The R Rated Blogger

Quebec has recently been experiencing a provincial debate on the acceptance of minorities within the mainstream of society. The term used to describe this is "reasonable accommodation" (a phrase borrowed from the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms).

The debate has come to the forefront due to number of highly publicized cases.

- In March, Quebec's human rights tribunal ruled that Muslim students at a Montreal engineering school should be provided with a prayer room.

- In November, members of a YMCA in Montreal launched a petition asking the fitness centre to reverse a decision to tint its second-story windows after members of a neighbouring Orthodox Jewish synagogue complained that children could see some women exercising in revealing clothes.

- Later that month, it was revealed that a pamphlet distributed by Montreal police to female officers suggested they delegate to their male colleagues in cases where male Orthodox Jews insisted on speaking to a male officer.

So is this unreasonable accommodation? According to one police officer it is.

A Montreal police officer is under internal investigation for a song he wrote and recorded disrespecting the department's policy of reasonable accommodation for Quebec's religious minorities.

Simply stated, the concept of reasonable accommodation expects police on the island to accord minorities special treatment according to their beliefs. For example, it discourages female police officers from questioning Hasidic Jewish men.

It also cautions police against frisking Sikhs who wear kirpans (symbolic religious knives) to school.

The 37-year-old officer, who was not identified, has 15 years experience on the force.

He posted his politically incorrect tune on Humour Quebec's website - www.humourqc.com - on Jan. 17.

The lyrics, Ca commence a faire, la! (which roughly translates as Enough Already! in English), is set to Joe Dassin's music and suggests immigration is undermining many of Quebec's traditional values.

"Les accommodations raisonnable, on n'est plus capable," it goes.

"On veut bien accepter des ethnies, mais non pas a n'importe quel prix. ... Si tu n'es pas content de ton sort, il existe un endroit, qu'est l'aeroport."

A rough translation: "We're no longer capable of reasonable accommodation; we welcome ethnics, but not at any price ... if you're not happy with your lot, there's always the airport."

You can listen to the song here.

Read the rest of the story here