The Planet of Quebec

American and international readers (I KNOW that you're out there!!) of this Blog may not be familiar with the linguistic morass that is Quebec. Quebec is a majority French-speaking province in a majority English-speaking country (Canada). Since the 1970s, Quebec voters have periodically alternated between electing separatist and "federalist" (translation: closet separatist) governments, with the "federalists" currently in power right now. However, regardless of who is in power, both of the previously dominant major provincial parties (the Liberals and the Parti Quebecois, whose role may have been usurped by a third party, the Action Democratique Quebecois) have enacted legislation which has promoted the "rights" of the French majority and which have eroded those of the English-speaking minority. By way of example, try finding the English language on a major business sign--you won't be able to do so.

In any event, a form of institutionalized discrimination has set in. The most recent and sad example of this can be found in this article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=joyce/070418&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1. Read the article and ask yourself whether there is any doubt in your mind that the ONLY reason that this poor young boy was banned was because he was English. If his name were Marcel Tremblay, or some other typically French name, he would have been allowed to play, plain and simple.