Monday, June 6, 2011

Stéphane Dion Back in Fighting Form!

Up until a year ago, you might have thought that Stéphane Dion was just about the worst leader the Liberal Party of Canada ever fielded. As a dark horse who swept into power in the unlikeliest of manner, his storybook ascension to power was followed alas, by a disastrous tenure as leader and a sad and precipitous fall from grace.
Whether it was his poor command of English or the foolish decision to base an electoral campaign on increasing taxes through some sort of green tax, the public wasn't having any of it and so after an electoral disaster he was shown the door rather indelicately.
While the Liberals were glad to see Dion leave, few would have guessed that the next leader, Michael Ignatieff, everything Dion wasn't, would turn out to be infinitely less successful.

One might have assumed that  Dion would fade away politically but he soldiered on and has survived the Liberal massacre of May 2, being returned to Parliament by voters in the Montreal riding of St. Laurent where his ethnic and English base remained more loyal than his Liberal confreres.

In the aftermath of the election slaughter and no prospect of another election for four years, the Liberal party  has announced that it is hunkering down for an extended period of introspection and re-building, even opting to delay the choice of a new leader for eighteen months. And so like a wounded animal that slinks away to lick its wounds, the Liberals have exited the political battlefield and ceded the fight, or so it seems.

Out of  the ashes of the electoral meltdown, Dion has risen like the Phoenix to reclaim past glories when he stood head and shoulders above all, battling the separatists successfully to the point where to Quebec militants, he became the most hated Quebecker since Pierre-Eliot Trudeau.

His successful letter campaign, wherein Dion wrote detailed and exhaustive rebuttals against separatist propaganda in a series of Op-Ed pieces in newspapers across the country, enraged separatists who fumed at the the calm and collected and professorial manner in which he destroyed their positions.

Dion's greatest achievement was the Clarity Act, a law that creates rules for any future referendum. The law allows for separation but only after a clear referendum question is asked and a clear majority is received. 
As much as separatists hate the law, Dion never fails to remind them that it is the law of the land, with the underlying message that to ignore its precepts would mean that the only road to independence would be a unilateral declaration of independence, something almost impossible to sell in Quebec.

Unlike most of his Liberal party cohorts, Dion is not a disheartened or beaten man, his election was a personal triumph, one that he badly needed. Mr. Dion is still in debt vis-a-vis his leadership run and is rumoured to owe over $100,000. His job at $157K guaranteed for another four years will go a long way to assuage the financial stress. Mr. Dion at 55 has just now qualified to receive his Parliamentary pension, but by staying an extra four years (achieving twenty years in Parliament) he will assure himself of a $100K-$150K per year pension when he chooses to retire or is defeated in the next election (not likely.)
With no aspirations to become leader again (been there, done that) Mr. Dion is in a good place, financially secure and free to say and do what he wants.

What he wants to do, is to pursue his political first love, that is to confront separatists and to dispel sovereignist propaganda.
Dion has also correctly identified the Ndp as the real rival to the Liberal Party dream of reclaiming national prominence and as such a convergence of issues and circumstances has placed Jack Layton and the dippers firmly in his cross hairs.

Since Harper and the Conservatives will content themselves to majority rule and leave the political fighting to the boys across the aisle, the only logical battle is the Ndp versus the Liberals and the return of Dion to the fight augers badly for the dippers whose political positions are so eminently attackable, Dion is going to have a field day.

Even snarling Uncle Tom will match up poorly to Dion's calm and deliberate manner and if Mulcair thinks he can bait Dion into a name calling knife fight, he's badly informed.

Here's an example of Dion's intellectual prowess and what the dippers are up against. It's a speech he gave at the 8th Annual Michel Bastarache Conference at the Rideau Club in  February entitled Secession and the Virtues of Clarity.

And so Dion is taking up the fight against Jack Layton, the Ndp and its hypocritical stance on Quebec sovereignty.

Here in a letter to La Press he attacks the idea of 50%+1 being enough of a margin of victory in a referendum LINK{FR}

Here he attacks the separatists hiding in the Quebec wing of the Ndp caucus; 
He [Mr. Layton] should be forced to ask each of its members that they believe in Canada. And if this is not the case, he should say: "I have so many members who are separatists and who would vote " Yes" in a referendum on independence. " He should tell us what he would do, "said Mr. Dion. LINK{FR}
With a majority government before us,  it augers poorly for political debate. The Conservatives have nothing to gain from engaging in partisan debate (for at least three years) and so we might have expected an exceedingly boring time in Ottawa.

Dion has changed all that.
He's set the tone for the debate, chosen an opponent and demarcated the battle lines. It's going to be the Ndp versus the Liberals and the fight is going to be interesting, with the Liberals playing the Canada card and the Ndp forced to defend its Quebec position.

I wouldn't want to be staring down at Dion, his slight professorial bespectacled look belies a tenacious fighter who is just that much smarter and intelligent than his opponents.

32 comments:

  1. Editor, like you wrote, university professors make for good intellectuals, but lousy messengers. The last two Liberal leaders were professors, but if I want a lecture, I'll enrol for a course at my friendly neighbourhood college or university.

    In fairness to Dion, his worst detractor once he assumed the mantle of leadership was his deputy PM, a.k.a. Michael Ignatieff, who was plotting Dion's overthrow the second he was placed second at the last Liberal convention back in Montreal.

    In the end, Dion's usurper was usurped by the voters of this country like no Liberal leader ever before him. The Progressive Conservatives were more soundly defeated in 1993, but that was after Mulroney the rat jumped off the sinking ship to leave Kim Campbell holding the bag. No matter. Kim didn't have the stuff to turn the fortunes around, but even a charismatic leader would have gone down with the ship, maybe sinking a little less deep. One thing for sure is we'll never really know.

    I won't state Dion won't make it back to the mantle if he chooses to do so...Bourassa did! But as the Editor stated, it's not likely to happen. Of all the Liberals left, Dion right now is the one in the driver's seat, so let's see how he plays it. The NDP are certainly an easy mark at this time, but time will tell if they have character or not. Like the Editor, I'm skeptical myself. We shall see.

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  2. I think it is going to be fun to watch the two faces of NDP for the next four years. While 59 of its 103 MPs are Quebecers, 44 are not. So NDP has the 'moral obligation' perhaps for those Bloc constituents who shifted their votes to the NDP. Therefore, NDP needs to appease to the separatist sentiments.

    However, another half of NDP are federalist. I am not sure that if the NDP leans towards separatism too much that will be accepted in the rest of Canada. And we are talking about a party that just got a significant number of seats for the first time in its history.

    So why do I write about NDP in a comment about Stephane Dion? Dion argued against Layton's opinion that 50%+1 is enough for independence. From that discourse, I think the NDP is not completely prepared for prime time. Coupled that with lack of political and lifetime experience of some of its members, the Liberals should have the opportunity to fight them back.

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  3. Jacko has the biggest problem of any politician in Canada with the coming dissension in his own party between the Quebec agenda (separtists for one) and those of the ROC. He is going to fall off the fence or get a picket up his derriere...which will be quite painful.

    Bonne chance avec ca Mssr. Layton.

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  4. Dion is an idiot, a hypocrite, a turn coat, “former” separatist and an anti-English language bigot.

    This is the same fool who can’t speak English fluently, and could not even answer a simple basic question in English when he was leader of the liberals, even though the question was asked 3 times, and simplified each time.

    This is the same fool who bragged about bill 101 being a great law, while bragging that his goal was to force French on the rest of the country while allowing the English language to be wiped out in Kebec.He is a typical language Nazis from Kebec.

    I laugh every time this clown opens his mouth. ESL clown, ESL!!!

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  5. I just read that three of the top members of the PQ are quitting: Parasite's wife, and the equally dispicable Pierre Curzi and Louise Beaudoin. Goodbye and good riddance!

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  6. "I just read that three of the top members of the PQ are quitting"

    Not a good year for the separatists, first the BQ getting all but anhialated and now the PQ melting down from within.

    I see the fed's are going to give Quebec the 2.2 Billion so long as they negotiate a final deal. Will be looking forward to the day I don't have to submit to Revenue Quebec PST direct. Wait a minute, they already said they harmonized, why then, do I have to continue sending money to them and the feds at the same time. It's all BS. Hopefully Flaherty will make them comply with the same deal as all the other provinces with regards to HST.


    C'est le vie.

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  7. @ Anomynous June 6, 2011 11:06 AM

    "Bonne chance avec ca Mssr. Layton."

    This is a question, NOT a nitpick. I thought the abbreviation for "monsieur" was "M." (This is why the play M. Butterfly should have been pronounced "Monsieur Butterfly.") But then again, language use changes over time, and the same books I have read which use "M." for "monsieur" also refer to "spinsters" instead of "single women" or "bachelorettes." Is "Mssr." the abbreviation used for "monsieur" now instead of "M."?

    Thank you very much!

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  8. Anonymous said

    "This is the same fool who bragged about bill 101 being a great law, while bragging that his goal was to force French on the rest of the country while allowing the English language to be wiped out in Kebec.He is a typical language Nazis from Kebec."

    Doesn't take away from the quality of the Clarity Act.. There's now a framework for any province wishing to secede peacefully in a democratic process...

    there can no longer be any trick questions despite what the socialists may think....

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  9. Edward,

    That anonymous poster was actually wrong. The abbreviation for Monsieur is indeed M. When they are plural, they become Messieurs, and the abbreviation is MM., in French. In English, Messieurs is used as the plural of Mister, and the abbreviation is Messrs.

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  10. @ Troy.

    Thank you very much.

    @ Anomynous June 6, 2011 11:06 AM

    Maybe Stephanne Dion is still an anti-English bigot, but if he has become a genuine advocate for Quebec remaining in Canada, shouldn't he get a little support in this area? As far as his imperfect English goes, if he is trying to learn I'd be willing to cut him some slack. Perhaps his own stuggles will help him fight to change Quebec laws to allow Francophone families who WANT their children to learn English as a second language to do so earlier.

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  11. "Perhaps his own stuggles will help him fight to change Quebec laws to allow Francophone families who WANT their children to learn English as a second language to do so earlier."

    Pourquoi ne pas sauter quelques étapes et gagner du temps en faisant de l'anglais la première langue et de l'espagnole la seconde?

    Que venez-vous faire dans les conflits canadiens?Vous n'avez pas de problèmes a règler chez-vous?Moi je crois que oui.

    Votre pays est en train de couler a pic,allez donc conseiller vos compatriotes avec vos idées géniales.

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  12. @Press 9

    The author of this blog approves posts written in French, but I will not go to Google to translate anything written by somebody who can clearly understand what I have written, but does not at least TRY to respond in English.

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  13. You are wasting your time, Edward. He is hopeless (Press9). Personally, I will neither engage in conversation with him nor answer his provocations, insults, idiotic, nasty and racist slurs and comments, out-of-touch-with-the-reality lunacy anymore.
    "Misericord and Justice both disdain them. Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass." (Dante, Inferno, canto III)

    WESTALLOPHONE++

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  14. "by somebody who can clearly understand what I have written"

    Yeah right!

    Dans ce cas précis ,je vous ferez remarquer que c'est vous qui ne comprenez pas mes commentaires. (voir:Arrowsmith)

    J'ai compris précisément TOUS vos commentaires précédents et c'est pourquoi je vous suggère de réfléchir sur les problèmes des É.U plutôt que sur ceux des pays ÉTRANGERS.

    BTW,French and English are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions.

    Have a good one Eddy!

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  16. Press 9 for obnoxiousness said "I understood exactly ALL of your previous comments so I suggest you think about the problems of US rather than those of foreign countries."
    Apparently EJC gave you more credit than you deserved. You don't understand what he said.

    "BTW,French and English are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions." Except, of course, in Quebec, where they don't.

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  17. "Perhaps his own stuggles will help him fight to change Quebec laws to allow Francophone families who WANT their children to learn English as a second language to do so earlier."

    Est-ce quelqu'un pourrait me traduire la phrase ci-haut écrite par Eddy?

    OU

    Suis-je a coté du propos en disant que je crois comprendre que monsieur l'américain serait en faveur de modifier NOS lois (101) afin d'angliciser d'avantage nos enfants déja submergés par la culture anglo?

    En passant Diogenes,de quelle planète êtes-vous donc pour ne pas comprendre que nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et que nous avons le devoir de prendre les moyens nécessaires afin de survivre?

    Je crois que c'est vous qui avez un problème de compréhension avec les équations mathématiques élémentaires.

    Pleaaaase!Help me to understand!

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  18. Press 9 for obtuseness said: "En passant Diogenes,de quelle planète êtes-vous donc pour ne pas comprendre que nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et que nous avons le devoir de prendre les moyens nécessaires afin de survivre?" I'm sorry, I thought you were pointing out to EJC that Canada was a bilingual country, but perhaps it was one of your other personalities. Regardless, my little fascist friend, why don't you elaborate on what other necessary steps might be required if retricting freedom of speech doesn't do the job?

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  19. “nous avons le devoir de prendre les moyens nécessaires afin de survivre”

    Your duty is individual survival, through the procurement of food, water, and shelter, which I think you don’t have a problem with. If your individual survival is ever in danger, then I’d be willing to go out of my way to extend a helping hand, as a basic gesture to help another fellow human being.

    As for your "collective" survival, you can pray to your flag and your nation all you want and you will have my blessing but only as long as you don’t ask me to sacrifice any of my liberties, and that includes the liberty to communicate in any language I want. In other words, your "collective" survival isn’t worth a single one of my freedoms.

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  20. "...includes the liberty to communicate in any language I want..."

    Ha oui?

    Quelle autre langue que l'english parlez-vous donc cher ami?

    Pour avoir fait quelques voyages au sein de votre merveilleux pays de libertés(sic) qu'est le Canada,j'ai senti a plusieurs reprises que mon droit d'expression en français n'était pas toujours le bienvenu.Disons que nous commençons a sentir le danger et la pression dès la sortie de l'ontario vers l'Ouest.

    Aussi,vous serez peut-être surpris d'apprendre que j'ai rencontré quelques petits fascistes canayens...Hé oui!Des fascistes canayens dont il ne manquait que la petite moustache Adolfienne.Pas croyable,non?

    De plus,en tant qu'humains,nous n'avons pas que des libertés,nous avons aussi des devoirs et des reponsabilités.

    C'est la vie!

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  21. "Aussi,vous serez peut-être surpris d'apprendre que j'ai rencontré quelques petits fascistes canayens"

    And I hope you took them for who they are, and paid them no mind. Just like I do with Quebecois fascists.

    I'm not questioning your right to stand up to whoever you perceive as fascist, or whoever wants to impose his will on you, a will that you profoundly disagree with. All I'm asking is for you to extend the same courtesy to us.

    And another thing, the fact that there may be fascists elsewhere outside of Quebec does not absolve the fascists in Quebec.

    To which you'll probably respond: "we're just defending our language and culture". Yuck.

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  22. "nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et que nous avons le devoir de prendre les moyens nécessaires afin de survivre?"

    Big deal. You manipulate the numbers to justify your fascist language laws. Francophones comprise just under 25% of the population of Canada, which is not a small minority.

    The various languages of the Native people of Canada are spoken by far fewer individuals than French is in Quebec. If any languages require protection, theirs do. But they haven't made any efforts to impose language restrictions in their jurisdictions.

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  23. " Nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et..."

    Et vous répondez ceci:

    "...just under 25% of the population of Canada, which is not a small minority.

    Un peu de concentration s.v.p .

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  24. To Anonymous, June 8 at 9:42 PM,

    What are you talking about?

    Press 9 said: "Nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et..."

    I countered with: "Francophones comprise just under 25% of the population of Canada, which is not a small minority."

    You are the one who needs to concentrate a bit more.

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  25. Press 9 said to E.J. Cunningham:

    "...je vous suggère de réfléchir sur les problèmes des É.U plutôt que sur ceux des pays ÉTRANGERS."

    Press 9 is being hypocritical again. He has made many derogatory statements about Americans and the United States - a foreign country - on this blog.

    I, for one, think the perceptions and comments of our neighbours to the south are very valuable. Americans should be concerned about the fascist province of Quebec, which borders on four of their northeastern states.

    We need to get the word out internationally about the terrible situation in Quebec. This blog helps do so. Hopefully this will lead to lower tourism and foreign investment. The Quebecois should pay for their transgressions.

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  26. "a foreign country"

    Hé oui!Le canaya et les É-U sont deux États distincts constitués d'individus libres de s'exprimer et de critiquer.

    A quand remonte vos derniers cours de sciences po?

    N'ayez craintes pour les touristes,c'est nous qui en avons le plus au canaya.

    Vous êtes surement des vastes plaines canayennes.Non?

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  27. "Nous sommes une minuscule minorité sur le continent et..."

    I countered with: "Francophones comprise just under 25% of the population of Canada, which is not a small minority."



    If you don't understand the difference between a continent and a country, go back to school.

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  28. @ Anon. at 2:40 PM:

    Of course I know the difference between a continent and a country, you dumb fool.

    The population of Quebec may be only 2% of the North American total, but it is almost 25% of the Canadian total. Its proportion in our own country is much more important. The laws of the United States and Mexico don't apply to us.

    The population of QC is less than 1% of the total in the Americas (North and South America), but what does that mean? Nothing.

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  29. "The population of QC is less than 1% of the total in the Americas (North and South America), but what does that mean? Nothing. "

    It would mean nothing only if you erected a wall to close us all in.

    Otherwise, it means a lot as far as language is concerned, because we interact with a lot of these people. Especially if you consider that a lot of this interaction is professional at this point, so we might not even have a choice - we have to know THEIR language (English, maybe even Spanish), and they don't have to know ours (they can easily ignore Quebec and do business elsewhere, in the meantime, we cannot ignore them).

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  30. @adski

    "It would mean nothing only if you erected a wall to close us all in"

    Il n'y a aucun mur au Québec adski.La langue n'est pas un obstacle a la circulation des biens et des individus.Le Québec est situé a un point sratégique en amérique du Nord et la langue des individus n'a aucune importance.

    Véritable carrefour entre l'Europe,l'Amérique et la canada.Nous ne sommes pas en Arkansas adski.

    Les amerlocs vont acheter leur énergie Hydro-électrique au mexique si on leur parle en français?Bravo champion!Bombardier et SNC Lavalin peuvent vous parler dans la langue de votre choix.

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  31. "The laws of the United States and Mexico don't apply to us."

    Mais l'incommensurable pression linguistique,oui.

    Et nous avons malgré notre 1% de représentation démographique,réussi a faire de notre "joual" une des trois langues officielles du marché Nord-américain(ALENA).

    En passant je ne suis pas un "dumb fool".

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