Open letter, petition rail at intolerance at Quebec hearings

Some so-called old stock Quebecers are lashing out at some of the views surfacing at a controversial provincial commission on immigration.

Led by a doctoral student at the Université de Montréal, the group of francophones de souche published an open letter in Quebec's largest newspapers denouncing the "intolerant and harsh" testimony at the Bouchard-Taylor commission.

The provincial commission is exploring the assimilation of immigrants in the province and the accommodation of their religious beliefs and practices.

An English version of the letter appeared in the Montreal Gazette Friday.

In the letter, philosophy student Caroline Allard said she wants to dissociate herself from the racist and prejudiced comments heard at commission hearings, and objects to the image of old stock Quebecers being reflected at the public meetings. 

"Me and many of my friends were getting sad and angry about what we were hearing, because we weren't agreeing with it," she told CBC News on Friday.

"We wished to make a statement, say clearly that we're were not identifying ourselves with what was being said, that it was intolerant, and that it was, most of the time, ignorant of the reality of immigration in Quebec."

The open letter, available on the internet, had 3,076 signatures as of 11:43 a.m ET.

Allard believes the response confirms the truth about old-stock Quebecers: The concept is hard to define and more myth than truth. 

"People were writing to me, and were saying, 'My name is Tremblay, but my mom is and Italian. Can I sign?' It goes to show … that old stock Quebecers can't speak in one voice, and we don't have the meaning of the Québécois identity in ourselves," she said.

The PhD student said she's concerned about how the hearings will impact Quebec's reputation, a worry already voiced by some provincial politicians.

"It's dangerous to express those views, thinking we're inside our families, and we can say whatever we want. I think it can have consequences" on Quebec's ability to attract immigrants, which the province desperately needs, she said.

Allard also blasts the Parti Québécois' contentious identity legislation, proposed in October, that would have required immigrants to pass a French test before being allowed to run for office or fundraise for political parties.

Allard and her entourage also launched an online petition declaring their openness to immigrants. The petition had collected nearly 1,400 signatures as of Friday. She plans to present it to the commission when it holds hearings in Montreal in a few weeks.

The open letter and online campaign come as the Quebec Liberal government continues to warn about the cost of intolerance.

Quebec Economic Development Minister Raymond Bachand said dividing Quebecers into 'us' and 'them' is bad for business because it makes the province seem less attractive to immigrants.

"In immigration, we're in competition with the world," he said on Thursday. "You don't win that competition by being intolerant, by saying we want to stop immigration by creating two classes of citizens."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper weighed in on the commission's work earlier this week, suggesting that Quebecers have evolved beyond polarizing debates about identity.

"I do think that most Quebecers are feeling increasingly secure in the position of their language and culture in this country, as they should, and we're very anxious to increase that sense of security," he said in Vancouver on Wednesday.

"Since we took office, we have made it our business to really get Quebecers to look ahead, and to put behind them the battle between the two extreme positions that they've faced over the last couple of generations — extreme separation on the one hand, and extreme centralization on the other hand."

Harper's views contrast with Governor General Michaëlle Jean's views on the utility of the Bouchard-Taylor commission hearings.

Jean told CBC Radio in October she believed the whole country could benefit from similar hearings.

"What is happening right now in Quebec is people opening up and speaking about their concerns, and sometimes what we hear is not necessarily very pleasant, but at least people are really speaking out about those feelings," she told CBC host Shelagh Rogers.

"I think it's better to hear it clear and loud, than pretending there are no problems and everything is fine."