'Enough about the hijab'

[maldon_road]

This will pit those who think Quebec should take a 'conventional' approach to multi-culturalism (that we all live together respecting differences) against those who think the French language needs 'special protection' and that any efforts at accommodation weaken that.

'Enough about the hijab'

Quebecers should accept head scarf and move on, report concludes

There's nothing wrong with it. It's no real threat to Quebec values. And most women here wear it by choice, not because of coercion.

That's what the Bouchard-Taylor commission has concluded after a year of study costing $5 million.

"And in the end, what happens to the freedom of each and every one to display her deeply held convictions, as long as they don't impinge on the rights of others and don't lead to anybody being put out?," Gérard Bouchard and Charles Taylor write.

"And in the end, what happens to the freedom of each and every one to display her deeply held convictions, as long as they don't impinge on the rights of others and don't lead to anybody being put out?," Gérard Bouchard and Charles Taylor write.

In the final draft of their report - which was submitted to the provincial government yesterday and is to be made public at a press conference Thursday - scholars Gérard Bouchard and Charles Taylor say Quebec society will have a lot to lose if it restricts the wearing of the Muslim head scarf strictly to the home and outdoors.

Saying the province's 130,000 Muslims, especially Arab Muslim immigrants, are "along with blacks, the group that is the most touched by different forms of discrimination" in Quebec, Bouchard and Taylor plead for an end to bickering over the hijab.

"Let's finish with the head scarf, which has caused so much distress in the last few years," the reasonable accommodation commission's chairmen say in their report, parts of which The Gazette obtained last week....

(full story)

HIJAB

[CANADIEN]

This will pit those who think Quebec should take a 'conventional' approach to multi-culturalism (that we all live together respecting differences) against those who think the French language needs 'special protection' and that any efforts at accommodation weaken that.

'Enough about the hijab'

(full story)

HIJAB

Hear Hear

[Leafless]

This will pit those who think Quebec should take a 'conventional' approach to multi-culturalism (that we all live together respecting differences) against those who think the French language needs 'special protection' and that any efforts at accommodation weaken that.

One would assume that Quebec, the province that has gained the most via official multiculturalism would not want to open a 'cultural can of worms' by objecting to trivial nonsense, like objecting to a 'head scarf' the hijab of another minority culture.

[sharkman]

What's this, some in Quebec think the French language needs 'special protection' and that any efforts at accommodation weaken that?

In a province where having a sign on your store of the wrong language brings the language police on the run, don't tell me some of you are surprised they take a dim view of the Muslim culture.

BTW, I'd love to find out about this study, the background of the authors and their biases, and who commissioned them to do it.

[maldon_road]

BTW, I'd love to find out about this study, the background of the authors and their biases, and who commissioned them to do it.

Not a secret. "Gérard Bouchard, a prominent Chicoutimi sociologist and historian, and Charles Taylor, a world-renowned Montreal philosopher" are the authors. Commission established by Premier Charest. It will be released officially on Thursday.

[CANADIEN]

What's this, some in Quebec think the French language needs 'special protection' and that any efforts at accommodation weaken that?

In a province where having a sign on your store of the wrong language brings the language police on the run, don't tell me some of you are surprised they take a dim view of the Muslim culture.

BTW, I'd love to find out about this study, the background of the authors and their biases, and who commissioned them to do it.

It's not a study. These two guys were commissioned by the provincial government about 15 months ago to go across the province and hear what people had to say about "reasonnable accommodation" towards immigrants. One of the two commissioners, Charles Taylor, is an English-speaking McGill Univeristy philosophy professor, one of the world's top political philosophers. The other one is Gérard Bouchard, an historian.

For the most part of 1987, they held public hearings throughout the province. They've heard it all. The tolerant people, the misinformed, the ignorants, the plain racists and the complete idiots (like the guy who denounced... fluor in the water ) were able to tell in public what their counterpart in the rest of the country only say in private... or on the Web.

At time it looked like a circus, at time the commissioners got angry at some of the c*ap they heard. And interestingly enough the wrose was heard in the "regions", where there are few immigrants, instead of Montreal where one would expect the tensions to be the worse.

[guyser]

And interestingly enough the wrose was heard in the "regions", where there are few immigrants, instead of Montreal where one would expect the tensions to be the worse.

Why that sounds vaguely familiar.....(substitute Montreal for our other major cities.)

[JB Globe]

Why that sounds vaguely familiar.....(substitute Montreal for our other major cities.)

Because of course, the people who are the most xenophobic tend to be the people who have the least amount of contact with people who are different from themselves.

And that's not a cliche, that's a truism.

[guyser]

Because of course, the people who are the most xenophobic tend to be the people who have the least amount of contact with people who are different from themselves.

And that's not a cliche, that's a truism.

you better duck....

(fyi-I agree)

[sharkman]

That doesn't quite line up with the language laws and everything else they do in Montreal to stifle English culture.

[M.Dancer]

That doesn't quite line up with the language laws and everything else they do in Montreal to stifle English culture.

Except montreal is more english now than it has been in 75 years.....

[Borg]

Gimme a break - kebec is a separate country within a country - that makes its own rules - and the rest of canada falls right along. Average kebecers want the scarf gone and that means the topic will be around for a long time.

Nothing canada can do about it - accept franco racism as being part of their culture and move along.

Borg

Edited May 21, 2008 by Borg

[CANADIEN]

Except montreal is more english now than it has been in 75 years.....

I would not go that far, but the fact is a lot of te push for tougher language laws iss liekly to come from the regions, where English would not be of a preserce anyway.

[M.Dancer]

Gimme a break - kebec is a separate country within a country - that makes its own rules - and the rest of canada falls right along. Average kebecers want the scarf gone and that means the topic will be around for a long time.

Nothing canada can do about it - accept franco racism as being part of their culture and move along.

Borg

Let me know when they pass a law....

[CANADIEN]

Gimme a break - kebec is a separate country within a country - that makes its own rules - and the rest of canada falls right along. Average kebecers want the scarf gone and that means the topic will be around for a long time.

Nothing canada can do about it - accept franco racism as being part of their culture and move along.

Borg

Let's we forget... that there is nobody west of the Ottawa river who ever complains about headscarves, or turbans, or multiculturalism... or are childish enough to misspell Quebec on purpose.

[August1991]

What a nonsensical thread. It's like listening to two rednecks in Alabama discussing Canada. I'll randomly pick your comments CDN to respond.

I would not go that far, but the fact is a lot of te push for tougher language laws iss liekly to come from the regions, where English would not be of a preserce anyway.

On the contrary, the Bill 101 was largely written for Montreal where it has had its main impact and its strongest supporters. Outside of Montreal, the law is largely unnecessary and even meaningless.

And interestingly enough the wrose was heard in the "regions", where there are few immigrants, instead of Montreal where one would expect the tensions to be the worse.

What do you mean by "worse"? Since time immemorial, city slickers look upon rural folk as backward and ignorant and country bumpkins look upon city folk as out of touch with reality. Some of the most determined racists are found in large cities.

-----

For what it's worth, here's my opinion on this. First, Quebec is a French-speaking society surrounded by an English-speaking continent. Second, Quebecers have a long history that includes many years under British, protestant colonial rule. Third, French Quebec is a tightly knit society. There are only several thousand family names in Quebec and the Quebec accent is distinctive.

IMO, French Quebecers have a solid cultural anchor and are generally open to the outside world. They travel easily and well. Many place names in North America have a French origin or are the French version of Indian names.

In all likelihood, this Bouchard-Taylor Report will finish like many others - on an expensive shelf. Mario Dumont seems to have resumed it well in a few words:

"La notion d'ouverture est très forte, très présente naturellement chez les Québécois. Les Québécois sont un peuple extrêmement ouvert. C'est bien, on ne peut jamais au fond l'être trop. Là où il faut être capable de tracer la ligne, c'est entre l'ouverture d'esprit et l'à-plat-ventrisme", a fait valoir mardi le chef de l'opposition officielle.

...

"Si la conclusion du rapport, c'est qu'il n'y avait pas de problème, puis que le problème est dans la tête de la majorité, c'est évident que ça aurait été une immense année de perte de temps, ça aura été une immense année gaspillée", a-t-il dit.

Link

Here's

's take on the Commission.

[CANADIEN]

What a nonsensical thread. It's like listening to two rednecks in Alabama discussing Canada. I'll randomly pick your comments CDN to respond.

On the contrary, the Bill 101 was largely written for Montreal where it has had its main impact and its strongest supporters. Outside of Montreal, the law is largely unnecessary and even meaningless.

What do you mean by "worse"? Since time immemorial, city slickers look upon rural folk as backward and ignorant and country bumpkins look upon city folk as out of touch with reality. Some of the most determined racists are found in large cities.

-----

For what it's worth, here's my opinion on this. First, Quebec is a French-speaking society surrounded by an English-speaking continent. Second, Quebecers have a long history that includes many years under British, protestant colonial rule. Third, French Quebec is a tightly knit society. There are only several thousand family names in Quebec and the Quebec accent is distinctive.

IMO, French Quebecers have a solid cultural anchor and are generally open to the outside world. They travel easily and well. Many place names in North America have a French origin or are the French version of Indian names.

In all likelihood, this Bouchard-Taylor Report will finish like many others - on an expensive shelf. Mario Dumont seems to have resumed it well in a few words:Link

Here's

's take on the Commission.

My comments on the language legislation come from hearing from people from Quebec. And I am not talking about 5 or 10 here. Most of the comments I've heard about the "need to strenghtenlanguage laws" came from those outside Montreal.

As for the Taylor-Bouchard circus, Radio-Canada had enough of it on the late-night news. And the bulk of the "there's too many of them", "they are taking our jobs" and other non-sense was said at the hearings OUTSIDE of Montreal. This is not a comment about big city people vs small city and rural people, but a comment about those who have been in contact with immigrants vs those who hav had limited contact with them.

At least the better and the worse was aired in public.

Edited May 21, 2008 by CANADIEN

[CANADIEN]

Mario Dumont is nothing more than a little demagogue who plays the "us vs them" card to get votes.

[maldon_road]

Except montreal is more english now than it has been in 75 years.....

Not more English. Less French. As the immigrants move onto the island of Montreal, francophones move out. If you go around the periphery of the island - past Vaudreuil, in Laval, on the South Shore you will see significant housing developments. As francophones move there the newcomers take their place in Montreal.

[madmax]

What a nonsensical thread. It's like listening to two rednecks in Alabama discussing Canada. I'll randomly pick your comments CDN to respond.

[M.Dancer]

Not more English. Less French. As the immigrants move onto the island of Montreal, francophones move out. If you go around the periphery of the island - past Vaudreuil, in Laval, on the South Shore you will see significant housing developments. As francophones move there the newcomers take their place in Montreal.

Never the less, when a Greek meets an Armenian they say Hello....I should have said...more anglophone than....

As well, more and more francophone and anglophones meet...and marry....and raise their children bilingually.

[myata]

The commission should have been named "unreasonable xenofobia" instead. Like that village in Quebec that adopted some stupid, special law for immigrants. There're laws and there're rights, and there's no need for any reasonable, or unreasonable "accommodations" beyond that.

[maldon_road]

Never the less, when a Greek meets an Armenian they say Hello....I should have said...more anglophone than....

As well, more and more francophone and anglophones meet...and marry....and raise their children bilingually.

Those persons who want to fully participate in Quebec society will learn to speak French. Those that want to be part of Canada will learn English also.

Bilingualism is becoming more of a reality for non-francophones in Quebec. Even those parents who don't speak French ensure their kids can.