From: audetf@Software.Mitel.COM (Francois Audet)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Access to English school: quotes
Date: 3 Sep 92 19:08:33 GMT
Distribution: can
Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada.

In article (Steve Potter) writes:
>From article <12744@audetf>, by audetf@Software.Mitel.COM (Francois Audet):
>> ........ I view Quebec as a francophone society, with a sizable
>> english minority that has a lot of privileges for a minority (i.e.,
>> services, hospitals, education in english, etc.).
>
>English is _NOT_ a foreign language in Quebec. (Denis himself, de facto,
>declared Quebec to be bilingual yesterday.) English is an official
>language in Canada; a country of which Quebec is a province.

English is not an official language in Quebec, the same way french is
not an an oficial language in any provinces besides Quebec and
New-Brunswick.

>Quebec is _NOT_ "a francophone society, with a sizable English minority
>that has a lot of privileges for a minority...". It is a predominantly
>French but bilingual society.

What's not true in there? "Quebec is a francophone society"? Of course
it's true! It was wasn't then you can go ahead in saying that France
is not a francophone society, that Wallonie is not a francophone
society, that England is not an anglophone society, etc. There is no
such thing as a bilingual society unless EVERYTHING is bilingual,
including people. You can have bilingual institutions, bilingual
services, bilingual people, etc. but only a very naive person would
believe that a "bilingual society" exists. We can't even have a
bilingual City! (Some part of some cities might be close to it
however). Your principle of Quebec required to be bilingual (I mean
really bilingual, not just by proclaiming itself to be like Canada) is
based on false impressions that were forced through your brain by
propaganda.

>> Therefore, according to that logic, it is normal that immigrants go
>> to french schools.
>
>The logic is based on a false assertion. Conclusion is therefore invalid.

No it isn't: yours are. Why don't you apply your same principles
everywhere.

>> No one would say that England is racist because if you move there, you
>> are expected to speak english.
>
>You can speak whatever language you want in England.

You can do the same in Quebec, or any where else in Canada.

>You can send your kids to school in any language you want where there is
>sufficient demand for schooling in that language to make it economically
>viable. (Welsh, Hebrew, Gujarati, for example).

I couldn't care less about Gujarati schools in London. If the english
feel (rightfully so) that massive immigration will not impose a new
language on others, fine. The situation is not the same here.

Try to ask questions to an englishman in Gujaratan (?) and see if
he'll answer.

>You can put signs up in language you want.

I'm not a supporter of the sign law, although I can see why it
happened, and there is no black-and-white solution on who's right or
who's wrong.

>Yes, England has significant racist elements (National Front, some groups
>of Skinheads). Simple discrimination is prominant too (ask any Pakistani
>living in London!).

We all know that, but what does it have to do with the situation here?

>How important is the English minority in Quebec?

You probably know the numbers better than I do.

>Which rights did the English community in Quebec "acquire"?

Well, actually, if you want to be precise, they didn't acquire rights
(and priviledges) They gave them to themselves after they INVADED the
country. Simple but true. And then, they kept for a while until a lot
of the priviledges were denied.

>> If this is discrimination, then not having spanish schools for all
>> children is also discrimination.
>
>Is it? - Please explain!

What!?!  Are you saying that anglophones are entitled to english
education more than spaniards are entitled to spanish education?

-- 
                                                       Francois Audet
                                                           '
        Telephone: (613) 592-2121 x1754     Facsimile: (613) 592-4784
                          Internet: Francois.Audet@software.Mitel.COM