Herouxville Photographer and Naturalist François Gervais shot this beautiful pastural vista titled 'Rang des Pointes' near his mother's home in the summer of 2003.
The citizens in the Town of Herouxville, Quebec for over a century have enjoyed a quality of life in peaceful beautiful rural pastural settings, with clean crisp air, country roads, farmers markets, country stores, community events, music, dances, festivals and celebrations, complete with old homesteads and ranches, rolling hills,bowhunting and fly fisherman's paradise with unspoiled crystal clear lakes and streams, reminiscent of memorable times past in what some describe as a Andy Griffith Mayberry County style existence, a naturalist’s and artist’s dream. Hokey as it may sound, it is true in most respects of most rural Canadian and American small towns everywhere, a safe and peaceful community with minimal crime, hard working, church going people, who are quick to smile and laugh as well as help one in need. As a Town we are a close knit neighbourly community who cherish our longstanding values, morals and traditions which have maintained us in a way of life envied by many crime ridden, traffic congested cities where most citizens live side by side with others for years and yet never congregate, support or get to know their neighbours and get involved in their communities.
Granted our Town Charter drafted with the assistance of our townsfolk has been portrayed by some as racist. The Citizens of Herouxville are extremely upset by this comment as it is contrary to our Christian values and would like to emphatically state nothing could be further from the truth. As Quebecois Canadians we are only stating to the world informing them of our way of life is vitally important to us, much like the way of life amongst other cultures is important to them. For us to change our ways and tradition to accommodate others who wish to live here is like asking our country’s respected founding First Nation’s Culture to incorporate Dutch traditions and wear wooden shoes and erect Windmills in their community. Our requests we feel are quite reasonable for anyone who wishes to live amongst us and no more unreasonable than if we were to live in another country and insist a Catholic Church, Saint Jean Baptiste, Wine Harvest celebrations are to be included in their customs and beliefs. A wise Huron elder once stated; A starving Family does not complain about the bounty of the hunt if they chose not to contribute to the hunt. Wise words spoken by our First Nations about community and an analogy similar to our beliefs.
Gays are human beings,they have the right to love each other in peace and not judged by the public. We are much better off with that situation than with countries at war. A police woman in Montreal that can't arrest a man because of his religion, or young girls that can't swim in the same pool where young boys are, or a woman doctor that can't touch a male patient because of his religion, or women that can no longer take their men to pre-natal course because some religious groups stop them, all these so called exceptions are direct infringements to our Canadian basic principles of men being equal to women. I am proud that our Canada Prime Minister travels to China to invite them to have more respect towards Human Rights. Our Prime Minister should also travel across Canada to promote the same vision.
Herouxville would like to reiterate that all are welcome to live here, just know who we are, assimilate, respect and not change our way of life, traditions and values and live amongst us as a welcomed and valued member of our community. If we were in your country we would strive to do the same. In ending we offer a wonderful rural way of life to all those who live here. So when in Rome……
Our Warmest Greetings
Barry O'Regan,(Moderator)with the permission on behalf of the Town of Herouxville, Quebec, Canada, Your comments are most certainly welcome, please refain from using profanity or racist comments. Again Thank you.
19 comments:
As a first generation immigrant myself, your requests seem eminently reasonable.
When in Herouxville, do as ....
Good luck. You have right on your side.
Oh, and if you want to take a look at a fair and just immigration policy, then take a look at this one.
I posted articles about your great town at my blog and the reaction was wonderful. What you are doing is encouragement to all freedom-loving humans on this globe that we all call home. I hope other communities will follow your lead. I applaud your!
Bravo Herouxville. You've had the courage to write what others think. If immigrants do not like the way we do things then they can stay where they're from. Countries that that have been too welcoming and too 'nice' to immigrants have been targets of social unrest. People who think that immigrants will appreciated you bending over backwards to accomodate them are wrong!! They'll just want more... a bit like children. In Canada, curtains belong on windows and not on women's head!!
The is from a CD called "John Wayne's America Why I love Her"
But I think in many ways it applies to your town and what you want.
THE HYPHEN
The Hyphen, Webster's Dictionary defines,
Is a symbol used to divide a
compound word or a single word.
So it seems to me that when a man calls himself
An "Afro-American," a "Mexican-American,"
"Italian-American," An "Irish-American,"
"Jewish-American,"
What he's sayin' is, "I'm a divided American."
Well, we all came from other places,
Different creeds and different races,
To form a nation...to become as one,
Yet look at the harm a line has done-
A simple little line, and yet
As divisive as a line can get.
A crooked cross the Nazis flew,
And the Russian hammer and sickle too-
Time bombs in the lives of Man;
But none of these could ever fan
The fames of hatred faster than
The Hyphen.
The Russian hammer built a wall
That locks men's hearts from freedom's call.
A crooked cross flew overhead
Above twenty million tragic dead-
Among them men from this great nation,
Who died for freedom's preservation.
A hyphen is a line that's small;
It can be a bridge or be a wall.
A bridge can save you lots of time;
A wall you always have to climb.
The road to liberty lies true.
The Hyphen's use is up to you.
Used as a bridge, it can span
All the differences of Man.
Being free in mind and soul
Should be our most important goal.
If you use The Hyphen as a wall,
You'll make your life mean...and small.
An American is a special breed,
Whose people came to her in need.
They came to her that they might find
A world where they'd have peace of mind.
Where men are equal...and something more-
Stand taller than they stood before.
So you be wise in your decision,
And that little line won't cause division.
Let's join hands with one another...
For in this land, each man's your brother.
United we stand...divided we fall.
WE'RE AMERICANS...and that says it all.
And this one I love by Theodore Roosevelt
"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism.... A hyphenated American is not an American at all... Americanism is a matter of the spirit, and of the soul...The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans...each preserving its separate nationality.... The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans.... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American."Theodore Roosevelt
To the citizens of Herouxville, I admire your spirit and your pride in your town and way of life.
I support your courageous stand, and I wish you success in preserving your heritage.
Herouxville, I applaud your courage.
Thank you so much for the kind comments on my blog. I made them part of another post about your town, in the hopes to expose more people to your noble efforts. I also added you to my blogroll.
I hope we see more communities in North America and Europe follow your example and take steps to preserve culture for everyone.
We wish you well with your project. Immigrants coming to Canada should certainly be made aware that while they may keep many of their traditions here they may not be able to keep every practice from their culture. Polygamy and female circumcision come immediately to mind but there are others. We think you have much more support than the media reaction suggests.
Ww
Congratulations, Herouxville, to your Mayor, Council and Citizens. At last someone has the nerve to state what is expected of newcomers, and what they can expect in return. I do not find it stated anywhere that newcomers cannot maintain their language, religion and beliefs. At the same time you are clear about what can be expected in the fields of education, workplace, health and recreation. You also lay out the process for making changes in a democracy. Again, congratulations to you. I look forward to the same thing happening in communities from coast to coast.
Congratulations Herouxville. Immigrants are welcome, but they must not come expecting us to change for them. It is they who must change. If they cannot accept Western culture and lifestyle, they should not immigrate to the West. Your bravery shows the way for the rest of us.
I support you and your townspeople in the stand you've taken, for both your town and your way of life!
God Bless, Herouxville...
Bravo, Hérouxville ! Do you know what I am going to do as soon as I can "catch" the mayor of my French small town ? Well, I am going to let him know that you existn "grâce à Dieu" ; I am sure he does not know, because to put in in Vanishing American's words, he is "reality-proof".....
"Herouxville would like to reiterate that all are welcome to live here, just know who we are, assimilate, respect and not change our way of life, traditions and values and live amongst us as a welcomed and valued member of our community. If we were in your country we would strive to do the same."
Herouxville, you have every right to this expectation! Our country shouh be the standard of measurement for immigrants, not the home country they could not stand any longer. No one should expect to come here and change our way of life or yours. Lets get back to the real vision of multicultrualism.....integration and assimilation. This is Canada, and we have no intention of modeling some hellish country where most of these immigrants came from.
Hello,
I would like to buy some land in your area; in walking distance from the train station.(I
do no how to drive a car!!)
I must move from Manitoba, because of the death of my mother; and have lived
in Grand'Mere for 40 years of my life.
Is anyone interested in true
Quebec furniture antiques and Bibilios?? I guess not.. throw them
into the dumpster...or should I ship them to Herouxville???
Your call,
Gina
Georgina Rhéaume
Wpg.MB. (only till Sept.2007.)
Ah Quebec! The only place where racism and antisemitism is acceptable and where people with no education can rule a city.
Hopefully the demographic trend will force you to embrace canada as your nation.
In regards to:
"No other organization can certify a food product and pass on certification costs to consumers. Regardless of utilized means, no additional steps or phases for certification are authorized. Once the sale of the product has been approved, businesses can distribute, promote, and sell it in all liberty."
This is obviously written to support the prejudicial, narrow-minded view that the hicks of Herouville have to exclude Halal and Kosher (thereby exclude observant religeous minorities) but have they thought that this will also exclude certified "organic" food from their shelves. "Organic" food is certified by a body other then the government and the costs are certainly higher and are passed on to the consumer.
Thank you Herouville, you have proven that the Southern USA does not have a monopoly on inbred bumpkins.
In response to Urbanite's question, Herouxville do not state Halal or Kosher is excluded from the Marketplace. Anyone wishing to open a Kosher or Halal market is more than welcome to do so in Herouxville.
For instance some of my Family members are Jewish, the other half Roman Catholic, Baptists, Anglicans Protestants we celebrate all holidays without retribution or ostracization from religious organizations. No big deal. Again, some misinformed public and media enjoy making a mountain out of a molehill, by trying to place the Pointy White Hat of Racism on Herouxville.
Kosher or Hala Deli food has long been in Canada for over a century with Quebecers and Canadians enjoying this and all forms of foods.
Herouxville just state no one food is considered banned for religious reasons and will be included in one Market in our town, it just makes economic sense to a small business owner.
For sake of argument, Roman Catholics and Christians who make up the majority of Herouxville traditionally do not eat meat on Friday, but are allowed fish. Is this strictly practiced? No, of course not, to each his/her own choice.
In ending, Halal and Kosher are not a food as Urbanite seems to think but a religious method of hygenic cleanliness and method of slaughter attended by a Rabbi or Imam. Why Urbanite would state Herouxville is against any method which promotes improved cleanliness obviously hasn't read our column, but jumped to conclusions as per the status quo most media and public whose misconceptions of Herouxville abound. If we are Country Bumpkins, then Urbanite should know we are also well informed and educated, something lost on Urbanite who is certainly unclear on the concept of what Kosher and Halal meaning, not to mention we state Natural as a method of food we enjoy, of course Urbanite perhaps thinks Natural is not Organic, when stating perhaps Herouxville would ban Organic foods. Certainly someone here has too tight a grip on their Starbucks Frappe Latte Tofu Mocha Grande with wheat grass fixins.
Herouxville being a farming community, where else will one find anything but Natural or Organic?
[quote]
A police woman in Montreal that can't arrest a man because of his religion, or young girls that can't swim in the same pool where young boys are, or a woman doctor that can't touch a male patient because of his religion, or women that can no longer take their men to pre-natal course because some religious groups stop them, all these so called exceptions are direct infringements to our Canadian basic principles of men being equal to women. I am proud that our Canada Prime Minister travels to China to invite them to have more respect towards Human Rights. Our Prime Minister should also travel across Canada to promote the same vision.
[/quote]
This summarizes exactly what we are talking about.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
It just is sooo frustrating that people in charge do not listen to what common folks like you and me are telling them.
We are not racist (or any of those name you guys were called), but we like to defend our rights and our freedom.
Thanks Herouxville to stand up for Western rights and freedom.
You are an example to the world!
While I do not agree with all of Herouxville's attitudes, I do fully respect what you are doing. Society never expects those moving to a new place to change, rather they expect those already situated in the place to change. Thank you for fighting this. Also, I thank you for standing up, at least in your own corner of the world, for basic human rights. I know many people who, upon reading your charter, felt that your attitude towards women's rights was foolish despite the fact that women world over are persecuted (and even killed) thoughtlessly simply because of their sex. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
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