Frankly, I like those other Quebec values instead
I moved to Quebec from Ontario 20 years ago and live in Quebec’s Gatineau Hills, near Ottawa.
While I work in Ottawa — as so many of my neighbours do — I have made my life here in Quebec. I had my children here, and I am raising them here.
I do not want to change Quebec’s culture; nor do I want to weaken the French language. I understand why the French language must be protected, and I respect the uniqueness of Quebec culture. And until recently I have been proud of Quebec’s positions on social justice.
As a person who has travelled and as a teacher of English, I understand how English can “take over.” My own ancestors were forced to give up their mother tongue, Gaelic, when they moved to Canada. I would not demand the same of an immigrant today.
I fell in love with Quebec during my first visit to Montreal in May of 1980. It was just days after the referendum. Oui and Non seemed to spray-painted everywhere.
While I was just 12 years old then, I recognized the passion underlying the debate. My admiration for Quebec continued after I moved to Ottawa for uni- versity. Upon my first visit to the hills in Gatineau, I knew that I wanted to live here.
I made sure that my children were born in Quebec, even though I could have easily arranged for their births to take place in Ontario.
My children attend French school, even though I have the right to send them to English school. I struggle in French, but I am learning more as I help my children with their homework. I want them to be equipped to fully participate in Quebec society as adults.
It has been during this election campaign that my children have learned for the first time about the possibility of separation. They were very saddened, and they asked me why. I explained quite simply, “For a long time, French people in Quebec were not treated very well, even though the province is French. The English people were bossy and made it hard for them to get good jobs. The French people got frustrated and demanded more respect.”
Later we watched the movie The Rocket, and it was very clear to them. Things had been more than unfair.
A more difficult issue to explain has been the charter of values.
I can’t explain it, because it cannot be justified.
It is racist, in my view, and completely contradicts the provincial school curriculum, which teaches children respect for various cultures.
Furthermore, my daughter almost died of respiratory syncytial virus when she was just 2 weeks old. Two pediatricians at the Gatineau Hospital worked for hours to stabilize her, so that she could take an ambulance to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. One of them was an Arab Canadian. His ethnicity was irrelevant to me until the charter was tabled. He helped saved my daughter’s life.
What a loss if he felt that he could not practise in Quebec because he is not welcome.
In 2014, we cannot afford to be divided like this. Our province is rich in resources and intelligence. But it is going to take more for Quebec to truly flourish. It has to start with Quebec society being willing to view others with compassion and respect. These are the values that made me fall in love with Quebec in the first place.