Subject: Re: Odds and Ends re Quebec politics
From: Paul Kennedy (kennedyp@toronto.cbc.ca)
Date: Tue Oct 17 2000 - 14:55:09 GMT
Graham, I think you've got a future as a speech-writer. How refreshing to
read such a lengthy and learned disquisition on French Canadian nationalism
from someone so far west! Especially this line:
>Quebec makes Canada Canada.
I can't quite imagine Stockwell Day mouthing such sentiments, but then
again, I'm amazed that the man can even say his own name. But almost any
other politician in the country would probably pay you good Canadian Tire
money for lines like that!
> time will tell.
Wiser words were never spoke. The only quibble that I have with your
argument is that it doesn't acknowledge the first couple hundred years of
'separatist' history. The conscription 'crisis' during the First World War
was far from the original airing of such sentiments. Resentment of
"English" rule dates back to the Plains of Abraham in 1759. The FLQ paid
tribute to this history by using the touqued image of an 1837 "patriote" as
their semi-official logo. And even the provincial licence plate proclaims
the ominous motto "Je me souviens"....
I remember....
Quebec, as you say, is unique--especially, as you say, in North America
(where not only the milk is homogenized.) Montreal is currently
experiencing a bit of an economic downturn, but it's still BY FAR the most
interesting city on the continent. Why, it even inspired our patron saint
to choose it as the setting for one of the only two stories he's published
that weren't set in the U. S. of A. (I added that "of", by the way, to
avoid the sin of acronysm....) (The other story, of course, being
"Esme"--which is maybe the most beautiful work in the whole oeuvre.)
Having just--almost accidentally--achieved an OSR, I think I'd better quit
while I'm ahead.
Cheers,
Paul
PS--And by the way, I disagree with Scottie about the inevitability of being
disappointed by pilgrimmages to literary places. The person who is tired of
London is tired of life. ...or Paris, or New York, or Dublin, or St.
Petersburg, or Jerusalem, or Beijing, or Rome, or Chicago (I added this for
you, Cecilia, and also for Nelson Algren and Saul Bellow--who was actually
born in Montreal!)
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