Why in the world don't we come up here more often?
Despite living next to the most interesting place in North America, Vermonters can find Quebec, and the Canadian border, intimidating.
“In short, I've experienced enough of la belle province to know that it is beautiful indeed, as well as sophisticated and vast. Still, something holds me back. Why in the world don't we come up here more often? That's a question for every Vermonter. The line between the U.S. and Canada is real — a psychological barrier.”
“What keeps Vermonters from venturing to Québec more often? Whether they admit it or not, it's French. Although many Québécois speak both French and English, especially in Montréal, they prefer their native tongue and only switch reluctantly.” – Paula Routly
The community of U.S.-based academics whose research focuses on Canada is not a large one, but it still divides into a series of constituencies, not only by discipline, but by geographic region. Canadian Studies programs still dot universities along the border, with due respect to the important core of Canadianists in the Washington area, who focus on the bilateral relationship and how the American domestic political process affects Canada. Along the border, the tendency on to focus on borderlands, be it Maine and Atlantic Canada, Cascadia in northern Washington, and in the case of Vermont, French-speaking Quebec. Vermont traces its origins to the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who is reputed to have exclaimed “quels verts monts!” while exploring the future state, bequeathing the name and nickname of “The Green Mountain State.”
On the surface, the ties between Vermont and Quebec ought to run deep. Vermont is one of the few places in the United States where Spanish gives way to French as the second language. The recently renamed Patrick Leahy International Airport in Burlington has bilingual signage, downtown Burlington’s parking garages have hilariously mistranslated French signage, and Burlington’s shopping centers are full of Quebec and Ontario license plates on weekends. The pandemic hit the relationship hard, as the border was closed to non-business traffic for two years, and limited for months beyond that. When the border reopened, people seemed to have lost the habit of crossing the border, and on top of that, did not seem aware that they were again free to travel to the other country. This has been more stark for Vermonters, who have largely avoided the border since the pandemic restrictions ended. Jeffrey Ayres of St. Michael’s College has written in detail of the efforts of governments, including the State of Vermont, and business groups to get trade going again. They have made progress, but people do not seem to be following. The border inspection stations between Vermont and Quebec remain eerily quiet, even into the summer travel season, and Vermonters’ people-to-people ties to Quebec have fallen off the map.
It was intriguing to see someone in Vermont from outside the Canadian Studies world take notice. One of Vermont’s most important prime media outlets is the weekly Seven Days, which offers not only a website, but a printed edition distributed for free throughout the state. The paper usually focuses on cultural and social news throughout the state, with a calendar of events for visitors, though it often covers more substantive issues like state and city politics, the housing crisis, and the impact of the opioid crisis on Vermont. But on June 21, Seven Days published “The Québec Issue,” dedicating most of 120 pages to answering the question of why don’t we come up here more often? The issue wrapped discussion of this meaty question around a visitor’s guide to Montreal and the regions of Quebec adjacent to the border, and featured articles on developments in Quebec politics, food, and the arts all explicitly from Vermont’s point of view. It was an interesting peek into how a borderland state views the places right across that border, written by journalists who admit they typically ignore Quebec. The approach is not academic, and it gives a hint into the place that Quebec plays in the minds of Vermonters. It shows a depth of interest, research, and information, but the most interesting, and likely not deliberate, dimension to the articles in the issue is their identification of the things that drive Vermont and Quebec apart.
The issue has two articles that present an overview of Quebec in the Vermont mind and the politics of the French language in Quebec. These lead articles discuss what has caused Vermonters to lose interest in visiting Quebec in recent years, and together suggest two major issues for Vermonters: the thickening of the border and the perception that francophone Quebecers are hostile to English-speaking visitors. “Oh, Canada” observes that “something holds us back” from the border, and initially assumes that it is the lingering hangover from the pandemic, along with the numerous aspects of live (and the economy) that are not fully back to normal, even after the number of COVID-19 infections has receded. However, the editorial notes a “physical and psychological barrier” that appears to date from the security measures following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, suggesting that border inspections have now become so intrusive, and so many people are searched and detained for trivial reasons, that a trip across the border is just not worth the bother. It also looks at delays in processing applications to the NEXUS frequent-traveler program and concludes that the program is in such bad shape that it is no longer worth applying There is a third article that notes that impaired driving is a felony offense under Canadian law, and that DUI convictions after 2018 will bar Americans from entering Canada for life.
“Tongue-Tied” is the most provocative article in the issue, since it raises the idea that Quebec’s measures to protect the French language, especially Bill 96, enacted in 2022, will deter American tourists from visiting. The article summarizes Bill 96 fairly, and observes correctly that no Quebec legislation regulates language use in private conversations. Bill 96 does regulate the use of languages other than French by the Quebec government, and creates categories of people eligible to communicate with the government in English or another language, and it further notes that tourists visiting from outside the province are one such category. However, the article dwells on the negative reaction to Bill 96 among English-speaking Canadians (there is a long history of Americans getting negative information on Quebec through English-language Canadian sources). Readers may only interpret this article in light of the questionable remark in another article that most francophones are bilingual but “prefer their native tongue and only switch reluctantly” for tourists. The Washington Post did not help matters when it discussed and linked to the Seven Days article from its own website, emphasizing alleged ill treatment of American visitors to Quebec for speaking English in public places. Seven Days was wrong to insinuate that the French fact in Quebec is a reason for Vermonters to stay away.
The editorial introducing the issue mentions that “the Québec Issue” was a project completed over several months, and the editors and writers obviously put substantial time and research into producing the issue. The subjects covered beyond the topline articles are varied, and show an appreciation for the nuance of Quebec that goes beyond where a Vermonter might travel on a day trip. The paper copies of Seven Days have been printed at Mirabel, Quebec, by Quebecor, publisher of the Journal de Montreal, among other publications, and there is an article describing the cross-border distribution process and photos of the four-story-tall machines that print the papers. There is an article about the Montreal restaurant scene that includes material for interviews with Vermonters dining across the border and Burlington restaurateurs discussing the impact that Quebec’s closeness has upon Vermont cuisine. Articles on farming, camping, and cheese work from the observation that Vermont and Quebec share geographic features and common industries whose details can often differ across the border due to differences in things like government policy.
Issues involving Aboriginal Canadians have become increasingly central in the Canadian national conversation over the past decade, and there is a well-researched article on the place of indigenous Canadians in Quebec society, though conflict between aboriginals and the rest of francophone society take a secondary role to a description of the the Wendake community outside Quebec City, which offers a program on native culture for visitors. Sports play an important role in the life of Quebec, and Montreal offers the closest major league professional sports to Vermonters outside the far south of the state. The article on Montreal summer sports focuses largely on Major League Soccer’s CF Montreal, only mentioning the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes in passing (together with an obsolete logo) and not mentioning efforts to attract a new Major League Baseball team at all.
“The Québec Issue” misses other elements of living next to Quebec. One of them is an introduction to Quebec media, which are generally accessible in northern Vermont (though Montreal FM signals begin to fade out north of Burlington). An article on Quebec music discusses live music and ignores contemporary music that can be had over the radio and by streaming.
The issue is Montreal-centric, though it includes articles on the Eastern Townships and the Gaspésie. The editor writes explicitly, though questionably, that Quebec City is too long a drive from Burlington (4 hours by car) to be of interest. Articles continually discuss the distance of cities and attractions from Vermont and assume several times that Vermonters are not interested in vacations longer than day trips. Distance can indeed deter car trips to Quebec City by most Americans (8 hours from New York City, and 12 from Washington, D.C.), but from Burlington, Quebec City Is very accessible for a family vacation.
As a Canadianist living in Vermont, attracted by the proximity to Quebec, I have been disappointed that few of my neighbors are aware that they live along the border.. It is more than the pandemic border closure driving them away from Canada–I have had conversations with people who have lived here for years and never crossed the border, even for an afternoon or a dinner. The issue was deeply researched and had a lot of people involved, the overall tone is set in the lead articles. Vermonters feel little urge to visit Quebec not only because they do not think much about it being an hour away. They perceive it as distant and a little hostile, and Vermonters, like other Americans, are simply uncomfortable visiting places where English is not the majority language.
Even in a place like Vermont, so close to Quebec and bearing name that is a testament to its French origins, the Canada-U.S. border remains something of a one-way mirror.
References:
https://www.btv.aero/bienvenue-canadiens
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-u-s-border-vermont-quebec-surveillance-1.5977148
https://www.canadaduientrylaw.com/border-crossings.php
https://cedar.wwu.edu/bpri_publications/127/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-vermont-quebec-border-life-on-the-line
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/20/travel/where-vermont-and-quebec-meld.html
https://www.omnireporter.com/reportersnotebook/a35-project
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/IssueArchives?issue=38485275
https://www.thecentersquare.com/vermont/article_4f6ebdaa-426d-11ec-adb7-533cb92b9a03.html
It's the same in Upstate NY, where I live. Ottawa is an easy drive, yet few area residents avail themselves to visit this vibrant, bilingual city. My wife and I will make the short drive to Kingston, ON for lunch and shopping, yet when we recommend this to friends, their reaction is one of puzzlement. Finally, crossing the border either way is no longer the easy, friendly procedure it used to be before 9/11. It can be a hassle. Anyway, it's great to see many Ontario and Quebec cars back in our region again and to welcome our Canadian friends when the opportunity presents itself.