Monday, August 15, 2011
Quebec's next crisis?
If you're originally from Qu�bec, then you surely have enough nuance to grasp that it's not a simple matter of cyclical restlessness. There's more at play than that. While I'm not a fan of Qu�b�cois nationalism (or nationalism anywhere else for that matter), French-Canadians have historically been treated like second-cl citizens, and while the laws to that effect have been changed, it would be naive to suggest that the mindset that let to the implementation of those discriminatory laws in the first place magically disappeared as a result. I'm not Canadian (live in the US, born in France- dual US and French citizenship), but I've frequently traveled to Qu�bec, and I think that there are misconceptions and hang-ups on both sides of the French-Canadian/English-Canadian divide. I once knew a girl from L�vis (just across the Saint-Lawrence from Qu�bec City) who opposed secession from Canada, yet admitted to not feeling Canadian. Mind you, she didn't *hate* Canada by any means- she simply didn't identify with other Canadian provinces in any way, be it the people, the history, the culture, etc. I'm guessing that she's not the only one to feel conflicted in that way. There are no easy answers as I see it to reconcile these differences.
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