Quebecers will be urged to be more open in accommodating minorities, according to a leaked report.
The report, which stems from a commission set up to examine reasonable accommodation, is expected to be released later this week by co-chairs Gerard Bouchard and Charles Taylor.
In several chapters of the final draft obtained by The Montreal Gazette, the commissioners argue that the "discontent of a large part of the population" over accommodation demands by Muslims, Jews and other religious minorities appears to be the "result of partial information and false perceptions."
The Gazette's Jeff Heinrich told CTV's Montreal on Tuesday that "it's very clear that they (the commissioners) want a continuation of the Quebec policy of integration of minorities in the best way possible."
The report also addresses a number of "unfounded objections" to the role of religion in Quebec society, reports The Gazette.
The objections were mostly heard from old-stock francophones during public hearings held last fall.
The commissioners say they think "it is possible to re-concile Quebecers -- franco-phones and others -- with practices of harmonization, once it has been shown that:
- a) these practices respect our society's fundamental values, notably the equality of men and women.
- b) they don't aim to create privileges but, rather, equality that is well understood and that respects everyone's rights.
- c) they encourage integration and not marginalization.
- d) they're framed by guidelines and protected against spiralling out of control.
- e) they're founded on the principle of reciprocity.
- f) they don't play the game of fundamentalism.
- g) they don't compromise the gains of the Quiet Revolution."
The report says the responsibility for open-mindedness and desire for change rests primarily with French-Canadians who "have a strong feeling of insecurity for the survival of their culture."
They fear losing their "values, language, tradition and customs" and they also fear "disappearing" entirely as a French-speaking minority in North America, says the report.
The commissioners say self-doubt and "the fear of the Other" are the "two great hindrances" from the French-Canadian past.
"In the past, the threat came mainly from the anglophone. Before that, it was the lifestyle brought on by industrialization. Today, for many, it's the immigrant," they write.
Quebec Premier Jean Charest called the commission ahead of the provincial election in March 2007.
At that time, debate over how to accommodate minorities was at its peak after the small rural town of Herouxville, Que., adopted bylaws banning the stoning of women and the covering of faces.
