How to speak to an anglo: Montreal gives city workers a language manual full of rules

The City of Montreal has given its frontline workers a rulebook on dealing with English-speaking citizens — complete with step-by-step guidance, sample phrases and careful instructions for handing out bilingual pamphlets, The Gazette has learned. The procedure is outlined in an internal document dated March 26, 2025, obtained through an access-to-information request.

The document is titled: “Exemplary conduct in the French language: Mechanisms for informing the public.”

Step one instructs employees who interact with English-speaking citizens to attempt to carry out the exchange in French. “If a person addresses us in English, we check whether we can continue in French,” the seven-page document says. A sample script suggests how employees might reply in French. “Hello, we are delighted to serve you in French. Do you understand me if I continue in this language?”