Charles Taylor, the philosopher, was co-chair of a commission appointed by the last Liberal Party government of Québec to study "reasonable accommodation" of ethnic groups of non-Québec origin. (When I Googled "reasonable accommodation," a bunch of reports about average rentals showed up. Would that it were that simple!)
The report of that commision was conciliatory towards the French-speaking majority, and even (somewhat) to Québec nationalists. It was anything but radically libertarian, endorsing, for example:
French as the common public language. The intercultural approach would hardly have any meaning if Quebecers were unable to communicate with each other in the same language.
Nevertheless, the Bouchard-Taylor report was hardly the kind of stuff that the present separatist government wants discussed in the public forum.
French-Canadian Quebecers have unpleasant memories of the period when the clergy wielded excessive power over institutions and individuals. However, this hypersensitive memory may be a poor reference in respect of secularism. The danger lies in directing against all religions a feeling of hostility about the Catholic past, at the cost of marginalizing certain groups of citizens and fragmenting our society.
Quebecers of French-Canadian origin must also be more aware of the repercussions on minorities of their anxieties. Minority groups have undoubtedly been alerted over the past two years by the image of an ethnocultural majority that is apparently unsure of itself and subject to outbursts of temper
Unsurprisingly, Taylor has been vocally opposed to the proposed Charter of Quebec Values that I wrote about yesterday. Apparently referring to Russia’s restrictions on gays, he called it “Putinesque.” Employees of the state are not institutions of the state, he said; they should be free to express their religious convictions. According to the Globe and Mail, Taylor said, "Hydro-Québec isn’t Hydro-Catholic, Hydro-Muslim, Hydro-Atheist, but employees are individuals … they are free.” He called the proposals “absolutely draconian” and said they would create obstacles to immigrants’ integration in Quebec.
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