La Charte / The “Shart” (or: Thought on Quebec’s Charter of “Values”)

Quebec’s Charter of Values, when viewed on the surface, seems to be about separating church and state, with rules such as the one preventing government employees from wearing “ostentatious” religious symbols at work. However, if you look at its supporters, it seems to be more about preserving the pur laine (literally, “pure wool”, the closest English analogue is “dyed in the wool”) aspect of French-Canadian culture: that is, people who are descended from the original settlers of New France, or at least those who can fake it convincingly.

According to the Quebec Charter FAQ, a satire Tumblr, Quebec’s Charter of Values will unify the people of Quebec by doing the following:

From the Quebec Charter of Values Tumblr. Click to see the source.

We’ve seen hints of it in the case where a kid in Quebec with a turban was forbidden from playing soccer, and this “wonderfully enlightened” statement made by retired professor Claire Simard at a recent rally in support of the Charter:

“I would rather die than be treated by a woman wearing a full-face veil in an ER.”

By the way, Professor Simard — did you know what people wear in ERs? Face and hair coverings like this:

I know, I know, it’s about “trying to create a secular society”, right?

From the Quebec Charter of Values Tumblr. Click to see the source.

No, it’s not. It’s just not-so-secret code for “fit in or else”, or “separatism’s back, in 21st-Century form”. It may be coincidence that the French word for “charter” — charte — is pronounced roughly the same as the English slang word “shart”, but it’s very fitting.

Thanks to Ahmad Nassri, through whom I found out about the Quebec Charter of Values Tumblr.