Canada en français

[Re: “Bilingualism is bull,” Letters, March 13] In response to Simon Rancourt, yes, I seriously believe a bilingual franco would have the same chance of finding work in Toronto or the rest of Canada provided they can communicate in the language of work.

Why? Because I am from Alberta and I have witnessed several francophones get jobs, and good jobs. Some of them found positions in which they did not have adequate English language skills to do the job in question, but were helped along, not turned away.

In fact, in so many instances, bilingual francophones have a clear advantage in applying for employment in a Canadian angolophone environment. Most federal jobs, no matter where they are, require bilingualism.

It may come as a surprise to the average Montrealer, but there are French communities throughout the prairies where you will not hear much English spoken in the local restaurants. Canada is more than a bilingual country, and anyone that has bothered to explore beyond Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver could tell you that.

A lot of prairie kids have dedicated a whole lot of time and effort into learning French. One would expect a little more respect when those kids come out East to explore the land and culture they have studied since the age of five.

One cannot help their mother tongue anymore than they can help the colour of their skin, or their gender or the place of their birth. Being denied an employment opportunity due to an anglo last name or a different accent would not be acceptable in any other part of the country, so why should bilingual anglos in Quebec have to simply accept this intolerance?

>> Thomas Weston

Mirror police tool?

In your caption for your March 20 photo of the march against police brutality, it would be nice if you got your facts straight—instead of being a tool for the police.

The Mirror grandly states that the march “as usual,” turned violent. In past years, yes, it has turned violent, as police instigators threw rocks and drew graffiti, as was found throughout the trials of those who got arrested.

It would have been nice for the Mirror to consult with both sides concerned. Were any of the organizers contacted? Or does it just feel nicer to sit with officer friendly?

>>Cat Esteban

Back to the Middle East

[Re: “Palestinian injustice white-washed,” Letters, Feb. 28] There are episodes in history that have been so distorted by propaganda that there tends to be a widespread belief in falsehood and a general ignorance of the facts.

An example of this phenomenon is the history of ethnic cleansing in the Middle East.

In 1948, many Arabs left what had become the State of Israel mainly because the Arab leadership told them to leave. They were told that they would soon return with the invading Arab armies. Those armies were driven back and Israel was secured.

While the Arabs who remained became citizens of Israel, those who left were turned into refugees by the same Arab leaders who had urged them to leave. They and their descendants have since been kept in poverty by the Arab elite in order to use them as a hostile force against Israel and to create a diversion to distract Arab populations from the corruption and tyranny of their own leadership.

Beginning in 1948, and for several years thereafter, the Arab countries dispossessed and expelled approximately 850,000 Jews by means of discriminatory laws and government-encouraged anti-Jewish violence. Displaced Jews did not remain refugees for long as they were soon taken in by Israel as well as other countries, mainly France, Canada and the United States.

This is the true but little known reality of Middle Eastern ethnic cleansing.

>> Barry Merson

Mira Khazzam convincingly demolished the absurd why-pick-on-Israel argument. A question remains: why do so many in the Jewish community continue to excuse Israeli offences that they would never condone if committed by any other country?

Many Jews sincerely believe Israel’s continued existence—even at the cost of Palestinian subjugation—serves as an insurance policy against a second Holocaust. While understandable for a people traumatized by centuries of anti-Semitism culminating in the Shoah, this sentiment is not only immoral but demonstrably misguided. Denying freedom and occupying someone else’s land can never provide real security. The opposite is true.

Is it not the ultimate irony that Jews today are safer in Berlin than in Jerusalem, more secure in Tehran than in Hebron? A simple truism: occupation breeds hatred and resistance.

Israeli strikes in Gaza continue to slaughter innocent and guilty alike, but cannot stop the crude Qassam rockets that are more expressions of defiance than serious threats.

What is urgently needed is a cease-fire, and many Israelis, including the mayor of Sderot, are finally recognizing this. A recent poll showed a growing number of Israelis wanting talks with Hamas, which incidentally, has been calling for a truce since 1999.

>> Joan Rossy

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