To the Editor:
Dear M. Drouin,
Congratulations on your re-election to Parliament.
The purpose of this letter is to ask for clarification of one of the statements in your election brochure. Specifically:
“We have a robust plan to ensure that official-language minority communities continue to grow and thrive. That’s why, we are working on modernizing the Official Languages Act to better reflect the reality of today.”
I am glad to hear you are a robust defender of ‘official-language minority communities’. I imagine this must include the English- language minority in Quebec as well as the French-language minority throughout Canada. Omitting buzz-words, what exactly do you mean by ‘modernizing’? What specifically is the ‘reality of today’?
I ask, because the recent demand, by Quebec premier Francois Legault, to enshrine in the Canadian constitution the statement that Quebec is a ‘nation’ and that the sole official language of Quebec is French and that Law 101 will be strengthened surely must send a chill down the spine of English-speaking citizens of Quebec – because these words always precede even greater sanctions against the English community. Something I trust you strongly and actively oppose.
I have full faith you will do all in your power to resist this call from M. Legault to push English-speakers in Quebec even further into second-class status – what we might think of as – linguistic apartheid.
Sincerely,
Ian Hepburn
Vankleek Hill
