From: steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steven C. Potter)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.general
Subject: Re: The rights of Steve Potter
Date: 22 Jul 92 19:01:00 GMT
Organization: Securiplex Technologies Inc., Montreal, Canada
X-Bytes: 10600

From article <1992Jul21.175727.23341@pandora.matrox.com>, by thood@corvus.matrox.com (Thomas Hood):
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> original text              [translator's comments...       Vive le Net libre!]
> = unauthorized translation   [~] [?] [??] approximate, uncertain, uncomprehended
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> jmp@comback.uucp (Jean Marc Pigeon) writes:
> 
>>	I wrote the following mainly in french, (reason is explained in
>>	the "PS"), I hope, at least some of, the English netlander will find
>>	that interesting. :-}} do not give up the "PS of PS" is in English!
> 
> 
>>	Tres chere Steven,
> = Dear Steven,
> 
>>	J'ai lu attentivement vos derniers ecrits, je crains qu'ils
>>	ne donnent raison aux tenants d'une loi 101 "pure et dure".
> = I have closely read your last articles; I fear that they do 
> = nothing but give support to supporters of Law 101, hard and pure.

   For some members of the English community this "Access to English
   schools" issue is a demographic issue; it is a question of survival
   for some. For me it is a clear "Human Rights" issue. My attitude to
   this issue antagonises the people I need to persuade. I am still
   learning (through forums like this network) how to temper my anger
   and frustration with rational, researched, argument.

   Hard and pure defenders of Bill 101 will not listen to the likes of me.

   I must appeal to the moral and reasonable segment of the French
   population in this province - those who sit quietly on the fence over
   there - listening but not speaking out.

> 
>>	Si je comprend bien, vous etes arrives au Quebec vers l'an de grace
>>	1981, vous avez eu; en Angleterre; des entretiens en francais et 
>>	en anglais, vous y avez ete loyalement prevenu qu'une part de votre
>>	CONTRAT (votre emigration au Quebec) etait que vos enfants iraient
>>	a l'ecole en francais.
> = If I understand well, you arrived in Quebec in the year of Our Lord
> = 1981; you had, in England, interviews in French and in English;
> = you were carefully warned that one aspect of your CONTRACT (your
> = emigration to Quebec) was that your children would be schooled
> = in French.

  I landed in September, 1980; I was very definitely NOT "loyalement prevenu"
  (carefully warned) anything; there was no CONTRACT.
  I was advised, in passing, that any children I might have would be
  expected to attend French school in Quebec.
  As I said in a letter (recently published in several newspapers, including
  the Gazette) :-

      "Given that I perceived a vibrant and secure English-speaking community
    in Montreal at that time, and a referendum result indicating that the
    people of Quebec had chosen Canada, I thought that the opportunity to
    send my children to a French school in Quebec might be a bonus.

       The reality that I found here is quite different.

       The Quebec government has actively taken measures to suppress the
    English language in this province ...."

    Immigration department officials are not making the situation clear to
    potential newcomers to this country.
  
> 
>>	Apres plus de 10 ans au Quebec, vous semblez decouvrir une profonde
>>	injustice et crier a la persecution!
> = After more than 10 years in Quebec, you seem to have discovered
> = a profound injustice and are crying persecution!
>

   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!
 
>>	Je suis surpris, tout ce passe comme si vous avez vecu au Quebec
>>	en "vase clos" contemplant le "fait francais" du Quebec comme
>>	un folklore riche et original. Vous semblez etre l'archetype du
>>	"colonisateur britanique :-1/2}" (tel que decrit par les Quebecois
>>	"pure laine"), il n'est pas question pour vous de vous adaptez 
>>	aux coutumes de la "populace". Vous donnez, par le fait meme, raison
>>	a ceux qui voient dans l'arsenal des lois 101 et 178 le seul
>>	moyen de faire comprendre aux emigrants, que le Quebec est
>>	aussi une culture (et pas seulement un archaisme folklorique).
> = I am surprised, all this has happened as if you have lived in Quebec
> = in an ivory tower, regarding the "French fact" of Quebec as a
> = rich and original folklore.  You seem to be the archetype of a
> = "British colonialist :-1/2}" (as described by pure-laine Quebecois).
> = There is no question of adapting to the customs of the "populace."
> = You give, by this fact alone, reason to those who see in the
> = arsenal of laws 101 and 178 the only way to make emigrants
> = understand, that Quebec is also a culture (and not just an folkloric
> = archaism).

  I came to Quebec partly because of the PREDOMINANCE of the French
  language - I thought it would be a good place to improve my own
  French. 

  Now here again there seems to be an attempt to deny the existence of an
  English community in Quebec. I have said before - The "French face of
  Quebec is a masque"!

  Your reluctance, nay, your refusal to accept the fact that I am English
  (a ludicrous position for you in view of my origin) does nothing to
  encourage me to work on improving my French language skills. C'est une
  ironie! (That's an irony!)

  I have understood all along that Quebec is Predominantly French - In
  its language, its culture and its history. I have also understood that
  there is an English language, culture and history here. I have also
  understood that I would be welcome here. Our histories are so closely
  intertwined that we are almost cousins.

> 
>>	Mon sentiment est que: jusqu'a maintenant, vous avez ete capable
>>	de vivre dans une "superbe ignorance", mais parceque vous enfants
>>	sont obliges d'aller a l'ecole en francais, vous vous sentez une
>>	sorte de demi membre de votre communaute; avez vous le sentiment
>>	de ne plus faire pleinement partie de "l'elite"?
> = My feeling is that: until now, you have been able to live in
> = "blissful ignorance" [~], but because your children are obliged to
> = go to school in French, you feel like a kind of half-member of your
> = community; do you have the feeling of no longer being fully part
> = of "the elite"?

   Of course I feel like a demi membre de ma communaute for the reason
   you have supplied; but I was never a part of "l'elite" (If I understand
   the term correctly) - I have come from a working class background with
   a grammar school education. If I were a member of the "Elite" I would
   probably be able to afford to place my children in Private English
   schooling. The "Elite" that can afford such privileges includes a
   number of influential francophone politicians and business leaders!

   The idea of a (sometimes hypocritical) privileged "Elite" class having
   access to services that they will not permit to others not in their
   social class disgusts me. That is a "class" issue - something that 
   probably enables me to understand your cause better than you realise.

>>	
>>	Nous pourrions debattre longtemps pour savoir si la majorite
>>	de la population ne choisit pas une option "suicidaire" en
>>	s'obstinant "au fait francais en nord Amerique", neansmoins en
>>	tant qu'emigrant nous avons fait un choix; ce choix a pour corollaire
>>	d'en assumer les devoirs, si dans le cas qui vous preoccupe, la
>>	charge est trop lourde, vous pouvez toujours allez voir (comme le
>>	dirait avec tant de grace Mr Chretien), les "Si Belles Montagnes
>>	Rocheuses" de plus pres.
> = We could debate a long time to decide whether the majority
> = of the population would not choose a "suicidal" option in persisting
> = as "the French fact in North America" [~]; nevertheless as an
> = emigrant we have made a choice; this choice has as a corollary
> = the assumption of duties; if in your case, the burden is too much,
> = you can always go and see (as Mr. Chretien so gracefully said)
> = the "beautiful Rockies" close up.

  My "duty", as proclaimed by Serge Joyal on the occasion of my obtaining
  Canadian citienship:-

     "From this point forward, as a Canadian citizen, you will share
      fully in the rights and privileges enjoyed by all Canadians. At
      the same time, you assume the special responsbility of protecting
      and preseving the principles of democracy and human freedom which
      are the cornerstones of our nation."

  I am taking that "special responsibility" very seriously!

> 
>>	Je suis, dans mon propos, un peu dur j'en conviens, mais 
>>	amicale quand meme, (je dois dire que certain de vos ecrits
>>	me semblent (volontairement?) bien naifs et pas mal tendancieux).
> = I am, in this case, a bit hard I admit, but still friendly.
> = (I must say that some of your writings seem to me (deliberately?)
> = pretty naive and quite tendentious).

   I try to write simply so that more people may understand me.

   My sense of humour, based on my British (London even!) upbringing,
   sometimes leads to a subtlety of phrase that may not always be
   fully understood by my anglophone colleagues in Canada let alone
   my francophone colleagues. There are people like Thomas and Christopher
   to keep an eye out for us!

> 
>>PS:
>>	C'est volontairement que j'ai ecrit ce texte tout en francais,
>>	je suppose qu'apres plus de 10 ans au Quebec vous avez une 
>>	connaissance du francais autre que de niveau scolaire (et par le 
>>	fait meme que vous n'etes pas un "colonisateur britanique" :-}} )
> = PS:
> = It is voluntarily that I have written this text all in French;
> = I suppose that after more than 10 years in Quebec you have a
> = knowledge of French higher than school-level (and by this fact
> = alone that you are not a "British colonialist" :-}} )
> 

  Je peux assez bien m'exprimer en francaise. Mais en partie que je suis
  "lazy", en partie que je peux mieux m'exprimer avec l'usage de ma
  langue maternelle, en partie que je ne suis pas accepte comme membre de
  ma propre communaute anglaise, j'utilise ma langue naturelle.

  I am a British colonialist to the extent that I complain about the Beer,
  the weather, the food and so on :-)

-- 
  ///==================================================================\\\
  ||| Steve Potter:         steven%spxtech@CAM.ORG                     |||
  ||| Expertise/Experience: Computer Systems Engineering / Real Ale /  |||
  |||                       Politics in Education in Quebec            |||