André Boisclair made some rather indelicate remarks on Wednesday night. Describing the influx of Asian students on campuses across North America, Boisclair used the expression les yeux bridés -- slant eyes -- a derogatory term for people of Asian origin. This has obviously made even PQ insiders upset. But Boisclair refuses to apologize.
I was under the impression that we had moved beyond this kind of insensitivity and the rank and file PQ members were a lot more careful in choosing who they wanted to lead them. Guess not. But the bigger issue is this: To eventually win independence for Québec, the PQ will have to persuade the ethnic community that it's in their best interest. During the last referendum, 97% of non-francophones voted "no." Guess that just went up to 99% with this foot in the mouth remark.
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1 comment:
You should know that "yeux bridés" in french has NEVER had a derogatory sense. Even Dumont and Charest have expressed that they have known M. Boisclair long enough to know he never meant any harm in this figure de style.
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