"Bourassa destroyed anglos as political force"

http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=47266d70-3ca8-4289-aa8b-966853b6fbb2

As a person who was involved in Alliance Quebec from its inception to its decline, I feel I am qualified to add to the discussion about the English-speaking MNAs and their defence or lack of it of the anglo population.

I notice that most correspondents do not mention Robert Bourassa and his part in the suppression of the English language. When I was first active in Alliance, the members hoped and expected with good reason that when the Liberals came to power the language policies of the Parti Québécois would be modified.

I remember when I was first elected to the Alliance council that President Michael Goldbloom asked us what we wanted from the new government. We agreed we favoured compulsory bilingualism on signs. Goldbloom was very insistent that while French should have primacy, "We do not want differences in size," and we laughed at the idea of inspectors running around with tape measures making sure the English was not too big ...