13 June 2013

Dan Delmar: Quebec commentariat’s soft centre disappoints

Quebec commentariat’s soft centre disappoints | Full Comment | National Post

Though it is commendable that the editor of Quebec’s most important newspaper reached out to Anglophones in the Rest of Canada by analyzing the province’s latest “reasonable accommodation” controversy,  André Pratte’s position (Why Quebecers don’t want turbans on the pitch) suffers from an abundance of nuance.
Thankfully, La Presse editor Pratte “strongly condemned,” as many Francophone commentators have, the Quebec Soccer Federation’s decision to ban turbans worn by Sikh children during games, a policy that earned them a suspension from the Canadian Soccer Association.
But like many in Quebec’s commentariat, Pratte shies away from using more forceful and appropriate language that is almost universally considered to be applicable in this case. It would have been productive for the godfather of Quebec commentators to explore the undeniable intolerance and ignorance behind the QSF’s (and the Parti Québécois’) position. But instead, he chose a soft middle-ground when pointed criticism was needed.

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