Anglophone survey reignites Montreal's language debate

The controversial findings of a survey published by a French-language magazine is stirring the pot in Montreal’s perpetual language debate.

The cover of this week's L'Actualité shows a frog holding a banner which says "Ici On Parle English."

A survey of English Montrealers published in the magazine suggests few care about the preservation of French in the city.

The story has some in Montreal’s anglophone community upset with the way they’ve been portrayed.

Jean-François Lisée, who wrote an op-ed piece in the issue, said he's surprised by the lack of empathy among English Montrealers for protection of the French language.

"I would have thought that given the investment that they made in acquiring French, they would say 'Well, of course, that's what I'm doing. I'm learning French and having my kids learn French,’" he said.

"But instead of that . . . they have a negative reaction."

The article is also providing fodder for Quebec's official opposition party.  Parti Québécois critic for immigration and cultural communities Yves-François Blanchet, along with MNA for Gouin Nicolas Girard, plan to comment on the magazine's findings on Sunday.