Dear Ministers Déry and Fitzgibbon, I have always been proud to call myself a Quebecer. I grew up in Montreal in an English-speaking family and I always made sure that my French was at the same level as my English. My parents, originally from Ontario and the United States, passed on to my sister and me the importance of speaking French and understanding the rich and complex history of Quebec, as well as the value of preserving the French language.
I myself quickly understood that knowing several languages was an asset and would open many doors for me. However, the laws and punitive measures adopted by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) undermine my pride in our province. The recent announcement of a significant increase in tuition fees for out-of-province university students is another example of harmful and controversial policy and a blow to those of us who have worked so hard to learn French and embrace Quebec culture .
After living for more than a decade in the United States and Vancouver, I recently returned to Montreal to join the Department of Geography at McGill University as an assistant professor. I left behind an assistant professorship and Canada Research Chair at UBC (University of British Columbia) to not only be closer to family and friends, but also to come back to the city and the institution that has so enriched my life. I now have the privilege of working in collaboration with researchers working at French- and English-speaking universities in Quebec to solve some of the biggest problems we face today, such as the climate crisis.
Our collaboration and research only thrive when we all thrive. Liebig’s Law of the Minimum (a well-known concept in ecology and botany) states that “the achievable yield is dictated by the nutrient that is most limiting.” By harming Quebec’s English-speaking universities, such as McGill University, where I teach, you will harm all academic establishments in the province and threaten scientific innovation and progress. This will also mean that fewer talented people will be attracted to Quebec, which will lose out by giving up their essential contribution to Quebec society.
For me, it’s even more personal. My mother came from Ontario to study music at McGill and it was there that she met my father, an American also studying music at McGill. After their studies, they were founding members of what is today “Arion”, the famous baroque orchestra based in Montreal. As teachers at McGill, they also trained music students from across the country, including many who decided to stay in Quebec, learn French and enrich the province’s music scene.
A measure like the one announced could have prevented my parents from studying music at McGill, from founding a world-renowned orchestra and from training several generations of leading Quebec musicians, which would have had a profound effect on culture in Quebec. .
Despite being English speakers, my parents worked very hard to learn French and are now both bilingual. They are proud of their ability to speak French and made sure to pass this pride on to my sister and me. Even though Bill 101 allowed them to enroll us in English schools, my parents sent us to French-speaking primary and secondary schools.
I also believe in the value of bilingualism, and that is why I intend to do the same with my son, despite the punitive and contentious policies of the CAQ, which only create an ever-increasing divide. deep between the anglophones and francophones of this province.
We have seen what divisive politics can do. There are countless examples all over the world that demonstrate their harmful and destructive nature. This is actually one of the main reasons why I left the United States. Let’s stop following this toxic path. For my part, I would have much more respect for our province if we moved away from these punitive and exclusionary policies. It’s time to stop dividing ourselves: we are stronger when we work together.