Quebec premier nixes election call in 2013
2013/10/28 Leave a comment
Looks like the electoral strategy has changed, with the Charter no longer kicking off the campaign.
Quebec premier nixes election call in 2013 – Canada – CBC News.
The Hijab and Integration
2013/10/25 Leave a comment
Nice commentary by Victoria Ferauge on the hijab. Required reading for Premier Maurois and those in Quebec in favour of the Charter. My favourite quote (among many):
Quebec (and other places) are trying to judge what is inside someone’s head by what he or she wears on their bodies. It’s matching insides to outsides – always a perilous undertaking fraught with error and misunderstandings. If one thinks it is possible to see a “message” and make judgements about a woman based on what she wears, then it follows that all women everywhere can be judged that way. So then, what does it mean, mes amis, if a woman wears a short black skirt, a tight blouse and high heels? What “messages” is she sending? And are we allowed to treat her differently because of how we interpret her intentions manifested through her fashion sense?
Do we really want to go there? For that matter, weren’t we there a few decades ago?
Sikh student who won kirpan case now considers leaving Quebec
2013/10/23 Leave a comment
A good update on the person who prompted one of the more significant reasonable accommodation cases before the Supreme Court, Gurbaj Multani, who insisted on his right to wear the ceremonial kirpan to school. The Court ruled in his favour, but imposed conditions (i.e., it had to be sewn into clothing). Needless to say, the proposed Quebec Charter sends a signal to citizens like Multani that they are not fully welcome or accepted.
Sikh student who won kirpan case now considers leaving Quebec
Quebec Values Charter Round-Up
2013/10/23 Leave a comment
Third-party leader François Legault tries to create some space for his party between the PQ and the Liberals in the ongoing Quebec Charter debate, noting the ugly tone and focus on Quebec Muslims, and wanting to find a compromise approach working with the other party leaders. His proposal was quickly rejected by PQ Premier given their wedge-issue electoral strategy.
Legault dénonce le «procès contre la religion musulmane»
Lysiane Gagnon criticizes Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Coulliard for his recent silence on the Charter.
Liberal values, but no Liberals
A further illustration of the PQ political strategy can be seen in Minister Drainville’s release of the public consultations on the Charter. Like so many governments these days, the consultation process was designed to generate a more favourable result for the government, rather than a more objective reading. Interestingly, lots of support for the removal of the crucifix in the Assemblée nationale, and opposition to cities and sectors having an exemption.
Charte des valeurs – Ottawa doit bloquer Québec
2013/10/19 Leave a comment
An opinion piece by George Paquet noting the long history of human rights legislation and charters across the centuries and how Ottawa will be obligated to challenge the proposed Charter:
En vérité, ce qui fonde aujourd’hui notre vivre-ensemble pacifique et harmonieux s’est construit depuis le code Hamurabi, du nom du roi de Babylone, en l’an 1750 avant notre ère, en passant par le cylindre de Cyrus, roi de Perse, 600 ans avant notre ère ; la Magna Carta de 1215 en Angleterre ; l’acte de l’Habeas Corpus en Angleterre, en 1640 ; le Traité de Paris et la proclamation royale de 1763 établissant les droits des autochtones au Canada ; la déclaration d’indépendance des États-Unis en 1776 qui a inspiré la Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen de 1789 en France ; les pactes internationaux, l’un relatif aux droits civils et politiques et celui relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels mis en force par l’ONU en 1976 ; la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des autochtones en 2007 ; la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme de l’ONU en 1948 et les autres chartes, plus récentes, que nous connaissons mieux, celle du Canada et celle du Québec.
Charte des valeurs – Ottawa doit bloquer Québec | Le Devoir.
An equally powerful opinion piece by Marc Cassivi, on the need to combat islamophobia and criticizing Denise Filiatrault for her biases and prejudices:
Je suis féministe. Je suis – je vais dire une énormité – pour l’égalité hommes-femmes, garantie par nos deux Chartes. Je suis aussi athée. Je ne crois ni en Dieu ni en Bernard Drainville. Et j’estime, tout comme Janette Bertrand, que les religions monothéistes sont horriblement machistes. Ce qui ne m’empêche pas de considérer la liberté de conscience comme un droit fondamental dans notre société.
Je trouve du reste suprêmement ironique le discours paternaliste de certaines féministes – à commencer par Pauline Marois – , convaincues de savoir du haut de leurs valeurs judéo-chrétiennes ce qu’il y a de mieux pour la femme musulmane (qu’il faut protéger d’elle-même et de tous ceux qui l’oppriment).
Bonjour le colonialisme. Et tant pis pour la nuance, dans ce pays où la grande majorité des musulmanes, stigmatisées collectivement, ne porte pas le voile. Mais où 600 femmes autochtones ont disparu ou ont été assassinées depuis 20 ans sans que quiconque ne s’en soucie. On a l’indignation sélective.
Des quelque 14 000 meurtres commis en 2011 aux États-Unis, selon le New York Times, aucun n’était dû à l’extrémisme islamique. Aucun. Mais qui se soucie des faits dans un débat où foisonnent les généralisations, les préjugés, l’ignorance et l’intolérance.
Yet another group in the healthcare sector opposing the Charter, this time medical residents:
Provincial human rights commission slams proposed Quebec values charter and other charter news
2013/10/18 Leave a comment
Not surprisingly, the Quebec provincial human rights commission comes out against the proposed Charter. As the provincial charter can be amended by a simple majority vote in Quebec’s Assembée nationale, not an insurmountable obstacle.
The federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms, on the other hand, is in our Constitution and is not subject to easy amendment (in practice, likely impossible).
Provincial human rights commission slams proposed Quebec values charter – Need to know – Macleans.ca.
Attaque en règle contre la Charte des valeurs
And more fall-out from the Janettes, this time from well-known Quebec actress and director Denise Filiatraut, who apologized for characterizing women who wear the hijab as “follies” (fools).
Propos sur les musulmanes: Denise Filiatrault s’excuse
And naive and paternalistic commentary by Fabienne Larouche in Le Devoir, who, while advocating a strong secular approach, nevertheless wants a gradual process of integration and emancipation.
Naive, as many who wear the hijab are second-generation immigrants, and thus to assume an automatic “emancipation” from the hijab across generations runs against experience. Looking at any old photos from before the 90s in most Muslim countries, one sees much less wearing of the hijab (see any university graduation photo – the contrasts are striking:
Ces femmes ont hérité d’une culture. Elles sont venues ici pour comprendre ce que notre culture à nous pouvait leur offrir de mieux. Donnons-leur du temps pour changer, s’adapter et permettre à leurs filles de s’émanciper comme les nôtres, mais sans oublier que cette émancipation est inévitable et que nous resterons inflexibles sur cet objectif. C’est tout.
But more fundamentally, this assumes that the only form of emancipation is not wearing the hijab; participation in politics, the workforce, other engagement with broader society is ignored. And such participation is a more important indicator of integration than the head covering worn by men or women.
Good enough for Nobel, but not for Quebec
2013/10/17 Leave a comment
Sheema Khan in The Globe, mocking the paternalism of Les feministes laiques de Québec and the “Janettes” (Les femmes voilées sont «manipulées», dit Janette Bertrand):
Feminism, we thought, was about empowering women to make choices for themselves. Instead, la feminisme laïque is the new patriarchy, with its condescending, my-way-or-the-highway attitude. But Muslim women are fusing a new breed of feminism, where spirituality melds with activism to advance the cause of both genders. Their role model is Malala – not Miley or Marois. Spirituality is seen not as an enemy, but as an ally in providing the impetus to seek equal opportunities for women in education, health, wealth and political participation.
Good enough for Nobel, but not for Quebec – The Globe and Mail.
And from within Quebec, the inevitable lettre ouverte replying to the Janettes, from “Les inclusives“. While the gradual inclusive approach to integration makes sense, may not necessarily end up with fewer hijabs in the end; but as long as women are participating in wider society, whether wearing a hijab or not, it doesn’t really matter:
…l’intégration des musulmanes voilées doit se faire petit à petit, sans brusquer les choses. «Ça prend trois générations pour intégrer un immigrant. Nous, on le fait souvent en deux générations. Mais si on commence à les bousculer, ça ne fonctionnera pas», dit-elle.
«C’est la société québécoise dans son ensemble qui va changer les valeurs de ces femmes. Leurs enfants vont fréquenter les garderies. Elles vont aller sur le marché du travail. Et les voiles vont tomber, un à un».
Les femmes voilées sont «manipulées», dit Janette Bertrand
2013/10/16 2 Comments
Some more articles on the Quebec values charter, starting with the assumption that all women who wear the hijab are manipulated (like all men who wear the kippa or turban or muslim head covering, presumably).
From the “Yvettes” of the 1980 referendum to the “Janettes” of today, the same arrogance, assumptions and insularity about others, the same transposition of the Quebec francophone experience of the 50s to today, and the same lack of appreciation of the complexity of the human condition.
Les femmes voilées sont «manipulées», dit Janette Bertrand | KATIA GAGNON | Actualités.
A nice vignette about the practicalities of the proposed Charter – Quebec does not have an accurate idea of how many public servants (core government, not sectors like health, education etc.) would be affected by the Charter, using the number that serve the public as a criteria. And as usual, Minister Drainville doesn’t see a problem:
Québec ignore le nombre de fonctionnaires qui travaillent avec le public
And no surprise, the latest group to criticize the Charter, this time mental health professionals:
Quebec charter of values slammed by mental-health professionals
Charte des valeurs: Québec songe à exclure la santé
2013/10/15 1 Comment
Behind all the official reasons cited, there must be fear of losing qualified personnel. But if an exception for healthcare, why not for daycare or education?
Charte des valeurs: Québec songe à exclure la santé | Denis Lessard | Politique québécoise.
Sondage Léger – L’appui à la Charte se solidifie
2013/10/12 Leave a comment
The latest poll. While the numbers are up for the Charter, not clear whether this will translate into a majority PQ government. And on real issues – economy, healthcare, and education – the government is not doing well.
Sondage Léger – L’appui à la Charte se solidifie | Le Devoir.
Multiculturalism in Canada: Evidence and Anecdote
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Multicultural Meanderings 