From: fveillet@veietto.uucp (Francois Veillette)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.followup
Subject: Bill 178
Date: 23 Jul 92 17:14:40 GMT
Organization: Veietto, Private Site, Montreal, Canada

From article <1992Jul22.150101.16722@spxtech.qc.ca>, by steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steven C. Potter):
[ Lot of interesting stuff deleted ]

>    Bill 178 was the "trigger" for me - which was after less than 10 years,
>    but Yes, I have discovered a profound injustice and I wouldn't go
>    quite so far as to say that I was crying "persecution" - but I am
>    definitely making a noise about it!

A lot of articles refered to Bill 178 lately, I'd like to give
the point of view of a "Quebecois pure laine"...

First of all, a few historical points:
  . In 1976, Bill 101 make the French language the OFFICIAL language
    of Quebec.  But by Federal constitution, the bills of the provinces
    must be write in both French and English to be legal.

  . In 1982, The new Canada constitution, makes French and English
    official languages of Canada.  P.E. Trudeau really put Quebec
    apart because this constitution will invalidate the Bill 101.
    Quebec used his veto and didn't sign it.

  . In 1988, after a long debate, the Supreme court of Canada invalidate
    some articles of the Bill 101.  Including the ones about the
    "affichage commercial".

  . This made a hole in the law and the Bill 178 patches it.

The Bill 178 involved a five years withdraw clause to be adopted,
which made big waves in Quebec and Canada.

The Bill could be resume by this: The highest court of Canada has
decided: this is illegal.  We don't know how to solve the problem,
let's be illegal for the next five years.  By the time we will
have found something to resolve it.

In the Meech lake accord, the "distinct society clause" was there
to legally solve the problem and terminate Bill 178 (IMHO).  
At that time, it was asking too much to Canada and we still are 
sticking with the problem.

Today, the Quebec problem is still there, but we added the senate
problem, the distribution of power problem and the native problem.
This is an impossible task to solve all of them at the same time,
it is the challenge that Joe Clark has taken.

I must say I don't like the Bill 178 since the beginning, simply
because it is a patch and doesn't solve anything.  Beside it
has made the Anglophone community of Quebec angry by telling them
You don't exist anymore.

So I say to Steve Potter: I respect the English face of Quebec
and you have the right to fight for it.  I do not agree with
your opinion but I respect it.  You shouldn't care about
Bill 178, the five years are almost over anyway.  You should
care about the next step.  If Quebec separates from Canada,
we (Quebec) will have all the power over the language and
I think that we will give the place they deserve to the Anglophones.
If we stay with Canada, Quebec will continue to be defensive
about the growing Anglophone community.

	A bientot,

P.S. I'm not a lawer or an historian and I wrote the facts, all from
     memory, so I could be wrong about some facts.  

--
Francois Veillette, Montreal CANADA
E-mail: fveillet@veietto.UUCP 
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