QUEBORG

"We are the QUEBORG. Lower your intelligence and surrender your distinctiveness. We will assimilate you and add your values and religious distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile". Welcome to the Parti Québécoise version of the next generation. For those of you not from around here; the current minority Government of the Province of Quebec has introduced what they are calling their new Quebec, "Charter of Values". They will attempt to have this passed into law during this sitting of the legislator. Now if you’re a little lost fear not, I will enlighten you. You see here in Quebec anything other than the French Language and the Catholic religion has been frowned upon for many, many years. To the degree that in 1977 the Government (Also the Parti Québécoise) entered into law Bill 101 which effectively strangled any other language being used in the Province. This law was subsequently ruled unconstitutional by both the Superior court of Quebec and the Superior Court of Canada. However the Government chose to apply a clause (notwithstanding) within the Canadian Constitution which allowed the Province to immunize itself and basically ignore the court’s ruling. As you can see this is the way things go around here. Except now things are being taken too far!

In recent years a commission, (Bouchard-Taylor) was created to study "reasonable accommodation" and to recommend a road forward. The principle of this commission was to study how to bridge the gap in the growing variety of cultures and religions which are increasing here in Quebec. I believe the principle of the commission was sound; find ways to resolve conflicts, disputes and misunderstandings so that no culture felt as though their fundamental rights and values were at the mercy of anyone else’s. It was born out of highly publicized incidents such as; Hasidic Jews requesting that windows be darkened in a local health club where women traditionally practice aerobics, dance and other healthy activities while dressed primarily in spandex ( for the record I am a fan of women wearing spandex). Other incidents included privileged parking during religious holidays, men not being frisked (patted down) by women police officers, etc, etc....I think you get the idea right? Canada has a very liberal immigration policy and in the last ten years the number of immigrants from religions other than Catholic, cultures other then Aglosaxon or Euro-French have taken advantage and come to Canada. Many of them have chosen Quebec as their new home. The end story here is that the Bouchard-Taylor commission made some recommendations on how a better harmony could be achieved between all these divers cultures.  Now the QueBorg has taken those recommendations, twisted them and made them their own.

 

The fearful thing here is the hidden agenda of the QueBorg as it relates to this new initiative of, "Quebec values". You see there has always been an open, widely accepted notion that there is an undercurrent in this society that is outright racist towards English speaking people. It is not all Francophone's by any means and most Francophone Quebecers (even those who are) would deny this. It hides discreetly below the surface of everyday life and only explodes onto the surface on occasion when a Francophone Employee of the Transit Corporation refuses to speak or even recognize English from a paying customer. Or some other similar event brings that underlying racism to the surface. As a rule it hides itself well and allows for daily life here to continue without to many disasters or confrontations. In fact most English speaking Quebecois/Canadians do very well here. Most of us are integrated fully into the society and communities we inhabit. In fact we do extremely well and most of our families, like mine have children who are fully bilingual, have numerous friendships, colleagues and loved ones who interact daily with the serenity comparable to any country with a singular or dominant culture and religion. Everyone knows it’s there but it’s not an everyday issue. That is until now. Now it’s an issue because instead of openly admitting that the QueBorg is racist, they are hiding under a veil of standardization, commonality, harmony and peace amongst all the cultures and religions that share this Province as a home. It is anything but designed to do that. It’s one and only goal is to make French culture including the Catholic religion and French language the only and uniquely common thing. It seeks only to make us all the same. Their same....the QueBorg same! What they have demonstrated in so proposing this is they are intellectually bankrupt.

It is a play on the lowest common denominator within this society. It is nothing more then a sad attempt to secure power using the one and only tool this government has. FEAR! You take an aging, predominately french speaking population, combined with a significantly under educated segment. You tell them their lot in life is the result of those same individuals who lost them the 1995 referendum for Independence. You make them, AFRAID! You tell them their culture, language and values will disappear. That the "others" will take over with their Hijabs, Veils, Kippah's and Turbans. You tell them they need you to protect them and their values. You create a "Charter of Values" and you tell them vote for you because you'll protect them. You see my friends, everyone knows that everyone else has a difficult time with others beliefs. The QueBorg know this. They know Quebecers in general have a difficult time with it.


They also know people in general have issues with the demonstrations of those beliefs. In reality most do not like to openly admit it but at times other cultures and religious beliefs and values clash with our own values and we get our noses out of joint. Generally though we find our bearings and move forward with the understanding that individuality and freedom of expression is what we truly value. So if equality is what the QueBorg is genuinely after, should their "Charter of Values" not be applied equally to everyone? If they were truly serious about making it equal would they not also remove the crucifix in the Parliament building in Quebec? The QueBorg says it should not or would not be removed because it has quote, "historical relevance". Should not the Mayor of a small town be prohibited from saying the lords prayer (Catholic version, in french) at the start of each public meeting? If it is harmony and equality they truly seek then should these same things not also be removed or stopped? If you are at all logical you will answer one of two ways. First you might say. Absolutely! If it applies to everyone it should apply to everyone. Second you might say. "I don't give a crap who says what prayer, who hangs what where and who calls Christmas, Christmas. It does not have a single ounce of impact on me. Has it not struck anyone as ironic that Atheists, or Agnostics' have no issue with Christmas trees, or Hijabs or crucifix's?

I am of the second school of thought. You see when it comes down to it, I do not care if the Doctor caring for my sick child wears a kippah; I only care about their competency to heal my child. I do not care if the police officer responding to a break in at my home when my family is there and I am not wears a 4 inch crucifix around their neck. I only care about their ability to protect my family. I don't care about the woman wearing a hijab who teaches my son at high school. I care about her ability to teach my child, to educate him, to make him a better person. When you rub away all the annoyances that we claim as a result of religious or cultural diversity the simple fact remains;  Equality does not mean giving up all that you cherish or believe, it means celebrating others beliefs and values but more importantly respecting them. It lies in something Euclid wrote in a book written 2000 years ago about Mechanical Law, quote;  "Things which are equal to the same thing are also equal to one another, this is self evident" end quote. If we apply Euclid's words in a social context this means that all of these people with whom we share nothing, we share everything. We are created equal, with equal value and equal opportunity not to be restricted due to ones personal, religious or cultural beliefs or demonstration of such. This is the underlying value of what makes this country great. People often say to me, "well you know if we went to their country and started demanding all kinds of rights and conditions we would never get them". My response is. "That is exactly the point! Here (Canada) is not there ( wherever that principle prevails). That is why people come here and why we do not go there". It is a right we cherish and no one should underestimate how that is perceived and respected elsewhere in the world. We should be damn proud of it and we should fight any attempt to dimish this world wide standing. Multiculturalism is not a weakness. It is a strength. Diversity is power, uniqueness is an opportunity to discover and to be enlightened. Singularity, assimilation and master race has always failed. History has shown us this. The world is complex and changing rapidly. To fail to recognize this is of detriment to no one but ourselves.

I have had the unique privilege of traveling all over the world and working all over North America. I love many places I have visited or worked. However I have always said that there is no place I would rather live then here in Quebec. The woman I love is as, "pure lain" Quebecois as they come. I have numerous Quebecois friends who both do and don't speak English. I love most of the people here (the none racist ones). I work in French here. I communicate principally in French. I do not go into stores, restaurants or businesses and begin speaking in English. I don't do this because doing so is an insult and a refusal to recognize that French is the predominant language. That the language should be protected, we should respect it. My Grandparents taught me this. They were first generation Finnish (Finland) immigrants to Quebec. They didn't expect French people to speak Finnish or English. They understood that this was their Province, their country and that (my Grandparents) chose to come here so they should respect what was already here. The argument can be made and will be made about who has been here the longest, that this is Canada, that they should learn English, blah, blah, blah... The simple undeniable fact is this. The French speaking population here out numbers all other languages 8 to 1. So you can argue whatever you want but you cannot argue that. This fact however does not justify what the QueBorg is about to attempt to pass into law. It is blatantly xenophobic. Make no mistake either this is not a language debate.

I have always said I would not leave this Province even if Quebec separated from Canada. I now see however that the old Party Quebecoise, lead by Rene Levesque, with visions and dreams ( which I respected) of a Province becoming a Nation built on the ingenuity, the blood, sweat, tears and soul of French/English Quebecers has been lost. It has been replaced by those who claimed in the 1995 referendum that the sovereignty movement lost due to quote, "Money and the Ethnic vote". It has been replaced by a dreadfully intolerant group of political individuals who lack core leadership and demonstrate that they are nothing more than suit wearing ideologues vomiting the same filth a those of  Nazis, White Supremacists, Aryans, antisemits and all other similar Sects throughout history that have sought to grow their own strength, culture and identity by suppressing or annihilating others. Except in this case they are doing it under the guise of a political party preaching harmony and unification. Do you know your History? Does this sound familiar? I am convinced that as we peel away the true meaning of what the Queborg is proposing it will become clear that this is not what true Quebecers really yearn for (regardless of some current polls showing 57% support for this "Charter of Values"). Quebecers deserve to have their world wide stature recognized for being innovators, for being tolerant and accepting. For flourishing, prospering and growing on a North American Continent surrounded by 340 million non Francophone's. Not for closing doors, building walls and assimilating cultures and religions because a handful of self-serving politicians who cannot convince the population that their sovereignty position is palatable will try and sell them this poison pill. This is a Quebec I will leave because this is just the beginning of worst things to come. A place where assimilation, elimination and conformity to one set of values is the only choice. This is not a place I would want to be part of.

This Province has much bigger fish to fry then worrying about a "Values Law". If they want to focus on values here are a few of much more substantial importance and relevance to the prosperity and well being of the Province and its people:

* Value repairing a French education system which sees as many as 40% of French Male High school students drop out.

* Value repairing a health care system which still sees people waiting 24 + hours to see a doctor in an emergency ward ( regardless of their ridiculous study that showed wait times were an average 2 hrs...seriously?)

*Value implementing solid measures to cut out the corruption at all levels of Provincial and Municipal politics.

* Value a system that sees us improve dramatically the care of our seniors so they do not eat $3 meals, get boiled in their baths and have only one nurse caring for 150 people in one building.

* Value implementing laws which severely punish those who hurt or abuse women and children.

* Value finding alternative solutions to building more asphalt roads as a solution to the transit disaster in this Province.

* Value building an economy that is supported by the private sector and not by Government money.

Those are just a few Values that I can think of. There are numerous other values that I and other Quebecers could get behind and support. My message to the QueBorg is simple. "The people of Quebec are not stupid nor ignorant; they are going to eventually see right through all your smoke screens, propaganda, rhetoric and spew. I have confidence in the people of Quebec to send you a clear and loud message about their Values. I can Guarantee you they are not the ones your trying to sell. Resistance is NOT futile".