Institutionalized Racism?

"I believe the Quebec federation has the right to make its own rules, it's autonomous, it's not bound by the Canadian Federation."
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois

"It is not up to the Canadian association to decide what is going on on Quebec soccer fields -- this power belongs to the Quebec Soccer Federation. So, the Canadian association should respect the autonomy of the Quebec Soccer Federation to make its own rules on Quebec soccer fields. This is the principle we are defending and we do not understand why the Canadian association is interfering with this right that the Quebec Soccer Federation has."
PQ cabinet minister Bernard Drainville

The reaction of the Parti Quebecois government is to defend Quebec sovereignty. It seems incidental that in so doing it also defends the decision of the Quebec Soccer Federation to refuse to allow Sikh boys who wear turbans, patkas and keskis, representing religious symbols of great importance to their faith, to play official soccer. Should young boys make the difficult decision to remove themselves from playing for teams under the QSF rather than remove these symbols of their faith, they always have their backyards, the streets, schoolyards to play in, according to those defending this decision.

The Canadian Soccer Association took exception to the decision of the QSF. And because the QSF is adamant that it has decided and will not re-visit its decision, the Canadian Soccer Association saw fit to suspend the provincial association. Premier Marois sees this move as offensively high-handed; who is the federal sport body to feel they can summarily suspend her provincial sport body?

The move was "unacceptable". Disruptive of Quebec's "autonomy". The two members of the PQ -- party leader and premier and cabinet member -- are incorrect in their assumption. All provincial associations report directly to the federal association which itself reports to the world body, FIFA. But it is up to the federal association to grant or revoke membership of provincial federations. Which is precisely what the CSA did.

The Quebec Soccer Association had its thinking cap screwed on backward in coming to the determination that Sikh kids should conform to the Quebec model of uniform standards and behaviours, to compel them to make an inconceivable choice for themselves; spurn their deeply-held religious conviction or forego the pleasure of playing on the official pitch. Simple enough for them to lay out the inflexible criteria, resulting in a painful choice for Sikhs.

But then this is a society with its own traditions. Its own traditions stemming from its Catholic heritage is now spurned, while its sacred symbols are still upheld as historical artifacts, which excuse their presence in public. But the religious symbols relevant to others in a pluralistic society are held to be out of place in a largely secular society, taking pride in its acceptance of others while at the same time exhibiting the very essence of intolerance, sniffing about 'reasonable accommodation'.

Evidently no accommodation whatever is reasonable.