I received a comment recently regarding my post about the OLF.
The poster asserted something I've often heard in the past and thought to discuss it here. Essentially, that the English-speaking minority is well-treated here, what, with our three English universities, hospitals and all that.
Let's tackle this claim in point form:
1) First off, to my interpretation, implied is that we should just be happy and shut up.
2) Second, does the person mention this in an effort to justify pitting one set of citizens (the majority) against another (minority)?
3) Third, as a counter point, the English have such institutions because they were far more advanced in terms of wealth and economic power. The Church (with aid from the Duplesis administration in the 1940s) basically kept French-Canadians on the farms. They were told to avoid engaging the greedy, immoral economic activities with the English. Naturally, they along with the Scots, literally built the city of Montreal with little resistance and once positioned it as the central metropolis in Canada. What happened after the Quiet Revolution I ask?
4) Fourth, the commenter is best to ask: Why do the minorities have the right to go to English schools? Why do they have their own institutions? Is it because Quebec was an open and tolerant society and accorded such rights?
How did it come to be that Italians, for example, spoke "anglais?" There seems to be a belief that immigrants freely chose this route. This is not necessarily accurate. Italians, since they were Catholic and Latin, actually wanted to go to French schools (while ensuring their kids learn English since this was the power language) but they were denied access. The success attained moving forward was not thanks to Quebec support and more with the commitment of all major minorities like the Irish, Jews and Chinese - to improve their lot mostly on their own.
Interestingly, when Quebec nationalists (and I'm sure there's more information on this somewhere) observed how fast minorities moved up the social ladder they attempted to force them back into the French system. Like the government did in the past, they were physically grabbing kids out of their class rooms! Italians in particular rebelled in what was known as the St. Leonard Riots (very little scholarship is available about this) and one of the results was the community was exempted from the draconian Bill 101.
Je me souviens has many faces, eh?
Commentator, you must have followed spin courses with the best. The way you treat the school question is to be admired.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to introduce a few considerations. After the war, in 1945, (yes I know you were not born and your parents were still very young), the Montreal Catholic school board had schools giving classes in Italian, German and Portuguese, to accommodate the swarms of refugees, immigrants and what was called Displaced Persons not to mention the PoWs who had opted to stay here and had created families..
Then suddenly, in the 50's, Mr Gauthier, the guy responsible for those classes fell in disgrace (he was suspected of having had fascist connections)...and his initiative was terminated.
Many Italians then switched to the Protestant school board, as did others. They had to renounce Catholicism to do so.
Many children then went to English Schools. 20 years later, when bill 101 was adopted, (after bills 63 and 22) a clause provided for any child whose parents, or at least one of them, had been in an English school for at least 3 years at the grade level, could have access to English schools, that was later extended to three years anywhere in Canada.
The Health and Social Services Act of 1973 explicitely maintained two networks, one English and one French. That is the law of the land and is not related to 101.
I could go on but I guess I've said enough
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ReplyDeleteInteresting information on Mr. Gauthier. Which party did he represent? In fact, interesting "bricks and mortar" information.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned, there's not a whole lotta info. on it and it seems we could all benefit from it.
However, I know that Italians did want to be in French schools from the start.
Mr Gauthier was a civil servant, not a politician. I met him once while I was scoutmaster ta la Madonna della Diffesa back in 1947-48. I was introduced to him by gaetano della Penna who was our group master. At that time St-Philippe-Bénézzi school, on Dante opposite the church was one of the schools I wrote about and I believe gaetano taught there, but I may be wrong, it's so far back.
ReplyDeleteAround the time of the St-Leonard riots, I awsa attending The American Child Welfare League's conference, it was in 1960 something and it was held in Montreal that year. At the banquet I sat near a gentleman from the PSBGM.
ReplyDeleteRealising I was a Francophone he said: "You speak my language but I can't speak yours. I'm 63, I spent my whole life in Montreal...and never thought that one day I would have to learn French", He was suddenly discovering that there was somthing and people in that something east of University street.
Mind you, I'm a Francophone out of sheer stubborness because the francos did their best to keep me out...but i'm a tough nut to crack.
You should have written a book!
ReplyDeleteI think many minorities took part in the riots as well if I'm not mistaken? My friend was on the cover of The Gazette because he was in the middle of it. The government wanted to put him (and many like him) in French school after he had begun English. His parents fought back and won. Hence, the Bill 101 exemption.
ReplyDeleteWriting a book is out of my league. I have given lectures and written 29-25 minutes presentations on various subject at the McGill Institute for Learning in retirement, both in French and in English.
ReplyDeleteI lke to synthseize things. Writing a book is another matter. My teachers used to tell me: "Costopoulos, you have produced a very nice canvas, how about developping it now? Everything is in it, but develop boy, elaborate."