Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!grand!rwwetmore
From: rwwetmore@grand.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Canada: one, two (or many) cultures?
Message-ID: <28025@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 27 Jul 89 17:42:37 GMT
References: <3190@uwovax.uwo.ca> <1989Jul27.092203.16418@xenitec.uucp>
Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: rwwetmore@grand.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
Distribution: can
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 54

In article <1989Jul27.092203.16418@xenitec.uucp> edhew@xenitec.UUCP (Ed Hew) writes:
>In article <3190@uwovax.uwo.ca> GERARD@uwovax.uwo.ca (Gerard Stafleu) writes:
>>Troubles only arise when you try to mix languages. 
>>Switzerland shows that one country can very well have several languages. 
>>If you don't try to force mixing them.
                      ^^^^^
  You added an extra word to the last sentence fragment.

>I really don't remember all this nonsense when I was growing up in
>the 50's and 60's, back when no one was advocating a completely
>bi-lingual (French and English) Canada, and a totally French-only
>Quebec.
>Did I miss something as a kid?
  The extra word ...
>		--ed		{edhew@xenitec.uucp}

  Quebec is a vibrant province after the quiet revolution of the 60's. It 
has that spark of vitality and exuberance that produces lots of new ideas 
and great advancements - something that is waning in many other parts of 
the country. There may be more benefits than just political payoffs for 
locating a space agency in the province. In short, Quebec has that extra 
something that Gorbachev is trying to instill into his Russians.
  But lots of ideas, also produce lots of bad ideas. The problem is to 
temper and rechannel some of the bad ones and reinforce the good. The real
trick with a teenager is to guide and direct without force, and preferably
without seeming to tell them what to do, or appearing to stand in judgment.
However, firmness and adherence to a basic set of rules of conduct that are
recognized on both parts to be outside and above the petty squabbles and
trials of strength, is mandatory to maintain respect and avoid hostility
that produces long term scars.

  There are those that are promoting bad ideas, and they have been doing so
for most of the formative years of the current Quebec generation. One is
not going to reverse a lot of their effects overnight but the solution is
to quietly oppose and overturn every bad one, and to reinforce and visibly
applaud every good one. Quebec should be firmly and unemotionally blocked
or disciplined when it oversteps the basic set of rules, and there is no
reason to pussyfoot around or make excuses for them when they do so. But
the rest of the country is presumably mature and self-confident enough to
exercise patience and go about this in an adult fashion. 

  Also, remember that not all francophones live in Quebec. While language
is a nice visible weapon it is a mistake to assume that it can be used to
line up the sides, or to fall for a Quebecer's claim he/she is fighting for
French Canadian rights. Some of the most telling comments in this 
discussion have come from francophones that deserve every bit of support
that can be mustered - in most cases they have already matured to the point
where they can live with the rest of the country and preserve their culture 
at the same time, just like the Ukranians, Italians and all the rest.

Ross W. Wetmore                 | rwwetmore@water.NetNorth
University of Waterloo          | rwwetmore@math.Uwaterloo.ca
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1       | {uunet, ubc-vision, utcsri}
(519) 885-1211 ext 4719         |   !watmath!rwwetmore