The Jewish community is disturbed by Premier Rene Levesque’s remark at a press conference last Friday implying that Jews and those of Anglo-Saxon background are not true Quebecers. Explaining that he has not appointed a Cabinet minister of Anglophone (English-speaking culture) background because he did not want to indulge in tokenism, Levesque added:
“The community of Anglophone background, as well as the bulk of the Jewish community, Darcy McGee Riding being the perfect example, made no move in our direction at all.” Darcy McGee Riding is part of the Cote St. Luc district which is 95 percent Jewish. In the last provincial elections it re-elected Herbert Marx, who is Jewish, to the Quebec National Assembly by a margin of more than 217,000 votes.
Marx told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that “The nationalist message Mr. Levesque and his Parti Quebecois is preaching is not a message to which the Jewish community is receptive.” The English-language Montreal Gazette remarked editorially that “Mr. Levesque’s statement implied that it is up to the English and Jewish communities to vote for the PQ of Mr. Levesque–not that it is the PQ’s responsibility to win their votes.” (By Michael Solomon)
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