Quebec Seperatism

I do not support Quebec separatism, but I believe they have every right to. I like to think that there is a right to self determination, but rights are defined as "a just claim or title". But just because you have a claim or a right to something doesn't mean you should do it. If we have the right to freedom of speech, that doesn't mean it's the best thing to go outside and start saying racial slurs. Of course Quebec has every right to leave, my feelings are that they should choose not to. I would like to avoid financial arguments since I believe that the topic of self determination is such an intimate decision that money dehumanizes the very real feelings on both sides. The first major difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada is the language barrier. But languages are not a deciding factor. Firstly, there are many language based communities throughout the world and in Canada. In Canada, there are large Chinatowns (like the one in Toronto, or throughout British Colombia), Aboriginal communities, and the "first and only officially sanctioned Gaeltacht (or 'designated Irish speaking area') to exist outside of Ireland" in Tamworth, Ontario. These communities prove that, with effort, people can maintain and protect their language. To say that Quebec should separate because of it's languages raises questions about these communities. Should they separate because of their language? Most people would say no, because they could not economically sustain themselves. But that just means that Quebec should separate because they have money, which is classist. If Quebec has a real reason to separate, it should be a universal reason that would apply whether or not they have money. Besides, plenty of functional countries have more than one official language. Belgium, for instance, is 56% Dutch and 38% French (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Belgium). Switzerland is the same way, with around 64% speaking German and 20% speaking French (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland). Furthermore, speaking French isn't even unique to Quebec. New Brunswick also has French as it's official language, with more than 32% of it's population as native speakers. There are large French speaking populations throughout Canada, even in the Prairies. Speaking of language minorities, what will happen to English speakers in Quebec? Bills 101, 178 and 22 have proved that there is a level of reactionary anti-English sentiment in some parts of Quebec. If Quebec manages to be a country despite the Aboriginal and English speaking populations (who are largely against separatism), there is no guarantee that the nation of Quebec will give them proper language rights. In fact, these bills suggest that they won't. Some separatists suggest that Quebec culturally is so different from the rest of Canada and that warrants separation. But that just implies that they want some sort of ideologically purity. We can't be divided because we don't agree on different issues, we should be united on our support for discussion. I've been told that Quebec is 'more left wing' than the rest of Canada. Well North-east USA is more democratic than the Republican South. These sorts of political divisions aren't a reason to be a nation. How is the right-wing so anti-Quebec? Along with political differences, I usually get various examples ranging from "Quebecois drink different, we drive different, we don't like the same clothes or bands". But are clothes, movies, and driving really definitive of a country? A lot of Americans like the Beatles, should they rejoin the Commonwealth? Quebec has more in common with the rest of Canada than separatists like to admit. Another unfortunate trend amongst some separatists I've met is the need to put down other Canadians to prove Quebec is great. Like the idea that Quebec has a radically different history than the rest of Canada. But this implies that the rest of Canada has the same history. Obviously this doesn't hold water since the Yukon Gold Rush is nothing like the Winnipeg Riots or Newfoundland under British rule. And that doesn't mean that they should separate, either. Seattle has a different history than New York, and there is no separatist movement going on there. Of course Quebec has a distinct history. But a lot of that history is interacting with what would be other parts of Canada. Of course there are differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada, but they don't warrant separation. Sure Quebec has it's own legal system. But so does Louisiana in the United States (they both use French legal code). And of course the Quebecois have been mistreated (the conscription debate was just such an example). But so have the Aboriginals, Ukrainian and Japanese-Canadians. However, one should understand that separatism isn't all Quebec. A lot of French Canadians feel that the rest of Canada doesn't like them. And unfortunately, there is some anti-French sentiment in Canada. A lot of this stems from the reactionary feelings of English Canadians to separatism. We like our country, and are offended when someone else wants to leave. So there are a lot of English Canadians who refuse to learn French, and who think Quebec is too "whiny" (how dare they have opinions!) to stay in Canada. But these are the sort of xenophobic people who don't realize what Quebec has given Canada. McGill is one of Canada's best schools, the national anthem and symbols (beaver, maple leaf) are French Canadian, they are the beginning of 'Canadian' history, Montreal and Quebec City are easily two of our best cities, and some of our best artists are Quebecois (Franï¿½ois-Xavier Garneau). It's unfortunate how many separatists and racist Anglophones do not realize that Quebec help make Canada. If I were Quebecois and saw some of the angry opinions of these racists, I might consider leaving. Canada is Quebec's country, too, and they shouldn't be made strangers in it. These people should realize that Canada would lose so much if Quebec left. There is an obvious correlation between population and success. The top ten most populated nations include the world's superpower (United States) and three rising powers (Brazil, India, China). The more people you have, the better off you are. Quebec is the secondmost populated province in Canada, we would lose 23% of it's population. We can't pretend that we wouldn't be affected negatively. Finally, whatever problems exist in Canada, they should be looked at with a positive outlook. Separatists could easily become some of the greatest political minds in Canada. They see all the fundamental problems with this country, but instead choose to run away from them by separating rather than trying to fix them. We are the villains of our own history. Unlike the Vietnamese or the Polish, Canadians have never had to fight off some foreign power in our modern history. Sure we were in the World Wars, but Germany was not an immediate threat. And Canada never fought the British like the Americans. Our greatest tragedies were committed by Canadians onto other Canadians. Because of this, the true enemy to Canada isn't the Axis or terrorism, but racial barriers. We don't need to rise up against some imperialist power, we need to learn to accept one another. By Quebec staying in Canada, it proves that we can overcome racism, language barriers and the burden of history.