For those of us whose families have lived in the Pontiac for seven or eight generations, we don’t even ask. For those of us who have traveled a little bit, or taken a vacation in other parts of Quebec, Canada, North America or over to the Old Country, we have had the opportunity to visit some beautiful places and spend time with some great people. How many people who you know said when they returned home, “It was a nice holiday but it’s sure nice to get home.”
Many of us have friends who have worked and lived in many nice places in different parts of the . . .
world, but finally chose Pontiac County to finally call their home. After talking with them a bit, they’ll tell you, “It’s the most beautiful place in Canada, changing scenes at every turn and every month of the year.” After our friends tell us about the beautiful mountains, colourful leaves, green fields, clean lakes and rivers, they usually talk about the down home kind of people that they met. Then they tell us it’s kind of like Pontiac but not quite as nice.
We watch the nightly news and often see wild fires that wiped out entire towns and killed countless animals and people. We see the destruction of violent tornadoes where people have been at the mercy of mother nature. We see areas that have experienced devastation caused by flooding every few years and each new house is constructed a few feet higher than the last. We watch the unthinkable destruction and loss of human lives in war torn areas. We regularly watch as countries fight horrific wars over differences in religion or languages. Some of our ancestors immigrated to Canada and the valley because of famine in the country that they left more than 100 years ago while their kings and lords ate very well.
Pontiac County was originally home to our First Nation people who didn’t get a very good deal. Our pioneers came from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, many who moved up from what is now the United States and later from many other countries.
In early years, Pontiac County was divided into townships, surveyed and settled by semi-retired army or militia personnel. Many of those former army had been in wars fighting because of different religious beliefs and languages. Former army generals who had experienced those heated disputes before tried to allot land in a township to pioneers of similar faiths and who spoke the same language. Some townships were settled mostly by English speaking protestants, some areas were mostly English speaking Catholics, other areas were mostly French speaking Catholics.
Through the years, neighbours helped neighbours, they helped build each others churches. They worked together, played hockey and baseball together and although some families and priests disagreed, some girls and boys of different language and religion fell in love, married and raised families together. They realized that most people regardless of their religion where trying to help each other and eventually their souls would get to a better place than just a hole in the ground.
One of my very best friends who was raised in both a different religion and language than me once described language like this: “Language is like a car, some people drive a Chev, some drive a Ford, some drive a Honda. A car is only a mode of transportation, but don’t tell someone that they are driving the wrong make. Some folks speak French, some speak English, some speak Chinese. A language is a means of communication but don’t tell your neighbour that he speaks the wrong one.” Many of us can drive different makes of cars and trucks but I still need help with my languages.
In Pontiac County, we are extremely lucky to be surrounded by many cultures. If any of us has experienced the joie de vivre of a French party, a German Octoberfest, an Irish Saint Patty’s day, or an old time Ottawa Valley square dance, we all know how lucky we are to live in Pontiac County. Pontiac County and all the Ottawa Valley is known for our music which is a universal language of it’s own.
Before an election be it provincial or federal, often the parties will try to divide and conquer by finding some issue to divide the people. Often the parties will try to find out in advance which side might have the most votes. I witnessed this process in reality only a few years ago when visiting Ireland during a by-election. Although both the Catholics and Protestants had buried the sword a decade before, one party tried to relight the fire between the groups just to gain power in the election. Luckily enough, both sides were smart enough and remembered the suffering enough that this scam didn’t materialize.
In Quebec, we are now being exposed to a similar tactic used by a couple parties who are telling our French neighbours that they are in danger of losing the French language in Quebec. In fact, there is a higher per centage of French speaking citizens in Quebec now than ever before. There is a brain drain of well educated bilingual youth moving out of Quebec to better, higher paying jobs in other provinces and countries. Because of recent new extreme language and bureaucracy laws in Quebec, many head offices, higher paying jobs, and new businesses are moving out of Quebec recently to less restrictive provinces.
Recent proposed Quebec laws restricting both language and practicing of religion has pushed more residents away from Quebec. Pontiac County has already lost several new businesses and residents because of this. This new proposed Bill 96 will further restrict choices in education for our youth unless you are from a family that can supply private education or education in another country. Children from a French home will be even more restricted than children from English parents. Canada has prided itself as being the most likely country to move to in the world. Recent surveys have shown Quebec has become the most likely province to move from and the least likely province to move to in Canada. A recent study has also shown that Pontiac County is one of the most likely areas in Quebec to move to but we still have to adhere to Quebec laws.
Doctors, nurses, professors and teachers are already in very short supply in Quebec. Pontiac has already lost our agricultural suppliers and almost all of our car and truck dealers. Many of our youth have begun working outside of our province. This is your province that is being degraded. Speak to your councilors, mayors, MNA, MP and your neighbours.
There will be a huge rally held in Montreal explaining our displeasure in Bill 96 on Saturday May 14. Busses will be organized as needed.
Let’s keep Pontiac a leader.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that
has been in his family
for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
