Dr. Fitchett and French Canadians

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 37, 14 September 1905, Page 20

Dr. Fitchett and French Canadians

In a recent issue of the ' New Zealand Times ' appeared a vigorous criticism of Dr. Fitchett's letters on Canada by Mr. P. J. O'Regan. The following i 3an extract :— But) it is his attack on the French Canadians, and incidentally on their religion, that gets on the nerves of any, man who knows how uajust his criticisms are, though I admit that his attempt to be impartial is on the whole credifcaible to a Jingoistic parson who exalts Imperialism into a religious principle. He is evidently perturbed because, the French are increasing rapidly. It is, no doubt, true that the French population owes much of its influence to its marvellous fecujhidity. in his recent book on ' Canadta, As it Is,' Mx. J. Foster Fraser says that families of eleven and fourteen are common among the French. That tact sblauM, however, be pleasing to anyone who believes thtat ' the righteous sftiall inherit the earth.' In fchese days, when so many people exult in the di^raceUul practice of self-'ex-trinction, it is curious to find a parson sneering at a people who still ie\ere tho natural law to ' increase and multiply -and fill Utoe earth.' Would that it were so in British Cianajd-a ! At the last Anglican Synod in Torcanto, the Bishop of Winnipeg deplored the declining jLtirth-rate, and he quoted statistics to show that British supremacy in Canada depended entirely on immigration ! Yet Dr. Fitotoett tells us that ' the Oanadliains; have wit enough to understand that each new citizen is 'a new asset.' Who is to be believed? the editor of ' Life,' or the Bishop of Winnipeg.? I leave your readers to decide that point. If your contributor were not blinded by religiiaus bias, he would admit that the high birth-rate of French Canada reflects Credit on the Catholic Church, which offers, uncompromising opposition to practices which degrade marriage to a level lower than conoubiraa^ge, and which, if persevered in, will birilng ruin ami disgrace on those who indulge in them. It goes withowt saying that the task of the statesman is never easy with mixed populations, but it is utterly false to say the problem in Canada is wholly dare to the aloofnoss of the French. In and ajbiout Toronto the British population is aggressively Jingoistic, chiefly because they are in a large extent descended from American colonists who croased the border rather than take up arms when their countrymen rose under Washington. These people have always fcren ready tio remind the French about Wolfe and Quebec, and the French have not been slow to resient their arrogance. Those who have eyes to see, howe\er, know that the French are wot so tyrannous as your reverend writer would have us believe. For instance, Momtreal has a population three parts French. Yet Mr. Fraser tells us that it is a kind of unwritten law that) e\ery second year the Mayoralty shall be filled by a Britisher. Does that argue intolerance on the part of the French, when they might if they chose elect a, Freinch-^tmaclian every year ? Why does Dr. Fkchett magnify all that he deems objectionable, and yet pass fc\y a fact like this ? He tells us in tones of bitterness that the Canadian-French are intensely Catholic, but ho does not tell us that they Allow Capitation Grants to Protestants who choose to maintain separate sch'ojois. Why is such a telling lact .passed over ? Dr. Fitchett exults over t<ho free/dam enjoyed by these objectionable FrenohCanja'drans. What he suppresses is that after the declaration of American Independence it became the settled policy of British statesmen to conciliate t'hie French in Canada. The sincerity of this policy may be '^^au^ed from thd fact that Catholic Emancipation was 1 not passed in Britain for more than half a century afterwards; but their policy was well rewarded, for when the American war bro^e out in 18J2, the French fought wiVh t/heir British fellow-colonists in repelling American invasion. It is now admitted that the French had real grievance 1 ! when the Riel rebellion broke out, but it is not generally known that the influence of the Catholic Ch'rrch was oastl against Riel and in favor of British rule. There exists in British Canada to-day a party of whom Or Fitdbett makes no mention"— a party who favor the union of Canada with the Itaifed .States ; but they can film! no allies among the Frenob-CanjJdi'ans mainly because the French realise that they would lose their 'schools, if such an alliance were 'brought about Mr. Foster Fraser has not omitted mention of this fact.