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Montreal
09/22/2008
For immediate release

AffiliationQuebec applauds Liberal Member of Parliament Marlene Jennings for opening an important can of worms surrounding the abrogation of English Language, sign, and educations rights in Quebec.

Jennings, who has been all too silent about the plight of a considerable percentage of her own voters in the riding of NDG-Lachine, has exposed the New Democratic Party's betrayal of minority rights in Quebec by taking to task the NDP support of a Parliamentary motion that would have made the restrictions of Bill 101 apply to Quebec workers of federally regulated companies and Crown Corporations. (See The Gazette, Sept 21/08 http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=26a33cc2-dd35-4107-95b3-eacbf781c8b8 )

But, AffiliationQuebec Leader Allen Nutik, accused the federal Liberals and Conservatives of being "no better than the NDP because of their equal abandonment of the 'inherent Canadian rights' of Anglophones, Allophones, and other minorities in Quebec.

Nutik affirms that the language debate in Quebec is NOT passé, as was suggested by NDP candidate in Westmount – Ville Marie, Anne Lagacé Dowson, who is quoted as saying "I am not in favor of anyone's language rights being denied".

Nutik, therefore questions why Lagacé Dowson has not spoken out clearly in defense of the loss of rights of more than one million Quebecers, whose rights have clearly been denied?

"Lagace Dowson's failure to speak out disqualifies her from representing Westmount-Ville Marie," says Nutik, who added, "That goes equally for Liberal Garneau and Conservative Dufort in Westmount, and Jennings in NDG-Lachine'. Why are they all so silent on lost rights and open, state sanctioned discrimination?" wonders Nutik?

Lagacé Dowson has also said: "I am also not in favor of giving Francophone nationalists a pretext for reigniting the language debate".

Of Lagace Dowson's statement, Nutik retorts, "Why not, what more have we got to lose? Does her attitude mean that Quebec nationalists have won, and Canadian values and rights have lost? Espousing such principles," says Nutik, "Lagace Dowson is brave to believe she deserves Anglo and minority votes in Westmount-Ville Marie.

Nutik continues, "Why have Quebec's minorities been made to be the victims of National Unity? Why is it 'full rights' and 'special recognition' for French Canada, and 'abrogated rights' for Quebec's Anglophones, Allophones, and other minorities? Why have six hundred thousand people chosen to leave Quebec?"

Nutik further emphasizes that the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP have shamelessly sold out Anglophone and minority rights in Quebec a long time ago in order to gain the support of Quebec's nationalist and separatist voters.

"These issues", says Nutik, "rightly deserve to be major subjects in this Canadian campaign; the future of the country depends on it! All party leaders and the national media have avoided the question of minority rights in Quebec for fear of inflaming anger in the rest of Canada, and risking the loss of nationalist support in Quebec."

AffiliationQuebec is an official Quebec political party formed to represent the full rights and interests of loyal Canadian citizens living in the Province of Quebec.

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