There' s an old adage that says that Truth is the first casualty of war and it certainly applies in the continuing saga of misinformation, twisted and misinterpreted facts and figures bandied about by national groups 'proving' that English is taking over Quebec and that the French language and Francophone culture is going the way of the Dodo bird. Back in May I wrote a piece about a newspaper story that reported on a study that put forward the fact that Francophones now made more money on average than Anglophones.
The story made little sense and seemed poorly researched, likely using questionable methodology. Read my piece about the problems I had with the research.
Now nationalists are hitting back with research of their own proving and complaining that the research was flawed. A mathematician, Charles Castonguay, in a story on vigile.net criticized the methodology of Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association of Canadian Studies, a non-profit think tank.
I tend to agree that the study was junk and as a consequence it didn't do the Anglo community any good by stooping to the same dishonest methods used by nationalists to manipulate numbers.
At any rate I never trust these types of studies put out by partisan parties. Things like milk companies providing studies that show children who drink their product in the morning do better in school or tabacco companies providing data that second hand smoke is nothing to worry about. Sure.......
William Johnson has been an outstanding spokesman for the English community for several decades. His superbly researched articles are devastatingly to the point and exposes head on, the lies and half-truths promulgated by the the French nationalist movement. His tenacious attacks have led to his nickname - William "Pitt Bull" Johnson
His latest article appeared in The Montreal Gazette on June 14, 2009;
A simple fix for panic over threat to French: a reality checkThe government of Jean Charest is enacting a new law to further strangle English schooling in Quebec. But a coalition including the Parti Quebecois, the Bloc Quebecois, and the New Democratic Party denounced the bill last Monday on the grounds that it doesn't go far enough.They all signed a statement calling on the Quebec government to invoke the "notwithstanding" clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to override what the Supreme Court of Canada declared last October to be a constitutional right: to have access to English public schooling after demonstrating a serious commitment to the English language while attending an unsubsidized English school.Monday, NDP leader Jack Layton was asked during a scrum: "Is this merely the position of Mr. (Outremont MP Thomas) Mulcair or is it the party's?" Layton answered: "No, no, it's the position of the party."Under Jack Layton, the NDP increasingly aligns its policies on language and secession with those of the two separatist parties....
Good article on an important topic. Your blog is like a candle in the night, a tiny ray of light in the vast, cold darkness that is the ethnocentric province of Quebec. You, William Johnson, and others can illuminate the contradictory rhetoric, expose the lies, and reveal the sinister aspirations of the Quebecois, but (sadly) it will change nothing, I'm afraid. After decades of separatist hate propoganda, the Quebecois are inured and at ease with their prejudices and wholly embrace the ethnocentric agenda and duplicitous, belligerent tactics of their political leaders. The seppies (and the passive Quebecois majority) have no shame and will do anything to achieve their aims. As for the ROC, they couldn't care less about the plight of their English speaking brothers and sisters in Quebec; they don't know what they don't know, and they don't want to know what they don't know. The hardships of 'the others' is of cursory, passing interest, just like an earthquake or a tsunami in a far away country; toss a few coins at the problem and hope it goes away.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the French language is on the way out OUTSIDE QUEBEC. All but 50,000 Francophones OUTSIDE Quebec can speak English. The various provincial communities are gradually being assimilated. No longer having appreciably higher birth rates or receiving new arrivals from Quebec they are trending downward. This isn't neccesarily a bad thing and is probably inevitable. It was predicted long ago in the book LANGUAGES IN CONFLICT (well worth reading, if you can find a copy). As for the ROC not "caring" about our "brothers" in Quebec, I would point out that this community has never done anything for the ROC. It has always voted Liberal, has never developed a political expression and is the only group of Anglophones who benefit from the disastrous bilingualism hiring policies of the federal government. The Toronto Guy.
ReplyDeleteFor many Quebec Anglos, the most important issue at election time is which party is going to protect our rights as Canadians. Quebec Anglos have always voted Liberal because there has never been a plausible alternative; we voted Liberal out of fear of the alternatives. Now that all parties in Quebec are the same when in comes to language laws and the such, it doesn't matter who we vote for anymore. We have no protection. What are we supposed to do for the ROC, while we watch our numbers dwindle and are preoccupied with our survival? What could we ever do? What a preposterous accusation. What does the ROC do for Quebec Anglos? Nobody does anything. Canada is a country of regional divides, loosly connected at best, and we do not have a strong Federal government to bind us with a common vision and to ensure equal rights for all. Our impotent, sycophantic Federal government let the Quebecois trample the rights of English Quebecers. What's done is done. The Quebecois have created their ethnocentric facist state in midst of a democratic North America, and that completes phase 1 of their agenda. The Quebecois are not finished. Those of us living now won't likely be around long enough to see it, but the ultimate goal of Quebecois ruling class is to turn all of Canada into a Franco-supremacist state.
ReplyDeleteReply to anon at 2:58 PM:
ReplyDeleteThat's right. You guys always voted Liberal. And haven't they just done a real swell job protecting your rights? (Sarcasm off). The Toronto guy.
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ReplyDeleteToronto Guy said:
ReplyDelete"I would point out that this community has never done anything for the ROC."
Who do you think keeps voting "no" in neverendum
referendum? The seps know! Every time a new party
starts, the violent sep fringe shows up (Marois et
al donate to these thugs).
I don't know if voting "no" is doing the ROC a favour. I could make a strong case that the ROC would be a lot better off without Quebec. The Toronto guy.
ReplyDeleteHis nickname is actually 'Pit Bill', as credited on his occasional columns for 'The Globe and Mail'.
ReplyDelete@ The Toronto Guy
ReplyDeleteWhy are you even posting on here?
Seems like you are resentful - former Quebecker?
The Quebec issue is not about language - it's about obtaining political power.
And many people trying to live harmoniously are caught in the cross fire.
And you do nothing but add to it?
My question to you is; why?
Montrealer
If my posts are objectionable the author of this blog doesn't have to show them. I don't use any profanity. I think I offer another perspective. One of an Anglo-Canadian who lives outside of Quebec, is extremely tired of the federal pandering to Quebec and who believes Canada's Trudeau-created federal bilingualism language laws are ludicrous, hurtful to most Canadians and no real solution to Canada's problems and hugely expensive. I admit I don't have a lot of regard for the Quebec Anglophone community. It has traditionally simply voted Liberal, done nothing for itself politically and has generally expected the ROC to make political, economic and linguistic sacrifices from which it is most likely to benefit (to the extent that ANY Anglos benefit from bilingualism). I would be happy to trade a French-only Quebec for an English-speaking ROC, something along the lines of Switzerland. On the other hand I don't have much regard for Francophone Quebec either. I wouldn't mind at all if Quebec seceded. The ROC would PROBABLY be a lot better off.
ReplyDeleteBy the way I am not a "former Quebecker". The Toronto Guy.
Chevalier de Lévis
ReplyDelete« Nos espoirs sont élevés. Notre foi dans les gens est grande. Notre courage est fort. Et nos rêves pour ce magnifique pays ne mourront jamais. »
@ Anonymous at 7:39 PM:
ReplyDeleteI see that you are still copying and pasting statements made by other people. You are a total idiot!