A brief note to my French Canadian friends:

06/26/2021

  The Jewish people have a culture that has flourished for over 5,000
years. Our culture has survived Pharos and Furer's. We speak English
in New York and London, French in Paris, Italian in Rome, etc., etc.
No laws were ever needed to "protect" our culture. In fact, the Jewish
culture survived laws in many countries designed to do just the
opposite.

In Quebec, we survived being kept out of schools, hospitals,
neighborhoods, and universities, being denied employment in
establishment businesses, being denied access to hotels and clubs, and
being prohibited the right to own certain choice real estate.

But our culture survives and flourishes. It is because Jews have
confidence. Instead of worrying about losing our culture, we bear
down, celebrate, and grow our culture, ignoring external factors over
which usually we have little or no control.

French Canadians have a strong culture: their sense of family, their
unique humour, their music and theatre, their cuisine, and their joie
de vivre, to list a few. Yes, language is a part of French Canadian
culture, but speaking another language (or more) does not weaken the
culture. Rather it makes French Canadians more successful and thus
strengthens their culture. The ability of Quebecers to master other
languages makes them more successful. A people's success strengthens
their culture.

Again, just look at the Jewish people. Our ancestors spoke Yiddish.
Most of us do not. Losing "our" language did not lose our culture.

Up until 1960, the Catholic Church, in concert with successive
Quebec governments (Maurice Duplessis being a prime example),
controlled and oppressed the French Canadians, forcing them to be
insular and afraid of the world. Business was bad (the Université de
Montreal had no business faculty!), going to church, being educated by
the church, and having 10 kids were the answers to their "survival".
For no reason, they were made to fear losing their culture. It didn't
help them, it hurt them.

In 1960, the Quiet Revolution finally allowed French Canada to
escape their Church. But their paranoia of losing their "culture"
remains.

Equipping Quebecers with the ability to speak other languages
(primarily English, the language of international business,
communication, and entertainment) makes them stronger, NOT weaker.
Embracing and becoming a major part of globalism and welcoming other
cultures does not weaken French Canadian culture, it makes it
stronger. Success breads survival and flourishing of a culture.

A French Canadian who masters English and works on Wall Street or in
Hollywood is a success. A French Canadian playing for a US NHL team
and speaking to his coach and teammates in English is not a failure,
but a success. Céline Dion is a wonderful example.

These people are still French Canadians, just like a Jew, Italian or
Frenchman living in another country is still a Jew, an Italian, or a
Frenchman. You CANNOT erase what a person is. You CANNOT erase
culture. You CANNOT legislate culture.

And now, sixty years after shedding their Church's control, French
Canadians are being suckered into another trap, a trap designed to
keep them under government control at the expense of their potential
to grow, flourish and succeed.

Make no mistake, the CAQ is the return of the Catholic Church and
Maurice Duplessis in disguise. A populist government playing to its
unidimensional rural base. We are amazed at the backward thinking of
the Trump rural base in the US, only to ignore almost the same thing
right under our noses.

Force businesses to carry on their daily dealings in French, despite
their global markets being English, and then wonder why they leave or
grow their activities outside of the province. Deny young French
Canadians the choice of attending an English CÉGEP and learning
English, to succeed in the global world economy. Put up linguistic
roadblocks for world class businesses and their key personnel to come
to Québec. How does this make Quebec a success? How does this allow
French Canada and its culture to flourish?

French Canada: do not get played by the Legault government. You are
too smart for this con-job and deserve better.

~ Anonymous ~