|
Toronto
Star
OPINION
Thursday, October 26, 1995
As autumn comes
to an end and the last solitary leaves flutter to the ground, I
fear for the Canadian maple leaf. I wonder if it also will wilt
and fall to the ground, to be roughly trampled by uncaring,
unfeeling "patriots."
The Canadian
mosaic is falling apart at the seams and we may be allowing it
to happen.
In the resounding
crescendo of the Quebec referendum as it comes to a climax, many
voices are heard. Buried beneath the cacophony is the small yet
clear voice of new Canadians - the silent minority who are seen
but seldom heard. It's time for them to stand up and be counted
as caring, responsible Canadians with a distinct say and vested
interest in Canada's future. Alas, it may be too late already.
Many people have
taken refuge in Canada from regimes that promote religious or
political persecution. Others are the product of a
land divided.
In either case,
the assimilation process is painful. But over a period of time,
these immigrants start to call Canada home. They have found
permanence and stability here. Now, there is fear they may be
uprooted again.
As the offspring
of a "separatist" country, let me assure you that the
division of a country is never easy. Neither is it as smooth a
transition as politicians would have us believe. Canada's
possible separation has the sound of doom for people like me.
Half a century
after the violent division, we still suffer the bitter legacy of
partition in my native land. People still have not recovered
from the wounds of the bitter divide, and the younger generation
bears much of the burden. The separated lands did not become the
utopia promised by the leaders. Today, many people regret making
a decision in favor of separation - but for them it is too late.
Caught in limbo
between English and French
Therefore, I
cannot begin to understand how anyone, especially minorities,
can think of voting in favor of breaking up Canada. To what end?
The reasons given for the separation of Quebec are childish and
selfish. For a "distinct" society? For language?
For
culture?
We, as
immigrants, find ourselves in the unique and unenviable position
of being caught in limbo between anglophones and francophones,
when many of us are neither. While some find the language and
culture of both sides alien, many have adapted to both without a
murmur.
What matters to
us is a united Canada: a united Canada that always will remain a
"distinct" society because it absorbs a variety of
different people with ease; a Canada that encourages multitudes
of people from diverse cultures, religions, backgrounds and
languages to live together under the protective banner of the
maple leaf; a Canada that has given us what our homeland failed
to do, pride in a national identity and a second home. We are
here to stay and we don't want to see that home broken.
For Quebec to
separate is to break Canada. Quebecers planning to vote Yes
obviously have no long-term vision of Canada. They selfishly are
thinking of themselves and not of Canada as a whole. They don't
stop to think for a moment how the rest of the world views
Canada. This is a country that has the reputation of being an
exemplary society. Yet now it is being seen as a battleground
for French- and English-speaking Canadians. Can Canada afford
such
a reputation?
At this critical
point in Canadian history, Quebecers need to stop for a moment;
to think and ponder before casting the crucial vote. A country
can be divided at any given time, but once it is broken nothing
can put it together again.
Copyright
© 2000 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved.
|
