LETTER

“Placing culture at the core of our lives”: The brief does not provide any hope

 

This week, the Mayor delivered a brief to Quebec's ministre de la Culture, entitled "Placer la culture au centre de nos vies : vers un nouveau partenariat culturel". Translated it means "Putting Culture in the Centre of Our Lives: Towards a New Cultural Partnership". The document is available on the City's website, in French only. That simple act of having the document available in French only speaks perhaps more about the nature of the "new" cultural partnership than anything that its content might have to say.

A little history: The City of Gatineau was certainly built on local indigenous territory, but a simple fact of history is that the Aboriginal population never had a part in its creation nor in its evolution. Now, don't get me wrong. I am very happy that the Aboriginal community finally gets a seat at the City's table, if they want it - especially with the fight against the Zibi project coming up. But, the roots of this city are undeniably English. Several English families, comprising hundreds if not thousands of individuals still living here, are direct descendants of the founding families of Wright's Town, which is the city's first settlement and its beginnings.

Gatineau's linguistic demographic history shows that English-speakers were in a majority situation in the city at its founding in 1800, and until 1850. Afterwards, the English-speaking community is the second largest linguistic population since that time (using the census data, which discerns only the mother-tongue). It can certainly be argued that the numbers of the English-speaking community would increase considerably if the discernment were made using more inclusive parameters such as media consumption and self-determination of language proficiency.

Much of this brief certainly reflects the needs of the majority of the city's citizens, but there is one glaring omission: What kind of a new cultural partnership can this be if there is no acknowledgement of the historic contributions and cultural heritage of the Anglophone community? The vision of this brief appears to be a great, big, sloppy kiss to the Aboriginal community, celebrating its inclusion in Quebec's culture, while slapping the face of Gatineau's English community - partners in everything that was built in this city since its origins - and relegating it to mention in the back pages reserved for 'other cultures'. The brief claims to affirm the City's respect for "the legal rights of Aboriginals and the English-speaking community"  but in the same section, one can read that through the adoption of the Charter, "the Quebec nation … reinforced its first or inherited culture". The meaning is undeniably provocative to cultural communities who know very well that the French Charter was implemented to ensure the primacy of the French language, but are afraid that it can also be used as a tool to erase their cultural heritage and institutions. The English-speaking communities themselves knows well the erosion that has occurred and threatens to occur to its schools and hospitals with every election. The brief does not provide any hope that reassurance is coming.

For its whole history since Hull's incorporation in 1865, Council after Council have played a part in erasing the English names of Hull's streets and parks. And, since the amalgamation, the City of Gatineau has contributed to that practice. They have also reneged on many of the important promises that were made to Anglo voters in 2002: the promise to have a Linguistic Services Policy for the whole City; the promise to maintain linguistic services in the sectors at pre-amalgamation levels; the promise to ensure that the Anglophone population have full participation in the City's committees through representation by its citizens and its institutions; the promise that English street names slated to be replaced, would be replaced with new English names.

Since 2002, not one member of the English-speaking community has been invited to sit on the City's Commission des arts, de la culture, des lettres et du patrimoine, despite applications received, nor has the Commission ever done outreach to any of the community's cultural institutions. It must be said that the Mayor's celebration of the "new cultural partnership" was a hollow celebration indeed for the huge missing part of our city.

It must be said, as well,  let's all hope there will be a second draft. They still have some work to do and many promises to keep.

Rick Henderson
Aylmer