Do you know the legend of Parizeau?
“Going up to Windsor station, I was a federalist; going down to Banff, I was a separatist”, said Jacques Parizeau to explain his conversion from federalism to independence.
Pure Parizeau: a rational reflection, during a train journey, which led him to call himself a “separatist”.
I tell myself that certain nationalists, who sometimes have legitimate concerns, but who also often carry stifling rhetoric, strongly encourage certain immigrants to take this same train, but in the opposite direction.
From the Quebec train to the Canada train.
Quebecers, of immigrant origin, integrated or born here, proud of it, come to identify first with Canada, and move away from Quebec.
Not geographically, but mentally.
Parizeau, him again, wrote this in the pages of our Log, in 2013, about the Charter of Values: “Meanwhile, in Ottawa, all parties combined, we proclaim our support for minorities in Quebec. In fact, federalism presents itself as their true defender. »
Isn’t this a real danger for Quebec, for our collective “us”, when we know that our future also depends on immigration and its integration?
Between worry and naivety
The newspaper brought forward a legitimate debate on Ottawa’s immigration thresholds, and the total lack of consideration that the Trudeau government has for these little Quebecers, always worried.
This puts Quebec in “protection” mode.
Let us specify: Canada forces us to “protect”.
A bear trap, to use the image.
But this normal concern sometimes turns into a brutal and victimizing speech for some.
Immigration is only associated with a threat, a danger for the nation, for French, for social cohesion, for the existence of Quebec.
Immigration is always, always a problem. Never a chance.
We are moving away here from the idea of Quebec as a place of integration and the promotion of our identity, as my colleague Robitaille pointed out on Tuesday. Both physical and mental.
It is counter-effective discourse for what most of us want: integration into Quebec, in French.
In short, we buy train tickets en masse, coming from Quebec and going to Ottawa. That too is worrying.
Prime Minister François Legault is sometimes the political bearer of this negative vision.
His government slathers pride on its toasts, repeating, all in chorus, that it is necessary “to curb the decline of French”.
But after the communication and the comforting lullaby of the Father, what remains?
Two actions, we promise: 100% Francophone economic immigration and an interdepartmental committee on French.
It’s more like a prayer.
Or procrastination, in front of Ottawa, which is on the move.
There is however the base, which remains to be done.
Require language requirements for temporary workers, better regionalize immigration, better understand our ability to integrate…
And there would be daring.
For our institutions: extend Bill 101 to CEGEPs, promote new growth at UQÀM, review the funding of English-speaking universities.
For our future: a commission for the future, a referendum to recover new powers in immigration from the federal government.
Possibilities to change the balance of power, there are some.
But that would take more than getting your index finger wet and analyzing the direction of the wind.
It would be necessary to tap into the reserve of audacity.
Powerlessness is a choice.