“Canadian Karen” Wants English Only—But That’s Not How Canada Works

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A recent viral video has sparked outrage after a woman—dubbed “Canadian Karen”—was complaining that other patrons were speaking languages other than English in a public space. Referring to the multilingual chatter as “crazy,” she went on a tirade that reminded many of the all-too-familiar “speak English or go home” rhetoric we’ve seen echo across borders.

Now listen—let’s break this down with some honesty and nuance.

First off, let’s be clear: If you’re working in a customer-facing role—restaurant staff, retail, public service—speaking clear English or French (depending on the region) is a must. That’s not xenophobia, that’s communication 101. We’ve all been frustrated when we can’t get what we need in a store or on the phone because we can’t understand each other. So in that context? Yes. I agree with her. There’s a professional standard, and it’s fair to expect that in service-based jobs.

But here’s where her argument completely falls apart:

Canada is a multilingual, multicultural country. Full stop. This is not some monolingual utopia. Over 20% of Canadians speak a language other than English or French at home. Walk through Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal and you’ll hear Punjabi, Tagalog, Arabic, Cantonese, Somali, Spanish, and more. That’s not “crazy,” sis—that’s Canada.

Expecting everyone around you in a public space—a bus stop, a grocery store, or the waiting room—to only speak English is not just unrealistic, it’s straight-up anti-immigrant. And in a country built off of immigration? That’s giving colonial throwback energy.

We need to stop pretending that multiculturalism only counts when people keep their culture on mute.

Let’s keep it 100: If Karen really wants to embrace the Canadian identity, she should try assimilating into this Canada—the one where the aunties speak Amharic at the grocery store, the bros speak Yoruba on the TTC, and little kids are switching between Urdu and English like it’s nothing.

Speaking English is important—yes. But so is learning how to live in a society where your language isn’t always the loudest in the room.

So to “Canadian Karen,” we say this with love (and a little side-eye): you’re not wrong for wanting to be understood in certain settings—but the rest of us aren’t wrong for existing loudly in our mother tongues.

If that’s too much for you to handle… you might be the one who needs to adjust.