I'm a Montreal local — Here are 7 big differences between Quebecers and other Canadians

Quebec wants to be France so bad

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Quebec still thinks it's Nouvelle France. We know intellectually that France gave us up to the British in 1763. But in our hearts, we're still theirs.

While the rest of Canada shows our shared roots as a British colony in myriad big and small ways, Quebec has resented Britain's involvement in the region for literal centuries.

We're the only place in Canada with a legal system based on the Napoleonic code. We intentionally designed much of Quebec City to look like French Renaissance castles. And we are by far the most Catholic province.

And then there are our infamously strict language laws. We're the only province with French as our only official language.

Quebec English is weird

I say this with love, as a Quebec anglophone myself. But yeah, the way we speak English gets side-eyed by basically everyone else in Canada.

We have a lot of French words that slip into our daily vocab, like “dep” (short for depanneur) instead of “convenience store” and “pharmacy” instead of “drugstore”.

And our accent is distinctly bilingual – since we grow up speaking French in school (even in the English school system), and we speak a lot of Franglais in our daily lives, we have an oral posture that sits automatically more in the middle of the mouth, so we can slide between languages more easily.

It's hard to un-hear it once you notice it. In Montreal, for example, we speak with a distinct smoothness – sometimes at the expense of our enunciation. Other native English-speakers talk from their throats, sort of pushing out individual sounds.

Quebecers finish high school in Grade 11 (thank God)

Quebec has its own way of structuring education levels – because of course we do.

Kindergarten through sixth grade is all elementary school. Then we skip middle school altogether. Then high school is seventh grade through eleventh grade.

Then comes CEGEP for two years, which is sort of like community college, followed by only three years of university.

I personally really liked this structure as a student. Middle school sounds like an awkward in-between phase that nobody here seems to miss. Plus, by age 17, pretty much everybody is over the whole high school thing anyway.

I can't imagine being eighteen (a legal adult) and still being in high school. You're saying I can vote, I can drive, I can serve in the army, but I still have to raise my hand to ask my math teacher to use the bathroom? Couldn't be me.

Plus CEGEP is a gentle stepping-stone into adulthood. It's a couple of years when you have the responsibilities of a university student, but with more guidance and lower stakes.

Then you start university at the sensible age of twenty.

Quebec doesn't GAF about marriage

Quebec has the highest rate of common-law partnerships out of any province in Canada. And 40% of babies in Quebec are born to unmarried parents, according to data cited by CityNews.

And even when we do get married here, everybody keeps their original last name. It's not just a cultural norm – it's literally illegal to take your spouse's name in an official capacity.

We have the best work-life balance in Canada (again, probably because we're so French)

Look, I know I rag on my province a lot for our wild language laws and frankly troubling levels of nationalism – but there are definitely aspects of our Frenchiness that I love. And our ability to kick back and enjoy life is absolutely one of them.

In most cities in Quebec, commute times are short, hybrid models are the norm, and we get lots of mandatory vacation time. We also have strict worker protections.

Outside of work, Quebecers know how to have a good time. We've perfected the 5 a 7 and terrasse culture, turning any weekday evening into an oasis of time away from any work BS. And we have our own provincial holidays on top of national holidays, giving us even more time for leisure.

We work to live in Quebec – we don't live to work.

The rest of Canada is downright prudish compared to Quebec

Desire and intimacy are not taboo subjects here. They're just treated as a normal, natural, lovely part of adult life. And I love that for us.

High schools are required to cover both the physical and emotional aspects of intimacy, as well as healthy relationship dynamics and even how to have a healthy relationship with one's own sexuality.

Our mandatory curriculum is comprehensive, and it's all with the goal of keeping people safe, healthy, and happy.

This is also the only place in the world where I've heard daytime radio hosts openly discussing their bedroom activities – not in a lewd way, but just in the way adults might talk about any part of day-to-day life.

The stats from adult toy companies have shown that we're the province most likely to get adventurous while knocking boots.

We're the only ones who eat pizza properly (and yes I am biased)

Here's a weirdly specific difference I've noticed about Quebecers: we prefer to eat our pizza with a knife and fork.

We're not the only people in the world to do this, mind you. It's the norm in places where people avoid eating with their hands, and in places that favour deep-dish (looking at you, Chicago). And, of course, it's the norm in France.

It's a hilarious bit of culture shock to leave Quebec and see someone sit down at a restaurant in front of a full place setting, order an artisanal 'za, and then eat it with their hands.

It's one of those moments where I'm reminded that, even though I'm not Québécoise, I'm still very much from Quebec, and those French sensibilities run deep.