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| Hate & intolerance are everywhere, but this this Toronto's reaction. |
What can we say or how can we describe a society where an eleven year old girl with Down Syndrome can be imprisoned for the blasphemy of insulting Islam.
I'm sure every separatist who is proposing a kinder and gentler version of the Pakistani blasphemy law, will tell you that what they propose is in no way the same.
They will tell you that the Quebec law is about projecting a neutral government attitude towards religion, but like laws in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and other
As Henry Ford purportedly said, "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black."
The Parti Quebecois' proposed Charter of Secularism may be a kinder and gentler version, but its intentions is the same, to make everybody adhere to the government's view of what a citizen must believe, how they may behave, and what they may look like.
The promises that the secular provision of the proposed law, the one that would ban 'ostentatious' religious regalia, would apply only to public and para-public employees is so ludicrous, that I hardly believe that the separatists believe it themselves.
Let me take you back forty-eight years ago when the United State passed the Civil Rights act of 1964.
The law was more than groundbreaking, it was perhaps the greatest piece of legislation enacted since the Magna Carta, written almost eight hundred years earlier and which for the very first time limited the power of the King of England.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enshrined the principle of equality and provided that the government, the military, those involved in interstate trade, or any organization funded by the government would be bound by the terms that outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities and women.
Let us review that again, the law as first written applied to the government itself. Sound familiar?
It was a hard sell at the time and faced enormous pressure by the bigots and racists, of which there were plenty at the time, but eventually its principles were embraced by all of American society, not just those parts controlled by the government.
After all, if the government couldn't pay women less than men, if they couldn't hire based on colour, race religion or gender, why would it be acceptable outside of what the government controls and how could discrimination be tolerated at General Motors but not the Commerce department?
The principles of the Civil Rights Act became the values and principles of American society and eventually became the bedrock societal principles shared by every western democracy in the world.
That is the power of a great law and a great government bound and determined to set the proper example.
Just as the Civil rights Act of 1964 acted as a catalyst for positive change the Quebec charter of Secularism will act as a catalyst of discrimination.
After all, if the Quebec government can ban the hijab, why shouldn't Provigo?
As separatist politicians and militant secularists take their cue from the government and ratchet up the anti-English, anti-immigrant and anti-religion rhetoric, it is inevitable that the intolerance practised by the government will spread throughout Quebec society in general and very sadly we are already seeing those seeds of hate sprouting across the province.
Many posts ago I told about a silverhaired senior citizen haranguing a young Muslim cashier in a Canadian Tire store over the fact that she was wearing a hijab, according to the lecturer, a symbol of enslavement and subjugation.
All this in the checkout line in Canadian Tire!
A one-off? Hardly.
As the rhetoric of intolerance is ratcheted up by the PQ and language and secular militants, so too is the societal effect.
Speak French, this is Quebec!
Don't wear a Hijab, this is Quebec!
Don't wear a turban in public, this is Quebec!
Don't' you dare wear traditional dress in public, this is Quebec!
Here is an excerpt from a story about the subject that might interest you.
But the real story is a comment written in French under the story, read both;
"Where are Quebec’s progressives? Where are they when Marois suggests we completely overhaul our democracy to prevent people who don't speak the majority language from running for office? Where are they when Marois argues in favor of secularism for all — except those who practice the majority religion? Where is the progressive left when Saguenay mayor Jean Tremblay says:and now a translation of a comment left by reader Joanne Bonnici in French under the story.
"It's not the [secular] charter in and out of itself. It's having someone whose name I can't even pronounce come from Algeria, who doesn't understand our culture at all, but she's going to make the rules. And I know how soft Quebecers are — they'll all give in to her."
What is left when Marois backpedals because of pressure from some aboriginal rights groups, and somehow, remarkably, manages to be even more offensive, by singling out only newcomers to Quebec for her repressive, exclusionary legislation?
Imagine if Dalton McGuinty tried to pass a law saying only people proficient in English can run for office. Or worse, what if Harper tried to do the same? People would be losing their minds.
Didn't Jean Chrétien correctly state (in the context of the gay marriage debate), "The majority should never determine the rights of the minority"? The PQ completely ignores that fundamental ethical principle. She is promoting a Quebec where majority (mob) rules.
Marois and her party are unique political animals in Canada; parasitic, fear mongering, opportunistic chameleons whose favorite political weapon is inflaming the most base, carnal and grotesque instincts of the populace. Theirs is the politics of divine right, of L'Appel de la Race — the politics of who you are, not the more aspirational politics of where you want to go"
As my first language is French, and many of my friends are "Quebecois de souche," I understand and feel as well as them, the love and pride for this beautiful language and cultural heritage. Moreover, I was delighted to produce several movies and music CDs to present to my friends abroad. I thought the Quebecois culture and arts had greatly been refined in recent years and I'd feel great joy bragging about my surroundings internationally. What made me even more proud of our society, was the cultural diversity that we know to Montreal, we had evolved to preserve the French culture while living in harmony with people of all kinds of origins. I was so in love with my city of Montreal that I convinced friends to immigrate. I told them that the people here were friendly, open and warm. Upon arrival here, I invited these friends to celebrate the national holiday. I was surprised to see that when they spoke a few words in English, they were immediately greeted with comments like: "We are here in Quebec, French is spoken!" My friends are people with excellent French skills, they have completed their doctorate in Paris. They also speak Spanish and English. So I do not understand where this hostile comment came from, it is not an offense to speak more than one language.Here is a video taken this weekend of a couple being accosted in the street for doing nothing else but speaking English.
You may think that this is an exceptional situation. Unfortunately not. As I mentioned at the beginning, most of my friends are native French-speakers, but I also have many friends from different cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, I witnessed such an attitude many times. I will always remember the incident concerning a friend from Australia who had decided to come and stay in Quebec. We were at a show and she told us something in her native language. A stranger turned and yelled at us like we were rotten fish, because she spoke English. The reason she came to Quebec was to learn French because she had married a Parisian. After a few such incidents, she left this country, finding people here rather hostile.
When I lived in Japan, my friend from Scotland thought to come to Quebec to improve his French, once she completed the acquisition of Japanese. I was encouraged. When she spoke to other Scottish friends, they advised her against the idea, explaining that Quebecers were hostile to the natives of the English language. I had to admit that this problem exists unfortunately.The truth is that I really thought the Quebec mentality had changed. I thought cases like those I just mentioned were the exception. When I came back here after my many years abroad, I was shocked to find that the problem had not disappeared, it had transformed, ... blown up I expect, over those dear 'reasonable accommodations." Link
Two francophones acting as a Quebec's version of the Iranian Basiji correct a couple for having the audacity of speaking English in the street.
It is chilling and it is here.
Welcome to Quebekistan.
I've never encouraged anyone to vote before, but will make an exception.Vote for the Liberals or CAQ, even if you are in a lost cause riding, it's important to keep the popular vote up.
Did you know that if every anglo and ethnic voted, instead of the 55% level as in the last election, the PQ could not win.
Do your part!
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