Esti d'franglais podcast captures Montreal's bilingual reality the way politicians won't

Putting the city's code-switching culture on record, one episode's sparked more honest conversation about Quebec identity than most news panels can manage in a season.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

March 27, 2025- Read time: 6 min
Esti d'franglais podcast captures Montreal's bilingual reality the way politicians won'tJulien Corrado (left) and Kyle Christopher Smith (right), hosts of the Esti d'franglais podcast. | Photograph: @villedupluie

"Do you consider yourself Québécois, even though you're anglophone and your family has been here for at least three generations?" Julien Corrado asks, his question cutting straight to the identity anxiety that haunts many Montreal anglophones.

"I want to be," Kyle Christopher Smith responds without hesitation. Born at the legacy site of Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital, he grapples openly with the question that many avoid. "I was living in Calgary, then I moved back and was struggling (with it): Is my identity Canadian or Québécois?"

"I speak French, but with a really anglophone accent," Kyle continues in French, switching seamlessly before going back to English. "Do I identify as a Québécois? I truly want to be, but does Québec want me to identify (myself that way)? I'm not sure."

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