Anglos Still 'Rule' Much of Montreal

One of the strange myths of the French language nationalist movement is that English is taking over the island of Montreal. This is based partly on the perception that immigrants are adopting English in a greater demographic proportion than French and anecdotal evidence that English use is on the upswing in private and public use in Montreal.

There's no doubt that outside the greater Montreal area (with a couple of exceptions), the English influence has been largely decimated and so in comparing Montreal to the rest of the province, it's easy to see why this misconception exists.
While the face of Quebec has radically changed towards a French only society, Montreal appears to become more and more English, by virtue of it changing at a much slower pace.

Montreal remains stubbornly resistant to this Francisation, and remains in many respects, what it always has been, a bilingual city.
Claims by language militants that Montreal is a French city is nothing more than bravado and wishful thinking, unsupported by the facts.

While the numbers of English residents has diminished, particularly over the last forty years, Anglos still make up a significant percentage of the city and in many areas of the city, actually dominate.

The comprehensive study released by Statistics Canada, which I cited yesterday paints a very different picture of Anglophone society in Quebec and particularly Montreal, than what French language militants would have us believe.

Here, from that study is a table indicating the percentage of Anglos living in the various cities on the island of Montreal;

For those unfamiliar with the Montreal region, it is an island that is politically divided between it's largest component, the City of Montreal, and about two dozen towns, most of them located in the central and western part of the island. The farther west one goes, the greater the English influence, as you can see from the map below.(Red=equals English)

While the StatsCan study says that Anglos make up one-third of the residents of the island of Montreal, it doesn't consider that the eastern half of the island is completely bereft of Anglophones.
If one were to consider the downtown core plus the areas west only, Anglos make up  at least 50% of the residents, perhaps more.

So is it any wonder that in this area of Montreal, English is spoken widely, and that English culture flourishes?

French language militants refuse to face the unalterable fact that Montreal is still a bilingual city, or if not, a two language city. Though coercive language laws may have changed the outward appearance of the city, by ripping down English public signage, this underlying fact remains. Trying to sell the fiction that Montreal is a French city and that Anglos are interlopers is the core of the language 'problem.'

So instead of complaining that Montreal is becoming too English, it would be fairer if French language militants complained that Montreal is still too English.

This is isn't splitting hairs, there's a big difference between the concepts.

If the first scenario is true, the concept that Montreal is becoming too English, militants can fairly claim to be defending the French nature of the city.

But if the second scenario is true and Montreal has always been a two-language and two-cultured city, with that English element remaining stable or declining slowly,  it would expose the ugly truth that efforts to curb this English influence is nothing more than ethnic cleansing.

Heads Will Roll Over Foolish Macleans Article

We've all seen the movie where the editor of a newspaper or magazine comes under undue pressure from a big client who demands that the newspaper kill an unfavourable or unflattering story or else face the prospect of losing a big advertiser.

It's more than an urban myth, it's a reality that the media faces when it reports on its own advertisers.

Now Maclean's magazine doesn't seem to have a lot to lose in writing a completely unflattering article accusing Quebec of being the most corrupt province. There aren't a lot of subscribers here and not a lot of advertisers that could be affected, or so it seems.

Whether the story is actually true or not, is entirely beside the point. Foolishly, the magazine never really considered the consequences of printing such an inflammatory piece, or worse, using outrageously inappropriate and insulting cover art.

Quebeckers are seething.

To be honest, most can't even read English, but seeing the image of Bonhomme Carnaval being abused in such a way, was enough to send them into a justified fury.
It isn't a great leap to conclude that given the trash treatment of Bonhomme, the article would likely be as unfair.

While Maclean's defenders tells us to look past the title of the article and cover artwork and instead concentrate on the gist of the article, they are badly out of touch with reality.

I don't know what Maclean's was thinking. Apparently nobody overseeing the magazine had the good sense to anticipate the reaction. In that respect, they are rank amateurs.

Let me be the first (to my knowledge) to predict that heads will roll in consequence. It won't take long for the link between the magazine and it's parent corporation, ROGERS, to be made.

And Rogers has a lot to lose in Quebec. Any sort of boycott, or even a talk of a boycott would be devastating and don't think it isn't coming.

Right now, somewhere in Toronto the midnight oil is burning at Rogers headquarters and the damage control consultants have been summoned and are in full battle mode. A plan is brewing.

Someone is going to be thrown under the bus. Someone will pay.
It's coming, just you wait and see.

Just ask Jan Wong, whose career nosedived after writing an article claiming that the Dawson shooting could be blamed on Bill 101. Link

"Jan Wong, it seems recently freed of any restrictions on speaking about matters surrounding her departure of the Globe, confided in the large group of student journalists that she was fired while on leave for depression."  Link 

There's a lot of nervous editors over at Maclean's, you can bet on it. They deserve to be.

P..S
I was going to write a piece myself denouncing the Maclean's article for various reasons, but there's enough being said by better writers than myself.

For the very best piece on the subject read what Carole Beaulieu, the editor of L'Acualité, a French sister publication of Maclean's, had to say; LINK

BOMBSHELL! Statistics Canada Discovers Many More Anglos in Quebec!

I've always maintained that the language and demographic statistics bandied about by Quebec nationalists are subject to the most fanciful of interpretation, reflecting outright misrepresentation, more often than not.

Statistics Canada has released a bombshell study that discredits the conventional perception that Anglos make up about 8.5% of the Quebec population.
This figure has been so widely circulated by language nationalists that it has passed into the separatist narrative woven by organizations like the Societé Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

".... the criterion of the first official language spoken (FOLS) offers a more inclusive definition of the Anglophone population. The English FOLS population’s relative share is 11.9% (885,000) excluding those having French and English as a double first official language, and 13.4% (995,000) when half the population with both French and English as FOLS is included. This is a sizable difference, in comparison with the 607,000 persons who have English as their mother tongue." -Statistics Canada

 DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE REPORT HERE

The dark blue bar indicates what has been traditionally defined as anglophones, while the light blue line is more inclusive.
It takes into consideration immigrant stock that have assimilated into the Anglophone community over the years and share English as their first language as opposed to French. Second and third generation Greeks, Italians, Chinese, Portuguese, Jews etc. are now considered bone fide anglophones if they speak English at home and if their children attend English schools legally. Makes sense.
Also, previous calculations considered Anglo/French families as francophone, instead considering 50% of them being English.

Interestingly, it jives rather neatly with what nationalist Mario Bealieu of the SSJB complains about, when he says that 12% of children attend primary and high school in English. These children (except a handful of gatecrashers) all require proper documentation to get into English school and must have a mother, father, sister or brother who attended English school before them.

And so incredibly, there are now 50% more Anglos living in Quebec than yesterday!

In one fell swoop, Anglo ranks have increased from 8.5% to 13.4%, to just under 1 million citizens!

Another interesting statistic is one that Anglo-Quebeckers understand intuitively, that they don't particularly feel like a minority, because they live in communities that have huge Anglo representation.

 The numbers would be adjusted much, much higher if the survey would  discount the eastern part of the island of Montreal, where very few Anglos live.

The study is chock full of interesting tidbits which the intrepid reader can peruse by downloading the file. I'll write more about the study in a further post, but now,  I don't want to be accused of information overload.

Now I'm sure that the report will be widely ignored in nationalist circles, after all it doesn't fit in with their agenda.
What surprises me is why the Anglo press isn't jumping on this story.

In Defence of Bonhomme Carnaval

I wonder how English Canada would react to a Maclean's cover depicting Queen Elizabeth in a less than flattering pose?
Especially considering that she has nothing to do with the pseudo cover story about the expanding waistline of Canadians, nor is she particularly obese herself.

The problem that I have with Maclean's cover of October 4, is that the depiction of Bonhomme Carnaval is gratuitous and uncalled for.

Maclean's has always used provocative covers to grab magazine buyers' attention. It's a tough market out there for the print media, especially magazines, so pushing the envelope is one way to create some buzz and interest..

No one can deny that this week's cover certainly grabbed national attention. but was it ethical?

I don't think so, not at all.

There have been Maclean's covers in the past depicting George Bush dressed up as Saddam Hussein, but the ex-president was fair game. Bonhomme is not.


Bonhomme Carnival doesn't deserve to be portrayed as a 'bag man,' just because the mascot is a famous and familiar Quebec symbol.

It reminds me of those vulgar portrayals of the Simpsons characters, cast in various lewd and sexual positions, floating around the Internet.
Not something that a mainstream news magazine should be involved with, under any circumstances.

Now Maclean's claims to have gotten permission to use the iconic symbol, but it's clear that they either lied to the rights holder about their intentions or made an egregious sin of omission, both cases equally unpardonable.

Grossly dishonest.

If I was the Quebec Carnival organizers, I wouldn't hesitate to sue. There may be a case to be made that the magazine engaged deception. There is  no way that the Carnival would knowingly allow their beloved mascot be bastardized this way.

If Maclean's fooled them, let them admit it in court.
It is a case of journalistic misrepresentation bordering on fraud.

In the end, the magazine did itself a disservice, allowing the articles to be framed by the offensive cover and altering the debate from corruption in Quebec to Quebec-bashing.

If you haven't read to two articles related to the cover, here they are.

Quebec: The most corrupt province.

What lies beneath Quebec’s scandals?


Before I comment on the actual stories and the reaction in Quebec, I'm going to do something different.
I going to let readers comment before me.

My question to all is this.

WAS THE MACLEAN'S ARTICLE AND THE RELATED COVER, A CASE OF QUEBEC-BASHING, OR NOT? 

Fire away!

French versus English Volume 15

TV commentator calls Anglos & Immigrants -"Abnormal"

In the unremitting hateful world of Quebec nationalists, anglophones and immigrants continue to represent an 'abnormality' because they won't vote for the Parti Quebecois. 
Imagine that!
For ex-MP and panel regular on RDI (CBC French news channel,) Jean-Pierre Charbonneau that's exactly what he said on air. Complaining that ethnics act too "anglo.'

"For many immigrants the constitutional question remains a sticking point, which hinders them from acting like normal citizens. In the end they act just like anglophones, who have an allergy towards the PQ even if it isn't about a referendum " Hear the Comment (French)

I guess voting for the PQ is what nationalists mean when they say they want immigrants to assimilate.

After viewers bombarded the station with complaints over the remarks, Mr. Charbonneau apologized telling the audience that at first he didn't even believe that he had made the offending remark and that he had to go to the tape for confirmation. Must have been a Freudian slip. And so Mr. Charbonneau told the audience in a mea culpa that he has nothing but the greatest respect for immigrants.  As for the anglos, not so much.... Ahemm.....
See him grovel here.. starting at 1:45sec. of the video

Militant Receives Absolute discharge 

After admitting harassing an anglophone candidate running for a city council position, Jean-Roch Villemaire was found guilty in a Gatineau courtroom. Link(French)

"As of late, I've sent several emails to West Quebeckers and Barbara Charlebois demanding that they stop anglicizing Quebec. I also wrote "Français", "Québec libre" and "FLQ" on two windows and the West Quebecers sign. I removed  about a dozen of Ms. Charlebois' election signs. I didn't commit any act of violence, nor did I make any calls to violence either.  - Jean-Roch Villemaire

 Read my post about the incident
After receiving a very generous 'absolute discharge' in court, Mr Villemaire seemed to have mellowed somewhat, perhaps wiser with his brush with the legal system. Or maybe he was just keeping up appearances until sentencing. As I predicted in that blog piece, he has remained off the militant grid ever since being charged. It remains to be seen whether he returns to his past ways, now that he is a 'free' man.
The only condition imposed upon him by the court was that he repay the Regional Association of West Quebecers, $500 for the trouble he caused, a sweet irony.

Talk-Show Host- Albertans are 'illiterate Hillbillies'

Decrying western Canadians opposition to the gun registry, afternoon talk-show host and noted anglo-basher Benoît Dutrizac called Albertans "a band of illiterate hillbillies' because according to  him, they are unable to fill out the necessary forms.

Taking the blowhard to task is blogger 'David' writing on the conservative web site- Republique de Bananes.
Apparently Mr. Dutrizac should check his figures before mouthing off. It seems that Alberta has the lowest rate of illiteracy in Canada and Quebec has the the highest and this by a wide margin! Over half of Quebeckers are either illiterate or functionally illiterate!
Touché!

Future Francophone teachers cheat on French Test

Exasperated by a French test that future francophone teacher must pass to be licensed and which they deem too difficult, someone has created a Facebook page where they disclose several of the test's  questions. The site has over 1,100 members where they 'discuss' aspects of the test. See the Facebook page HERE
Here's a sample of the type of stuff being posted;

 "For the September 12 2010, Here's what I remember of the vocabulary section;

Paradoxe, Tacite, Exubérant,
...Prendre le taureau par les cornes,
Marcher sur des oeufs,
le suffixe "ite" comme dans "cellulite" et "bronchite",
le suffixe "èdre" comme dans "polyèdre" ou "hexaèdre"   Link(French)

It's good to know that the future guardians of the educational system are nothing more than a band of cheaters, spelt "T-R-I-C-H-E-U-R-S."

Who earns more, Francophones or Anglophones?

The current war over the question of who earns more, francophones or anglophones, between Jack Jebwab on the anglo side and Charles Castonguay on the francophone side,  is proof positive that depending on your point of view, it's possible to make statistics say just about anything.
It started with an article by Jebwad, claiming that francophones make more than anglophones. This was countered by Castonguay, an retired professor of mathematics, who 'proved' that the opposite was true. Now Jebwab is swinging back.
In a well written and perhaps unintentionally hilarious piece, Marian Scott of the Montreal Gazette describes the ongoing saga. 
Whether you're French or English you're going to enjoy seeing those statistics dance according to the 'caller.'
For added pleasure, read the article while listening to a recording of "Duelling Banjos," it'll set the perfect tone! 

Montreal becoming more "like them, less like us"

Writing from the cosy environs of the lily white, Catholic, Quebec City region, Réjean Labrie  decries the fact that immigrants are literally changing the face of Montreal.

"Little by little, Quebec is de-nationalizing, losing the elements of its own identity like a tree losing its leaves, becoming less like us and more like them.  Link (French)

I wouldn't have posted this run of the mill story except for a rather poignant allegorical photo that was included in the piece, a picture of a pure and bewildered Quebecoise, surrounded ignored and overwhelmed by 'les autres.'

 

Macleans dropping another bomb on Quebec

An email  from "Frank P." directed me over to Patrick Lagacé's blog where he advised readers that Macleans magazine is dropping another one of those Quebec-bashing bombshells in it's issue that drops today. Read some portions online, this week-end.

 As Frank P. wrote;

"Best we hold on to our "toques" as this one is going to create a wof "Ad nauseam Lamentata" (sic) by the usual nationalistic pseudo-victims zealots."

I've no doubt.....

 SEE ALSO:
 French versus English Volume 14

Quebec Nordiques & New Colisée Can be Successful

Yesterday I reported that, as best as I can figure, a proposed new arena in Quebec City would cost in the neighbourhood of $20-$25 million dollars a year to operate, or about $7 per Quebec taxpayer per year,  were they to pick up the tab.
It's not an outrageous price, probably worth it, but it's a figure that can be knocked down to almost zero with a little creativity and entrepreneurship.
That sum assumes that the entire cost of the arena will be mortgaged and no direct government subsidy be involved in the construction. It also assumes that the building would generate revenues solely by renting itself out for NHL hockey, concerts, shows etc. etc.

But if the building operated as a business instead of a venue, it could easily boost revenues and seriously cut into that figure, quite possibly breaking even or making a profit.

Finding an owner that would contribute to the arena's profitability, instead of an owner who looked to take money out of the building is probably the first key to success.

In this regard I can't think of anyone better suited to own and operate the Nordiques and the arena than Loto-Quebec...

Yup......Loto-Quebec.
The Quebec casino and lottery agency is a natural fit.

Folding the Nordiques and the arena into it's operations would provide the team a vast marketing juggernaut and most importantly, financial stability. Unlike a 'private' owner, making a large profit  is not necessary, a goal of break-even for the publicly owned corporation would be perfectly satisfactory. 

It would be up to the Loto-Quebec to assume the mortgage and operations of the building and it would be their responsibility to 'find' this $20-$25 million in additional revenue required to make the project break even.
This can be accomplished through team operations and other revenue devices, most likely, a mini casino, to be added to the Colisee.
 
Gary Bettman has already given his blessing to casino gambling associating with an NHL franchise. The Pittsburgh Penguins have opted for this route in the partial financing of it's new arena, Consul Energy Center. The Penguins have licensed those rights for a $7.5 million yearly payment.

"Although professional sports generally try to avoid any association with gambling, the NHL has given its blessing for the Penguins to pursue a slots license. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that league would have no problem with a team owning and operating a parlor, even if it were part of the arena."LINK

Now you might say that casino profits are just another form of tax, but at least it's a voluntary tax, one that is assumed by those wishing to gamble. I myself never go to the Montreal casino, it's too cumbersome to get there and I'm not a big gambler to begin with. That being said, if the casino was located in the Bell Centre, I certainly would be enticed to go to the game early or stay late, to complete an evening out.

Additionally, Loto-Quebec can promote the Nordiques through ticket give-aways that would replace some cash prizes.
Win a set of season tickets, a night in a loge for you and your friends, thousands of tickets instead of cash prizes etc.etc. Like I said, Loto-Quebec is a marketing juggernaut.

Arguably, all this is just a shifting of disposable income, but unlike a restaurant meal or a movie, there is a side benefit to a lot of fans who will enjoy having a team without actually paying for it directly it.

The major other aspect to financing the arena is of course, ownership of the NHL franchise, the Quebec Nordiques.

Although the Nordiques can't compete with the Montreal Canadiens who spin off an estimated $40 million dollars in profit, the Nordiques do have some advantages that even the mighty Canadiens don't.

For one thing the arena wouldn't have to pay municipal taxes which now costs the Canadiens over $7 million a year. This tax forgiveness would be in lieu of the arena forgoing the $50 million promise Mayor Lebaume made to the arena project. Also there's a lot of parking revenue to be made because of the large plot of land that the old Colisée sits on. The Montreal Canadiens don't get any parking revenue at all, due to it's confined downtown location. Combined this would add over $10 million in revenue that the Canadiens don't get.

To top it off, broadcast rights for the Nordiques are worth a fortune, more than the Canadiens and possibly second only in the league to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's right.

Although Pierre-Karl Péladeau has been playing the reluctant hero, he is absolutely desperate to get his clutches into the Nordiques. Without being overly dramatic, the broadcast rights to the Nordiques represent a key element in the battle of media giants, Videotron and Bell.

If you haven't heard, Bell recently bought out CTV and thus are now 100% owners of RDS, the sports network that own the Montreal broadcast rights. If they out-bid TVA sports(Quebecor/Videotron/Péladeau)  for the broadcast rights for the Nordiques, they can put a terrible squeeze on the whole Péladeau media empire.
Remember Péladeau, has recently launched a wireless service to compete with Bell Wireless and Bell has launched FIBE, a high speed cable service to compete with Videotron cable.

If Péladeau gets the broadcast rights to the Nordiques, the two giants will have to live with each other and broadcast each others products, the Canadiens and the Nordiques, both on Bell and Videotron.

If Bell gets the Nordiques, Videotron is screwed.
Once the FIBE network is developed and Bell has enough penetration between that and it's satellite service, imagine the damage they could inflict by removing RDS from Videotron.
Ouch! Remember that both giants offer telephone/TV/Internet packages. If the Videotron package doesn't include the Nordiques/Canadiens, it isn't hard to imagine the competitive advantage of Bell.

And so like the auction where two rich buyers try to out-bid each other, I expect the Nordiques to win the second largest broadcast deal in the NHL, making the team highly profitable.

By combining all these revenue streams, it seems to me that the whole arena/Nordiques can be done without direct public financing and Loto-Quebec can probably turn a small profit on the whole affair.

My plan may not be pretty, but it's a plan. At least it's a call for those involved to look for answers outside the taxation route.

French or English, all Canadiens benefit from more Canadian teams in the NHL. It would be wonderful to add Winnipeg and another team in southern Ontario to the fold.

Now this post is non-political, it is about HOCKEY, so no anti-Quebec or anti-Canada comments please.

Can you make my plan better?
The idea is to get Quebec City and more Canadian teams in the NHL. If you are against that notion than post somewhere else.

That being said, fair criticism is always welcomed. Fire away.

Peladeau Not the Answer to the Return Of Nordiques

Montreal hockey fans were none too surprised at goaltender Carey Price's mini-holdout earlier this month, before he ultimately signed an overly generous contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
The sports radio talk shows were filled with angry fans who were mightily annoyed that the Canadiens management traded their only other bone fide NHL goaltender, Jaroslav Halak without already having Price under contract. Even the dumbest, beer-swilling, hockey moron understood that it left the Canadiens in a poor negotiating position, one where they'd have to overpay Price for his sub-par performance of last year, or be left holding air.

The same goes for a sports arena in Quebec city. It's the height of lunacy to build an arena on 'spec' without already having a deal with the NHL in the bag.
Just look what happened in Hamilton where they built the Copps Coliseum in anticipation of an NHL franchise that never came. Now the building is no longer up to NHL standards and the idea of a new building just won't fly anymore.

Could you imagine Gary Bettman's negotiating position vis-a-vis a team in Quebec City with a $400 million arena sitting virtually empty?  Whatever the price of admission would be before the arena is built, it would drastically go up after. 

Are the politicians that dumb?
Yessir, they are.
Along with most of reporters and the media analysts covering the story, who are unable to exercise critical judgment.
The debate over the arena, reminds me of the old story of the executioner asking the condemned man how he would prefer to die, by hanging or gunshot.

Neither I would think.....but in Quebec we are discussing the rope or the gun and nothing else.

Masterfully, Bettman has claimed to remain neutral, but not before warning anyone who will listen, that without a new arena, there'll be no chance of Quebec getting an NHL franchise. So like a dog chasing a rubber ball on a string, a new arena is in order, much to the delight of those pulling the string, Bettman and his sidekick, Pierre-Karl Péladeau. Round and round we go!

And so we watch in morbid fascination, the altogether familiar shakedown playing out before us. Like Fric and Frac, Bettman is swearing that Quebec needs a new arena and Péladeau is swearing that he's not going to invest a dime on the building.
Like two fiddlers calling the tune, Bettman and Péladeau are choreographing a reel that Quebeckers seem all to happy to dance to. A hockey team! Hooray!

Two consummate grifters, shaking down the marks, how sadly familiar!

Maybe we Quebeckers should also help out that fine Nigerian fellow who wrote us such a nice, polite letter, offering to let us in on a once in a lifetime deal!

Unfortunately, city after city, jurisdiction after jurisdiction across North America have fallen for the sports arena/stadium scam, run on them by sports leagues and robber-baron owners who take advantage of gullible politicians and eager fans.

While the team owners get a business that is guaranteed a profit, taxpayers get decades of debt.

And so Quebec City innocently believes that while others have been stung by the 'damn the consequences' pursuit of a professional franchise, they will not, even as they follow the same plan and walk the exact same path.

It would be prudent to pause and review the experience of others who have fallen for the same tired flimflam.

We Wuz Robbed! the Subsidized Stadium Scam

Sports Stadium Debt & the Taxpayer
Professional Sports: Taxpayer Parasites
It's Official: Florida Marlins Screwed Miami-Dade Taxpayers

Stadium swindle
Taxpayers Still Owe $110 Million For Old Giants Stadium

If you had the patience to read all the above stories, you'd be pretty ill by now. If you read only one, read the first story.

The idea of taxpayers financing and owning an arena that loses money for the benefit of a team owner that uses the facility to make money, makes sense only if you are the team owner.

I don't think I can put it simpler than that.

I wish politicians and the public would understand, it's not that hard a concept to follow.

If he doesn't assume any stadium risk, Pierre-Karl Péladeau brings nothing to the table, after all, that's what entrepreneurs are supposed to do, assume risk. 

In the scenario that the politicians are pursuing, we are gifting Péladeau millions of dollars a year. Why? It is utter stupidity.

Now I'm not against Quebec City getting a new arena and an NHL franchise. Even if it costs taxpayers some money, it's probably worth it on many levels.

That being said, it's incumbent upon politicians to make sure that the price is as low as possible.

By owning the team as well as the building, profits from team operations can help subsidize the arena, instead of giving those profits away to an operator.

Up to now I haven't waded into the Nordiques/Arena/Péladeau question, because I wanted to read the famous consultants report prepared by Ernst & Young. After a hard slog through its 200 some pages, my first conclusion was, that had it been I who commissioned the said report, I'd ask for my money back.
You can read the full report by clicking on the picture or better still a read a summary of the report HERE.

Click to Read the Report(French)

The report has the feel of a high school term paper that is heavily padded by the student in order to fulfill a minimum word count requirement.
Short on much useful information it wastes 65 pages detailing the economic benefits and spin-offs of the arena, when in reality such a project is an economic net loser and any analyst worth his salt, knows it intuitively.
It's like saying casinos brings wealth to the community, so let's build more.

Here from a study from Canada's own Fraser Institute is the painful truth. 

“No matter what cities or geographical areas are examined, no matter what estimators are used, no matter what model specifications are used, and no matter what variables are used, articles published in peer-reviewed economics journals contain almost no evidence that professional sports franchises and facilities have a measurable economic impact on the economy....”

Read : Subsidizing arenas means putting taxpayers in hock for decades, with zero benefit to the economy

When I read the part that listed the Maritimes as an important secondary market, I almost fell out of my chair laughing. If the consultants can imagine someone driving up from Charlottetown or Halifax to take in a Nordiques game on a regular basis, they are more creative than I thought.

The only thing of interest in the 204 page report, is the one solitary paragraph at the conclusion that says the arena can break even on operations, but cannot pay the mortgage on the $400 building cost, nor can it pay another $4.5 million in annual upkeep.

So there it is.
The annual cost to the taxpayer is about $20-$25 million dollars per year, based on a mortgage of 40 years at current rates, which includes the cost of upkeep.

That's the number that nobody is talking about. Nobody at all.

Scary?
Not really, it comes out to less than $7 per Quebec taxpayer per year.

But instead of demanding that taxpayers foot this annual bill, perhaps somebody should be working on a business model that would reduce this $20-$25 million 'nut' to almost nothing.......
 
By owning the team and making some smart business moves, the new Colisée, owner of the Nordiques can cost the taxpayers nothing, or next to it. It can be done and I'll show you how.

Tomorrow: Quebec Nordiques & The New Colisée Can be Successful.

Anti-English Rally Less than Impressive

The first thing young political organizers are taught, is to accurately predict the number of people likely to attend a certain political meeting, so that the hall size or venue can be adjusted in consequence. This means working the phones for hours and hours, getting commitments and tallying up the numbers.
The rule of thumb (one that all political parties follow) is that the hall should be sized just slightly smaller than that which could accommodate the anticipated crowd. That way, the place will be packed  and the event will appear successful beyond predictions. Nothing plays better on TV than a full house and nothing is worse than the appearance of empty chairs. 

If by chance there is a miscalculation and there are too few people, a backup room, smaller in size may be pressed into service. Sometimes the organizers are forced to 'stack' the room with students or old people who they pay at the last minute in order to make a room appear full.
This was the first lesson taught to me by an experienced and wily political campaign manager, who as my mentor, impressed upon me that to - "KNOW THY ROOM" is the first rule of political organizing.

It is a lesson that organizers of Saturday night's separatist love-a-thon celebrating the French language, held in Montreal, understood very well.
Although the militant web sites and separatist organizations have been hyping the event for weeks and scheduled it perfectly on a Saturday night when nothing much was going on in town, they accurately calculated from the get-go, that they wouldn't be pulling in Celine Dion numbers.

You'd think that by the sound and fury emanating from the thirty something separatist organizations that make up the Coalition contre le projet de loi 103, the whole province was ready to explode in a popular uprising against the government's decision not to invoke the 'Notwithstanding Clause' in relation to the Supreme Court's decision overturning Bill 104.

And so, one wouldn't be faulted in assuming that the separatist rally denouncing the Charest government's answer to the Supreme Court decision, Bill 103, could easily fill the 55,000 seats of Montreal's Olympic Stadium, especially since the rally was gratis and provided some free entertainment.
If not the Olympic Stadium, at least they could try for the 22,000 seats of the Bell Centre, or maybe even an outdoor event at the Saputo stadium of 13,000. Wait.....scratch that last idea, I think the Saputo family would rather eat their children than rent to separatists.

No, the organizers set there sights a little lower, well to be honest, a lot, lot lower.

Harking back to the rule of "Know thy Room" this historic display of nationalist outrage was scheduled and held in the massive Centre Pierre-Charbonneau arena, capacity 2,500 people.
Yup....2,500 people!

And guess what, organizers triumphantly announced that it was a smashing success and even trumpeted the fact that a few people had to be turned away! Textbook!

Well at least it was amazing marketing success. I compliment the pros who ran the event, who  knew exactly how many few people were going to show up and turned a complete failure into vaunted success, by controlling the size of the venue.

To put the numbers in perspective, consider that the Montreal indie band Arcade Fire held an unannounced  impromptu practice concert in a suburban Longueuil shopping mall parking lot without any advertising at all  and managed to attract over 10,000 people.

When Montreal Canadiens ex-goaltender Jaroslav Halak (after being traded to St. Louis) made a return appearance at a local Montreal mall to thank fans for their support over the years, the autograph session attracted over 5,000 people!

Let's face it, a decent -sized high school can turn out 2,500 students to an assembly.

There is an overriding reality that militants and language extremists are  unrepresentative of the general population. While it is probably true that most francophones would prefer to see more Quebeckers or francophones on the Montreal Canadiens, it's not going to stop them from cheering and supporting the team. It seems that when it comes to hockey, loyalty to ones team goes beyond language and even talent as well, if you don't believe me, just ask Toronto Maple Leaf fans.

In spite of a week of Montreal Canadiens' language bashing, the Habs opening of training camp was a wildly successful event, with the public lining up in the wee morning hours to secure a seat in the practice facility. By 9:00am, cars were already being turned away.

What lessons did we learn from Saturday's 'massive' language protest?

Well, first Loco Lacass is one piss poor group of rappers. Even for free, not many wanted to see or hear their out of tune and thoroughly grating performance.

Secondly,  Pierre Curzi, who led last weeks language attack on the Canadiens, might very well be tuning up for a run for power in the PQ, considering Pauline Marois's utter lack of popularity. His recital of the thoroughly racist Quebecois poem "Speak White" went over big, just like Luck Merville's recitation of the FLQ manifesto at the Moulin à paroles last summer.

Lastly, the radical language movement is vastly over estimated. While this minority of Chicken Littles run around telling everyone who will listen that the French language is dying and that English schools are to blame, the majority of Quebeckers (66%), still believe in educational free choice. Link

Perhaps the press is starting to see through this smokescreen. An organizer of the event complained that the press was relegating the story to a third class event and not providing it the appropriate level of coverage.
And just to remind all tomorrow's commentators who believe that those wishing to control the language of education are on the side of angels, let me refer them to Article 26  of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created by the United Nations.

Article 26

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
• (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Separtists Hit New Heights of Absurdity

First, a shout out to reader "Steve Gratton" who was on the story of Pierre Curzi complaining on the radio that the Montreal Canadiens have gone 'rogue' and now are a force for 'federalism.'
NO DOGS OR ANGLOPHONES  published this snippet days before the main press reacted at all. GOOD FOR US! LINK

For those who can understand French there's a recording of the interview, as well as a story over  at radio station CKAC.
Mr. Curzi railed about how the Canadiens are no longer a source of Quebecois pride because the owners have shifted allegiances from Quebec to Ottawa. The nonsense assumes that the Canadiens of the past, by virtue of a francophone heavy roster was somehow a French organization.
It never was.....

Particularly irksome is the Canadiens 'catchphrase;

"NOUS SOMMES CANADIENS - WE ARE CANADIENS"

The story is gathering momentum across the country for it's shear stupidity and Mr. Curzi's missive has served to ridicule language militants.

"No political party should play wedge politics with the Montreal Canadiens," Dimitri Soudas, Mr. Harper's director of communications, said in an email.

He added that it is unwise "to run against a hockey team, like the Habs, that has more victories than the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc Quebecois combined." LINK

Of course the story got even sillier with Pauline Marois wading into the affair decrying the lack of Quebecois on the team;

“Currently it helps federalism more than, in my point of view, the defence of our interests and of our reality as francophones in North America,” she said. LINK

Of course, this is a different tune to that which she sang during the Canadiens fabulous playoff run last spring. But flip-flops are Madame Marois' forte. In her closing address at a weekend-long conference in Drummondville, the PQ leader compared the party's attempt at taking on the Charest Liberals to the Habs' fight for the Stanley Cup.":

"Sovereignists are like the Montreal Canadiens, said Pauline Marois at a Parti Quebecois convention this weekend; underdogs who believe in themselves" LINK 

Gary Clement/National Post- See Original

A variety of French language militants in the press corps, led by blowhard Rejean Tremblay continue to preach discrimination affirmative action in order to get the Canadiens up to linguistic snuff.

Lost on all these militants is the stark reality that the NHL is an English organization. Teams operate in English and foreign and Francophone players who aspire to play in the NHL must polish their English skills along with their skating and shooting.

No team dressing room has ever operated in French and that includes the vaunted Quebec Nordiques.

Players who come to Montreal from outside Quebec aren't going to learn French just because the fans want them to. Perhaps it would be nice, but it's not the reality. The players work in English, raise their families in English, socialize in English and go home once the hockey season is done. 

As for attracting French speaking players, it appears that the good ones don't particularly want to come back to Quebec. The Canadiens have struck out on all levels in trying to attract top talent. Many have told reporters candidly that the pressure and scrutiny of playing in Quebec isn't worth it.
When Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the Canadiens the frenzy was such that reporters camped out in front of his elderly mother's residence, hoping for a comment! It seems that the only francophones interested in the Canadiens are those at the end of their career or those youngsters desperate to make the team. As for the quality players, the pastures are decidedly greener elsewhere.

As for proportional and fair representation, perhaps Mr. Curzi could take up the plight of anglophone civil servants who collectively hold less than one percent of the jobs, while remaining 8.5% of the general Quebec population. REFERENCE

How about some affirmative action? What do you say, Mr. Curzi, Madame Marois?

Kosovo Independence-A Double-Edged Sword

Quebec Nationalists are all excited over a decision by the United Nations International Court of Justice which declared that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia is not illegal. LINK

The decision set off an avalanche of opinion pieces from hopeful sovereignists who saw the decision as an important precedent for Quebec. LINK

Two conclusions were advanced.

The first, spearheaded by the likes of Gérald Larose(French) and Louise Beaudoin(French) argued that the decision renders the Clarity Act moot. (the Clarity Act sets two conditions for Quebec Sovereignty- a clear and concise referendum question and a clear majority voting in favour of the option) 

The second and more fanciful conclusion is that a referendum is not even a necessary element to the secession of Quebec from Canada just a simple declaration of independence by Quebec's Parliament, is all that is required. LINK

But nationalists would be well advised to look this "gift horse" in the mouth, the 'Kosovo decision' may prove more trouble than it's worth.

The idea that the Quebec Parliament can declare sovereignty by virtue of a simple vote may be supported in the Kosovo decision, but would never fly.

After two failed referendums, the world would look on the unilateral declaration of independence as cheating and more importantly, a majority of Quebeckers, including many sovereignists would view the act as undemocratic.

For Quebec, secession without a referendum is not a realistic option, under any circumstances.

The other notion put forward, is that the Kosovo decision refutes the impact of the Clarity Act which demands that Quebec ask a clear referendum question and win a clear majority, before Ottawa would be required to undertake devolution negotiations.

Again this too, is academic.

There's little or no chance that a Separatist government would attempt to do what it did in the last referendums, that is, ask a confusing question like in 1995;

"Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership within the scope of the bill respecting the future of Québec and of the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?.

 Premier Jacques Parizeau at the time, described it as a 'lobster trap' and once Quebeckers voted YES, there could be but one irrevocable conclusion- sovereignty.

You know the old saying..."Fool me once, shame on you" fool me twice, shame on me"

Quebeckers wouldn't stand for such a dishonest question again, but even if they did, everyone now knows that a YES vote in a referendum means sovereignty and nothing else. No voter can claim to think anything else. So once again, the question is purely academic.

As for the last precept of the Clarity Act, the obligation to win a clear majority, the question has also been largely settled. The Quebec government's position that a 50% +1 vote is the threshold for passage of a referendum seems to be accepted as realistic, even by opponents.

Anything else violates the historical reality. Newfoundland entered confederation, barely squeaking out a 52% margin of victory and this on their second referendum attempt.

So all this talk of the Kosovo decision changing anything is hogwash, we've already set our own terms for any secession and those terms are widely accepted by those on both sides of the issue.

That being said, the Kosovo decision may have an important impact on Quebec, should it ever actually vote to leave Canada.

Remember, the essence of the Kosovo decision says that national borders are not inviolate and that it is not illegal for regional governments to declare sovereignty unilaterally.

That is in direct opposition to the separatist position that says that the provincial border of Quebec is inviolate.

If an independent Canada is subject to the Kosovo decision, so is an independent Quebec.

In the eventuality of Quebec independence, the Kosovo decision would give credence to the right of any region within Quebec to secede and remain in Canada. This would certainly apply to the entire northern part of Quebec, the island of Montreal, the Pontiac region and the Beauce.
A simple vote by Montreal, Cote Saint Luc, Hampstead, Dorval, Pierrefonds, etc. etc. would be enough to secede from Quebec and remain in Canada!

Separatists can't argue one way today and another way tomorrow, or to put it in the language of the street- You can't suck and blow at the same time!

In the event of a Quebec separation, you can bet that this issue will come up and that serious efforts would be undertaken in some regions to 'break away' from Quebec.

And so in rushing to embrace the Kosovo decision,  sovereignists would be wise to heed the the old adage that says "be careful what you wish for, lest it come true",

English Cegep Study - A Case of Weird Science

Once again language militants are all atwitter over a published report that 'proves' that attending English cegep(junior college) turns Allophones and Francophones into Anglophones. Typical reaction by French language militants is this by Pierre Leduc;

"Attendance of English colleges by more and more allophones and francophones is an important factor in anglicization, according to a survey by the Institute for Research on French in America (IRFA) and the Centrale des Syndicats du Québec (CSQ )." L'Autre Journal.

The  report itself never really came to this conclusion, but left broad hints that allowed others to jump to this conclusion. Language militants as well as mainstream media, all fell into the trap and wrote article after article indicating that  English cegep attendance was causing Francophones and Allophones to become anglicized.

The report published by an organization called the "Institut de recherche sur le français en Amérique (IRFA) was funded by a large union organization, the "Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)."
Suffice to say that both organizations have a 'certain' political take.
 
The 'institute' has close ties with the Office québécois de la langue française. Marc Termote, a member of its scientific committee was recently named president of the steering committee of the OQLF and Claude Castonguay, a founding member has done quite a bit of work for the 'Office.' It's president, Patrick Sabourin is a noted French language militant who has waded into the language debate on many fronts including complaining about the English mega-hospital and questioned the value of investing in McGill university. 

And so, this report, prepared by language militants and separatists, brings to mind those cigarette studies funded by the tobacco companies, in the sixties and seventies, 'proving' no scientific link between their product and cancer! 

The study closely examines the use of English by francophone and allophones students attending English cegeps. It concludes, quite rightly that these students (as compared to those who went to  a French cegep) speak much more English, look for jobs where English is used principally, read more English newspapers, watch more English movies, have more English friends and speak more English at home etc. etc.

This conclusion is entirely supported by the facts and the data provided, is quite convincing.

But does this mean, as the study intimates (but never concludes,) that English Cegeps are responsible for this anglicization?

Perhaps, perhaps not. The study never examines this specific issue.

Let's get a bit technical;

The major conclusion of the study says that;

"...there is a strong correlation between attending an English cegep and the use of English in daily life."   LINK(French)

To scientist and statisticians, this phrase is a giant red flag because it makes no reference to 'causation' 

'Correlation': the degree to which two or more attributes or measurements on the same group of elements show a tendency to vary together.

'Causation':  the action of causing or producing.

"Correlation does not imply causation" is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that correlation between two variables does not automatically imply that one causes the other. 

The conclusion that English cegeps cause Allophones and Francophones to become anglicized, uses the same logic which says people who shop at a left-handers specialty store are more inclined to become left-handers, when in truth, they are most likely left-handers to begin with.

Let us say, that the education department creates a mythical French language course for immigrants and after a few years decides that they want to evaluate the effectiveness.

They hire a specialized firm who follow the students during the two year long course. First, before the students start the course, they undertake a 'baseline survey,' designed to establish initial conditions against which the effects of a finished project can be compared.

When the students finish the course, they are again re-evaluated and the difference in language skills between the two evaluations indicates the level of effectiveness. Simple enough?

If one wants to measure the anglicizing effect of English cegeps on Allophones and Francophones, the only true method, is to analyze the students propensity towards English before they enter cegep and compare it with their propensity to use English after they graduate. By comparing the two sets of data, conclusions can be drawn.

Is this what the IRFA did to to evaluate the anglicizing effect of English cegep on Francophone and allophones?

Nope, they did nothing of the sort.
Instead they compared apples and oranges, they studied the anglicization levels of two distinct and different groups of Allophones and francophones, one group which attended French cegep and one which attended English cegep.

The two groups are very different to begin with, even before they start attending cegep, so to compare their English skills and conclude that it is the cegep that is the anglicizing factor is scientifically unsupportable.

First and foremost, in order to attend an English cegep, you NEED TO SPEAK ENGLISH, to begin with.

Students who can't speak English, go to a French cegep, they have no choice.
It is only the bilingual (or trilingual,) allophones and francophones students who can go to English cegep. 
They are in fact, already to a large degree, highly anglicized before taking a step in the door of the school. Even though they have attended a French high school, many speak English at home, or have made a giant effort to learn the language.

How much English cegeps contribute or strengthen this anglicization remains unknown.
The IRFA study does not answer this question because it never set out to do so.

Drawing conclusions about the anglicizing effect of English cegeps cannot be extrapolated from this study, even though the authors want others to do so.

The study was cleverly structured to avoid looking at this "cegep effect.'

Clever, because nowhere in the report does it directly say that English cegeps are responsible for anglicizing Francophone and Allophone students, but everyone reading it, comes to that conclusion.

And so, like other great myths perpetrated by French language militants, the 'fact' that English cegeps anglicize Francophone and allophones has been woven into the 'French is in decline' narrative, a story based on fiction, misinformation and lies, one that is sold to a gullible public, thirsty to buy into the concept that they are victims of persecution.

No editorialist in the mainstream media challenged the faulty conclusions. Not one. 

Perhaps next time they report, the 'Institute' can tell us that francophones who patronize vegetarian grocery  stores tend to transform into vegetarians at a higher rate than francophones who shop at Loblaws.

Maybe they can examine the problem of francophones who shop at soccer equipment stores, and prove that they tend to play soccer at a higher rate than those francophones who patronize hockey equipment stores.
I've no doubt that they can provide all the necessary charts to prove that this is true.

Very enlightening, but this is what passes for science in the Quebec language militant movement.

It's neat and tidy and effective,.... but it's all tommyrot!

Marc Bellemare Going Down in Flames

It seems that Marc Bellemare's credibility at the Bastarache Commission is sinking faster than the Titanic. The inquiry is looking into his allegations that Liberal party fundraisers put political pressure on him to name certain people to the bench.
Jean Charest always claimed that Bellemare's allegations were full of crap, but since the Premier himself is no longer perceived as particularly trustworthy, his denial of the influence-peddling allegations, fell on the deaf ears of a jaundiced public, already battered by all sorts of scandals.

That being said, most experts agree that once Charest called the inquiry, it augured poorly for Bellemare, Charest knew full well what, or what not could be revealed. That is why to this day we don't have an inquiry into the construction industry.

In my last post about Bellemare, I warned that although he was riding high, with a whopping 68% of the public believing his testimony, he was in for a Humpty-Dumpty-like fall.

It happened Monday, as the wheels fell off the Bellemare express.

The two witnesses that Bellemare promised would back up his story, unequivocally denied the ex-Minister's story.

"Two former aides of Marc Bellemare, Quebec's justice minister in 2003 and 2004, contradicted the key witness's testimony at a provincial inquiry into judicial nominations in Quebec City Monday." Read the CBC Story

Michel Gagnon, Bellemare's former chief of staff, gave testimony that was so devastating, that Bellemare's lawyer jumped up and down with objection after objection, trying to break the momentum. At one point, he asked the witness if he was perjuring himself. The judge was not amused!

Gagnon testified that he never heard of, or saw any attempts to influence the appointment of certain candidates as judges, nor had Bellemare ever mentioned to him, anything about it. He was unequivocal about it.

As well, he directly contradicted other Bellemare testimony concerning the alleged influence peddlers, who Bellemare denied meeting with after he left office.
Gagnon told the inquiry that Bellemare did indeed meet with them in a Quebec city restaurant in an effort to raise money to fund his mayoral campaign. Link(French)

Jacques Tétrault, Bellemare's former press secretary denied that Bellemare never informed him of any inappropriate pressure being applied to the Minister, once again, in direct contradiction to what Bellemare testified, another crushing blow.

On Tuesday, the then deputy minister Michel Bouchard, delivered another stinging blow to Bellemare, indicating that he wasn't up to the job as Justice Minister and ran a 'tense' office. He became emotional when he described the way Bellemare removed Pierre Legendre from his longtime post in the Justice Ministry, all because his brother had been elected as an opposition PQ  member of the National Assembly. Link(French)

To make matters worse, the commission is calling for an expert to look at the note Bellemare placed in evidence, one that he wrote in cryptic shorthand that purportedly documented his feelings about the so-called influence peddling. The suspicion among some commission lawyers is that the incriminating part, complaining about that pressure, was added to the note at a later date. LINK
The handwriting expert will testify today and tomorrow Bellemare is going to testify again at the commissions request.

For Bellemare it is likely a case of "Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do!"

The headlines and stories in yesterday's newspapers weren't particularly kind to Bellemare, even though he has enjoyed a somewhat free ride until now.

Montreal's Le Devoir daily, no friend of Mr. Charest, described the day's testimony as "dévastatrice," no translation needed. It also added that his two former employees "demolished his allegations"

Jean-Jacques Samson in the Journal de Quebec, described Bellemare as being "manhandled'  and called the day's testimony a "demolition derby"

The only person rushing to Bellemare's defence was the PQ leader Pauline Marois who claimed that the commission was rigged against the ex-justice minister. 

Trying desperately to cast aspersions on the testimony of the two ex-employees, she hinted at perjury  cleverly, in that old tried and true backhand manoeuvre ; (I'm not saying he's lying but....)

"Obviously, we cannot accuse anyone of perjury.... but the evidence that both provided is very similar. The words were the same... " she analyzed.  Link(French)

If Bellemare doesn't counter the damage caused Monday, in his Thursday testimony, his goose is cooked.
He may as well start settlement talks in the $700k Charest defamation lawsuit that is looking more and more like a slam/dunk.

For Charest unfortunately, any vindication comes without political reward. Those who were convinced that Charest is a liar, won't jump back on his bandwagon. It's like being acquitted of child-molestation, the stink just doesn't wash off.

For some background information, see;

The Curious Case Of Marc Bellemare

French versus English Volume 14

Montreal Coach chastised over golf tournament
The Canadians head coach, Jacques Martin, was subject to a rather vicious rant by a reader who was outraged that he organized a golf tournament outside Quebec.

"Why did this man hold his golf tournament in Rockland, Ontario, Canada. Are we missing golf courses in Quebec, or is it just because some people prefer English Canada and fuck you francophones!!"

Hmm.... Perhaps the tournament was held there because Mr. Martin is a Franco-Ontarian and Rockland is his home town? LINK


Montreal Blacks deserve to be profiled by police
It wasn't a great surprise that an internal study conducted by the Montreal police themselves, found that the police force systemically targets Blacks for random stops at a rate up to eights times higher than whites. LINK
For columnist Richard Martineau, the fault lies with the Blacks themselves. "Do Blacks wearing a suit and tie get hassled?" he asks in his blog. According to him, Blacks deserve to be stopped because of their hip-hop dress. Link 
I wonder if Mr. Martinaeau would care to comment on the incident involving two Montreal Alouette football players who were stopped in the their late model SUV for the crime of "DWB"(driving while black.)  LINK  
Or how about a Black school teacher who was roused by police for no reason while waiting in a car for his friend who went into a restaurant to pick up pizza. LINK
Every time an incident like this occurs, the police invariably make up an excuse about the victim. He was "aggressive," uncooperative," "suspicious," "driving badly," "tail light." blah, blah, blah.. In the case of the school teacher, the police said that the car had no license plate, but the temporary tag was pasted in the window of the car where it was supposed to be. 
When the police act so stupidly, it's fair to attack their credibility under oath. I'm surprised that no defence lawyer hasn't tried to discredit a cop's testimony on the basis of their general untrustworthiness. Targeting Blacks is a fact of life, lying about it is another. The Montreal police need a cultural change and they need to start telling the truth.

Worst language complaint about a sign
Over the years, I've seen and heard a lot of complaints about English signage, but alas this one takes the cake.

"Cimetière Côte-des-Neiges, 31 juillet 2010.

"One of the many reservoirs for watering flowers placed at the disposition of those visiting the departed.
"Even in a cemetery, the predominance of French must be respected!!!" 

Mouvement Montréal français

Letter encouraging students to visit national parks branded propaganda

Bloqhead MP Carole Lavallée branded a letter sent to students by the Prime Minister as propaganda. Prime Minister Harper sent high school students, across Canada  a letter encouraging them to visit Canada's national parks.

The separatist MP branded the invitation as abuse of government money and an intrusion on provincial jurisdiction.  LINK

McGill university sticks it to French language militants

Ever since the famous McGill Français demonstration, forty years ago, where militants marched on the school, demanding that it convert itself to a French language institution, McGill has earned the undying enmity of jealous French language radicals.

The school's success continues to rankle those who see the school as a symbol of anglo dominance.  They complain bitterly about 'over-funding' and the largess displayed by alumni in greasing it's endowment fund, which is bigger than all francophone schools combined.
This week McGill was the only Canadian school to crack the list of the best 25 best universities in the world, another stab in the heart, but nothing compared to the school's decision to launch its Mordecai Richler writer-in-residence program.
To militants, Richler represents one of the most hated historical Anglo personalities, one who personfies the concept of Quebec-bashing. The idea of honouring him by naming a program after him will serve as another painful irritant for years to come!

Return of Nordiques not popular with everyone 
It seems that not everyone in Quebec is excited about the potential return of the Quebec Nordiques to the NHL, especially if it means spending public funds to secure the team's return. That being said at least one commentator has a completely different reason for rejecting the Nordiques project.
Denis Julien wrote;

 "What are the the benefits of  the Quebec Nordiques to Quebec?

English will be the working language of the team. They will still allow Ontario beer companies to get rich by taking our money. The English-speaking players will open bank accounts at the TD Bank and Scotia Bank or outright in U.S. accounts. They will build several million dollar castles in Lac Beauport which will raise taxes of the residents of this suburb of Quebec. Finally, they will send their children to Quebec English schools. These are the vile benefits of Quebec hockey's return. Something to be proud of, right?"LINK(FRench)

Montreal Canadiens-Instrument of federalism? 
According to Pierre Curzi, a Parti Quebecois member of Quebec's Parliament, the Montreal Canadiens have become an instrument of federalism;

"The Canadiens have changed from being an asset for (Quebec) nationalism to an asset for federalism, said the actor-MP. I think there are people in this organization, that are deeply federalist and they are very aware that hockey is a very strong  tool for creating identity. I think they are quite happy to be able to use it for that." LINK(French)

(Thanks to reader 'STEVE' for the link!) 

B.C. sign irks French language militant
This poster in a Vancouver hospital, annoyed a self-proclaimed Quebecoise exile in British Columbia.

 Advising people to wash their wands in seven languages, French was omitted. 
While common courtesy would dictate that French would be added, notwithstanding that less than 2% of British Columbia speak French, it wasn't. LINK

However complaining about the lack of respect for French is a bit hypocritical, because Quebec hospitals (other than Anglo institutions) exclude ALL languages except French!

The French have a great saying - "Deux poids et deux mesures" (Two weights, two different standards) 
 
Intellectuals for Sovereignty?

A most bizarre exchange took place before a Parliamentary committee in Quebec City, that was debating the proposed law that would replace Bill 103, the law struck down by the Supreme  Court of Canada in relation to English language schooling.

One of the groups opposed to the law that creates guidelines whereby children ineligible for English education can carve out a path, is called  "Les Intellectuels pour la souveraineté" (Intellectuals for sovereignty)
In English culture, it sounds a bit bizarre and self-aggrandizing to refer to oneself as an 'intellectual.'  Similarly I always thought it strange to see a room at the Montreal airport labelled as a 'Salon VIP ,'
but I always put it up to a language thing. I can't imagine a reception at Pearson airport named as such.
 
At any rate, Gilbert Paquette, president of this group was making a presentation when the Minister responsible for the language laws, Christine St-Pierre, started asking some uncomfortable questions.

"Who are these  'intellectuals" exactly?" she asked.
"Why have only 15 of the 150 purported members identified themselves?" 
"Who is financing your organization?' 

It fell to Pequiste Pierre Curzi to come to the rescue, accusing the minister of a witch hunt.......