Reasonable accommodation hearings stop in Montreal

After wrapping up the public hearings in Sherbrooke this coming Friday, the commission will be hearing people’s briefs, testimonies and opinions in Montreal all next week, from Nov. 26 to 30 at the Palais des congrès.

“Here’s an issue that Quebecers wanted to debate and we’re going to come out of it stronger,” said Quebec Premier Jean Charest when questioned about the reasonable accommodation hearings during a visit to the West Island last week. “In the end, we’re going to come out of this, I think, with a very clear idea of what kind of society we live in. ”

Nelligan MNA and Immigration Minister Yolande James also had positive things to say about the citizen participation so far.

“I’ve been following the commission closely from the beginning. I think what’s important is that everything that’s been said, whether it’s been in the regions or in Laval or in Montreal next week, has been very positive about immigration and its past and its present and its future,” James said. “I presented an important plan a couple of weeks ago for the future of Quebec in terms of immigration levels. We have built Quebec with immigration and we will continue to do so. I see the process as a positive one.”

The plan James was referring to is the new Quebec Immigration Plan, which looks to make up for the labour shortage and declining birthrate in the regions by attracting 55,000 immigrants over the next three years.

Meanwhile, Pierrefonds resident Susan Kiepprien has submitted a brief focusing on hijab use around the world to the commission and is waiting to hear whether she will be able to present her thoughts during the hearings in Montreal. She said that after putting over 200 hours of research into the hijab, her opinions changed.

“Before writing it, I was for the hijab, but not anymore,” she said, adding she believes banning religious symbols from the public sector, such as schools and government, is “the way we have to go.”

However, not everyone is pleased with some of the comments that have been coming out of the hearings. Pointe Claire resident Shaheen Ashraf, a member of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, thinks discrimination based on race, culture, or religion will not be stopped through such a commission, but rather through early education.

“It’s important to teach children about different cultures early so, by the time they grow up, we won’t have a generation that (discriminates),” she said. “If you’re educated, you’re not going to think of the other person as a threat.”

Ashraf also believes the money the Quebec government is spending on the commission could be used for better things.

“Better to give it to the people who are hungry,” she said. “I’m very sad that this is happening. I came to Canada in 1976 and I have never faced any kind of discrimination.”

The Bouchard-Taylor Commission hearings on reasonable accommodation will be held next week at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, 1001 Jean-Paul Riopell Place entrance. For more information, visit www.accommodements.qc.ca.



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