These three Letters of the Day published on July the 29th in the National Post have strucked a nerve inside me. I always perceived myself as a sovereignist but considering the context of the international scene these days, it is definitely not the time to envision such thing while our very survival as free individuals is in jeopardy. There are things much more important right now that have to be taken care of. When the fate of mankind is secure, when nuclear Armageddon has been avoided and when totalitarianism, for the most part, has been neutralized, then we will have plenty of time to decide if Quebec should be inside or outside Canada or what kind of political organization is best. First things first. Normally, I don’t blog this kind of subjects because it doesn’t fall into my editorial line, but I couldn’t resist.

The three letters have been presented in response to an article by Barbara Kay, in which she calmly and quietly presents the context of a real-estate transaction, i.e. the purchase or her house. In 1976, the Quebec market was good for buyers with all those Anglo-Quebecers leaving Montreal following the victory of the Parti Québécois. The first response published, from Michael Lawrence, Hudson, Que., presents statistics on the migration of anglophones. Apparently this nice fellow had the decency to stay in Quebec after 1976, although the city of Hudson can hardly be characterized as a Quebecois town. In effect, it has nothing to do with, for example, the neighbourhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve but much more with the West Island in terms of atmosphere and wealth. The second response, from Ted Hassall, Niagara Falls, Ont, is more interesting for our purpose. He says among other things that « the PQ’s draconian language laws made anglos feel like second-class citizens », and that he is happy to « live in places without punishing language laws », speaking probably about the wonderful town of Niagara Falls that he has adopted after the murder of Minister Pierre Laporte. The third, from Denis Walsh, Vancouver, B.C., is even more revealing. Mr Walsh left Quebec in 1976 when the PQ got elected. Continuer la lecture →