Random Friday

 Tories cave in on census

My post Wednesday about the census long form may have been somewhat prescient, but unfortunately events have proved my conclusion faulty. LINK. 

As you remember, I pointed out that the questions on the 2006 census long form may have been subject to manipulation by an Internet campaign mounted by some francophone groups (outside Quebec) meant to inflate the number of unilingual francophones.

Then I made the completely wrong observation that perhaps the manipulation that I described was perhaps one of the reasons that the Tories got rid of the form.
As events have unfolded, Tony Clement has now given in to mounting pressure from these very same francophone lobby groups and announced that he's adding three of those exact same questions on language, back onto the short census form. LINK 

Oh well.....

The questions that Mr. Clement is adding to the mandatory 2011 short-form census are:

1. Can this person speak English or French well enough to conduct a conversation?
2. What language does this person speak most often at home?
3. Does this person speak any other languages on a regular basis at home?

Mr. Clement caved in on exactly what it is that the francophone groups wanted to preserve on the long form, questions about language that can be manipulated.

And so, these lobby groups have gotten exactly what they wanted, an opportunity to fiddle the books.
I guarantee you that another not-so-underground campaign will be launched to instruct francophones how to answer these questions in a manner that will show that there are more unilingual francophones than in reality. 

And so without further ado, here's what the answers will look like, regardless of the truth.

1. Can this person speak English or French well enough to conduct a conversation?   Answer: FRENCH
2. What language does this person speak most often at home?  Answer: FRENCH
3. Does this person speak any other languages on a regular basis at home? answer: Answer: NO

Anglos take Cabinet hit

While nobody in the English press is saying it, Quebec Anglos took it on the chin in the re-shuffled Quebec cabinet of Jean Charest. I've already told you that both Kathleen Weil and Yolande James,  were essentially beards for Jean Charest in cabinet. It was he who basically ran their portfolios.

But Weil looked particularly ill at ease in public and many francophones openly questioned whether she had the right stuff to fight the Supreme Court decision overturning the legality of Bill 104. Many questioned whether an Anglo should ever be given the sensitive post of Justice Minister. With Tony Tomassi out and Lawrence Bergman in a do nothing job, the two woman have now split James' previous portfolio and have been moved into what would be described as junior ministerial positions in the federal government.
The Journal de Montreal described Weil as the only Anglophone in the Cabinet, erroneously concluding that James is a francophone. Not true....her family is from St.Lucia. Perhaps her wonderful French is deceiving.
At any rate it's not looking so good for we Anglos in cabinet....

Bellemare circling the drain

Marc Bellemare got a rude comeuppance in a Quebec City court where he went to petition the court that the Bastarache Commission (investigating the charges that he made concerning the alleged purchase of judgeships) be struck down. Justice Alicia Soldevila, gave him a stern tongue lashing for embellishing and making false accusations about the law firm that Mr. Bastarache hails from. When Bellemare's lawyer demanded to know how much Bastarache earned at Heenan Blaikie, the judge asked how the question would help her decide on the question at hand.  Bellemare's allegations that the law firm receives a lot of un-tendered work from the Charest government were also shot down.  The judge reserved judgment until next week, but it's likely that Bellemare is going to get his wrists slapped. His strategy of tainting the commission as biased, before it has even commenced hearings, raises the spectre that Bellemare is preparing the public for his inevitable humiliation. Mr. Bellemare is looking more and more like another whistle-blower,  Myriam Bedard, who turned out to be a fruit cake. LINK

Another Oka Shakedown

In a rare twist of events, it's a Quebec developer rather than the natives, who seems to be in the process of shaking down the town of Oka in relation to a parcel of land that he obtained adjacent to the OKA reserve( and which is valued at $100,000.)
Normand Ducharme's announcement, made with great fanfare that he'd be building three luxury homes on the parcel of land, got the required reaction from natives and the spectre of another Oka Crisis was raised.
But let me ask you this-
What idiot would build on land that is subject to a land dispute and which could engender a violent reaction from natives?
What bank would lend money to develop such a project and what financial institution would provide mortgage money for any house built on the disputed land?

Finally what moron would buy such a house? Would you?

Perhaps it was all an elaborate ruse to get the city to buy his land at an inflated price, say $400,000.
And presto! It seems that a confidential deal has been reached with the city to avert a potential 'disaster,' including just such a payment!  LINK

Well done, Mr. Ducharme!

To the the natives and to the city of Oka.  Congratulations, you've been played!

Friday Funnies

For all those who accused me of resorting to McCarthyism in my piece on Amir Khadir, I kindly offer this light-hearted commentary.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!!!
BONNE FIN DE SEMAINE À TOUS!!!