Anglophones and religious minorities should co-operate
Re: “‘No to the charter’ rally draws thousands” (Gazette, Dec. 16)
The battle for linguistic rights cannot be won solely by the anglo community.
My friends and I have decided to reach out to religious groups that are brutally targeted by Bill 60. The anglophone community also has been targeted, in Sections 40 and 41. Bill 60 would revamp the Quebec charter of rights, enshrining the primacy of the French language in the charter.
We have been welcomed with open arms, each and every time we have attended a demonstration. The religious minorities, especially the Muslim women and men at Saturday’s rally by Bel Agir, were very interested in what we had to say. French-language media were, of course, absent from the event. There were about 2,000 to 3,000 people. The guest speakers spoke in French, English, and Arabic.
If anglophones are going to achieve anything as a community, it is quite clear that we cannot go it alone.
As a community, we have to reach out to all Québécois — French, English, religious minorities — and we have to have a dialogue. All the little petty fiefdoms have done precious little.
The anglophone community has to get its head out of the sand. If a community like the Muslim community can have demonstration after demonstration, with thousands of people, what is wrong with anglophones? The religious minorities that we met and talked with were incredibly welcoming.
Bill 60 is a double whammy. It targets the remaining anglos and aims to send us packing; it targets religious minorities by playing identity politics. The only way to defeat it is to work together.