Reflecting on La Belle Province and that time we almost lost it.
Spring is a good time to consider taking advantage of all that our French-Canadian cousins have to offer.
Media personality Connie Smith recently returned from a vacation in Quebec City for the annual Carnaval de Quebec, and reminds us Le Belle Province has much to offer the rest of Canada. - The Canadian Press file photo
As we say goodbye, finally, to winter, Connie Smith reflects on a chilling chapter in Canada's history after a visit to Quebec City for the annual Carnaval de Quebec, one of the largest and most celebrated winter festivals in the world.
We were once referred to as TROC … The Rest Of Canada. During those sovereignty debates, sign law controversies and that ever-so-close referendum, the province of Quebec came so perilously close to saying "au revoir" to TROC.
It was a historic period in Canadian history during the eighties and nineties with premiers Rene Levesque then Jacques Parizeau leading the separatist movement. I was a young TV news reporter covering the stories from the Hamilton and southern Ontario perspective: interviewing members of the local French community, authors, history and language scholars and, of course, politicians.
In addition to the daily news, I worked as a correspondent for a weekly public affairs program called, "One Canada," dedicated entirely to the national unity debate and specifically, to try to keep the country together. I also hosted and produced sovereignty debates and citizen forums, where TROC and francophones shared space on-air and eventually, in friendship.
As journalists, we remain objective professionally and publicly, exploring all sides of a story equally and as a result, it sometimes becomes difficult to even form personal opinions. All I knew and felt was the knowledge that something profound was about to happen between "les deux solitudes." The country had become so polarized (is it becoming so again over a different issue?). Many people in TROC bristled at the bilingual signs and the sound of the French language in PA systems and during flights. It was "us versus them."
Joni Mitchell sang about it in a song: "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." Thankfully, TROC figured that out in time during the 1995 Quebec independence referendum. Canadians by the car and busload, including schoolchildren, flooded into the Quebec capital in a show of national fervour and flag-waving seldom seen in modern history, outside a sports arena, imploring Quebecers to just say "non" to separation. It was an emotionally-charged time.
We filed our stories, went "live' from various locations, gathering the thoughts of ordinary citizens and legions of pundits. We held our collective breath as those votes were counted and even the most "just-let-them-go" among us let out a sigh of relief, if not outright cheer when the move to move out was defeated by 50.58 per cent.
Life got back to normal. Quebec worked hard to enshrine the French heritage into the Canadian identity while some in TROC still tended to complain about official bilingualism but the stories about national unity began disappearing from assignment meetings.
Fast-forward to present day: Carnaval de Quebec in Quebec City, rated as one of the top winter festivals in the world. It was a bucket-list trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Aside from some short-stay visits to "La Belle Province" for work, I had never visited as a tourist. This would be one of those seminal moments, no longer beholden to the journalistic law of objectivity, when I could, would, form an opinion about something of such significance.
The place is beautiful, from the modern outskirts to the historic city core, where the cobblestone streets and quaint storefront to the magnificent Chateau Frontenac and National Assembly.
The cuisine is second to none in the world, at least the major European cities my husband and I have visited.
The people are warm and welcoming, and boy, from the ice sculptures, to the Caribou (the hot wine drink variety), and the wild and crazy outdoor activities, like canoe races over a semi frozen St. Lawrence River, they know how to enjoy winter! Everyone appreciated my heartfelt and not bad attempts to converse in French and always offered "anglais" with a smile if that made it easier. I loved the sound of our other language and seeing the French-only signs.
The history is stunning, significant and such a visceral part of what it means to be Canadian.
So here's the thing: I now realize, more than ever, just "what we got" and Joni I don't want "it" gone.
My message to TROC, and my wish is for that term to no long have relevance: Go there, soak up the beauty, the food, the people, the history, the language, the uniqueness. Brush up on your high school French.
Encourage your kids to learn it. La Belle Province is wonderful, it is ours and be proud that it is.
OPINION Apr 01, 2019 by Connie Smith - Hamilton Spectator.