Quebec versus Canada - Some Statistics

Here is a collection of statistics taken from various sources comparing Quebec to the Rest of Canada (ROC).

Family Income
Quebec = $53K
ROC = $65K

Cell Phone Penetration
Homes with at least one wireless phone-
Quebec = 65%
ROC = 77%

Babies born out of wedlock
Quebec - 62%
ROC - 30%

Quebec has the second highest rate in the world (Iceland=66%). The rest of Canada is at the low end of the scale with Germany, Italy and Ireland. Japan is in a class of it's own with just 2% of babies born out of wedlock. Link

Household net worth
Quebec families are worth aproximately 45% of British Columbians.


Suicide Rate (per 100,000 people)
Quebec = 27
ROC = 17

Number of Christians attending weekly church services
Quebec = 6%
ROC = 20%

Murders rate per 1,000,000 people
Quebec =12
ROC = 20

People who smoke (over the age of 15)
Quebec =25%
ROC = 20%

Average price of a home
Quebec =$232,00
ROC =$360,000

Workers who take no vacation days
Quebec =4%
ROC =11%

Workers who admit to falsely calling in sick
Quebec =47%
ROC =23%

Video Friday- INFOMAN Checks out the State of French in Downtown Montreal

Awhile back INFOMAN, a Quebec humorist who has a TV show on radio Canada set out to humiliate LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL for a sensationalist story that claimed that downtown Montreal was on the verge of becoming Anglicized.
I added subtitles, so enjoy.
Have a good weekend.

What Makes Quebec Ultra-Extremists Tick?

It was quite unsettling to see a swastika superimposed on the Canadian flag at the demonstration against the Supreme Court's ruling on Bill 104. It happened when a small group of Quebec language ultra-extremists vented their rage in front of the Old Montreal office of Brent Tyler, who successfully challenged the law on behalf of clients.

While there is nothing wrong with exercising one's democratic right to protest, I am amazed at the mindset of these extremists who harbour so much hate.

For the vast majority of Quebeckers, both for and against sovereignty, hate doesn't really enter into the equation. Anglos who remain in Quebec have made peace with the fact that almost half of Francophones would prefer independence. That being said, Anglos don't hate Francophones who share that opinion and by and large the vast majority of Francophones don't hate Anglos at all.
In fact most of us count numerous friends on the other side of the equation, it's the way it is in Quebec.
Most of those who voted for sovereignty don't hate Canada, they just feel that culturally Quebec should become independent to protect it's heritage and future as a Francophone society.
Fair enough.
They recognize, however that they enjoy personal and political rights that are the envy of the world, coupled with one of the highest standards of living.

However, there is a small coterie of language extremists who can best be described as unbalanced.

They equate the struggle of Quebec independence as a heroic battle of oppressor and victim. Breathlessly they re-live the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on a daily basis and view their perseverance of 250 years of Anglo domination as a heroic struggle of epic proportion.

They view themselves as embattled Palestinians, victims of a powerful and overwhelming enemy. In fact, at most demonstrations, they fly the Palestinian flag (sometimes even the Hezbollah flag.)

Here's a collection of hate, culled from various web sites.

These people live in a dangerous fantasy world. Not only do they hate Anglos, but also those Francophones  who don't agree with them.

They rant and rave, using words that confound the imagination;

COLONIZATION
HUMILIATION
CULTURAL GENOCIDE
OPPRESSION
RESISTANCE
FREEDOM

Perhaps Louis Prefontaine, a next generation Anglo-basher sums up their attitude;

"Anglophones and Francophones do not share historical equality. The French carry the weight of 250 years of domination and decline, while Anglophones in Quebec, behave like a small Rhodesian minority, imposing their values and language."

Second Class Citizenship For Quebec Francophones

This last month language militants have kicked into high gear their efforts to coerce citizens, by hook or by crook, into adopting the French language.
The Bill 104 decision by the Supreme Court has sparked a new outbreak of language militancy with extremists demanding that CEGEP (junior college) be subject to Bill 101, the law that forces Quebec residents to attend French only schools, (unless one of their parents were educated in English in Canada.)
As it stands now, the law applies to public primary and public secondary education only. Militants are furious that some citizens are using the Bill 104 loophole to gain English school access for their children. As well, the fact that some high school graduates on the French side of the educational system, in an effort to expand their personal horizons, are opting for an English college experience, has militants seeing red. TRAITORS!!!

A second demand, one being tossed around at a Parti Quebecois policy forum, is that preschoolers be subject to the same law, in relation to daycare.
Yup.... two, three and four year olds would not be allowed to attend an "English" daycare, if their parents didn't qualify. This Kafkaesque idea would be hilarious, if not so sad.

So it seems that language militants want to limit free choice from birth right up until college graduation.

What is the effect of all this?

It transforms Quebec Francophones into second class citizens.

Think about it. The only people with free choice are the Anglophones, who can go to any school that they please. It's a bit perverse!

At any rate, restricting access to English CEGEPS won't change anything. By the time students reach college, they are adults and if they are determined to get an English education, they will either get one by going out of the province or by going to a private school. Quebec already registers the highest percentage of students in private schools in all of North America.

Before I continue, let me re-iterate that the idea that French is in trouble in Quebec is ludicrous. It's the classic 'Big Lie" told by nationalist sovereignists to scare up political support for independence.
They trot out all sorts of selective and twisted statistics (many of which are just plain racist) to 'prove' that the language is losing ground, but almost all don't stand up to scrutiny.
In raw numbers, Quebec has never had as many French speakers as exists today. The Anglophone population has plummeted to about 8.5% from a historical high of 25%. Francophones have taken over all the reigns of power, both in business and government. The only French language crisis that exists is in the creatively tortured minds of extremists.

Even if all the proposed restrictive measures are put into place, it won't be enough to stamp out English, a language which is as attractive and addictive as crack cocaine. There will always be a demand, despite the best efforts of enforcers.

So what will the militants do then? What will they do when restrictive measures in CEGEP and daycares fails to eliminate English in Quebec?

No doubt they'll propose even more restrictive measures, it's a logical next step. Demands will be made for even more restrictive language laws which will have the effect to rob citizens freedom of choice from cradle to grave.

What would these restrictions look like? Here's glimpse into the future;

• Francophones would be banned from using English hospitals.
• Francophones would be fined for speaking to Anglophone sales clerks in English.
• Francophones would be banned from buying English books, software or video games. Purchase of these items would be restricted to Anglophones only.
  
• Non-French Internet sites will be blocked to Francophone Quebeckers. A 'poutine' firewall will be maintained by the OQLF
• English words that have become part of popular French lexicon will be purged from the dictionary. Yessir!!
  
• The Montreal Canadiens and Allouettes will be forced to cease bi-lingual public address announcements.
  
• Cable and satellite providers would be forced to monitor household viewing habits. Francophone homes would be restricted to a certain amount of viewing time of English programming.
• Car manufacturers would be forced to eliminate English only dashboards.
• Special theaters for Anglophone audiences would be set up. Everyone else would be forced to watch the dubbed French versions.
  
• Francophones would be barred from subscribing to English magazines.
• Restaurants would be required to furnish optional English menus on demand only and then only to Anglophones.
  
• Intermarriage between Francophones and non-Francophones would be allowed only if the couple agreed to speak French in the home and to educate the kids in French as well.
• A 'Naming Commission' would be created to find new appellations for English street names, which would be eliminated all together. As a side line, the commission would find alternatives to politically incorrectly named consumer items including 'English muffins', 'English breakfast tea' and English saddles. Billiard players would be advised that henceforth they'd have to apply 'Francais' to their pool shots.
• Priests in Francophone churches would be barred from offering confessions in English.
• Street beggars would be required to communicate with clients in French only.
• Hawkers at sporting events would no longer have the right to announce their wares bilingually. The 'BIERE FROID/ COLD BEER' chant would be relegated to the scrap heap of history.
• All baby names for Francophone children would have to reflect Francophone roots. No more "Tiffanie Poulins" This rule would apply to nicknames and pets, as well. Toy manufacturers would have to provide Quebecois names for their dolls and toys.

You may ask how would all these regulations be enforced. How would Francophones be distinguished from Anglophones in public?
Simple!
Anglophones could wear a scarlet letter on their clothes, setting them apart as a specially privileged class!

For Francophones, it'll be the back of the bus in terms of personal freedom and individual rights. Anglos to the front!

All this in a province where Francophones are the majority and where they make the rules.

Amazing!

Liberal MPs Should Listen to their Wives

It seems that the wives of MP Stéphane Dion and Irwin Cotler have more spunk and good sense than their husbands. Perhaps both men would be better served to listen to their better halves.

This week Janine Krieber, wife of Dion made a blistering attack against the Ignatieff leadership in a blog entry on her Facebook page (it has since been removed.)

"Like all the liberal parties in Europe, it will become a poor little thing at the mercy of ephemeral coalitions. For having refused the historic coalition that could have placed it at the head of the left, it will be punished by history." -Jane Krieber

Dion has been in a funk ever since being unceremoniously dumped as leader of the Liberal Party. I last spotted him a couple of weeks ago as I peered out of my car window while driving towards downtown, on Cote de Neiges Road in Montreal. He was walking up the hill, a sad figure, alone and bundled up against the wind, carrying home a bottle of milk. It was a sad analogy of man who's fortunes had fallen so low.

Since his humiliating exit as leader of the party, Dion has been silent, seemingly resigned to working on his pension from the insignificant reaches of the backbench of Parliament.

Perhaps Ms. Krieber's assault on Ignatieff can restart Mr. Dion's sagging career, it isn't that far-fetched. It's clear that with a little help from his friends, Ignatieff can be purged. A clever alliance led by Bob Rae can take back the leadership and return the party to some semblance of respectability. The Liberal experiment with two 'brainy' intellectuals has been an abject failure. The membership has largely come to the realization that a less cerebral but more savvy and professional politician à la Jean Chretien is in order.

Leading a putsch against Igantieff will never get Dion the top job back, but he can become a respected cabinet minister once again. Under Ignatieff Mr. Dion is toast. His wife's action might have forced his hand and may just have kick started the campaign to dump Ignatieff.
Turning to poor Irwin Cotler, it's too late to save his career, the ex-minister of justice in the Paul Martin government should have listened and followed the wise counsel of his wife Ariella, back in 2006. In reaction to Ignatieff's injudicious statement that Israel committed war crimes in an appearance on a French language talk show, she promptly resigned as a card carrying member of the Liberal party. In a blistering denunciation in the National Post she questioned Ignatieff's moral integrity and accused him of “sacrificing the truth for personal political gains in the upcoming leadership election for the party.”
For Cotler and his family, as well as the constituents of the overwhelmingly Jewish riding of Mount Royal in Montreal which he represents, defence of Israel is not something to be trifled with.

Ariela Cotler is an Israeli citizen and Gila, their daughter has served in the Israel Defence Force. Although Irwin has sat in Parliament these past years, he is really a nerdy academic, it is his wife who possesses the political acumen in the family. She has worked for many years as an Israeli parliamentary assistant for various members of the ultra-right wing Likud party and has received citations from Menachim Begin and Itzhak Shamir. She remains politically active today and frequently returns to Israel to advocate on behalf of the Likud Party.
It is unfortunate that her husband didn't heed her lead to abandon ship, especially when Ignatieff won the leadership.
At that time, friends and confidants of Cotler (as well as his wife, presumably) urged him to leave the confines of the Liberal party and sit as an independent. Others counselled him to cross the floor to the Conservatives.
It should be noted that had he changed allegiances, he would have had no trouble retaining his seat as an independent or Conservative, as he carries one of the highest majorities in the country.

But Cotler hung on in the faint hopes of returning to the cabinet, instead of following his conscience. He still harbours these dreams of glory and this week humiliated himself and his wife by having her write another letter renouncing her abandonment of the Liberal party.
All this was in response to the Conservatives pamphlet campaign targeting Jewish voters in which assertions were made that the Liberal party is anti-Israel. When Cotler went on television to deny the allegations, Conservatives made mincemeat out of him by bringing up his own wife's prior statements, prompting him to undertake some damage control.

The letter was a sad reminder of what politicians will put their spouses through for political gain.

It won't help, he is a spent force and should consider a return to academia.

Come to think of it, so should Ignatieff.

And Justce For All......

How to Keep out of Jail
Last June I wrote about Guy Gagnon, a convicted drunk driver who  had successfully stalled his criminal court proceedings 32 times. Mr. Gagnon ran down a teenager while driving drunk out of his mind, over four years ago. He agreed to take a plea, but then changed his mind and has used a variety of stalling devices to keep out of jail.
I hoped by this time he'd be safely tucked away in prison, but alas after another four court appearances, he remains free as a bird. The judge is studying various aspects of the case and hasn't scheduled a new court date as of yet. Let hope his 37th court appearance will be the last. Don't bet on it....... Link (French)

Strange goings on in Prison
Guy Turcotte, the Piedmont cardiologist accused of killing his two children last February, was sent to the hospital last week after his second suicide attempt, this one in the Rivière-des-Prairies detention facility. He tried to end his life by taking an overdose of pills. Nobody was shedding any tears or was asking too many questions until another inmate at the same prison, killed himself this week after taking an overdose of pills as well. It seems that because of a shortage of personnel the prison distributed all the weekend medication to prisoners in one shot! Of course they deny that this had anything to do with the overdoses.Link (French)

Dogfight over Domain Name
You've got to give Pierre Barnoti, the disgraced ex-director of the Montreal branch of the SPCA credit for chutzpah. Under Mr. Barnoti's leadership the organization went broke, while he continued to do well for himself. He ran the SPCA as a personal fiefdom until his ouster by outraged board members. Of the assorted abuses he is accused of, he registered the domain SPCA.COM under his own name and now claims personal ownership.
The two sides are squaring off in court. LINK

Happy Birthday to You
A Quebec court judge has ruled that Brandon Pardi will be tried as an adult on charges of dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death. Pardi, now 20, is charged in the death of three-year-old Bianca Leduc in suburban L'Ile Perrot after a reckless driving incident.
Unluckily for him, he turned 18 on the exact same day that the fatal accident occurred. He tried to get his case heard in youth court, where sentencing is decidedly more lenient and failed.
Too bad, sucker! HA HA!!!

Drug Dealer wants Lenient Sentence Because Police Shot Him
Daniel Topey was shot by members of the Montreal police SWAT team after he fired on police as he tried to avoid arrest on drug-related charges in NDG in 2007. He was hit by police bullets and was severely injured.
Mr. Topey spent the last 2½ years in prison, part of the time in a coma and a good deal more in bed recovering from his injuries. The Crown is seeking a sentence of 12 years for an assorted shopping list of crimes, including attempted murder.
His lawyer has invoked the famous "Orphan" defence to demand less time.
Lloyd Fischler said his client has already served enough time behind bars for the crime he committed 2½ years ago;

"Given his young age, given the fact that he almost died, given the fact everything he and his family have been through [the jail time] is more than severe," Fischler said.

What's the "Orphan" defence, you might ask?
It's the joke in which a man standing trial, accused of murdering his parents, asks the judge for leniency because he's now an orphan.

Video Friday- Bouchard-Taylor Reasonable Accomodation Highlights

I added subtitles to this hilarious compilation of various characters who spoke at the famous Bouchard-Taylor Commission in 2007. The commission sought to seek a consensus on the subject of immigrants, and the type of accommodations that Quebec society should make to embrace their cultural differences.

Props to INFOMAN, Quebec's very own sarcastic comedian à la Steven Colbert, who put the compilation together. Catch him on French TV's Radio Canada.

Enjoy!

Here's the Most Dishonest "Buy America" Television Commercial

I've got a natural propensity to look at something and immediately spot the flaw, error or misdirection. My wife often complains when I talk back to a television newsman or commentator who is obviously wrong IMHO.

This commercial I spotted on CNN was a no-brainer. It reeks of dishonesty, misdirection and deception. I don't know how such claptrap gets onto a national network.

According to this commercial, America = North America.
How deceitful. All of a sudden, buying American, means buying North American.

Out of the 97% of the gas bought in America, almost 20% comes from Canada.

I only wish that this attitude would allow Canadian companies to circumvent "Buy American" provisions.

French vs. English Volume 5

Language Cops Bombarded with Complaints
It seems that an organized group of complainers has bombarded the  OQLF (the agency that is charged with applying Quebec's language laws) last year with close to twenty thousand extra complaints.

How did it work out for them?

Not so good, as you can see from the list below.

2007-2008 : 22,057 cases closed, 53 complaints transferred for prosecution
2006-2007 : 3,873 cases closed, 72 complaints transferred for prosecution
2005-2006 : 2,899 cases closed, 147 complaints transferred for prosecution
2004-2005 : 3,330 cases closed, 251 complaints transferred for prosecution
2003-2004 : 2,754 cases closed, 190 complaints transferred for prosecution

The number of prosecutions has steadily declined over time and actually hit a record low last year, with the fewest amount of cases ever referred for prosecution.

It took close 500 complaints to generate a single prosecution.
Keep up the good work, complainers!!

English Chants by Victorious Team Embarrasses a Viewer.
Talking about the victory by the Laval University Rouge et Or football team, a contributor writes in vigel.net ;

"....I 'm watching the awarding of the trophy to the winning team, the Rouge et Or of l'Université Laval. As in hockey, the players exchange back slaps and hugs, shouting out their joy. At this precise moment my feelings of joy are overturned, I remain absolutely astonished by what I hear, the players expressing their happiness and joy ... in English.
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! " or "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and even: "That's it baby!"
And the worst occurs after the traditional photo, the team players sing their rallying cry: "All the way! All the way! All the way! "
My pride takes a blow. I imagine that this beautiful college football team that will represent Quebec next week in Kingston Ontario will celebrate a victory and sing in English.
I am ashamed.
When will we make French the language of success, the language of winners?

-Claude Bachand

Scientific Poll not so Scientific
I really don't know what to make out of an article published by the nationalist web site Imperatif francais entitled;

"Opinion poll on the Supreme court decision"
"SONDAGE SUR LE JUGEMENT DE LA COUR SUPRÊME"

The article states that;

"The results of the poll on Quebec identity undertaken by Impératif français established that 104 Quebeckers out of the 100 people polled are against the imperialism and arrogance displayed by the federal government and it's Supreme Court......"

(Les résultats du sondage sur l’identité québécoise mené par Impératif français établissent que 104 Québécois(es) sur 100 sont fermement déterminés à contrer l’impérialisme et l’arrogance du gouvernement fédéral du Canada et de sa Cour ....)

Whaaat??? 104 out of a 100 agreed?

The article went on to to make a bunch of serious  arguments about the issue and so I chalked up the 100/104 reference as a typo, or a transposition of numbers. That is until I came across this note at the end of the article.

P.-S. Methodology; This poll was conducted by sampling 104 random citizens attending a Just for Laughs event on Novenber 16, 2009. The margin of error is 1.04%, 104 out of 100 times.

(P.-S. Méthodologie : ce sondage a été mené auprès de 104 citoyens choisis au hasard lors d’un rassemblement au Studio Juste pour rire le lundi 16 novembre 2009. La marge d’erreur n’est que de 1,04 pour cent, 104 fois sur 100.)

It would be funny if the body of the article wasn't so darn serious, or if it was April Fool's. What gives? Anyone care to comment?

H1N1 Vaccine Line Jumpers are Despicable

Sunday, Quebec's most famous H1N1 line jumper made an appearance on the French CBC TV's most popular talk show, to do some damage control.

Claude Dubois is a famous Francophone singer who was called to task by La Presse reporter, Patrick Lagacé for jumping the line and vaccinating himself and his entourage at a Laurentian CLSC.

Mr. Dubois and his troupe literally used the back door of the medical facility to avoid the lineup. Had he used the front door, he would certainly have been recognized and would have likely been called out, since he wasn't entitled to the shot.

Stupidly, Mr Dubois made up an excuse, telling reporters that he was already at the facility for an appointment to get shots for a trip abroad.

"Liar!" replied Mr. Lagacé, in a second article, published the next day. The CLSC according to research done by the reporter, doesn't even offer these type of vaccinations.

Checkmate!

In the televised interview, Mr Dubois used a variety of devices and excuses to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. He tried to cast aspersions on the reporter in question and questioned his journalistic motives. He tried to blame the system and he even brought the vaccination booklet of his daughter to show that he had nothing but good intentions.
"A misunderstanding that I regret" was about all he would admit.




Sickening.
What's worse, is that by the end of the interview, the audience applauded him.

Of course, in Quebec, the story wouldn't be complete without someone bringing politics into a simple matter of a cheating celebrity obsessed with entitlement.

In a published article Robert Barberis-Gervais writes;

"The attacks by Patrick Lagacé against Claude Dubois reminds me of his vehemence against Pierre Falardeau, when he was defending his friend, Julien Poulin, concerning the incident of the waving of the Hezbollah flag.
What binds Claude Dubois and Pierre Falardeau, is that they are two independence activists. That is why Patrick Lagacé tries to depict them as errant. He is (Lagacé) of course, the faithful servant of his master, Paul Desmarais."

Ecch.....

Just to show you that I am an equal opportunity complainer, I must take the Jewish General Hospital to task for undertaking a shameful program of offering the vaccine to rich donors as a perk.
In all respects the act was even more shameful than that of Mr. Dubois, because it was undertaken organizationally.
What were they thinking!

Of course like all the H1N1 cheaters who are caught, it's a case of lame-ass excuses instead of honest regret.
Too bad our Health Minister didn't order an inquiry. Someone deserved to be fired at the JGH, as was the case in Alberta, where heads rolled after the scandalous story of the Calgary Flames inoculations.

By and large Canadians have been playing fair, waiting their turn in line.

It's outrageous to see rich people and celebrities use their position to jump the line. Instead of sweeping these incidents under the rug, these people should be pursued to the full extent of the law and be made examples of.

How else can authorities expect us all to follow by the rules?

Quebec Police Ignore the Gun Registry

It's a bit ironic that while Quebec remains the only province in favour of maintaining the Gun Registry, law enforcement in that province hardly uses the daatbase at all. In fact in terms of per capita use, Quebec ranks below every other province and territory, except Nunavut.

Yvan Delorme, chiel of the Montreal police department argues that maintaining the firearm registery is "critical," yet his officers hardly use it at all.
Per capita, for every inquiry made by law enforcement in Quebec, BC makes ten!

Here's a list of enquiries per 1,000 population, per Province and Territory.

Northwest Territories	345
Yukon	276
B.C.	186
New Brunswick	176
Newfoundland	130
Ontario	125
Alberta	90
Nova Scotia	82
Manitoba	78
PEI	58
Saskatchewan	47
Quebec	19
Nunavut	0.03

Query Count	2008 Q 1	2008 Q 2	2008 Q 3	2008 Q 4	Total
Ontario	379,279	430,465	444,901	428,171	1,682,816
British Columbia	182,170	210,880	224,330	208,153	825,533
Alberta	76,911	84,380	88,691	80,381	330,363
Quebec	31,438	38,004	37,132	42,345	148,919
New Brunswick	30,137	35,840	34,768	31,208	131,953
Manitoba	21,727	27,424	24,446	21,717	95,314b
Nova Scotia	18,451	19,808	19,978	18,910	77,147
Newfoundland and Labrador	13,825	17,310	18,972	16,085	66,192
Saskatchewan	23,992	18,057	3,240	3,438	48,727
Northwest Territories	3,416	3,436	2,655	5,027	14,534
Yukon	2,391	2,748	2,704	1,273	9,116
Prince Edward Island	1,865	2,118	2,038	2,093	8,114
Nunavut	-	-	1	-	1
All Locations	785,602	890,470	903,856	858,801	3,438,729

Source: MACLEANS

14 Years Later-It's Still about Anglos and Ethnics

Its been 14 years ago, almost to the day that Jacques Parizeau, in the aftermath of the razor-thin referendum defeat, uttered those fateful words that cast the blame for the crushing defeat.
"Money and the ethnic vote"

Once again we're hearing complaints in the nationalist camp that the Anglos and Ethnics caused Louise Harel to lose the Montreal mayoral election.

The Montreal daily Le Devoir went so far as to hire two experts to analysis the Anglo and ethnic vote to in order to determine if this was true.

I could have saved them the money. Of course it's true.
Back in March I wrote a piece explaining why Louise Harel couldn't win the race to become Montreal's next mayor. It's the perception that she's anti-English and anti-immigrant.

Ever since the merger that fused several Montreal suburbs with Montreal, the city shifted to a non-francophone majority and became manifestly federalist. It's ironic that it was Harel herself who masterminded this merger while serving in the PQ government.

One of the major complaints by nationalists is that ethnics and Anglos tend to vote as a block, which they  somehow perceive as unfair.

This subtle racism was best evinced by blow-hard Yves Michaud, who complained many years ago that ethnics voted 'No' in the referendum as a block, while Francophones split their vote.
He viewed this as inherently undemocratic.

While everyone is free to vote as they wish, it seems that democracy must rest on a balance of forces and opinions that underpin the public debate. Districts where there was French-speaking majority showed a balance by voting 60% for "Yes" and 40% for "No".....

In some voting stations in the cities of Hampstead, Montreal West, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, it's the same thing, where with over two hundred votes cast, there wasn't a single vote in favour of  "Yes".....

......This is not the best example of democracy.

So ethnics and Anglos must vote as Francophones do.
This opinion has become a nationalist talking point. Here's a fresh take on the subject by Sylvain Maréchal writing in Tribune libre de Vigile

We can indeed take comfort in that we voted "normally." The francophone vote, unlike the English vote, was widely distributed among the three candidates, so we escape with dignity, escaping the "ethnic vote" At the end of it, what do we take out of this election- that we grew.

It seems that the idea that people vote their conscious and in their own best interest doesn't apply to Anglos and Ethnics. Voting as a block is 'undemocratic.'
That is the racist under-tone of those who complain about block voting.

Francophones are used to having split opinions about sovereignty. In most families there are members both for and against, it's no big deal. On many occasions, especially in local elections sovereignist vote for federalists and vice versa.

In Anglo and Ethnic families, it's pretty much the opposite. Everyone is a federalist and here, sovereignty is the only issue that counts in an election. Every other issue pales by comparison and it's likely that if Angel Gabriel came down from Heaven and ran for mayor as a sovereignists, he'd lose as well.

For these nationalists it's just another example of Anglos and ethnics frustrating the will of the legitimate majority.
For them, nothing has changed.

Video Friday- A Classic from Rock & Belles Oreilles

I added subtitles to this classic comedy piece from Rock et Belles Oreilles, a Quebec comedy troupe popular in the 80's.

Construction Industry Inquiry - D.O.A

Reporters and opposition politicians are clamouring for an inquiry into the construction industry, which has been accused of inflating government construction contracts through collusion and for paying off politicians to turn a blind eye. They show a painfully naive understanding of our Premier, Jean Charest.

I'll say it now, loud and clear.

THERE WILL BE NO INQUIRY. Not as long a Jean Charest is in charge.

He's an interesting character, different from most politicians. He's extremely intelligent and has a rapier mind and a fantastic memory. I witnessed this trait first hand sitting with him in the members' observation gallery, over-looking the House of Commons in Ottawa. As MPs spoke, Charest commented on the ongoing debate, displaying a deep grasp of the issues as well as an instant recall of mundane facts and quotes.
If you're a hockey fan, you'll understand what I mean when I compare him to TSN's Pierre McGuire.

But what sets Charest apart, is his ability to remain calm in the face of disaster and the sang froid that allows him the calmness to do nothing, when to do something is an inferior option.

There aren't that many politicians who possess this trait. Perhaps Jean Chretien was the last great politician that was able to rise above the panic and follow the expedient course of battening down the hatches.

Ex-Prime Minister Paul Martin paid the price of not understanding the concept. Faced with unrelenting criticism in regard to the sponsorship scandal, he called an inquiry to clear the air. Having nothing to do with the scandal, he naively believed that he would be perceived as a white knight.

Ultimately, the public punished him and his party in the next election, the only recourse they had to reek revenge.
As Jean Chretien was quoted as saying.
"Better to sweep the affair under the rug, even if it makes a big bump!"

Charest is a planner, a plodder and someone who has had success controlling events around him. Surprises are not things that he likes.
A few months ago, he was freaked out by a request by the Oliphant inquiry over a request that he testify in regards to payments made to him by our good friend, Karl-Heinz Schreiber. Luckily for him it never came to pass (I don't know why.)

Mr. Charest is honest. To my knowledge he has never taken money in exchange of a benefit or favour, but he has accepted contributions, lots, as do all politicians.

Mr. Charest may be chubby, but he's not stupid. He is wise enough to understand that any inquiry is dangerous and un-controllable. The circus atmosphere that surrounded the Gomery Inquiry is not something that he'd like to see repeated.

Better to take a little heat now, stay calm and let things calm down.
It's worked before. Remember the scandal at the Caisse?

Montreal Police Embarass Themselves

On balance it's been a good year for the Montreal police. The force's numerous investigations successfully scored a record amount of arrests in relation to organized crime. At one point, this summer, jails were literally overflowing with newly arrested prisoners.

The year also saw a record low number of police-related deaths and almost no controversies as compared to last year's fiasco crowned by the death of Fredy Villanueva .

The only glaring weakness remains the riot squad, which continues to be an embarrassment for the force and the city itself. Time after time, small disturbances turn into ugly riots because of the lack of planning and execution on the part of the police.

It seems that they've learned nothing from the earlier failures in Montreal North and the Hockey riots that occur on what seems like an annual basis.

On Tuesday they once again demonstrated poor planning by allowing demonstrators to disrupt the arrival of Prince Charles to a downtown armoury where he was scheduled to attend a ceremony to present new colours to the the Black watch Regiment.

The armoury is located on Bleury Street which leads to the downtown core. It's a busy and accessible street, but the block on which the Black Watch building sits is rather compact. It would have been incredibly easy to set up barriers at each end of the street and keep demonstrators away at a safe distance. Had police blocked access to the street a couple of hours in advance the whole affair would have unfolded differently.
It would have required just two or three police cars as well as some DO NOT CROSS barriers. It's not as if they can't do it or lack experience. At the conclusion of events at the Bell Centre all the streets adjacent to the arena are blocked by police to allow the building to be evacuated quickly. The same should have been done for the tiny block where the Black Watch building sits.


Instead the police stupidly allowed demonstrators to congregate directly in front of the doors of the building and when the police finally decided to clear the immediate area, the protesters held a sit-in which made things more difficult.
I'm not saying protesters shouldn't have the right to demonstrate, they should. But allowing them to butt right up to the building isn't wise.

A little planning would have averted all this. It's not as if the police were surprised, the demonstrators announced their intentions well in advance. The riot squad would never have had to be brought in had police engaged in a little preventative action.

The only reason that things didn't get ugly was the fact that the demonstrators were true to their word and other than tossing a few eggs, never became really violent or aggressive.

Much as I dislike the demonstrator's politics, they are to be commended for their conduct.

Road To Conservative Majority is a Highway to New Brunswick

Monday's surprise Conservative victory in the riding of Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup is likely sending shock waves in the Bloc Quebecois camp. It's a signal that Quebeckers are coming to the realization that having little or no representation in the government may not be such a good thing.

Mr. Harper's hardball message to Quebec may have finally gotten through. The Bloc's aborted coalition with the Liberals and the NDP and it's failure to have any meaningful impact of government decisions is starting to grate on those voters in Quebec who believe that they are being short-changed.

What is troubling to the Bloc, is that the riding is very typical and representative of a least fifteen others. If Montmagny can go conservative, so many other previously 'safe' Bloc seats are now in play.

The towns Montmagny and Rivière-du-Loup are located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river and even though they are just an hour up the road from Quebec City, they exist in another world.

Here, the people are closely knit, and the cooperative movement is strong. It's a place of traditional Quebec values and the birthplace of Mario Dumont's ultra-conservative ADQ. It's not the type of place where people are open to 'reasonable accommodations' and at any rate, there's not much call for them, as the population is as homogeneous as a bottle of milk. It's a place where nary a word of English is spoken, yet the population is open and welcoming to tourists.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the area is it's fall festival celebrating the migratory path of Canada's famous snow geese. Every October, the town of Montmagny is a rest stop for the birds on their return trip down south. It's actually quite a sight, tens of thousands birds birds crammed closely together, turning selected farmers fields into a sea of white, while amazingly, adjacent some fields remain empty. When I asked a local about the phenomenon, he told me that the fields where the birds rested were off limits to hunters and that over the years, the birds had learned to adapt. Quite amazing!
The festival which is the highlight of the year, is a traditional Quebec celebration with much boozing and revelry. It's definitely another world.

The most important issue in this election wasn't sovereignty or federalism, not the gun registry or Afghanistan, it is the more mundane issue of double tracking the rural highway (85) from Rivière-du-Loup to the New Brunswick border.

The road is an important economic link, as many northern New Brunswickers travel to Quebec for shopping, especially around Christmas time. It's also a vital transportation link that brings goods from Quebec out to the Maritimes.

The half a billion dollar project is slated to go ahead next year, with the federal government picking up a large portion of the costs.
Perhaps voters were fearful of invoking the wrath of Harper and decided to vote their pocketbooks rather than their hearts.

If the project is completed, or even undertaken as scheduled, it will be a clear sign of what is known in Quebec as "Federalism rentable" (federalism that pays.)

The Conservatives will use the project to show Quebeckers what supporting the government can mean and for many Quebeckers, tired of the Bloc's utter ineffectiveness, the message will resonate.

Last Word on Faulty Poll

As there was some legitimate criticism of my post about the poll published in La Presse on the Friday before the Montreal municipal election, I'd like to make some final comments.
First of all, when I wrote my post the page linked was not available. I'm not that stupid.

After reading the comment by Fagstein and following the link, I am still of the same mind that the poll was faulty.

I respect Fagstein as one of Montreal's finest bloggers (specializing in the domain of media), however I do believe I have a better insight when it comes to polling.

For twenty years as an independent political organizer, I conducted countless internal polls and I recognize when a poll is blown.

The poll in question was published on Friday, from information compiled the previous two days. The data was current, you can't do better.

The margin of error is provided to account for all the excuses that Fagstein uses to justify the erroneous results. If we'd accept that polls can be off that much because of what he describes, then no poll could be ever considered reliable. However most are. Professional pollsters know their stuff.
If we are to believe the poll, Bergeron dropped 25% and Tremblay gained 25% support in three days.
Not unheard of, but extremely unlikely.

Pollsters admit that for various reasons, about one in twenty polls are wrong to the point of badly distorting reality.
This may happen because of faulty methodology, interpretation or a sudden whirlwind shift in the opinion of the sample subject. Sometimes it is plain bad luck, where pollsters hit a large block of respondants who are unrepresentative of the general group.

Sometimes events change between the time the poll is taken and when it is scheduled to be published. In that case professional pollsters trash the poll entirely.

The fact remains. The poll was terribly wrong. In the case of the support for Mr. Bergeron and Mr Tremblay, the error was double the margin that pollsters provide themselves.

That in itself is newsworthy. La Presse should have have addressed the issue, especially since they were accused in the media of being anti-Tremblay.
Post-election, Simon Durivage, of the RDI news network commented on air "It's clear that La Presse lost it's election" ('c'est clair que La Presse a perdu ses élections").
Yves Boisvert of La Presse bristled at the barb and took Durivage to task in a column. Perhaps he should next comment on the blown poll.

The main point of of my post was that my prediction that Mr. Bergeron would win the election was based on a faulty poll. I stand by that statement. As for a conspiracy, I stand corrected.

Do you think polling is always honest?
Here's a classic and humorous example of a 'push' poll, a poll designed to elicit a certain response and meant no to gauge public opinion, but rather to shape it.

How to Throw a Protest

The Reseau de Resistance is planning to mark Prince Charle's visit to Quebec with a protest in front of the Black Watch Regiment headquarters on Bleury Street in Montreal.

It's amazing how things have changed since the old days. Today every thing is organized through Facebook.

You can visit the official protest page here, where you will find all pertinent information, including a manifesto, an invitation, a link to google maps complete with Streetview and of course, the most important element. The guest list.

You can scan the names of those who've accepted to attend and those who are considering the idea.

Very convenient for the police I'd imagine who are likely giving this event close scrutiny.

Are Quebeckers More Dishonest?

There is a majority opinion in the Western part of the country that Quebec is the most dishonest province in the country.
The latest scandals don't help dispel these type of opinions. Last week's Macleans magazine article that bashed Montreal was well deserved, but according to me, there are other places more dishonest.

Crime statistics for Quebec are decidedly lower than in the rest of the country and when it comes to violent crime, murder and drunk driving, Quebec ranks at the bottom of the list (that's good.)

But when it comes to collusion in government contracts, nobody beats Quebec. It probably comes from the very complacent attitude that Quebeckers have about graft.

Tell me, if your neighbour was out doing yard work while boasting that he was collecting disability from the government, would you rat him out?
If your brother-in-law was collecting UI while vacationing in Florida, would you denounce him?

Not many Quebeckers would. It's a nature.
People in priggish places like Ottawa would jump at the chance to sell out a cheater. It's also nature.

Quebeckers have a soft spot for larceny, but recent revelations about construction industry fixing contracts have crossed the line and Quebeckers are now furious.

Here's a video, of an extract of a show called Les Bougon. It ran for two years on Radio-Canada and detailed the life of a thieving welfare family. Quite hilarious if you are are a Quebecker, infuriating if you live west of the Ottawa river.
Francophone are well aware of the show and have enjoyed the show or hated it. Not many Anglophones watch French TV and it's too bad, there's a wealth of great shows to enjoy. The problem is the vernacular, which is very hard for a non-native speaker to pick up on.

It took me over an hour to subtitle, so please watch it!!
If you're aren't seeing the captions, click on the little pyramid in the bottom right-hand corner.

So what's the truth? Did it make you laugh or scream??

Faulty Poll Leads to Faulty Prediction

When one makes a prediction which falls flat on it's face, it's incumbent on the predictor to own up to his mistake and explain it if he can. I shall endeavour to do so now and tell you how I reached the faulty conclusion that I did concerning my prediction that Richard Bergeron would win the race for the Montreal mayoralty.

As we all know there were many unexpected events that shook both the Harel and Tremblay camps over the course of the election. It seemed that Richard Bergeron, the kooky third place candidate was emerging from also-ran status to a legitimate contender.

He had been running at between 10% and 15% popularity at the beginning of the campaign when things seemed to catch fire and with two weeks to go in the campaign his popularity shot up to 25% with the mayor and Madame Harel neck and neck in the low 30%'s.

Days before the election Angus-Reid published a poll in Montreal's La Presse newspaper indicating that Bergeron had made a stunning breakthrough.
In one short week, he had pushed his numbers to 32% and trailed Louise Harel (34%) by just 2%. Tremblay was behind both candidates at 30% and seemed to be sinking fast.

Based on these polling numbers, it was easy to see that an unstoppable momentum was building for Bergeron and should the trend have continued over the last weekend, it was likey that he'd cruise to victory.

But he didn't, so what happened?

Very simply, one of the world's leading research agencies had completely blown the last poll published in La Presse on the eve of the election.

Every polling organization tells you that their polls are accurate to 4% (the margin of error) 19 out of 20 times

WELCOME TO THE TWENTIETH TIME.

Tremblay
Actual Vote 38%            Angus Reid 30%            Difference 8%

Harel
Actual Vote 32%            Angus Reid 34%            Difference 2%

Bergeron
Actual Vote 25%            Angus Reid 32%           Difference 7%

The errors in the  numbers for Mr. Tremblay and Mr Bergeron are massive and in the polling business represent a humiliating failure.

Perhaps I should have been suspicious of a poll that showed such a monumental shift in opinion over such a short time, but Quebec voters have shown historically that they can jump on a bandwagon quickly. However I take responsibility for making a faulty judgment.

By the way, there's no comment from Angus-Reid or La Presse about the poll. In fact both organizations have purged any reference to the poll from their web sites. It's as if it never existed according to them. The only place I could get confirmation of their numbers were on sites that quoted them as in Branchez-vous. It's as if both organizations are determined to cover up the fiasco.
If you don't believe me, check out both the La Presse site and the Angus Reid site and do you own search.
Poof, the poll has disappeared.

Owning up to mistakes is an important step in reporting. I'm doing so today.

While La Presse rails on and on about the honesty of the Tremblay administration, perhaps they should take their own advice and come clean about the botched poll.

What dishonesty! Shame on La Presse and Angus Reid.

Health Update-- My Swine Flu experience

I am over the worst!

My fever has broken and I am on the path to recovery. I am not yet back to normal and am still suffering from a variety of ailments including stiffness, lethargy and headaches.

It is as the health officials promised - a couple of bad days and then recovery.

What they never mentioned is how terrible those couple of days are.

Do yourself a favour, run don't walk. Get the shot.

Incidentally, minutes after posting yesterday's piece of my Swine flu predicament, my blog was flooded by automated bots posting to the comments section, hawking all sorts of phony H1N1 remedies.
I removed them all, but sheesh, is there no decency out there?

AHHHHHHH!!!!! I have Swine Flu!!!

After a weekend of celebrating that included attending a large family function at a downtown supper club, it was back to work Monday.

Everything was normal until I stopped to pump some gas at a Decarie Boulevard Shell station. I hadn't felt great that morning, but chalked it up to a hangover.

Having just completed the transaction, I returned to my car when I was slammed by a wave of nausea that literally knocked me down.

I started heaving and ran over to a patch of grass off to the side where I promptly puked my guts out. I sat in the drivers seat with the door open trying to regain my bearings, but the world was spinning badly. I threw up again, and again.

After a few minutes, I regained enough composure to turn my car around and go home, where a fever started to build until it hit 104° later that evening.

There was no doubt- I had contracted the dreaded H1N1 disease. WTF!!!!!

Like every other idiot, I assumed that Swine flu is what happens to someone else.

A couple of days in bed is what authorities told us to expect, but what they didn't warn us is how incredibly painful it is.

As I write this, my temperature is down to 101°, and stable but showing no sign of abating. While the worst is over, I'm shocked by how bad the ordeal of Swine flu is.

Monday night was pure Hell as I lay in bed suffering from fever induced hallucinations that made a bad LSD trip feel like a cakewalk.
Three day after getting sick, things are getting better but my condition remains ten times worse than any regular flu. The unremitting fever is the hardest part to deal with.

For most people, H1N1 it may not be life threatening, but it is terribly painful and debilitating.

If you're considering skipping the vaccine based on the fact that H1N1 is not that dangerous, think again.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

I've taken these few minutes of lucidity to cast a warning, but alas, as my head starts to spin again, I'm off to bed. I hope this nightmare is over soon!...

I shall post the rest of the week with stuff I previously prepared...

When are Reasonable Accommodations Unreasonable?

This week Montreal's daily La Presse published the results of a poll that sampled Quebeckers opinion on the 'Reasonable Accommodations" debate, as it is known in Quebec. The results were not unexpected, with a large majority against the idea of making any concessions to non-white or non-Christian minorities.

Ever since Quebec became home to a large amount of non-Catholic immigrants, friction has been building. The majority of Quebeckers believe that it is not only incumbent upon newcomers to use French as their primary language, but also to adopt the values of Quebec society as well.
What that means in practice is that immigrants are expected to give up the 'old ways' of their homelands and embrace 'Quebec' values and mores.

Last year, in response to a backlash against immigrants, the Quebec government set up a comission (BOUCHARD-TAYLOR) to look into the reasonable accomodation debate. The commission turned into a bit of a fiasco and became a forum for yahoos and racists to vent their rage at minorities and immigrants.

By the way, what is a reasonable accomodation?
Simply put, it is special treatment for an individual or group that is not afforded to the majority.

Here are some examples of what I'm sure you'll agree with me are reasonable accommodations;

• Wheel-chaired bound people are provided exclusive use of specially designed bathrooms.
• Children and seniors who generally have less money than every one else are given discounts that others cannot share.
• Blind people may take their seeing-eye dogs into public buildings and on public transportation that ban animals.

Let's review the La Presse poll.

ACCORDING TO YOU, DOES QUEBEC AFFORD TOO MANY, TOO LITTLE OR JUST ABOUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS?
Too much 68%
Enough 16%
Not Enough 7%
Don't know 8%

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE BOUCHARD TAYLOR COMMISSION CLARIFIED THE SITUATION IN REGARDS TO REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS?
Yes 7%
No 72%
Uncertain 21%

DO YOU PERSONALLY MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS BASED ON RELIGION?
Almost every day 5%
A couple of times a month 9%
A couple of times a year 17%
Rarely 40%
Never 30%

SHOULD A PERSON BE ALLOWED TO WEAR A RELLIGIOUS MEDALLION...

IN SCHOOL? IN PUBLIC PLACES

Yes 19% Yes 35%
No 76% No 59%
Uncertain 5% Uncertain 7%

At WORK? IN HOSPITAL

Yes 19% Yes 25%
No 74% No 70%
Uncertain 7% Uncertain 5%

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT A DIFFERENT MENU CAN BE OFFERED IN A DAYCARE?
Yes 37%
No 57%
Uncertain 5%

....THAT A FEMALE DOCTOR BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST?
Yes 37%
No 59%
Uncertain 4%

....THAT A MALE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST?
Yes 14%
No 81%
Uncertain 5%

....THAT BOYS AND GIRLS BE SEPARATED IN SWIMMING POOLS?
Yes 7%
No 90%
Uncertain 3%

....THAT A HOLIDAY FOR A NON-CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY BE PROVIDED?
Yes 34%
No 57%
Uncertain 9%

....THAT A PRAYER ROOM BE PROVIDED IN A PUBLIC BUILDING (CEGEP, UNIVERSITY, AT WORK ?)
Yes 20%
No 76%
Uncertain 4%

....THAT THE HIJAB BE ALLOWED TO BE WORN WHILE WORKING IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE?
Yes 64%
No 28%
Uncertain 8%

So how do you compare?

Let me finish today's post with a case of reasonable accommodation which I'll let you be the judge of;

A local mosque makes a request of city council to install loudspeakers into the minaret so that they can call people to prayers. You've all seen the scene on television where a loud droning voice is played over a loudspeaker ad nauseum. For a non-Muslim it's quite grating.
The Imam promises that out of respect for the community and as a compromise, they will only use the system once a week, on Friday's and sometimes on special occasions and holidays.

The council considers the request. One or two liberal councillors seem to be okay with the idea, but the majority are outraged.

"Let them keep their religion to themselves. Why bother the whole neighbourhood?"
"We're not the Middle East here!"
"It's an unacceptable intrusion."
"It's noise pollution"
..and so on and so on....

How would you vote?

If you are like most, you'd probably vote against the request. If you are of that mind I'd like you to consider this;
.
.
.
.
.

Should Church bells be banned?

What's reasonable to you, may not be reasonable at all. It's a matter of perspective and so the debate rages on.

101,000 Called Upon to Protest Supreme Court Decision - 60 Show Up.

In a piece entitled 101,000 Quebeckers in the Street retired FLQ terrorist Pierre Schneider called for a massive demonstration in front of the offices of Montreal lawyer Brent Tyler, the man who argued and won the Supreme Court decision overturning Quebec's Bill 104.

French language zealots remain furious that the law that plugged a loophole in Bill 101, allowing families to circumvent the law that previously disqualified their children from receiving an English education, had been overturned.

While they rage at the Supreme Court, militants conveniently forget that the case had already been adjudicated by Quebec courts, (twice) with the families winning each time.
After the Quebec court of Appeals, the province's highest court, ruled against the government, there were no demonstrations at all.
Perhaps it makes sense. Who would protesters protest against?

But ever since the big bad Supreme Court of Canada confirmed the decision, it's off to the races for the fanatics.
It's time to blame the English!!!

If you are thinking that my headline calling Mr. Schneider a terrorist is a case of hyperbole or journalistic exaggeration, you are wrong.

Mr. Schneider is truly a retired FLQ terrorist who served time for the placement of a bomb which exploded in the hands of police officer Walter Leja, who was trying to dismantle it, in Westmount on May 18, 1963.

Today Mr. Schneider is rehabilitated, yet unrepentant.
He is an editor at the Montreal daily newspaper "Le Journal de Montreal" and has shifted his support to the Réseau de Résistance du Québécois (RRQ,) one of Quebec's most militant sovereignist/French language groups.

His call for 101,000 demonstrators is symbolic, the reality is that these demonstrations usually bring out less than a couple of hundred people.

This time estimates of the crowd pegged the demonstrators at about 60, of which a fair number were undercover police officers.

By the way, does it annoy you as much as it does me, that this unrepentant ex-terrorist is free?

Had he committed his terrorist act in the U.S. he'd still be making license plates.