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The French term pure laine literally meaning pure wool (and often interpreted as true blue or dyed-in-the-wool) refers to those whose ancestry is exclusively French-Canadian. Another similar term is de souche. (of the base of the tree, or root, old stock).

While most French-Canadians are able to trace their ancestry back to the original settlers of New France, a number are descended from mixed marriages between the French and Irish settlers. When these shared the same Roman Catholic faith, their unions were approved by the once-powerful Roman Catholic Church in Quebec. Another factor was the settlement of many English people in the region, many of whom were ultimately assimilated into the francophone culture. Recently, Quebec has also experienced the effects of a policy of immigration from French-speaking countries, which has changed Quebec's culture.

History

The use of pure laine was brought to the forefront following its controversial usage in the front-page article by Jan Wong in Canada’s nationally distributed newspaper, The Globe & Mail, on September 16, 2006, three days after the shooting at Dawson College in Montreal. Wong's article entitled, "Get under the desk." Wong argued that the frequent and historic use of the term pure laine revealed a uniquely Québécois brand of racism. "Elsewhere, to talk of racial 'purity' is repugnant. Not in Quebec." Furthermore, she suggested that the school shootings might have been related to the fact that the perpetrators were not old-stock French Québécois and they had been alienated by a Quebec society concerned with "racial purity."

English-language commentators Brigitte Pellerin of the Ottawa Citizen and Jan Wong of The Globe and Mail have used the term. The mainstream French-language newspaper La Presse, however, still uses both the terms pure laine and de souche.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society President Jean Dorion has declared "There is no obsession for racial purity in Quebec, definitely not. The expression 'pure laine' is absolutely obsolete.".

According to David Austin, author of Fear of a Black Nation, (2013) which was based on Austin's two decades of inquiry including interviews and international archival research,

"Québecois has conventionally been used to signify the descendants of Québec settlers from France, the majority habitants of the province, who are otherwise referred to as pure laine (pure wool) or Québecois de souche (of the base of the tree, or root). However, the changing face of Québec's increasingly diverse population challenges the privileged place of those French descendants and calls for a more inclusive notion of what it means to be Québecois or a Quebecer."

— David Austin

Similar terms in English

According to Gilman and Milton the appellation "Unamerican" favoured by Senator Eugene McCarthy is a version of the terms pure wool, true blue, dyed-in-the-wool, and old stock.

See also

• Québécois (word)
• pur et dur

References

1. ^ Fear of a Black Nation: Race, Sex, and Security in Sixties Montreal. Toronto: Between the Lines. 2013. p. 255. ISBN 9781771130103.
2. "Get under the desk". The Globe and Mail date=September 16, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2006. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Missing pipe in: |first= (help); Missing pipe in: |newspaper= (help)
3. "Charest seeks Globe apology over notion culture a factor in school shootings", Canadian Press via The Gazette, September 19, 2006, retrieved September 20, 2006 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
4. ^ Robitaille, Antoine (19 September 19, 2006), "Les pures laines coupables?", La Presse {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
5. Vastel, Michel (18 September 2006), "Le racisme sournois du Globe & Mail", L'actualité blog {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
6. ^ "Charest seeks Globe apology over notion culture a factor in school shootings", Canadian Press via The Gazette, September 19, 2006, retrieved September 20, 2006 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
7. Ottawa, The (2007-03-20). "''Don't faint, I'm siding with a separatist''". Canada.com. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
8. Post, National (September 23, 2006). "''L'affaire Wong' becomes talk of Quebec''". Canada.com. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
9. Katia Gagnon : La commission Bouchard-Taylor... à l'envers | Actualités | Cyberpresse
10. Gilman, Sander L; Milton, Shane, eds. (1 September 1999). Jewries at the Frontier: Accommodation, Identity, Conflict. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252067924. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

Further reading

• Taras Grescoe. Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec. Macfarlane Walter & Ross, 2004. ISBN 1-55199-081-4

• Culture of Quebec
• Quebec political phrases
• French words and phrases
• Racism in Canada