Roads Department's banalization of English
Returning to Quebec from a road trip to Toronto, it didn't take more than a few feet past the border to remind me that in this province, language is more important than anything.
Apparently, those in charge of Quebec road signs have a perverse sense of humour.
It's seems that to them, it's not only important to demonstrate that French is the dominant language in Quebec but also, that English is no more important than Spanish and Portuguese!
I have nothing against the Spanish and Portuguese, but there are only about 60,000 Spaniards and 20,000 Portuguese in all of Quebec!
There's over 250,000 Italians and about 130,000 who speak Arabic. There's 90,000 Germans and over 80,000 Jews.
How come no greeting for them?
Idiots!
Alberta forced to pay for French court challenge
Over a year ago, back in October 2009, I told readers that a case of a unilingual speeding ticket was headed to the Supreme Court because the citation wasn't written in French as well as English. Read that story
The story is back in the news as the case winds it's way through the judicial system. The latest update is that the Supreme Court has decided that the case is so important its appropriate that the government fund the legal expenses of the complainant LINK
Not all francophones are pleased over the prospect of bilingual tickets and some argue that Quebec should get rid of the English portion on tickets. Here is a letter writen on the website of imperatif-francais that argues for this change. Perhaps they should submit a brief opposing the Alberta plaintiff and argue that he should lose his case in the highest court
British Columbia downgrading French language instruction
"Teachers are sounding an alarm about the future of French-language
instruction in B.C. schools if the provincial government proceeds with
curriculum revisions next year intended to recognize and value all
languages.
They say they're worried the new "additional
languages" curriculum -- so named to promote inclusiveness -- will make
French the equivalent of other languages and erase its privileged
place in B.C. elementary and secondary schools as one of Canada's
official languages."LINK
Bilingualism loophole used in drunk charge
"A New Brunswick judge acquitted a francophone man of a
drunk-driving-related charge because the police did not offer him the
option of being arrested in English,.....
.....In the French-only ruling, Provincial Court Justice Yvette Finn
lambasted the police for not respecting Mr. Robichaud's rights to be
served in the language of his choice, even though he clearly understood
French. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives special status
to New Brunswick's bilingualism, rights that are "inviolable," she
wrote." LINK
Lack of French at Vancouver Olympics the fault of Quebec songwriter
Blowhard VONOC chairman John Furlong couldn't leave bad enough alone in regards to the painful lack of French at last year's Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies.
"An explanation about why there was almost no French spoken at the
opening ceremonies of last year's Vancouver Olympics is being picked
apart and pilloried in Quebec. The pile-on has continued today onto Games CEO John Furlong. In a new
memoir, he writes that the ceremony lacked French content because
Quebec nationalist hero Gilles Vigneault refused to let organizers use
his song "Mon Pays."LINK
Mr Furlong demonstrates his utter ignorance of the true nature of separatists if he actually believed Mr. Vigneault would allow his work to celebrate the concept of a strong and united Canada internationally.
If Mr. Vigneault is responsible for the lack of French at the ceremonies, who, according to Mr. Furlong should blamed for the rest of the snore-a-thon?
Battle between French school and French immersion
One of the very few places in Canada where French education is in hot demand
is in the Ottawa area where French immersion classes are all the rage. The
classes are tremendously popular with anglophone parents wishing to bestow the gift of bilingualism upon their children.
But the classes have proven wildly popular with Francophone families wishing to give their own children a French education with a strong background of English.
This has enraged Francophone school boards who are furious at the idea of losing students to English schools, even those offering French immersion and so they've embarked on an expensive public relations campaign to win back students.
"That is the gist of the public relations campaign launched earlier this
year by the umbrella group that represents the province's 12 French
Catholic and public school boards. The $1-million campaign, which was
launched during kindergarten registration, aimed at informing those
eligible for French language schools -- largely, students with a parent
whose first language is French or who were educated in French -- of
their rights. The campaign also points out that French schools and French
immersion schools are very different things. The French Catholic board,
for the second year, ran a campaign with the controversial slogan: "A
real French education for your child." LINK
Much ado about a birth certificate
It was a human interest story par excellence, the battle of a poor immigrant vainly attempting to secure a French birth certificate for his child after a government snafu.
The battle of Kamal El-Batal was so interesting that it was the subject of a segment on 'Mongrain,' a nationally televised French talk show.
It seems that Mr. El-Batal was offended that his family was classified as cursed anglos in the government's computer and so try as he did to get a French document for his son, the certificate was continually spit out in English.
A persistent bugger, his effort and zeal to repair the affront was an extraordinary story and excited public interest.
But of course, being the curious sort that I am, it struck me as a huge overreaction, not something an immigrant was likely to do.
And so, a little checking revealed that Kamal El-Batal is not the simple immigrant portrayed in the story, but rather an experienced peekiss hard-liner who ran (and lost) as a PQ candidate in the last election.
Mr. El-Batal is also no stranger to complaining, he also won a $15,000 judgment in Quebec's human rights tribunal for racist hiring practices at the Quebec's agricultural co-operative. LINK
It seems that the minister responsible for the department that issues the certificates, fell for the political ruse, hook, line and sinker.
Michelle Courchesne even phoned the PQ stalwart to tell him of her intervention. Well-played! Ha ha! LINK{fr}
Many years ago a senior civil servant in the Ontario government told me the story of how a government minister whilst on a whistle stop speaking tour through several towns in northern Ontario, reached into the wrong pocket and gave the wrong speech in the wrong town, much to the consternation of his political minders, who cringed in abject horror at the gaffe.
Making matters worse, the minister's speech included a promise of several million dollars for the construction of a library or some such affair, an undertaking meant for the next town over.
When shocked handlers insisted that the minister correct his mistake, he was having no part of it.
"We'll just have to build two!"
"In 1983 Marc Lalonde, the then
finance minister, accidentally allowed a cameraman to film parts of his budget that indicated a deficit. It's a Parliamentary tradition that the budget is to remain top secret until tabled in Parliament and any leak is automatic grounds for the Minister's resignation.
"To deflect charges that his deficit forecast has been leaked,
Lalonde decides to boost spending in the final budget document, which
allows him to claim that the correct deficit figure hadn't really been
leaked.."Link
The reaction to these gaffes highlights the problem of foolish politicians unleashed.
The lengths certain politicians will go to save their own skin or salvage their image can only be categorized as criminal when it means the abject waste of taxpayer resources.
Even worse than these idiots, are the politicians who advance flawed or capricious policies based only on a 'gut' feeling and an overclocked sense of importance.
These are the politicians that cause even more damage than the above-mentioned idiots.
Major Jean Drapeau of Montreal was one such self-important fool, who knew better than all the advisers around him. There was no stopping his unbending and ill-conceived vision of a self financing Olympic games, which saddled the city of Montreal with a billion dollar deficit and a monstrously ugly and dysfunctional Olympic stadium, a monument to self-aggrandizement and uncontrollable ego.
Such is the character of Quebec's most dangerous politician, Pierre Curzi, the under-educated, unilingual, Peeqiss Anglophobe who passes himself off as some sort of language and cultural expert.
Mr. Curzi, although born in bilingual Montreal, never bothered to learn a lick of English and just like many French language militants, his frustrating unilingualism is the basis of his loathing for everything English.
Back in 2007, Curzi intimated in a radio interview that anglos could be stripped of their voting rights in a sovereign Quebec.
"We can't take away their right to vote because that is a right we cannot control because we are still a province within the federation. Obviously, the day when the country is there, we will control citizenship, which will have more teeth, if I can dare to say so."
Of course, he later backtracked, once informed of the racist implication of his pronouncement, but the incident highlights the grave concern minorities must share with the very real possibility that this type of fanatic can get his hands on the levers of power.
Mr. Curzi is famous for quoting self-serving studies and reports that he himself (or his militant friends) prepare to advance his special brand of language eugenics.
It's about as honest as asking a group of priests (or alternately, agnostics) to prepare a report as to whether religion is a positive benefit to society.
It is the very definition of a foregone conclusion.
These so-called 'scholarly' works should be roundly denounced by a skeptical press, but they are generally accepted as gospel by a compliant and complacent media as anxious as Mr Curzi, to prove that the sky is falling in relation to the protection of the French language.
Mr. Curzi, through a complete lack of understanding or alternately through cynical design, ignores the fundamental difference between 'causation' and 'correlation' to reach the most asinine conclusions, such as this beauty;
"Since Francophone students who attend English cegep are more likely to accept an English job in the future, English cegeps are responsible for their anglicization."
It is these types of pearls of wisdom that should frighten us all.
Hear no English, See no English, Speak no English!
Mr. Curzi has displayed a deep and unabiding disdain for English, so much so that he objected to Paul McCartney singing at a celebration marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec, because he was representative of English and Canadian culture.
Mocked by the public and after being reproached by Pauline Marois, he once again was forced to excuse himself.
“Last fall, he suggested the lack of French players on the Canadiens
hockey team was a deliberate move on the part of federalists to starve
Quebecers of a powerful “symbol of identity.” Link
"He has also called for policies to stop francophones from moving from
Montreal to off-island suburbs, in order to preserve a majority of the
population whose mother tongue is French. The fewer francophones on the
island, he warned, the greater the chance recent immigrants would form
families with anglophones."LINK
Of course none of this passes for racism in Quebec, where bashing fellow anglo or ethnic citizens is par for the course to 'defenders of the faith' like Mr. Curzi, who continue to characterize anglophones and English as a disease with nary a compunction.
Here's an old clip of the ill-prepared and clearly over-matched Curzi making a fool of himself in front of a parliamentary committee charged with discussing access to to English schools.
Mr. Curzi is trying to demonize the French private school for having such a large English component to its curriculum.
First, he complains that the school can't provide figures as to how many of its grade school graduates abandon their French roots and go on to English high school, to which the surprised school official points out that the school has indeed provided the information to the committee and that furthermore, 132 of the 136 graduates, went on to French high school. Ouch!
Then after much stuttering, hemming and hawing, Curzi warns the representative indignantly, that nothing is stopping those graduates from going on to English high school, if they so choose.
The school representative delivers a priceless and deadpan put down by telling Mr. Curzi that everyone in Quebec has that same right! PRICELESS!!
And this idiot is the man who might one day create linguistic policy.
Today, Mr. Curzi wants to apply Bill 101 to small and micro businesses, a law never intended to regulate small business.
One of the requirements of Bill 101 is that employees communicate to each other in French.
Imagine an anglophone family running a small home-based business being obliged to talk to each other in French during the work day!
Imagine them having to purchase and install on their computer hard drive, a French version of QuickBooks Accounting Software or Microsoft WORD, even if they use the English versions!
Imagine them being forced to leave notes to each other in French!
That is what's required in Bill 101, which was intended to regulate larger businesses.
Even the infamous Doctor Camille Laurin, father of Bill 101 couldn't conceive of something so stupid.
“There is no question of preventing [non-French-speaking] employees from
working together in their own language, provided it is understood that
they must serve their French customers in French.”
Obviously Mr. Curzi doesn't agree, he suggests that Montreal's 46,000 small business be inspected regularly to insure language compliance.
Mr Curzi may seem like a colourful buffoon, but he represents a real danger should the PQ ever achieve power.
His ideas about the promotion of the French language and culture are mutually exclusive to the preservation and respect of English in Quebec.
He is an ideologue imbued with the same sense of misplaced righteousness as a Spanish inquisitor and like most ultra-nationalists, he believes that in order for French to survive, English must die.
When there's no cell phone service and the only reading material is two year old issues of Men's Health Magazine, sitting in a doctors waiting room can be a colossal bore.
And so last week, as I twiddled my thumbs and occupied the time by studying the other patients in the room who were waiting patiently for their their name to be called, my eyes fell upon a strapping young man sitting diagonally across from me.
He must have been six-foot two and weighed a muscular 200 hundred pounds and I couldn't help thinking that he'd be a scary person to meet in a dark alley.
He was of course, Black.
And so embarrassed, I chased the racist thought from my mind and reminded myself that stereotyping people was evil, especially when based on race, colour, creed or ethnicity.
I'm far from a racist, quite the opposite, but we are all conditioned by television and the news media which emphasizes and attributes a disproportionate level of crime and violence to the Black community.
A few minutes later the young man reached into a beaten up Loblaw's re-usable shopping bag and pulled out a college-level calculus text book as well as a well-thumbed Hilroy-type notebook in which he started in on his homework, which included adding some complicated data points to an X/Y axis grid, which was incidentally quite out of my mathematical league.
Oh, the shame...How perceptions change!
As I daydreamed I couldn't help thinking that this fine young student was likely to have suffered his whole life, from a society that is predisposed to think the worst of him.
I especially wondered how many times this young man had been rousted by Montreal's infamously racist police force, for absolutely no other reason other than the colour of his skin.
Police will tell us that there is a disproportionate amount of criminality in the Black community and I've no doubt it's true. There is also that same disproportionate level in the Latino community and every other underprivileged class.
Like pavlov's dog, our society has been conditioned to attribute the phenomenon of crime with the colour of skin or ethnicity, instead of the socio-economic conditions that these communities find themselves living in, which remains the real causal element related to a higher incidence of crime.
And so police tell us it is fair to target Blacks because as a community they are more likely to be involved with crime. Seems reasonable, right?
Now I wasn't acquainted with this young black man in the waiting room at all, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he's been stopped and hassled by the Montreal cops , more than once, for no other reason than because he's Black.
I'll bet that for every 'routine' traffic check' a white person is subjected to, a Black person will likely suffer the process ten times over.
" ... nearly 40 per cent of black youths in the boroughs of
Montreal-North and St-Michel were stopped at least once and asked for
identification between 2006 and 2007, relative to 6 per cent for their
white peers...
"....a black motorist filed complaints to Quebec’s Human Rights Commission and
police ethics commissioner, alleging he was needlessly pulled over by a
suburban police force four times in a week last summer Link
Notwithstanding what the police tell us, the majority of Blacks are honest, even if there is an elevated percentage of criminals in the community.
Racial profiling, unfair targeting and mistreatment of Blacks by the Montreal police is legendary.
The long list of abuse is public record and nobody, but nobody can dare to deny the self-evident truth of racism. Nobody except the police.
And so every time we hear a story of a Black person objecting to being subjected to 'special treatment,' invariably the police will lie and tell use that the Black person was uncooperative and that they the police were just doing their job.
The flimsy cover stories provided by the police almost never stand up to scrutiny, as highlighted by this story of a Black high school teacher who was accosted by cops while waiting in the passenger's seat of a friend's car while he picked up a pizza.
"Police say they were justified in questioning Charles because there is
drug activity in the neighbourhood, and the car in which Charles was
sitting had no license plate." Read the disturbing story
This of course was a blatant lie. The car had a perfectly legitimate paper temporary tag that was pasted in the rear window as is required by law. It seems that the police are so arrogant that they don't even bother to come up with plausible stories. More
It's gotten to the point that when we hear two versions of events, it's more than likely that the police officers are lying.
Of course, we only hear the stories when the police abuse Black people who aren't afraid to complain as with the case of two Montreal Alouettes who were stopped for the notorious crime of "Driving a nice car while being Black."
"Montreal police Sgt. Yan Lafrenière said Thursday his officers were not
using racial profiling when they stopped the vehicle; they were stopping
what they saw as potential criminals." Read another nightmare of Montreal police racism
In decision after decision, the Quebec Human Rights tribunal have found that the police acted improperly, something that doesn't sit well with the police.
A typical case is one like that of a complaint filed by Gemma Raeburn, a respected black-community organizer, who asked a couple of friends to help clean her garage in a Montreal west island suburb, when six police officers, weapons drawn pulled up to the house assuming a robbery was in progress.
"Given relations between the police and the black
community, given that multiple unarmed black citizens have been shot by
the police, it's clear that police bullets have been shot according to
skin colour," explains Raeburn. "Clearly the findings [from the Quebec
Human Rights Commission] are warranted. It is without a doubt that the
police were actively practising racial discrimination outside my home."
"It was so, so humiliating," Raeburn, 57, recalled yesterday. "We're the only black family that lives on this street. I had to go to all my neighbours and tell them that it wasn't a drug bust."Story
It seems that the Human rights commission agrees that the police are racist;
The head of Quebec's human rights and youth commission says the
Montreal police force needs to put an end to its "systemic" practice of
racial profiling.
Commission head Gaetan Cousineau said that for the better part of
two years police have denied accusations they routinely stop young
black men without cause, dismissing each complaint brought to their
attention as an exception to standard procedure.
The Montreal police have tried to bury a report that they themselvescommissioned, that concluded that the force was racist.
"Written by a psychologist with expertise in conflict and crisis
management, it’s blunt in its assessment of policing in Montreal North,
site of the 2008 riots sparked by the death of an unarmed Villanueva at
the hands of a young officer. “The youths say that the police officers say things they wouldn’t
dare say in any other sector of the city,” writes the psychologist,
Martin Courcy, who met with about 60 young people from the area and
observed police operations there following the riots. Some examples cited in the report: To a youth from North Africa, an
officer allegedly said, “Why don’t you blow yourself up?” To another,
“If you’re not happy, why not go back to your country?” And even this: “We prefer to be colonizers than slaves.” This isn’t racial profiling, Courcy explains, “but racism pure and simple.” Read the article
Montreal police dismissed Charest's report, saying it used flawed methodology. Ho hum....
All this is old news, but the latest shocking revelation is that police have embarked on a campaign of organizational stonewalling. Instead of facing up to their conduct and accept responsibility, the police are trying to bury the truth.
Another racist attack involving a Laval couple has brought these unfortunate facts to light.
"The Quebec Human Rights Commission has recommended that the city award
$20,000 to a Laval couple for an alleged racial-profiling incident in
which their car was towed away, stranding them downtown with their
2-month-old son." Read the story
It seems that the police are going to appeal the decision and all others like it, at a cost of untold tens of thousands of dollars, all in an attempt to punish and render the process of complaining against the police long and debilitating. It will be many years, if not ever, before the Laval couple see their money.
Incredibly, since 2009 police have made it a policy to no longer testify before the Human Rights Commission, thus destroying the judicial process. Sixty cases of alleged police racism before the commission are being held in abeyance as the commission pushes for the police to appear. It seems the police have cynically decided that since they don't win in court it's better to queer the system! Outrageous!
The judicial stonewalling is a device fit for mobsters and other criminals who use every legal trick to thwart the inevitable hand of justice, not for an organization sworn to uphold the law!
As a community we shouldn't tolerate a police force that is out of touch with modern police methods. Other police forces in Canada face the same challenges of elevated crime in minority communities and although we hear stories of intolerance elsewhere, nothing compares to the breadth and scope of the problem in Montreal.
TheCenter for Research-Action on Race Relations has a long list of abuses on it's website. It is an excellent resource for combating racism and provides a how-to primer on lodging complaints.
It's time for the police and public officials to stop living in denial.
It's time for the public to stop living in denial as well and it's time that the public demand change and accountability.
The
master con artist may very well become famous for something other than
his notorious fraud, he is the inspiration for a soon to be made change in
the law that allows first-time, non-violent criminals to be released
on parole after serving just one-sixth of their sentence. Read about Jones' sentence
The present law will allow our friend Earl to walk out of jail sometime around Christmas, this year. Wonderful!
Of course this is not sitting well with his victims, the public and even politicians of all stripes.
The
Bloc Quebecois has been holding up the Conservative government's crime
bill that would eliminate this practice. The Bloc had other issues with
the bill and so the delay allowed Quebec's most famous fraudster,
Vincent Lacroix to be freed after a very short stay in prison, a fact
that annoyed Gilles Duceppe to no end. It seems the Bloc and the
Conservatives both have put a little water in their wine to make sure
that this won't happen in the future.
"The Harper government has agreed to split up one of its crime bills to
obtain the support of the Bloc Québécois and scrap the law that allows
non-violent offenders to serve only one-sixth of their prison sentence."LINK
But alas, it's not likely that even with the passage of the new law, which might very well become known as "EARL'S LAW"
that Mr. Jones will be subject to its provisions, having been convicted
under the old statute. Try as the government might, it's well nigh
impossible to impose new conditions on an old sentence.
That being said, Earl Jones can take some credit for being the inspiration for a some much needed reform!
Blog authorities have been advised!
Those who read the comments section of this blog have been amused by promises and threats by some angry posters that this blog is being duly reported to authorities as some kind of subversive element.
Since we don't live in North Korea or Iran, I don't much take the threat seriously, after all if vigle.net can publish, so can I!
Anyways, those raging commenters can be satisfied that we are indeed on the radar of those who may very likely rule the future Quebec. One of those anonymous posters sent along an email telling me that our material is not only being monitored and archived, but being republished as well!
I am glad to hear that a report to be published soon by the Directeur général des élections (DGE) will clear my friend Jacques Duchesneau of any wrong doing. Mr Duchesneau was accused of election irregularities in his campaign for mayor, many years back. At the time of the accusations he was heading a task force looking into corruption in the construction industry and took a leave of absence while under investigation. The accusations against him mysteriously appeared ten years after the fact and it's fair to ask if those behind the 'campagne de salissage' weren't trying to derail his inquiry.
When the charges first surfaced, the media took a hammer to him and treated him rather shabbily. The Journal de Montreal included his picture in a rogues gallery and the lynch mob had their sport with him.
Not many were prepared to defend him, even those who knew him personally, and who should have known better. For me that fact is a little sad.
Jacques is the least corruptible person I know, and I'm proud that I was perhaps one of the very few (maybe the only one) willing to step up and defend him publicly.
"Her (ex Chancellor Judith Woodsworth) decision to fire two senior members of the audit staff, Ted Nowak and Saad Zubair over a wrongly expensed $250 restaurant bill is going to cost the school hundreds of thousands of dollars." No Dogs or Anglophones January 11, 2011
And so it comes to pass. The two men recently settled out of court for substantial sums, but in keeping with Concordia's history of secrecy, the poor taxpayers who are on the hook for the money are kept in the dark. In addition to the cash, the University had to eat humble pie;
"In a written statement, the university depicts Nowak and Zubair as
honest, loyal employees they would happily take back into the
university." LINK
Antisemtic apology laughable
Martin
Raymond , a coach for a minor league team associated with the NHL
Anaheim Ducks in California, in a letter of apology for a slew on
antisemitic remarks he made towards one of his players, pulled out the old
chestnut that he too suffered from racism having been called a "FROG"
The
Bakersfield coach was forced to write a letter of apology for having
harassed and humiliated a player mercilessly, taunting him over being
Jewish.
In that letter, Mr. Raymond said that he was only joking and was
trying to have some fun. Hmm....
It's obvious the team didn't ask the coach to put much effort into the letter in which he casts himself as a French-Canadian victim!
"It was not my intention to offend you. The intent was to have a
jovial moment. Please understand that prior to this incident, I was not
trained to handle such a sensitive matter as a coach. As a
French-Canadian, I too have come face-to-face with bigotry and
understand how such remarks can negatively affect lives. I can certainly
relate to you as I have repeatedly been called 'frog' through my
playing and coaching career. This has affected me on and off the ice.
Now that I understand that you were offended, I will no longer engage in
this type of behavior nor condone it. I look forward to moving on and
making a run for the playoffs as a team."
"Not trained to handle such a sensitive matter" WHAAAT!!!!!!
I guess to this Drummondville native, having a Jewish player on the team rates as a extremely sensitive matter!
The
player, Ottawa native Jason Bailey, who has since moved to another
team, was not impressed with the apology and is suing the organization.
If you want to read the sordid details, read this story
Ironically the Anaheim Ducks are owned by a Jewish owner.
Montreal Canadiens a bargain at $550 mil.
There
was a collective gasp in the media when the Molson family shelled out a
whopping $550 million for the Canadiens and the downtown arena in
Montreal, considering that George Gillett paid less than half that just
eight years earlier. Forbes magazine who assessed the value of the
Canadiens at just $408 million, accused the purchasers of overpaying LINK
But
the Molsons seem to be doing okay by that deal and have already paid
back $100 million that they borrowed for the transaction, less than two
years after the purchase. If the new owners continue to pay off the loan
with profits, they will likely be debt free less than tens years after
purchasing the team!
All
this brings me to wonder about the price for a potential team in Quebec
City. The price of $400 million has been bandied about as the cost for a
new arena. Coupled with the purchase price of a NHL
franchise of about $150 million, the total package will be similar to that paid for
the Canadians.
The question begs-
Who'd you rather own for $550 million, the Canadiens or the Nordiques?
Everyday I wake up and take a measure of cynical satisfaction that I as a Quebec Anglophone am imbued with special rights that my Francophone brethren are denied.
The reality of Quebec society is that there are three distinct levels of citizen status, each providing special privileges (or lack thereof.)
Of course, first and foremost, is Quebec's Native population, who are provided extra-special rights and privileges, too numerous to describe, rights that non-natives in the province are denied.
Most of us begrudge the natives these rights as it seems a bit unfair to us that they can flit between the treaty world, chock full of entitlements, and our regular society, as it suits their fancy.
But Canadian Anglophones living in Quebec are also accorded a special status, one that the majority of Quebeckers are denied, based solely on language and birth, something that logic would tell us that the Charter of Rights, be it the Canadian or the Quebec version would preclude.
Of course we're talking about the right to attend English schools, a benefit that remains exclusive to those born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouth, an English-educated parent born in Canada.
Most Francophones don't seem overly perturbed by the notion that as the majority, they enjoy the fewest rights of all Quebeckers.
In fact, most will say that while they'd like to preserve choice in education, Bill 101, the law that restricts access to English school, is a sacrosanct piece of legislation that is bedrock to the preservation of the Quebec 'nation'
It's a bit of a paradox, but no matter, Bill 101 is as holy to Quebeckers as is the U.S. Constitution is to Americans. A document worthy of biblical reverence, never to be questioned or disputed.
And so Maxime Bernier's rather flippant remark during an interview last week on Halifax-based radio is rocking the world of Quebec's language defenders.
“It’s like in Quebec — we don’t need Bill 101 to protect the French
language over there,” Bernier is quoted as saying. “They know we speak
French in Quebec and we will speak French for a long time, I believe
it.” Read more in the Montreal Gazette
Mr. Bernier's statement will likely change nothing nor move even one person to the other side of the debate. Many journos are commenting that Bernier said what he said to establish his bona fides as a "conservative Canadian' and to position himself as a legitimate successor to Stephen Harper, a francophone acceptable to Anglos out West.
Hmmmm....Dunno...
I'm
not going to discuss the veracity or validity of Mr. Bernier's
statement on Bill 101, we've all got our opinion and it's a subject that's been flogged to death. It's about as useful a discussion as the debate whether God is real or not. There's nowhere to go, no road that hasn't been travelled.
But the ongoing reaction from Quebec's linguistic 'Defenders of the Faith' is at least fun to follow.
I'm sitting back and watching for the most outrageous or angry reaction that will surely follow what can only be perceived as a blasphemous provocation by the militant language zealots.
So far it's Pauline Marois who has unleashed the biggest stupidity by inviting Mr. Bernier to Montreal to see what's going on language-wise. Madame Marois has subtly voiced what so many of her backers believe, that Montreal has become a modern Tower of Babel, or perhaps aSodom and Gomorrah, where the infidels are fiddling with the purity of the Quebec ideal.
“Mr. Bernier should come to Montreal more often, where we can see there
is an anglicization now,” Ms. Marois told reporters at the party's
regional convention in the city.
How one can "SEE" 'language anglicization' is beyond me.
Perhaps Madame Marois was referring to the many black and brown faces, the many hijabs, yarmulkes, saris, turbans and wide-brimmed Hasidic hats as proof of anglicization.
It's hilarious to see how extraordinarily easy it is to trigger such an overwhelming reaction, like banging on the cage of a sleeping lion at the circus to see him roar, all for our amusement!
By the way, Bernier isn't backing down. Read his reply to those attacking him, on his blog.
"Why should francophone parents not be allowed to send their children
to an English or bilingual school for parts of their studies, so that
they become completely fluent in both languages? English is the language
of 350 million people surrounding us. It is also the most important
international language all over the world. Mastering it is a major
asset.
Not only this, but there has been an important English-speaking
population in Quebec for 250 years. Unless we believe that Quebec today
is simply an extension of New France, and that only descendants of the
French settlers are real Quebecers, then English too is part of Quebec’s
identity." LINK {eng}
I'm so happy I can't resist a little poem... (with apologies to St. Nick!)
With a handsome young driver, so hip and extreme, I knew in a moment it must be Maxime More rapid than eagles his haters alit, They whistled, and shouted, and addled with spit!
"Now Curzi! Now Jacko! Now, Gilles and Pauline!
Stand up and be counted, pray call me obscene! And rage from of the hill top, Your message transmit! Now dash away all, cuz' I don't GIVE A SHIT!
