Path: utzoo!lsuc!sickkids!dptcdc!tmsoft!ead
From: ead@tmsoft.uucp (Elizabeth Doucette)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Canada: one or two cultures?
Message-ID: <1989Jul28.193732.9863@tmsoft.uucp>
Date: 28 Jul 89 19:37:32 GMT
References: <615662921.9256@myrias.uucp> <609@philmtl.philips.ca> <1989Jul24.085326.28706@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> <1989Jul24.220904.22318@tmsoft.uucp> <629@philmtl.philips.ca>
Reply-To: ead@tmsoft.UUCP (Elizabeth Doucette)
Followup-To: can.general
Distribution: can
Organization: EAD MoneyHealth Inc, Toronto, Canada
Lines: 84

In article <629@philmtl.philips.ca> tremblay@philmtl.philips.ca (Michel J. Tremblay) writes:
>In article <1989Jul24.220904.22318@tmsoft.uucp(Elizabeth Doucette)> you write:
>>In article <1989Jul24.085326.28706@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> elf@dgp.toronto.edu (Eugene Fiume) writes:
>>>In article <609@philmtl.philips.ca> tremblay@philmtl.philips.ca (Michel J. Tremblay) writes:
>>>>
>>>>I dont know how you can talk about 'our (canadian) culture' without using
>>>>plurial.  Canada like many other countries (Swiss, Belgium...) do not have a 
>>>>true culture but is composed of a many cultures.  ...
>>
>>I am proud of being an Acadian.  I prefer my French, Irish and Indian
>>ancestry.  But I am Canadian first.  I am sick and tired of all this
>>belly aching about cultures.  If someone doesn't want to be a Canadian
>>or they are not proud to be a Canadian, then go back to the country
>>they came from.

I also wrote...

**                              If someone doesn't want to be a Canadian
** or they are not proud to be a Canadian, then go back to the country
** they came from.  I realize that it is not that simple.  But I am sick
**                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
** and tired of all the complaining.
** ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>
>Well there is a litle problem with you proposition. 
>Most immigrants to this land have chosen to be Canadians. On the other 
>hand, French Canadian were FORCED to become Canadians.
>When we (the French) came here and established ourself, there was no 
>problems. We had friendly relations with most native nations. However 

This is simply not true.  Often we don't want to admit the injustices
that we have done.  And the Native Indians have had many injustices
done to them.  But whether we talk about languages (English people
being denied rights in Quebec; French people being denied rights
elsewhere) or pollution (Sudbury polluting the environment), we have
to clean up our own back yard before we can complain about others.  We
have to clean up our own back yard before others will take us
seriously. 
 
>after the british occupation of our country (+- eastern Canada) 
>things got bad for the French Canadians: seizure of land and goods, 
>political prisonners, restricted civil rights, imposition of a foreign 
>judiciary system, cutoff of relations with France, etc.


And you think that the Native Indians freely gave away their lands?

 
>The 'Lower-Canada repesentatives' and later the 'que'bec representatives' 
>who agred to joined the Confederation in 1867 were representing the 
>interests of the English Lords and the Dominion's Financial Institutions, 
>not the interests of the Que'bec population. 
>
>Although all these events and constraints are past, they have shaped 
>French-Canada to be what it is today. 

It shapes CANADA what we are today.  Do you think Newfoundland has
benefited from being part of Canada?  Hell, do you think anyone except
Ontario and Quebec have benefited very much?  No, they haven't.
 
>
>For all these reasons, a lots of Que'bequois and French Canadians are not 
>proud of been Canadians and dont want to be Canadians.

At the moment I'm not proud of being a Canadian either but at least
I've decided to try to do something about it.  My ancestors are
from here (Native Indians), France and the U.K.  If I don't like it
here I, too, have the choice to try to make it better, or to leave.
 
>For us, going back to our country mean Independence of Que'bec, unless 
>Canada acknowledge the fact that we are not just 'yet an other culture' 
>in the English-speaking Canadian melting-pot but a Distinct Society with 
>more constitutional power.
>
>bien a vous,
>
>Michel J. Tremblay
>tremblay@philmtl.philips.ca
>
>Dieu et mon droit


Elizabeth