Vive le Quebecois de souche!
May 23, 2008 · By Charles Anthony
I take issue with one of the recommendations of the Bouchard-Taylor report that seeks to stamp out the term “Quebecois de souche” because, according to them, it alienates immigrants. I recommend precisely the opposite. The label should continue and Quebeckers (whether they identify themselves as de souche or not) should be proud of their culture. There is a lot of controversy over who, what, where, why and how Canada began. I do not mean to denigrate the rest of Canadian history but I am of the opinion that Quebec is the origin of Canada.
Quebeckers are not better than anybody but they are individuals. Demanding patriotism is not my style but I enjoy seeing people celebrate their origins and their community. This Bouchard-Taylor recommendation would lead to the demise of an exciting aspect of North American culture.
It seems like Falardeau-Poulin were able to see this coming more than twenty-five years ago:
ELVIS GRATTON : Moi je suis un Canadien québécois, un Français canadien-français… Un Américain du Nord français, un francophone québécois canadien… Un Québécois d’expression canadienne –française française. On est des Canadiens américains francophones d’Amérique du Nord… Des Franco-québécois…
I hope Quebeckers do not get sucked into the trap of political correctness.
I would agree, except, for example, Jews who have been here a long time, will now no longer be allowed to serve as judges, police officers and prison guards if they wear the kippa on their heads. Quebeckers rarely make a difference between recent immigrants and people who go back several generations. There are many black people here who were born in Quebec, but they are always seen as people just off the plane or boat.