Xref: utzoo can.politics:1978 can.francais:75
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!onfcanim!dave
From: dave@onfcanim.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: can.politics,can.francais
Subject: Re: Bourassa and bill 101?
Message-ID: <16956@onfcanim.UUCP>
Date: 20 Dec 88 05:50:26 GMT
References: <1988Dec13.133220.28851@lsuc.uucp> <4321@hcr.UUCP> <809@auvax.UUCP> <230@electro.UUCP> <813@auvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: dave@onfcanim.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Distribution: can
Organization: National Film Board / Office national du film, Montreal
Lines: 19

In the midst of all this, I would like to point out that polls have
found something like 70% of the people of Quebec in favour of
bilingual signs.  So, clearly, there are many Francophones who are
willing to co-exist with the English, even if they post bilingual signs.

The problem is that the anti-English group is extremely vocal, and
this is an extremely emotional issue to them.  There have already
been comments that maybe bombs are necessary to make their point.
Absolutely nobody wants to see a return to violence, and the mere
threat of it gives this group a lot of leverage, much more than the
moderate majority.  This group cares passionately about their vision
of a French Quebec, and they really don't care whether that requires
suppressing other people's individual rights.

Bourassa's solution does not go far enough for this group - they want
signs to be French-only both inside and outside.  But I think that he
hopes he is going far enough in that direction that it will placate
most of the anti-English, preserving the "social peace", and undercutting
the PQ's support sufficiently to get elected again.