It’s strange how close the Quebec referendum is to Hallowe’en. The day on which Quebecers decide their identity as Canadians is just 24 hours away from the one holiday when assuming a false identity is not only socially sanctioned, but encouraged. And as Quebec chooses what mask it wants to wear, Canada’s mask will change accordingly.
The crux of the whole issue seems to rest on Quebec’s “identity.” But Canada’s identity rests on the decision as much as Quebec’s. The fact that one of our provinces wants to leave already sends a distressing message to the rest of the world — how will we look if Quebec actually goes? Will we become, Prince-like, “the country formerly known as Canada?” I do not relish being a citizen of a country where an entire region chooses to leave. I don’t like the feeling of being a bully, that automatic uneasiness of being part of a gang of kids watching when the little guy takes his toys and goes home crying.
Aside from the loser tag of being abandoned by one of your own provinces, Canada would also suffer a crippling blow to its bilingualism. I have always thought of Canada as a nation of two languages. But in thai time of fiscal restraint, a Quebec-less Canada would axe bilingual enforcement in a second. Without a French-speaking province in the country, preserving French would make almost as much sense as enforcing English/Sanskrit road signs.
With that in mind, Quebecers should consider that losing Canada might actually destroy their culture. True, they would be able to create their own language laws, but they would also be the sole guardian of that language. Their major trading partners would speak English. The culture is drifting in from Canada and the U.S. would be the same. Without Canadian economic buoying the French language through cable channels, the CBC (TV and radio) and education dollars, French culture may be harder for Quebec to preserve than anticipated.
Quebec has the right to decide whether it stays or goes, but the possibility of separation scares the hell out of me. Their goal in departure could be counter-productive — and in their quest for identity, they might drag the rest of the country down with them.
– Matthew Sheperd
Leave a Reply