- Guy Bertrand
Guy Bertrand is a
lawyer operating inQuebec City . He is a founding member of theParti Québécois and ran in the PQ leadership election of 1985. He has been a Quebec sovereigntist of thepur et dur stream for most of his public life, before shifting to the oppositeQuebec federalist ideology during the 1990s. He has converted back to sovereigntism during the 2000s. He is also the author of "Enough is enough!" (translation of the French "Plaidoyer pour les citoyens" 'Representing citizens'), where he criticizes the destructive and dishonest tactics of the Quebec separatist movement, but indicates continued support for their ideals.He defended
Léon Mugesera , well publicized anti-Tutsi speaker of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and now faces accusations from theBarreau du Québec for remarks he made during the Mugasera trial. He accused the Canadian government and theSupreme Court of Canada of giving in to pressure from Jewish organizations, which he claimed wanted Mugasera deported.Bertrand admitted to the charge on October 31, 2005, and is now awaiting sentencing which could range from a slap on the wrist to being disbarred for life.
More recently Bertrand made a case for Quebec to have its own team in the upcoming
2008 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships being held partly inQuebec City . However, Quebec is not a member of theIIHF and even if admitted, would need to work their way up to the "A" Pool of the World Championship. The idea has also not garnered much support among Quebec hockey stars. Top forwardVincent Lecavalier has publicly opposed the idea. [ [http://proicehockey.about.com/b/a/223546.htm Team Canada vs. Team Quebec: Hockey's Next Great Rivalry? ] ]In October 2007, Bertrand told a provincial commission on
reasonable accommodation for cultural minorities that French is threatened by language accommodations. He also claimed that English andmulticulturalism inMontreal are undermining French, and that newcomers must acculturate into the majority. Commission co-chairmanCharles Taylor reminded Bertrand the commission is about religious accommodations for minorities and not linguistic ones. [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071030.wqueaccom1030/BNStory/National/home]Bertrand criticized
Montreal Canadiens captainSaku Koivu for not being able to speak French, despite having lived in Quebec for quite some time. Bertrand said it "demonstrates contempt for our language. It is not respectful." His comments were perceived, across Canada as well as in Quebec, as largely ridiculous and given in poor taste.References
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See also
*
Parti Québécois leadership election, 1985
*Quebec politics
*Quebec sovereignty movement
*Quebec federalist ideology
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