Working toward harmony

The best slogan of the recent election campaign was “Ensemble — Together,” used by the Liberals. I’m more hopeful that we will have a more inclusive Quebec. But it is not just up to the government to create this. We need both anglophones and francophones to help bring about this harmony. We have to end the two solitudes.

What the government can do to help this cause is improve the quality of French and English classes in both school systems and provide more opportunities for members of both groups to practise their second languages. Neither community should minimize the importance of the other’s language.

I hope for a Quebec where nobody is judged by their mother tongue, accent or culture — a Quebec where everybody can talk to one another. Am I right to be hopeful or should I go right back to being pessimistic? Philippe Cloutier

Brossard

Re: “Searle in bull’s eye after anti-separatist statements” (Gazette, April 12)

We just extinguished a major political fire with the Liberal victory last week, and here comes N.D.G. councillor Jeremy Searle lighting a match a few metres away from a gas station.

Why would he make a statement saying that separatists should be “eradicated like the ash-boring bugs”? Barely a week has passed since Philippe Couillard had declared that he wants unity in this province. This comment by Searle created more hurdles for the newly elected Liberal government.

Of course we all accept there will be differences between federalist and separatist views, but Searle should not have used those words. Some may say that it was acceptable and we shouldn’t blow it out of proportion. I disagree. Statements like this can fuel the already-high tension that exists in our society — the Société-St-Jean-Baptiste is already making noise. This cannot be swept under the rug and I feel it is imperative that Searle make a public apology.

I firmly believe that one key to eliminating division among Quebecers is to “eradicate” extreme and aggressive comments on both sides of the political spectrum. I myself am a federalist who believes that an open hand extended to sovereignists, rather than a closed fist, can solve our problems; it will unite us rather than divide us. It is all in the approach to things.

Quebec is a peaceful society; why wouldn’t this work? Mario Jacinto Rimbao

Brossard

Independent Loyola city councillor Jeremy Searle’s comments at last Tuesday’s borough council meeting with respect to eradicating the sovereignty movement have been widely reported in the francophone media and have set off a firestorm of complaints and criticism. Both the mayor of Montreal and borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce have called on him to publicly apologize. He has yet to do so, even outright refusing to do so in an interview with Benoît Dutrizac on Friday afternoon.

There have been numerous calls for his resignation on Twitter, and the condemnation of his reckless and insensitive remarks has not been limited to the francophone community. Indeed, many anglophones have stated that Searle’s remarks are not representative of Quebec’s anglophone population and are rightly concerned this statement will result in a backlash against the anglo community.

Whatever one’s feelings on sovereignty, likening it to the Emerald Ash Borer and suggesting it should be eradicated is highly inappropriate and intolerant.

Furthermore, for an elected official to make such statements at a borough council meeting while exercising his official functions is inappropriate. Elected officials are representatives of their constituents. Surely these statements are not representative of the residents of the Loyola district. If Searle insists on speaking only for himself, and not his constituents at council meetings, he should resign. Jennifer Crane

Montreal

Well, now that all the smoke has dissipated, we should not necessarily sit back with smug looks upon our faces. There will be another election in 2018. If not the PQ, then there will be other parties that will encourage voters to vote for separatism, or perhaps renew the charter of values, or some other law that infringes on someone’s right to either speak the language that is their mother tongue or wear what their religion dictates.

Most of the English population between the ages of five and 45 who have lived here all their lives are bilingual. However, and I am one of them, those over 45 are not necessarily fluent in French. So is it so difficult for us to say Bonjour/Hi, and if we are either not comfortable in French or, for that matter, have been neglectful of the obvious, could we not at least learn to say “Bonjour/Hi, Je ne parle pas français”? It really won’t hurt and will show respect for the fact that it is, after all, a French province.

Now is the time to mend fences. It is now that we must take steps to see that things like the fear the last election put before us does not reoccur. It is only by asking the right questions that people can educate themselves as to making a correct decision on matters such as religion and language. The time to do that is now. David L. Mitchell

Baie-d’Urfé

We have just undergone another electoral process in which the population of Quebec has once again rejected the separation option. This is a tribute to the “Canadian model” — how to deal with two separate peoples, their different cultures and different values.

Our country has been far from perfect. The approach to aboriginals that began with outright exploitation has been far less successful and still leaves much to be desired. And the first 200 years of dealings with French Canadians were often heavyhanded and unjust, although over the last 50 years, most of the imbalances have been corrected. And I cannot think of another country that has better managed its dealings with a minority population.

We need to share this expertise with the world. Really! Nationalism — of any kind — is always a mediocre ideal. In fact, nationalism at its essence is just a form of collective egotism. Joel Ibrahim Kreps

Dorval