Mark Kelly: "Journalist"?

Mark Kelly examines in his CBC Montreal piece the issue of race and the treatment of migrants in the reasonable accommodation debates, and in all of Kelly’s throwing around of ‘two-dollar words’ like multiculturalism and racism, not to mention his tone which drips with condescending ire and the manipulating of the viewers heart-strings by interviewing the ‘innocent voices’ of schoolchildren, he seems to overlook the real topic at hand, which is not racism or the freedom of religion, a shield that plagued Quebec during the Duplessis era, which Quebecers worked hard to liberate themselves from, but rather the difference between tolerance and what reasonable or unreasonable accommodation really is.

Kelly’s news piece is framed in a manner that serves his own bias: he interviews only those who would serve his own framing devices, and he frames the lack of the opposition’s comments as cowardly, especially when he employs “ambush journalism” tactics on Premier Jean Charest, who remains silent, since he is not bound to answer anyone who doesn’t conduct themselves in a manner befitting a professional journalist. He also frames himself as a sort of hero of the proletariat, claiming that only he can ask the “tough” questions, and points his finger at the “rich white” bourgeoisie schools that forcefully sent migrant students to separate educational institutions.

The argument that Kelly makes ignores the true argument of what reasonable accommodation is, and instead hides behind words like racism and intolerance, and the shield of “freedom of religion”. The reasonable accommodation debates are not inherently racist or prejudiced, but exist to serve a Quebecer identity and to help migrants fully integrate into a society that is yearning for a unified Quebec identity.

“Religion divides, especially when fueled by politics”, says Kelly in his own expose, who seems to forget which side he is arguing for, as it is true that religion is a dividing force in society, the reasonable accommodation debates do not seek to strip the religion from the migrant, but rather to ensure the rights of all citizens of Quebec, native and migrant, are equally represented without any special treatment for any parties.