I have
had enough.
Since my
High School years I have been supportive of Quebec, its language, culture and
traditions. Having Quebec within the cultural fabric of our great country has
always been a plus.
Now I
am beginning to have second thoughts.
Maybe I
am getting crotchety in my old age!
Actually,
I think I have just had enough.
Now the
lady leader of the PQ in this summer election opposite John Charest, who has
held the Liberal Premiership for a couple of terms, is talking referendum…again.
Quebec
going it alone on the world stage.
I thought
this was settled.
I
thought Quebec was staying within Canada and will continue to remain a vibrant part
Of our
Cultural mix.
French
speaking Quebecers have their distinct society.
A
nationhood- if that’s how they want to think of it.
They have
education in French.
French
signs.
French
movies.
A
French Canadian star system.
They have
Tim Horton.
They had
Eaton too before it went bankrupt
BUT…
I have had
enough!
I am so
tired of this “Quebec need” to be a singular, identifiable country- away from
Canada- it makes me scream!
However,
I am not fighting it this time.
This
time I say:
Get the
Hell Out!
If the
True North Strong and Free is not of your taste, I say “walk away” and do it
now.
Be your
own Nation.
Be
through with the rest of us because I believe that a large part of Canada wants
to be through with you too! We want to move on.
You
whine and plead and cry and riot and burn and why?
Just to
get your way.
To make
a point.
We get
the point.
We have
been getting it for a couple of hundred years.
Enough
is enough.
Let’s
cut the rope to the lifeboat and let you float free.
You can
smoke your Export Cigarettes.
You
drink your Pepsi-Cola and dye your hair Henna Red.
I don’t
care.
I abhor
smoking anyway.
Many of
you never talk to fellow Canadians in a foreign Country. I know this to be
true. I have been on elevators with you. You know we are your countrymen yet
you utter not a word of recognition.
You’d
never be seen wearing a Maple Leaf lapel pin showing just how proud you are to represent
your country abroad.
So Now I
say- Get the Hell out!
I never
thought I would say it but listening to more Quebec rhetoric about separation from
this PQ Grand Dame is more than I care to hear. Besides, I’ve heard it all
before!
So
build yourself a cultural wall greater than the wall that separated East and
West Berlin.
Build
it taller.
Make it
soundproof.
Paint
it blue.
Make it
French.
Post
guards.
Fly
your flag.
And
what do I, a primarily English Speaking Canadian who loves his Flag and Country
and fellow Canadians expect in return?
When
you leave Canada-
Hand over
your Canadian Passports.
Your Loonies
and Toonies.
You CPP
contributions.
You
Canada Pension Plan
We’ll
take it from there by erasing French from cereal boxes, peanut butter jars,
government documents and road signs.
We have
endured bilingual signage, products and instructional pamphlets for years!
We need
to be cleansed.
We
learned that unilingual lesson from you!
Oh, I
know there are French speakers in Ontario and New Brunswick (Arcadians) as
well. Maybe we’ll have to comfort them, hold them to our breast and tell them
everything will be all right if they stay.
Maybe some
French Speaking Ontarians and New Brunswickers will decide to move east to jump
on the Quebec Bandwagon.
Maybe
they dream of holding a Quebec Passport or have the desire to see only French
on their morning cereal package and orange juice cartons.
Maybe
that’s what it’s really all about?
The
right to have just French on a box of cereal.
For English
Speakers within the province of Quebec, my best bit of advice is to leave and leave
soon. You have weathered this political storm time and time again, so maybe it’s
time to leave. Yes, it’s your history too and I know you would like to hold
onto it but at what price? The price of a reading a Quebecois sign or
unilingual cereal box?
By the
way, why aren’t the New Brunswick French or Ontario French talking about separation?
They seem to blend with the rest of us Canadians.
I dunno…
My
point is, if Quebec takes Canada down that rocky road to independence,
this time,
just let them go.
Let the
people go.
Maybe
the Americans would donate space for a 4 lane Canadian Highway in the northern
States that would effectively be Canadian soil and would keep the Maritimes and
Newfoundland from feeling alienated.
We
could give them some free gas or water in return- maybe even Niagara Falls.
The
good side.
The
Canadian side.
They
already believe it’s theirs- don’t they?
When
Quebec is a country, that’s what will happen.
Alienation
of the Provinces.
I don’t
suppose Quebecers care if they drive a stake between Ontario and New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.
I hope
too they are prepared to develop their own National Air Carrier, Police Force
and
Security
system. It may take a few years for countries around the world to recognize
their new status. Maybe some of them won’t recognize it.
So, go forth
Canadian children.
Go
forth and prosper- or not.
If you
want to do this, do it now because after 200 years, I have had it up to mon cou.
I don’t
want to hear about your “need to be a Nation” any more.
Just leave
and do it quietly.
I have
never been to Quebec.
That’s
right. Never stepped foot in it.
Not
once.
The
question is around the globe will you be held in high esteem or does a large
measure of that esteem come from being Canadians, living in Canada- not
Quebecers living in Canada.
I guess
you’ll find out soon enough when you go
So Buh
Bye for now and Bon Chance!
I think
you’ll need it.
