LETTER

Reply: if history is so important . . .

 

Aylmer & the Pontiac were founded by British & Americans, not by the French. Before them, the Algonquins were here, using the waterway for thousands of years, all before the French established themselves. Irish and Scots were founding fathers of this region.

One of the Bulletin’s letter-writers rudely asked why I live here since I don't speak French.  Here’s why: my family has been involved with Quebec, Aylmer and the Gatineau River region for over 100 years, that’s why I belong here.  My grandfather, a Supreme Court judge, built a lake-front log homestead for his family in Messines, on the shore of Blue Sea Lake, north of Hull, that’s why. I have family living in Wakefield, and also in Chelsea. My family is from here.

So please don’t ask, what right do I have to live in Aylmer? I live here as I like being close to the Ottawa River; I live here because the living costs are reasonable.

When you question my reasons for living in Aylmer, I want you to ask yourself why are you in this region? Yes, I speak only English, in a region that was founded by the English. I am sorry, but my family has been here much longer than you and have more history in this region. Make sense?
 
My comments were actually about the emergency-response language during the flooding.  I had five weeks of flood in my basement, four feet of water in my basement, and no hot water for five weeks. Many things were ruined, family heirlooms, furniture, antiques, books, and so on. Like any citizen, I called the government’s Emergency Flood Zone number, and only French was spoken. This is our federal government, and since English is an official language in Canada, I expect that BOTH English and French should be the language used by emergency services in any part of Canada.

80,000 French-speaking Gatineau residents are employed in Ontario, every day.  Should the closed-minded few among them work elsewhere? How about Quebec City? Maybe those with French-only ideas might move back to France, if they want to keep their French-only Heritage? Move to the homeland.

Read history, not propaganda: Aylmer  and Pontiac were founded by Americans, Scots and Irish. The natives were here even longer. Champlain travelled through; if you bring him up, why not those who were here before him?  Shouldn’t we be speaking Algonquin?

If history is all-important, it’s my turn to ask you, why are you living here?

Peter A. Ferguson
Gatineau (Aylmer), QC.