Starting with the dirty little secret of just how poor Quebec’s record on integrating newcomers into the government workforce – only 2 percent, compared to close to 9 percent visible minority population (2006 Census). Not surprisingly, the SFPQ union supports the Charte, as it reinforces their existing membership base.
La Charte vise moins de 2 % des fonctionnaires | Le Devoir.
PQ gets backing of civil-servants’ union for religion plan
Premier Marois maintains that the Charte is équilibrée (Laïcité – Pauline Marois affirme que sa proposition est équilibrée) and the PQ presses the private sector to follow the government’s lead on secular workplaces (PQ presses private sector to follow its lead on secular workplaces).
But more on the divisions within Quebec on the Charte. This ranges from Montreal, Quebec’s most diverse city, but Western Quebec, next to Ottawa, and diverse, remains undecided. And various groups, including sovereigntists, also expressing opposition:
Charte des valeurs: l’île de Montréal se rebiffe
Charter widens rifts between mayors, PQ and sovereigntists
Charte des valeurs: les CPE (Centres de la petite enfance) divisés
West Quebec institutions undecided on ‘opting out’ of Charter of Values
Charte des valeurs: les indépendantistes divisés
Charte des valeurs québécoises – Les souverainistes divisés
Québec inclusif – Engouement pour le manifeste anti-Charte
Couillard veut scinder la «charte de la chicane» pour l’adopter
And some more general commentary, starting with some good political analysis, particularly from Paul Wells:
Charter of values: Old dogs, nous tricks
PQ’s tower of babble
Marois’s Charter of Values is more about electoral politics than sovereignty
Who actually applauded Quebec’s values charter?
And a good discussion about federal paternalism, acknowledging the vigorous debate within Quebec but without reference to the legitimate federal role, grounded in the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the universal declaration of human rights and other instruments.
Given the strength of the debate and controversy within Quebec, the PQ may have over-reached. I would be curious to know the advice of the public servants on the proposal – likely not comfortable given the ideological and political basis for the Charte:
Le paternalisme fédéral
Charter of Quebec values on collision course with Constitution?
And Justin Trudeau, Liberal leader who was first off the mark criticizing the Charte, has an op ed expressing faith that Quebeckers will reject the proposal, with Patrick Lagacé noting the politics of the initiative:
Justin Trudeau writes: I have faith in Quebec. So should you
The PQ’s not racist – just running scared
And a reminder that the French approach, which Quebec sometimes to draw from without due consideration of how Quebec has a history of generally successfully integrating immigrants from countries as diverse as Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Haiti, with some of the more recent waves of immigrants having more challenges (as happens elsewhere):
Quebec charter of values plan could take a few pages from France: Don Murray
And a sensible call to pursue the Bouchard-Taylor recommendation of a white paper and consultations to have an informed discussion and debate, rather than what appears to be an ad hoc electoral and divisive strategy of throwing out poorly conceived ideas and proposals. On the other hand, that may help kill the Charte.
La Charte des valeurs – L’espace du compromis
Expect that coverage will quieten over the next few weeks until the parliamentary and related processes pick up. But I have been wrong before!
Multicultural Meanderings 