From: steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steve Potter)
Subject: Re: Legalized Discrimination in Quebec
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 16:26:13 GMT
Organization: Securiplex Technologies Inc., Montreal, Canada
X-Bytes: 6755

From article <13772@audetf>, by audetf@Software.Mitel.COM (Francois Audet):
> In article <1992Dec17.112132.7592@spxtech.qc.ca> steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steve Potter) writes:
> ]English canadians whose parents landed here after 26th August, 1977 are
> ]NOT allowed to attend publicly funded English schools in this province. :-(
> 
> Makes sense to me. Why the hell would anyone immigrate to a
> francophone society to live in english.

Here again we see a denial of the legitimacy of the English community in
Quebec.

English families may come to Quebec for a variety of reasons. Some, like
my wife and i, cam here after the 1980 referendum appeared to indicate
that "Quebecers" had chosen to remain a part of Canada.

I would like my children to become fluently bilingual. They could learn
French as a second language in English schools beside friends from their
own language community.

> It the pursuit of the imperialistic european behaviour.
> It's the heritage of centuries of colonianism.

What is? (Please be specific)

> Individuals think that the society must adapt to them rather than the
> opposite.

Why shouldn't English-speaking families come to Quebec and be allowed to
integrate into the English community in this province?

> ]Another English school (St. Kevins), it was announced last night, is to
> ]be closed. :-(
> 
> Sniff. Very relevant. What if I start to name all the french schools
> that close in Canada, or even in Quebec?
> 

Go ahead - let's compare the statistics - i'm waiting.

While you're at it why don't you suggest that wrongs have been committed
in other provinces in the past - and that justifies Quebec's efforts to
extirpate the English school system in Quebec.

(Use the term "ethnic cleansing" if you think it applies.)

> ]Quebec has less than 10% english mother tongue population!
> 
> Really? I tought it was more than that.

Quebec Population by Mother Tongue, 1986

Type of     Mother             Home
Response    Tongue     (%)             (%)

Single
responses   6,233,030  96.6   6,174,065  95.7

English       575,000   8.9     676,050  10.5
French      5,251,815  81.4   5,223,375  80.9
Other         406,215   6.3     274,640   4.3

Multiple
responses     221,455   3.4     280,420   4.3

E & F         139,005   2.2     164,580   2.5
E & O          26,030   0.4      45,170   0.7
F & O          29,065   0.5      37,8600  0.6
E & F & O      25,935   0.4      31,355   0.5
Others          1,420   0.0       1,455   0.0

TOTAL       6,454,485 100.0   6,454,485 100.0


Evolution of the Proportion of the English-language Minority
Group in the Total Populationm Quebec, 1951 to 1986:-

Year   Total Pop.    Eng. Pop.   (%)
1951    4,055,681     558,256    13.8
1961    5,259,211     697,402    13.3
1971    6,027,765     789,185    13.1
1981    6,438,395     706,110    11.0
1986    6,532,460     678,785    10.4
1991                              ?.? (<10?)

>  Anyways, it further prove my point.

Please explain.

> ]] What "oppresive" law? The law that says that immigrants into a francophone
> ]] province must go to french school?
> ]
> ]Yes - that's one of them!
> 
> I have a strange  feeling of deja-vu...
> 
> ]The law that says immigrants must go to a French school violates the
> ]U.N. declaration of fundamental human rights and freedoms in that it
> ]denies parents the right to choose the kind of education that shall be
> ]given to their children. :-(
> 
> To my knowledge, it doesn't include language. The U.N. declaraion does
> not say that the State must provide english education to immigrants.
> 

U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26:-

"(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least
in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be
compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally
available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the
basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human
personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of
peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall
be given to their children"

The freedom to choose the kind of education that shall be given to one's
children is a fundamental human right.

Publicly funded English schools are available in Quebec. Denying access to
those schools is a violation of fundamental rights.

Denying access to publicly funded public services from certain classes of
individuals is unacceptable in a civilized democracy.

The law is discriminatory. It demonstrates intolerance. It is rascist in
nature and it is fascist in its application.

No I am not comparing Quebec to Nazi Germany or South Africa. Go look up 
the words "rascist" and "Fascist" in the dictionary.

> ]Why should franco citizens be treated differently from "vieux-souche" Quebec
> ]anglo citizens?
> 
> They aren't.
> 

Yes they are: Franco citizens can not send their children to the
English or French language school of their choice. "Vieux-souche" anglo
citizens can choose.

> ]Why should franco immigrants be treated differently from anglo immigrants?
> 
> They aren't: they all must attend school in the language of the
> society they live in.
> 

Yes they are: Franco immigrants can send their children to their own language
school. Anglo immigrants' children are declared "ineligible for instruction
in English".

Here again is another attempt to deny the legitimacy of the English community
in Quebec. Quebec is NOT a French language society - it is predominantly
French - but it is bilingual.

> ]Why should their be any discrimination against "immigrants" at all?
> 
> There is no discrimination againts immigrants. Schooling is in the
> language of the country. Anglo-quebecois have a priviledge however to
> send their kids to english schools.

Yes there is: immigrants (and citizens) landed since 26h august, 1977
can NOT choose the schooling they want for their children.

There are both French and English language ("of the country") schools in
Quebec.

"Anglo-quebecois" landed after 26th august, 1977 can NOT send their
children to English schools!!!

Choice of publicly funded schooling is NOT a privilege - it is a right.

-- 
  ///==================================================================\\\
  ||| Steve Potter:         steven%spxtech@CAM.ORG                     |||
  ||| Expertise/Experience: Computer Systems Engineering / Real Ale /  |||
  |||                       Politics in Education in Quebec            |||
Newsgroups: can.politics,soc.culture.canada