Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Bloq Quebcois - Bizzarely Successful?

Last Friday I was watching the sports news on TSN and saw the Philadelphia Phillies third baseman drop a rather routine mini pop fly in the infield. Embarrassed, he scooped up the ball and fired it to first base, where the batter was put out because he wasn't hustling up the line. To make matters worse, there was a runner going from first to second who was tagged out as well, in the confusion.
Sometimes, more often than we believe, screwups lead to good fortune. We've all experienced it, an unplanned serendipitous turn of events that works out quite neatly.

For twenty years now the Bloc Quebecois has represented the bulk of Quebec Parliamentary seats with the self-proclaimed goal of "defending Quebec's Interests in Ottawa"

On that level, they have been described by federalist commentators, in article after article, as being wildly unsuccessful and it's hard to argue against this conclusion.

The Bloc has had negligible impact on legislation and as of yet hasn't had the guts or the inclination to bring down the government. As for getting Quebec 'goodies' or retarding legislation that goes against Quebec's better interests, they can best be described as an 'O-FOR', to borrow another baseball term (0/1, 0/2, 0/3, etc.)

It is on that level that federalists have viewed the Bloc as a failure, a political party that has done nothing for Quebec, while robbing that province of meaningful representation in Ottawa.

But perhaps that failure has actually served the Bloc's best interest, advancing the cause of sovereignty and like George Costanza on Seinfeld, sometimes it's better to do the opposite. Explanation

While the Bloc solemnly avers to attempt to do good for Quebec, their best fortune lies in doing badly for Quebec.

If the Bloc was able to bring Quebec greater power and influence, if it were able to garner a bigger slice of the federal pie and if it was able to remediate language and cultural concerns, the basic raison d'etre for its existence, Quebec sovereignty, would be seriously jeopardized.

For twenty years, the Bloc has been pissing in the soup of national politics, screwing up our Parliament, much to the consternation of the rest of Canada. Canadians, who twenty years ago, were tolerant of the idea of a united Canada with a strong Quebec and francophone element have had their patience sorely tested by Bloc shenanigans.
Many Canadians have given up on Quebec, based on the incessant whining of the resident 'enfant terrible' of the Canadian political scene.
Let's face it, to Canadians outside Quebec, the Bloc is detestable!

Yet poisoning the relationship between Canada and Quebec is just about the only thing that the Bloc could accomplish in Ottawa, that would further the cause of sovereignty. To this  end they have been wildly successful, whether or not they set out to do so expressly. (Which I highly doubt.)

And so doing the opposite, hindering, instead of defending Quebec's interest in Ottawa has actually worked out for them.

As long as Quebec feels prosperous and secure and appreciated in a united Canada, sovereignty will not happen. Making Quebec even more secure and more prosperous in a united Canada is the exact opposite of what the Bloc needs to do politically in order to accomplish their goal of independence.

And there's no denying that the Bloc Quebecois have been doing particularly badly for Quebec these last twenty years, so its hard to deny that their tenure in Ottawa has not been successful in a perverse sort of way.

Just ask George Costanza.

The Bloc may have accomplished what it needed to do, that is, to prepare Canadians to accept an independent Quebec, but  unfortunately for the Bloc, the province itself has turned away from the independence option because of changing circumstances.

Since the last referendum, Quebec has added a half million new immigrants, the bulk of whom will vote against the prospect of a new country, making it much, much harder to achieve a YES result.

Economic conditions also play a role, with most Quebeckers well aware that their economic well-being is now tied to Canada's purse strings. The illusion of a soft referendum question, one that muddles the question of what real sovereignty means, is no longer realistic, with Quebeckers now well aware what a YES victory entails.

So the Bloc has done well, it has accomplished what it wanted to do.  But if sovereignty isn't even on the table in Quebec, what is the final impact on their presence in Ottawa?

It's one thing to throw salt on a meal prepared by your 'enemy' in anticipation of another meal back home, but what if it's not there? What are you going to eat?

And so, the more 'successful' the Bloc is- the worse for Quebec!

31 comments:

  1. Hey Editor, this is a good piece. However, the format of this piece is strange that it is a drop down. It may not work with some browsers and your readers may not be aware of a new piece above Danny Williams.

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  2. The Bloc wins elections and a majority of seats in Quebec mainly because of one major reason: the division of the federalist vote in 4 parties (Liberal, Conservative, NDP and the Greens). For instance, 60% voting and 40% of the vote which is to say that only one out of four citizen voted for the Bloc in Quebec and they still earned 49 out of 75 seats the province has at the federal level.

    At the provincial level, it's exactly the opposite, there is mainly 2 federalist parties but for deep core federalist unable to see any other debate in Quebec, there is only one: the PLQ. Which is why an election just after a federal one is very good for the PLQ. It does not assure them of a crushing majority but just a thin razor edge majority just like the one they got in december 2008 since the Bloc seems to generate a backlash each time at the provincial level and makes those incline to vote ADQ like in Quebec city turn to the Liberals since exacerbation of nationalist feelings at the federal level such as the Bloc generates bring exactly the opposite at the provincial level (which is supposed to be the level where nationalists should strike the best with the PQ but can't seem to mustard enough power and emotions to do so and end up doing exactly the opposite).

    Anyhow, in both cases such as Duceppe and Charest, they both should resign and leave the place to fresh air, younger blood and a brand new wave of new ideas and true optimism to get all Quebeckers back in the game.

    Best regards,

    TM

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  3. Mississauga Guy said...

    Boy, and I thought I write long, wordy sentances (Tym_Machine's last sentance outworded me)!

    "Quebec has added a half million new immigrants...making it much, much harder to achieve a YES result."

    "For twenty years, the Bloc has been pissing in the soup...much to the consternation of the rest of Canada."

    "...to Canadians outside Quebec, the Bloc is detestable."

    "...federalists have viewed the Bloc as a failure, a political party that has done nothing for Quebec, while robbing that province of meaningful representation in Ottawa...the Bloc solemnly avers to attempt to do good for Quebec, their best fortune lies in doing badly for Quebec."

    "Economic conditions also play a role, with most Quebeckers well aware that their economic well-being is now tied to Canada's purse strings."

    All of the above is cut-and-paste without changing a single word of what our dear editor has written.

    All of the above is proof that there is no longer a need to fear separatism, and in fact, it's time for us Anglophones to take our country back.

    All of the above is proof Quebec has been a xenophobic, cruel and tyrannous society towards the minorities it is importing through immigration. The unemployment rate of immigrants in Quebec is way higher than their pur laine cohorts, the Hérouxville fiasco and the Bouchard-Taylor Commission did not create friends amongst those immigrants.

    All of the above is proof it is Quebec that will be punished if they separate, especially from a fiscal and monetary standpoint. Without the $8-10 billion in Equalization plus other federal government goodies, the taxes being paid in Quebec now are a pittance compared to what they would have to be to maintain the current level of services provided by the government.

    Most of all, all of the above is proof it's time a federal party is formed to emphasize the needs and wants of the rest of Canada. Quebec has robbed the rest of us for nothing but its own sake. We in the rest of Canada have been held back, and now it's time to call Quebec's gigantic bluff.

    Quebec should get NONE of that Old Harry territory in the Atlantic to explore for oil, and the feds can do it. If Quebec gets it, they have to agree to NO MORE EQUALIZATION PAYMENTS! Not one red cent. It should also be contractually emphasized that if Quebec does separate, the drilling rights are revoked and awarded to the Atlantic Provinces completely.

    Despite the number of votes, it's simply not worth handing Quebec Old Harry because, like for the last 50 years, they'll just demand more, and keep voting for the impotent Bloc anyway.

    It's time the ROC forms its own party and neglects Quebec's needs the way da Bloc and all Quebec political parties neglect the needs of their minorities.

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  4. Tym_Machine: A slice of friendly advice. The word you were seeking was "muster". "mustard" is a condiment for hot dogs, hamburgers and smoked meat sandwiches [NOT MAYO! ARRRUGH!].

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  5. "Anyhow, in both cases such as Duceppe and Charest, they both should resign and leave the place to fresh air"

    Looks like Charest may have to resign after the recent developments in Quebec with regards to fundraising, daycares, and judicial appointments. If he doesnt resign they should vote him out.

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  6. Vous commencez a comprendre ce qui va se passer prochainement sur la scène politique Québécoise: Adios charessst et bienvenue Madame Pauline.Notre chef Gilles encore plus fort que jamais(je prévois quelques sièges de plus),je vous laisse deviner la suite avec 2 partis souverainistes au pouvoir...We've got the power!Je vous conseille d'attacher vos tuques avec d'la broche.

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  7. "The unemployment rate of immigrants in Quebec is way higher than their pur laine cohorts..."

    Ils ne travaillent pas parcequ'ils ne maîtrisent pas suffisemment notre langue,qui est un peu trop subtile et raffinée pour eux.La langue anglaise est une langue rudimentaire facile a apprendre par tous mais pas essentielle chez nous.Elle est tellement accessible a tous que même les anglos y parviennent aisément.

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  8. Wow quel prejuger dartagnan, ma fille est en immersion et parle anglais et français sans difficulté ce que les enfants francophone semble incapable de faire. C'est ce que vous arrêter pas de crier haut et fort. Tu semble avoir des problèmes de cohérence :)

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  9. Je suis bien d'accord avec toi Dartagnan. Même que je suis convaincu que si les singes avaient un peu plus d'intelligence, ils pourraient apprendre l'anglais. Mais seulement l'anglais nord-américain, car l'anglais britannique est bien plus sophistiqué. Quoiqu’inférieur au français, même celui parlé au Québec.

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  10. "Wow quel prejuger(1) dartagnan, ma fille est en immersion et parle anglais et français sans difficulté ce que les enfants francophone(2) semble(3) incapable(4) de faire. C'est ce que vous arrêter(5) pas de crier haut et fort. Tu semble(6) avoir des problèmes de cohérence"

    Et vous semblez avoir des problèmes avec le Français.Six fautes d'ortographe dans un texte de six lignes et je n'ai pas compté les erreurs de syntaxe...Bonne moyenne.Espérant que son professeur a une meilleure moyenne au bâton.

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  11. Mississauga Guy said...

    Dartagnan, isn't this the whole idea of Quebec being the only non-federal jurisdiction directing its whole immigration policy? Isn't the whole idea of this exercise so Quebec can favour French speakers over English (and others)? Now you bitch they don't communicate sufficiently in French! I've got news for you: they communicate better in French than YOU and most of your cohorts do! C'est vrai la là!

    What's all that la-la stuff? Seigneur! My bilingual team comes from Rwanda, Congo, Guyana, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius and other countries of the Francophonie. Even the Haitians I have worked with speak better French than most of those I speak on the phone with...in the Saguenay, Gaspésie, the Lower North Shore and even Montreal!

    Sorry, no, your own government is not happy with the level of French in your own jurisdiction. As for North American English? I've heard horrible English spoken in Britain. It all depends on one's level of education. Thankfully, in my mother's family (born and raised in Estrie) they were good communicators and it rubbed off on me.

    When it comes to la langue française, too many of your ilk are not maitre chez vous!

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  12. Seulement six cool, merci dartagnan rien comme un zélé comme toi pour contribuer ta xénophobie, une partie des fautes est lier a l'utilisation f'un iPod pour contribuer. Retourne parmi les singes vu que tu semble t'y connaitre en singerie. Et en passant tu oublie de contrer mon point, car semble avoir compris mon texte malgré les fautes.

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  13. Interesting comments.

    Here we have the professor of the francais Me. Dart.... illustrating exactly why people are of the opinion that Quebec is a fascist society protecting their language by trampling on others. The comment...."Ils ne travaillent pas parcequ'ils ne maîtrisent pas suffisemment notre langue,qui est un peu trop subtile et raffinée pour eux.La langue anglaise est une langue rudimentaire facile a apprendre par tous mais pas essentielle chez nous" is about as bigotted as it gets.

    As far as french goes I am trying to learn the language (can read and write it pretty good but don't speak it well) and I find I understand those from france and algeria far better than the average Quebecois sitcom or people I listen too when in Quebec (which is quite frequent) Also, the commentators on Radio Canada such as Galipeau whose french is very good and easy to understand.

    I believe the poster D'art.... simply typifies the insecure separatist mindset in Quebec. Unfortunate, as one day the immigrants he criticizes may be in fact his boss. Then what will he do.

    "When it comes to la langue française, too many of your ilk are not maitre chez vous! "

    Well, no one is a villian in their own movie.

    As far as Pauline Marois is concerned, she is old and out of gas... She is afraid to even name a date for a referendum as she know well that there is only minority support for separation in Quebec. Odd isn't it, that in Quebec they generally have been electing BQ federal polticians and balance it with federal provincial politicians such as the PLQ. The scales are always balanced in this fashion so the province as a whole doesn't fall off the brink.

    Une bonne soiree a tous. I am sure Darthead will criticze my french and illustrate to me what a stupid anglo I am. Lucky I have broad shoulders and a "square head" to deflect his criticisms. Not that it would matter to me in the least fashion.

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  14. For Mississauga Guy,

    If you read my posts you see that I am very much a federalist Anglophone. Well, I am actually an Allophone but I lean heavily to the English side.

    Some separatists think that the concession in Canada-Quebec accord is not enough. Immigrants that come through asylum/refugee status is processed federally. Since Quebec is the province with the best social assistance, many of them come to Quebec regardless of their language capability. Many of them who come will subsequently leave the province once they can get on their feet.

    As well, even though the family reunification stream is handled by the province, the province can not do anything on the language front. What is needed in this stream is a sponsor that is capable to support the applicant. The last group is the immigrants who applied through the federal program and moved to Quebec once they landed in Canada. Since Quebec is part of the Confederation, it really can not prevent the inter-provincial movement of Permanent Residents and Citizens.

    All in all, language issues aside, as I wrote in another thread, there is a major negative impact of Quebec limiting its prospective immigrants. Current "high quality" immigrants come from East, Southeast and South Asia. All are regions with virtually no usage of French. Those come to BC, ON and AB and they push they prosperity growth of the said provinces. Quebec is left with those who may be fluent in French but come with little capital and not too marketable qualifications.

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  15. A little intermezzo and a bit out of context.

    My wife just received her Canadian citizenship. Because of that, a few days ago she received a congratulatory letter from our federal MP, Marc Garneau. Since she applied for the citizenship in English, the letter/certificate (in a good-looking hard folder bearing the House of Commons livery) is also in English. It is fine and dandy.

    That then got me thinking. There is got to be an English-speaking Permanent Resident in the riding of Laurier-Ste-Marie applying for citizenship. When that person gets his citizenship, he will receive a certificate from the MP of his riding, which is no other than M. Gilles Duceppe. M. Duceppe MUST send that certificate if the citizen wishes to. In addition, it MUST be sent in the language of the citizen. For sure the prefered language of the constituent trumps that of the individual MP.

    So there it is. Another Quebec separatist paradox. Gilles Duceppe can be said as the leader of the separatist movement on the federal level. However, he also has the obligation of congratulating his constituent of obtaining CANADIAN citizenship, written on the Parliament of Canada's stationery, bearing coats of arms of Canada and its provinces and territories, and delivered in English if necessary.

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  16. "...ce que les enfants francophone(sic) semblent(sic) incapable(sic) de faire..."

    Nos enfants Fracophones sont "immergés" dès leur naissance dans une mer anglophone.Ils n'ont qu'a utiliser le web ou regarder la télé.Amérique du Nord: 2% Francophone / 98% anglophone.Saisissez-vous le rapport de force ou êtes-vous simplement nul en math?

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  17. "...une partie des fautes est lier a l'utilisation f'un iPod..."

    Faites-vite une plainte auprès de Steve Jobs car son système a de grosses lacunes...Comme son ipad dailleurs.

    Ciao gringos!

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  18. D'Artagnan, there is a saying, "People who live in a glass house should not throw stones."

    You criticize people on their writing. Yet, you yourself do not seem to be capable of putting space after a period in every sentence you write. That, I believe, is a more fundamental ortographical mistake than the plural forms of adjectives.

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  19. Another one for d'Artagnan who wrote, "Amérique du Nord: 2% Francophone / 98% anglophone."

    I guess it is easy to live with simple mind since it can easily simplify things.

    If by North America you mean Canada and the United States, the breakdown is:

    Anglophones: 68.2%
    Francophones: 2.6%
    Hispanophones: 8.3%
    Sinophones: 8.9%
    Allophones: 12% (including indigenous languages)

    The number of Anglophones can drop further if one adds Mexico in the mix, and can yet even further if the Caribbeans and those South of Mexico until Panama are included.

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  20. Dartagnan : “Amérique du Nord: 2% Francophone / 98% anglophone.Saisissez-vous le rapport de force ou êtes-vous simplement nul en math?”

    The problem is NOT with the grasp of demographics and basic math. The problem is with the selective use of statistics such as this one by separatists such as YOURSELF.

    Everyone knows how small demographic weight the Francophones carry, and how little economic force they constitute in the large scheme of things. The problem is that people like you CANNOT assimilate (pun intended) the significance of the numbers you yourselves cite.

    You juggle these statistics to defend your “ideas” that seeped deeply into your brain during your formative years (possibly at UQAM) without noticing that you might be contradicting yourself. When defending language laws, you will cite the 2% stat to demonstrate the dire a situation the Francophones find themselves in and how that fact alone justifies the laws that serve as a “protective blanket” for your language and culture. The next day when challenged with an argument that the Francophones are a tiny minority and the laws that protect your language are a proof that their language is losing ground, you will cite the 80% statistic (percentage of Francophones in Quebec) and argue that you are a well-established, secure majority and the laws are there to merely reflect your majority status.

    It’s YOU who has to accept the 2% statistic that you cite with such zeal. And maybe then you and your nationalist pals will get off the high horse and see the world a little clearer, and realize that Quebec and the Quebecois are nothing but insignificant spectators of world affairs and noone cares. The spotlight is not on you because you're in no way special, or distinct, or unique. You're just like everyone else. So accept the 2%. Embrace it. Live with it.

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  21. On the subject of Duceppe and the separatists check this out.

    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/08/25/quebec-city-arena-duceppe.html#socialcomments

    Unbelievable, that he would ask Harper for money to build an arena in Quebec city after all the shit Duceppe has disturbed in Ottawa. The man is obviously on some form of narcotics as he seems to have no sense of reality.

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  22. "And maybe then you and your nationalist pals will get off the high horse and see the world a little clearer, and realize that Quebec and the Quebecois are nothing but insignificant spectators of world affairs and noone cares. The spotlight is not on you because you're in no way special, or distinct, or unique"

    Amen, couldn't agree more. This whole distinct society issue in Canada is really getting to be an old horse. Unfortunately for the Quebecois the ROC is beginning to tire of the entire charade.

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  23. Troy about Dartagnan:

    "You criticize people on their writing. Yet, you yourself do not seem to be capable of putting space after a period in every sentence you write."

    Dartagnan also uses far too many ellipses (...). This, along with the lack of spaces make his comments bothersome to read. But not quite as repellent as the content of his posts.

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  24. ENOUGH!!!

    I'm not going to print any more comments about spelling or sentence construction errors.
    I would hope this blog is about ideas.

    Attack the argument, not the spelling. Plaese.
    Respectfully NoDogs

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  25. "Attack the argument, not the spelling. Plaese.
    Respectfully NoDogs"

    Well, if there is no argument which can be refuted, then some are left only to petty critiques of spelling or grammer. You know who you are.

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  26. A peak of hypocrisy:

    "DUCEPPE URGES HARPER TO COMMIT TO NEW QUEBEC CITY ARENA"

    http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=331647

    The comments that follow are worth reading.

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  27. Adski, si on envoyait pas près de 50 milliards par année à Ottawa, on aurait pas besoin de quêter.

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  28. To Anon. at 6:13 PM:
    "si on envoyait pas près de 50 milliards par année à Ottawa, on aurait pas besoin de quêter."

    Quebec gets all of that tax money back, plus about 8.5 billion extra in equalization payments. Enough is enough!

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  29. Adski, si tu lis ce message, il ne faut pas oublier qu'il est reconnu que notre annexion au Canada coûte environ 3 milliards par année parce qu’Ottawa dédouble certains de nos programmes. Par ailleurs, il est également reconnu que le fédéral investit et dépense moins au Québec que le pourcentage de sa population, et ce, depuis des décennies. Enfin, si en 1995 il y avait eu plus d'ethniques (anglo et allo) qui avaient voté Oui, on ne parlerait pas de péréquation.

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  30. "...parce qu’Ottawa dédouble certains de nos programmes."

    It is actually Quebec that is duplicating federal programs. An example is the Regie des rentes. All other provinces use the Canada Pension Plan.

    "Par ailleurs, il est également reconnu que le fédéral investit et dépense moins au Québec que le pourcentage de sa population, et ce, depuis des décennies."

    This is absolute bullshit, like the fiscal imbalance that Quebec nationalists mention. Where did you get these statistics?
    As the wealth of Quebec declines with each passing year, it is becoming even more dependent on hand-outs from the rest of Canada.

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