In its August 27th edition, the Montreal Gazette, that fucking rag, reported that Premier Marois stated that the PQ’s proposed charter of values would serve to unite Quebec, presumably Québécois of all stripes, as Bill 101 did in 1977, a year after Rene Levesque and the Parti Quebecois came to power for the first time in Quebec history.
Initially, upon reading this bullshit, I asked myself the following question: on what planet is Pauline Marois living? At first glance her contention that her party’s proposed charter of Quebec values would be a force for unity just as Bill 101 was would be laughable if it wasn’t either so serious a misperception of reality or a revision of history. In fact, Bill 101 divided Quebec and still does. Granted, over time, divisions over this act which made French Quebec’s official language have become less pronounced but to say that it was/is a unifying force at first glance reveals a warped view of what is and was really happening in our province. Two terms: pastagate and plastic spoons
Marois’ statement that the so-called values charter will unite Quebecois may in fact be truer than it appears at first glance, but not in the way anticipated by our loveable Premier. Whereas at first 65% of Québécois polled supported the charter, with time that number has fallen sharply to around a even split amongst all Québécois – anglophones, francophones, allophones and autochtones – 49% for 49% against. If this trend continues, the charter will unite Québécois all right, against this potentially very divisive and dangerous document.
In Friday’s aJuicyLesson #11, I surveyed some of what has gone on in Quebec over the past two weeks or so, beginning in Chicoutimi where a mosque was vandalised, and painted with pig’s blood. Then we saw a man berating a Moslem woman on a Montreal bus telling her to remove her “hat” and that the government will force her to do so. Two other acts of thuggery which occurred in the last little while were also newsworthy: an Anglican Church and a bathhouse catering mostly to Moslems were both vandalised and splashed with xenophobic slogans like “Go B(ack) to your country” and “Go home Greek”. Plus there was an incident which saw a child spat on as a result of his mother’s refusing to remove her head scarf, I think it was.
And Marois says that the charter will unite Québécois! So far that has proved to be very wrong unless, as I said, Quebecers of all stripes end up in a union against that document and all or most of what it implies.
Remember that the PQ’s party platform is built around the idea of Quebec sovereignty, its independence from the rest of Canada, and how best to go about obtaining it through the creation of so-called “winning conditions”, a term coined by Lucien Bouchard. The party and our beloved Premier do not care if their policies like the introduction of their charter cause an exodus of potential No voters from this province whether these people be allophone first and second generation immigrants to Canada (and Quebec), or anglophones, many of whom – around 160,000 mother tongue English people – have already emigrated since 1976.
Also, they apparently don’t give a shit about antagonising the federal government or other provinces with their mindless crap. Anything to further the cause. By driving people out, by pissing off the Feds as well as other provincial governments like Ontario, which has just passed a law stating that it will never contemplate legislation which would restrict religious freedom, referendum “winning conditions” will be created, or so goes their argument. I am growing to dislike Marois’ face…most definitely.
Thanks.