The Myth and Having it Both Ways

The Myth and No More Having It Both Ways is a response to a letter written in to the Montreal Gazette. The letter is in response to an article written by activist G. DeWolf Shaw, who boldly accuses Quebec of "ethnic cleansing" by forced migration (one of the factors in the U.N. definition of ethnic cleansing) of its Anglo Population.

"Anglo Go Home", "Canadian Get Out" and "Maudit Anglais" are all slogans spray painted on the sides of English homes in Francophone Quebec, and the response article states that Anglophones have two choices: change or leave.

The article reports a staggering six hundred thousand Anglophones in Quebec that have more or less evacuated the province, leaving their homes and jobs, moving their entire families and everything they know. It should be noted, however, that this statistic has no evidence backing it up in the article. This article accuses the author of the letter of buying into the myth that "the English speaking world is out to get us [the Francophones]" and accuses him of not providing any evidence to support his claims. "He, like all those that have bought into the myth never ofers any evidence, statistics or proof of this 'peril' the French language is in. Generally only offering shouting, defamatory comments, and vulgar insults". However, in the letter, there aren't any vulgar or defamatory insults to be found.

The article, from the Anglo point of view, is written in a hostile tone. It embellishes and exaggerates just how hard and tough it is for an Anglo living in Quebec. Though I and my co-writer are two English speaking residents of Quebec, we have had very little hostility to deal with, even outside of the townships.

The article takes on an extremist and sensationalist tone, especially accusing Quebec of 'ethnic cleansing'. Of course, the article is written by the "Defense Association of Anglophone Quebec", so it is easy to see from their title along where their biases lie.