Open Email 2004 Federal Election..

 

----- Original Message -----

From: TRCF

To: countdown@ctv.ca ; The National ; News at CTV ; Calgary Herald ; Canada AM ; Canada Now ; Charlottetown The Guardian ; Edmonton Journal ; Halifax Daily News ; L. Ian MacDonald ; La Presse ; Le Droit ; Le Soleil ; Letters Globe/Mail ; Letters Ottawa Citizen ; Macleans ; McCrank, John (LMP) ; New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal ; Regina Leader-Post ; St. John's The Telegram ; The Chronicle ; The Gazette ; Toronto Star ; Vancouver Sun ; Winnipeg Free Press ; uni.ca ; IMcLeod@afn.ca ; Journal de Montréal

Cc: Jack Layton ; Stephen Harper ; Paul Martin

Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 7:57 AM

Subject: Fw: Recognition of Official Bilingualism - Secondary Flag...Adding Blue

 

To the media:

 

Here is a copy of an email to the Leaders asking that Canada recognize our official bilingualism and the French fact in Canada by adding blue to our national colours.  Mr. Duceppe is absent from this list because, for 7 years, the Bloc has categorically refused to answer our call for help with this cause.  So much for defending the French fact in Canada.

 

Aux médias,

 

Voici une copie d'un courriel aux chefs demandant que le Canada reconnaît le bilinguisme officiel et le fait français au Canada en ajoutant du bleu aux couleurs nationales.  M. Duceppe est absent de cette liste parce que, pour 7 ans, le Bloc a catégoriquement refusé de nous répondre quand nous avons demandé leur appui pour cette cause.  Dommage pour le fait français au Canada.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: TRCF

To: Paul Martin ; Stephen Harper ; Jack Layton

Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 9:29 AM

Subject: Recognition of Official Bilingualism.

 

Dear Hon. Paul Martin, Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, Leader of the Opposition, Jack Layton, Leader of the NDP,

 

Re:  Federal Election, June 2004

 

It's a dead heat between the Liberals and the Conservatives across the country and the government is up for grabs.  The deciding votes will be in Quebec and Ontario.  The parties' agendas don't have a big impact on the electors, nor are promises because too many have been broken in the past by both sides.  There is only one thing that will make a decisive win for any party, and that is pride and passion.  So far it has blatantly been missing in the campaign and the debates.

 

If Quebecers can be made to feel good within Canada, then most of their Ontario cousins would follow suit.  You are quite aware of our insistence of recognizing the French fact in Canada and the tremendous good our linguistic duality and official languages are doing across the country.  The Canadian Duality Flag does just that.

 

Last Feb. 15th. there was an article in the Vancouver Courier which showed the proposal of the Duality Flag.  Ms. Doreen Braverman of the Vancouver Flag Shop (www.flagshop.com) had hung one in the store window to coincide with our National Flag Day.  The Courier ran an article about it and also had a poll on their paper's web site to get readers' opinion.  The Duality Flag did pretty well and upon Ms. Braverman's follow-up, found out that the Duality Flag actually won the poll.  Maybe it was Radio-Canada's story on Vancouver TV that helped the poll results.  They had conducted an interview with us by telephone to find out more about it and we figure the Vancouver Francophone community rallied and voted in favour of it.

 

The newspaper story can be found at the following link:  http://www.vancourier.com/021104/news/021104nn13.html

 

What Ms. Braverman suggested was that the Cdn. Duality Flag would make a good secondary flag.  Many countries have secondary flags and fly them at different occasions.  A perfect occasion would be during the Canada Day ceremonies and the Eastern Ontario French Heritage celebrations commemorating the 400th. anniversary of Acadians and their French heritage or roots in Canada.

 

Since your parties have been very hesitant about renewing the flag, possibly through fear of reprimands across Canada, here is what we suggest:

 

That your party shows solid commitment to Official Bilingualism and include blue with our national colours to introduce a secondary flag which recognizes the bilingual nature of our country.  This suggestion came out of Vancouver this spring and it makes perfect sense.  It could be used on special occasions such as celebrating the 400th. anniversary of French Acadian roots in Canada this year.  This secondary flag could also be available for general use, to the discretion of Canadians across the country, regardless of which official language they speak.  The red represents the English-speaking fact in Canada, the blue represents the French-speaking fact while the large red maple leaf symbolizes our great land, its vast territory and natural resources, and notably the First Nations who are one with the land.  Historically and traditionally, since the 1700's, we have always had blue in our flags.  However, since the Official Languages Act of 1969 and Official Bilingualism in the Constitution of 1982, there has not been a single Canadian symbol to recognize our linguistic duality.  This secondary flag addresses the issue.

 

What would be the results of such a statement?:

 

1)  French Canadians would love the recognition especially in Quebec.  Identity instills pride and pride builds nations.  Look at the fever around the Calgary Flames, it spread right across Canada.  Canadian Duality Flags will start popping up everywhere here. (Already flying in Québec at La Malbaie Charlevoix, St. Jean de Matha, Montreal 3, Magog 6 and from Summerside PEI, Casselman, Hawkesbury, Ottawa, Toronto, Lethbridge 3, to Victoria BC).

 

2)  English Canadians would be OK with it because the Official National Flag would stay as is and would accept the recognition of official bilingualism.

 

3)  The First Nations would probably like the recognition as well and fortunately National Chief Phil Fontaine is pretty receptive to new ideas.  (The first Duality flags were actually sewn up in 1994 by the former owners of the Ottawa Flag Shop, who are native.  They could not give us a single symbol which represented all the First Nations.  Each band had their own symbols.  The Haida, however, did have the maple leaf as their symbol).

 

4)  The "propre" Bloc would have a hard time refusing this request publicly.

 

Pride and passion in French Canada, could translate into winning seats.  Ontario would be influenced by a good feeling in Quebec, as would the rest of the country.

 

Mr. Harper said in April 1998 "Governing requires a conservative temperament.  This temperament includes a respect for tradition, a penchant for incremental change and a strong sense of honourable compromise... The clear need in the area of national unity is to bring together both East and West as well as English and French.  It is only by bringing together those different perspectives of the country that we can hope to truly unite it".

 

We can't be any clearer than this.  Gentlemen, it is up to you to bring this country together.  Who backs the proposal of a secondary flag and will publicly endorse it?

 

With Pride and Passion, yours truly,

 

Hank Gigandet

TRCF Committee

unity@trcf.ca

514-747-1571

 

Please see attachments.  The first is a group of French Canadian artists who were touring the country promoting Canadian unity and linguistic duality.  The second is a flag in Victoria BC.  The third and fourth are suggestions to Canadian Hockey that all black on our uniforms be changed to blue.  Black being a completely meaningless and irrevelant colour for Canada. The Red and Blue logo/crest should be worn over the hearts of our Canadian players.