~'Just call me Major Minority’ Editorial Series by CMP (aka ~*Phe*~)

~~~~~I love Quebec. The province is beautiful and diverse in its acceptance of all races and religions. Montreal has churches, temples, mosque and even a Buddhist temple. There is history, culture, a flair for the arts. Quebec is often referred to as the ‘gateway to Europe’ in North America and a lesser known fact is that when Quebec was settled the French not only had the interest in trading with the natives but welcoming and supporting their culture. For those that have never been to Quebec its landscape is similar to that of Vermont, which lies about 40 min away from my home and we have plenty of tourists that visit. The rent, the food, culture, life, everything about Quebec makes it an appealing place to set down your roots and create your own life. Well, almost everything.

~~~~~Like most places there are draw backs and the biggest draw back to Quebec is the language discrimination. It’s amazing to me that so many things can be so accepted here and in Montreal English is very welcome. But venture out and you will see English becomes more pocketed. I reside in the Cantons de l’Estrie area, this stands for Eastern Townships. This area of Quebec was settled and built on the sweat of English, Scots and Irish immigrants. Many of the street names still show the Anglophone roots of the city. Ball, Brooks, Argyle, King, Wellington, and so forth. The towns, Rock Forest, Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, East Angus, living reminders of those who transformed this massive wild into thriving communities. So what is it like to live in now in this place, especially as an Anglophone? It hurts.

~~~~~Discrimination both big and small is around. Rarely do you get to see it by the people walking in the street. More often to walk around you hear English spoken by others. . However you are prevented from feeling you have any value within the city by little things that people wouldn’t think of. Two movie theaters, one down the street from me, across from the bus depot, a perfect downtown location and a lovely movie theater. In the last 2 months they have played on average 13 movies a week. 1 movie has been English and for the last 6 weeks the only English movie has been ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’. I emailed them to ask why they were not playing at least 2 English movies a week considering the size of the theater, the email was in English and French. No response was received. The other theater is on the other side of the city they sometimes play 3 movies but most often it is 2 English movies out of about 10 a week. I went to my first movie on a date with my husband when the ‘Stepford wives’ came out the week of my birthday. At little over 3 years since I had stepped foot in a movie theater.

~~~~~So entertainment is disappointing for an Anglophone but at least you can rent movies and a bonus to owning a DVD player is that DVD’s are in English and French formats, VHS requires more luck to be on your side to see a movie in English. One major advantage to movies in Quebec is that I have been fortunate to see movies I would have never seen in other parts of Canada. French movies that have just been incredible. Many people know of the movie ‘Amalie’ which hit the English market as well as French. In a similar filming style I have also seen ‘Vidoq’, ‘La Cité des enfants perdus’ and ‘Delicatessen’. I’ve been exposed to more world movies in Quebec then in any other province. One of my favorites is ‘Aimée & Jaguar’ which is about 2 women in Berlin during 43/44, one German, one Jewish, and they are in love. Fantastic and emotional. Entertainment is probably the best example of life in Quebec for an Anglophone; it is a double edged sword. I am forced to feel like I am definitely a minority, but I get exposed to other worlds and cultures.

~~~~~Books are a different matter. I view books as a right, not a privilege. Everyone should have access to them; it should not matter of your race, sex, or even your pocket book. Throughout history this has been recognized and the first libraries were created, the value of these institutions has been recognized and they are one of the great traditions that have lasted to this day. Venture into the library in Sherbrooke and ask to be pointed to the English section. 4 years ago when I last visited the city’s library I was pointed upstairs and to the right. Excited by the promise of wisdom at my fingertips I happily walked up the stairs, to the right, passing rows and rows of double sided shelves oozing with books. I came to the last 2 rows of shelves and walked down. It was odd to see a very emaciated section at the far end of this row so I made that my first stopping point. I’d average 75 books were on that shelf. I looked on the other side of the shelf which was overflowing, all French books. I looked at the books to the right of this self and the ones facing this shelf, they were all French. A library big enough to house two floors of literature, estimating multi digit thousands, and they only had about 75 English books. I hung my head and left silently. This was the most intense feeling of being a lesser class that I have ever felt. When even knowledge in my own language was being kept from me, I must not be important at all.

~~~~~At least we still had a bookstore in the mall which catered to the English. They had a small section of French books, since there were several bookstores that offered French books already. It was a welcoming place. I loved visiting there and the staff was so friendly and kind. We visited so often they knew us by name and saw me when I was pregnant until my daughter was about 2 ½. Then suddenly they were gone. It broke my heart in a thousand pieces and I started to question why a thriving always busy bookstore suddenly disappeared.

~~~~~It is important to note around this time other strange activities took place in town. If you rented a video game it came with no instruction booklet, video stores told us that they were instructed to throw them out because they came in English only. A video game shop in the mall was forcibly closed for a week to make their store more Francophone. Admittedly this put up red flags.

~~~~~The previous year had politically been a victory one for Quebecers. Most of us were tired of the Bloc Quebecquois who wanted to put French above English and separate from the rest of Canada. Quebecers, English and French, recognized that they were a major cause of breeding prejudice and hate. The general idea amongst them was that French Quebecers were loosing their culture and heritage, irony being that my great grandparents emigrated here in the late 1800’s to create a life for us and the family flourished. My heritage as a Quebecer was not French but English and that of struggling settlers who came to farm. The Bloc could see their roots clearly but refused to acknowledge the other trees in the forest Their ideas were tipping the balance of extreme to ludicrous. Enter the Liberals, with the charismatic Jean Charest (not to be confused with the previous Canadian prime Minster Jean Chretien) who preached equality, for English and French. What a welcome change! It was a landslide. The liberals won. The night of the election Charest, who was the local in office politician for Sherbrooke, celebrated his victory then took a helicopter which flew over my house, to meet other celebrations. Being the head runner in the liberal landslide, he left Sherbrooke to take over his new position of Premier of Quebec. Very shortly after his departure government offices here became more bilingual, previously a call to any Quebec office would get you a French only answering service which was difficult to navigate through. Now you had the ‘pessez un pour francais, press two for English.’ Oh bliss! Oh joy! I walked about proud as anything feeling like finally Quebec would welcome me and help me to grow. But this was the only thing that seemed changed.

~~~~~The closing of the bookstore, a Librarie Smith, one of those belonging to the conglomerate of Chapters Indigo, was unexpected and what is more, it was illogical. Lennoxville which is a mere 3 min drive from the heart of Sherbrooke, is home to a university and college that are both English. The mall bookstore was at that time to my knowledge the only supplier of a varied category English book. The many students and any English residents now have 2 used bookstores that supply their books. There is also a Library in Lennoxville that boasts a fair distribution of English and French books. I have yet to visit but will be shortly. Needless to say if you want a fresh off the shelf book your only answer is to drive to another town or order online. (see future article titled ‘Quel Frustration’)

~~~~~Loosing the bookstore was yet another reminder of how I am valued. It’s incredible to me that I live in a place so open and accepting, inviting other’s way of life. But yet, with a smile I am constantly reminded I am nothing more then English, not be treated equally. And apparently this is a lower sanction then being French. I wonder if this is how African Americans felt when they came to a fountain, restaurant or bus section that said ‘whites only’ and I am sure it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Article written by C.M.P. Sep 2, 2004~

************************ Authors note: I have very strong opinions and recently I have been encouraged to put these down in the form of editorials. It’s my hope to one day have these editorials published in a local paper but until that day comes I hope you will read them here and feel free to share your opinion, good or bad, and your criticisms. ************************

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