Zach LarkinsONE FOR QUEBEC II
Why does the name Herouxville, Que. Mean absolutely nothing to you? Because it is not quite famous yet. Why should it become famous, you ask? Because they are showing some backbone.
The people of Herouxville, Que., say they welcome immigrants to their small town, but there are a few things they want to make clear. A code of standards sent to the federal and provincial governments last week by Herouxville's municipal council has put the town of 1,300 inhabitants at the centre of Quebec's increasingly divisive debate over integrating minorities. It is a shame not more of us are following their example. The code of standards basically tells immigrants to check their old ways at the door.
In years past, this has not posed a problem. European immigrants came to this country, and while they held on to their heritage, they assimilated with Canadians and joined them to make a strong, proud country. They knew that in their own little world they could still eat familiar foods, speak their native language and worship in their own religion. But when push came to shove, and things needed to be done, either to survive or build for the greater good, all those things fell by the wayside and everyone worked together as one to accomplish a task. When the whistle blew at the end of the day, they could all go to their own homes and pick up where they left off that morning. It was a good system that everyone respected and it didn't cause any problems. Well, times have changed and apparently the good citizens of Herouxville are not that crazy about the changes.
Some of the items on their code of standards include:
- It is forbidden to stone women, burn them alive, throw acid on them or circumcise girls. - Consumption of alcohol is common in Herouxville, as is dancing. "At the end of every year, we decorate a tree with balls and tinsel and some lights. This is normally called 'Christmas decorations' or also 'Christmas tree.' " - Boys and girls swim together in public pools. - Veils are not welcome. "The only time you may mask or cover your face is during Halloween."
Pretty straight forward. If you are offended by these rules, move elsewhere. Graeme Hamilton writes, "Andre Drouin, a town councillor, said the town's Web site had received more than 2,000 e-mails since its initiative became known on Saturday. "I would say 99% are positive," he said. A man named Serge from Terrebonne was just one example: "At last, someone is standing up instead of prostrating themselves like certain ministers, judges, executives and companies," he wrote. Quebec media have been full of stories suggesting public officials are going too far to accommodate religious practices. These included a Montreal YMCA that agreed to tint its windows to ensure students at a Hasidic boys' school would not be distracted by exercising women, and guidelines to Montreal police officers suggesting female officers should leave it to their male colleagues to interview Hasidic men. Mr. Hamilton goes on to say, "Mario Dumont, leader of the opposition Action democratique du Quebec, called this month for a Quebec constitution to enshrine the province's Christian-based values, which he said are under attack by the forces of political correctness."
How refreshing it is to read something like that. We have become so PC that anyone but a liberal chokes on it. Mr. Drouin is quoted as saying, "We have to ensure that people who settle here are happy. If someone comes here and says, 'I want a swimming pool where my daughter can swim, but she can't swim with little boys,' we have a real problem. We are not racists. We invite people from all nationalities, all languages, all sexual orientations, whatever, to come live with us, but we want them to know ahead of time how we live."
The unfortunate thing is that most immigrants already know how we live. They just feel they are a bit more equal than the rest of us and demand we accommodate them, lest they play the bigot card. The liberals are more than willing to do this. It's time the pendulum swung back.
The people of Herouxville, Que., say they welcome immigrants to their small town, but there are a few things they want to make clear. A code of standards sent to the federal and provincial governments last week by Herouxville's municipal council has put the town of 1,300 inhabitants at the centre of Quebec's increasingly divisive debate over integrating minorities. It is a shame not more of us are following their example. The code of standards basically tells immigrants to check their old ways at the door.
Some of the items on their code of standards include:
- It is forbidden to stone women, burn them alive, throw acid on them or circumcise girls. - Consumption of alcohol is common in Herouxville, as is dancing. "At the end of every year, we decorate a tree with balls and tinsel and some lights. This is normally called 'Christmas decorations' or also 'Christmas tree.' " - Boys and girls swim together in public pools. - Veils are not welcome. "The only time you may mask or cover your face is during Halloween."
How refreshing it is to read something like that. We have become so PC that anyone but a liberal chokes on it. Mr. Drouin is quoted as saying, "We have to ensure that people who settle here are happy. If someone comes here and says, 'I want a swimming pool where my daughter can swim, but she can't swim with little boys,' we have a real problem. We are not racists. We invite people from all nationalities, all languages, all sexual orientations, whatever, to come live with us, but we want them to know ahead of time how we live."
The unfortunate thing is that most immigrants already know how we live. They just feel they are a bit more equal than the rest of us and demand we accommodate them, lest they play the bigot card. The liberals are more than willing to do this. It's time the pendulum swung back.
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