'Battered Anglo Syndrome' Alive and Well in Montreal

Is Montreal too English?

It's a question that is debated on much too regular a basis in the French media, this obsession that Montreal is anglicizing. It remains a staple topic in the never-ending  portrayal by language militants of Francophone Quebeckers as victims.

At the recent anti-Bill 103 rally at the Pierre Charbonneau Centre in Montreal, the master of ceremonies, Denis Trudel, railed from the dais that if the law was passed, it would mean that, over the next thirty years, it would lead to 50,000 new anglos in Quebec. He could have remained politic and say that there would be 50,000 less francophones, but instead, he made no attempt to hide his contempt. That's the type of nastiness that is generated on a daily basis by language militants against anglos.

The message, that we anglos are taking over, is something that we brush off as nationalist fantasy, it's something we're used to.

While we have learned to live with that, it was with a measure of sadness, that this week, I read a Montreal Gazette news article and listened to a CBC radio talk show discussing that news article, where a bunch of self-loathing Anglo Quebeckers were re-selling the fiction of oppression and the myth that we are marching across the city, conquering Francophone neighbourhoods, hitherto bastions of language purity.
"First we take Manhattan, then we take Plateau!"

I can't imagine any local community newspaper which caters exclusively to Jewish, Arabic, Italian or Greek Montrealers, debating whether an increase in that community's population would be a good or bad thing for the city. But for the Montreal Gazette and a group of hoity-toity Anglo apologists, buying into the argument that a rise in the use of the English language (and Anglos as a result,) is a bad thing for Quebec, seems to be the intellectual thing to do.

The article in question is this week's Montreal Gazette story by DAVID JOHNSTON entitled More English or less French? (Great Taste, Less Filling?)

Mr Johnston tells us that it is his considered opinion that anglos are spreading across the city and invading traditionally Francophone districts. This statement alone wins him an automatic place of honour on vigile.net.

The 'alarming' prospect is surely sending shock waves throughout francophone boroughs, like the Plateau Mont-Royal (Montreal's snobby, self-declared neighbourhood of cool, bohemian nationalists,) where  Luc Ferrandez, the borough mayor, might consider erecting big signs (not billboards) at the entrance to his Utopian kingdom, reminding all who enter, of the district's political philosophy - "No Billboards, No Cars, No Money and No Anglophones"

While it may be hard to argue against Mr. Johnston's 'gut feeling,' not so for his gratuitous and faulty use of statistics.

"I do think Montreal is becoming more English. But it’s not just that there are more anglos around, I added. It’s also because there has been an increase this past decade in the ongoing exodus of francophones from the Island of Montreal to off-island suburbs.Consider: The years 2001 to 2006 saw the Island of Montreal lose 47,650 more people of French mother tongue to off-island suburbs than it gained from those suburbs, compared with a net loss of 6,740 people of English mother tongue and 22,830 people of other mother tongue"

"To be sure, francophones are still a 2-to-1 majority in the metropolitan region as a whole"

Mr Johnston argues that because a great number of Francophones are abandoning the island of Montreal, the linguistic balance is being altered.

According to his figures, between 2001 and 2006, 48,000 mother-tongue francophones left the island of Montreal and a combined total of 30,000 anglophones and allophones left as well. 

Boiling it down, it means that for every 2 francophones taking flight, 1.2 anglos and ethnics were doing the same.

Since Mr. Johnston advises us that the present ratio between mother tongue French Montrealers and the rest of us, is 2-to-1, he actually proves that the exodus is improving the balance in favour of francophones!

These are his own figures, I didn't make it up.

Do I believe this is happening? Dunno... but Mr Johnston is apparently sure. Despite the fact that his figures are either muddled or prove the exact opposite of the point he tried to make. (Ah those statistics, always troublesome things for  amateurs!)

 

After shaking my head at this mathematical boner, I was further dismayed by rest of the article, wherein the author vacillates back and forth over the issue (unproven) of whether more English in Montreal is a good or bad thing. Hamlet would be proud.

Mr Johnston, makes reference to a moronic statistical study written by that paragon of impartiality, separatist and fantasist, Pierre Curzi,  entitled "Le grand Montréal s’anglicise" which employs a variety of statistical leaps, to conclude that the sky is falling on French Montreal.
No thinking anglophone should ever reference trash like that.

The 'study' is based on the racist concept of 'mother tongue' which is just code for the no-longer politically correct term "Québécois de souche." It assumes that those who aren't born from 'pure stock' and who can't trace their lineage back to the "filles de roi," cannot be counted as 'real' francophone Quebeckers, even if they live their lives entirely in French.

"And now we’re on the cusp of a new francophone exodus – the exodus of francophone baby boomers from the workplace."

Anglophones should be relieved to know that according to Mr. Johnston, they can't qualify as baby-boomers and therefore only francophones may be on the cusp... Hmm....

"During my appearance on Je l’ai vu à la radio, author and radio personality Georges Nicholson, another panellist, acknowledged that more anglos are able to function in French these days. But he asked me whether anglos are any more deeply connected to Quebec, as a result of their knowledge of French – whether, for example, they go to French theatre or read authors like Réjean Ducharme, Quebec’s J.D. Salinger. I said no. Réjean Tremblay of La Presse maybe, but not Réjean Ducharme."

I bet there isn't an anglo in a thousand (or a Russian, a Swede, German, etc) who ever heard of Réjean Ducharme. Trust me, he's no Jack Kennedy J.D Salinger. If he was any good, he'd be translated into English like Solzhenitsyn or Marcel Proust. Maybe then I'd read the original French version (as I did with Proust's sublime 'À la recherche du temps perdu.')

The truth is that there are only two truly great international writers from Quebec, Saul Bellow and Mordechai Richler and one international poet, Leonard Cohen and no, I'm not going to state the obvious.

By the way, the French radio show that Mr. Johnston so proudly participated in, 'Je l’ai vu à la radio,' is hosted by Franco Nuovo, that wonderfully culturally sensitive ex-columnist for the Journal de Montreal, who during the Nagano Olympics, honoured the host country by changing his byline picture to that of himself wearing a rubber band around his eyes to give him that 'oriental look'. Marvellous!

As for going to French theatre, there's a legitimate reason why we don't go. 

It isn't very good.... Sorry.

Now that doesn't mean Quebeckers are talentless, in fact the opposite is true. Francophone entertainers outperform their Canadian counterparts, but with a pool of only seven million francophones, they can only do so much.

The last French play I attended, was Quebec's only blockbuster, "Notre Dame de Paris."
Comparing it to those plays that I've seen on Broadway, in New York, I can only say that it was a thoroughly disappointing affair, not exactly a 'Miss Saigon,' 'Cats' or 'Phantom of the Opera,' that's for sure. There was no live orchestra, just a canned music track. The staging was cheap minimalist and while the music somewhat catchy, the voices were strictly sub-Broadway calibre. The only thing that reminded me of Broadway was the price of admission.

Never again.

The same goes for Quebecois film and television, all sub-par. 

That's not say there aren't some flashes of greatness, I diligently watch Patrick Huard's TV show Taxi- 0-22 because he is as good as any comedian in North America. His rapier wit and expert delivery places him just below Chris Rock and above Russel Peters in my estimation.

To expect a small community to compete with the world on quantity is unrealistic. How many Patrick Huards or Celine Dions are there out there?

To expect bilingual Anglos to consume Quebec French culture because they can, not because they find it interesting, is unrealistic.  

"One thing that I didn’t know then that I know now is that anglos are 12 times less likely to listen to French radio than francophones are to listen to English radio, according to Statistics Canada."

Ya think?....See above explanation.

"......the only other anglo on the panel, a native anglo Montreal musician named Paul Cargnello who sings in French as well as English. Nuovo asked him why an anglo, with such a big English market, would want to sing in French.
“The question isn’t why, it’s why not?” said Cargnello."

I've never heard of this guy and I bet you haven't either.  

Nobody who could compete in the NHL would ever stay in the American Hockey League, not if they had their druthers. 

To say otherwise, well, let's be charitable and leave it at that. 

"These days I am surprised to find myself speaking French more deliberately to bus drivers and retail clerks. I want francophones to see that I recognize that I am living in Montreal, not Toronto or Boston."

I think the writer meant to say "deliberately speaking more French" rather than "speaking more French deliberately."

At any rate, I for one, always start conversations with people that I meet in public in French, but I don't speak French to suck up to anybody and 'prove' that I am a 'bon anglais.'

I do so out of common politeness and good manners, not to kowtow.

Radio-Canada Fans the Flames of Language Hysteria

The Journal de Montreal, the French language newspaper, will certainly never be compared to the New York Times. In fact, it's more like the New York Post, a sensationalist rag that plays to the lunch pail crowd. There's nothing wrong with that, I don't want to be accused of snobbism, my point being that journalistic integrity is not high on the list and catchy headlines are more important than the stories behind them.

While on the subject of the New York Post, I cannot resist adding a picture of my very favourite trash headlines here, highlighted by perhaps the greatest and most notorious headline ever written.
"Headless Body in a Topless Bar." PRICELESS!
Let's be honest, who could resist buying a copy of that newspaper?

And so the headline on this particular issue of the Journal de Montreal pictured below, is in the best tradition of this type of attention grabbing reporting.

Last year, the newspaper did an 'investigative' article decrying the fact that in downtown Montreal the percentage of clerks unable to speak French was alarmingly high.

Of course the journalistic portion of the story left a lot to be desired since it was painfully short on details and never quite explained its methodology.

In this type of reporting the facts are never the most important element, but hey, we expect that when we buy these type of newspapers.
A Quebec humorist INFOMAN did an excellent and hilarious send-up of the newspaper and the story. Watch it here. (with English subs)
 
Radio-Canada, on the other hand, is not anything like the Journal de Montreal. Supposedly it strives for journalistic excellence.

The French version of the CBC, is the dominant television choice for French Canadians.

As such it has a bigger per capita annual budget (about twice as large as that of its English counterpart, the CBC) and has a much bigger relative viewership than the CBC. It  plays a greater role in influencing opinion in French Canada than any other media source.

And so, it's a bit ironic that of all the big media organizations in Canada, this federally funded institution is the most virulently sovereignist and nationalistic.

In spite of that, I still expect a certain  level of journalistic excellence, especially on its nightly national newscast.
Unfortunately, last week, the broadcaster chose to go down the Yellow Journalism path,  by doing an exact rip-off of the Journal de Montreal story, this time in Anglophone districts of the city.
A reporter was sent to different stores where he encountered immigrants with difficulty speaking French.

Now throughout the story the reporter reminded us that these scenes were completely atypical and that good service in French, in Anglo districts is the norm, not the exception.

If that was true, what was the point of the story, other than to enrage French language hawks?

 

I've added subtitles to the piece, which is only about two minute long. 

As the old saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words. The sight of immigrant after immigrant unable to speak French fans leaves the impression that this situation is the norm. Reminding viewers in a voice-over that this is not the case is a device worthy of a cheap defence lawyer.

Why? Why?
Why run a story depicting immigrants unable to serve customers and then tell the audience that it's a rare exception, unless it is meant to pump up the volume in relation to language hysteria?

While it may be acceptable reporting for the Journal de Montreal, it's shameful for a serious national news organization.

By the way. Did you notice that not one Anglo could be found who didn't speak French?

Nary a soul!.....Now that speaks volumes!

I'm curious to know how many stores they visited to come up with this atrocious piece of journalism.

This whole report was a manufactured piece of crap.

Shame on Radio-Canada.

Bill 115- Judicial Guerrilla Warfare?

It's hard to look at the language furor over the passage Bill 115 without shaking one's head in utter disbelief at the drama and hysteria generated in Quebec society by French language militants over an issue that is so inconsequential.

Like the public outcry for a law against the wearing of a veil in public, one that would affect all of two dozen Muslim women, the disproportionate and frenzied response to the language law is hard to fathom.

Lost in the clamour by language militants over of Bill 115, is the fact that the law is illegal and another example of the callousness of the Quebec government, which makes it a practice to regularly enact legislation that cannot withstand judicial challenge.

If Bill 104 was illegal and rejected by the courts, there's little doubt that its replacement, Bill 115, which is even more restrictive, will pass judicial muster, but to the Quebec government, it is of no consequence.

Brett Tyler, the lawyer who successfully fought Bill 104 to the Supreme Court, told all who would listen that should someone wish to test the validity of Bill 115, the case would likely drag on for approximately seven years.
As in the case of the family that won the case against Bill 104, those who would fight Bill 115 in court, would never benefit from any victory, as their child would have already been forced into a French school during the intervening years. It is the very definition of a Pyrrhic victory.

The reality of this judicial nightmare is, that by hook or crook, the government of Quebec will have its way.

And so this government continues the fine tradition of waging 'judicial guerrilla warfare,' whereby the weakness of the legal system is exploited to assert a political agenda that is either unconstitutional or violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Now to those language militants who patrol this blog, please don't accuse me of being a hothead in coining the term of 'judicial guerrilla warfare,' the concept comes from that stalwart of the independence movement, Joseé Legault, who advised the government in a column, to pass a string of illegal laws and take advantage of the long delay before the laws are overturned.

"What should we do? Let's apply Bill 101 to non-subsidized English schools. Of course, an Anglo lawyer will appeal it to the Supreme Court.  Again.  And he'll win.  Again.  And then we'll start the process all over.  Again.  Let's call it guerrilla legal warfare." 

"Que faire? Appliquer la loi 101 aux écoles anglaises non subventionnées. Bien sûr, un avocat anglo amènera le tout jusqu'en Cour suprême. Encore. Et il gagnera. Encore. Et on recommencera. Encore. Appelons-ça de la guérilla juridique." Josée Legault

French is the language of law and justice.

 It's a dirty device, first developed by Camille Laurin back in 1977 when the separatist government passed Bill 101, the infamous Charte de la langue française.

While whole sections of the law were illegal, Article 7, in Chapter 3, was so egregiously unconstitutional, that a high school student could see that its precept clearly violated the BNA Act.

Charte de la langue français.

Article 7; (Official language) - French is the language of the legislature and the courts in Quebec."

BNA Act

"133. Either the English or the French Language may be used by any Person in the Debates of the Houses of the Parliament of Canada and of the Houses of the Legislature of Quebec; and both those Languages shall be used in the respective Records and Journals of those Houses; and either of those Languages may be used by any Person or in any Pleading or Process in or issuing from any Court of Canada established under this Act, and in or from all or any of the Courts of Quebec"

It took the  Supreme Court two years to rule unanimously that the clause was illegal and without force. When the decision was handed down Premier René Lévesque hypocritically called the ruling "colonial, cruel and archaic." He had privately warned Camille Laurin that he was going too far.

In the succeeding years, Bill 101 has been systematically stripped by the courts of its most abusive and illegal provisions, much to the chagrin of militants, who claim that any a law dutifully declared by the Quebec National Assembly should not 'butchered'(charcuté) by Canadian courts or in fact be subject to Canadian law at all.
Of course this opinion would be valid if Quebec were a sovereign state, something it is not, as far as I know.

The referendum law of 1995 is another example of the Quebec government knowingly passing an illegal law, when it disallowed spending by any person or organization, other than the two official YES and NON committees during the referendum campaign.

Essentially, the law had the effect to bar the federal government from spending money to promote its position for a united Canada.

In passing the law the separatists knew full well, that even if the law were to be ruled unconstitutional years later, the benefit to the NO side would inure during the referendum campaign.

Now before I get an avalanche of comments reminding me that Ottawa did surreptitiously funnel money to the 'YES' side, by way of a shady front organization known as Option Canada, let me say this.

Separatists, to this day, claim that the 'illegal' funds, as well as the massive Unity Rally (organized and paid for by federalists, outside the bounds of the referendum law) held in downtown Montreal, made the difference in the slim outcome of the vote.

After the referendum, 20 criminal charges were laid against Option Canada by the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec, who opened an inquiry into the alleged breach of the referendum law. Those proceedings were quickly halted when once again, the Supreme Court ruled that part of the referendum law was illegal.

So while separatists to this day claim they were robbed, it was in fact the Canadian government who was prevented from putting its full weight behind the NO option. Theoretically Ottawa could have and should have, entered the referendum debate in full measure.

For the last eight years, certain Quebeckers have been deprived of their right to attend English school because of an illegal law. Unfortunately, given the hollowness of the victory over Bill 104, only a fool would challenge Bill 115, notwithstanding its legality.

And so, in analyzing Ms. Legault advice, it's hard not to conclude that there's a method in her madness. Passing illegal laws and having them remain in effect for years and years, seems to be a successful strategy.

I think I would have much preferred if the Liberal government had implemented the draconian "Notwithstanding Clause' to close this so-called educational loophole.

It would have cleared the air and belied any pretence that the government was acting in a balanced and fair manner.

What if 33 Miners Were Trapped In a Quebec Mine?

Thanks to Geneviève, who sent me an email giving me a heads up to a hilarious article that presents a spoof of what it would be like if miners would be trapped in a Quebec mine and subject to Quebec bureaucracy.
Hilarious! 

Here is a translation of an absolutely fantastic parody that was published on a blog called TRUISM. 
If you read French, please read the original.

August 5, 2010
Collapse of a mine shaft in the Amos Mine in Abitibi. 33 miners are missing.

August 22, 2010 
A probe reaches a safe room and returns to the surface the following message: "We are all alive." So far, so good.

August 27, 2010 - 
A working committee is created comprising of the heads of the mine, the Department of Natural Resources, Public Safety, trade unions and a federal representative to discuss the best rescue techniques. Talks bog down over costs. The unions accuse the mine of negligence, the company threatens to move to Latin America.

September 5, 2010 - 
The parties reach an agreement on cost sharing. All that remains is to find a technical solution.

September 14, 2010 - 
Three rescue plans are developed that are designed to drill a 60 cm hole in order to reach the miners, 700 meters underground, and return them to the surface using a basket. The government announces that the miners may have to wait until Christmas to see their families.

September 19, 2010 - The Algonquin tribe of Lake Brunante go to the Provincial Court to obtain an injunction to stop the drilling.  
The trucks have to cross traditional lands devoted to hunting, fishing and trapping to survive.

October 4, 2010 - 
The government and the Algonquins of Lake Brunante negotiate an agreement under which the right of way is permitted in return for a compensation of $ 7 million.

October 6, 2010 - 
Work begins drilling the relief well.

October 9, 2010 - 
Friends of the Black Spruce tree and Greentree International obtain an injunction from the Provincial Court to stop the drilling. This activity could pose a risk to groundwater and cause inconvenience to the migration of geese.

October 19, 2010 - 
The government and environmental groups agree to entrust the study of the case to the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE).

November 7, 2010 - 
 BAPE commences its work

November 18, 2010 - 
The Citizens Committee for Val-des-Mines is concerned about the impact of drilling on the health of citizens, including children. They get support from their MP and the National Institute of Public Health.

December 13, 2010 - 
The BAPE deposits its report. Given the urgency of the situation, and considering that the of migration period of geese has already passed, it authorizes the continuation of drilling. But to minimize the impact on the population, drilling can only take place between 8 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

December 23, 2010 - 
Drilling stops for the holidays.

January 7, 2011 - 
Resumption of drilling. The government says it has awarded the company, Mécanex, the task of building the car that will bring up the miners.

January 13, 2011 - 
A Chinese consortium, a European company and a Quebec competitor go to Provincial Court to obtain an injunction to stop the drilling. The construction of the car was entrusted to a company without competitive bidding, which is contrary to the provisions of the agreements of the World of Commerce.

March 25, 2011 - 
The Court rules, that given the urgency of the situation, the government is relieved of the obligation to submit the construction of the car to a bidding process. The proceedings are resumed.

April 5, 2011 - 
An investigative reporter discovers that the CEO of Mécanex is a generous donor to the campaign coffers of the government. Heated debate in the National Assembly, the opposition is calling for a commission of inquiry into corruption and removing the Mécanex contract.

May 12, 2011 - 
Work begins on the Commission to investigate allegations of corruption.

July 13, 2011 - 
The Commission reports and acknowledges that the government had the right to entrust the construction of the car to a contractor of its choice, given the urgency.

July 15, 2011 - 
Resumption of Drilling

July 17, 2011 - 
Start of construction holiday

August 1, 2011 - 
Resumption of Drilling

August 5, 2011 - 
First anniversary of the collapse of the mine. The miners consider themselves lucky to be alive and not working in an underdeveloped country like Chile.

August 16, 2011 - 
The tunnel finally reaches the miners, but the manufacture of the car is late. Mécanex is awaiting the important parts which are manufactured by its subcontractor in Indonesia.

September 10, 2011 - 
The car arrived on the scene. Horrors! Subcontractors have a painted a huge Canadian flag on the outer envelope. The separatists are outraged and complain that it is a federalist plot.  

September 14, 2011 - 
A working committee is created, comprising the heads of the mine, the Department of Natural Resources, Public Safety, trade unions and a federal representative to discuss the thorny issue of the flag.

September 22, 2011 - 
A compromise is negotiated between the parties. The gondola will carry the flag of Canada, Quebec, Val-des-Mines, as well as logos Mécanex, the Central Juvenile Québec (CMQ) and the federation of workers and workers underground Quebec (FTSQ).

September 29, 2011 - 
Shoving, physical abuse and looting at the site: the QMC and FTSQ disagree on the order  of the recovery of minors to the surface.

October 1 2011 - 
The Minister of Labour appoints an arbitrator to resolve the conflict between the unions.

October 27, 2011 - 
The CMQ and the FTSQ  agree on a common list of priority that takes into account seniority.

November 6, 2011 - 
A secret government document is leaked to the press. The costs of the rescue operation is seven times higher than the initial estimate. Groups of angry citizens and the opposition demonstrate outside the site.

November 13, 2011 - 
The government announces that it will release special assistance to defray the costs of the rescue operation and which it claims will not result in tax increase. The Premier asked his Canadian counterpart that the money be drawn from the surplus fund of EI.

December 4, 2011 - 
The basket is repainted, rescue operations begin.

December 12, 2011 - 
Miners are back to the surface.

December 21, 2011 - The Premier hails the success of the operation and the fact that the  minors will celebrate Christmas with their families, just as he had predicted. However, he blames the federal government's inaction, for causing any delay.

Hmmm........

Language Hysteria Grips Quebec

The run up to the passage of Bill 115 (formerly Bill 103) and the imposition of closure on the debate in the National Assembly has sparked an unprecedented reaction by language militants that can only be described as hysteria.

Gauging the depth of the reaction, one could easily imagine that the law provides for the abolition of the French language and the imposition of English as Quebec's national language and listening to the likes of Pierre Curzi, who declared that the law is as dangerous as the War Measures Act, one might assume that the law will have a profound and fundamental change in the language landscape of the Province.

Of course it is all pure hogwash.
To alarmist French language militants, facts are merely an inconvenience and never get in the way of a good narrative.

Mario Beaulieu, head of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and someone who never met a fact that he couldn't manipulate, described the recent demonstration protesting the law, that took place in front of Premier Charest's office, as having 5,000 demonstrators. Link
Radio-Canada put the number of demonstrators at 2,000 and then of course there's the Montreal Gazette who pegged the number of demonstrators at 700. Hmm......

It's hard to have any sort of adult conversation about the very real need to protect the French language, when militants, invent, exaggerate and distort reality to the point that any discussion is pointless.

Anglos who choose to remain in Quebec remain sensitive to the need to protect French. Those who went through the English school system over the last forty years are bilingual and almost all of us enjoy speaking French, as long as a gun isn't held to our head.

Stories of arrogant Anglos telling Francophones to "speak white" are so ridiculous that it would be funny if not for the fact that so many Francophones believe and propagate this fiction.

Last week I was shopping in a Costco located in Pointe-Claire, a west-island suburb of Montreal where English is the majority language.

A young shopper, with baby in tow, asked a clerk in French where a certain product was located. The stock boy, of high school student age, answered the woman in perfectly passable, yet accented French.  Neither one realized that they were both Anglophones!

My 85 year old mother has no problem speaking French and does so whenever she meets a francophone clerk while shopping.

I have always loved speaking French and like those of you who can speak another language, I am very proud of my bilingualism.
The idea of humiliating someone because of language is too stupid to imagine, yet language militants weave the fiction on a daily basis;

Anglos are cruel...
Anglos are colonizers..
Anglos demand that you address them in English....
Anglos want to take over Quebec...
Anglos seek domination...
Anglos hate Francophones and the French language...
Anglos are snobs and elitists...
Blah..Blah...blah....

The truth of course, is rather different.

Some of us Anglos are rich and some of us are broke. Some of us are struggling and many are doing OK.
Some of us are students, concentrating on graduating and some of us are retirees, trying to live out our days as comfortably as possible.
Some of us are family people battling mortgage payments and juggling a hectic schedule that may include dragging our children to hockey and ballet lessons.
Some of us are young, eager to build a career and trying to find that perfect life partner.
Some of us are white, some of us are black and some of us are brown. Some are straight and some are gay. We are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindi, to name just a few of our religions. Some of us don't believe in God.
Many of us are born in Canada, and many come from countries around the entire world.
We are all different.

We do however, share on thing in common..... We are not colonizers.

We haven't got the time, the desire, the power nor the inclination to colonize anybody.

Anyone who uses the word to describe us, is a blatant racist and unfortunately there are too many of these, among the nationalist movement.

The current hysteria over Bill 115 is just another example of the manipulation of reality by militants who understand that they can only achieve their goals by frightening mainstream francophones.

In the face of so much distortion, let me offer this humble rebuttal and dispel some of the more outrageous myths surrounding Bill 115.

Myth Number 1- The Supreme Court Overturned Bill 104 
For language militants it's easier and more convenient to blame the Supreme Court for the Bill 104 mess, (the law that outlawed the concept of bridging schools) than facing the reality that it was the Quebec courts that did the real damage.

Bill 104 was originally challenged in a Quebec lower court where it was deemed illegal by a Quebec judge. The provincial government appealed the decision to the Quebec Court of Appeals, where once again, the law was tossed.
As they say in baseball, zero for two.

The Quebec government could have left things at that and accepted the decision, but it decided, on its own, to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. I'm sure that all these French language militants protesting today, were in favour of the idea of appealing to the Supreme Court, after all they had nothing to lose, they had lost already!!
It's a bit two-faced to complain about the Supreme Court today, but that irony is lost in the hysteria.
To nobody's surprise, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower court.
Nothing new here, the case was a stinker.
Zero for three.

A cynic could be pardoned for concluding that the Quebec government appealed the case to the Supreme Court, to pass the buck. It would be easier to blame the federal government for the debacle, than to admit that it passed a law that was clearly illegal.

But the Supreme Court, sensitive to the need to protect the French language, offered to stay the execution of the law for a year, allowing the Quebec government time to draft a new law that would be compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This was a lot more than the Quebec courts gave the government. If anything, language militants should thank the Supreme Court!

Myth Number 2- The English School System is demographically over-populated
One of the oldest arguments made by French language militants to limit enrollment in the English school system is the one that says English schools have proportionally more students than is demographically justified. They claim that Anglos make up just 8.5% of the general population yet have 12% of the student population in primary and secondary school systems. Statistics Canada, after a thorough study has recently defined the proportion of Anglophones in Quebec as 12.7%  Statistics Canada

Myth Number 3- Bill 115, will have a profound effect on Anglophone student population'
Bill 115 is actually more restrictive than the law it replaced. In fact nobody is arguing differently. What French language militants are protesting against, is the idea that there is a path, however restrictive and expensive, to an English education for those ineligible according to Bill 101.
The number of students availing themselves of this path is estimated (by language militants) at less than 1,000 a year. Considering that over 10,000 students who are eligible by law for an English education, voluntarily opt to go to French schools each year, the trade off doesn't seem that prejudicial.
Proportionally, for every one francophone that seeks an English education, there are 100 anglophones seeking a French education!
So much for those damned elitist, anglo colonizers!

Of course, language militants, expert in misinformation, will find a way to repudiate these truths. They  will continue to bombard fair-minded citizens with false and misleading facts. They will continue to scream that the sky is falling.

It is the only way to achieve their goals, honesty has clearly failed.

Vigile.net - We Love You!

For many of our French and bilingual readers, vigile.net is an interesting cesspool web site that provides us with hours of reading entertainment, a place where all the crackpots of the nationalist movement are conveniently grouped. Like a car accident, we are mesmerized.

Ex-terrorists, fantasists, racists, antisemites, anglo-bashers and xenophobes are all given a tribune to spout their various philosophies, some of the articles being incredibly funny, in a sad and perverse sort of way.

This week Premier Charest went off on the web-site in the National Assembly in the debate over Bill 115;

"Premier Jean Charest accused Ms. Marois of “radicalizing” the debate and of sympathizing with groups that include a former member of the 1970s terrorist group Front de Libération du Québec who are calling for the legislation’s withdrawal.

“She takes the advice of a former FLQ sentenced for murder and sentenced for detonating bombs in 2001 and accepts that members of her own caucus gives money to people who encourage violence in Quebec,” Mr. Charest charged.

Mr. Charest was attempting to link the PQ to a former FLQ member, Rhéal Mathieu, who has taken part in a poster campaign underscoring “Liberal corruption.” Mr. Mathieu has written articles that appeared on the non-profit website Vigile.net which has received funding from PQ members." -Globe And Mail

Vigile.net, is a leftist/sovereingist website run by one Bernard Frappier, that reposts published articles of interest, mostly concerning Quebec politics and independence issues.

The site has a unique formula, reprinting articles from mainstream media sources which provides cover and legitimacy for the the other extremist articles that it publishes.

Typical of the nonsense is a fantasist article that I recently translated on this blog entitled Quebec in 2020.

The few international stories that web site publishes are dominated by virulently anti-Israel articles.
When I say dominated, I mean obsession. Mr. Frappier may or may not be an anti-semite, but he certainly has a hate-on for Israel, a trait that he shares with a great many of the web-site's constituents.
(that was a neat trick!...cough....cough...)

The editor particularly enjoys printing articles by Jews who oppose Israeli policy, as if it somehow underscores the illegitimacy of the Israeli state.

Newsflash for Mr. Frappier, it's really no big deal for a Jew or an Israeli to oppose Israeli policy. Just as it's no big deal when a Canadian criticizes his own government. It's called democracy and free speech.

What would be news is an Iranian, Syrian or Egyptian citizen, criticizing his government in a newspaper or magazine published in one of those countries, but I digress.......

Until now, these anti-Israel articles were culled from mainstream media which never rose to the level of antisemitism.
This all changed when vigile.net reprinted one the vilest of antisemtic/anti-Israel articles that I have ever seen reproduced in the Quebec media.

The article comes not from any legitimate source, but rather a rather nasty American  hate-mongering website that I had previously never heard of. That the editors of vigile.net look to these types of hate blogs for material says more about vigile.net than the hate-mongering site themselves.

At a certain point, fair criticism of Israel turns into antisemitism. It usually happens when the mythical international Jewish conspiracy becomes the focus of an article.  In this respect, the article republished by vigile.net fits the bill to a tee.

The antisemitic blog piece is prefaced by an odious cartoon depicting three rats abandoning a sinking ship named 'Obama,' carrying away booty in treasure chests, representing the three Jews who have recently resigned from the Obama team.

THINGS TO COME - Exodus of Jewish Advisors from Obama White House Likely Not an Omen of Good

This article makes the following claims;

• It was a Jewish plot that killed John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy
• Jews control the world and wrecked the U.S economy on purpose.
• Israel was the author of the 9/11 bombing and that 'warnings' were issued not to go to work that morning.
• Monica Lewinsky was an Israeli secret agent
• The couple that crashed the White House dinner, Tareq Salahi (a Palestinian Arab) along with his wife, were on a mission for Israeli intelligence demonstrating that they could 'get to' the President any time they wanted.
• Rahm Emmanuel is a Mossad agent and left the White House along with other Jews because Israel intends on bombing the Oval office to kill Obama.

Don't believe me? Don't take my word for it, read the article yourself. It's even worse than my synopsis!  HERE

Keep up the good work Mr. Frappier!


Where is the B'nai Brith when there is a real case of antisemitism?

PS-
BTW......Who's you're favourite vigile.net crackpot?

Is Pauline Marois Toast?

Tuesday's debate in the National Assembly should have been a banner day for Pauline Marois as the House was set to pass Bill 115 as the government brought closure to the contentious language debate. Wishing to make the point that Quebeckers make up only 2% of North Americans, she misspoke badly and told the House that "Nous ne sommes qu'un petit peuple" ("We're just a small people")

Premier Charest pounced on the gaffe and reminded Marois that Quebeckers are not a small people but rather a BIG people, small in numbers.
The gaffe was memorialized in a particularly humiliating cartoon by YGRECK

To PQ supporters it was another example of the poor performance of their leader who has clearly not connected with the voters.

While the beleaguered Jean Charest and the Liberal party are at the nadir of their popular support, the PQ seems unable to build any momentum.

A few days after ex-PQ hotshot Francois Legault floated a balloon that he'd be starting a new political party, one that would put aside the sovereignty question, yet remain nationalistic, LE DEVOIR published a poll that  indicated that the Parti Quebecois would get less votes than this new party.  Link

Mr. Legault's party was supported by 30% of Quebeckers to just 27% for the PQ and 25% for the Liberals. Not particularly comforting numbers.

In a Leger poll that considered only the actual parties in exisitence, the PQ fell to 34% support compared to the Liberals 28%. Still not very reassuring. It seems that the fastest growing political movement is the "None of the above" at 13%.

The PQ faithful are not amused.

Next year, Madame Marois is facing a leadership review and it's hard to see her surviving. The last leader, Bernard Landry resigned after failing to crack the 75% level of support among party members. There's little chance that she can do as well, never mind better.

But replacing Madame Marois is problematic, with Legault, the heir apparent, out of the picture. Everyone else is either too low profile or too radical.

That leaves the PQ with only one viable choice.



GILLES DUCEPPE....

Yup, Gilles Duceppe, who has lusted after the  job at the PQ for years. With his Ottawa pension intact he can safely take the plunge back into provincial politics.
To sovereingists, he possesses everything they need, namely rock hard  commitment to independence.  To supporters he has, proven leadership abilities and an abundance of experience.

The fact that he's a bit dopey seems of no consequence.

It is beginning to look more and more likely.

Premier Duceppe?

The War Measures Act- 40 Years Later

Seventy years ago, the German armed forces launched a devastating surprise attack on Poland that led to the defeat and total capitulation of that country in less than a month.  This opening salvo of World War Two was a frightening lesson in expert and innovative military planning and execution, one that would re-write the doctrine of modern warfare.
The massive attack by armored units across the length of the border, coupled with a punishing aerial assault by the German air force's vaunted dive bombers, left the Poles stunned and overwhelmed, unable to offer meaningful resistance.  It was over before it began.

The doctrine of a rapid, surprise and overwhelming assault became known as the 'Blitzkrieg' (Lightening War) and was successfully repeated sixty-three years later by the Americans in their assault on Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military.
Now renamed "Shock and Awe" the military doctrine hasn't changed much since the German attack on Poland.
The Americans delivered a massive surprise attack with an overpowering and brutal display of air power that was coupled with lightening attacks into the country by armoured units along multiple fronts. Sound familiar?
Faced with such an overpowering assault, like Poland, Iraq was utterly defeated within a month.

Forty years ago the implementation of the 'War Measures Act' by the federal government in reaction to the kidnappings of two individuals by FLQ terrorists can be best understood and appreciated in the context of "Shock and Awe"

Back then, the Quebec government and the forces of order, including the RCMP, were fighting an underground war against a small but effective group of terrorists who represented a very real and present danger to society.
The terrorists were not only waging a war of Quebec Independence, it was also an ideological battle with a socialist agenda that would supposedly transform Quebec into a worker's paradise.

Today this may sound a little lame, but back then the battle between Communism and democracy was very real, with multiple battles being fought across the globe.

Today the FLQ is being portrayed by revisionists and apologists as a benign organization of misguided dreamers, but the truth is that the various FLQ 'cells' perpetrated close to 200 violent acts of terrorism, including robberies and bombings and were directly responsible for about a dozen deaths and dozens of injuries.
The bombing of the Montreal Stock exchange that injured 27 people was the clearest statement by terrorists that the 'system' was under assault and that collateral human damage was an acceptable part of the revolution.

The kidnapping of the James Cross and Pierre Laporte was an escalation, seen as a direct assault on the foundations of society,  which was feared to be the onset of a coordinated attempt to overthrow the government.

As the kidnapping remained unresolved for weeks, popular support for the kidnappers was building.

In the following days, FLQ leaders held meetings to increase public support for the cause. Consequently, a general strike involving students, teachers and professors resulted in the closure of most French-language secondary and post-secondary academic institutions. On October 15, 1970, more than 3,000 students attended a protest rally in favour of the FLQ. Demonstrations of public support influenced subsequent government actions.Wikipedia

At a rally in the Paul Sauve Arena, in Montreal, Michel Chartrand, the fiery union leader, proclaimed that support for the FLQ was rising;

"We are going to win because there are more boys ready to shoot members of Parliament than there are policemen.  Wikipedia

The rally freaked out mainstream Quebeckers as well as the government, who viewed the event as a possible prelude to outright rebellion in Quebec;

Officials of the government of Quebec became so alarmed that they along with the opposition members of the National Assembly unanimously urged the federal government to act.

And act it did.
When a reporter asked the Prime Minister just how far he would go to stop the FLQ, Trudeau replied: "Just watch me".

$150 K reward in 1970. Wow!

It was then that Trudeau invoked the 'War Measures Act' and unleashed his very own version of 'Shock and Awe.'

The War Measures Act allowed the government to assume wide emergency powers in the event of "war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended," including the right to arrest and detain without a warrant.

In the dead of night, in a massive and sweeping operation, close to 500 suspected FLQ members and sympathizers, as well as journalists, teachers and radical unionists were rounded up and taken into custody.
Polls later indicated that the public supported the government actions in the order of 85%.

While not everyone placed in custody was subversive, the leadership of the organized public support for the FLQ was effectively neutralized. Those not caught in the dragnet went into hiding or remained fearfully silent.

The massive over-reaction by Trudeau, which included sending the army into the streets of Montreal was something that was completely unimaginable and its effect was overwhelming.

Public support for the FLQ came to a stunning halt. The chilling effect of the arrests rocked the radical world of the FLQ and its sympathizers.

The War Measure Act and the arrest of the 500,  broke the backbone of the FLQ movement in just one night.

That is the definition of 'Shock and Awe.'

After a couple of months all those arrested were released, the kidnappers disposed of and the FLQ movement destroyed, never to reappear.

A couple of days ago, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste honoured the 'noble 500' by erecting a statue in front of their offices. The detainees were hailed as victims and heroes. Bernard Landry called the actions of the Trudeau government 'terroristic' and gross over-reaction in relation to the threat.

Of course, the principle reason for all this griping by separatists today is because of the  very success Trudeau achieved in destroying the FLQ. I guess it just doesn't sit very well.

Forty years later it's hard to imagine how events would have played without the implementation of the War Measures Act.

I for one, am happy that Trudeau had the intestinal fortitude to do what he did.

By the way, is 'Shock and Awe' dead?

Let me give you a hint - Toronto, G20, 1,000 Arrests?  Hmmm.......

Idiot Abroad - Gilles Duceppe in Washington

It's always interesting to watch political spin artists weave their masterful flights of fancy, re-interpreting the world to promote their own agenda, regardless of reality.

Gilles Duceppe in Fantasyland

It's a special skill that political leaders acknowledge as necessary and each political party has their own 'spinmeisters' that engages the press with their very special versions of the truth.

A recent example of spin was Dimitri Soudas (Harper's spinmeister) claim that Canada lost the Security Council seat at the United Nations because of opposition leader Michael Igantieff's lack of support. The story was then put out that the loss was an expected consequence of principled policies and was to be expected. At any rate, in a classic spirit of 'sour grapes,' the loss portrayed as no big deal. Hmm.....

That being said, when it comes to spin, nobody beats Gilles Duceppe, who needs no help from professionals. He is the ultimate expert at the fine art of creating an alternative universe, one where everything unfolds according to his plan and where he is a conquering hero.

And so Gilles Duceppe's 'triumphant' conquest of Washington is another masterful performance of taking lemons and turning it into lemonade.

According to Mr. Duceppe, his recent visit included meetings with 'high' officials in the State Department and presentations before two prestigious think tanks, as well as important 'private' meetings with members of the Canadian-American Business Council. A smashing success!

As Lawrence Welk used to say...Wunerful! Wunerful!...

In the Quebec press, ever eager to validate the separatists, the visit to Washington was portrayed as a noteworthy political event, one where the separatist leader was afforded a polite and friendly forum among Washington's movers and shakers.

But reality is somewhat different.

Mr. Duceppe's carefully crafted visit was an abject embarrassment, one where the separatist leader was mercilessly snubbed by those who counted.

Of the almost six hundred elected officials to Congress, not one gave Mr. Duceppe the time of day. No interviews, no lunches, no handshakes and no photo ops.

Notwithstanding Mr. Duceppe's statement that the Obama administration was too busy with mid-term elections to meet with him, the reality is that as well as the congressional snub, there wasn't an any other official, Democrat or Republican who dared meet with the sovereignist leader.

This, one can imagine, after months of desperate attempts to secure meetings with someone, anyone who counts. 

For American politicians, Mr. Duceppe is toxic.

The idea of consorting with a French Canadian who advocates the breakup of Canada is about as enticing as attending a birthday celebration in honour of Mahmoud Ahmajinedad at the Iranian embassy.
Among the Washington set, who tend to see the world as black or white,  French-Canadian secessionists are viewed just a step above Al-Quaida. The idea of lending support to their cause, by virtue of a meeting is about as likely as Mr. Duceppe landing an audience with the Queen.

Mr. Duceppe's public line, crafted for public consumption back home, was that he was going to Washington to convince politicians to remain neutral in any future negotiation between Quebec and Canada vis-a-vis sovereignty.
While this may sound plausible at home, for Americans it's as ridiculous as your brother-in-law asking you not to choose sides in the upcoming divorce between him and your sister. 

Mr. Duceppe's speaking engagement before a think tank, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was a sad little affair that didn't even make the institute's own web site, where no mention of the speaking engagement was made either before or after the event.  See the events calander here.

As for 'prestige,' all is not rosy at the Institute, which has been accused of conflict of interests and of accepting large corporate donations to shape opinion. Link

It begs the question, did Mr. Duceppe pay to speak?

Reading the online accounts of the trip, it's clear that nobody in the Quebec media actually went down with Mr. Duceppe to cover the story and the media relied on Bloc Quebecois press releases and telephone interviews to cobble together a story as best they could.

The only article that seemed to have some first hand information about the speaking engagement was the Toronto Star,  which reports that the small audience of less than a couple of dozen people gave Mr. Duceppe a rough ride during questions after the speech.

Mr Duceppe was challenged as to how an independent Quebec could expect to be afforded entry into NAFTA, given America's new protectionist attitude.

"No problem," answered Mr. Duceppe who maintained the rosy fiction that the world will beat a path to the door of an independent Quebec. "Just wait and see."......Ugh!

As for Mr, Duceppe's claim that he attended high level meetings with the State Department, nothing could be more laughable.
Readers should understand that being fobbed off to the State Department for 'meetings' is the ultimate insult reserved for tin-pot dictators and other undesirable foreign diplomats and politicians, deemed unworthy of meeting actual administration officials, even of the lowest order.

Had Mr Duceppe met with Hillary Clinton or even Dr. Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, it would have been newsworthy, but since we didn't hear anything of the sort, it can be safely assumed that Mr. Duceppe met with a low level bureaucrat from the Canadian desk, suckered into taking the meeting by his boss.

What is most telling in this whole affair is that there's not one American official, elected or appointed, nor any State Department bureaucrat who would allow a photo to be taken with Uncle Gilles. Nobody.

And so while Mr. Duceppe weaves the fantasy that he was well-received in Washington and that Americans are listening and open to his message, nothing could be farther form the truth.

Mr Duceppe would have us believe, that in his painful and broken English, he managed to make palatable, what is an anathema to Americans, an independent, left-wing, French state, smack dab on their northern border.

More spin. More lies. More crapola.

And nobody is prepared to cry out in public, that this emperor has no clothes!

Bits'n Pieces - Volume One

Péladeau crushes union

Pierre-Karl Péladeau, Quebec's media scion, has delivered another crushing blow to his striking journalists at the Journal de Montreal. 

"Difficult to be served in French in Montreal"

In his latest offer, he has told the union that he'll only re-hire  about 50 of the 250 strikers. Take it or leave it!.......Ouch!

Since all the strikers had to vote on the offer, it was a forgone conclusion that the offer would be rejected.

But once again, the union may have overplayed its hand. Péladeau put $20 million on the table or about 150,000K in severance per fired employee.

The reality is, that the only alternative the union has, is to stay on strike forever and get zippo!

Even Quebec's anti-scab law hasn't slowed the newspaper from publishing, as free-lancers who don't technically cross picket lines(they send in their stories via email) have replaced the journos.
Well-played PK!!!!

To make matters worse for the union, circulation has actually increased by over 10% during the strike, despite the union's call for a boycott. So much for public solidarity!

While I have some sympathy for the clearly over-matched union clods, I can't help but appreciate that since the strike, the newspaper has dropped its relentless Anglo-bashing.

It now concentrates on stories about government over-spending, lazy  and incompetent union members or government employees and overpaid civil-servants. No shortage of material there!

Representative of this new type of reporting is a story that appeared in yesterday's edition. It detailed the case of Quebec's 'Chief Forrester' whose mandate isn't being renewed. The Minister in charge denied that it had anything to do with excessive expense claims made by Pierre Levac, who charged over $70,000 in mileage during his mandate. It seems that he lives in suburban Montreal, while his government job is based in Roberval, over 600 kilometres away. He was given permission to charge the ten hour round trip commute as a normal business expense!
Asked  to respond, Madame Normandeau's aide didn't seem too upset. "You know, as long as the work gets done..... " By the way the new Chief Forrester will be required to live in the area......Link

Keep up the good work!

Surprise! Politicians lie
A lot of us had high hopes that the Bastarache Commission would come up with a definitive answer as to whether Liberal organizers used undue influence in the selection of judges, but alas, it was not to be.

Perhaps we are spoiled by television legal dramas that feature fearful defendants, who crack in the witness box under the relentless questioning of skillful attorneys. Failing that, there is always irrefutable forensic evidence or the inevitable reveal of the 'smoking gun.'

Too bad that it doesn't happen that way in real life, where reality more resembles our thoroughly unsatisfying Bastarache Commission, where witness after witness told fantastical versions of the truth, with lawyers for the commission or for Mr. Bellemare, unable to crack them or offer any effective rebuttal.

The only irrefutable fact to come out of the hearings, is that certain politicians and political hacks, have no compunction about lying under oath.

In sworn testimony, Marc Bellemarre claimed that he confronted the Premier on September 2, 2003 to air out his complaints about political interference by Liberal party fundraisers in the selection of candidates for appointments to the bench.
On the other hand, Premier Charest, in sworn testimony said that the meeting never occurred!

Somebody's lying!!!

In fact during the closing arguments by both Charest and Bellemare's lawyers, they combined to accuse practically every witness of lying!

In making up one's mind about where the truth really lies, it comes down to who's side you were on going into the hearings.
Who's the winner and loser in all this!
Loser = Jean Charest, Marc Bellemare and the public
Winner = The lawyers =$$$$

'Terrorist' not in Quebecois lingo
A lot has been written in the press recently in relation to the fortieth anniversary of the October Crisis, when two separate FLQ  (Front de libération du Québec) terrorist cells kidnapped a Quebec cabinet Minister and British trade consul.

It seems that there's a concerted effort to re-write history and romanticize the kidnappers, describing them as misguided young dreamers who never intended to kill Pierre Laporte and whose death was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

Read an excellent account of this  phenomenon by DON MACPHERSON, writing in the Montreal Gazette entitled "Extremist makeover -the FLQ edition"

But this makeover seems to cross all political and journalistic lines. In article after article, in television or radio, among francophone journalists, the word 'terrorist ' seems not to exist in describing the FLQ.

I've scanned over one hundred articles recently and incredibly, the FLQ is called a lot of things, but not terrorists.

"felquistes" - "ravisseurs" - "révolutionnaires" - "jeunes felquistes"
"groupe armé" - " individus" - " kidnappeurs"

Here's just a sampling of the articles I reviewed;

La Presse Canadienne Montreal -- TVA/LCN- Crise d'Octobre -- LCN -Claude Poirier -- La Presse- 

Lysiane Gagnon -- CANOE--Metro Montreal- Chronologie de la Crise d'octobre 1970-

NORMAN DELISLE -- Journal de Montreal -- Canoe --  Radio-Canada --  Rue Fronteanc 

 LaPresseAffaires -- Révélations sur la mort de Pierre Laporte -- Le FLQ à Sainte-Anne-de-Larochelle
 Le fil des événements-Journal de Montreal -- La Crise d'octobre: 40 ans après Une mort fortuite, pas un assassinat --

In fact the only article that I could find referring to 'terrorism' in relation to Quebec is this one.
De Londres à Ottawa, le terrorisme d’État dans l’histoire du Québec.
Interestingly it refers to 'state terrorism,' not the FLQ. hmm....

And so in Quebec, it is clearly verboten or perhaps politically incorrect to refer to members of the FLQ as terrorists. Why?
Is it a case of “one man’s terrorist being another’s freedom fighter.”

What if 33 miners were stuck underground  in a Quebec mine?
Thanks to Geneviève, who sent me an email giving me a heads up to a hilarious article that presents a spoof of what it would be like if miners would be trapped in a Quebec mine and subject to Quebec bureaucracy. Hilarious!
Sorry, the article is in French and there's no English translation.