Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!ubc-cs!watmath!grand!rwwetmore
From: rwwetmore@grand.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Canada: Minority rights
Message-ID: <28183@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 5 Aug 89 18:48:46 GMT
References: <632@philmtl.philips.ca> <1599@hcr.UUCP> <1989Aug4.121135.22746@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: rwwetmore@grand.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
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Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
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In article <1989Aug4.121135.22746@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> flaps@dgp.toronto.edu (Alan J Rosenthal) writes:
>jimr@hcr.UUCP (Jim Robinson) writes:
>>(I also understand that school children were/are being punished for speaking
>>minority languages during breaks - is this true?)
>
>Don't be ridiculous.  Does it sound true?  You can't believe everything you
>hear.
  There is intense conflict between the Quebec French and new immigrants now
that allophones are being integrated into formerly uni-cultural French
schools. The bitter reaction to the use of languages other than French in
school corridors and on school grounds was presented in a Journal documentary
a few months back. Both kids and parents on both sides were quite upset,
though there was a third group that recognized the need for mutual
accomodation and multi-cultural tolerance. 
  Given the segregation controversy in the US, is it a wonder that such
things would not occur during the process of Quebec's reawakening and
integration into the modern world.

  It is also a fact that in most of the other countries where French and
another culture coexist, French dominanace or a strict separation into
semi-autonomous blocks is usually found. Look at Martinique (French-Dutch)
Haiti-Dominican Republic (complete separation), Belgium (Walloon-Flemish),
Switzerland (canton system), New Caledonia (French-English-Polynesian).
In France, many of the inhabitants of Alsace speak a German dialect in
their own homes, or communities, but only French is permitted in any 
public forum.

  Canada is an interesting case, because in many ways the French revival
has seen an attempt to break out of this this mould and form a much more
integrated society. But, if French Canadians can drive out or suppress
minority elements in their communities once they achieve a sufficient
level of dominance, then I think Canada will have to face the unpleasantries
of the more normal course of history. I think Trudeau uni-cultural (ie
a totally bilingual amalgam) policies are as abhorent to the French for
their own reasons as they are to much rest of the country. But this does
not mean that a strictly delininated pair of uni-cultural camps is any
better a solution.

Ross W. Wetmore                 | rwwetmore@water.NetNorth
University of Waterloo          | rwwetmore@math.Uwaterloo.ca
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