Re: Language Debate (No Debate)

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: : : : Folks, : : : I'm sure that language is a very emotional issue with many Ukrainians, especially if you take into account the Russification policies of the former Soviet Union and Tsarist Russia. However, I'd like to draw a parallel between the current situation in Ukraine and the current situation in Quebec, where there is a French majority and an English minority. : : : Ukraine is an independent country now. The goal of the French separatists in Quebec is to break up the Canadian federation and create an independent Quebec. The separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ)is currently the party in power. One of the major aims of the PQ is to eliminate the use of the English language in Quebec. Thus, English and the people who speak English in Quebec have been targeted as "enemies". French has been designated as the official language of Quebec, even though French and English are both official languages of Canada. : : : The reason that the Quebec government targets the English minority and English-speaking citizens in very clear. These are the folks who vote against Quebec independence because they want to remain Canadian. Quebec separatism is based on ethnic and racial principles. No matter how much they deny it, only white ethnic french-speaking Quebecers (pure laine) are considered true Quebecois. One glance at the Quebec civil service will show that 97% of all civil service positions are held by pure laine Quebecers, even though English Canadians make up 15% of the population. : : : The PQ has used language legislation to harass and punish the English majority in Quebec, with the goal being to drive them out of the province. Let me give you some examples. : : : First, it is illegal to post a sign in English. Any sign with English on it must also have French, and the French must be "predominant". The Quebec courts determine what is "predominant". : : : Second, the PQ has systematically worked to eliminate English from the health care system. English-speaking patients have difficulty finding heath care services in their own language. Many English-speaking doctors have been driven out of the province as well. : : : Schools, the Quebec government has drastically limited access to English education, with the intent of destroying the English school system altogether. Only children born to parents where both parents were educated in English in Canada are eligible to attend English schools. This means that French children have absolutely no right to attend English schools, and immigrants who came to Quebec from English speaking countries have no right to educate their children in English either. This affected me personally, as I am a Ukrainian American, married to a French Canadian. Both my wife and I hold university degress from English universities, but we did not have any choice when it came to educating our children in English. (We are now both happily living in the States where neither of us have to put up with this ethnic bullcrap any longer). : : : Workplace language, all businesses with 10 or more employees must use French as the official language, businesses with 50 or more employees must be issued a "Francisation" certificate by the government, where they send inspectors in to verify that French is being used correctly in the workplace. Heavy fines and blackballing are tactics used by the government to force compliance with this law. : : : Language police, the Quebec government uses language police to wander around the province to check and see if you are hanging any "illegal" signs in your store, building, or business. Retalation comes in the form of court fines and, or, late-night visits by language radicals who vandalize, spray paint and/or destroy your business and property. This has already happened to several Ukrainian churches in Montreal because most Ukrainians in the Montreal region educate their children in English and associate themselves with the "anglophone" community. Since Ukrainians are not pure laine (and not stupid, either), they know they will never be accepted as true Quebecois and hence consider themselves Canadians. If anyone on this list is from Montreal, they can certainly confirm this. : : : Ethnic intimidation, English bookstores and cultural centers are constant targets of vandals and language radicals because they have one of the few exceptions to the "No English on signs" rule. Windows are shattered, buildings are defaced, or worse yet, firebombed. Doesn't this remind you of some other European country in the 1930's? Go ride the Metro in Montreal, you'll see nice graffiti like "Canadians go home" or "Anglos eat s--t". A wonderful place to raise your kids, eh! What amazes me is that the police, even with all their high-tech camera equipment, never catch any of these vandal "defenders of the French language". Justice really is blind there, when it comes to language issues. : : : So, that's my point. Ukraine is an independent country, if we want to make Ukrainian the official language of the government, that's fine. But if we want to treat all non ethnic "pure laine" people living in Ukraine as second class citizens, with no minority rights on language, education, and free speech, then we become no different from the fascists that ran Germany in the 30's and are doing the same in Quebec today. : : : Russians, and any other minorities living in Ukraine today should have full rights as Ukrainian citizens, and they should be able to educate their children in the language of their choice (as well as Ukrainian), and live and work in the language of their choice as well, without fear of ethnic reprisals and retaliation. Or is being a Ukrainian citizen contingent upon your ethnicity and race? : : : You would think that after all those years under Communism and Russian domination, and conscious policies by Joseph Stalin to wipe out Ukrainian language and culture, that we would have learned something more about democracy and minority rights than "an eye for an eye" and "ethnic cleansing". : : : My two cents. : : : Roman Panchyshyn : : : Columbus, Ohio : : Well, : : Quebec is very good instance for Ukraine. Quebecois want to separate from Canada because they speak French. But France is too far from Canada that is why it is too difficult to separate Quebuec from Canada. Russia is near to Ukraine. If a part of Ukrainans speaks Russian, than a part of Ukraine will separate and join to Russia. The question of Ukrainian language is the question of existence of Ukraian state. Russia doesn't want Ukrainian state therefore it makes a nois about "human rights" in Ukraine. : There shouldn't be any debate about-or over the language in Ukraine.Quebuec-Canada has nothing to do,whats happening in Ukraine.After all 92% of all the people supported and voted for free Ukraine.I am sure they didn't have Russia on their minds then or do they now.Only the communist helping misslead poor people with false promisses of soviet regime,my God didn't they have enough of Russia yet.How on earth Russia has enough face and talk about human rights after what happened in Chechnia.They should be ashamed,and the last people to talk about human rights.Russia has very short memory,what happened in the past and present Ukraine is not fordining people to use their language, just to have their own official language in Free Ukraine.Is that abusing human rights , anyway in any form.My GOD have mercy on Ukraine.

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