From: clamen@CS.CMU.EDU (Stewart Clamen)
Subject: Anglo rights in Quebec (was: Canadian Collectivism)
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
	<1992Aug14.231553.8407@spxtech.qc.ca>
Reply-To: clamen+@CS.CMU.EDU
Distribution: can
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1992 12:05:22 GMT
X-Posted-From: byron.sp.cs.cmu.edu
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu


In article <CLAMEN.92Aug14021020@BYRON.SP.CS.CMU.EDU>, by clamen@CS.CMU.EDU
  Stewart Clamen writes (among other things) :-

 > 
 > No legitimate political leader in Quebec has ever spoken about denying
 > non-Francophones rights in a sovereign Quebec.  For consistency, the
 > moment Quebec becomes independent (I don't want it to happen either,
 > by the way), I would expect you to defend any Quebec nationalist who
 > wanted to shut down publically-funded English schools on the grounds
 > that every Quebecer is equal, and thus not entitled to anything more
 > than the neighbourhood French-language public school.
 >


In article <1992Aug14.231553.8407@spxtech.qc.ca> steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steven C. Potter) writes:

     Stewart, your position on this is not clear here.

     I have heard the peculiar assertion that all Quebecers are equal
     and since Quebec is "French" all Quebecers must be "French"; or a
     complete failure to acknowledge that English is a legitimate part
     of Quebec life.

Not so peculiar, as I see Robin "Frank" Collins saying pretty much the
same thing in the original article of this thread.

I see some of that too (the only net person anywhere close to
representing this opinion is Denis), but the majority are only saying
that all mainstream Quebecers should be able to function in French.  I
don't see this as the same thing.

     Quebec nationalists make a habit of talking about English in
     Quebec as if it were a foreign language - particularly when they
     are trying to justify denying access to English school for
     English people (landed immigrants or Canadian citizens) who have
     come here since Bill 101 was passed.

This problem (and others) notwithstanding, the English language and
the anglophone community do command a considerable number of rights
and privileges in Quebec.  By virtue of the Canadian Constitution
Acts, English is an official language in the provincial courts and in
the National Assembly.  By virtue of various Quebec laws, hospitals
with a majority-anglophone (or any other language) clientele are
allowed to function bilingually (I would like to see this "majority"
rule improved to "plurality", myself).  Similarly with municipal
government.  (As a result, many of the western communities on Montreal
Island (Westmount, TMR/VMR, Hampstead, Cote-St-Luc, Dorval, etc.) are
bilingual municipalities.) Anglophones (in fact, all language
communities) are allowed to form and manage official social service
organizations in their own language.  All provincial forms and
documents are available in English, and all government services are
available in English.  By virtue of the new Education Act, anglophones
have the right to establish their own school boards and to manage
their own schools (something that is finally, after 77 years,
happening for franco-Albertans).


In article <CLAMEN.92Aug14021020@BYRON.SP.CS.CMU.EDU>, by clamen@CS.CMU.EDU
  Stewart Clamen writes (among other things) :-

   > 
   > Now personally, I hope that an independent Quebec would be at least as
   > sensitive to the concerns of its English-speaking minority as it is
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   > now, granting them certain rights and privileges that they would not
     ^^^ sensitive? - sensitive?

   > have the political power to demand independently (at the founding
   > constitutional convention).  Such actions would be the act of a
   > Liberal Democracy.  But a more right-wing Quebec, committed to
   > assimilating its minorities by granting everyone EQUAL access to
   > French-language public education, French-language government services,
   > French-language radio and television stations, a French-language
   > judiciary, and French-language electoral ballots could still be
   > democratic.

In article <1992Aug14.231553.8407@spxtech.qc.ca> steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steven C. Potter) writes:

     So long as the English in Quebec accept the fact that they don't exist!

Anglophone Quebecers are well-represented (numerically, anyways) in
the National Assembly.  They clearly exist.  And, as we both now, many
(nationalistic) francophone Quebecers think we are more numerous,
powerful, and well-off than we actually are.

Oh, two sensitivity examples.  The education committee that Gretta
Chambers chaired, the one that documented the demographic crisis
facing English-language schools?  The one that suggested that the
children of (recent) immigrants from English-speaking countries be
allowed to attend English sector schools?  The one which researched
and generated the number you keep repeating?  Do you think it formed
by itself or something?  It was a GOVERNMENT committee.

Last summer, the (Montreal) Gazette observed that anglophones were
greatly underepresented among the Quebec civil service.  One week
later, the Minister Responsible announced a program to improve the
situation, and invited anglophone Quebecers to apply.  (A very small
number did.  Not too surprising considering the highly-nationalistic
atmosphere in the Quebec civil service.)

Anglophones are not "ignored" in Quebec.


I will add that an independent Quebec would be obliged to retain for
its anglophone minority most of the rights and privileges they already
enjoy.  Linguistic guarantees in a Quebec constitution would be
required in order to prevent a wholesale anglophone migration, an act
which would have significant (possibly even severe) economic
consequences, both locally and internationally.


--
Stewart M. Clamen			Internet:    clamen@cs.cmu.edu
School of Computer Science		UUCP: 	     uunet!"clamen@cs.cmu.edu"
Carnegie Mellon University		Phone: 	     +1 412 268 2145
5000 Forbes Avenue			Fax:	     +1 412 268 5739
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890, USA
Xref: sparky can.politics:5934 soc.culture.canada:5758