Open secularism proposed at Quebec immigration hearings

A Catholic priest is urging Quebec to move towards a model of "open secularism" that respects religious contributions to society without imposing beliefs.

Daniel Moreau explained his vision of open secularism at the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on immigrant accommodation, which moved its hearings to Montreal's South Shore on Monday.

A practicing Catholic priest and Boy Scout leader, Moreau wore his scouting uniform to speak at the commission about secularism and Quebec's religious heritage.

Religious accommodation, he said,is first and foremost a question of identity. "When we accept our identity, we aren't scared of others. We can reach out to others to try to understand, analyze, watch and learn from our differences with others," he said in French.

Moreau doesn't object to the secularization of public schools, but thinks Catholicism's contributions to Quebec society should be remembered. "There are many religious communities that are part of the social fabric. We can't exclude that, just like that, from the public sphere," he said.

Other South Shore residents said they wanted an immigration policy that encouraged integration and not ghettoization. "If you want to come here to flee the violence in your country, bravo," said Gérard Montpetit. "But if you come here and recreate a second front line in your war against secularism, well I don't want any of it."

Integration is the key to successful immigration, said Hai-Phong Nguyen, whose father left Vietnam and a prestigious position as infantry officer, to settle his family in Quebec and work as a dishwater.

"It has to start with people from cultural communities to integrate into mainstream society," said Nguyen, who is now an English teacher. He told the commission he's had to strike a compromise between his family culture and Québécois culture.

He said his parents taught him that "Quebecers gave us a second chance in life, and we owe our life to this country."