Please Don't Poach Quebec's Doctors in Our Time of Need

Dear Lakeridge Health,

This week, you started a direct mail campaign targeting Quebec doctors, medical residents, and medical students. I agree with your nearly 500 "likers" on Facebook: it's one great ad. But I'm writing to ask you if things aren't tough enough here in Quebec right now without you Ontarians trying to lure away our professionals? Thirty-thousand of us don't have a GP at the moment. We need more doctors in Quebec, not fewer. And who suffers most directly if our doctors and medical students leave? (Hint: it's not the PQ!)

For your information, the vast majority of Montrealers are against this proposed Values Charter thing. Mayors of virtually every town on Montreal island are against it (and nearly 90 per cent of Quebec immigrants live in Montreal). All Montreal's mayoral candidates -- Richard Bergeron, Denis Coderre, Marcel Côté, and Melanie Joly -- are against it (we have civic elections November 3), as is the current municipal council. And a 3,000 word "Manifesto for an inclusive Quebec" was published at Voir.ca (in French) on Sept. 10, and is being translated into English as I write. Quebecers can read and sign here.

It says, in part: "Nous dénonçons vivement qu'une poignée d'événements anecdotiques ayant marqué l'imaginaire serve de justification à notre gouvernement pour retirer des droits fondamentaux à certains de nos concitoyens les plus vulnérables. La publication de ce manifeste vise à expliquer à nos concitoyens et à nos décideurs les fondements de notre opposition."

My translation: "We strongly condemn the handful of anecdotal events, sparking the imagination, that serve as justification for our government's removal of fundamental rights from some of our most vulnerable citizens. This manifesto is to explain to our fellow citizens and our decision-makers the foundation of our opposition."

It talks about the slippery slope, fear of "the other," the exclusion effect. I'm sure you'll find it fascinating. Two hundred sixty-eight Quebec professors, lawyers, students, political activists, other thought leaders, and people of conscience have signed already. They have a website, with info on their Facebook and Twitter feed. They're collecting more signatures, too.

(Anyone reading this who might have something to say to Lakeridge Health can find them on Facebook, Twitter, or via email at communications@lakeridgehealth.on.ca)

In any event, Lakeridge Health, please let us know who your ad company is: we're going to need them here in Quebec, once this damn thing finally blows over. I'm sure you didn't really mean to kick us when we were already down.

All best,

Beverly

P.S. An unofficial English translation is now available from translatingtheprintempserable.tumblr.com

P.P.S. Here are the authors and other signatories as of Sept. 10th, as published at Voir.ca (probably thousands more by now). Just so you know (and I thank them for standing up when others might be tempted to find some advantage in our hard times).

RÉMI BOURGET - Avocat et blogueur sur FaitsEtCauses.com; il a été porte-parole des juristes opposés à la loi 12, au printemps 2012;
FRÉDÉRIC BÉRARD - Avocat-constitutionnaliste et politologue;
RYOA CHUNG - Professeure agrégée, département de philosophie, Université de Montréal;
JUDITH LUSSIER - Chroniqueuse
Ont également cosigné ce manifeste :
Martin Bisaillon, journaliste et chroniqueur;
Arjun Basu, écrivain et rédacteur;
Pascale Fournier, Professeure de droit, Université d'Ottawa;
Jean-François Gaudreault-DesBiens, Professeur de droit, Université de Montréal;
Dimitrios Karmis, Professeur de science politique, Université d'Ottawa;
Martin Papillon, Professeur de science politique, Université d'Ottawa;
Cédric Lizotte, journaliste et blogueur;
Daniel M. Weinstock, professeur, Faculté de droit, McGill;
Jocelyn Maclure, professeur, Faculté de philosophie, Université Laval;
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, ancien porte-parole lors du printemps 2012;
Maxime St-Hilaire, professeur, Faculté de droit, Université de Sherbrooke;
Mathieu Marion, professeur, Département de philosophie, UQAM;
Michel Seymour, professeur, Département de philosophie, Université de Montréal;
Valérie Amiraux, professeure, Département de sociologie, Université de Montréal;
Sirma Bilge, professeure, Département de sociologie, Université de Montréal;
Christine Tappolet, professeure, Département de philosophie, Université de Montréal;
David Koussens, professeur, département d'études religieuses, Université de Sherbrooke ;
Éric Pineault, professeur, département de sociologie, UQAM ;
Widia Larivière, militante des causes autochtones et co-initiatrice du mouvement Idle No More au Québec ;
Laure Waridel, éco-sociologue, auteure et chroniqueuse ;
Julien Villeneuve, professeur, département de philosophie, Collège de Maisonneuve ;
Philippe Boucher, chroniqueur ;
Rabii Rammal, humoriste ;
André Péloquin, journaliste;
Véronique Robert, avocate et chargée de cours, Université Laval;
Aurélie Lanctot, Étudiante en droit à l'Université McGill ;
Léa Clermont-Dion;
Ianik Marcil, économiste indépendant;
Jérôme Lussier, chroniqueur et juriste;
Stéphane Beaulac, professeur titulaire, Faculté de droit, Université de Montréal, Directeur du programme de J.D. en common law nord-américaine;
Alan Wong, Ph.D., Professeur, College Vanier;
Myriam Denis, Candidate au Juris Doctor, University of California at Berkeley;
Ayat Salman; Gérante du Programme de recherche clinique en transplantation du CUSM et candidate en PhD en pathologie de l'université McGill;
Sibel Ataogul, avocate et chargée de cours, Université de Montréal;
Léa Couture-Thériault, Assistante de recherche, Centre de recherche en droit public;
Noureddine Mouelhi, professeur;
Jean Dorion, président du groupe Indépendantistes pour une laïcité inclusive;
Pier-André Bouchard St-Amant, chercheur Post-Doctoral, INET;
Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, enseignant en philosophie, cégep de St-Jérôme;
Jocelyn Brousseau, coordonnateur urgence en travail humanitaire;
Annie-Claude Trudeau, avocate et cofondatrice Faits et Causes;
Julien David-Pelletier;
Miguael Bergeron, étudiant et Éditeur-en-chef au Prince Arthur Herald;
Kevin Copps, candidat à la mairie CDN-NDG;
Ishan Singh, avocat, Président de La Voix Québécoise des Sikhs;
Daniel Thibault;
Pierre-Guy Sylvestre, économiste;
Jocelyn Desjardins, syndicaliste, ex-président du NMQ;
Sophie Bienvenu, auteure;
Mathieu St-Onge, conseiller en communication et journaliste pigiste;
Fannie Boisvert St-Louis, féministe;
Murphy Cooper, chroniqueur d'opinion;
Dalila Awada, étudiante en sociologie;
Nour Farhat, étudiante en droit;
Martin Chartrand, étudiant en communication;
Xenia Chernyshova, comédienne, chroniqueuse et leader de Femen Québec-Canada;
Xavier Peich, politologue;
Elizabeth Robertson, journaliste pigiste;
Julien Lefort-Favreau, doctorant en études littéraires, UQAM ;
Will Prosper, militant de Montréal-Nord Républik et documentariste;
Alexandre Alaoui, candidat à la maîtrise en science politique, UQAM;
Julie Paquette, politologue ;
Aurélien Chastan;
Alexandre Leduc ;
Olivier Roy ;
Naomi Cauchy-Cartier, Titulaire d'une maîtrise en Histoire de l'Antiquité;
Sophie Tremblay, avocate;
Zalman Haouzi, Avocat;
Marie-Claude Dufour, technicienne juridique;
Charles Bottex;
Marie-Pierre Rouette, politologue;
Sébastien Laflamme, informaticien;
Steven MacKinnon;
Emmanuelle Rouleau, avocate;
Colin Beaudry, D.I.T.;
Gabrielle Brais Harvey, étudiante, relationniste et organisatrice syndicale;
Christelle Arnaud, avocate;
Benoît Riopel;
Simon Labrecque, politologue;
Maxime Laflamme, programmeur-analyste;
Julie Chabot, avocate;
Patricia Fourcand;
Matthew Angelus, stagiaire en droit;
André Coté-Homier, musicien;
Raphaëlle Sandt-Duguay, gestionnaire documentaire;
Magdaline Saulnier-Bourget, étudiante;
René Lemieux, sémiologue;
Louis-François Brodeur, candidat au doctorat (HEC Montréal);
Julien Day, blogueur;
Catherine Girard Lantagne, directrice de programmation;
Rosa Pires, candidate à la maitrise en science politique, UQAM et vice-présidente des Indépendantistes pour une laïcité inclusive;
Annick Desjardins, avocate;
Julie Robert, avocate;
Louis Fiset, agent de communication et éthicien;
Frédérique Chiasson, juriste et traductrice;
Louis Bedard Giulione, étudiant à la maîtrise en musicologie université de Montréal;
Charles Tremblay, biologiste;
Annie Lecours, entrepreneure;
Francis Gosselin, économiste et chercheur;
Dalena Tran, étudiante en enseignement à l'Université Concordia;
Marie-Joie Brady, politologue;
Michel Desy, conseiller en éthique;
Joey Larouche, ingénieur;
Laura Dehaibi, étudiante au doctorat en droit à l'Université McGill;
Keithia Ladouceur, étudiante en enseignement à l'Université McGill;
Olivier Carpentier, illustrateur et bédéiste;
Marco Nocella, avocat;
Marie-Josée Dufour, rédactrice;
Marie-France Lemaine, recherchiste et traductrice;
Xavier Gravend-Tirole, théologien et écrivain;
Emilie Audy, stagiaire en droit;
Bochra Manaï, chercheurE;
Eugénie Depatie-Pelletier, juriste et démographe;
Cathy Wong, juriste;
François Fournier, sociologue;
Joey Hanna, juriste;
Hamza Benqassmi, étudiant à l'école du Barreau du Québec;
Léa Champagne, géographe;
Philippe Allard;
Jonathan Plamondon;
Karyne Charpentier;
Christopher Craig;
Ricardo Lamour, (Emrical), artiste et membre de Ca m'concerne;
Shahad Salman, avocate;
Janet Lumb, artiste;
Marie-Hélène Croteau, gestionnaire de projet;
David Crandall, avocat;
Golshad Darroudi, avocate;
Isabelle Boucher, étudiante;
Samira Laouni, Fondatrice-Présidente du C.O.R. Organisme de communication pour l'ouverture et le rapprochement interculturel;
Aminta Ndiaye, conseillère en projets d'affaires;
Sébastien Lord-Émard, artiste et militant acadien;
Katherine Kaufman, avocate et étudiante;
François Fournier, Étudiant en droit, Université de Montréal;
Sarah Charland-Faucher, étudiante à la maîtrise en développement régional;
Fanny Marcouillier-Mathieu, étudiante au baccalauréat en communication (relations publiques) et auxiliaire d'enseignement, Université Laval, Québec;
Emilie Tessier, enseignante en Arts au secondaire;
André Ho, étudiant à la maîtrise en travail social et intervenant psychosocial;
Jessy Thermil, traductrice;
Said Guennani, entrepreneur; notaire diplômé au Maroc;
François Schneider, directeur Technique en animation 3D;
Toufic Adlouni: étudiant;
Jean-François Thériault, ingénieur;
Jade Robert-Drouin, étudiante;
Gabriel Copps, étudiant;
Marc Duperron, étudiant;
Christian Arseneault, candidat municipal (Montréal);
Béatrice Copps, étudiante;
Antoine Desîlets, étudiant;
Laurent Fournier, étudiant;
Louis Lespérance, étudiant;
Jade Karim, étudiant;
Laurence Couture-Thériault, B.A littérature française et étudiante en droit;
Stéphane Stril, Président de PLQ McGill;
Djavan Habel-Thurton, étudiant;
Gabriel Myre, étudiant en droit de 2e cycle;
Hugo Guerche, Vice Président Organisation, PLQ McGill;
Joshua Arless, Vice-President, Organization Young Liberals of Canada (Quebec);
Simon Beauchemin, candidat à la maîtrise en RI et politique à l'université de Cambridge;
Laura Khouri, étudiante en sciences politiques;
Silvia Ortan, étudiante en droit;
Olivier Goulet, étudiant;
Éléonore Gauthier, étudiante;
Julia Kappler, étudiante;
Xavier Plamondon, B.A. Sciences économiques, étudiant en droit;
Annabelle S. Archambault, B.Comm.;
Saad Qoq, étudiant en ingénierie;
Samuel Lavoie, président des Jeunes Libéraux du Canada;
Cameron Ahmad, Président des Jeunes libéraux du Canada (Québec);
Mira Ahmad, étudiante;
Noémi Poulin, conceptrice de costumes;
Clara Pelletier, étudiante;
Élisabeth Couture, Chargée de cours, Université Concordia;
Daniela Chivu President, Multicultural Commission Liberal Party of Canada (QC);
Lambert V. Lorrain, étudiant en droit;
Chloe Luciani-Girouard, Présidente des Jeunes libéraux de l'Université de Montréal PLC(Q);
Christopher Monette, étudiant en communication et politique;
Alexander Jagric, Vice-Président (Externe) de PLQ McGill;
Maude Méthot-Faniel, fonctionnaire ;
Ali M. Al-saleh, Étudiant en science politique;
Brice Dansereau-Olivier, étudiant en économie et chroniqueur;
Frédéric Bourgeois-LeBlanc, Étudiant et Adjoint aux communications à la Commission Jeunesse du PLQ;
Sonya Mullins, president of the unity group - Quebec civil rights;
Étienne Leclerc, décrocheur engagé;
Michèle Goulet, enseignante;
Pier-Luc Brault, étudiant et citoyen engagé;
Nina Nguyen, étudiante en médecine, Université de Sherbrooke;
Félix Bowles, étudiant (Bacc. Travail Social);
Kaouther Saadi, étudiante en Communication et Politique à l'Université de Montréal;
Sukhmeet Singh, Homme d'affaires. Vice-président de La Voix Québécoise des Sikhs;
Nadia Kadri, étudiante et présidente des Jeunes libéraux fédéraux à l'Université McGill;
Judith Cardin Poissant, étudiante en droit;
Jean-Philippe Roy, étudiant en Économie et Science politique (Université Laval);
Marcelle Moffatt Thériault, professeure retraitée du Collège de Limoilou;
Ariel Gregory Shapiro, étudiant;
Simon Turmel, avocat (droit autochtone, de l'énergie et de l'environnement);
Alexandre Mailloux-Dupéré, étudiant à la maitrise en droit international et politiques internationales appliqués à l'Université de Sherbrooke;
Daphnée Anctil, étudiante en droit à l'Université de Montréal;
Diana Popescu, criminologue;
Constantin Draghici, ingénieur;
Vanessa Métivier, étudiante en communication publique, Université Laval;
Maija Kappler, étudiante;
Nicole Reckziegel, étudiante;
Chattar Singh Saini;
Ishan Singh, avocat;
Tiffany Hanskamp, étudiante;
Jan Hanskamp, étudiant;
Kayleigh Hanskamp, étudiante;
Emilie Hanskamp, étudiante;
Jennifer Crane, VP English Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec);
Simon Charbonneau, étudiant en droit;
Emmanuela Tedone, étudiante;
Jessica Lang, étudiante ;
Sarah Howard, étudiante;
David Kaufman, programmateur informatique;
Eric Hendry, étudiant en droit;
Frédérique Bourque, avocate;
Julien Brossard, avocat et MBA;
Frédérick Plamondon, enseignant;
Simon Jolicoeur, étudiant en droit;
Nellie Brière, stratège en communications interactives;
Georges Andriotis, étudiant en droit;
Aminata Mbaye, Conceptrice logiciel;
Yousr Masmoudi, partenaire d'affaire en apprentissage;
Federico Tyrawskyj, avocat;
Edouard Reinach, entrepreneur;
Dalla Malé Fofana, Chargé de cours, Auxillaire d'enseignement Université de Sherbrooke;
Alexandre Julien, technicien informatique;
Toula Foscolos, journaliste;
Ariane Bergeron-St-Onge, avocate;
Julien Vaillancourt Laliberté, Directeur Logistique, Milieu culturel;
Vanessa Udy, avocate;
Mathieu Fontaine, professeur de physique, collège Lionel-Groulx;
Delphine Abadie, chercheure indépendante;
Pierre-Yves Néron, Maître de Conférences en Éthique économique et sociale,. Université Catholique de Lille;
Leanne Bourassa, avocate;
Marc-Antoine Trudel, étudiant;
Lori Boyadjian, étudiante en droit;
Félix Roy, étudiant en Sciences politiques;
Vanessa Lapointe, étudiante en droit;
Frédérik Forget, étudiant en droit et philosophie;
Nicolas Trudel, étudiant en politique appliquée à l'Université de Sherbrooke;
Zach Paikin, commentateur politique;
Jeremy Little, étudiant - Faculté de droit;
Alexandra Mendès, Présidente du Parti libéral du Canada (Québec);
Arad Mojtahedi, étudiant en droit à l'Université McGill;
Julie Thibault, étudiante;
Sandra Levy, étudiante Faculté de droit;
Elise Abramowicz, étudiante Faculté de droit;
Erin Lesser, étudiante Faculté de droit;
Amanda Moniz, étudiante Faculté de droit;
Geneviève Claveau -Étudiante en droit, Fac. de l'UdeM;
Jeff Wise;
Benni Hodkin, ratafarian;
Catherine Ellyson, Professionnelle de recherche et consultante;
Frédéric Thériault, Photographe;
Angele Rondeau, traductrice;
Alice Tran, comédienne et animatrice;
Marie Clouâtre, avocate;
Sandrine Corbeil, étudiante en droit à l'Université de Montréal;
Marie-Danièle Germain, étudiante;
Jean-Michel Desgagnés, avocat;
Pamela Mikhael, étudiante en droit;
Alexandre Savoie-Perron;
Simon Cadorette, Chargé de cours en économie


A version of this article was originally posted at The Huffington Post Canada.

Oh tempora, oh Mordecai: What next Quebec, Mme. Marois telling us what we can wear?

Sometimes “the law is a ass” Mr. Bumble said, and it looks like the debate on Quebec’s proposed charter of “values”—or lack thereof—is one of those times.

Despite the symbolic blood-letting of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission, which basically found there was no “reasonable accommodation” crisis, Quebec still harbours too many who are, as some Western Canadians used to put it back in the day, referring to French on their cornflake boxes, sick of having Islamic headscarves “shoved down their throats.”

Bev does Bubby. Is this head covering dangerous? Only the PQ knows...

In Montreal, where I thought we were famous for our laissez faire attitude toward issues that knotted knickers elsewhere in North America--like abortion, daycare, gay sex and marriage (“if you don’t like it, don’t do it, but keep your nose the hell out of my business”)—I predict we’ll soon have a new branch of the civil service analogous to the beloved Office québécois de la langue française Tongue Troopers: the Headscarf Haranguers. Or, perhaps, the Kippah Killjoys.

They’ll certainly have their work cut out for them. Let’s try and get our heads around how this would work.

Consider that most anodyne of textiles, the simple kerchief. Imagine a teacher at a public school, or a Centre de santé et des services sociaux receptionist. If she tucks her hair into a turban as a fashion statement, or dons a headscarf to keep her hairdo safe from the rain, or because she’s having a bad hair day, no problemo. Ditto for covering a pate denuded by cancer chemotherapy. But if she put on that same headscarf out of Islamic modesty, das ist verboten. And if she’s an Orthodox Jewish woman, covering her hair out of Orthodox Jewish modesty? Verboten again, I guess, though she’d look exactly the same as the cancer patient.

The true bureaucrat requires an objective way to differentiate between Jewish women, Muslim women, and women undergoing chemotherapy. How to accomplish this? May I suggest cancer patients be issued big yellow Cs to pin on their breast pockets? Or perhaps the Muslims and Jews could be issued large yellow Ms and Js, despite the optics. Clearly, issuing yellow crescents or stars of David would be unacceptable on religious symbol grounds; besides, the latter has clearly been done before (done to death before, in fact). And here in the ever-distinct society of Quebec, we value, above all, our cultural uniqueness.

But if you think that headscarves are complicated, what about wigs? Apparently, it has so far escaped the notice of the Headscarf Haranguers that sometimes a wig isn’t simply a wig. Most men who wear toupees do so for cosmetic/vanity reasons. Wearing a toupee to appear more sexually attractive will certainly sit well with the Headscarf Haranguers, but many Orthodox Jewish women wear wigs out of religion-based notions of propriety, which will not. Some wear wigs for reasons such as, again, chemotherapy, medical conditions like alopecia, or because, sometimes, unfortunately, their hair looks like crap. How are we—or, more importantly, the Headscarf Haranguers--to tell the difference? I could again suggest a yellow letter--B (for baldness), C (for cancer), or V (for vanity), but I’m sure Mme. Marois will see the value of a parliamentary commission to examine in closer detail acceptable reasons for wig wearing in this brave new Quebec. Otherwise men topped by toupees may be evaluated differently from women wearing wigs. Which would be sexist and against their human rights. Not to mention Quebec values.

But enough of wigs, and let’s leave beards—in fact, all other body hair--for another day.

Confining ourselves to clothing, let’s consider, for a moment, the zucchetto. This is not an Italian pastry but a skull cap worn by Catholic and Anglican clerics, and of the same sartorial ilk as the kippah. Clearly, following enactment of the Quebec charter of “values,” men like Pope Francis or Bishop Tutu would no longer be welcome to address the National Assembly in full religious regalia. No doubt, they’d be required to wear business suits, like engineering company executives, Canadian senators, or political bag men. This probably wouldn’t be a problem because I doubt Pope Francis or Bishop Tutu would be interested in addressing Quebec’s National Assembly in the event the charter of “values”—as currently bruited—was actually enacted.

Finally, if my doctor wore a kippah while at work, he’d be breaking the law. But if he covered it with a Yankees cap, he’d be okay. Unless the Marois government decided that only Expos caps were permissible. By Dickens, when the law can so easily be made “a ass,” I wouldn’t put it past them.

A version of this article may be found at 
The Huffington Post Canada.

Beverly Akerman’s award winning story collection, The Meaning of Children is set largely in Montreal. She’s strangely pleased to believe she’s the only Canadian fiction writer ever to have sequenced her own DNA.

Immigrants share stories of violence

Concordia Oral History project relates 500 stories of human rights violations

We Are Here, the final exhibition of the project Life Stories of Montrealers Displaced by War, Genocide, and Other Human Rights Violations, opens March 8, 2012. The project, based at Concordia’s Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, is presented in collaboration with the Centre d’histoire de Montréal, which is hosting the display.

Five years in the making, We Are Here represents an extraordinary university-community research alliance to record the personal stories of 500 Montrealers. According to Steven High, Concordia Canada Research Chair in Public History and the project’s principal investigator, more than 300 academic researchers, community members, students, artists and interns participated in creating the work.

“Many of these project creators are persons displaced by violence, while others are the children of persons displaced by violence,” High says. “Almost all of them live here in Montreal.”

Project team members interviewed their parents and grandparents, as well as members of their own or other communities. Drawings, toys and other significant artifacts were gathered. The recordings were posted online and then used for short films, websites, blogs, theatre pieces and artistic performances, educational programs for students of all levels, conferences, publications, and exhibitions.

“We hope that sharing these life stories will catalyze critical thought and dialogue,” High says. “The stories collected are our stories.”

The Concordia Oral History Research Laboratory combines digital media and oral history to open up new, non-linear ways to access, analyze and communicate life stories. The Concordia Digital History Lab uses new media to share the task of historical research and interpretation with online audiences worldwide, which includes researchers, students, as well as the general public.

For Eve-Lyne Cayouette Ashby, project coordinator and the exhibition’s curator, Montreal Life Stories is more than a research project.  It has been a way “to put a face on history with a capital H,” she says. “To understand that today’s Montreal is inhabited by people of diverse origins, whose roots extend throughout the globe; to understand that each person’s story is that of all of us.”

The mission of the Centre d’histoire de Montréal as a municipal museum is “to transmit a better understanding of Montreal and of its cultural diversity … through its participative approach.” The museum collects stories and objects to convey how the city has been created and defined by its citizens. 

“The exhibition could not find a more appropriate place than our museum and our programs,” says Jean-François Leclerc, director of the Centre d’histoire de Montréal.
“For us, this exhibition is another way of sending these words of welcome to old and new Montrealers: ‘You are part of history!’”

We Are Here runs from March 8 to April 14, 2012, at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal (335 Place D’Youville, near the Square-Victoria metro station) in Old Montreal.

Related links:
•    Concordia University Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling
•    Read more about other related events     
•    Centre d’histoire de Montreal

Originally published on Concordia NOW.