Quebec minister in hot seat over charter of values – Montreal – CBC News

2013/09/23 Leave a comment

Missed this debate between the Minister in charge of selling the Charter, and the philosopher and academic, Gérard Bouchard, who actually has thought considerably about these issues during his long career and his work on the Bouchard-Taylor commission. Quote:

“We took a meticulous look at the practice of accommodations and concluded it was going well,” he said. “You launched yourself into this operation in ignorance of the reality.”

Bouchard repeatedly asked Drainville what studies the government had done to determine that there was a need to restrict its employees’ religious freedoms.

Drainville replied that he had heard from “representatives of teachers, school boards, people working in the health sector” and other employers who didn’t know how to deal with their workers’ requests for religious accommodations and who implored the province to bring in limits.

Quebec minister in hot seat over charter of values – Montreal – CBC News.

In other words, anecdote, not evidence.

And naturally enough, the “battle” of the demonstrations starts (smaller than the one the previous week protesting the Charter):

Manifestation en faveur de la Charte des valeurs à Montréal

And a nuanced analysis of what makes Muslim Canadians wear the hijab, noting the wide variety of practices and beliefs within the community, and that wearing a hijab does not mean that it has been forced by male relatives. Quote:

D’une génération à l’autre, l’islam est souvent vécu de façon différente. « Certaines femmes [plus âgées] ont porté le voile par tradition. Les jeunes sont beaucoup plus dans une recherche spirituelle. On s’approprie la religion et on en fait quelque chose d’individuel. »

Port du voile – Les motifs derrière les apparences

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Values Charter: Sovereignists, Amnesty Intl, France

2013/09/22 Leave a comment

Quiet day. Reflecting the divisions among the sovereignists, those in favour of the Charter are planning their strategy, and aim a cheap shot at Gérard Bouchard:

Des souverainistes pro-Charte se rassemblent à Montréal | Hugo Pilon-Larose | Politique québécoise.

Meanwhile, back to reality with Amnesty International’s public position noting that the proposed Charter limits the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion:

Amnesty International slams Quebec charter for limiting ‘fundamental rights’

And lastly, a good analysis in the Globe about France’s experience with its laicisme approach, including the latest Charter of Secularism at school. The original decision to ban the veil at government schools was subject of considerable discussion and reflection; and was grounded in fears that there was a fair amount of compulsion for teenage girls to wear the hijab (not voluntary). But as these measures are imposed, people opt-out of the government schools, undermining the policy objective of inclusion.

How the French promotion of secularism offers a cautionary lesson for Quebec 

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Quebec’s “war” on religion – Charter Round-Up

2013/09/21 Leave a comment

Some good commentary and analysis in both English and French media today, starting with Martin Patriquin in MacLean’s, laying out the issues and politics, an opinion piece by  Emma Teitel (“spice of life”) theme, and an analysis of the Quebec heartland and the Charter in the Globe, suggesting the reality may be more complex:

Quebec’s war on religion – Canada, Editor’s Picks – Macleans.ca.

Prejudice and the PQ

How is the controversial charter of values going over in the Quebec heartland?

In French media, good piece on the poor political handling by the PQ of the proposed Charter by Bernard Descôteaux in Le Devoir. Better in many ways to have this than good political handling:

Charte des valeurs québécoises – Les maladresses

And a good nuanced picture of integration by David Desjardins in Le Devoir, ending up very close to Canadian multiculturalism:

Tout l’enjeu est là, au fond. Délicat, tissé de mille sensibilités. L’intégration est affaire d’apprivoisement mutuel. C’est tendre la main à l’autre sans avoir le sentiment qu’on s’excuse d’exister.

L’intégration

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The Franco-American Flophouse: Dual Citizens in a Secular Society

2013/09/21 Leave a comment

An interesting take on dual citizenship from a religious perspective. Issue more of a Quebec issue with the proposed Charter, as in the rest of Canada there is space for religious symbols (although we sometimes suffer from political correctness with “holiday trees”).

The Franco-American Flophouse: Dual Citizens in a Secular Society.

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Quebec secular charter opposed by Catholic bishops

2013/09/20 Leave a comment

Not much of interest today.

More opposition to the proposed Charter, this time from the Catholic bishops:

Quebec secular charter opposed by Catholic bishops – Montreal – CBC News.

Une charte inutile, disent les évêques

And the typical government technique of shutting down dissenting voices by appointing more “friends” to the board:

Charte: le Conseil du statut de la femme se dit muselé

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Charte des valeurs: Some Good Opinion Pieces

2013/09/18 Leave a comment

Starting to blink as the Quebec Minister for Montréal, Jean-François Lisée signals open to compromise. However, what sort of compromise, and how do you compromise fundamental human rights, is another matter. A suivre:

Charte des valeurs: porte ouverte aux compromis | Le Devoir.

And a range of commentary in The Globe, ranging from Jeffrey Simpson on the Charter being a wedge issue, one that seems to be backfiring on the PQ,  and not even working well, Jack Jedwab of the Association for Canadian Studies provides a solid critique, contrasting with Canadian multiculturalism, and Lysiane Gagnon reminds us of the different histories of France and Quebec, and how France is hardly a model to follow. Francine Pelletier in Le Devoir also notes the generational gap on how the Charter and related issues are seen..

The Quebec charter is a wedge issue solely of the mind

No thanks Ms. Marois, I’ll take Canada’s brand of multiculturalism

Could Quebec go further than France?

La Charte de la chicane

Less profound commentary comes from Robert Sibley in The Citizen, who focuses on easier issue of the niqab/burqa, and is silent on the hijab. Not one word. And the issue in the Quebec Charter is more the hijab and other head coverings (kippa, turban etc.), rather than the niqab/burqa.

Targeting one religion without making a distinction between the two is intellectually dishonest at best. There is a wide range within the Muslim Canadian community from the secular to those who wear the hijab, and how they wear the hijab a similar range between extreme versions (no hair showing) to colourful and flirtish versions.

Might Quebec’s “charter of values” serve real Islamic values

Tarek Fatah repeats his call in The Sun for banning the burqa/niqab, citing the reason court decision in the UK that allowed for a woman to wear the niqab during her trial. This was a more permissive ruling than the recent Canadian Supreme Court ruling which set some tests. I am with Fatah on this; when it involves government identification requirements, working in a government office, or implicated in the legal system, accommodation is not appropriate. Walking down the street is one thing, compliance with government and legal requirements and practices is another thing.

West should ban niqab

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Quebec Values Charter – Some Articles

2013/09/17 Leave a comment

Best commentary and analysis of the day from Chantal Hébert of The Star, trying to understand why Premier Marois engaged in such a risky strategy:

Moreover, the premier’s contributions to the debate so far — starting with the clumsy suggestion that multiculturalism is at the root cause of domestic terrorism in the United Kingdom, and the ill-informed assertion that France’s rigid secular system is a great model — suggest that her views on a diverse society may be shaped by impressions rather than evidence-based knowledge.

For the record, that view — as it is put forward — is strikingly less cosmopolitan than those of better-travelled predecessors such as René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard.

At the end of the day, the motivations that drove Marois to lead the PQ across a Rubicon that distances it from the civic nationalism that it has always promoted in the past probably involves a mix of calculation, conviction and willful ignorance. But the combination, under any of its variations, does not add up to a compelling portrait.

Hébert: What motivated Pauline Marois to take such a risk?

First comment by Prime Minister Harper on the Quebec proposed Charter. Focus is on likelihood, rather than principles, compared to other federal leaders (but Minister Kenney has been dealing with those).

Quebec’s charter of values will fail, PM Harper predicts – Politics – CBC News.

Margaret Wente makes her usual generalizations but I think captures the political dynamic well in:

 Ms. Marois lays an egg 

And Warren Kinsella in The Sun provides credit to the federal politicians who have spoken out forcefully on the proposed Charter, where all three major parties have been consistent and clear:

The best of Canada, the worst of the PQ

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Québec et le crucifix – Mais savent-ils ce qu’ils font? | Le Devoir

2013/09/17 Leave a comment

A good piece by Jean-Claude Leclerc in Le Devoir about the mixed history of religious symbols, and how it is important to understand that for the current debate, and how times have changed.

Québec et le crucifix – Mais savent-ils ce qu’ils font? | Le Devoir.

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Le tiers des immigrants allophones en repli culturel | MARIE ALLARD | Montréal

2013/09/17 Leave a comment

Interesting. Higher than I would have thought, but interesting more of an issue for Eastern European origin than the Magreb. Macro Canadian studies show comparable levels between foreign and Canadian born for most citizenship indicators (voting, volunteership, charitable donations etc) but have not seen comparable study for English Canada along lines of this one.

Le tiers des immigrants allophones en repli culturel | MARIE ALLARD | Montréal.

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Lawrence Hill on the power of blood – Life – Macleans.ca

2013/09/15 Leave a comment

And for a change of pace, and a more profound look at some of the issues around identity, a wonderful excerpt from Lawrence Hill from his Massey Lecture, Blood: The Stuff of Life, to be published shortly (his Book of Negroes is wonderful, and I will have to add this one to my reading list).

Well worth reading. My favourite quotes:

If we were not so wedded to the arcane notions of blood, we would be freer to celebrate our various, complex and divergent identities relating to family and notions of talent and ability, citizenship and race. We would be more whole, self-accepting people, and less judgmental of others. In this day and age, who among us is not all mixed up?

…. Let’s drop the idea of what you are not allowed to be, or to do, because of who you are, but encourage each other to look for the good in our blood, and in our ancestry. We should let hatred and divisiveness spill from us as if it were bad blood, and search for more genuine and caring ways to imagine human identity and human relations.

Lawrence Hill on the power of blood – Life – Macleans.ca.

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