I'd just like to say that it's probably the same for francophones outside Quebec. That's a minority experience.
I received a speeding ticket a few years ago and I went into the cour municipale in Mont-St-Hilaire. I was nervous. I wanted to fight the ticket, because I didn't think I did it. I was nervous, because I wanted to plead my case. I wanted to go in front of a judge and say that I didn't do this and that I wasn't there. I walked in and I was very nervous, because I didn't know enough French or the right words in French to be able to say that.
I walked in and all the signs were in French. Everything is in French. I found the crown prosecutor. My wife had drilled me on what to say in French, and I did my absolute best to say what I had to say. She said, “Stop, sir. You have a right to do this in English.” Do you know the sense of relief? It was the feeling, “Okay, I can speak English.”
I recognize that this is exactly the same feeling a francophone has outside Quebec. It's the same. I don't think focusing on whether it's different here or different there.... We could focus on what's different, but maybe it's better to focus on what's the same. The experience for a linguistic minority is the same no matter where you are.
I was guilty. It was an injustice.