Canadians Are Tolerant ... Up to a Point

Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois has vowed that the Parti Québécois will pass a "Charter of Secularism" that would bar any public employee from wearing a "conspicuous religious sign"-- Jewish kippahs or skullcaps and Muslim headscarves, for instance. The one exception is the wearing of a crucifix since Christianity and crosses, such as the large one which hangs in the Quebec National Assembly, are ingrained symbols of Quebec's history and culture. She would also prohibit non-French speakers, who currently do not reside in Quebec, from holding public office. Finally she intends to further limit the rights of anglophone parents and students. Pierre Trudeau was right: the xenophobic "distinct society" he warned about in the early 1990s has showed its true colours.