On our first visit to Canada we stayed in Ottawa. The Anglo-Franco tension was everywhere.
Stop signs are defaced with the `ARRET’ sprayed over. Ontarians can’t explain why their province is mandatory bi-lingual & they bristle at all the “Je me souviens” tags crowding the city on Saturday night.
The dining room cashier refused to learn French but her sister had to because she has a government job. When I asked her did she visit Gatineau across the river, it was like asking a Jew how often do you cross into Gaza?
Then there’s the talking snowman Bonhomme Carnaval. Creepy.
Yeah there is tension all right. But it seldom escalates to violence. The most I have had happen was some teens flipping me the bird and zooming off because I had Ontario plates while driving in Quebec. You’ll get the odd sneer or rudeness from the Francophones but that is it. Once you get some distance from Quebec the tension disappears. A good chunk of the rest of Canada no longer cares if they separate or not. Also many Quebecers are very nice. Not everyone is still carrying a grudge about 1759.