Doing business with French Canadians: etiquette dos and don'ts?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I am currently negotiating a job position with a company based in Quebec. Also, in my business, I deal with a lot of French Canadians.

French Canadian culture is a LITTLE different than in the rat race that makes up a lot of the Northeast US. Has anyone dealt with French Canadians in the past, or even perhaps, from Quebec, that might be able to offer a few tips?

I noticed a few things in my business dealings, and these based are my observations only, not meant to be generalizations. One is, French Canadians love to wine and dine you. They are very good hosts. Also, family members are often involved in major decisions; they seem to have a lot of family oriented businesses.

French Canada seems to also be a bit laid back when it comes to returning phone calls. Some of the salespople I deal with will think nothing of waiting 2-3 days to return a phone call, usually with a long explanation of why they couldn’t call back sooner, and what it was they were doing, and where they were coming from or going. They seem to like to tell you about what they are up to.
All in all, I really enjoy dealing with people from Quebec. Any tips that might be useful?

2

Montreal, Quebec City, or somewhere else?

3

Oui, Montreal! :smiley:

4

…Montréal :wink:
I think I’ll watch this thread. I have a similar situation: I am trying to learn as much french as I can, but I’m not sure if it’s better to muddle my way through some “Franglais” phrases, or just stfu until I can speak coherently.

5

Okay, I’m an anglo from Montreal, and while I don’t live there now, the rest of my extended family is still living and working in Fun City.

I’m surprised at your report that it can take a few days to get a call back. My bro-in-law and his wife would never let any client go dangling that long on an issue of any importance. But, since you describe dealing with lots of smaller, family businesses, a lack of time caused by low levels of staff may be the reason.

As for being good hosts, I could tell you some great stories that I heard from a friend of a friend of mine. Let’s just say that most of those strip clubs in town are not frequented by the locals.* :wink:

Montreal is a bilingual city, so it’s very common for people to speak their second language, so don’t worry if everyone speaks English to you, Dennis. If you want to blend in, speak French back.

What other generalities are there? Loads of people disappear for the last two weeks of July (construction holiday-- don’t bother going to any amusement parks at that time). During the summer it’s somewhat common for businesses to shut down on Fridays at noon (varies by field, and where its clients are, of course).

It’s tough to say more without delving into blatant stereotypes.

[sub]*The reason being that all the locals know where to find hot looking people that they don’t have to pay to dance with[/sub]

6

French Canadian here, though I’ve never lived in Montreal, so don’t count me as an expert on that city. I live in the Outaouais region, about 2 hours from Montréal. BTW, are you thinking of moving, or just landing a job with a Quebec company?

Anyway, I wouldn’t consider your description to be typical. It could be just a few people. It is true that French Canadians are family-oriented. In many ways they are similar to other Catholics (Italians, for example), especially the working class. But I think it would be a mistake to classify all French Canadians in such a way. There are class differences like everywhere else, some families are traditional, other “modern”, and so on. It’s best that you don’t make too many generalizations and deal with cultural particularities as they arise.

That said, there are a few things you should know. First, Montreal is unlike the rest of the province. It’s really a bilingual city. It would in fact be unusual for you to meet someone who did not speak some English, especially if you stick to the central and western part of the city. In business, everyone speaks English. You can try to speak French if you wish, but if time and clarity is an issue just speak English.

Secondly, do not enter the language debate. Very sensitive area. Be aware of language laws, but avoid conversations about them. For the record, there are three basic “language laws”: 1) Public signs must be French or bilingual - if the latter then French must be more visible; 2) The official language of the workplace is French (with the exception of very small businesses); 3) Immigrants must send their children to French schools. Of course the official language of the province is French only, however the government offers services in English - it just doesn’t advertise that it does.

Avoid the nationality debate as well. It’s not a hot issue right now, but just in case. French Canadians are basically divided equally between federalists and nationalists. Do not assume they are either, athough businessmen are generally federalists. Nationalists will sometimes correct you if you refer to them as French Canadians rather than “Quebeckers” (Québécois); conversely some federalists (and French Canadians living outside of Québec) might not like being called a “Québécois” because of the nationalist flavour of the word.

Those are the main pitfalls, or potential faux pas. Hope this helps.

7

A bit off-topic, but if you do work and live in La Belle Province, don’t move on July 1st!

8

Whatever you do, don’t wear this shirt to the meeting.

9

There’s a very important point in there. Many, most, if not almost all French Canadians will instinctively switch to English if they hear that the person they are speaking to is anglophone. Some people are insulted by that. I’ve met people who thought that they were made to feel that “their French wasn’t good enough”. The truth is, they really think they are doing you a favour, even if their English is a lot worse than your French. For sure, for people who’ve spent years perfecting their French, it can be quite frustrating when no one seems to want to speak French with you. The correct way to deal with this, is to keep on speaking French, regardless of how the other person answers. If you do that, you’ll be a bit closer to being a real Montrealer.

10

Since you’re looking more for advice than facts, I’ll move this thread to the IMHO forum.

bibliopahge
moderator GQ

11

DO upgrade your wardrobe. If you normally wear a suit, buy better quality suits. The French Canadians in Montreal (both sexes) definitely dress about two notches above what is normal for the Anglophone population… and about four notches above what is normal for the US population!

12

EH! Don’t go equating ‘anglophone’ with ‘person from the Rest of Canada’. Everyone from Montreal dresses nicer. Except those guys with mullets who think they look really good in their star-spangled jeans…