Here is a letter I have sent to the Montreal Gazette regarding a lie they published about me.
I doubt very much if any of this letter will be published by them. But, having my own forum (Galganov Dot Com) gives me a voice with which to defend myself and shine a light upon them.
Several days ago (March 9, 2007), L Ian MacDonald of the Montreal Gazette wrote about the return of the partition debate in Quebec’s upcoming election.
In his article he said: “Next they’ll be dredging up videos of Howard Galganov, the partition guy who later moved to Ontario”.
It is really of no concern to me what the opinions of L Ian MacDonald are of what I had done or said, since opinions are just what someone thinks. And he’s entitled to his thoughts.
We all have opinions, so what?
But statements that are made as facts do concern me when they are not true.
In all of my many speeches, articles, radio shows and public appearances over the years up to and including the present, I had made my position on Quebec Partition abundantly clear.
I have never supported Partition.
As a matter of fact, in a live French television debate with the late Camille Laurin, the father of racist Bill 101, he accused me of being a Partitionist.
My response to him was: “A Partitionist wants to take a part of Canada out of Quebec, where I am not willing to give any part of Canada to a separate Quebec”.
How much clearer can that be?
For L Ian MacDonald to write a statement of fact that could not be further from the truth is unfair to me, to the Gazette and to the Gazette readers.
It is unfortunate that this has been a habit of the Montreal Gazette for as long as I was prominent in the ethnocentric Quebecois nationalist debate from 1995 until the year 2000 when I moved from Quebec to Ontario.
Montreal Gazette writers have put words in my mouth that I had never said. They put me at locations where I was never at. And they painted me as a language extremist, when in fact; all I had ever asked was to be treated equally to all other Canadians living anywhere within Canada including the province of Quebec.
I don’t know how that made me an extremist. But, if fighting with passion within the law to be treated as an equal person somehow makes me an extremist, then I will consider myself to be a proud extremist.
And just so the Montreal Gazette won’t get this wrong as well; I was never involved in any part of the Canadian Unity Movement.
I believed then as I believe now: if all residents of Quebec are not treated equally, and if the Government of Canada is not willing to defend the rights of Canadians living within the province of Quebec to be treated as equals, then I have no interest in keeping Quebec within Canada.
It is not possible to have a truly successful country where there are different constitutional rights and obligations governing society, depending upon where that society resides and the culture and language they call their own.
If Quebec is so distinct from the rest of Canada as to be recognized as a nation, with the right to subjugate its minority population, and to sit with nation status at international forums, where then is the benefit to the rest of Canada in keeping Quebec within Canada?
My feelings concerning Quebec’s participation within Confederation are crystal clear: I want Quebec to leave Confederation lock stock and barrel. And in their exit, they can keep all of the territory that is currently recognized as being the domain of Quebec.
And all I want from Quebec in return for their quick and amicable departure is for them to pay their fair share of Canada’s national debt.
Does that sound anything at all like a statement from a Partitionist?
Howard Galganov
Williamstown, Ontario, Canada
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One Comment
I ditto everything Ida York of Aurora, Co said ! I too am 75 and have felt pride all my life to be an American. We who follow your blogs applaud you Howard for all you do, for being a man of honor who speaks up on behalf of all of us. We know you will always do the right thing and we want you to live in good health and without the stress you have been under so applaud you for being brave and realistic. Safe journey To Atlanta where I’ll see you soon ! Joy Parsons Atlanta, Ga
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