Harginder Kaur: Quebec Is At Its Best When Celebrating, Not Attacking, Its Multiculturalism
Harginder Kaur: Quebec Is At Its Best When Celebrating, Not Attacking, Its Multiculturalism
"Our religion teaches us the profound meaning of equality and acceptance, to see all as one. You cannot successfully preserve your own culture at the expense of another."
Harginder Kaur
July 7, 2022 | 2 min. read | Opinion
Being born and raised in Quebec, Premier Legault’s comment late last month that “all cultures are not on the same level” here and that the province is not a multicultural state was difficult to digest.
I feel very blessed, as a Punjabi and Sikh, to be born and raised in Quebec. I got to do my studies in French, appreciate many Quebecois values, and live in the Quebec culture.
I know that the Quebec culture is not as described lately by the Premier and his supporters. Quebec has always been based on equality and acceptance of all. Our parents and families happily migrated to Quebec because of all the beautiful opportunities the province has to offer.
Immigrants have come here, learned the language, and put in the effort to thrive because we love Quebec. I am a proud Quebecois. One of the great things about Canada is you can follow your unique religion and faith while living amongst great diversity, and the comments that come from the Quebec government do not match with what our country stands for.
Many of us have been in Quebec for over 40 years, preserving not only our culture but theirs as well.
Growing up in Quebec and on Montreal Island, I was fortunate enough to learn about many different cultures and become friends with people from all around the world.
Comments about Quebec not being a multicultural province are not new. Bill 21 and Bill 96 are the ultimate results of such a mindset. These kinds of laws, that promote discrimination, are there because the government does not accept our cultures.
What also crosses my mind is that there are people out there actually voting for such laws, laws that are dividing the society we live in. So many of us are leaving the province with such amazing skills and talent and it is very unfortunate.
The Quebec that is being promoted right now is not the Quebec we have lived in for the past decades. Bringing people together and connecting cultures together is what brings power to a country.
As a Sikh, I can understand where many Quebecers stand on these issues. The Sikh Kaum (nation) is also a minority all around the world, even in India. No one fights as much as Sikhs to preserve their culture, but discrimination in the attempt to save our way of life is not what our religion teaches either. Trying to protect your culture does not mean pushing down other people.
Our religion teaches us the profound meaning of equality and acceptance, to see all as one. You cannot successfully preserve your own culture at the expense of another.
With all due respect to Premier Legault, Quebec would not be where it is without the help of many other cultures.
Harginder Kaur is born and raised in Montreal, where she still currently resides. She is currently studying Political Sciences at Concordia University. Harginder is also the Vice President, Quebec, for the World Sikh Organization of Canada. You can find her on Instagram at @Harginderkaur.
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