While the Marois government plays games with their electorate and the rest of Canada by being coy with the details of their Charter of Values, supporters are dishonestly trying to deflect criticisms and concerns by framing the disagreement as a cultural one – between francophones and anglophones. While it may be true that support for the Charter is clearly split by language lines, this not an English-versus-French issue; it is a human rights issue. Sadly few predominantly francophone organizations in Québec have had the political backbone to speak out against the Charter… until now. And it’s a beauty.
The Fédération autonome d’enseignement (FAE) is a federation of eight teacher’s unions that represent around a third of Québec’s teachers, and it stood up to the Parti Québecois, saying they do not support their Charter of Values.
But what’s really neat is how they said it.
(Naturally, all quotes below are translated from French (by me).)
President Sylvain Mallette made it clear that the FAE strongly supports secularism… but showed that he meant real secularism, and not the pseudo-secularism the PQ wrap their racism around. In his words:
Our approach is one that establishes guiding principles such that the State must protect freedom of expression and conscience, but that equally includes the right to atheism. In addition, Québec must strive for integration and not assimilation of immigrant people.
That’s good, but it gets better. They backed up their position with their muscle, saying that if any of their teachers are threatened with dismissal for wearing religious symbols, they will back the teacher and take the case to court.
And then when Vice President Alain Marois described exactly what the FAE thinks should be done, he lays a smack down on the PQ’s hypocrisy at targeting minorities rather than fixing the real problems:
Among the steps which must be undertaken: a modification of the Québec Charter which must recognize the secular character of the State, and the reference to God must disappear from the Canadian Charter. In addition, the Québec government must use its legislative powers to enact laws applicable to public institutions. In this sense, secularism must apply to institutions rather than individuals.
Leave it to the teachers to get it right. Oh, wait, there’s more?
On the same question of the education community, FAE demands anew that the Québec government put an end to public funding for the network of private schools, of which more than 50% are religious. In the same move, it invites Québec to complete the secularization process of the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports (MELS), initiated by the placement of language school boards, by carrying out among other things the abolition of the Committee of Religious Affairs.
In addition, the Federation believes that one should not put up for question the right of teachers and other school staff to work simply because an employee wears clothing or accessories with a religious or cultural connotation, so long as it does not contravene the basic rules of safety and professionalism that already govern the various trades and professions.
FAE believes equally that school boards and school administrators must refuse any request for access by a local with the aim of using the place for prayer, and any request for exemption or alteration to a course for religious motives.
Beautiful. Just beautiful. That is what secularism looks like. One set of rules for all with no religious exemptions, but rules that are reasonable and aimed at taking the religion out of institutions, not individuals. I can’t imagine what else you could add to that. What about you, FAE?
Among the In addition, the Federation demanded that the Blue Room (Québec parliamentary legislature) crucifix be moved elsewhere in the Parliament building, because to maintain its presence in the in the room where the laws are adopted would be in contradiction with the primary sense of a charter of secularism.
*slow clap*
Québec teachers are awesome.
