Dyane Adam is Canada’s “Official Languages” Commissioner.
It is a misnomer.
In fact and in reality, Dyane Adam is Canada’s Official Promoter of the French Language.
The department of Official Languages has absolutely nothing to do with fairness and equality in the application of Canada’s two official languages (English and French).
If it did, Dyane Adam would have declared Quebec’s Bill 101, which OUTLAWS the unrestricted use of the English language in Quebec as illegal, and an affront to Canada’s supposedly unbiased position on official bilingualism.
When Dyane Adam decided to “invest” considerable money (tax dollars) and effort (manpower) to investigate hockey commentator Don Cherry for his remarks concerning how European and French players wear hockey visors, more than English players do, giving the impression that the Europeans and French were sissies, Dyane Adam revealed herself.
Don Cherry’s remark had nothing whatsoever to do with language. So what business of it was Dyane Adam’s to spend my money investigating Don Cherry? Actually, what business did Dyane Adam have to investigate him at all?
As it turns out, Cherry was right. More European and French hockey players do wear visors then do English players. But that’s irrelevant.
To further complicate matters. Dyane Adam’s decision to go after Don Cherry prompted CBC Television, which employs Don Cherry to host his extremely popular “Coach’s Corner” on a delay, just in case Don Cherry might say something else that might offend.
Coach’s Corner used to be live and spontaneous. But because of possibly offending the French, all of English Canada which enjoys Don Cherry has to suffer.
This is the height of ridiculousness, since offending is what Don Cherry is all about. He is without question, Canada’s best known and best respected sports personality. But because of Dyane Adam, the sycophant CBC is muzzling one of Canada’s few true broadcast talents.
Victor Goldbloom, Montreal’s “Anglo” sell-out, who first served in the Bourassa Cabinet before becoming the head of the Canadian Official Languages Commission, also turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of Quebec’s English language community, which was (and still is) taking a beating from the racist language laws of the Quebec government.
Goldbloom knew his job well. All he had to do was pretend to be even-handed by defending the rights of French Canadians to improve their linguistic position throughout the rest of Canada, while at the same time ignoring the racist policies of successive Quebec governments (so-called federalist and separatist) who were decimating Quebec’s English speaking communities everywhere in that province.
My good friend, Constitutional Lawyer Brent Tyler, just finished addressing the Supreme Court of Canada (March 22, 2004) regarding several language issues.
One of the cases included the rights of French parents in Quebec to have the right to educate their children in the English language in Quebec.
The other case was for the right of children from immigrant parents to be educated in the English language in Quebec, as long as the child had at least one year of prior education (private or public) in the English language somewhere in Canada.
And the last case was for a Canadian (English) child not to lose his/her right to an English education in Quebec, simply because that child was previously enrolled in a French immersion course in another province.
At one time, I cared a great deal about these issues. So much in fact, that I contributed financially to these cases at the outset. But I don’t care anymore.
I went to the Supreme Court hearing out of some interest, and to offer moral support to Brent Tyler, who for my money is a true Canadian hero. One of the few. But, after sitting through the first round of debate, I soon realized how much I didn’t care.
What I heard from the government lawyers who opposed Brent Tyler was the epitome of intellectual, elitist and racist crap. Here were a small army of French speakers defending why children should not be allowed to be educated in the English language in Quebec.
It was like a scene out of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, especially when the federal government’s lawyer representing the Official Languages Commission made his case against English rights – in English no less.
At the Bench were seven Supreme Court Justices listening to this obscenity as if it had merit. Two of the Justices asked quite a few questions of the petitioners and interveners for clarification based upon previous rulings and existing laws, as if, what was on trial was an academic thought, opposed to the rights of children.
Then it struck me!
Let Quebec’s language laws rule. Let the parents of children living in Quebec be denied the right to choose the language of education for their children.
Even further: Let the language laws forbid the visible use of the English language in public, and in the work-place. Just as it more or less does now.
More than that: Let the Quebec government never hire another Anglo or Ethnic to a civil service job. They pretty-much don’t anyway. And let the only language of the work-place be French.
I – DON’T – CARE!
What I care about, is how much damage worrying about Quebec has caused to Canada. Because of Quebec, Canada has been spending hundreds of billions of dollars in a useless and damaging exercise to suck-up and mollify Quebec.
Our country has missed multiple golden opportunities to be the best nation on earth in every category. But instead of investing in ourselves, we’ve been too busy pouring money and effort into the ethnocentric Quebec sink-hole, and its sickening melodrama.
LET – THEM – GO!
Actually: THROW – THEM – OUT!
ENOUGH ALREADY!
Quebec has been an anchor around the neck of the rest of Canada, virtually from the beginning of Confederation in 1867. And it won’t get any better.
I am sick and tired of the Prime Ministers who have come from Quebec, who for votes have sold Canada down the Saint Lawrence River. I’m sick and tired of the Quebec politicians who are federalists and Quebec nationalists both at the same time.
One day they’re for Canada. The next day they’re for Quebec. Depending on which jurisdiction has the better deal at any given time.
I could puke when Stephen Harper, in the opening comments during his acceptance speech for the leadership of the new Conservative Party thanked Canadians and Quebecers for their support.
Canadians and Quebecers? Please. I would expect that from a Quebecer. But from Stephen Harper the Albertan?
Show Quebec the door and all of a sudden there’s no more language commissioner, and no more worries about what Quebec wants. Then; and only then will Canada be able to reach its potential.
As for those in Quebec who don’t like the draconian and racist language and cultural laws, they can always move. We did. And what a difference a few miles make.
One Comment
Once again, you nailed it.
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