Bourassa students write off beating to a few bad apples

But Pearson teacher says tensions won't end 'until a kid gets killed in the park'

RENE BRUEMMER, The Gazette

Classes resume today at Lester B. Pearson High School in Montreal North. Tensions in the neighbourhood remain high after Wednesday's attack.

The general consensus yesterday at two Montreal North schools in the eye of a public tempest was that the swarming was an isolated incident.

Parents, teachers and students called last week's vicious beating of two white girls at the hands, shoes and boots of a group of girls from another school - most of them black - a rare occurrence between two institutions that have had civil relations over the years.

"Same thing happened at my high school when I was growing up in LaSalle," said Mike, the parent of two children at Lester B. Pearson High School who spoke on condition that his full name not be used. "Guys would come over to fight us.

"There have always been these kinds of problems."

But the reassurances come as little comfort to many parents and students in an era where the rise of street gangs, guns and YouTube can quickly transform an innocuous schoolyard tussle into tragedy. In addition, one teacher said, parents can now see school violence for themselves on the Net, heightening their fears.

And the impetus for this beating - one of the victims has admitted to screaming a racial epithet at a group of black girls in response to having ice cubes flung at her - is an example of the racial, linguistic and socio-economic tensions that are unspoken and tolerated between the two solitudes at these schools, and everywhere else, observers said.

That relations are generally calm between the two schools is almost surprising. Lester B. Pearson High School is among the largest in the English Montreal School Board with 1,500 students, "95 per cent of whom are Italian," one teacher estimated. Many of these students are bused in to the Montreal North school from the more affluent Rivière des Prairies, and they are educated in English.

Less than one kilometre away is the even larger École secondaire Henri Bourassa, with 2,000 students from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, educated in French, and most from Montreal North, which is among the poorest districts in the city.

The average household income is $37,000, well below the Quebec average of $50,000.

Montreal North has been classified by Statistics Canada as one of the city's hot spots for crime, where the incidence of violence is significantly higher than in other neighbourhoods.

"They hired security guards to chase off the gang members who used to hang out by the exits in their luxury cars," Grade 11 Henri Bourassa student Daniel said. "The girls used to run out to see them. They still come around, but they turn the music down lower, and they stay farther from school."

Yet incidents between the schools are relatively rare. Three years ago, a student at Lester B. Pearson used the same racial epithet and provoked the rage of more than 200 students at Bourassa, who gathered outside Lester B. Pearson and chanted their high school's slogan in a threatening show of force.

Students at Henri Bourassa, both black and white, wrote last week's incident off to a few bad apples. Racial tension is rare, most said. If anything, it would be more of a "French against English" thing.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=e973ca01-4451-4af2-9eb4-6b065ee61251&k=88460

What factors lie behind school swarming?

Rene Bruemmer, The Gazette

An isolated incident, most people at the schools in the eye of a public tempest opined today. A vicious beating of two white girls at the hands, shoes and boots of a group of girls from another school, most of them black, was a rare occurrence between two institutions who have had civil relations over the years.

"Same thing happened at my high school when I was growing up in LaSalle," said Mike, the parent of two children at Lester B. Pearson high school who preferred not to give his full name. "Guys would come over to fight us. There have always been these kinds of problems."

But the reassurances come as little comfort to many parents and students in an era where the preponderance of street gangs, guns and YouTube can quickly transform innocuous schoolyard tussle into tragedy.

And the impetus for this beating - one of the victims has admitted to screaming a racially epithet at a group of black girls in response to having ice cubes flung at her - is an example of the racial, linguistic and socio-economic tensions that exist unspoken and are tolerated between the two solitudes at these schools and everywhere else, observers said.

That relations are generally calm between the two schools is almost surprising. Lester B. Pearson High School is among the largest in the English Montreal School Board with 1,500 students, "95 per cent of whom are Italian," one teacher estimated. Many of these students are bussed in to the Montreal North school from the more affluent Riviere des Prairies, and they're educated in English.

Less than a kilometre away is the even larger Ecole secondaire Henri Bourassa, with 2,000 students from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, educated in French, and most from Montreal North, which is among the poorest districts in the city.

The average income of those over 15 in the region's federal electoral district was $21,000, according to 2003 census figures. The average household income is $37,000, well below the Quebec average of $50,000.

Montreal North has been classified as one of the city's "hot spots" for crime by Statistics Canada, where the incidence of violent crime is significantly higher than in other neighbourhoods.

"They hired security guards to chase off the gang members who used to hang out by the exits in their luxury cars," said Grade 11 Henri Bourassa student Daniel. "The girls used to run out to see them. They still come around, but they turn the music down lower, and they stay farther from school."

Yet incidents between the schools are relatively rare. Three years ago, the same racial epithet between two students at Lester B. Pearson provoked the rage of more than 200 students at Bourassa, who gathered outside Lester B. Pearson and chanted their high school slogan in a show of force and threat.

Students at Henri Bourassa, both black and white, wrote last week's incident off to a few bad apples. Racial tension was rare, most said. If anything, it would be more of an "French against English" thing.

"The only bad thing is there are a lot of guns in this neighbourhood," said Grade 11 student Gianluca. "Things can go bad quickly." Fights in the school itself are common, "especially between girls," he said.

"We're always in groups - it's safer," said Daniel. "But is has a kind of ghetto effect, where we don't talk to each other."

One teacher at Lester B. Pearson who asked not to be named disputed the "isolated incident" theory.

"Something has to be done," he said. "(This type of incident) is an annual thing. ... There is a lot of racial tension. I hear it from the kids. And there's socioeconomic tension."

(Girls from Bourassa told reporters they dislike Lester B. Pearson students because "they look down on us.")

"But all we do is keep ignoring the issue, and say 'It's all going to blow over.'

"It's not going to blow over until a kid gets killed in the park and people finally do something."

Lester B. Pearson has to make an effort to "build bridges" by setting up meetings between the schools, and organizing multicultural days for students who have had little exposure to different ethnic backgrounds, the teacher said. Students at Lester B. Pearson aren't allowed to leave school grounds until they reach Grade 9.

"And it's always the Grade 9 kids, who aren't properly socialized in society, who get into trouble.

"I call it the disease," he said. "It's a virus that keeps spreading until someone does something about it. If we don't confront it, it will continue."

Much of the blame falls on parents and grandparents, he noted, who either don't teach their children to respect others, or pass on their own prejudices.

Two Grade 11 girls from Henri Bourassa who said they had seen little fighting, had a different theory for the the perceived scope of the problem at their school.

"When are all the journalists going to stop coming," asked Sasy, 16, gesturing toward the television trucks and cameras parked in front of her school. "I want them to go away so things can get back to normal.

"They're stressing me out."

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a378c0a6-7c1e-4766-961b-c231b94f1f85&k=56492

Crucifix contre hijab

Katia Gagnon

La Presse

Si les Québécois sont très majoritairement contre les signes religieux affichés par les personnes d'autres religions, ils tiennent cependant à ce que les symboles du catholicisme demeurent en évidence dans les espaces publics.

Ainsi, près de 70% des répondants s'opposeraient à ce que l'on retire le crucifix de l'Assemblée nationale. De plus, 52% des gens refuseraient que l'on supprime la prière dans les conseils municipaux. Que l'on soit issu de Montréal, de Québec ou des régions, ces pourcentages demeurent sensiblement les mêmes.

«Les événements de l'automne dernier autour des accommodements raisonnables peuvent expliquer cette crispation. Car il y a une crispation autour des symboles religieux, même chez les gens qui sont laïques. Un repli identitaire en appelle un autre. On se retranche tous derrière nos symboles», commente Rachida Azdouz, de l'Université de Montréal.

Confusion entre foi et tradition

Au Québec, estime cette spécialiste des accommodements raisonnables, il y a une confusion entre foi et tradition judéo-chrétienne.

«On ne peut pas enlever le sapin de Noël des centres commerciaux. Ça fait partie des traditions. Mais dire que le crucifix, ça fait partie des traditions, c'est autre chose. Il n'y a pas de place pour un tel symbole religieux dans un espace citoyen comme celui de l'Assemblée nationale.»

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071009/CPACTUALITES/710090628/5358/CPPRESSE

La laïcité, le nouvel intégrisme?

Tommy Chouinard

La Presse

Québec

La laïcité ne doit pas devenir un nouvel «intégrisme religieux» et entraîner l'élimination de tous les symboles catholiques dans les espaces publics, estime Mario Dumont. Le chef de l'ADQ juge que le crucifix doit rester à l'Assemblée nationale et que la prière doit toujours être permise dans les conseils municipaux. Ils font partie, selon lui, de l'identité du peuple québécois.

«Autant je plaide la séparation de l'Église et de l'État, autant la laïcité ne doit pas non plus devenir une religion d'intégristes qui nous fassent disparaître tous les symboles de ce qu'on est et de notre histoire», a-t-il lancé en conférence de presse, hier.

Selon un sondage SOM-La Presse-Le Soleil publié hier, les Québécois tiennent à ce que les symboles du catholicisme demeurent dans les espaces publics. Près de 70% s'opposeraient à ce que le crucifix soit retiré de l'Assemblée nationale, et 52% refuseraient que la prière soit interdite dans les conseils municipaux.

Or, les Québécois s'opposent à ce que des symboles d'autres religions prennent place dans les espaces publics. Ils s'opposent fermement à tous les accommodements consentis aux minorités religieuses.

«Il y a une volonté des Québécois de préserver leur identité, a affirmé Mario Dumont en guise d'explication de ces résultats. Il y a une volonté de tirer un trait lorsque les accommodements viennent carrément à l'encontre de nos valeurs communes.»

Mario Dumont s'oppose à la création d'une charte de la laïcité tel que proposée par la CSN. La centrale syndicale souhaiterait que les enseignants et le personnel du réseau scolaire affichent une neutralité complète en matière de religion. «J'ai vu souvent des promoteurs. Quand ils se mettent à en parler, la laïcité est présentée comme un nouvel intégrisme religieux, plus religieux qu'anti-religieux», a-t-il affirmé.

L'ADQ préconise plutôt l'adoption d'une Constitution dans laquelle seraient enchâssées les valeurs communes des Québécois.

Après avoir fait ses choux gras du dossier des accommodements raisonnables, le parti de Mario Dumont a décidé de ne pas déposer de mémoire à la commission Bouchard-Taylor. «Je pense qu'on a eu l'occasion de s'exprimer très, très largement comme parti politique là-dessus, a affirmé M. Dumont. On se place plus du côté de ceux qui vont recevoir le rapport que dans ceux qui doivent l'écrire.»

Duceppe slams 'multiculturalism'

DANIEL LEBLANC

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

October 11, 2007 at 1:11 AM EDT

MONTREAL — Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe cranked up the nationalist rhetoric in a speech Wednesday that shows he is banking on Quebec's politics of identity to beat back the surging Conservative forces in the next election.

Speaking to about 200 students at the University of Montreal, Mr. Duceppe blasted the “Canadian ideology of multiculturalism” and accused the federal government of failing to protect the French language in Quebec. Over all, Mr. Duceppe said, the other federal parties “are Canadian” and not up to the job when it comes to defending Quebec culture.

“The difference is that the Bloc is a party that is truly from Quebec, only from Quebec, totally from Quebec,” Mr. Duceppe said.

The Bloc's new strategy is based on the fact that many of its old warhorses, such as the fiscal imbalance and the recognition of Quebec as a nation, have been addressed by the Conservative Party since Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to office last year.

The Conservatives showed their newfound force last month by winning a by-election in a traditional Bloc stronghold in the riding of Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean.

Since then, the Bloc has strived to distinguish and distance itself from the Conservatives. For the longest time, the Bloc positioned itself as the sole protector of “Quebec's interests” on the political scene. Now, the Bloc argues that its job in Ottawa is also to defend “Quebec's values,” suggesting that Conservative values are foreign to the province.

Mr. Duceppe acknowledged that the Conservative government has recognized Quebec as a nation within a united Canada, but he added that it's time for Mr. Harper to “walk the talk” and give meaning to the gesture.

“If the Canadian parties are coherent with this recognition, they must understand that the Quebec nation and the French language go hand in hand,” Mr. Duceppe said. “The first concrete action that must follow is the recognition that Quebeckers form a francophone nation in America, not a bilingual nation.”

The Bloc, Mr. Duceppe announced, will present amendments this fall to the Official Languages Act and the Canada Labour Code to extend the reach of Quebec's Bill 101 in areas of federal jurisdiction.

Bill 101 already ensures that the main working language in most big Quebec businesses is French, but the Bloc now wants that to apply to banks and telecommunications companies, which are federally regulated. The Bloc also wants the preamble to the Official Languages Act to recognize that French is Quebec's only official language.

Before Mr. Harper became Prime Minister, he stated that he did not agree with all the elements of Bill 101, Mr. Duceppe went on to point out.

“It's clear that Mr. Harper's openness to Quebec, so far, has been political marketing. It's nothing but words, and we are worth more than words,” he said.

On the issue of immigrants, Mr. Duceppe said they must “integrate” in Quebec's francophone culture, a position that is incompatible with Ottawa's multiculturalism policy that promotes the preservation of various ethnic heritages.

The Conservatives shot back that unlike the Bloc, they obtain concrete results for Quebeckers.

“Mr. Duceppe's statement is yet another example of the Bloc trying to justify its existence in Ottawa. They can issue a news release every day, but why should Quebeckers continue to support a party that has delivered nothing, accomplished nothing and done nothing for the past 17 years?” said Pierre Lemieux, Conservative parliamentary secretary for official languages.

University of Sherbrooke political scientist Jean-Herman Guay said the Bloc, like the Parti Québécois on the provincial scene, needs to refocus its message after acknowledging there is no hope of a referendum on Quebec sovereignty in the near future. He said that speaking about issues such as the French language and the Quebec nation is a way for Mr. Duceppe to reconnect with Quebec nationalists who are attracted to the Conservative Party and the provincial Action Démocratique du Québec.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071011.duceppe11/BNStory/National/home

Les faux réfugiés affluent

Mathieu Boivin Le Journal de Montréal 05/10/2007 L’afflux grandissant des demandeurs d’asile, qu’ils se présentent à la douane avec une demande de statut de réfugié ou encore qu’ils soient carrément des immigrants illégaux, oblige Emploi Québec à établir une procédure de traitement accélérée pour leur offrir les services auxquels ils ont droit. Photo Pablo Durant

Depuis plusieurs mois, de plus en plus d'«illégaux» mexicains et haïtiens fuient la répression américaine et réclament le statut de réfugié au Canada. Et même si la plupart d'entre eux ne seront pas acceptés, on leur verse presque automatiquement de l'aide sociale.

En vertu des accords internationaux, les demandeurs d'asile - comme on les appelle officiellement - ont droit à du soutien financier pendant que le gouvernement canadien étudie leur dossier, ce qui prend en moyenne 14 mois. Ceux qui s'installent au Québec sont donc dirigés vers les programmes d'aide sociale d'Emploi Québec.

«Il y a un «tsunami» de demandeurs d'asile qui arrivent presque tous des États-Unis», nous a raconté une personne très au fait de la situation au Centre des demandeurs d'asile d'Emploi Québec, à Montréal. «Depuis deux mois, on ne fait que du traitement administratif, ça veut dire qu'on ne pose pratiquement plus de questions, ajoute notre informateur.

«On regarde juste s'ils ont rempli le formulaire comme il faut, 'tchikatchik', merci, bonjour.

«On tourne les coins très, très rond. C'est une vraie farce, soutient notre source. Des vrais réfugiés, il y en a très peu là-dedans, on le voit bien quand on parle avec eux. On est rendu des guichets automatiques.»

Emploi Québec a versé 38,8 M$ en aide sociale aux demandeurs d'asile l'an dernier et prévoit débourser 52 M$ cette année. C'est une hausse de 33 %.

«On ne contrôle pas ça»

Claude Morin, porte-parole d'Emploi Québec, constate effectivement une hausse d'environ 30% de la clientèle du Centre de services aux demandeurs d'asile depuis le début de l'année.

«On ne contrôle pas ça. Les demandes d'asile sont de compétence fédérale. Nous, on reçoit ces gens et on leur offre les services auxquels ils ont droit», a-t-il commenté.

M. Morin a également admis qu'une procédure de traitement accéléré avait exceptionnellement été mise en place, au Centre, pour répondre à l'afflux de demandeurs d'asile.

"On applique la règle du dénuement, comme pour les réfugiés libanais l'an dernier, explique-til. On leur accorde tout de suite ce à quoi ils auraient droit comme prestataires, à titre d'aide de dernier recours.

«Par la suite, dans le mois suivant, il y aura une entrevue, poursuit-il. Personne ne va recevoir des prestations de façon régulière sans se qualifier selon nos règles.» M. Morin reconnaît toutefois que très peu de demandeurs d'asile se font refuser l'aide sociale. Ainsi, 86 % des 370 demandeurs d'asile qui ont réclamé de l'aide sociale en juin 2007 en ont obtenu.

Le Québec s’accommode mal

Un Québécois sur deux ne croit pas que la Commission Bouchard-Taylor débouchera sur des résultats concluants. Photothèque Le Soleil

Daphnée Dion-Viens

Le Soleil

Québec

Les accommodements raisonnables dérangent. Selon un sondage SOM–Le Soleil–La Presse, près de 65 % des Québécois estiment qu’un trop grand nombre d’accommodements raisonnables ont été accordés jusqu’à maintenant. Certaines pratiques, comme le vote à visage voilé ou le port du kirpan à l’école, sont condamnées par la quasi-totalité des sondés.

Cette enquête a été réalisée du 26 septembre au 3 octobre, auprès de 1034 Québécois. Sa marge d’erreur est de 4,2 % et son verdict, sans surprise pour les experts consultés par Le Soleil. La société québécoise est allée trop loin en matière d’accommodements raisonnables, estiment 64,7 % des sondés. En décembre dernier, ce nombre s’élevait à 59 % selon un sondage similaire.

À l’opposé, 10,5 % des Québécois croient plutôt que la société n’a pas été assez accommodante, alors que 21,4 % considèrent qu’elle l’a été « juste assez ». Certaines pratiques suscitent par ailleurs une levée de boucliers généralisée : plus de 90 % des Québécois désapprouvent le port du kirpan à l’école, le vote à visage voilé ou la demande de juifs hassidiques de ne pas être évalués par une femme au moment du test de conduite de la Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

Au contraire, d’autres pratiques entraînent des réactions plus modérées. Ainsi, 56 % des répondants s’opposent au port du hijab (voile sur la tête) par une employée d’un service public, 58 % sont contre les locaux de prière dans les universités tandis que 60 % désapprouvent les menus différents offerts pour des motifs religieux dans certaines cafétérias. « On remarque une grande variation dans les réponses selon les pratiques », note Gilles Therrien, président de la firme de sondage SOM. De manière générale, les Québécois s’objectent à l’envahissement de la religion dans l’espace public. La laïcité est très importante, tout comme l’égalité homme-femme. »

Une majorité des sondés s’opposent aussi au port du hijab à l’école (65 %) ou sur un terrain de soccer (70 %) de même qu’au port du turban sikh plutôt que du chapeau à la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (79 %). « Il y a un malaise et un refus de faire de la place à des pratiques que l’on peut qualifier de fondamentalistes sur le plan religieux », reconnaît Rachid Antonius, directeur adjoint du Centre de recherche sur l’immigration, l’ethnicité et la citoyenneté à l’UQAM. Mais il s’inquiète aussi de la confusion qui règne dans la population. « On a mélangé accommodements raisonnables et gestion de la diversité » alors qu’on peut très bien être contre certains types d’accommodements et pour l’immigration, précise-t-il.

De son côté, l’avocat Julius Grey (qui a notamment défendu jusqu’en Cour suprême le port du kirpan à l’école) estime que les Québécois devraient s’interroger davantage. « Est-il plus facile d’intégrer les immigrants par la contrainte ou la douceur? » demande-t-il.

Mais il relativise aussi les résultats de cette enquête d’opinion : « Un sondage, c’est comme une photo. Ça dépend du photographe et de la lumière du moment. Ce n’est pas une vérité absolue. »

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071009/CPSOLEIL/71008109/0/cpsoleil

Immigrants welcome - as long as they conform

Most Quebecers against open expression of non-Christian religion

Support for a "code of conduct" for minorities is one of the paradoxes found in our poll about issues related to reasonable accommodation. Part 3 in a five-day series, Identities.

Quebecers think of themselves as tolerant, open-minded people. They think immigration is a good thing and that minorities have a strong role to play in society.

But beneath the surface, many fear the changes that immigrants and other minorities bring - especially non-Christian ones, according to a wide-ranging poll commissioned by The Gazette of attitudes over the reasonable accommodation debate.

There's also a paradox: Some of the very same Quebecers who say we are strengthened by cultural and religious diversity also say immigrants should be more like the majority.

Seven out of 10 Quebecers say Quebec society has been enriched by diversity, that immigrants should have as much say in the future of Quebec as anyone, and that minorities should be given a chance to take part in public decisions, the Lger Marketing poll of 1,001 Quebecers found in late August.

The flip side of the picture was less encouraging.

One in three people polled said Quebec society is under threat by the arrival of non-Christian immigrants, two out of five said Quebec society is changing too fast because of the minorities living here, and more than half said immigrants should abandon their customs and traditions and be more like the majority, the poll found.

An even higher proportion - 58 per cent - said Quebec should adopt a "code of conduct" for minorities to follow when it comes to practising their religion and culture - the kind of code the village of Hrouxville did last year that stirred up a storm of controversy.

The poll reveals a passive double standard: a large majority of Quebecers disapproves of open expressions of religion, unless it's Christian.

"There's a large reservoir of guilt among French Canadians about the rapid rejection of Catholicism during the Quiet Revolution - that's a fact," said

sociologist Morton Weinfeld, who runs McGill University's Canadian ethnic studies program.

"And an easy way to assuage that guilt is by symbols - it's what I call religion-lite," Weinfeld said.

"People say, 'We don't have to go to church, we don't have to follow the dictates of the church, but we're very comfortable with all the visual imagery around us that reminds us of our heritage and reinforces our identity.'"

On specific issues, the poll found that Quebecers on the whole are against non-Christian accommodations:

They don't think Jews or Muslims should get time off work to pray (72 per cent are against).

They don't think religious minorities should get special meals at a traditional cabane sucre (69 per cent).

They don't want the government to subsidize religious schools (67 per cent).

They don't want Muslim women to walk around with their faces covered (63 per cent).

They don't want Muslim teachers to cover their hair with a

hijab (61 per cent);

They don't want Muslim girls to wear the hijab in school (61 per cent).

And they don't want prayer rooms in colleges and universities (59 per cent).

About the only thing they are willing to concede is hijabs in public. Two in three - 66 per cent - think it's OK for Muslim women to dress like that.

But when it comes to the most common expression of the Catholic religion - the crucifix that's displayed seemingly everywhere in Quebec, in schools, in nursing homes, in the National Assembly, Quebecers are happy it's there. About six out of 10 - 59 per cent - approve of keeping crucifixes on the walls of public schools.

"Quebecers widely agree that diversity enriches Quebec society but they're much less at ease when this diversity is expressed through religious symbols coming from outside Catholicism," said Lger research vice-president Christian Bourque, who oversaw the survey.

Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, analyzed the Lger data for The Gazette. Co-relating people's answers to the poll question, Jedwab found that even those who say they're most open to religious and cultural diversity draw the line at public displays like hijabs, while approving of crucifixes in school.

For example, of the people who totally agree that diversity enriches society, only 22 per cent completely accept Muslim girls wearing hijabs in school. And of those who have no problem with crucifixes in schools, only 25 per cent would allow hijabs to be worn there, either by students or teachers.

The most worrisome part of the poll is that a majority of Quebecers appear to favour some kind of "code of conduct" for minorities, Weinfeld said.

"It's troubling, because there's an action component to it - people want the government to regulate the problem. That attitude reflects a certain kind of tatisme in Quebec, which may include telling minorities how to live. It's objectionable, it's unconstitutional and it violates the Charter (of Rights and Freedoms)."

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=fee092fd-5859-48c7-a46e-0a0a43700b73&k=38180&p=1

Bouchard à court d'arguments pro-diversité

La tourne de la Commission sur les accommodements raisonnables servira-t-elle à convaincre ou à consulter?

Québec -- Pour «convaincre la population que la diversité ethnique, c'est un enrichissement culturel», il faut des arguments, or ces arguments, «je vous garantis qu'on les cherche!», a confié hier au Devoir le coprésident de la Commission sur les accommodements raisonnables, Gérard Bouchard. M. Bouchard estime que, bien que leur tournée en soit une de consultation, les deux présidents devront «répliquer» à certains discours des participants. Ces discours, M. Bouchard prévoit qu'ils seront défavorables à la diversité: «On va se faire dire, dans toutes les régions dans lesquelles on va s'arrêter [...], que l'immigration et la diversité, ce sont des emmerdements.

Et puis, ces gens-là n'auront pas lu l'article [du sociologue américain Robert] Putnam [présenté hier dans Le Devoir], mais ils vont nous tenir un discours qui va dans le même sens, mais un discours beaucoup plus sommaire et musclé», a-t-il déclaré hier lors d'un entretien téléphonique.

M. Bouchard estime que «nous, les intellectuels, on a mal fait notre travail», depuis une décennie au moins. «On a posé et on a postuléque la diversité était bonne et enrichissante pour le Québec sur le plan culturel. Mais on ne l'a pas démontré avec les études nécessaires. Nous étions certains que personne ne voudrait soutenir la position contraire», admet-il. Pour bien marquer le point, il insiste: «Est-ce qu'on connaît un seul article présentant un argumentaire solide et convaincant démontrant de façon concrète en quoi la diversité ethnique est une source d'enrichissement culturel?» Certes, il y a des études sur l'enrichissement économique du Québec. Mais sur le plan culturel, la chose est quasi impossible à trouver, affirme-t-il.

Il insiste: il croit, lui, à la richesse de la diversité pour le Québec. Et il s'adresse un reproche: «Je n'ai jamais contribué à bâtir cet argumentaire.» Ainsi, dans le grand public -- les «gens qui ne sont pas des intellectuels mais qui regardent les nouvelles à TVA ou à TQS, dans le meilleur des cas au téléjournal» --, comment arriveront-ils, Charles Taylor et lui, à «déconstruire» les discours fréquents, qu'il présente ainsi: «C'est bien plus simple quand on est tous pareils. Il est alors plus facile de prendre des décisions car les débats sont plus rapides, les gens partageant les mêmes codes.»

Littérature

Dans l'autre camp, celui des chercheurs qui tentent de mesurer les effets de la diversité, il y a une littérature qui se développe depuis quelques années, à laquelle le sociologue Robert Putnam vient d'apporter une contribution importante avec son article «E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-First Century» (publié dans la revue Scandinavian Political Studies).

Ceux-là croient démontrer que la diversité nuit, par exemple, à la solidarité, au moins dans un premier temps. Avec de bonnes politiques publiques, les choses peuvent être corrigées à moyen et à long terme, estime M. Putnam.

Mais M. Bouchard se montre plutôt critique envers ce dernier. Il note dans un premier temps que plusieurs chercheurs ont démontré que les indicateurs de solidarité ou de «capital social» de Putnam étaient sans doute dépassés. Les composantes de la vie et des liens communautaires se sont transformées. Il faudrait mesurer autre chose pour découvrir un autre capital social. Deuxièmement, Putnam met «peut-être sur le compte de la diversité ce qui doit être imputé aux pathologies de la société américaine». Putnam n'a étudié que les États-Unis. «S'il travaillait sur le cas de Montréal» avec les indicateurs choisis, sans doute que les résultats seraient différents, argue M. Bouchard. Malgré la grande diversité de la métropole, les statistiques sur la santé sont bonnes, la ville est «remarquablement sécuritaire» et la démocratie ne «s'y porte pas trop mal», soutient-il.

Au Canada anglais, fait remarquer M. Bouchard, il y a des auteurs, comme Keith Banting et Will Kymlicka, qui cherchent à répondre, avec force données, aux arguments comme ceux développés par Putnam. (Notamment dans Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Recognition and Redistribution in Contemporary Democracies, Oxford University Press, 2006.)

http://www.ledevoir.com/2007/08/17/153678.html

Dumont défend sa position sur l'immigration

Malorie Beauchemin

La Presse

Québec

Forcé de défendre sa position sur l'immigration, Mario Dumont persiste et signe. Le chef de l'Action démocratique du Québec veut maintenir le niveau actuel d'immigrants reçus, soit autour de 45 000 nouveaux arrivants par an, mais refuse de l'augmenter comme le suggèrent les libéraux.

«Maintenir le ratio actuel, ce n'est pas freiner l'immigration, a expliqué M. Dumont, en entrevue téléphonique à La Presse, alors qu'il se trouvait en tournée en Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Le seuil a déjà été considérablement augmenté il y a quelques années, et on l'avait alors approuvé. Mais il faut être prudent.»

Le chef de l'ADQ dit croire en l'intégration et estime que le Québec a besoin d'un flot «important» d'immigration, pour des raisons sociales et économiques, notamment pour assurer le rajeunissement de la population, compte tenu du faible taux de natalité des dernières décennies au Québec.

«Dans la vie, il n'y a pas que des considérations économiques, ajoute-t-il toutefois du même souffle. On a évité jusqu'à présent des ghettos qui sont fermés et qui vivent en vase clos en dehors de la société. Il faut continuer à éviter ça.»

M. Dumont affirme qu'il faut éviter à tout prix les erreurs commises ailleurs dans le monde, où certaines sociétés «ont vécu des cas d'immigration trop concentrée, trop rapide». La France, notamment dit-il, a eu à composer avec de lourds problèmes de violence concentrés dans des quartiers multiethniques. À l'été 2005, des émeutes s'étaient propagées dans plusieurs banlieues de Paris, symbole de la colère des communautés issues de l'immigration.

Ainsi, le chef de l'ADQ rejette a priori l'idée de voir le nombre d'immigrants reçus annuellement augmenter dans les prochaines années de 30%, comme le suggère un scénario qui sera étudié en commissions parlementaire cet automne.

«C'est considérable, 30%, soutient-il. On a le devoir de prendre tous les moyens pour assurer la francisation. C'est pas banal dans l'avenir du Québec, dans la protection de son identité.»

M. Dumont soupçonne le gouvernement de M. Charest de vouloir augmenter les seuils «de façon radicale» et y voit une «incohérence» dans la gestion libérale de l'immigration.

«C'est quand même le gouvernement qui a coupé dans les budgets de francisation, qui a coupé dans l'aide aux organismes pour l'intégration, souligne le leader adéquiste. Alors, que ce même gouvernement, après avoir coupé dans les mesures diverses, linguistiques et socio-économiques, propose de rehausser les seuils, ça me paraît être une contradiction.»

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070815/CPACTUALITES/708150562

Suspect Anything? Religious profiling by Canadians lands asylum-seeker in custody

By MIHAD FAHMY, GUEST COLUMNIST
Edmonton Sun
Thu, August 16, 2007

Benamar Benatta's story reads like a work of fiction conjured up in our post-9/11 world.

It's almost as if someone wondered what would happen if a Muslim man, who knew something about airplanes, was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Benatta knows exactly what would happen, and it is with shame that we must admit it's no work of fiction.

At age 27, Benamer Benatta was a lieutenant in the Algerian military with training in aviation electronics.

In December 2000, he travelled to the U.S. to attend a training course along with fellow members of the military. At the end of the course, Benatta decided to desert the military and not return to Algeria.

ASYLUM

Having chosen to claim political asylum in Canada, Benatta was stopped at the border on Sept. 5, 2001, found to be travelling on a false document and held in isolation at the Canadian Niagara Detention Centre.

As a result, it was not until Sept. 12, 2001, that he learned of the terrorist attacks in New York City. This was the same day he was told he was being held as a suspect.

By this time, Benatta was in U.S. custody, thanks to the Canadian officials who had driven him across the border on Sept. 12 and handed him over to the American authorities.

Held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, Benatta was denied access to a lawyer, and subjected to conditions that the United Nations found could be described as torture.

Even though the FBI cleared him of any terrorism suspicions in November 2001, he continued to be imprisoned for close to five years. In July 2006, Benatta was allowed to return to Canada and resumed his claim for refugee status.

Benatta is now calling on the Canadian government to conduct a review of the actions of Canadian officials in illegally transferring him to the U.S. His lawyer, Nicole Chrolavicius, says that to date, no such public review is forthcoming.

While some may balk at the idea of yet another public review of the actions of Canadian security and border officials, the issues that are raised in this case warrant nothing less than a comprehensive and independent review.

Without granting him access to a lawyer and without giving him a hearing of any sort, Benatta was transferred to the U.S., not as a refugee claimant, but as a suspect in the worst terrorist attacks in American history.

Canadians are entitled to know how such basic civil liberties were disregarded.

In addition, Canadian officials identified Benatta as a suspect, presumably because he was an Arab Muslim man who also was an aeronautical engineer.

No amount of post-tragedy panic and frenzy can justify such blatant racial and religious profiling, especially given the consequences.

NAIVE

What's more, it would be naive to assume that we have now moved past that initial period of heightened suspicion (a.k.a. discrimination). Ask any Muslim or Arab man who has crossed the border in the last six years and he will tell you that the ramifications of 9/11 continue to resonate.

Having failed to immediately implement the Arar Commission's recommendations on creating an oversight mechanism for security agencies, the government has left Benatta with no option other than a public review.

Its inaction, along with our own complacency, leaves the door wide open for further abuses.

Townsfolk sad to see Mennonites move away

School rules push out 'good neighbours'

They have integrated into Quebec society, getting jobs at local businesses, making friends in the area, and learning French.

But members of Quebec's only Mennonite community won't send their children to government-approved schools, balking at the teaching of evolution, the acceptance of gays and lesbians and low "morality standards."

Now, fearing child-protection officials will seize their children, 15 English-speaking Mennonite families in this small community in the Montérégie region say they will move to Ontario or New Brunswick, where laws allow their private schools.

But this "reasonable-accommodation" story has a twist.

Here, other townsfolk - mostly francophone Catholics - support the Mennonites' primarily English school, deemed illegal by Quebec's Education Department.

"It boils down to intolerance to our religion" by education officials, said Ronald Goossen, who in the early 1990s was among the first Mennonites from Manitoba to move to Roxton Falls, a sleepy town on the Rivière Noire, about 100 kilometres east of Montreal.

"It's kind of sad because we enjoy the community, we have friends and we have good rapport with our neighbours.

"But when they threaten to take our children and put them in foster homes, that's beyond what we can accept," said Goossen, 56, a hog farmer who also works in a local factory.

He said about 30 members of the community - young couples and their school-age children - will have to move before school starts. The others will follow.

News media reports last year about unsanctioned schools led to a complaint to the Education Department about the Mennonite school.

Parents were warned they'll face legal proceedings if their children aren't enrolled in sanctioned schools this fall.

That could lead to children being taken from families, Goossen said.

The Mennonites established their own school in the late 1990s, initially in a community member's home.

Since 2002, it has been housed in the Church of God in Christ,

a spartan, vinyl-sided church down the road from Roxton Falls' steepled Catholic church.

Last year, eight children were enrolled in Grades 1 to 7; this fall, 11 students were expected.

Children are taught reading, writing, math, science, geography, social sciences and music. The education is mostly in

English, but French also is taught.

For the school to be legal, the teacher would have to be certified and Quebec's official

curriculum would have be taught.

"To do that, we would have to send teachers to schools we don't want to send our children to," Goossen said.

Community members disapprove of other schools because "we don't agree with the emphasis on evolution, which we consider false; we don't like the morality standards; and we don't like the acceptance of alternative lifestyles," he said.

Some Mennonite communities shun automobiles, electricity and other modern technology. Those in Roxton Falls drive cars and use electricity, their main distinguishing characteristics being beards on men and modest dress for women.

Last year, another small Quebec town - Hérouxville, in the Mauricie region - fueled the debate over reasonable accommodation of religious minorities by adopting a set of standards that spells out acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

In Roxton Falls, the vast majority of non-Mennonites strongly support the school, said the town's mayor, Jean-Marie Laplante. This week, he wrote letters to the Education Department and Education Minister Michelle Courchesne in an effort to save the school.

He said it should at least get a one-year reprieve, allowing the Bouchard-Taylor commission on reasonable accommodations to take a stand on such schools.

"We want to keep these people here - they're part of our community," Laplante said.

"They're good neighbours. They integrated into the community, they work hard, they have farms, they work in businesses in the region. They're everywhere - it's not a sect that closes itself off from others."

For a town of 1,300 people, losing "15 families hurts - it hurts economically, but it also hurts because everybody loves these people and we're saying: 'Why? Why is this happening?' "

Several non-Mennonites interviewed yesterday concurred.

"These schools are okay in other provinces; they should be allowed here, too," said Claude Dutilly, taking a break from mowing his lawn next to the Mennonite church and school.

"We should be open-minded. These are good people, part of the community. The children are respectful, well-behaved."

Education Department officials visited the Roxton Falls Mennonites in November and told them their teaching methods failed to comply with requirements.

It sent them a reminder letter in June and stressed that the community could face legal procedures.

"We are not trying to prevent them from living their life the way they want, but they have to obey the law when it comes to

educating their kids," said department spokesman François Lefebvre.

The community can send children to public school or open a private school, which would require permits and certified teachers, he said.

"They would have to follow the curriculum, but religious private schools can add specific classes dedicated to their faith."

The community could home-school their children but would have to follow the official curriculum and make arrangements with the local school board, Lefebvre added.

"Kids who are home-schooled have to use the same materials as those in public schools and be evaluated as well," he said.

In Ontario, parents who home-school children are not required to follow the province's curriculum.

"They may do so if they wish and they are highly encouraged to do so, but it is not a requirement," said Ontario Ministry of Education spokesperson Patricia MacNeil.

Parents must notify the local school board each year, she added. The school board can investigate if it has reasons to believe that parents are not giving proper instruction.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=8aa6f3f4-45fd-42d3-ad45-38b1106bddfc&p=1

City councillor to mediate in dispute over harassment

Complaints about police soared this summer among black residents of Côte des Neiges

KATHERINE WILTON, The Gazette

Allegations of police harassment and abuse of black residents in Côte des Neiges have become so numerous this summer that a city councillor will meet with both parties tomorrow to try to defuse the tension.

"I have had more complaints (about police harassment) over the past six weeks than I have had over the past 10 years," said Marvin Rotrand, councillor for Snowdon, which is part of Côte des Neiges/N.D.G. borough.

"We have made a lot of progress over the past several years. If there is a problem now, we need to fix it."

Rotrand said at least 10 or 12 people have stopped him on the street or at civic functions to complain about heavy-handed tactics by local police officers and members of Project Advance, a special unit set up to crack down on street gangs.

Simonetta Barth, commander of Station 25, will be at tomorrow's meeting.

Inspector Paul Chablo, head of public relations for the Montreal police department, welcomed the meeting. "It is always better to sit down and discuss things than go to the media," he said.

Black leaders say their community is outraged by two cases of alleged abuse this summer.

On June 13, a 26-year-old Châteauguay man and his mother were arrested for obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest after a confrontation with a police officer from Station 25.

Lynwald Cox claims an officer provoked a confrontation after ticketing him for making an illegal left turn.

Police contend Cox became agitated after receiving the ticket and pursued a police officer in his cruiser, leading to the clash.

About one week later, police arrested Charles Ross, a tourist from New York, after he asked why they were manhandling a woman who they believed was taking pictures of them with her cellphone camera.

Ross was slapped and roughed up by members of Project Advance, said Noel Alexander, the president of the Jamaica Association of Montreal, who witnessed the confrontation near Victoria Ave. and MacKenzie Sts. at 10:45 p.m. on June 21.

Alexander said two officers were manhandling Karla Kirkos, 32, when Ross yelled out: "Hey, fellas, what are you doing?"

According to Alexander, two or three other officers rushed toward Ross, slapped him, handcuffed him and dragged him across the street, forcing him to sit on the sidewalk.

Ross was arrested and charged with assault. Alexander said he asked the officer in charge what was going on and said he was told: "This is a police operation."

The Gazette was unable to contact Ross at his home in New York this week.

Kirkos told The Gazette she was standing outside a restaurant when the officers tried to take her cellphone from her, saying she wasn't allowed to take pictures of them. She said she had taken out her phone to call a friend who was supposed to pick her up after she had ordered food.

Chablo said officers involved in the incident have a completely different version of events.

According to the police report, Kirkos began taking pictures of the officers as they were questioning a man.

The report said she started yelling hysterically at police after they asked her to move on. Chablo said the officers didn't try to take her cellphone.

As for Ross, the report says it was he who grabbed a police officer and punched him in the face.

Chablo urged members of the public not to get involved in police interventions because "you are obstructing justice."

"If you aren't happy (with what you see), take down the car number or police officer's name and call the local commander."

He said he isn't surprised that versions of events differ greatly.

"Sometimes people come in the middle of a situation and they don't know what happened before," he said.

Michael Gittens, president of the Côte des Neiges Black Community Association, said he is concerned by the reports of harassment, particularly since relations with police had been good over the past few years.

For five or six years, the association has given one-day training sessions to new police officers assigned to Côte des Neiges to help them better understand the multicultural community.

Gittens said members of his association, who were running a leadership program for youths in Nelson Mandela Park, had to go to Station 25 recently to complain that a few officers were harassing teenagers in the park.

"Why is this happening now after all the work that we have done? We expect more understanding from the officers."

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=1794f830-86c9-45ff-80f0-9bc8312d5947

PQ leader wants complete control

Immigration; Quebec not a bilingual province, Marois insists

MARIANNE WHITE, CanWest News Service

Published: 19 hours ago

Quebec should have total control over its immigration to send a clear message to newcomers that the province is a francophone state, not a bilingual one, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois said yesterday.

The comments came as Action Démocratique du Québec leader Mario Dumont continues to take heat for suggesting the province has reached the limit of immigrants it can assimilate, and as a politically-charged commission starts to look into the whole immigration issue and how to accommodate for religious and cultural differences. The issue is widely referred to as reasonable accommodation.

Marois believes Quebec needs to attract more immigrants, especially to cope with a declining birthrate and employment needs, but she stressed the province has to send a very clear message to those who decide to settle in Quebec.

"Many of them believe that they are settling in a bilingual state. It's not true. Quebec is a francophone state that respects the rights of its anglophone minority. And when you live in Quebec, you live in French," she said.

She pressed Premier Jean Charest to negotiate with the federal government to gain control over the 40 per cent of immigrants to the province that it does not already handle. Under a 1991 agreement, Quebec can choose the immigrants who have money to invest here and decide how it integrates them. But Ottawa keeps dealing with refugees and immigrants coming to reunite with family members.

Marois argued it's fair to ask for that since Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government recognized Quebec as a nation. Having additional powers would allow Quebec to choose immigrants that will more easily blend into Quebec's culture and values, Marois added.

Immigration Minister Yolande James said the province already picks 60 per cent of its immigrants and can target the specific types of workers most needed.

"We have all the power we need to select our immigrants," she said after a cabinet meeting.

The PQ leader also joined the Liberals in asking Dumont to clarify his statement that the limit on immigration has already been reached. "It's easy to say something like that, but when you have to prove it, it's more difficult," Marois said.

Dumont has so far refused to explain his comments.

- - -

Flashpoints: How we got here from there

Several incidents during the past two years illustrate the difficulties of reaching reasonable accommodation with minority groups:

Jewish General Hospital

The Quebec Human Rights Commission this year recommended the hospital, its auxiliary and an unnamed third party pay $10,000 in moral damages to two ambulance technicians ejected from a kosher cafeteria two years ago after one worker took in his own non-kosher meal. Noting the absence of public signs for the non-kosher eating area, the commission found the hospital had not done enough to accommodate the ambulance workers. In April, the hospital settled with the ambulance workers, agreeing to pay them $7,500 each. The hospital has also set up a public lounge for people who take in their own meals, kosher or otherwise.

Hérouxville resolution

In January, the council in Hérouxville, a small town about 40 kilometres north of Trois Rivières, adopted a "code of conduct" which discourages special treatment for newcomers of different religious or ethnic backgrounds. The Hérouxville norms permitted Christmas tree displays and coed swimming, and forbid the stoning of women or the covering of faces, apart from at Halloween. Several neighbouring towns adopted resolutions supporting Hérouxville. But municipal officials in Huntingdon, about 60 kilometres southwest of Montreal, responded in February with a resolution in favour of immigration and multiculturalism, and opposed to mixing religion and politics.

Hijab in sports

A Quebec soccer referee sent off 11-year-old Asmahan Mansour during a tournament in Laval in February after the Ontario girl refused to remove her hijab. Mansour's team withdrew from the competition in protest. The Quebec Soccer Federation went on to prohibit hijabs permanently. Two months after the soccer incident, five Montreal girls were stopped from competing in a tae kwon do tournament in Longueuil because they would not remove their head scarves. A referee told the girls he was applying a World Tae Kwon Do Federation rule forbidding scarves, bandannas and jewellery under a helmet.

YMCA tinted windows

The YMCA on Park Ave. and St. Viateur St.installed frosted windows in February 2006 so that male Hasidic Jewish students at a nearby building would not see women exercising. The Congregation Yetev Lev on Jeanne Mance St. paid $1,500 to have the frosted windows installed. In response to some members' complaints, petitions and a poll, the YMCA decided this year to revert to its previous practice of using clear windows with blinds.

Veiled Muslim women

Following intense media coverage and threatening phone calls, Quebec's chief electoral officer, Marcel Blanchet, changed the election law in March to oblige everyone who votes to show their face. Blanchet had originally said Muslim women who wear full-face veils, known as niqabs, would not be required to remove their veils to confirm their identify at a voting station. Blanchet said he made the about-face to preserve "the integrity and serenity of the electoral process" during the March 26 provincial election.

Montreal police

An internal Montreal police department newsletter, l'Heure juste, suggested in its Oct. 30 edition that female officers defer to male officers when dealing with Hasidic men out of respect for a religious culture that discourages fraternization between males and females. The police department later said the advice was not official policy, but merely a possibly useful scenario based on anecdotal evidence. Yves Francoeur, president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood, rejected the notion of different treatment for different groups as potentially discriminatory, both to the public and to police officers.

Kirpan in schools

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in March 2006 that barring Montreal student Gurbaj Singh Multani from wearing his dagger-like kirpan to school violated the federal Charter of Rights and could not be considered a reasonable restriction on his right to freedom of religion. The kirpan challenge dated to 2001, when Multani, then 12, attended Ste. Catherine Labouré elementary school in LaSalle. His kirpan - a symbol of Sikh faith - previously undetected, fell to the ground while he was playing in the schoolyard. Efforts to reach an accommodation between the Marguerite Bourgeoys school board and the family failed, and the case ended up in the courts.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=2a647f1c-e0a2-4037-a179-d77afb0340f7

Let the debate begin

Commission unveils timetable on accommodation hearings

ANN CARROLL, The Gazette

Quebecers will finally have a chance to say how they really feel about accommodating newcomers, the Bouchard-Taylor commission says.

After five months of preparation, research and focus groups, the Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences has unveiled a schedule of hearings and informal "town hall" meetings across Quebec, from August until December.

The commissioners - sociologist and historian Gerard Bouchard and philosopher Charles Taylor - are to submit a report and recommendations to Premier Jean Charest on March 31, 2008.

"It's important for us to reach as many people as possible and give them the opportunity to express themselves freely," Taylor said yesterday at a news conference in Montreal.

"A lot has remained unsaid (about immigrants) and there's an unease that has not yet clearly been expressed."

Charest created the commission on Feb. 8 - six weeks before the provincial election - to avoid the political minefield of defining reasonable accommodation with immigrants.

From the norms adopted by the Hrouxville council for newcomers to a ban on Muslim girls wearing hijabs during sports competitions, accommodation flashpoints all but derailed the election campaign and helped boost Mario Dumont's Action Democratique du Quebec to second place at the polls.

Bouchard and Taylor declined yesterday to be drawn into the political storm over accommodation.

They also refused to comment on Dumont's recent speculation that Quebec might have maxed its limits for integrating new immigrants.

Immigration quotas are a "difficult and complex question" that requires more data than now available, Bouchard said.

The commission, with a budget of $5 million and an advisory panel of 15 government and academic experts, has been asked to examine accommodation practices and make recommendations.

Reasonable accommodation is a legal notion, defining equality in a diverse society. But the phrase in Quebec has come to encompass everyday gestures that help integrate immigrant customs and religious practices into the broader society.

Taylor and Bouchard said they are taking the widest possible view of their mandate, and will look at the root problem of integration in Quebec society.

"Everyone knew there were immigrants in Quebec," Bouchard said. "But it's now as if, all of a sudden, Quebecers have really become aware of immigrants."

The awakening has only exacerbated Quebecers' old fears of losing their identity, he said.

Old-stock francophone Quebecers, sometimes called Qubcois de souche, are a minority in Canada and North America and seem insecure in the face of immigrant minorities in the province, Bouchard said.

That might explain why the issue of reasonable accommodation is now more hotly debated in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada, he added.

Quebecers need to regain confidence and show the "openness and generosity of spirit" that majorities have toward minorities in their midst, Taylor said.

Commission findings might help dispel some of Quebecers' fears, Bouchard said.

Concerns about a veiled Muslim woman's right to vote, for example, might seem disproportionate in light of the fact Muslim women make up less than one per cent of the population in Quebec, he noted.

The commission's first citizens forum and hearings takes place in Gatineau Sept. 10-11.

Montreal public hearings and "town hall" meetings are scheduled Nov. 26-30.

The commission has also asked the Institut du nouveau monde, an independentpublic-information and consultation organization, to organize four forums.

The first province-wide forum will be held in Montreal Aug. 24. Interested individuals must register with the institute online (www.inm.qc.ca) or by calling 1-877-934-5999, Local 263.

Meanwhile, the Quebec Human Rights Commission is taking a closer look at the place of religion in Quebec society. The commission has set up a link on its website (www.cdpdj.qc.ca) to provide statistics, research documents and previous legal judgments on the issue.

The commission is also seeking public input, and has launched a competition for research papers. The best submissions are to be published by Laval University Press.

Taylor said his group is working closely with the provincial human rights commission. But the two commissions have different mandates, he added.

The Bouchard-Taylor commission will go beyond the strictly legal aspects of accommodation, and evaluate everyday concessions people make to get along.

"A number of our recommendations will go beyond their (human rights) mandate," Taylor said.

For information on the Bouchard-Taylor commission, see www.accommodements.qc.ca

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=ec4ec029-c021-4571-a25e-fa73850b3857&k=99148

«Une majorité qui craint ses minorités»

Charles Taylor et Gérard Bouchard
Photo Patrick Sanfaçon, La Presse

Katia Gagnon

La Presse

Dans tout le débat sur les accommodements raisonnables, les Québécois de souche se comportent avec les minorités issues de l’immigration comme s’ils formaient eux-mêmes une minorité sur leur propre territoire, estiment les coprésidents de la commission Bouchard-Taylor. Ces derniers s’attaqueront au cours des trois prochains mois à la question brûlante de l’intégration des immigrants.

«On vit tout le paradoxe d’une majorité qui craint ses minorités. Il faut changer ça, parce que ça n’a pas de fondement objectif», a déclaré hier l’historien Gérard Bouchard, lors du dévoilement du document de consultation qui servira de base aux échanges avec la population.

«Il faut en arriver à un point où nous assumons notre rôle de majorité», poursuit-il, et «être une majorité, ça s’accompagne de responsabilités, comme voir à ce que les droits des minorités soient respectés».

Le débat des derniers mois sur les accommodements raisonnables a montré que le Québec est à «un croisement». Il a révélé un «malaise identitaire», croit M. Bouchard. Une crise sérieuse, alimentée par les non-dits, et aussi, par un profond clivage entre l’élite intellectuelle québécoise et les simples citoyens.

«Nous craignons que le débat sur les questions qui sont au cœur de ce débat ait laissé de côté la population. Le message qui passe, dans cette controverse, c’est "voici le temps de nous écouter. On a quelque chose à dire". Ça ne sera pas dans la langue des intellectuels, mais ça va être clair», souligne Gérard Bouchard.

Les deux coprésidents ont donc opté pour la formule de consultation la plus ouverte possible. Dix-sept rencontres se tiendront dans toutes les régions du Québec. Quatre forums seront organisés à Montréal par l’Institut du nouveau monde. Les citoyens sont fortement invités à faire connaître leur opinion sur le site internet de la commission.

Déjà, une préconsultation auprès de plusieurs dizaines de groupes a révélé aux deux intellectuels l’ampleur du malaise social. «On voyait rapidement à quel point les gens étaient angoissés par les accommodements et tout ce qu’il y a derrière. Comme si les Québécois avaient l’impression que leur culture vit une sorte de vide alors que celle des autres est très consistante, très forte», résume M. Bouchard.

Les rencontres des trois prochains mois risquent-elles de virer à la séance de défoulement ? Peut-être, admet Gérard Bouchard. «Bien sûr qu’on s’aventure en terrain glissant. Mais il faut le faire. Il faut œuvrer sur les terrains glissants qu’on a évités jusqu’à maintenant. À nos risques et périls, nous allons donc naviguer sur ces terrains glissants», dit-il avec le sourire.

Une armée de cerveaux

Les deux coprésidents seront accompagnés dans ce périple par une véritable armée de cerveaux : ils se sont adjoint les services d’un comité-conseil formé de 15 experts de différents milieux, chargés de l’épauler sur diverses questions.
`
Car la consultation ne portera pas que sur la question pointue des accommodements raisonnable : les coprésidents ont interprété le mandat qui leur a été donné par le gouvernement de façon très large. «On ne peut pas débattre du caractère raisonnable d’un accommodement sans se demander quel est le bon modèle d’intégration ? Quel est le modèle de laïcité ? Sinon, on passerait totalement à côté», estime l’autre coprésident, le philosophe Charles Taylor.

Au cours des trois prochains mois, les citoyens et les groupes sont donc invités par la commission à se prononcer sur toutes les questions qui touchent à l’intégration des immigrants, énoncées de façon franche, voire brutale, dans le document de consultation.

Parmi elles, un enjeu qui a ressurgi dans l’actualité récente: y a-t-il trop d’immigrants au Québec ? Les deux coprésidents jugent d’ailleurs inappropriée l’intervention toute fraîche du chef de l’ADQ, Mario Dumont.

«Ce n’est pas le moment pour quiconque de se prononcer là-dessus», estime Gérard Bouchard. «Il est parfaitement légitime de se questionner sur le nombre d’immigrants qu’on accueille au Québec. De là à dire que la capacité d’accueil est atteinte… Je crois que la réponse doit s’appuyer sur des données très fiables, qui n’existent pas présentement.»

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070815/CPACTUALITES/70814230/5050/CPPRESSE

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Plus sur les "accommodement raisonnable" dans La Presse:

Deux Hérouxvillois présenteront un mémoire
Ce que la commission vous demande
Questionnaire sur les accommodements

Dumont accusé de vouloir freiner l'immigration

Dans une entrevue publiée dimanche dans La Presse, Mario Dumont disait que le Québec avait atteint la limite de sa capacité d'accueil d'immigrants. Photo Armand Trottier, La Presse

Jean Charest accuse Mario Dumont de vouloir fermer la porte à l’immigration et « isoler » le Québec, une vision « à l’opposé » de celle proposée par le Parti libéral, selon le premier ministre.

Le 25e congrès des jeunes libéraux, qui portait notamment sur les questions d’identité nationale et de défi démographique, s’est conclu hier avec un discours du chef du Parti libéral axé sur l’ouverture sur le monde et la nécessité de faire face aux défis démographiques qui se dessinent, notamment par l’apport des immigrants.

« Vous avez proposé d’augmenter les niveaux d’immigration, a lancé le premier ministre aux jeunes militants dans son discours de clôture. Pour faire ça, il faut comprendre et avoir cette confiance dans notre capacité d’accueil et bien saisir les enjeux pour l’avenir du Québec. Ce que vous proposez, c’est une composante incontournable de la solution aux défis démographiques. »

Or, M. Charest a par la suite cité devant les médias un extrait de l’entrevue du chroniqueur de La Presse Patrick Lagacé avec le chef de l’ADQ Mario Dumont, accusant à mots couverts ce dernier de vouloir fermer la porte à l’immigration.
«Le Québec a atteint la limite de sa capacité d’accueil d’immigrants», dit-il. Fin de la citation. Ça, c’est la vision de Mario Dumont de l’avenir du Québec, a souligné le premier ministre. Il me semble qu’il y a là-dedans une déclaration qui ne correspond pas à ce que moi, je pense être l’avenir du Québec et de notre capacité à nous, comme Québécois, d’absorber, d’attirer chez nous des bras, des cerveaux, des cœurs et de les intégrer. »

Vision «trop ethnique»

La veille, le ministre des Affaires intergouvernementales et de la Francophonie, Benoît Pelletier, avait affirmé que Mario Dumont avait une vision « trop ethnique » de la nation québécoise.

M. Charest a estimé dans son discours que les Québécois avaient à choisir entre le Parti libéral « qui veut étendre l’espace québécois », et les autres partis qui veulent « ériger de nouvelles frontières » ou encore « isoler le Québec de ses partenaires ».

« Je veux ouvrir le Québec. Face aux deux partis du repli sur soi, nous sommes le parti de l’épanouissement du Québec », a-t-il dit devant une foule de jeunes libéraux comblés.

Le premier ministre a aussi accusé le chef de l’opposition de museler les députés de son caucus, après que le président de la commission politique du PLQ, Christian Ouellet, eût qualifié samedi Mario Dumont de « dictateur ».

« On sait que la liberté de parole à l’ADQ n’est pas monnaie courante dans la députation. Il y a un contrôle très strict de M. Dumont sur ses députés, a dit M. Charest. On peut comprendre pourquoi quand on constate, comme cette semaine, que le député de Berthier, M. Benjamin, affirme être souverainiste et dit qu’il voterait oui à un référendum et qu’il y a plein d’autres députés à l’ADQ qui sont souverainistes. »

Dans une entrevue au Devoir publiée la semaine dernière, l’adéquiste François Benjamin, ancien président de la Maison des Patriotes, a déclaré qu’il voterait en faveur de la souveraineté du Québec si la question revenait sur la table.

« Avec le temps, M. Dumont ne pourra pas empêcher ces contradictions de remonter à la surface », a conclu le chef libéral.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070813/CPACTUALITES/70813017/6737/CPACTUALITES

Regardez la version longue de l'entrevue de Patrick Lagacé avec Mario Dumont.

Dutch MP calls for ban on Quran

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FAEC4703-83E2-44DA-9DA4-1A7702C354C1.htm

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 08, 2007
14:58 MECCA TIME, 11:58 GMT

Wilders said the Quran should be banned in the Netherlands in the column of a newspaper [AFP]

A Dutch member of parliament has called for the Quran to be banned in the Netherlands, describing it as a "fascist book" which calls on people to kill non-believers and rape women.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, called for the ban in a letter published in De Volkskrant newspaper.

In his letter, Wilders compares the Muslim holy book to Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler's autobiography, and said the Quran has "no place in our constitutional state".

"I have been saying this for years: there is no such thing as a moderate Islam," Wilders wrote.

Wilders' Freedom Party holds nine seats in the Netherlands' 150 seat parliament.

Call for ban

Wilders also said several chapters in the Quran "call on Muslims to oppress, persecute or kill Christians, Jews, dissidents and mnon-believers, to beat and rape women and to establish an Islamic state by force".

The publication of the letter comes after a weekend attack on Eshan Jami, a young Dutch politician, who established a group to support people who have renounced Islam.

Jami, who was not visibly injured in the attack, is now under police protection as is Wilders.

"Ban this wretched book like Mein Kampf is banned! Send a signal to Jami's attackers and other Islamic radicals that the Quran cannot be used in the Netherlands as an inspiration or an excuse for violence," Wilders said.

Wilders acknowledged that his plan would not receive majority support in the Dutch parliament.

"I am fed up with Islam in the Netherlands: no more Muslim immigrants allowed. I am fed up with the worship of Allah and Muhammad in the Netherlands: no more mosques," his letter concluded.

Federal system biased: Critics

Surname policy indicates lack of awareness at Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Jul 27, 2007 04:30 AM
San Grewal
Staff reporter - Toronto Star

While the immigration minister tried to distance the Conservative government from a policy asking Indian applicants named Singh or Kaur to change their surnames, MPs yesterday said the New Delhi office's practice is just one example of cultural bias in the department.

"We frequently hear of decisions being made by (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) where religious and cultural understandings are completely misguided," said Liberal critic MP Omar Alghabra (Mississauga-Erindale).

"I have seen cases of arranged marriages, for example, involving Canadians going to India to marry, but after arriving back being told by CIC officers in New Delhi that their spouse's immigration application has been denied."

A spokesperson for the department did not respond to the assertion.

A release from Immigration Minister Diane Finley yesterday said that the letter asking an applicant with the common name Singh to provide an additional surname to speed processing – and suggesting his application would not be processed otherwise – "does not reflect the policy of Canada's New Government, and I can assure you I have directed the department to ensure that this type of erroneous letter is not sent out again."

Alghabra said privacy issues forbid him from revealing the names or details of other culturally sensitive applications that were rejected. But he explained how the department often justifies that decision.

"In arranged marriage cases, for example, they say the people didn't know each other, the marriage happened too quickly, the photos were staged. It's an arranged marriage – of course they didn't know each other."

MP Ruby Dhalla (Liberal, Brampton-Springdale) said her office was flooded with complaints today after CIC's announcement that the policy would be dropped, but no one was willing to speak to the Star about the issue because they fear it might jeopardize future attempts by family members to immigrate or obtain visitor's visas.

"When you're dealing with CIC in New Delhi, if you challenge anything they'll put your file on the back burner. It's not easy dealing with them," said Brampton lawyer Harinder Gahir, who says he has taken on hundreds of immigration cases involving the office over the past seven years.

Alghabra says there is a widespread lack of cultural and religious awareness in the CIC department.

"Every application should be treated equally and with the same efficiency. This is not a party issue; I'm not trying to distance my party from this," he added, acknowledging the name policy began while the Liberals were in power. "It's a general lack of cultural awareness in the department."

When asked why, during her three years in office, she had never raised the issue in the House of Commons, Dhalla said it should have been raised. "I took the complaints directly to CIC."

That's the approach MP Navdeep Bains (Liberal-Mississauga-Brampton South) said he took when complaints were brought to him over the past two years.

"I dealt with the complaints ... on a case-by-case basis. A letter was sent to senior CIC officials on behalf of each constituent. Our letter stated that the name does have religious and historical significance."

'Misunderstanding' at root of name uproar

The Gazette; AFP contributed to this report
26 July 2007

Immigration Canada says a misunderstanding is at the root of the recent uproar over a supposed federal policy requiring would-be Sikh immigrants to change their names.

The Times of India wrote yesterday that Tarvinder Kaur, a Calgary woman awaiting her husband Jaspal Singh's arrival in Canada, learned that his application for permanent residency had been delayed for more than a month because of his last name.

Singh received a letter dated May 17, 2007, from the Canadian high commission in New Delhi saying, ''The name Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada.''

In the Sikh religion, all women were given the last name Kaur and men the last name Singh, to represent the abolition of class and caste inequalities in Indian society.

World Sikh Organization Canada president Gurpreet Singh Bal says requesting Sikh immigrants to change their names is "offensive."

"It also flies in the face of everything the Canadian Charter stands for and we as Canadians value. The policy needs to change so that Sikhs with the surnames Singh and Kaur are treated fairly and with dignity like all others in our society."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokesperson Karen Shadd-Evelyn said yesterday, however, that changing one's name "is not a mandatory requirement for immigration to Canada."

She told various media outlets that the letter sent to the Calgary woman was "poorly worded" and does not reflect the government's policy.

Shadd-Evelyn noted a high volume of applications at Canada's New Delhi visa office are from persons named Singh or Kaur. She said that offering an alternate family name benefits permanent resident applicants "by ensuring fewer misfiled or mismailed pieces of correspondence, as well as fewer incidents of mistaken identity."

An immigrations official said yesterday that the policy to request an alternate name was put in place 10 years ago for the sake of efficiency.

Montrealer Raj Preet Kaur, 25, objected to the policy. "It's not just a name, it's part of who we are, part of our identity as a community."

She explained that many people have other last names in addition to Kaur and Singh, but many only use one last name.

"It should be up to people to decide what their last name is," said Kaur, who attends the Guru Nanak Darbar Temple in LaSalle. "They shouldn't change their names if they are afraid."

Jasbeer Singh, spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization, also objected to the policy.

"It is not fair to ask people to change their names," Singh said. "My name is a part of me, my personality, my identity. To say that it is too common and ask me to change it is an assault on my rights, my religion."

"Today, they have singled out Singh and Kaur. Tomorrow, they may dislike Mohammed and how soon before names such as Lee or Smith are targeted?"

Websites for Sikhs worldwide are posting the email addresses and telephone numbers of Canadian high commissions around the world, urging them to complain about the policy.

In Montreal, Fo Niemi, executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), said his organization became aware of the policy recently, but has not received specific complaints. "We have not had anyone expressing concern about it," he said. "Only a few people inquiring about it."

Niemi's group takes on human rights issues, both by engaging in public education and by sponsoring court challenges.

There are about 278,000 Sikhs in Canada, double the number a decade ago, but they represent only about 0.5 per cent of the overall religious mix in Canada.