What is "pastagate"

Pastagate is the informal name of an incident that began in 2013 in Quebec, when, on February 14, an inspector of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) sent a letter of warning to an upscale restaurant, Buonanotte, for using Italian words such as " Pasta", " antipasti", " calamari", etc. on its menu instead of their French equivalents. The incident occurred as the Assemblée Nationale was debating on Bill 14, a bill to toughen the province's Charter of the French Language.

Instead of complying with instructions on the letter he received from the OQLF, the owner of Buonanotte went public and it generated a widespread public outcry across the province, even among francophones, about the Office abusing its powers. The incident also received international attention in newspapers, thus causing an embarrassment to the provincial government. The incident led to the resignation of Louise Marchand, head of the OQLF, on March 8.