Alt-Sovereigntists Decry English Leaders Debate

Credit: Aislin, Montreal Gazette

Let me be the first to coin the term alt-separatist, or the gentler 'alt-sovereigntist,' those who take the most extreme view of Quebec society and independence, who believe in the total elimination of English and Anglophones in Quebec and this whether or not Quebec achieves independence.
Alt-separatists come in right-wing, left-wing and centrist versions, their overriding shared philosophy is that English and Anglophones pose a dire threat to the future of a French-speaking Quebec society which can brook no language other than French within a nativist Quebecois culture.
Is the term 'alt-sovereigntist,' an over-reach?...I think not.
The alt-sovereigntists are more radical and dogmatic than the mainstream sovereigntist Parti Quebecois and Quebec Solidaire. They remain the strident and radical minority within the movement. I use the term 'alt-' not as a pejorative, but rather in the literal sense of 'alternative.'

Ever since the Parti Quebecois was formed, successive leaders from René Levesque to Lucien Bouchard and now Jean-François Lisée have re-affirmed an official policy of respecting historic English-language rights, even in an independent Quebec.
Those, like Bloc Quebecois leader Martine Ouellet and many separatist journalists, maintain that an independent Quebec would eliminate English from all public life in an effort to francisize Quebec 100%. Former leader of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and now federal Blocist(maybe) member of Parliament, Mario Beaulieu is infamous for demanding that no English representations be made at the annual Fete St. Jean celebration, Quebec's national holiday.
These and others of the same ilk are the definition of 'alt-sovereigntists.'

Now alt-sovereigntism represents a legitimate political point of view and like the so-called alt-right movement in the United States, the alt-sovereigntist movement in Quebec is a rainbow coalition of different degrees of militancy and opinion.
At one end you have mainstream journalists like Mathieu Bock-Coté of the Journal de Montreal, who take the scholarly view and argument for the elimination of English from public life to those like Jean-Paul Perreault of Impératif Français, who share a visceral hatred of Anglos and English.

One or two common traits are shared by all alt-sovereigntists, the first being that they act as if Quebec is already an independent country and base their policies and opinions on that false premise. Another is the fact that they all purport that French is the only official language of Quebec, another nose-stretcher that is belied by the BNA Act. Of course, English is an official language (along with French) of the courts and of the legislature, something they purposely ignore.
The famous Bill 101 stepped lightly when it declared French as the official language of Quebec, careful not to use the word 'only' which would invite a court challenge that would ultimately destroy that myth.
By the way, much to the chagrin of alt-separatists, the Quebec Bar Association is now taking the Quebec government to court because (according to them) English is not being implemented in the drafting and passing of legislation as is required.

"The Quebec Bar Association has called on the Quebec Superior Court to declare all of the province’s laws, regulations and decrees unconstitutional.
The provincial bar, joined by the Montreal bar, argues in a 21-page brief that the Quebec National Assembly does not respect the requirement in the Canadian Constitution that all Quebec laws must be adopted in French and English." Link

YIKES!!!

Of course, alt-sovereigntists are easily recognized by their jargon where nary a political discussion can occur without the infamous catchphrases of 'colony' and 'colonialists' being bandied about in describing Quebec and Canada. Alt-sovereigntists are wont to describe ad nauseam all manner of humiliation that Quebec francophones suffer at the hands of the dastardly English.
Alt-sovereigntists have an over-riding disdain for immigrants not only because many adopt English as their second language instead of French, but also because they are prone to remain religiously observant instead of adopting the national religion of francophone Quebec, which is of course, lapsed Catholicism. Alt-sovereigntists whinge continually that immigrants are bad citizens because they don't readily assimilate and adopt so-called 'Quebec values,' the infamous ''poutine and maple syrup" argument.

At any rate, one of the less admirable human traits is taking a measure of pleasure in other peoples pain. The Germans actually coined the phrase 'schadenfreude' to describe the peculiar phenomenon whereby we actually derive pleasure from other peoples suffering.
I confess that I'm not immune to the effect and admit with a small level of shame that when Quebec ultra-nationalists and alt-sovereigntists suffer a humiliating defeat or a particularly devastating set of circumstances, I garner a healthy dose of guilty satisfaction.

The current meltdown of the Bloc Québécois and their doomed bloc-head (yes!) dear leader, Martine Ouellet, is a prime example of the phenomenon.
For some reason, I cannot help but cross my fingers that the pain and suffering of those involved in the current imbroglio is as painful as possible, for as long as possible.
As the blond says in the shampoo commercial says....  "Does that make me a bad person?"

I've been reading several outraged articles written by various alt-sovereigntists concerning the upcoming English debate by the leaders of the various Quebec provincial parties in the runup to the election, with that same feeling of smug satisfaction as the writers vent and fulminate over the imagined slight to the Francophone majority.
Horror of Horrors!!!!

For alt-sovereigntist, the idea of a debate in English violates the tenet that Quebec is French and French alone. For them, conducting a debate in English validates the notion that Anglophones are a legitimate partner in Quebec society, something that is an anathema to the true-believers.
As I said, I take particular pleasure in reading the screeds of frustrated and dejected alt-separatists and French language defenders who spew their particular version of painful venom.

"The symbolic significance of this debate should not be underestimated. The leaders' debate is the moment when political leaders openly debate the future of our nation. It is an essential ritual. For over fifty years, Quebec has sought to build itself around a strong principle: French is our only official language. It is on this condition that French will not only survive but assert itself in North America. Here, French cannot be one of two languages"-Mathieu Bock-Coté,

" Since 1974, the only official language in Quebec is French. For those who govern it or aspire to do so, respecting this fundamental principle should go without saying."  Josée Legault

"In Quebec, French is the common language of public use, the common language of diversity, the national language, the language of social cohesion, the language of work, the official language, the language that everyone must speak and to learn, the language that includes everyone and is for everyone ...

So why a "leaders" debate in English!

It's a portrait made with hints of occupation and colonialism: the four leaders of Quebec's political parties, moreover francophones, will debate in English!

A powerful message! By participating in a debate in English, all the leaders convey strongly that in Quebec it is useless to speak French! It's not surprising, therefore, that many allophones do not enroll in French classes and that those who do so, abandon them and that English-speaking universities and CEGEPs continue to award degrees to students who are unable to master French or speak it at all."

These "leaders" tell them that they are right! Impératif-français

Thus the alt-sovereigntists have spoken, whilst the leaders of all the political parties ignore the entreaties.

At any rate, the English language debate begs the question; What will the leaders actually debate?
Will this be a rehash of the French language debate or will it be a debate over the place of anglos and minorities in Quebec?

If it's a debate about Anglophone rights, they may as well skip it. In consideration of Anglophones and allophones, the positions of all the parties are remarkably consistent.
All the parties have pretty much the same position that the English population has a right to exist in Quebec but none of the parties are particularly interested in enacting programs to see the community flourish and expand.
If they say different in the debate, they are conning us.
Never forget that the National Assembly voted unanimously to humiliate Anglophones by demanding that clerks stop using the familiar Bonjour/Hi greeting. Even the Anglophone quislings in the Liberal party voted for this obnoxious insult. Had they had any intestinal fortitude they could have run to the bathroom during the vote, but all decided that their job within the party was more important than defending their community.

The debate will be interesting only to see how good each of the leaders are at spinning the lie that they actually care about the English community. It is an effort at seduction worthy of a Casanova scammer where feigned romantic intentions are proffered in an effort at gaining affection and thus winning English electoral support fraudulently.

Pardon my cynicism....