Pierre-Karl Péladeau Finally Stumbles

Pierre-Karl Péladeau's meteoric ascension to the top of the Quebec and Canadian media establishment, taking a failing print based company and turning it into a media powerhouse, is stuff business legends are made of. Read my post about his rise 

After a rough start at the helm, Péladeau in a defining moment, locked out journalists at his flagship newspaper Le Journal de Montreal, claiming that the newspaperman were lazy fat cats, earning too much and producing too little. The lockout has lasted for a year and a half but hasn't put a dent in the conception, production and distribution of the newspaper. Using a loophole in the labour legislation, that forbids scabs from crossing a picket line, the newspaper hired outside agencies to produce content and then submit it via the Internet.
The hapless and stubborn journalists remain locked out, likely never to return!

A month ago, with much fanfare and showmanship, Péladeau announced  that he was launching a cellular service to compete with the big boys, Bell, Telus and Rogers.
He manged to secure a whole morning's worth of free coverage on both of Quebec's television all-news channels where he smoothly played the nationalism card to hawk his product with the help of fawning reporters, to an eager audience, thrilled to see one of their own take on the establishment.
Promising that his new company would generate funds to support Quebec artists, he used phrases like 'winning conditions' and 'pride' to describe his entry into cellular, nakedly stroking the Quebecois ego.  Well-played!

His steely-jawed determination and his forceful personality has driven him to one success after the other and Quebeckers, always on the lookout for a local Francophone hero, have taken notice.
Married to Julie Snyder, a popular and omnipresent television presenter, the power couple has become the darlings of both the gossip and business pages. 

Péladeau's latest project is also controversial, the launch of the conservative cable news channel SUNTV News a project that has got the hackles of liberals up, who have sarcastically dubbed it FoxNews North.

You'd think that Péladeau would be inured to the barbs of the media and be able to brush criticism aside, but it seems by his recent action in suing a CBC executive for defamation, he's exposed himself as remarkably thin skinned.
Out of anger, rage or a desire to send a message that he's not to be trifled with, Péladeau sued a CBC executive for defamation after he was characterized  as a 'VOYOU'(hoodlum) in several interviews, over Péladeau's decision to unilaterally stop paying into the  Canadian Television Fund, an important source of income for the CBC.

The whole suing affair has degenerated into a circus with Péladeau and his wife looking rather foolish.

Perhaps Péladeau should have taken a lesson from Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon's vice-president who taunted the press, only to be mercilessly attacked in return by the press and ultimately driven out of  office. LINK

The judge who was assigned to adjudicate the affair at trial wasn't too impressed with the case and made his feelings quite clear on the first day.

I could imagine Péladeau's lawyer's stomach turning as he realized that his case was likely headed to the toilet, even before the first witness was presented!
When Julie Snyder tearfully described how hurtful the accusation was to her family, the press couldn't resist chuckling at her fine performance. Boohoo!

Last week the judge, Claude Larouche, came to court in a furious snit, brandishing a magazine in his hand that featured a front page story on Péladeau and accusing the mogul of placing news stories to further his case. YIKES!

Lawyers for both sides sat in stunned silence, wondering who'd be the first to explain to the judge that  both magazines La Semaine and L'actualité were issued by competitors and both articles were not particularly flattering.

In fact one of the articles pummeled Péladeau by printing a spread, seeking reader opinions as to whether they actually believed that Péladeau was a 'VOYOU,' a device clearly meant to further propagate the alleged slur and punish  Péladeau for his actions.  Great Fun!!

Lawyers for Péladeau were forced to call the editors of the two magazines into court to explain the facts of life to the judge who remained unimpressed.

The latest news is that the judge refused a request by Péladeau's chief lawyer for a delay in the trial so that he could attend his sister's sudden death in Ontario. The judge ordered the trial to continue with the second chair pleading the case.

Péladeau's enraged legal team saw their opportunity to abandon the sinking trial and made an application that the judge recuse himself for his actions.

The none to pleased judge ruled yesterday that he wouldn't recuse himself.
Looks Like PKP is headed for a very public and embarrassing defeat.

For Péladeau it's 'In for a penny, in for a pound' and even if he loses the case, can an appeal be far away?

The case is somewhat disturbing, as it seems to be setting a nasty precedent for the rich and powerful to sue those who call them names in public.

Premier Charest is rumbling that he's considered suing Action democratique du Quebec leader Gerard Deltell for calling him the 'Godfather of the Liberal party," a pretty clever jibe, one would have to admit. LINK

Perhaps the Premier should take note of the case between Vic Cotroni and Maclean's  back in the sixties where the reputed mobster took offense at being called the 'Godfather of Montreal' and sued the magazine for $1.5 million.

"The judge however concluded that Cotroni's reputation was tainted and awarded just an insulting $2, a dollar for the English version and a dollar for the French version." LINK

Can the Premier do much better?

Me, I hope Péladeau wins and justice repeats itself. With inflation, maybe he'll be awarded a sawbuck!

Stay tuned!

Danny Williams- Good Riddence!

A while back I attended a funeral of an old acquaintance of the family who was, truth be told, a right bastard on any scale with which one would care to measure a man's worth. A disreputable businessman who'd cheat friend or foe, his personal life wasn't much better.

I assumed that they'd gloss over these deficiencies at the funeral, adhering to the old adage of not speaking ill of the dead,  but I never expected him to be eulogized by family and clergy as an outstanding citizen and family man. Eccch!

And so the Canadian press greeted Danny William's announcement of his retirement with a shower of accolades and tributes, conveniently forgetting that he too, was also one right bastard.

There's isn't any doubt that Williams was successful, he certainly brought home the bacon for Newfoundland, by hook or by crook.
His policy of putting Newfoundland before Canada, no matter what, was roundly embraced by the people of the province and his dubious methods forgiven, in consideration of the results.

Bullying, tantrums and threats were his stock in trade. So afraid of Williams was the lily-livered, weak-kneed Paul Martin that he gave away the offshore oil rights to Newfoundland that rightfully belonged to all Canadians.

And so Newfoundlanders traded in a welfare check for a much, much bigger royalty check, working just as hard for one as they did for the other. Claiming that they've worked their way out from being the butt-end of Canada through hard work and ingenuity remains a sad joke perpetrated by the master spinner, Danny Williams.

Newfoundland remains what it always was. Pretending that the province somehow 'earned'  it's prosperity is a fanciful notion, as believable as Jed Clampett claiming hard work led to his riches. In fact, Newfoundlanders can be best described as the Canadian version of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Danny Williams was so used to getting his own way, that when he didn't, as in his inability to reverse the decidedly one-sided Churchill Falls power agreement with Quebec, it galled him to no end and degenerated into a maniacal obsession.

His tried and true methods of bullying, tantrums and vengeful threats all fell on deaf ears in Quebec and each passing year of failure, fed his rage and frustration.

Lost on him and other Newfoundlanders is the simple fact there's about as much chance that Quebec will ever renegotiate the power agreement, as there is the Americans renegotiating compensation to the Indians for the sale of Manhattan, sold for fifty guilders and some colourful beads, centuries ago.  

So like a true demagogue, he amped up the rhetoric to vitriolic levels and when that too failed, he resorted to hate.

For that, I will never forgive him or Newfoundlanders.

He railed against Quebec for putting its selfish interests before that of the region, as if Quebec somehow had a larger obligation than Newfoundland to be altruistic.

When that didn't work he attempted to drive a wedge between Quebec and the provinces, by whining that Quebec was getting too much in federal transfer payments.

This from a province that for sixty years sucked more out of Ottawa on a per capita basis than any other province in the Dominion!

His most galling attacks hinted that Quebec was dishonest, an egregious case of the pot calling the kettle black, if ever there was one.

Nothing but nothing can compare to the fraud perpetrated by successive Newfoundland governments in creating a network of phony fish plants whose only function was to operate for ten weeks in order to qualify Newfoundlanders for federal unemployment insurance. This organized scheme sucked billions out of Ottawa, in a program that would make a Tony Soprano's no-show job scam  proud. LINK

So cruel and selfish is Danny Williams that when New Brunswick was offered the deal of the century by Hydro-Quebec, he hurriedly pissed in the soup by spreading the fear that after Quebec swallowed NB Power, the evil Quebecois would swallow the entire province.
The nefarious hate campaign was a smashing success for Newfoundland and a stunning setback for New Brunswick and so Quebec's sweetheart deal was left on the table. Then New Brunswickers were badly betrayed when the province was  left out of Williams new 'regional' power plan.
Well-played Danny! Here's another dagger!

The latest Newfie joke is the proposed go-around Quebec power transmission line that will cost an estimated seven billion dollars. When the true costs finally come in, it's likely to top off at the ten to twelve billion dollar range, making the whole project suspect.
Of course Williams has called on the hated federal government to help finance this folly and I sincerely hope that Harper tells Newfoundland to take a hike.
All this money, spent to satisfy the desire for vengeance by one angry man. Unbelievable!

Perhaps the new Premier of Newfoundland can put emotions aside and consider what's is in the real economic interest of the province. Building this expensive boondoggle just because Williams is angry at Quebec is the height of stupidity, but of course it's Newfoundland.

A real Premier would swallow her pride, put Churchill Falls behind her and make a deal to use existing transmission facilities through Quebec which would cost a fraction of the proposed go-around project.

The caveat being that the province hire a Toronto law firm, preferably Jewish, to do their negotiating!

For Newfoundlanders, reading this, who feel particularly irked, understand that seven years of Williams Quebec-bashing has sown the seeds of hate and poisoned relations between two neighbours for no good reason. Congratulations!

Do you honesty believe that if the shoe was on the other foot, that the Churchill Falls power agreement favoured Newfoundland, that Danny Williams would re-open negotiations?

That would be a real Newfie joke.
Here's another;

Jean Charest's Last Gambit

It's rare to see a leader do nothing in the face of overwhelming adversity, even when doing nothing is the bravest and smartest course of action.

You can call Jean Charest a lot of bad things, but even his enemies understand that his political instincts are unrivalled in this province.

Given the pressure to call an inquiry into corruption, Charest understands that doing so would not only spell the end of his government, but would likely hurt the party for years to come.

So he has decided to do nothing. For him and the party it's the only logical decision, even in the face of overwhelming pressure.

One only has to look back to the Paul Martin government and the foolish decision to launch an inquiry into the sponsorship scandal.
Martin felt he was on solid ground, he wasn't responsible for the mess and felt that the public would understand. It was better to clear the air. In his autobiography Martin wrote;

"I wanted to make it clear that we had nothing to hide and would not sweep anything under the rug"

Proof positive that even Prime Ministers can be fools.
How badly he overestimated the public. How badly he underestimated the political fallout.
Did he honestly believe that nobody would be made to pay?

Jean Chretien, the last great political operator on the federal scene, summed it up succinctly when he commented that Martin was indeed better off sweeping the whole thing under the rug, because no matter how big the bump underneath, the alternative was worse.

That my friends is politics. Chretien and Charest are consummate pros, while Martin an amateur.

So, dear reader, are you outraged? You think Martin showed courage?

In life nice guys finish last, in politics nice guys don't even finish the race.

Again, if you are angry with this point of view, remember, it was the public that destroyed the Martin government, over a Jean Chretien affair.

And so in spite of all, Jean Charest maintains his control over his caucus while bungling Steven Harper is losing control of his.
Considering the positions of the two leaders, it's quite an achievement.

So what is Jean Charest thinking and what is he telling his caucus?

First, he's told them to forget about an inquiry. It will never happen under his watch. He's reminding them that it would destroy them all.

Then he's telling them that things are not as bad as portrayed in the press. The polls are actually quite close and all the negative publicity is brewed by a separatist press.

If he pulls off a by-election win next week, (and it's likely he will) it will be a stunning reversal of fortune.  The press will have to admit that he is far from dead. The caucus will eat it up.
Never mind that it took a two billion dollar pork project to seal the deal.

But the real gamble is this.
Charest is placing all his money on the police investigations into corruption turning something up. The rumours are saying that there will be arrests. If this happens next year it will be a game changer.

If the arrests happen and people are hauled into court Charest will crow that his course of action was solid.

Under the best case scenario, the crooks will take a deal, plead guilty and admit they were fixing construction prices without bleeding over the government.

The public will be somewhat satisfied. Not the pequistes, but the Liberal base and that's what counts.

It all comes down to a gamble, but when you are down by a lot of goals in a hockey game, it's time to take risks.

Can he pull it off?

Time will tell.

Stupidity and Greed Cross Language Divide

Financial abuses in Quebec's School board system is so legendary that the public is largely inured to surprises. The disconnect that the administrators have from their students and the public that they serve is nothing less than legendary.

And while student population falls across the province, the number of administrators keeps going up.

How about the cegep director who expensed a guided tour of the Grand Canyon and also claimed reimbursement for a meal in a museum that didn't have a restaurant? (It was actually for money spent on presents in the gift shop.) Did she lose her job?  LINK f

Recently, the Minister of Education had to step in when plans for a spanking new $13 million head office for the Commission scolaire des Patriotes were revealed, plans that included hiring of a company to water the plants. The head of the commission, continues to insist that the board needs more office space, even in light of falling enrollment

Such is the sense of entitlement, that when the minister turned down the proposal summarily, the furious, head honcho of the commission, Normande Lemieux, demanded a meeting to explain her position. Thankfully the minister told her to take a hike. Link fr

Yoga classes, meditation sessions, workshops of all assorted manner are all de riguer for school boards administrators, all on the public dime and all done on company time.

To date, I've read about these abuses, smugly assuming that it is a problem found only on the francophone side of the education system.

How arrogantly stupid I was... Shame on me!

A story in the Journal de Montreal, had me gagging on my morning coffee. I'm a cynic by nature and not much surprises me, but the abusive disregard of the public trust as described in the article had me seeing red.

It seems that a bunch of school directors  from anglophone schools went to a swanky hotel in the Dominican Republic to ostensibly improve their leadership skills, all on the dime of their respective school boards. All of this of course in the dead of winter.

Why the Dominican Republic? To study the fine education system down there and to learn how the schools cope with limited resources.

Sorry, I have to scream...

AGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to the organizer of this pork barrel vacation, a certain Lynnn Butler-Kisber, the trip to the stunning beach front hotel in the middle of winter is not really a vacation. "They went there to work"
Of course, she admitted that during the free time participants were most certainly free to partake of the hotel's fine facilities and access to the ocean.

By the way, the conference locale is no Motel 6, take a look a the promotional video of the place, it's a palace!

 

Next time these administrators feel the need to study schools operating in adverse conditions, perhaps they might plan a trip to the Gaza Strip or North Korea. Although the hotel situation may not be as favourable,  it'll certainly be a great learning experience.

In reaction to the story, school board spokespersons are all hiding and with good reason.

Anybody who tells us that this was an 'educational experience' must think we are morons.
Anybody who defends this abuse deserves to be fired.

By the way, each of the participants should be T4ed for the pleasure part of the trip.

How are we anglos going to react to this unforgivable insult to our intelligence and the disgusting abuse of public funds, by our very own people frittering away the school taxes that we pay?

While there appears to be no accountability in the French school boards, is there any in the English ones?

I fear we are one and the same. Losers.

Parkavenuegazette.com Webmaster picked up by Police

Faster than you can say Jack Rabbit, Canadian Internet providers commenced blocking the site
Parkavenuegazette.com  after complaints voiced on places like vigile.net.

******************* UPDATE *****************

This is not true. Parkavenuegazette.com reports that it was a maintenance issue, that weirdly coincided with the separatist attack.

Here's what to do if sites do get blocked.

Back when the Urban Outfitters site was intimidated into blocking viewers from Quebec from visiting the site because it was English only affair. I received a suggestion from a reader who told me to use a free simple proxy to view the blocked web site.

It pretty simple affair, just go to a site like HideMyAss.com and type in the website address that you wish to visit in the box provided.

It's a great place to view blocked sites or to keep your identity completely hidden when browsing.

******************* UPDATE *****************

A Montreal radio station reports that;

"A blogger who runs an anti-separatist website here in Montreal was taken to provincial police headquarters for questioning last evening. James Angus Brown came to the attention of police because of a headline on a posting arguing for the death penalty for francophones pursuing the ethnic cleansing of anglos in the province.

After the discussion at SQ headquarters, Brown removed the headline, which called for the hanging of Pauline Marois for the good of humanity. The article itself remains on his website, parkavenuegazette.com"

Parkavenuegazette.com is available again......but both articles in question seem to have been pulled completely.

The links in the previous post now lead to a '403 ERROR'

Developing...............

Anglo Website Triggers Charges of Racism

ParkAvenueGazette.com, is a radical anglo rights website that sent Quebec nationalists over the top with some pretty provocative pieces that it published of late.

The website went dark after an article in vigile.net accused the site of racism and demanded that it be shut down.

I emailed webmaster, (who I have been in contact with in the past) and he assured me that he'd be up and running soon.

Good to his word, the website is operating once again, much to the displeasure of many.

The center of the controversy are these articles;

 Hang Pauline Marois  for Humanity's Sake

Are Military Solutions Necessary?

 Go ahead and read the two articles and come back here to read this translation of this demand on vigile.net, for a police action. LINK French

A Call to civil war and the summary executions of Francophones

What is the Sûreté du Québec waiting for to intervene 

"Considering the provisions of the Police Act, giving the Sûreté du Québec's mission to protect the people, our institutions as well as Québec's strategic infrastructures against various intentional threats, including terrorism, organized crime and extremism;

Considering the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to public incitement of hatred, seditious conspiracy, incitement to fear of terrorist activities,

Considering that the website ParkAvenueGazette.com including in its pages the Colonel James Angus Brown and Ma'at Inkstir encourage anglophones and members of ethnic communities of Greater Montreal to:

• Take over of the Grand Montreal and "by military force if necessary" and to declare Montreal a "city state";

• Undertake a military rebellion in multi-ethnic neighbourhoods of Montreal, to separate Greater Montreal from Quebec,  reinstate the death penalty in order to ethnically cleanse the French;

• Undertake a bloody civil war during which the "racist French people" would be summarily executed in a "military style", as in Sarajevo, when they take over the island of Montreal;

• To acquire powerful weapons to protect themselves from the "racist French";

• To establish a clandestine network of military squadrons ('Squadron Three') to patrol the streets and neighbourhoods and protect them from "malicious actions of the dirty French  racist"

• Not to rest until each and every "small-minded garbage Francophone" be indicted and convicted under harsh emergency laws;

• To declare the Quebec people illiterate savages, with limited brain capacity, with only a vocabulary of 400 words of 'slang', racists who  should be "terminated" by all means necessary;

• To hang the opposition leader Pauline Marois, Member for Charlevoix in the National Assembly and leader of the Parti Quebecois;

THEREFORE, I hereby request  that the Sûreté du Québec and the Police Service of Montreal inquire into and act as quickly as possible to:

- To proceed with the closure of the website ParkAvenueGazette.com and the seizure of the web server in question;-

Carry out the arrest and indictment of Angus Brown and Ma'at Inkstir  for  hate, seditious conspiracy and membership in a terrorist organization;-

To declare "Greater Montreal City State movement" as a terrorist organization.-

Prohibit the "Abolish Bill 101 Rally planned Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the City Hall of Montreal for the reasons mentioned above and the dangers of a riot that might ensue.

Lax law enforcement has gone on long enough."

Jean-Paul Crevier-Delisle

WOW!
Comments are now open.....

************************UPDATE: **********************

It seems that Internet providers are again blocking the site. Please read the next post to find out how to view blocked websites easily.

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The Assassination of Jacques Duchesneau -Mob Mentality Sweeps Quebec

 The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking around. -Alice in Wonderland

In light of the utter failure of the government, the police, or the justice system in general to deal with lawlessness and corruption sweeping Quebec, it isn't any wonder that citizens are attempting to take matters into their own hands by demanding loudly that miscreants be removed from office.


There is a distinct smell of blood in the water, which started with the mayors of both Terrebonne and Mascouche stepping down temporarily in the face of overwhelming public pressure. In the case of the Mascouche mayor, he was lucky he didn't show up to the next scheduled city council meeting, after the story of his alleged corruption broke, as an angry mob was set to greet him.


A petition demanding Premier Charest's resignation has reached over two hundred thousand signatures in just two weeks and continues to  grow. Although without any legal status, the petition is nonetheless a powerful message that people are not happy.
Last year, the PQ launched a similar Internet petition demanding a construction industry inquiry and was able to raise a scant 60,000 signatures over two months. Not much of an accomplishment considering that there are a 100,000 card carrying members of the PQ.

But things have changed.

The Maclean's magazine article, which called Quebec 'the most corrupt province in Canada' was the match that lit the fire. It was the 'tipping point' that sent the media on a witch hunt with the determination of a bloodhound, a chase that has proved more fruitful than one could have imagined.

And so the front pages of the Journal de Montreal and La Presse have become the new Place de la Révolution, the public square in Paris where over 1,300 French aristocrats and 'anti-revolutionaries' met a very public demise at the hands of a vengeful and bloodthirsty mob, under the blade of the infamous guillotine.

So hungry was the mob for blood, that feeding its appetite for blood led to the arrest and execution of some whose only crime was suspicion and innuendo.

No matter, a mob is a mob and must be fed.
Like the hapless Duke of Orleans who was executed in that 'Reign of Terror' with the flimsiest evidence, his last words remain prescient: "Ah liberty, how hast thou been sported with!"

And so I was deeply saddened to see the picture of Jacques Duchesneau featured amid a rogues gallery on the front page of the Journal de Montreal last week.

Adding his name to the list was a cruel act, unworthy of a reputable newspaper. But of course, it was Le Journal de Montreal, where the truth never gets in the way of a good story.

It is a case of over-reaching on a monumental scale, because Jacques Duchesneau is not a crook.

How do I know? 
Because I worked with him long enough to get a sense of the man. 

Jacques may have many faults, but dishonesty is not one of them. 
His worst fault is his monstrous personal ambition, a mega force that has driven every aspect of his career. 

I knew him from the time he was chief of police of Montreal where I noticed right away that he didn't do much of the  mundane everyday work related to his job, preferring to let highly capable associates carry the ball.

It was his style of management to delegate everything, whilst he looked for a new challenge. Something his employees joked about. Ambition.  

While working as police chief, Jacques had his eye firmly on the next job. He concentrated on making contacts and upping his scholastic achievements by attending those executive types of programs offered by universities to highly placed executives.
When the opportunity presented to run for mayor, he jumped, one of the few mistakes he made in his upward career march.

When asked to support his campaign, I told an organizer that his run was a mistake. Montrealers hate cops. He wasn't going to win. I told him that It would be a setback, which it turned out to be.

Jacques then went on to become head of CATSA (equivalent to the hated TSA in the States) where he immediately set his sites on something bigger. His lack of attention to the job and his globe-trotting habit of attending conference after conference on the agency's dime, finally led to a board of directers revolt and his forced 'resignation.' But in the meantime he had built quite a reputation as a crime fighter that led to the job that Charest had given him last year.

Today, the allegation that has surfaced about his campaign for mayor is being portrayed as a scandal, when in fact, even if  true, is no big deal.

When he lost the election, his party, Nouveau Montréal, was close to $200,000 in debt and instead of going bankrupt they did the honourable thing, took out a loan and paid back the debt over a couple of years.The loan required ten 'co-signers' (because nobody can 'lend' more that $10,000 dollars to a political party) and this is where one of the signatures turned out to be allegedly false. The loan however was paid back in full and the story long forgotten until somebody broke the news of the so-called fake name.  Had the loan defaulted it would have been another story.
The whole incident if true, would be sanctioned by a small fine. No big deal.

For a good analysis read Patrick Lagace's article in La Presse 
An article in LE DEVOIR says that the campaign to hurt Duchesneau is being orchestrated by construction industry types, who want his investigations to stop.

At any rate, the accusation that Jacques was behind the so-called fake signature is patently absurd, he couldn't arrange a car loan himself, he'd most certainly delegate it out. It's what he does

Jacques delegated the running of his campaign to a close friend and confidant Jean-Pierre Allaire, a slick and capable over-achiever with a financial background as an accountant, who was equally on a upwardly mobile career tract.

Ever since their days together, volunteering to run a large Quebec charity, they've become Fric and Frac. 

As campaign manger, it was Allaire that controlled the money. It is likely that it was he who arranged the 'loans' and it is a fact that it was in his office where the signings took place.

When asked about the incident of the so-called 'fake' signatory, Allaire told the press that; "It's in the past. I haven't got anything to say about" Hmmm... Very reassuring!  LINK


Don't look for him to take responsibility, if he did in fact engineer the affair. It isn't in his nature, he's also a notorious career climber.

And so it appears that we are about to sacrifice one of the good guys. It's too bad.

Quebec Finally Starts Crackdown on Corruption....er.... Sort of!

It is with a sense of relief that Quebeckers greeted the news that police have finally made some arrests in the ongoing corruption scandal that is rocking the province.

Finally, finally, some action!

In an announcement worthy of a multi-million dollar cocaine bust, the Montreal police proudly announced that they had busted six doormen at the storied Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, for forcing cabbies to kick back a couple of bucks for every lucrative airport fare.  LINK

JUSTICE IS DONE !!!!

At least it's a nifty diversion from the scandalous tales of political corruption and the avalanche of organized crime stories washing across Quebec like the the Red Sea over Pharaoh's chariots.

Corruption and its impact on Quebec society has become  all-embracing and all-encompassing.

Jacques Duchesneau

This was sadly highlighted by the presentation this week, of a rogues gallery of political miscreants, published on the front page of the Journal de Montreal that even included the hitherto Mr. Clean, crime fighter Jacques Duchesneau, who was ironically hired to clean up the corruption mess and now stands accused of fudging the paperwork in relation to his mayoral campaign, twelve years ago. LINK 


In the face of all this corruption, it's hard to believe that many Quebeckers remain firmly planted in a rose-coloured fantasy world where all is not as bad as it seems.
A recent poll indicates that while 75% believe that Quebec is a corrupt place, only 22% believe the province is worse than the others and amazingly 6% believe that the other provinces are even more corrupt than Quebec! LINK 

This type of self-delusion is nothing new. We see it every day, where facts and figures are manipulated  and re-interpreted by nationalists to portray Quebec as what it is not.

It's been going on for decades, the only prerequisite, a public willing to accept any nonsense argument that satisfies a foregone conclusion.
So strong is the manipulation that there remains a goodly number of Quebeckers who firmly believe that Quebec is a net payer into Canada.  Truly....

But to those without their head in the sand, the unbelievable spectacle playing out before us, is a painful and eye-opening experience that can best be compared to a daily trip to the dentist.

Not only do we face a daily barrage of political corruption accusations, each morning we wake up to the news of yet another Montreal restaurant being firebombed overnight.
It's not even restricted to Montreal!
Pizza shops in the small town of Chambly are being blown up rather regularly, the concept of fierce competition taking on new meaning in modern Quebec. No two-for-one coupons here!

Throw in regular dose of unexplained Mafia murders and kidnappings and it's not surprising that Quebeckers are incredulous as to what is happening to their society as the clueless police offer shrugged shoulders and vacuous stares, in response. 

As the latest arson attack hits the ritzy Montreal neighbourhood of Westmount, we must sadly conclude nowhere is safe and that the entire province is engulfed in a sea of organized, disorganized and political crime that is beyond the ability of the forces of order to control.

Each Sunday night, when I sit down and watch HBO's Boardwalk Empire, the story of corrupt Atlantic city in the 1920's, I actually find myself asking if we are not actually in much worse shape.
At any rate, 'Nucky' and crew would fit right in, here in Montreal. We even have our very own sharpshooter hit man, just like the show!

It's been about  a year since all these revelations first came out and the promise by the government that we'd be better off leaving the cleanup to the police, is ringing false. Unfortunately, the only arrests made, have been the comical doormen at the Queen 'E.'
Quebeckers are fed up.

What big anti-crime measures has the government come up with to fight this corruption?

Let's see..er........ nothing!

No wait, I'm wrong!

The government has come up with a bold attack to bring into compliance those perfidious tax-evading  restaurateurs, who are robbing the government blind by accepting cash payments for your morning  nosh.
And so, from the biggest restaurant chain to the smallest coffee stand on the corner, cash registers connected to the government have been made mandatory. Any clerk who forgets to hand a bill to the client, even for a doughnut, subjects his owner to a $400 dollar fine.
The inspectors are already out in force and already a local Tim Horton's holds the dubious honour of being the first one pinched and fined for serving a Double/Double without the appropriate paperwork.

WELL-DONE! It's been what we've been waiting for. A real crackdown on corruption!

The next target.....

Mafia Bosses?

Construction kingpins?

Crooked Mayors?

Cheating civil servants?

Nope........ probably hairdressers and paperboys.

.....or maybe a Royal Commission into hotel doormen.

Tomorrow-  Has the public rage gone to far?

French versus English Volume 17

Gilles Duceppe misleads Scots?

Gilles Duceppe continued the current edition of his "Idiot Abroad" tour, speaking to a classroom of students at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland.
The prestigious event might have lasted longer than 50 minutes, but as the teacher explained,
the classroom would have to be relinquished for the next class.
 HA! HA! Very prestigious.
During the Q&A , after the speech, Gilles Duceppe got asked some tough questions on language.

A couple of Quebec students studying abroad at the university, decided to torment Duceppe.  One student wrapped in a Canadian flag and another wearing a Montreal Canadiens hockey shirt asked the politician why English education in Quebec  is restricted.
Instead of backing up that policy of Bill 101, the weasel told the questioner that French students could go to English Cegeps and universities, without mentioning that his party wants to change all this.  

You can watch the whole tedious classroom lecture in which Mr. Duceppe lays out his plan for Quebec's  quest for 'sovereigning' (sic)   LINK

You can read an embarrassing  news report about the incident here LINK fr

Question to readers..... How come Duceppe is never confronted like this in Canada?

Gilles Proulx's racist rant on TV
Gilles Proulx is another longtime anglo basher in the fine mould of Pierre Falardeau who has a nasty and condescending tone. Another ageing and frustrated separatist, he loses it on Mario Dumont's nightly TV show, when discussing the possibility of converting Cegeps to teach bilingually. Suffice to say that he is opposed to such an idea.
He goes nuts and refers to Anglophones as "tête carré " a slur equivalent to calling francophones "Frogs" or "Peppers." He uses the term four times during the segment as well as calling the Italian community  "Voyous," the same term that Pierre-Karl Péladeau is suing over. Then he complains that the Italians play Mafia music in their restaurants and before finishing up,  he disparages the Greek community because although they speak French, they speak English to each other.
There's no subtitles but you can catch the drift, even if you don't speak French. Mario Dumont, never called him out on the slurs, but La Presse columnist  Marc Cassivi did so in an article entitled  "Le racisme à deux vitesses," where the writer points out the double standard over racial insults. LINK

Interestingly, I viewed the closed captioning, the subtitles provided for the deaf and the person doing the translation refused to put the word 'tête carré' on the screen, all four times. Hah!

Pauline Marois meets the Governor General

It must have felt like a trip to the principle's office when Pauline Marois, the separatist leader of the opposition Parti Quebecois greeted the Governor-General David Johnston in her National Assembly office!
The tete-a-tete was a courtesy call, one that Madame Marois didn't want memorialized and so she barred photographers from snapping pictures.
 The visit fell exactly on the fifteenth anniversary of the famous "Unity Rally" the federalist love-in that occurred three days before the 1995 referendum.
Not lost on Madame Marois is the fact that the Governor-General was then the co-president of the NO committee!
PQ directer of communications,  Pascal Monette, pooh-poohed the whole affair and characterized it as no big deal, telling reporters that it is normal to meet 'foreign' dignitaries...SWEET!

Quebeckers mourn the loss of Internet address

The Canadian organization that is charged with managing the 1.5 million  '.ca'  Internet addresses  (CIRA) has announced it will no longer register the 'qc.ca"
The blow to proud Quebeckers who want some reference to their province in their Internet domain name has inspired them to apply to the international organization that controls these things, to add a new appellation- ".québec" complete with accent.  Link

Bilingualism good for the brain

"A growing body of research shows that regularly speaking two languages comes with certain types of improved mental performance....
Being able to use two languages and never knowing which one you're going to use right now rewires your brain," says Ellen Bialystok of York University in Toronto, whose work Diamond cited repeatedly in the article." LINK
Asked to comment, a certain French language militant admitted that this may be true, but asserts that there's no proof that this second language must be English!

ADISC- Don't apply if you're English

"Founded in 1978 to defend the interests of its members and promote the development of the music industry in Quebec, the Quebec Association of the music industry, entertainment and video (ADISQ) is a nonprofit professional association." ADISC website

So says the unilingually French web site which fails to tell Quebeckers, that if they are anglophone they are to be treated as second class citizens.
Like the JUNOS, this organization hands out prizes, called Félix, each year to celebrate the best Quebec musical and video artists, the best that is, if you sing in French. 
Anglos, and everyone else is not eligible for 'artist of the year.' So the likes of Bobby Banzini, clearly the best this year, is not eligible. 
The organization defends itself by pointing out that it does offer a prize for the best English album of the year, but it remains firm that artists eligible for 'artist of the year' must sing in French.

Diane Pinet, Bobby Barzini's agent, wondered out loud how Francophones would feel if French artists were to be banned from competing at the JUNO awards. LINK

By the way the ADISQ web site sports the HERITAGE CANADA  logo at the bottom of the page indicating that Ottawa underwrites a portion of it's activities. LINK

Luc Plamadon unloads on English

On the day that the aging composer was to receive an award from SOCAN, (Société canadienne des auteurs et compositeurs de musique,) the Canadian organization that collects royalties for artists, Plamandon gave a nasty interview in the Journal de Montreal where he delighted in trashing English and Anglophones rather cruelly, giving value to the old adage that 'there's no whore like an old whore.'

For those who don't know who he is, Plamondon is a prolific francophone composer whose most famous piece is the rock opera, STARMANIA. If you don't know what STARMANIA is, don't worry, it's no TOMMY or HAIR. It's a rather tedious, cheaply staged musical whose only claim to fame is that it is written and sung in French.

At any rate, the nasty old fart, delighted in telling the Journal de Montreal how much he dislikes English and Anglophones. He recounted how, on the eve of a revival of STARMANIA,  staged at Montreal's Place des Arts theatre, he threw a last minute hissy fit, demanding that the simultaneous translation screens that offered English subtitles be removed.

"I wasn't going to kneel down before the three board members of the l'Opera de Monreal,  who didn't speak French" Plamondon en croisade

He then went on to complain that the ritzy fundraisers held around the city were run bilingually;

"I ask myself, why are we obliged to give speeches in both languages?" Plamondon en croisade

Err.... Perhaps it's because it's the Anglophones that give the bulk of the money?

He voiced his support for the ADISQ decision to bar Quebeckers who sing in English from being eligible for "Artist of the Year' award. (See above article)
He then went on to complain about the Festival d’été de Québec, because of its policy in bringing in top name talent like the Black-Eyed Peas or Santana.  "They don't need government funds to survive" Another falsehood.
The reality is that the Festival makes money on these 'marquee' artists, because it is they who are the major attractions that generate tickets sales and bring in the tourists. Quebecois talent serve as opening acts for the real shows. When Quebecois talent perform alone at the festival, crowds are a fraction of what the big names perform to. At any rate, Quebecois talent can be seen for nothing at the free shows paid for by the government each year at the multitude of St. Jean Baptiste concerts, so why pay.
Read a piece about the success of Quebec's Festival d’été and their refusal to cave into language militants LINK

Who earns more, Francophone or Anglophone Quebeckers?

The very stupid and public debate between Jack Jedwab and Charles Castonguay over who earns more, Francophone or Anglophone Quebeckers fails to capture the most salient point. Both earn less than the average Canadian family and both are left with much less after Quebec's confiscatory taxes are factored in.

"An average Quebec family earned $77,738 this year and paid $33,310 in taxes, representing 42.8% of its income. An average Canadian family earned $ 92.754, or 19.3% more than us, with a lower tax rate.
More worrisome still: the average Quebec family earned $16 less in 2010 than in 2009, while the average Canadian family earned $1816 more."Republiques de /Bananes, Author Serge Rouleau

Yikes!

Enjoy your weekend!

More Quebec Corruption- Yawn!

Pretty soon Quebec newspapers will have to start running stories about Quebec mayors who are honest, as the old "man bites dog' journalistic expression goes. That's how depressingly routine stories about the dishonest ones are!

The latest bombshell surrounds Laval's Gilles Vaillancourt. The mayor of Quebec's second largest city was accused in no uncertain terms of offering illegal campaign contributions.

"Bloc Québécois MP Serge Ménard and Liberal MNA Vincent Auclair both publicly alleged Tuesday that Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt offered them envelopes of cash – in 1993 in Mr. Ménard’s case and 2002 for Mr. Auclair." LINK

Do I look like a crook?

As usual in these cases, the mayor is brazening it out, denying it all. He's also refusing to step aside temporarily to clear his name.

I'll remind readers that in a column I wrote last week, Quebec Towns Swimming in Cesspool of Corruption, that I mentioned Laval as a city where dubious governance issues swirled around the latest big ticket construction project.

To say that Quebeckers are fed up with corruption is an understatement. The people of the fair city of Laval, who voted massively for the mayor, giving him a 100% majority on town council last election, now want him out.
In a quicky poll published in the Journal de Montreal 57% have said that they have lost confidence in the mayor and believe by a margin of 3 to 1 that Menard and Auclair are telling the truth.

La Presse's chief editorialist, Andre Pratte has finally said in print what everyone knows, that the Maclean's article was essentially true, Quebec is the most corrupt province. 

He also added a laundry list of accusations;

• The process of awarding public works contracts is discredited; 
• The system of financing political parties engenders nothing but suspicion.
• The reputation of the FTQ, the various construction contractors and engineering firms is tainted.
• The cynicism towards the political class is bigger than ever.
• The Premier's credibility is in tatters. Link

This from a writer who is accused by nationalists of being a Liberal Party apologist!

Wait I'm not finished!!
Remember last week when I was one of the first to write publicaly that  Jacques Duchesneau, who was hired by the Premier to clean up corruption mess, was himself under investigation.
Here's what I said;

"At any rate, rumour has it that Duchesneau is on the outs with the Premier over some sort of alleged skeleton in his closet, that has recently started to rattle rather loudly." LINK

Today it's been announced that he's under investigation for allegedly receiving donations through fake or borrowed names in his mayoral run twelve years ago. The use of these 'prête-noms' circumvents limits that individuals can donate.
Too bad, I've known and worked with Jacques and think he was bamboozled by over-zealous by staff. His team was slapped together rather quickly. The brother of very, very, rich Quebecker was involved with the fund-raising. Although rich he wasn't very experienced and was typical of those involved in the ex-police chief's campaign.
Jacques himself was never very hands on and delegated all the real work, while concentrating on hob-nobbing, shaking hands and climbing the fame ladder. It's really a case of him taking the fall for his underlings.

Yet another, bombshell!
The QFL, the 600,000 member union that has also been opposing an inquiry into the construction industry has caved; 

"As fresh allegations of corruption continue to surface in Quebec, the province's largest union in the construction industry called Wednesday for a public inquiry, leaving Premier Jean Charest's government the only one resisting calls for a public probe.

It's an about-face for the Quebec Federation of Labour, which is opposed to a broad inquiry into the mounting allegations of mob infiltration in construction contracting, shady party financing and cronyism.

"We are asking the government to hold a public inquiry, we think the time has come for that," QFL president Michel Arsenault told a news conference Wednesday." LINK

And so the Premier is finally cornered. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

Calling an inquiry will be fatal. Not calling one, probably fatal. What would you choose?

Construction types have already sent the message through the grapevine, that if the Premier calls an inquiry they're going to bleed all over him. Ouch!

It doesn't matter what's true or not, we've already seen in the Bastarache commission that lying under oath is a no-brainer for politicians.

At that august inquiry, Premier Charest and the ex-justice minister, Marc Bellemare, both swore to tell the truth and then contradicted each other over the most basic of facts, whether or not they met on a certain Saturday night.
Somebody's lying, it's either Tweedledee or Tweedledum,. (My money's on Bellemare being the liar, he and his wife both look shifty!)
Besides, I don't think that Jean Charest would have called an inquiry if he was guilty. The ominous warning that Bellemare alleges the Premier gave him (not to discuss the money and judges) just doesn't jive with the Premier's mannerisms. In real life Charest would have gotten someone else to give the warning.

In the Laval affair, we can be fairly certain of one thing, either Vallaincourt or Menard is a liar. No use putting it politely. I'll leave it to readers to guess who I think is the liar.

And so we can be fairly certain that in any construction inquiry, people will lie their asses off, oath or no oath. It seems that public inquiries no longer have the gravitas they once enjoyed. Have we already forgotten the ridiculous testimony offered in the Fredy Villanueva inquiry whereby one of the gangsters told one nose stretcher after another with nary an admonition by the  judge. 

Unless you're Guy Lafleur, you can tell the biggest lie without any sanction.

So instead of wasting time with inquiries that may ultimately prove nothing, perhaps I can offer a better solution.

Let's create a television game show called "Qui Dit Vrai?" (Who's telling the Truth)
We can get the ever lovely Julie Snyder (as long as her husband doesn't participate) to be host of the show where opponents will face off against each other.

• Charest versus Bellemare
• Vallaincourt versus Menard
• Tony Accurso versus ....er....pick'em..

Each contestant would take a lie detector test, live on air and be asked the essential questions that the public would like resolved.
"Did money influence the appointments of judges?"
"Did you lie about that meeting?"
"Did you offer an envelope of money?" etc. etc.

The lie detector tester would then make an oral report to a panel of three judges (any recommendations?) who would then vote as to who they believed told the truth.
The public, of course, would vote as well and the two scores would be combined and unveiled on a results show the next day. Need I go on?

If one of the antagonists refused the invitation to appear, the other will be deemed to have told the truth by default.
Loto-Quebec could create a betting line and allow the public to wager on the outcome, like they do on professional sports!

A TV show would be just as much fun as an inquiry and a helluva lot cheaper!

As an insurance policy against more corruption on city councils, how about this idea!

Separatists Blame Marois to Hide Truth

Yesterday the Montreal Gazette published a Léger poll which showed that if an election were held today the PQ would form the next Quebec provincial government.

While one would assume that this would come as good news to separatists, a closer look indicates that they've got a lot to worry about.

The Parti Quebecois lead the Liberals 37% to 33%, a margin that is incredibly close considering how unpopular the Liberals are, if we are to believe the Press.

Amazingly, while Mr. Charest's personal popularity is at it's lowest historical level, the Liberals are trailing the PQ by a scant four percentage points.
It's hard to believe that the Liberals can sink any lower and if this is the bottom, it doesn't look so bad. Given the Liberal party's sad performance, the PQ should be sitting somewhere between 50% and 60%, but they are not. 

The PQ militant wing and a compliant 'Clique du Plateau' (my new favourite phrase to describe Quebec's separatist Press) have been selling the fiction that it is Madame Marois' personal unpopularity that is holding the PQ back. This is a fantasy.

The real reason that the race remains close is not because of Madame Marois' so-called unpopularity, but the Parti Quebecois militants' continued push for a referendum that is turning voters off.

While Marois realizes a referendum is a political drag extraordinaire and has tried to back away from it, the radicals, the same ones that torpedo almost every PQ leader,  continue to sell a pipe dream that voters are not willing to buy anymore.

To paraphrase a Bill Clinton election saying- "It's the referendum, stupid!"

And though the PQ may be ahead in the polls now, they haven't created much separation between themselves and the Liberals. It's hard to see them doing any better, given the horrendous circumstances that the Liberals find themselves in.
Let's face it, could things get any worse for Mr. Charest?

The ball and chain that a referendum represents is the driving force in the political movement that Francois Legault represents. He has promised Quebeckers that he'll skip an un-winnable referendum, but remain strongly nationalistic, music to the ears of most Quebeckers.

Polls indicate that a new party led by Mr. Legault would defeat the PQ and the Liberals in an election. Worse still for the PQ, they would likely finish third in that scenario.

But the biggest disaster that the PQ may face, is to have their fondest wish fulfilled, that is, a Charest resignation.
A  renewed Liberal party under new and popular leader, say Denis Coderre or even Regis Lebaume, would also likely beat the PQ.

As for referendums, one small nugget of information in that same poll was perhaps the most interesting part of all.

 "Meanwhile, only five per cent of Quebecers whose first language is other than French would vote for the Bloc,..." LINK

We all know that in the 1995 referendum the anglos and allophones were blamed for the YES loss and to be honest, quite rightly so. They voted massively in favour of Canada. 

The separatists have always maintained that this would change with time, but apparently it hasn't, if the Leger poll is to be believed.
According to this poll, 95% of anglos and ethnic Quebeckers would not vote for the Bloc Quebecois and it isn't a great leap to say that by logical extension, they would also vote NO in another referendum.

Since 20% of Quebeckers don't have French as their mother tongue, it means that 19% of that 20% pool, would vote NO in a new referendum.
That's quite a handicap for the YES side. It means that of the remaining 80% that are francophone, 62% of them would have to vote YES for a referendum to pass.
Each year, with more and more immigrants arriving, that number goes up.

Many Quebeckers, even sovereignists, have realized that perhaps the tipping point has been passed.

The PQ finds itself between a rock and a hard place. If militants force Marois out and replace her with a more militant leader or even if they force her to promote another referendum, they are toast.

The election is almost two years away, plenty of time for the PQ to self-destruct. The real political drama in Quebec will be be the referendum struggle within the PQ.

Depending on who wins, so will go the fortunes of the party.

Amir Khadir's Silence is Deafening

Yesterday and Sunday saw a lot of traffic generated on this humble blog in regards to a post I wrote a while back concerning Amir Khadir and his communist past, a history that he isn't too keen to see exposed. See Amir Khadir Has a Lot to Hide.

Apparently, someone in the Twitter world, with quite a following, posted a link which was re-tweeted by Jeff Fillion, Quebec radio's most influential shock-jock.

All this renewed interest in Mr. Khadir and his past is based on a controversial radio interview given by Quebec conservative wunderkind, Éric Duhaime, who accused Khadir of having a secret Islamic agenda! You can listen to Duhaime's rant in French on RadioEgo here.

For those without French, the outburst was short and sweet, with Duhaime accusing the Quebec solidaire Parliamentarian of hiding an Islamic agenda, (whatever that is.) He also called on party leader  Françoise David to clarify whether this position represents that of Quebec solidaire.

You'd think that Khadir would have had something to say in reaction, it isn't every day a politician in a western Parliament is called an Islamist.

Other public personalities seem to be a lot less tolerant than Mr. Khadir when it comes to enduring  these sort of attacks. Perhaps Mr. Khadir understands that the truth is an absolute defense against libel.

Readers will note that Premier Charest is furious at Action Démocratique du Québec leader Gérard Deltell who made an 'in your face' accusation intimating that the Premier is the corrupt leader of a corrupt party, calling him, “the godfather of the Liberal family.”  LINK
After demanding a retraction in vain, the Premier is now considering another libel lawsuit.

Pierre-Karl Péladeau, Quebec's leading media tycoon was so furious that a Radio Canada executive called him a 'VOYOU' that he sued him for defamation, a case presently being heard in court. LINK 

And of course let's not forget our favourite businessman, Tony Accurso, who's name has been linked to so many corruption scandals that it's hard to keep count. Even he is taking legal action to defend his 'good' name! Link fr

It appears that Amir Khadir has a much thicker skin. Either that, or he is frightened to confront the allegations in public.
Denying one is an Islamist or a communist is about as bad as denying that one is a pedophile.
Not much upside.

Mr. Duhaime has previously run an exposé on Mr. Khadir's past links to the Communist party of Quebec and his association with a banned terror group. LINK
Mr. Khadir wisely chose to ignore that story. It would be hard to deny the facts, being what they are.

Wisely he hunkered down and let the controversy play itself out, confident that an obliging press would let the issue die, which it did.

That's because the majority of Quebec journalists, media and television personalities are left-wing and separatist.
According to the industry magazine ' Trente,' an organ of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec, fully one-third of Quebec journalists live in the Plateau Mont-Royal district of Montreal, the socialist Shangri-la and kingdom of Amir Khadir. Link

In fact, over half of Quebec's working journalists live in Montreal and almost all share this "Clique du Plateau" mentality, a liberal, nationalist, separatist dogma that is attacked on a daily basis on the excellent blog "La Clique de Plateau."

By the way..... In researching this article I came across a press release from Mr. Khadir, entitled "Amir Khadir meets an Israeli member of Parliament." Given Mr. Khadir's pathological hatred of Israel, the headline intrigued me.
Of course it turns out that the Parliamentarian was an Arab Israeli who is visiting Canada to  convince us to boycott and divest from Israel.
Really.
Yup... a member of the Israeli Parliament. (reminds me of Gilles Duceppe.)
Could this occur in Iran, Egypt, Syria or any other Muslim country in the world? Do you think Mr. Khadir sees the irony?

And so Khadir continues to enjoy a free ride in the Quebec media.

BUT NOT HERE...

More Statistical Drivel-This Time by an Anglo!

Regular readers know that I take great exception to the statistical drivel that pours out of the sovereignist camp, a dazzling array of fact, fiction, manipulation and outright lies meant to overwhelm readers and shift public opinion in the most dishonest of manner.

Just last week Jacques Noël, the prolific statistical sleight of hand artist, who skillfully turns Quebec water into wine, used his powers of selective data to skewer an article printed in La Presse, "Péréquation: plutôt 1200$ à chacun!" written by Pierre Simard, a professor at l'École nationale d'administration publique, in Quebec City. LINK 

"For the fiscal year of 2010-2011, the Government of Quebec will receive $8.5 billion in transfers in federal equalization payments, or 60% of the 14.4 billion paid to all 'have not' provinces.  This amount represents 13% of the 65.5 billion projected revenues of the province of Quebec. A gift, considering that Quebec taxpayers contribute about 20% federal tax revenues. In sum, 80% of that Equalization cheque is funded by our friends in the Rest of Canada (ROC)......"

For fiscal year 2010-2011, each of us  receive a cheque of about $1,200 or $4,800 for a family of four." LINK

 I don't think that this is an earth-shattering revelation, but the impact on a family is quite eye-opening, especially to those of you in provinces paying the freight. Ahem..

But according to Mr. Noel's logic, the equalization payment to Quebec is not charity at all, it's well deserved, nothing more than make up payments for all the shortfalls Quebec is subjected to.
He provides a laundry list of federal programs where Quebec gets 'less' than its fair share, but conveniently forgets about those programs where it gets more.

Mr. Noel might well have been a contortionist in a previous life to come up with all the billions that Quebec is supposedly short-changed each year. It makes for amusing reading and is so patently absurd that only the most militant nationalists could take it seriously.

Unfortunately, disinformation, bad statistics and misinterpretation is a two way street.
It would be remiss of me not to pass judgment on those in the Anglophone community that sink to the same level.

While the number of anglophone journalists and experts that engage in such voodoo analysis pales in comparison to those on the nationalist side, it  behooves me to call them out just the same.

Last summer Jack Jebwab of the Quebec Community Groups Network, came out with a study that asserted that Francophone Quebeckers make slightly more on average than anglophone Quebeckers. Immediately those numbers were challenged by Claude Castonguay, a retired mathematics professor and frequent contributor to sovereignist commentaries. He 'proved' Mr. Jedwab's numbers wrong and a war of statistics erupted in the press over methodology.  LINK fr.

A study to find out whether francophones make more money than anglophones, by it's very nature is suspect because it is agenda-driven. I wonder, if  Mr. Jedwab's study had proved the opposite, that anglos make more than francophones, if he'd have published the results. Methinks, no.

It reminds me of the Journal de Montreal sending a reporter to downtown Montreal to see if she could get a job speaking only English.
These 'studies' are self-fulfilling and always prove what the author intends.

Interestingly both Mr. Jedwab and Mr. Castonguay both tried to prove that their own respective linguistic communities made less than the other, in order to better play the victim card.
It's these type of arguments between idiots that we should steer a wide berth around.

Last week Mr. Jebwad was at it again, touting a poll that indicated that francophone Quebeckers were much less open to Jews than English Canadians Americans, Spaniards and Germans.

"English Canadians have some of the most open attitudes toward Jews and the Holocaust, while French Canadians are among the least open, according to a new public opinion poll of attitudes in four countries.....

The poll, commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies and released exclusively to Postmedia News, found that only 34% of French-speaking Canadians felt Jews shared their values compared to 73% of English-speaking Canadians." LINK

The numbers were so staggeringly different that I immediately became suspicious. It painted francophones in a particularly bad light, so bad in fact that it made me wince. 

I know a rogue poll when I see one, this was one of the worst examples of a loaded question, bound to elicit different responses from different groups.

First things first. 

Had the question asked to francophones, substituted 'Anglophones' for 'Jews,' I am sure that the results would have been remarkably similar.

Culture means very different things to Francophone Quebeckers than Anglophone Canadians.

In Quebec, one can never get away from language. Francophones are married to the concept of language as an integral and founding element of their culture and values. It is how they define themselves.

A Jewish family may live next door to a Christian family or a Muslim family in Brampton, but they all speak the same language in the street, at school, at work and at play. They read the same English newspapers and magazines, watch the same television and listen to the same English radio.

The same goes for Jews in Spain who all speak Spanish, German for Jews in Germany and English for Jews in America.

It's for good reason that the saying "We speak the same language" means that we're on the same wavelength.

In Quebec Jews and Francophones share the same province but largely live in two different worlds, not because anybody is racist, but rather because they don't share the same language and to a very large extent, culture.

Ask a Quebec Jew, what a FELIX is and he' might answer you, that it's fifty percent of the ODD COUPLE, instead of the Quebec music award similar to a JUNO.
There's quite a cultural divide.

Quebec Jews and Francophones don't read the same newspapers and magazines, don't watch the same television and go to the different schools.

Ask Quebec Jews if Francophone Quebeckers share their values and you may very well get the same percentage as answered by the francophones.

So what?

The poll casts a poor light on francophones and intimates that they are twice more unaccepting of Jews than English Canadians. Bah!

If you believe that than I suggest that you read Jacques Noel for more fantasy.

The very idea that Quebeckers are less accepting than Spaniards of Jews flies in the face of the many studies that indicate that Spain is the most antisemitic country in the western world. Strange considering that there are less than 12,000 Jews in the whole country, about the same amount found in the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux!

"According to a recent study published by the Pew Research Center, nearly half of all Spaniards have negative views of Jews, a statistic that marks Spain as one of the most anti-Semitic countries in Europe." LINK

Once again Mr Jedwab's research is shoddy.
He has gratuitously besmirched Francophone Quebeckers in their attitudes towards Jews.
Bad research. Bad methodology.
Shame...