One Hundred Days

Un Héritage Compliqué

Juin 1919. Montréal, Québec.

Ma chère cousine,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you from my dormitory at McGill. I have chosen to follow the footsteps of Mme. Annie Langstaff and study the Law. Her momentous litigation against the Québec Bar when they refused her permission to write the entry exams will never be forgotten. I hear it caused a public outcry in this city! Her courage and spirit has blazed a trail for my future, and I am thankful for the inspiration.

I only hope that my classmates and I shall be permitted to apply to the Bar. I have only just arrived in the city, but I feel brilliantly independent as I start this new chapter of my life. I now hold the title of "Donalda" and going forward I also wish to hold the title of Montréalaise. Therefore, I am loathe to think of having to return to Ontario after I graduate simply to practise Law. (Women barristers have been practising there since the turn of the century.)

Life in my dormitory is so different from living at home. There is a distinct lack of boisterousness and at times the silence feels deafening. I have become accustomed to my siblings distracting me from my schoolwork, and when it is quiet my focus comes too easily. I shall have to grow into my surroundings!

When I can, I like to walk the streets to remind myself why I moved away from home. The vibrancy of the city is so markedly different from my life in Timmins. Already I am relishing being immersed in full French culture, a luxury seldomly afforded to us Franco-Ontarians. Although we are proud to be Francophones, an English majority surrounds us. Over the years our culture has become a blend of British and French influence. Even our dialect has evolved to incorporate certain Anglicisms that I know would cause Grandmère to be quite upset.

What else can be expected? Règlement 17 has banned the teaching of French in Ontario, and despite the outcry, the Conservative government has not repealed the legislature. Henri Bourassa was apt to call them the Prussians of Ontario as these politicians have sought to assimilate the French population. In many ways they have succeeded. So many of my counterparts have chosen not to undergo schooling at all, preferring to take jobs that don't require writing or arithmetic and dooming themselves to blue collar jobs for life.

My pride in education has been the exception to the norm, a fact that I feel most acutely. I wish to show that despite my instruction having been in English, I have not forgotten my French roots. Do you understand now why I find Montréal so very comforting?

How are you, ma chère? I hear that many women have been laid off from their positions after the war, forced to return to life as a mother and housewife. Therefore, I was relieved to hear from your last letter that you have continued your position as secrétaire in the factory. Félicitations! The next step shall be to join those who are pushing for women to be granted the same wages as the men. Our nation's economy has never been stronger as we continue to support Europe, and I believe we can only expect this change to stay the course.

However, I do not appreciate that the income tax introduced during the war has not been abolished, as has the censorship imposed by le gouvernement fédéral. The men in Ottawa must repay the debts they created when they borrowed from so many of the rich, but must it be at the expense of the prolétariat? It is an additional slight against our fellow Franco-Ontarians. They mine the earth for the English and are not paid properly for their efforts! Perhaps the introduction of women into Parliament this year will be exactly what our country needs.

How does Étienne fare these days? Is he much changed after the war? I must state categorically that I am very happy that Étienne returned home without a grievous injury. So many of the men in my small community came home physically altered; nearly a quarter has lost a limb or has some other serious ailment. Those who do not experience corporeal pain are scarred mentally by what they have seen. I do not envy having to live knowing that many of your amis are dead and buried.

It has been a long few months since the war. The signing of the Traité de Versailles this month marks its official end. I was proud to see Canada had been offered a position among the Ligue des Nations, an international nod to the sacrifice made by our men. Yet, is it enough? Does it heal the void we feel from having lost so many? Will it appease the continued protestations of our nationaliste fellows who have been so vocal in Québec?

Speaking of which, does this hostility affect your brother's reception as a war veteran? Étienne was one of very few men to volunteer to go overseas. I know it was not a love for Britain that pushed him to enlist. The imperial mother country did not give birth to us. I have surmised that it must have been some small inkling of love for France, and a willingness to fight alongside those countrymen. (Though, this sentiment does confuse me, as where was our mother country when the French were being persecuted in Canada?) Nevertheless, Étienne has proven himself to be brave beyond all measure.

I am happy to hear that he was able to continue to be a part of the Royal 22nd Regiment, as I heard they were given their orders in French. A small victory, I suppose. I was also happy to hear that his squadron was greeted with well wishers when they landed. Yet, I do suspect that Québec will not soon forget the division that was created by Borden's demand for conscription in 1917. The death of five people during the riots that transpired still horrifies me to this day, shot by our own Canadian soldiers. Mais, à chaque fou plaît sa marotte.

Perhaps now that Britain has afforded more freedom from its dominion, Canada will find pride in its newfound national identity. The deep division between the French and the English needs to be repaired before we are truly to stand united as who we are: Canadiens.

Affectueusement,

Émelie