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Royals are welcome but not in good old Quebec
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| jester |
| quote: | Prince William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton, are not welcome in Quebec, says a separatist group that is planning a less-than-friendly reception for the couple’s royal visit this summer.
The Reseau de resistance du Quebec (RRQ) promises to do all in its power to make the royal couple’s first official Canadian tour as “unpleasant as possible.”
The visit is slated to kick off in Ottawa, with Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill. The couple is to then travel to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island and Quebec — with rumoured stops in Quebec City and Montreal — between June 30 to July 8.
“We’re setting up a welcoming committee,” said Patrick Bourgeois of the newspaper Le Quebecois and president of the RRQ.
“We are not going to let the British monarchy walk upon our territory with complete impunity,” he added in a telephone interview Monday.
Some of the RRQ members are radical separatists who organized a demonstration in Montreal against the visit of Prince Charles in 2009.
Threats of violence from RRQ members also contributed to the cancellation of a planned re-enactment of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 2008.
Bourgeois said the royal couple will be met with opposition, but stressed the anti-monarchists are not looking for confrontation.
“The farthest we’ll go is civil disobedience. During the demonstration for Prince Charles’ visit, we sat down in the street when the police took out their batons. That’s not what I would call terrorism,” he said.
Results of a poll conducted just prior to Prince Charles’ visit in 2009 suggested Quebec is the Canadian province where anti-monarchy feelings are the strongest, at 60 per cent. Another poll conducted at the same time showed almost 80 per cent of Quebecers think the monarchy is a relic that should be abolished.
The nationalist Societe Saint-Jean Baptiste de Montreal (SSJBM), which took part in the demonstration during Prince Charles’ visit, is considering joining forces with the RRQ this summer for the latest royal stopover.
“The intense media attention that this visit will attract could be an opportunity for us to get our message across and refresh Quebecers’ memory on the monarchy wrongdoings,” said SSJBM president Mario Beaulieu.
He said Britain has never apologized for the assimilation of French-speaking people outside of Quebec and the deportation of 12,500 Acadians in 1775.
Bourgeois and Beaulieu said they don’t expect to attract hundreds of demonstrators, noting Quebecers are growing indifferent to the monarchy.
“Even if people are indifferent, that doesn’t make them any more in favour of monarchy,” Beaulieu said. “They just tolerate it.”
The sovereigntist group Jeunes Patriotes du Quebec said Monday some of its members may take part in the demonstration, but stressed the royal visit is a non-issue for them.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, skipped Quebec when they visited Canada in 2010. The Queen made her last visit to the province in 1992 for a brief reception at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau.
But her 1964 trip to Quebec City is the one that stirred the biggest controversy. Mass demonstrations were organized and dozens of protesters were arrested. |
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news...l#ixzz1EeLSclL4
Man I am fed up of these people in this province. Quebec in some ways is just like Iran, all bark no bite. Complain and complain. Iran blames Israel for everything. Quebec blames everything on the English and English-speaking community :crazy: Yet when the French Quebeckers up something in the province they just hide it under the rug. I wonder how the people of Quebec would feel if Marie Antoinette's family was still alive and visited. I bet they would bow down to their French royalty. |
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| The Potter |
| Well, I did not want a monarchy when I was in the UK and I don't want one now that I live in Ontario ;) Their anti-monarchy sentiments probably has more to do French republicanism; however, the fact that it is an English monarchy probably does not help! I think it is an oudated relic of the British Empire that verges on being embarrassing. At least with the UK, the argument about the financial benefit of tourism can hold a great deal of sway; however, who on earth comes to Canada because of a monarchy that lives in the UK? It's about time Canada carved out and asserted its own national identity. It has probably been the butt of enough American jokes about still not having got rid of the royals :D |
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| GGM |
| This group represents a self admitted small (and shrinking) amount of Quebecers. I wouldn't base judgement of the whole province and it's populace on that group's behaviour. I'm sure you could find a lot worse in Ontario if you wanted to... |
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| Angx |
| They are not the only ones that do nt want them here. I personally do not know why we have to pay for their expenses up to this day. We are our own country and should start acting like it. THE MONARCHY!!! |
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| Jayx1 |
I support tradition. The monarchy is tradition. It may not be to some people's liking, but its certainly better than the multicultural falsity thats employed on us these days which certainly does a lot less for our national identity than having a queen in england.
Funny how the quebecois preach about our country giving up on tradition. Perhaps when they abolish bill 101 which protects their french traditions we can talk about the monarchy.
PS leave the national anthem alone too. |
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| The Potter |
| Canadian society has changed over the past couple of hundred years. Nowadays, what percentage of Canadians can trace their roots to Britain? Just 28% (Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publica...ok/geos/ca.html) It is pretty retarded to expect non-British immigrants to adopt an allegiance to the King/Queen of another country! They chose to come to Canada, not to Britain. I can at least understand having a distinct Canadian monarchy to help with national identity. This would be something that all immigrants could relate to, even if they are not from Britain. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by The Potter
Canadian society has changed over the past couple of hundred years. Nowadays, what percentage of Canadians can trace their roots to Britain? Just 28% (Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publica...ok/geos/ca.html) It is pretty retarded to expect non-British immigrants to adopt an allegiance to the King/Queen of another country! They chose to come to Canada, not to Britain. I can at least understand having a distinct Canadian monarchy to help with national identity. This would be something that all immigrants could relate to, even if they are not from Britain. |
you are missing the point. Our traditions are founded in british roots as a nation. CANADA has its roots in britain. We shouldnt throw that away because suddenly we have to accommodate everyone else who comes here. In a country where we capitulate to every other culture's demands, i would hope that our traditions would also be respected.
England is why we have our political system, legal system and why we speak english! Should we do away with those too?
As for the french.. they lost the war. We let them keep their culture even in victory unlike how the americans dealt with louisiana. Quebec should be greatful to be honest. |
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| ChemEnhanced |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
you are missing the point. Our traditions are founded in british roots as a nation. CANADA has its roots in britain. We shouldnt throw that away because suddenly we have to accommodate everyone else who comes here. In a country where we capitulate to every other culture's demands, i would hope that our traditions would also be respected.
England is why we have our political system, legal system and why we speak english! Should we do away with those too?
As for the french.. they lost the war. We let them keep their culture even in victory unlike how the americans dealt with louisiana. Quebec should be greatful to be honest. |
+1
Everyone wants Canadians to accept their culture when they move here but god forbid they accept our culture. |
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| VDub |
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
+1
Everyone wants Canadians to accept their culture when they move here but god forbid they accept our culture. |
X 10!!! |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
+1
Everyone wants Canadians to accept their culture when they move here but god forbid they accept our culture. |
imagine someone told koreans that they should abandon aspects of their culture because it is rooted in mongolia? Or Hungarians that some of their tradition comes from the byzentine era and should be abolished?
Or the Italians should abandon pasta and tomatoes because they actually come from China?
Nothing wrong with creating new traditions, but not at the expense of old ones. |
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| PivotTechno |
A recent photo of ChemEnhanced, VDub and Jayx1, discussing the important matters of the day:
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| GGM |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
As for the french.. they lost the war. We let them keep their culture even in victory unlike how the americans dealt with louisiana. Quebec should be greatful to be honest. |
Read up on that war buddy... Before it, the French were spread out all over eastern Canada and their population in comparison to Brits was quite substantial (not the same as your Louisiana reference). The British pretty much told everyone "goto Quebec or get killed" and then did the definition of a genocide on those who didn't go. It wouldn't have been possible for Britain to deport all of them and at the same time they were still very needed so they were given Quebec (a very small piece of land given their previous area and their population).
It's also quite likely if they weren't there we would've also lost to the States on several occasions. Now tell me would you rather have Quebec part of Canada, or the whole damn thing be called the United States... |
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