“You say you don’t speak English?” we hear the customer say to the employee. She seems to understand her interlocutor, but prefers to refer him to one of his colleagues to serve him, which does not suit the customer. “I can help you, I’ll go find you a partner,” she replies.
The customer insists. “You understand what I’m saying, and you refuse to help me?” he asks. “No, no, no… No! I’m going to go find you a partner,” she assures.
It is at this moment that the customer makes derogatory remarks to the employee of the store located in the Montreal area, while she apparently takes a moment to ensure the service of another customer at the same time.
“You see, even this other customer doesn’t want your service,” he says before revealing that he is able to speak French.
«Come on! I speak in French, do you know that? he said in French before continuing his reproaches in English. “Because what you are doing is ridiculous,” he insists when the employee asks him why he wants to be served in English.
Watch the video.
“A fundamental linguistic right”
At the time of writing, Walmart had not responded to requests for comment from Noovo Info about this video, but what is certain is that every Quebec worker is within their right to carry out their activities in French in Quebec.
“This is a fundamental linguistic right enshrined in the Charter of the French language», underlines Nicolas Trudel, director of communications for the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
“No one can be blamed for being incapable of serving a customer in English in Quebec businesses,” Mr. Trudel wrote in an email to Noovo Info.
“The situation exposed in the video is deplorable. Even if we don’t have the full context surrounding the situation, we can say that the employee had the right reaction.”
– Nicolas Trudel, communications director of the OQLF
The comments posted to an Instagram post in which the video was shared on Tuesday are numerous, but the political class also reacted to this video, including PQ MP Pascal Bérubé.
“Henriette (the employee’s first name, Editor’s note) has the right to work in French, like all Quebecers,” he wrote in a publication on X on Wednesday. “Henriette also has the right to her image and respect. She has the right not to be bothered for the 20 seconds of fame of a man insensitive to the French fact in Quebec.”
