Hatley, September 18, 2009
Notes for an address at the Taproot launch
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Good evening everyone.
It is a pleasure for me to be back here in the Townships, my home away from home, to celebrate with you over the next few days.
Tonight is particularly special to me as we are celebrating the vibrant arts community of this region. The English-speaking community in the Townships has always nurtured important artists whose influence has contributed to the region and beyond. Some are permanent residents, some, like me, spent only parts of the year in the region, but all were influenced by their surroundings as well as the people of the Townships.
Last night, I spoke at the North Hatley Library on some of the great names of English Quebec’s literary world that have spent a great deal of time in this region: Hugh MacLennan, Mason Wade, I.M.B. Dobell and F.R. Scott. This group of four were good friends who spent their summers in North Hatley together. Collectively, their works had a profound influence on modern Quebec and Canada. MacLennan coined a phrase—“two solitudes”—that to this day still strikes a chord with many. Wade, although an American, wrote a history of French Canada and, according to his friends, had an understanding of Quebec that often they could not grasp. Dobell, an author and historian, became curator of the McCord Museum and transformed the almost forgotten collection into a dynamic display of material objects reflecting Quebec’s evolving history. As for Scott, he was engaged not only in English-speaking political and cultural life, but also with French-Canadian traditions. I thought it would be fitting, in the context of tonight’s celebration, to recall one of his most famous poems, Bonne Entente, published in 1954:
The advantages of living with two cultures
Strike one at every turn,
Especially when one finds a notice in an office building
‘This elevator will not run on Ascension Day’;
Or reads in the Montreal Star:
‘Tomorrow being the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
There will be no garbage collection in the city’;
Or sees on the restaurant menu the bilingual dish:
DEEP APPLE PIE
TARTES AUX POMMES PROFONDES1
Of course, the four authors I have mentioned have one thing in common: their work focused on language-related issues. They weren’t the first, nor were they the last to do so. Many more followed in their footsteps, came to the Townships and went on to have a significant impact on our language landscape. Pat Webster founded Canadian Parents for French; Bob Keaton founded the Montreal Citizens’ Movement; Sheila Fischman began her career here as a translator; and the list goes on.
Like them, your work still constitutes an important contribution to the vitality of the English-speaking community in Quebec. As such, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the people behind Taproot—Townshippers’ Association and its long-time volunteer Brenda Hartwell, who edited Taproot alongside the other two members of the editorial board, Ann Scowcroft and Carolyn Rowell—as well as all the artists who have submitted their work for inclusion in Taproot IV.
I was told that this year the judges had to read and evaluate more than 300 submissions, which is no small feat. This, to me, is an indication of the attachment all of you have towards your community, which is further supported by the large number of your peers who have joined you here tonight to celebrate your accomplishments.
Please know that my office will continue to support this community in all its efforts to thrive as it does, but also in confronting the language problems you face. And they do exist.
However, tonight is a time to celebrate successes, and that is what I want to do. So once again, congratulations to all of you and congratulations on 30 years of Townshippers’ celebrations.
Thank you.
1. First published in Events and Signals, Toronto, Ryerson Press, 1954.
