Quebec fears for its life. This may be justified when one sees the disintegration and demise of their language, their culture and their society. But each move Quebec makes to safeguard its existence seems to be a slap in the face to English Canada. Even saying “English Canada” is wrong.
We are all Canada and we respect and are loyal to every part of the country. We are one, one nation, a great one. Many Canadians would agree, the best in the world with security, freedoms, liberty and more equality than other countries.
The problem is we are composed of people !
People fear. People bully. People attack. People commit crime. People are violent. Obvious, yes?
Yes, and as long as you have people you will have the mixture of good and bad, fair and unfair, respectful and disrepectful, gentle and bullies. There is no escaping that humanity has flawed members. But we need to learn how to deal with the flaws rather than retaliating. We need to find positive actions for living together rather than destructive ones. We need to be assertive not antagonistic.
Quebec’s latest defensive strategy is to consider banning use of “Bonjour – hi” as a greeting in retail stores. This is a very serious consideration. Quebec is very worried about the decline and disintegration of its very soul as English erodes their society. But to resort to legislation. Laws always fail in the face of changing society. The Internet is invading and eroding every part of the world, threatening evey native language everywhere.
We have laws against racism. Have they worked? Succeeded in eliminating racism? Ask your minority group neighbour. Ask Jagmeet Singh. Ask Althia Raj of the Huffington Post. The same legislative failure dooms language protection. Travel to Europe and watch how the locals will switch to English once they learn you are from an English speaking country. They fail to see that in switching to English they are abandoning their language roots.
Still, the answer does not lie in legislation. Rather it lies in the bravery and dedication of good people standing by and for their native roots, defending their ethical values and native principles by living them outwardly, publically and with pride. Whether you are colored, gay, disabled, challenged, stand tall and live who you are, not in attack of others, not in a defensive posture but with pride of being human and as deserving of respect and fair treatment as any other person.
Quebec promote who you are, stand tall for where you come from. Abandon the legislative bulwarks…instead do what you have been doing all along but do it more…speak French, publish and read French books, listen and broadcast French radio, watch and televise French TV, attend and produce French cinema…you are a part of the Canadian family and we love you as you are. But we hear your fears. Can you find ways to defend your society, reinforce your native, linguistic and social beauty in more constructive ways than legislation which smacks of failure and aggression?
