Westmount has been asked to join Cote St-Luc, Dollard des Ormeaux, Hampstead,
Stanbridge East, Montreal West, Pointe Claire and Beaconsfield in passing a
"unity resolution". My personal, reflected reaction to this request is as
follows:
1. The argument that we must go this route because federal politicians won't listen and don't care, is somewhat similar to the old story about the boy who lost a penny in a dark lane at night, but looked for it under a street lamp on the street because it was too dark to find it in the lane. There is a federal election campaign currently in progress. It seems to me that it would be far more effective to extract promises from candidates and leaders of all parties to take steps to ensure that Québec doesn't separate. It would send a clear message to the Liberals if they were to lose high profile members in anglophone communities to Conservative or Partitionist candidates. With the same pressure as has been brought to bear on Westmount by this group, this would work.
2. In the absence of a "unity resolution" passed by any predominantly francophone community, I fear the alienation of francophone federalists who would probably see this (aided and abetted by the French press) as a hostile anglophone act.
3. It is argued that the Inuit and the Cree have not feared making partitionist statements. They are not comparable to Westmount for several reasons:
i They are not a municipality but relatively homogeneous regions, a well defined territory, language and semi-autonomous government.
ii They are the original inhabitants of Canada before the arrival of Europeans and carry a great deal more weight internationally than a community of 20,000 inhabitants, because aboriginal groups are universally viewed as the underdogs.
iii Most importantly, they are known to have virtual control over Québec's very vulnerable energy distribution network.
iv The single access road into the far north could be easily cut,
physically isolating this relatively self-sufficient territory. This is not
the case in Westmount which is totally surrounded by the city of Montréal.
4. Westmount is being asked to assume its traditional leadership role. If we were to cave in to this pressure, we would be following, not leading. It is only by discussing the recommendations objectively and then arriving at our own conclusion that we will be fulfilling our leadership role.
5. There is a more immediate though not more serious threat to Westmount, namely amalgamation with Montréal.
i If a resolution is effective, where are the hordes demanding that we pass a resolution proclaiming that regardless of provincial legislation, we remain a community independent of Montréal? Amalgamation would mean
ii If a "unity resolution" were really perceived as a threat by the provincial government, the amalgamation now in the works would be advanced without anyone lifting a finger to stop it.
iii One of the statements made to me was that neither Ottawa nor Québec is receptive to direct pressure, but the World court and the United Nations will receive copies of our resolution and we can appeal to them to remain in Canada. If we don't exist, who is the we who will appeal. It is certain that an independent Québec won't take the chance of finding out, but will ensure the disappearance of our community before the next referendum. If it is Canada that will appeal, pressure should be put on Ottawa especially during an election campaign, and not a municipality such as Westmount.
7. A great deal has been made of the exodus of Anglophones from Québec and its relationship with the "unity resolution". An objective view of the situation will show that this is an economic not a linguistic issue.
8. Despite the claim that this is not a linguistic issue, we have been called upon to proclaim our unity with the other anglophone communities by passing a resolution confirming our loyalty to Canada. Part of the argument is the claim that historically, Québec's community institutions and industries have been built by anglophones. What has been forgotten or neglected to have been mentioned is that these institutions were built not only by but for anglophones. Francophones, allophones and Jewish anglophones were specifically placed at a disadvantage, could not find any position in Eatons, investment houses, hospitals, universities, non-Jewish, non francophone law firms etc. In my lifetime, Jewish children were denied the right to attend elementary school in Hampstead and Town of Mount Royal, This of course thankfully changed, when anglophone superiority became threatened. Francophone institutions have never in my life experience made any such distinction. I cannot now turn my back on those people who extended the opportunity of earning a living commensurate with my ability and living as equal if different, in order to embrace those communities who now feel threatened because they are conscious of the fact that their own past actions have come back to haunt them. I have seen evidence that some francophones support the "unity resolution" and as an individual proudly proclaim my loyal support for a united Canada, but it is not individual support that is being demanded, but municipal council support and I have not seen any evidence that francophone communities (one is claimed but has not as yet been identified) have in any way supported or endorsed the unity group. Show me!
Happily the anglophone community has changed and evolved and I am grateful
that we can now live together as equal shareholders in this great community,
in this great province, in this great country. I cannot however bring myself to abandon my francophone federalist friends comprising over forty percent of the
predominately francophone communities in which they live, who have supported me all my life and now look to us for support to achieve our common goal of peace and unity
within Canada. It is not the people of Québec who are inimical to us, it is their elected representatives who cling to power using methods at times unworthy of a
democratic government. It is this government that we should work together in
unison and harmony to defeat.
more
by Herbert Bercovitz
