MONTREAL - PQ Cabinet Minister Jean-Francois Lisee has taken to the international stage to promote Quebec's proposed the Charter of Values, by penning a defence of the proposed legislation that appeared in the New York Times Friday.
Lisee refers to the charter as “the latest expression of Quebec’s dim view of multiculturalism” and references a growing impatience with multiculturalism in Europe.
He cites Quebec’s longstanding philosophical differences with Ottawa over the issue as a prime reason for the opposition that the proposed legislation has attracted across Canada.
Lisee also writes that Quebec's opposition to multiculturalism inspired the province to boycott the Constitution, as the province objected to a phrase calling for the “preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.”
Lisee also speculates that the Supreme Court, if ever called on to judge the bill, might offer a surprising verdict as “It has become less enamored with multiculturalism in recent decisions."
Lisee concludes: "Whatever the immediate outcome, it may be only a matter of time until Canadian multiculturalism finds itself buried alongside its European siblings."
