Quebec, you are just a hypocrite
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The Commission report, although aimed at “studying interculturalism, secularism, and national identity” (Mahrouse 85) in the face of ‘reasonable accommodation debates’, concluded by “reinforcing the racialized hierarchies and exclusions” (Mahrouse 85) central to much of Quebec notions of religious and cultural intolerance. Mahrouse outlines how Quebec's intolerance for religious and cultural diversity is a reflection of concerns about Quebec's identity crisis.
The commission unintentionally highlights racialized hierarchies between Quebeqiou French and minority communities in the province. Quebecers superiority conceptualized themselves as “the judges of what was tolerable and what was not” (Mahrouse 89), where they undoubtedly evaluated tolerability within the bounds of Quebec values, principles, and culture. This biased standpoint also reflects Quebec's tendency to reject anything categorized by the ‘other’, more simply, anything that contests the hegemony of French Quebecers.
Quebec's fight to ‘maintain’ its cultural hegemony by rejecting the cultural and religious diversity of minority populations is highly hypocritical concerning First Nation identity. As Mahrouse mentions, “Quebec nationalism has always been in conflict with the nationalism of the First Nations”, as it undermines the principle of Quebec cultural purity. How can Quebecers contest any culture that goes against their values and principles if they have no right to claim the dominant culture? Their inability to recognize First Nation culture, and limited efforts to preserve and maintain its culture further assert Quebec's sense of superiority. The superiority of Quebecers over First Nations dates back to French colonialism of Canada, but has lasting impacts that have allowed Quebecers to “determine who could and could not belong” (Mahrouse 89). Again, it's hypocritical for Quebecers to determine belonging if they do not rightfully belong.