acton@ubc-cs.UUCP (Donald Acton) (06/03/85)
In article <1562@dciem.UUCP> mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) writes: > > The only places I have come across anti-French "hatred" >are in newspaper reports out of rural districts of Manitoba and westward, >where they object to bilingual cereal boxes as "pushing French down our >throats." I suggest that you visit Western Canada and discover that the anti-French "hatred" is not confined to rural districts. Why even the citizens of the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver have been known to boo the french version of the national anthem when played at major sporting events. What is more important is why does this feeling exist. I would suggest that this "hatred" is not directed at anybody but the federal government and its contemptuous attitude towards Western Canada. One visible way to protest government legislation is to express ones dissatisfaction with perhaps the most visible of all federal government policies, bilingualism. The other thing to keep in mind is the history of the Canadian West and the type of people who settled here. Western Canada is young; communities more than a hundred years old are difficult to find. The attitudes of independence and community spirit that allowed my forefathers and the forefathers of many others to successfully homestead the west are still strong. These pioneers survived drought, hoppers, and winter because of their *own* resourcefulness and skill, not through the government's usually misdirected aid and meddling. The effect of these experiences has been to produce a population that is self-reliant and not too terribly thrilled by government involvement in their day to day lives, especially when the sole purpose of these policies is to score political points in another region of the country. Many a time the interests of Western Canada have been sacrificed for the sole benefit of Quebec and Ontario and bilingualism is viewed as one of these cases. Having french on the cereal boxes either provides you with extra reading first thing in the morning or raises your stress level by reminding you of all the stupid programs that governments undertake for "your own good". > In Manitoba, there was a great fuss about giving the substantial >French-speaking population equal legal rights with the English speakers, >but that was hardly affirmative action in the workplace; it was simple >bigotry of people afraid that allowing others equal rights might in >some way jeopardize their own position. 1) Ontario's record concerning french language minority rights is hardly one to brag about as is Quebec's concerning english. Which suggests that Ontario and Quebec are hardly bastions of "progressiveness" when it comes to bilingualism. 2) There were enough "bigots" in Manitoba to make the NDP government of the day run scared and withdraw its legislation. So much for principles. Donald Acton