone.
Imagine going to Japan or any country and planning your entire life around English or worst, Chinese?
It would sound out of place, but even more-so in Quebec considering the rate at which French can erode.
Think not so? Look at the state of French in the US, in the old French speaking communities: they're virtually non-existent anymore.
Quebec is the last bastion of French speaking culture, and citizens are either helping French survive, or diluting it into non-existence.
The "historic" part is also complete BS.
If you want to include a speech, start with "Speak White" poem and give the full spectrum of history.
(Otherwise informative and interesting, although a little disrecpectful for the first 10 minutes)
I noticed that you wrote a comment and promptly removed it, not wanting to open the discussion on the matter.
This is unfortunately frequent among Anglophones in Quebec, who simply choose to disregard history and important social issues while, as you did, painting the French as oppressors...
sometimes by painting previous French generations as literal murderers as you did in your intro.
I don't think you can get immediate sympathy when you open up a video by painting a culture you partake in diluting by immediately pointing to murder in bad-faith.
Go on, you're almost there.
Tabarnak le gros, met toé su'l'neutre un brin.
@@Davmm96, je suis sur le neutre: moi qui avance c'est quand je commence à pomper des chiffres pour supporter mes propos.
Et la vitesse "Recule" c'est les mecs qui participent au génocide culturel tacite d'une nation.
Va voir l'excellent vidéo de Ravignon sur la construction des nations et le cas unique du Québec. La tactique d'assimilation lente afin d'assimiler et éliminer le Français Canadien est en cours depuis plus de 200 ans.
Voici un brin de ton histoire, les mots de Lord Durham, que tu sembles avoir manqué (visible vers la 19-20e minute):
ruclips.net/video/gHQPvUk6nFY/видео.html
@@themore-you-know Génocide culturel... Est-tu du genre à pas vouloir taper du pied sur le reel de pointe-au-pic parce que c'est dérivé d'un style des royaumes-uni? Que tu le veut ou pas, notre culture restera un mariage bizarre de plusieurs cultures; Quand les Anglais ont pris le pays, les habitants était bien content d'utiliser le système judiciaire anglais tout en gardant les divisions des terres à la française.
Si après 200 ans y'ont pas réussi à nous assimiler complètement, j'pense qu'on a réussi.
Probably the most comprehensive approach to this topic I've come across on youtube. Thanks!
Your comments about language in the work place are bang on. No one at work cares that I'm an anglophone; they respect my ability to do the job needed and even the francophones love the chance to practice their English with a native speaker of the language and respect that I want to converse with them in their language. Even outside of the work place I've never encountered a Montrealer that ever had a problem with someone with a very obviously English accent conversing with them in French even if it is far from perfect. They're happy to stumble around in broken French and I feel its a point of pride for them that someone would put so much effort into learning their language. Its endearing and I love that about this city and encourages me so much to put even more effort into perfecting my French. Outside of Montreal it might not be quite the same and I've gotten used to all the conversation in the restaurant stopping in my Mum's home town of Granby when folks hear my accent.
This is a great channel, please keep it up. I love seeing my city (People living in Laval are totally Montrealers; Laval doesn't have its own identity) from someone else's perspective.
Granby is at the frontier of the old Eastern Townships (Cantons de l'Est) where you will still find, to this day, not only a lot of places named after English people but also a lot of small anglo enclaves with very peculiar accents or expressions.
In Granby itself, not so much, but as you go towards Sherbrooke, a lot of small villages in that area have a really interesting history.
Hey dude I’m moving over thanks to your video, took me 2 years but meh
I lived on a work permit in Ontario and later Montreal Quebec and had to leave because there was no way to extend it or apply to another category. Actually, I felt like an alien in Montreal's HoMa. with my experience from Toronto, which has 2 regulary German spoken communities and meetups, there was only one German community in Montreal which met at times when I had to work. I got more luck when I tried learning French at the YMCA language school when I met a German there who left after a few lessons. I did not see the first Self Actualisation in Quebec because there was no community like in the GTA. I actually worked in the game industry and there was no support at all. I had to put in long hours.
In the hindsight, it was affordable in Montreal. This was one of the perks. Would I do that adventure again, I would look into Montreal first. But now I am rooted in Germany again with a better job than I had in Montreal with more safety. I might not get it in Quebec but back in germany. Another anecdote: I once stopped at a Subway in Levis, Quebec next to Quebec city and must have been looking very confused that a local helped me order in French. I did not ask for help but I felt more at home and welcome.
I haven't been to Quebec and Canada since january 2019 but I'm planing to visit Quebec next year again.
I lived in Montreal, I am now bilingual by learning more English actually.
lol
That's not even an exagerration. Go to Shaughnessy village, Hudson, Hampstead, Cote St Luc, Baie D'Urfé, Beaconsfield, and Kirkland, good luck finding someone that actually speaks French.
@@666mathew Beaconsfield and Kirkland are 70% English speaking... almost all of western Montreal is English-speaking so you don't need luck lol
@@JakubCA1 I'm not sure about 70%. It's much easier to be served in French in Kirkland and Beaconsfield than Hampstead or Cote St-Luc. Either way, regardless if it's 70% or less or ,more, they SHOULD be able to speak French. Any French speaking community in an english speaking province can speak english fluently. Just go to Shediac, Hawkesbury, or St-Boniface just to name a few.
@@666mathew source: wikipedia but anyways... everyone should at least know english in Quebec... its North America bruh (rip Mexico) and some quick story 2 years ago my cousin was on business trip in mtl and there was like some shooting or something outside his airbnb and he called 911... well he tried to... 1 minute later he was finally able to tell someone where and what was going on lol... so yeah french is french but english is more dominant...
To achieve respect as an Anglo in Montreal is simple, just actually try to improve your French. You don't have to be perfectly bilingual, you just need to TRY. Anglos who say Quebecois are not welcoming to Anglos are probably the same people who refuse to even try. You know, those Anglos who have been living here for 20 years and can't be bothered with a "Merci"... There's assholes everywhere, I guess is what I am saying.
As Roman do as Romans do. If not do not use the racist card. It is called respect to the locals .
Thank you for this video, I have also been considering staying here in Montreal, I am here already as a visitor but one thing that stuck in my head is the fact that it's a French speaking city. I know French but not as much to have work in it. So i also always have that question in my mind about meeting my full potential.
However visiting has been good, i even started a RUclips Channel talking about my experiences there. I like it here, even though there is that language problem.
Most peoples in Montreal speak english so you should be fine;we do appreciate greatly someone who can speak some french.
Wow - excellent videos! Where have you been hiding?! As a long-time educator and trainer, I would use your videos without hesitation with my classes. Very well-done. You have nailed how to make an engaging, fun and interesting presentation. I recently moved to Montreal but have been coming here since I was a kid growing up in Ottawa and Kingston and know the "whole story" from the 60's onwards. Loved how you incorporated Maslow and did it in a very effective way. Bravo - keep making these great videos and don't be afraid to expand your topics.
Oh and as for the French English thing - I have never found it to be a problem. The people of Montreal are generally very friendly whatever language they speak. My French isn't the best but I know enough to get by with the basics. Never had a problem. I always start out speaking French and either people will understand or they will switch to English, always with smiles. I lived in a French-speaking area when I first moved here on purpose, just to improve my French. It was no problem....and if I got stuck I would just say Go Habs Go, and everything would be smooth from there!
I definitely need to move away. I will miss it a ton, but I've spent a long time here and still am barely conversational. Most of that time in university and in a relationship I was struggling to leave. The problem is there's no where that's actually better than Montreal in terms of what places are going to offer you. It's a hard decision to make, but I really suck at learning new languages and don't enjoy the process at all.
That's brutal, I'm wondering if a few single people I know will move because thanks to Covid they're having a much rougher year than they should be. It sucks to live in a cultural center when there's no culture to experience.
This was a good video. As an anglophone (who speaks some French), I absolutely LOVE Montreal! I am not sure why there is such an aversion to learning French. It is a beautiful language and the Quebecois are wonderful people! I would want to experience all that I could, should I move to Montreal. The Quebecois tend to vote in a more Leftist manner, but that is true of most large cities in North America, so it is NOT a deal-breaker. Perhaps one wants to live in Ouest Montreal, among more Anglos, but I want to live amongst the French, and hone up on my skills. I often take the Francophone tours in Montreal or Ottawa on purpose. Yes, there may be some PQ radicals you do not see eye to eye with, but to improve understanding, it helps to speak their language. The French were first in Montreal, and the Brits gave them a raw deal. Why not celebrate the unique French culture that Montreal and Quebec offers? If you lived in Europe, you would be navigating many languages. Americans and Anglo-Canadians are lazy and disrespectful, to not learn French - especially in Quebec or Eastern Ontario. I love all the French culture offers, and why Montreal is one of the nicest cities in the world. The 2 cultures add a richness of culture to Montreal. I would NEVER think of living here without French fluency. Life is more than just basic conversation, ordering food, and getting directions. It is about deeper connection. The Quebecois will not bite, and basic respect demands you learn their language. They were here first, the French history is very interesting, and many of their ideas are superior to English ideas. I say celebrate the two cultures, and seek understanding - not mistrust or trying to prove superiority. J'aime beaucoups le ville de Montreal! Allons les Canadiens!
De quoi tu parles tabarnak, les blokes votent a 90% Libéral...
Underrated comment. The world needs more people like you!
Only thing I would correct though is referring to PQ supporters as radicals, the party is actually behind some of today's most popular policies. And the desire for independence is not radical, it's just part of the political landscape :)
As a local, I've always been interested in the "would-be" citizen's perspective. Good job in being objective and honest. Definitely going to refer this video to those considering to move.
I'm actually a dual-citizen, but the fact I didn't move here until I was 21 has been endlessly useful when analyzing things. Stuff that is odd and remarkable stands out, and it's not poutine, it's things like the banking monopolies and outdated voting system.
If anyone knows of bars/pubs where they seem to employ mostly english speakers please let me know! I am practicing French every day but it would still be handy to know where to start (I bartend)
Ça fait du bien d'entendre un point de vue bien équilibré!
Thanks for the video
I have very recently found your channel and as some one moving to Montreal in 1 month from Vancouver, Your stuff has been incredibly useful and informative.
How high up on the pyramid have you reached? I'm thinking of doing the same, also from BC, in several years
I've become increasingly frustrated with living in the southern United States and am looking to move somewhere where I can experience a more urbanist way of life. I find Montreal extremely appealing and was captivated by it when I visited a few years ago. The language barrier doesn't intimidate me, I have so many friends and family who came up from central America not speaking any English and they could adapt so I should be able to as well.
Right now I need to focus on applying to the schools in Montreal and practicing my French and hopefully things will work out so that I can move next summer.
Come! You'll enjoy and learn so much! Mcgill or Concordia are both good schools. And do get some French friends, or even better, a girlfriend, to really learn :)
hows life now friend? were you able to move to mtl or leave the south?
@@okaywhatevernevermind Yeah I moved up to MTL last September and I'm studying planning at Concordia. Living up here has been life changing and I absolutely adore it, faults and all.
@@StuffedCrows kudos and cheers!
As a native anglophone originally from Montreal, hats off to you! You've really done your homework on the city's demographic history and socio-linguistic dynamic between the city's anglophone and francophone inhabitants. Good on ya mate! The 🇨🇦🇦🇺
He’s from NZ not Australia
Sorry, but where did you hear that anglophones were a majority in Montréal in the past. A little more and you will say that anglophone founded Montreal. Get out Jeanne-Mance and De Maisonneuve ! Just look at what we call the West Island, there is a reason. A majority of Anglophones who live in Montreal say they are Canadians and stay in the WI. They wish to separate the West Island from the province. In 2000, they still said "speak white" to french Quebecers. They have not changed their view, for proof, read the opinion comments of Montreal Gazette. It is amazing. Did you know that at the time, Quebecers were cutting the tongue of indigenous people? If you want to appreciate Montreal. you must read historic books in french to know where the french people of Montreal are coming from. Otherwise, it is just blabbing as we saw on CTV The Social, the 13. Those ladies do not know what there talking about but they have opinions. Thanks, Richard
Your reaction to information about the historic demographics of Montreal is to tell me to read the books that I got that information from?
@@PaigeMTL Please, give me the title of your book.
Really amazing your chanel , thanks
Do you have the link to your Wikipedia article ??
My family is from trois rivieres, I have lived there for three months in 2018, I'd like to move back there or try living in Montreal, and finish learning quebecois francais and meet girls and get yelled at, when I finish my rambler I'll be able to go, your video was full of useful info, and it's one of the better videos I've seen on life in Montreal instead of videos of people eating at like 11 diff restaurants. Thanks for the time you took to make a great video! - tom.
Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo ❤
Fuck it I will just learn French
Yeah, it's hard but worth it for many reasons. Learning French is like going from a high school to university level of education in terms of salary.
Most honest opinion I’ve heard so far on social media.
I’m living this dilemma for the last 5 yrs. and still can’t get my head around investing in being a bilingual Montrealer or a more experienced knowledgeable person in my career. I already see myself not being able to achieve my full potential at work despite the praise I get (not necessarily intentional outcasting from francophones), I still can’t navigate as easily and smoothly as a mediocre bilingual.
It's interesting that you use the word investing. Everyone who learns a language as an adult invests like it's an RSP. However many try to invest like they're hopeful bond traders, trying to save up their first 500k, which will probably never happen. So many aspiring writers are out there waiting for a perfect time to write a book, but every professional writer is doing a page a day.
There's a million strategies to get that investment happening for French. We just need to ask ourselves, which one are we trying this week?
@@PaigeMTL probably that's the first pitfall I walked into when I started learning french....
Mais lorsqu'une minorité n'est pas d'accord avec une politique du gouvernement du Québec comme le projet de loi 101 ou la nouvelle loi sur la laïcité au Québec, on nous dit toujours que nous devrions déménager ailleurs au Canada. Comment les anglos et les allos peuvent-ils participer aux débats politiques au Québec alors que nos opinions sont rarement respectées.
Je ne crois pas que c'est "toujours" le cas. Si vous pouvez appuyer votre argumentation avec des preuves, certains vous ecouteront et partageront votre message. On ne peut pas cacher la verite.
Je suis content de ton commentaire (même s'il est dur à recevoir). J'aime bien savoir ce que les anglophones et les allophones ressentent par rapport à leur appartenance au Québec. Je pense, en tant que francophone, que c'est difficile d'entendre que quelqu'un est contre la loi 101. Pour les francophones, cette loi nous a assuré la survie linguistique, culturelle et identitaire. Dire qu'on veut l'abroger ou l'affaiblir, pour nous, c'est comme nous condamner à mort comme peuple et comme culture. Ça réveille un sentiment de survie. Je comprends donc que les francophones réagissent fortement. Par contre, je trouve cela très violent ce que tu te fais répondre et je suis triste aussi qu'on soit si peu capable de se parler entre Québécois (franco, anglo, allo...sans oublier les autochtones).
Comment voulez qu'ils participent aux debats quand certains( pas tous) s'excluent volontairement du Québec ( ne font pas l'effort de parler francais) ! ils connaissaient mieux la culture des U.S que celle du Québec.
Il faut déjà sortir du 'ghetto anglais' c'est pas un endroit , pire une mentalité. Des gens connaissent rien de la culture québécoise tout en vivant au Québec !
@@CoyoteDis Certain méprise la culture québécoise ! Il faut le dire .
This is timely for me... New sub!
I just found your channel through this video, thank you for the amazing content! I moved to Montreal one year ago after my partner that has a company here. I like people here in Montreal and I'm convinced about good career opportunities as well (I work in IT) but I struggle with my French skills. I started learning learning French as an adult some years ago and even though I like the language, producing an interesting conversation is still very difficult to me. That makes me concerned, will I ever learn the language well enough to be able to assimilate in the society?
Well I have no talent for language so it is a humbling experience.
I used to be in IT too, and I remember the times I judged people who couldn't figure out things that were so simple to me. Living in Montreal has made me a better person because success here isn't a solitary exercise so it's made me more collaborative and community oriented. To me that is a type of assimilation too, there are a lot of ways to be useful, accepted and valued by people in Montreal even if your language skills are slow to develop. People will give you a lot of slack provided they see you are trying your best.
@@PaigeMTL Thank you, good to hear your view on this!
These vids are great....very interesting analysis... keep 'em coming.
I'm legit confused about why it's so hard for so many anglophones to learn French. Montreal is FILLED with Latin-American immigrants who spoke good enough French to work less than a year after their arrival. Just a few examples: I onboarded a new Colombian guy at work last year and his French was clearly not native and then I learned he had only been in Canada for 7 months. I asked if he had taken French in Colombia and he said he only started learning when he got here!!! Same for a Brazilian doctor who learned good enough French to do his residency in a francophone hospital AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR of practice.
Whether it's English Canadians, Aussies, Americans, learning another language seems like an unsurmountable herculean task. Even in Europe, Brits have got to be some of the most monolingual people in Western Europe. I'm starting to think it's the mindset they were raised in. When you know for a fact your native language is the most widely spoken on Earth, it could subconsciously seem like a waste of energy to commit to learning a language that is less spoken.
I'm not shading on you though! Few immigrants understand the Quebec society as well as you so I think it more than makes up for your lack of French fluency! I absolutely love your content, I was simply sharing a curious observation :) I'm actually glad you understand Quebec better than most English Quebecers!
You do realise spanish and french are closely related right?
Montreal is hard to love but hard to leave as well. I haven't lived anywhere else in Canada so I can't speak about those cities but Montreal seems very hard to break into. I have been living here for 2 years now and have no Quebecois friends. All my friends are from France, swiss, or other parts of Canada. The only Quebecois friend I have was born and raised in the US and that's why we get along, as we share the same cultural references. If you're an outsider its very hard to break into their bubble as Quebec culture was sort of isolated when compared to the rest of Canada and the US. Furthermore, the government is less than welcoming to new immigrants and super indecisive about immigration policies (let's not forget the sprinkle of racism too). While other provinces judge you based on your overall skills (education, work experience, etc) the Quebec government is super heavy on French (which I completely understand why). Montreal is an amazing place for students or new artists as it is cheap and you can gain a lot of experience but for someone with prior experience in their field you can go to other Canadian cities and achieve all the 5 stages. Cool video my man !!
All facts!
I'm not gonna start with the whole racism or no racism here. However, I will respond to your comment in a professional capacity. I'm an immigration consultant based in Montreal, and I can tell you that the Quebec government does not pay more attention to language than the federal government or other provincial governments. Quebec immigration programs do have points for speaking French, whereas Alberta immigration programs have points for speaking English, and whereas Federal immigration programs have points for speaking English and/or French (and bonus points if you're bilingual). My point is that these points based immigration systems mean to meet the needs of the labour market, and the Quebec labour market needs more francophones than it needs anglophones, in the same way that the Alberta labour market needs anglophones more than it needs francophones.
Why do people stay in Montréal if they dislike Quebecois people so much? I don’t get it!
@@gabrielle2966 Par ton commentaire, fort à propos d'ailleurs, on peut se demander qui sont les véritables racistes dans cette province : de refuser d'apprendre et de parler la langue de la majorité ainsi que rejeter sa culture une vie durant - parce qu'il est possible de vivre ici sans avoir à parler un traître mot de français - comme s'en est vanter le PDG d'Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, ça s'appelle comment, si ce n'est du mépris, du non respect, voire du racisme !
@@m.boivin8671 soit j'ai mal compris ton commentaire, soit t'as mal compris la question!
Underutilised expression "came down with the cancer"
"Came down with umm cancer"? This is not umm, scripted man.
If you're already fluent in French before coming to Montréal : Ok.
Otherwise, you'll probably end up speaking "emergency French".
The last thing Montréal needs, to survive as a french city in North America, is more anglophones.
... et on pourrait ajouter ces immigrants qui viennent s'établir au Québec et qui ne se donnent même pas la peine d'apprendre ou de parler la langue de la majorité, favorisant ainsi le déclin du français au profit de l'anglais. Que mépris et irrespect !
Because apparently, Toronto and Vancouver are not good enough for them anymore.
very helpful thank you
this is the economic and culturel métropole of Québec not new jersey merci
the number of times I've heard, "I can't reach my full potential in mtl" is ridiculous. people definitely use that as a reason to leave the city. I'm not from mtl but have been here for about 20 years and i love this city and I'm always disappointed and confused when i hear ppl saying they can't real their potential. I'm bilingual and learned French here mostly by going to a French university though.
@Paige Saunders, 6:25, where is this calculator?
Omg ur videos are so well made
Bien dit!
That SNC joke was funny bro. Very niche
on attend avec impatience ces maladroits videos en Francais ^^
Great vid👍🏽
amazing video
thank you
Grate puns and well tought out videos really ruined my sleep this night.
Hey Paige... Really constructive and organized way of explaining. Just got one question: What level of French were you talking about to realize the "self-Actualization"? B2, C1, C2? Like the level required to just realize the top of Maslow's pyramid?
Once again, great content mate.
Cheers!
you achieve self actualisation once you win an argument in french 😂
J'aime a lot this vidéo
That's what I aime pour
Hey thanks, I never thought I would consider this, but I think I am gonna do this.
At 3:23 you say "the colorful locals started murdering diplomats". Wow, that's a very strange way to describe the October crisis, to say the least. The Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) did kill one person: Pierre Laporte, provincial minister with the liberal party. The only "diplomat" involved with the crisis was James Cross (a british citizen): he was kidnapped and then released unharmed.
As for the "Quebec history is insane" comment, let me remind you that the Federal governement decision to invoke the War measures act was not motivated by a desire to "keep people safe from terrorists", but rather by Trudeaus' will to "act tough on Québec" and show them "who's the boss" (always a very popular stance in English Canada).
You must be fun at parties
@@PaigeMTL Thanks for the ironic comment. The rest of your video is interesting, it just ticked me off that this short section on October 70 was so misinformed.
It's ironic that my comment was sarcastic right?
The thing that is strange to you is generalization for the sake of humor. This is to portray the stereotypical position of a fleeing Anglophone "they're killing diplomats here". The history of a place can be crazy without it being the fault of the residents. For example the history of Poland is crazy.
@@PaigeMTL Ok, I guess I understand your joke a little better now. However, I'm afraid that your humour will be lost on the majority of english-speakers that watch your video and are not aware of what actually took place in Quebec in October 1970. I mean, there is a strong tendency in English Canada (yes, I include english-speaking Montrealers) to exagerate the threat the FLQ really represented in order to justify the War Measures Act... your comment just seemed to go in the same direction, that's why I reacted. That being said, with the 50th anniversary of the crisis coming soon, why not make a video about it? I'd be interested in knowing what's your take on the whole thing.
@@PaigeMTL also, it's not a good look to be so defensive, arrogant and borderline gaslighting in your response. He took the time to politely try to set the record straight as far as Quebec history goes, he wasn't rude or cruel in any form or shape. You're falling into the stereotype of the egocentric anglophone in Quebec and that is not a good look.
Cool way to break this down!!! You should do more cities
God damned wonderful. Thanks man.
Learning in french is not just being able to live your full potential in Montreal. It's to live your full potential in the whole province !
Quebec is way much more than just Montreal. Get out of the island, discover the province. You'll understand why french is so important.
You can live your best life in any of Canada's major cities. For me, as a francophone Quebecois from Montréal it's in Toronto that I found it.
i lived there from 1973-77.
@14:38 I love the honesty.
Loved it! Best way you explained using Maslow’s hierarchy 😀👍👍
After 10 years I think its time to leave! Nope I dont have time to work and learn a language as hard as french. And most of francophone use me to practice their english. No help from them on the daily. Thank you for confirming my conclusion. I can do better somewhere else
If someone works in EduTech industry, can they survive with intermediate French? I mean does technology speak English or French in Montreal? I mean what is the language of software & code?
Yes. Code is usually written and commented in English.
Tkanks! Merci !
Excellent video Paige. I'm interested in pursuing my Masters in Montreal. How do you think Business Majors do in Montreal/Quebec City?
In the workplace? Probably less well than hard technical skills, Quebec city is not bilingual at all. When it comes to job prospects I'd be interested to know which would be more valuable if you chose to stay in Quebec, a master's or several years doing French full time. I suspect full time French.
If you study accounting or finance finding a job in english is not a problem in Montreal, but for other majors such as human resources or marketing, knowing french is probably necessary to find a job
Haha I definitely noticed a difference in the health care of Ontario vs Quebec. Fml !
I've never lived in Ontario, but the access to general practitioners (family doctors) here is a massive problem. There is actually an ongoing problem that shows up in the news every year or so, people near the provincial border cross into Ontario to be able to see a doctor.
@@PaigeMTL yes one of my friends that moved here drives to ontario to go to the doctors. Crazy !
@@goldenxkenny Why is that?
Oh yeah, I grew up in Ontario but attended university in Montreal. There was a weekend where my mom came to visit me from Toronto, then developed a herpesvirus infection while in Montreal. Having exhausted all options of healthcare in Montreal I drove her to Cornwall, the closest Ontario town to Montreal where she was able to receive significantly better healthcare at a fraction of the cost compared to Montreal. She recovered within a week!
These vids are hilarious, I love the subtle humour and funny additions 😅 And, obv, they're really informative!
Never heard my humor called subtle before, almost every video has a lewd joke my girlfriend rolls her eyes at
@@PaigeMTL hahah well maybe she had enough of them already lol. I'm still binge watching all the vids strong, laughing out loud and getting ready for Montreal💃
(Don't be surprised by getting notifications and many questions about it in the next few days. I hope it's okay :D)
The struggle is real to learn decent, conversational French. Need to be more motivated, hopefully one day👍
You have a new Subscriber . Thanks for the info .
It always baffled me that so many Canadians --- living in a country in which you can usually hear hundreds of languages spoken on the street ---- seem to think it's an imposition to be bilingual. When I hung around in the Netherlands, it was perfectly normal to see ordinary teenagers conversing not only in English (which is the current "global language" of pop culture and business) but also in French and German. Few people spoke ONLY Dutch --- and they were elderly people in small towns. Even in the Netherlands itself there is a "native" language, Frisian, not at all the same as Dutch, spoken in some of its northern corners for the last thousand years or so. I have a long-time friend in Prague. When I met him, he was still a teenager, but he spoke Czech, German, and Russian, and his English was damn good. It wasn't long before he became superbly fluent in Spanish. For all I know, he's picked up several others. Knowing multiple languages is normal for most of the world. It's being monolingual that is peculiar. But only a few countries have the good fortune to have both English and French as major and official languages... since French was the previous global language before it was supplanted by English, and it still has huge cultural clout. And Canadian French, once sneered at in France, is now quite fashionable. (Australian and New Zealand English went through the same sort of struggle). It's a gold mine of opportunity.
Well, for many Canadians, it's literally an imposition. The Netherlands borders a lot of countries that speak different languages, BC and Alberta don't, so they're annoyed. If you go to Ontario though, it starts to make more sense. By the time you get to eastern Ontario, where you are a few hours from a huge French speaking population (just like Amsterdam is) it doesn't feel like an imposition, it feels like a logical investment for your yearly trip in to Montreal, or to speak to the francophones in town, or in case you want to move to Quebec one day.
I enjoy speaking French, think it's cool, but I totally get why a lot of people would not be happy with the various efforts to push French outside of the places it's naturally spoken.
@@PaigeMTL For centuries, the foundation of education was the teaching of Classical languages [i.e. Latin and Greek]. These languages had zero places where they were "naturally spoken". The purpose was to hone the intellect and give a foundation that meant that a Scottish Highlander, a Swede, a Parisian, a Bavarian and a Londoner had a common base-line of culture and learning... and that their minds would adjust to the concept that "the word is not the thing". You learned to speak an assortment languages at Oxford or Cambridge, then they sent you out to India or Zanzibar to build a bridge or run a shipping line. The idea was that if you could learn Latin, you were probably smart enough to figure out how to build a bridge. Of course this was "pushed" in the education system. All learning is "pushed". Everybody finds it an imposition to learn algebra and trigonometry in high school ----- and most people never end up using either. Yet, if we didn't teach those things, knowing that only a handful of people will make use of them and you can't guess who that handful will be ahead of time, then we would living in mud huts and growing beans by poking holes in the soil with a stick. Canada has access to two very culturally powerful languages. If we don't take advantage of it, we're fools.
first you must question yourself on why you are in Montreal, then you must leave.
Raptors vs. Alouettes ticket prices? Tell me you're joking.
I actually find the healthcare system here so much better than in NS! I was able to find a family doctor right away because I'm considered at risk. Also porn is def not a good job for anglos, Pegas only takes people that can speak some french.
what is the differences beetwen bilingual anglo and bilingual french?
For a french is very common , for an anglo is rare!
@Notger, Prince-évêque de Liège . The Majority? All of them should be bilingual they after all live in a french speaking society . And many refuse to be served in french
@5:24 The strip club business is dying. The massage parlors have taken over.
Hi. I need your help about employment. I have many questions. Thank you.
Everything is Montreal is ok. Lots of events and things to do. The only real problem is that the taxes are so high that it is hard to save a significant amount of your disposable income. Income taxes are so high plus the consumption tax. The city is never boring though.
Lots of events and things to do. How do you this the city finance these events . Taxes!
Very good video. Montreal isn’t perfect but it may be perfect for you! ⚜️🌹☘️🌲 (sorry no thistle emoticon)
10:21 Those are totally my experience too. Effort is highly rewarded.
Mixed marriages: not just these days. It’s a long-standing tradition for example between the Irish and French, which is what I am. Which is why so many Francos have Irish names. C’est aussi la meilleure façon et la plus facile d’avoir des enfants complètement bilingues et biculturels, comme moi.
It’s also my experience that Montreal is very welcoming for LGBTQ2 persons of all origins. Which is why so many Gay Village bar staff are anglos. 🏳️🌈
I've lived in Montreal for 2.5 years. The whole time I've survived as an anglophone working backhouse in restaurants. My French has slowly improved but it's not very conversational even now. I've managed to save some money and am considering leaving. Theirs been a significant rise is housing costs here which was one of the main reason I stayed as long as I did coming from Vancouver. I think I want to see more eastern Canada, but I also want to keep working on my French.
I've seen english speakers do alright here based on who you know and your skill set and qualifications. I wouldn't recommend coming unless you have the connect, or a extreme dedication to learning french. I know some people who can survive being self employed especially online. But I know things are gonna change when the train is finished being built for the Anglophones for the better.
Learning a language is something that never ends, just think of how easy it is to find a new word in English. Settling in for the long haul with French means figuring out how to be able to always say "I'm better than last year" because after 20 years that person is doing great. All you have to do is enjoy the process, that might mean letting yourself watch Netflix guilt free, but only in French. It might mean signing up for one class a year to reinvigorate yourself.
After 3 year I've hit a bit of a wall myself, but for me now that I've recognized that (last week actually) it just means I need to change things up again with strategy... #344 I think I'm up to :)
wHAT DO U MEAN "IMMIGRANT JOBS"? I AM A GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND WORK W MULTMEDIA AND I HAVE AN IMMIGRANT JOB??? JUST SAYING..JEEZ NORMALIZE JOBS OK
Very cool
Where r u from
14:33 loool, the brutal honesty!
very well made bravo
Thanks man, hope it helped
13:02
me when someone speaks French to me
What website is that at 6:25?
www.costlivingmontreal.com
You sound Australian
so....this guy is Australian? Wasn't easy to understand the accent at times at that speed of delivery. Video was very informative nevertheless!
@@MCheffins oh, yeah, that's very important in life, to differentiate between those two accents! LOL
@@MCheffins No.
Montreal was actually primarily a French speaking city until about the 1850s.
That's right, although the Montreal archives seem to think it had switched to majority English by the 1830s. Did you know that the same influx of British immigrants caused Quebec City to be about 40% anglophone too?
And it still largely is. Montreal was an English-majority city for a grand total of about 20 years.
@@klarissaclairiton9010 . Cette belle époque est revolue très chère.
@@PaigeMTL Les anglophones ont toujours été minoritaires au Québec, tant dans le passé qu'à l'heure actuelle. Toutefois, leur importance démesurée avant la Révolution tranquille des années 1960, était non pas par rapport à leur poids démographique, mais économique en tant que possesseurs du capital, pour lesquels les francophones étaient à la solde, comme main-d'oeuvre bon marché.
Is it wrong that I smoke a joint and immediately reach a state of "I want to do nothing but reach my full potential" and actually forget everything and get lost in creating/accomplishing something??
Do hallucinogens/psychedelics help you leapfrog most of the pyramid, even tho the effect wanes over time??
My dream is to live in Canada and later this year i'm going to Montreal only because i have family there and nowhere else in Canada. As a Cuban myself i speak spanish , but rn i'm living in Brazil so i also speak português easily, but here comes the catch, french have some words and even pronunciations are kinda the same in some words in spanish or in portuguese to french, but french itself it's a fucking pain in the ass, it's nowhere near to these languages and i have been trying to learn it for the past 3 years and to this day i don't even now how to spell je m'appelle correctly, i rly been trying to figure out some way of learning this shit, duolingo and even payed courses, i still don't understand no fucks about baguette language. I'm getting rly frustrated so i'm thinking in living sometime in Montreal and then go to Alberta or idk any place where it's only english because that frech shit it's hard as fuck like the bald dude from brazzer's dick
Don't underestimated the number of people that have a smartphone but not a lot to eat.
This was the most informative, interesting and funny video I saw on the topic of moving to Canada and only speaking English. Thank you for devoting the time and effort to make our journey much easier to digest. We really appreciate it!
That's so nice of you to say and really appreciated. You'd probably want to checkout a different video for the rest of Canada though because Quebec likes doing things differently.
It's more challenging for a non-native French speaker here, but worth the effort for the many upsides.
@@PaigeMTL Yes! I know it kind of has it's own rules. But I think at least for me Quebec, and specially Montreal is the way to go since I am a video game designer, so fuck it. I'll learn French.
It's not about moving to Canada and only speaking English. You only need French in Quebec. Only knowing English anywhere else in Canada is not a problem.
@@maxmantegna6763 And there's a problem living in Vancouver as a video game designer? EA is located in Vancouver.
Why would anyone want to live where they are obviously so not welcome?
NDG, Cote de Niage, and Saint Catherine WEST are the best English districts
'Ghetto anglais'
@@9grand yes and we love it!
@@anthonydemitre9392 Pas étonnant, des personnes qui habitent au Québec mais qui méprise culture Québécoise! C'est pas un endroit , pire une mentalité !
@@9grand I love Quebecoise culture, you idiot!
@@anthonydemitre9392 l' insulte est la réponse du faible! Est que tu sais écris en français, quels sont écrivains, émissions, préférés ?
Can I please get a source on that documentary @3:40?
Look at them taxes boyyyy 🤦🏾♂️
Yes! Thank you! Our health care is garbage.
Vas aux U.S . Ça doit être bien !
@@9grand si qqchose n'est pas bien, ça le corrige pas si on la compare au qqchose pire.
@@NatashaHynes . Idem pour votre français. L'hôpital se moque de la charité !
@@NatashaHynes Pas parfait ? C'est sûre ! Mais de qualifier de 'Garbage' . c'est un peu fort!!!! La mentalité de la bouteille à moitié vide !
@@9grand ok
wait, so crime is low?
5:00 The first 3 are almost bankrupt. 🤣😂😫😭
Are you sure? I've only heard of Cirque du Soleil, and as a high profile bankruptcy it'll probably just get restructured.
This episode of Planet Money might cheer you up: www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/10/04/555646290/episode-648-the-benefits-of-bankruptcy