Friday, September 16, 2011

Corruption Bombshell To Explode in Quebec

When Paul Martin called an inquiry into what was to become of the Sponsorship Scandal, early after acceding to the Prime Minister's post, he thought he'd put to bed the albatross that was hanging over his government, surrounding allegations that money was being improperly diverted from certain Federal government advertising contracts by Quebec advertising firms.
It was to say the least, the biggest political blunder in the history of the Liberal party. 

He might perhaps have taken the advice of the man he replaced, Jean Chretien, who advised him to sweep the whole thing under the carpet, even if it made an awfully large lump!

The forces unleashed by that decision, the Gomery Commission, led to the utter destruction of the Liberal party as a national force and today it isn't clear if the party can bounce back.

This frightening scenario was not lost on Premier Charest and so he steadfastly refused to call a similar judicial inquiry in regards to the rampant corruption in Quebec's construction industry and despite the howling by opposition parties and the press, the Premier stood firm.

It took a lot of gumption and intestinal fortitude to resist, but resist he did.

In order to fob off those demanding that something be done, the Premier did order some limited action, hiring a former police chief to investigate construction contracts awarded by the government's Ministry of Transport.

The inquiry got off to a rocky start with the press attacking Jacques Duchesneau over a phony ethics allegation that I promised readers was unfounded, in blog piece that I wrote at the time.

I worked with Jacques Duchesneau for a number of years and can attest to his stellar credentials as an honest cop and alerted readers to the underhanded smear campaign.
And so, the inquiry suffered a setback when Duchesneau was forced to take a leave of absence during the investigation over those allegations, which as I predicted, vindicated him completely.

After his return, Duchesneau undertook a painstaking examination of the contract process at the MTQ, using the tried and true investigative method favoured by the police.

After a year and a half of silent plodding, the results of the inquiry are in and will hopefully be published sometime in the near future, although details have already been leaked. LINK

Duchesneau delivers a shocking indictment that connects corrupt construction firms to the corrupt engineering firms that oversaw the contracts on behalf of the Ministry of Transport, with padded and fictitious bills routinely authorized, creating millions of dollars in false billings.

It paints the very worst of pictures, because for corruption to become entrenched, dishonesty must transcend the different entities and levels of responsibility. This is unfortunately, clearly the case.

The problem is so dramatic and the corruption so pervasive that it has actually invaded the Canada Revenue Agency with the shocking revelations that tax agents were partying quite openly with the construction companies they were supposed to audit! Link

Of course the press is trying to link all this to the Charest government, but from what I see and hear, there is no smoking gun.
In fact, I can assure readers than the Premier is not particularly upset with the report and is actually looking forward to its publication, so assured is he that the fallout will be minimal, considering what could have been!

Expect the Ministry of Transport to take the fall for the corruption on the government side, with several high and low ranking employees to be thrown under the bus.

And so Premier Charest will blow the whistle over corruption at the MTQ, doing his best imitation of Capitaine Louis Renault (from the film classic, Casablanca,) feigning shock and horror at the hitherto unbeknownst goings-on!


As for cash payments, those making them (if they did) worked hard to cover their tracks, so proving anything now will be well nigh impossible, a case of ' He said/She said,' at best.

Mr. Charest may just have pulled off another coup, rescuing himself and his party in the face of  another certain disaster....again.
A sigh of relief?

The opposition parties and the press will accuse the Charest government of being in cahoots with the crooks, but with his usual aplomb, Charest will shrug it all off with the claim that it is he and the Liberal party that is fighting institutional corruption that has nothing to do with the government.

It will be a war that the Premier will probably win, he is just too expert in the fine art of political rope-a-dope. His greatest asset is his sang-froid in the face of political adversity and his rock-solid ability to stand his ground silently while lesser men would turn and run.

We all witnessed his drag-em-out victory over Marc Bellemare over allegations of political tampering in the selection of judges. Although hurt by some pretty damning evidence, Charest remained bloodied but victorious while Bellemare was utterly destroyed and the issue buried.

There will be lots of sound and fury once the report drops.
Not since the Cliche Commission  back in the early seventies, when the ugly truth of corruption in the construction industry was laid bare, will Quebecers get an inside look at corruption. It will be dramatic.
Heads will roll and criminal charges will be laid.

But this observer is telling you that while Charest may not come out of it smelling like a rose, all things remaining equal, he will survive intact....again.

50 comments:

  1. So I guess what you're stating, Editor, is Premier John James "Goldilocks" Charest is, with mafia kingpin John Gotti long gone, the modern day teflon don. Karma was the ultimate bitch in Gotti's demise, so I guess all that will prove whether Charest is the innocent lamb he is made out to be or not, is karma. Based on that, we'll all just have to stay tuned.

    Looks like the conclusion of politicians drawn by my life partner's father is right: Being a politician accords a license to steal.

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  2. Although there's obviously some corruption in the liberal party, it's frustrating to see the PQ using this as part of their "les méchants anglais" propaganda. All politicians are corrupt - what do you think they're working for the population??

    Considering that a lot french quebecers will believe anything a separatist politician tells them, these people actually believe that liberals are all corrupt while the PQ is a bunch of angels.

    I'd love to see Pôline Marois in power, with her Ile Bizard castle and her Ile Bizard friends. I can imagine Madame sitting on her throne while the rest of us peasants work hard in our fields.

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  3. Je ne me souviens pas avoir entendu une nouvelle associant le Parti Québécois a la corruption.
    Dommage pour les "liberals" mais comme on dit :Ils devront attacher leur tuque avec d'la broche lors des prochaines sessions parlementaires...A suivre.

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  4. "Pôline Marois in power, with her Ile Bizard castle"

    And isn't it utterly funny that this woman sells herself as a social democrat and a defender of the poor? Has she even seen a poor person, other than on tv?

    I think that "social democracy" is just a way for these political hucksters to divert funds from others to themselves, under the guise of taxing the population in return for the provision of "social services" and helping the poor (who might see only a minuscule fraction of that money).

    Another example of this hypocrisy is this:

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2011/09/16/andre-boisclair-shale-gas-questerre.html

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  5. Yes the Premier will survive but his successor won't if they don't reform the system to prevent future scams of this sort.

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  6. @ 10:48 am

    Aucun exemple de CORRUPTION?

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  7. The Macleans article had it correct. Quebec is corrupt and not only in the construction sector. When us Westerners shake hands on a deal with someone from Quebec we always count our fingers. Unbelievable that the people would put up with issues such as road construction costs which are on average 35% higher than other provinces or regions in Canada. Worse yet that equalization dollars are handed to Quebec to enable the level of corruption which obviously exists openly and is sanctioned by the people. C'est la vie en Quebec.

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  8. Surprise, surprise, more slime, sleaze, and corruption in Kebec, NOT!!!

    This is the way business is done in Kebec and had been for decades. The greater concern is how this disgusting practice now runs Ottawa and many other governments across the country. We all know about Kebec, but what most people don’t realize is this is happening all over the country. This type of mentality was brought to Ottawa in the 1960”s by Trudeau and his gang of anti-English language bigots from Kebec.

    If people only knew the billions being funnelled into Kebec and into French language programs and communities across the country, it would make them puke. Yes billions yearly into phony hiring programs for the French, bilingual bs…billions wasted yearly. Kebec is dysfunctional but so is Ottawa where all the money is handed out. Its also run by Kebec, a complete disaster.

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  9. "Je ne me souviens pas avoir entendu une nouvelle associant le Parti Québécois a la corruption."

    Pas besoin de chercher loin:
    http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/112200/rapport-moisan-le-pq-a-sciemment-ferme-les-yeux

    Bonus plus toi en plus, c'est le devoir. Donc ce ne sont pas des "méchants anglais" qui le disent.

    Ce n'est qu'un exemple. Une grande majorité des politiciens pensent à leurs intérêts personnels avant tout, peu importe le parti. Une personne qui choisit la politique comme carrière ne se rendra pas loin si elle est parfaitement honnête.
    C'est souvent des ex-avocats, donc déjà on peut imaginer que ce ne sont pas les gens les plus honnêtes de la province.. Ils sont là pour servir les entreprises privées qui pourront contribuer à leur caisse électorale ou leur promettre un salaire lorsqu'ils ne seront plus dans la fonction publique.

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  10. "billions wasted yearly. Kebec is dysfunctional but so is Ottawa where all the money is handed out. Its also run by Kebec"

    This should come as no surprise considering the number of senior civil servants in Ottawa who are from Quebec. Corruption, bribes, brown envelopes and assorted other scams are well known accepted business practices in Quebec. Of course these a-holes , obtain their jobs through the bilingual provisions of the Official Language Act brought to us by yet another French fellow from Quebec- PET. Quel dommage.

    No question about it that Macleans was totally correct in their assessment. Ever wonder why JJC would not entertain an inquiry into the construction secctor? The reason is quite obvious, when you think about it. Bon Homme Carnaval = l'homme malhonnete.

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  11. YEAH!Beaucoup d'action en vue pour les prochains mois au Québec...J'adore quand ça bouge!

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  12. "Aucun exemple de COLLUSION?"

    Mais oui, où il ya de la fumée, il ya généralement un incendie

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  13. L'étau se resserre lentement.Mais pour qui voteront les anglos du Québec aux prochaines élections?

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  14. For a change of pace, how about that minstrel show put on by H.E.C. students? Yet another example of not only a corrupt, but a racist Quebec society!!

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  15. Readers:
    It didn't take long for Premier Charest to react exactly as I said he would...

    http://tinyurl.com/5tf3say

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  16. The guy who is commenting here in French (Press 9, is this you?) and implying that the PQ is somehow corruption-resistant is naive, to say the least. Or maybe he is a member of the PQ (or the FTQ/CSN), so he has a political interest in peddling nonsense just so he can get his grabby hands on power.

    Let's remember that labor unions, organizations which form the voter base of parties like the PQ or NDP, are the most thuggish, corruption-ridden entities in public life today, on par with corporations.

    I'm not bashing the idea of labor unions in general, there are places in the world where they are important (Bolivia, China, India, Malaysia), but in the West, the unions have long ago ceased to be about workers' rights, and have instead become forces of privilege and entitlement. I dare anyone to look up a video of a US teamster union strike to get the point (although a video of the recent Canada Post strike might suffice).

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  17. It seems John Charest is invincible ... the guy was born to be a politician.

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  18. For a change of pace, how about that minstrel show put on by H.E.C. students? Yet another example of not only a corrupt, but a racist Quebec society!!

    What is this about? I missed it...

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  19. The mafia (in conjunction with the labour unions that they control) run the construction industry and they've been doing this for decades. I know I'm going on a tangent here but the folks ultimately responsible for all of the corruption are already known by the police. Everybody knows who the crime boses are but nobody is willing to do anything about it. Heck, it's almost as if nobody cares that organized crime runs so many rackets in Montreal.

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  20. "The mafia (in conjunction with the labour unions that they control) run the construction industry and they've been doing this for decades."

    Alors pourquoi tous les partis d'oppositions et tous les Québécois EXIGENT une commission d'enquête officielle et JJC et ses "liberals" refusent?

    Quelque chose a cacher?

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  21. @Press 9: We don't need a commission to tell us what we already know: Organized crime owns the construction industry and the unions. Instead of worrying about costly commissions, why aren't we focussing our energies on the real problem, which is the mafia?

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  22. And let's be honest: Quand on dit que "les Québécois EXIGENT une commission" all this means is that a pollster asked the right question. I guarantee you that if we asked the population whether we should crack down on the mafia and street gangs, that we would also receive a positive response on that issue too. But mysteriously enough, no pollsters are asking that question; and if they are, it's not being reported.

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  23. The HEC students/assholes are the future captains of Quebec. What, me worry?

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  24. Jetez donc un coup d'oeil sur ce document.Nous reparlerons de racisme ensuite.

    http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/peacekeeping/clips/4318/

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  25. Sorry for my English, webmaster, but I’m sure you’ll understand that I’m a frenchy girl trying to respect your mother tongue.

    I believe John James Charest is suffering from a mental disorder, pretty much like Mythoman-Megalomaniac. Is there any Doctor not corrupted here? We need a diagnostic.

    Since Québécois voted for NDP this year, it’s mean we are giving an other chance to the federalism Canadian. So Webmaster, please give us some respect for this action otherwise what should we think?

    I believed Québec is still a beautiful place to leave for all of US. So we should all make sure to look at the big picture, direct from the sky.

    There is a war on the planet, All we need here it’s to give PEACE A CHANCE.

    I still love human.

    Miss_Understood

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  26. @ Miss_Understood

    D'abord je vous lève mon chapeau pour vos efforts à vous exprimer en anglais sur ce blogue. Bonne continuation!

    However, I'm not sure I understand the connection between French-Canadians in Quebec "giving federalism a chance" by voting for Layton's NDP earlier this year and your personal dislike for Jean Charest in the context of the megalomaniacal disorder that you suggest that he has. Perhaps if you clarified your point, it might provide some helpful context. (or might you be commenting on Editor's previous blog post, perhaps?)

    That being said, I salute your overall ideals of embracing peace, avoiding war, and respecting humanity.

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  27. @ Apparatchik

    If the Federal can’t do anything to protect Québec against the Mafia, since they have the control of the CRIMINAL CODE. Then what should all Honest Québécois (all Type, English, French, Allophone, etc..) DO? Should we control our own destiny…… Unfortunately it’s hard for me to understand the truth being so many lies, I might be slow…., but I’m starting to realize that the Canadian government LOVE the Province of Québec CORRUPTED…… as HELL…

    Can anyone reverse my mind? Please.

    Miss_Understood (37 yold)

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  28. "If the Federal can’t do anything to protect Québec against the Mafia, since they have the control of the CRIMINAL CODE."

    What do you mean the feds have control of the "criminal code"? Doesn't Quebec have any control too? Doesn't it have courts, law enforcement, the civil code?

    See, this is typical, this instinct to blame others, if not Anglos or Ethnics, then the feds.

    What about the facts? The fact is that the federal government has been backed into a corner by Quebec long ago and divulged so many powers to the province that Quebec today is a de facto autonomous state. In fact, any encroachment, real or imagined, of the federal government into the matters of Quebec causes so much uproar that the feds have long ago given up on trying to involve themselves in the matters of Quebec, save for a few occasional (and very timid) rulings of the supreme courts in regards to Bill 101.

    So this mess is on Quebec. The Quebec government has been elected by Quebeckers for Quebeckers. The unions are run by and consist of Quebeckers. The contractors are Quebeckers. The construction workers are Quebeckers. The kickbacks and bribes change hands between Quebeckers and only Quebeckers. The feds have nothing to do with it. Nada.

    (In fact, if the feds ever tried to move in to clean up the mess, Quebeckers would raise so much stink that the feds would turn tail and run. Immediately.)

    So find yourself someone else to blame, Miss Understood. And no need to look too far. The answers lies much closer to home than Ottawa.

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  29. Sorry Miss_Understood; I didn’t have a chance to come back here until now.

    > If the Federal can’t do anything to protect Québec against the Mafia, since they have the control of the CRIMINAL CODE. Then what should all Honest Québécois (all Type, English, French, Allophone, etc..) DO?

    I’m not sure I understand whether you are suggesting that the Criminal Code does not sufficiently define and sanction the type of behavior frequently engaged in to organized crime, or whether you’re expecting the Federal government to assume powers it does not have under our current constitutional setup.

    To make a long story short, the competence to *legislate* in the matter of criminal offenses is (since the BNA of 1867 and still today) a Federal one, but provinces (and their derived creatures, including provincial courts, municipalities and various police forces) are given the power to *enforce* those laws. That’s why you can have things like SharQc, and other similar police operations which result from the cooperation of various entities in the different levels of government.

    (1)

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  30. > Should we control our own destiny……

    Correct me if I’m way off the mark, but the tone of this question suggests that it comes from the perspective of a “de-souche” Quebecer who has spent a good part of their life believing in the so-called ideals of the Quebec independence movement but who decided to “give federalism a chance” by voting for Layton’s “federalist” NDP in May, and who, in light of Duchesneau’s report, now feels disheartened, heartbroken, or somehow “let down” by the idea of a united Canada.

    Again, please let me know if I read that part of your statement correctly, and I’ll provide my thoughts.

    > […] but I’m starting to realize that the Canadian government LOVE the Province of Québec […]

    I think what a lot of separatist politicians at all levels of government would like to do is both overtly and subtly attempt to establish in the minds of voters some kind of parallel between federalism/corruption and separatism (or “sovereignty”)/transparency in an effort to bring about the “winning conditions” for an eventual referendum on independence.

    I agree with Anonymous @ 9:02 in that Quebec should put its pants on and realize that this problem isn’t recent but rather is the result of the very loose and permissive political culture that enables it, irrespective of the party in power. Indeed, this incestuous relationship between big construction and big government has been with us since at least the days of Lévesque, if not Lesage and the birth of the Quiet Revolution itself. It would be foolish to think that corruption in this province died with Duplessis Miss_Understood; it only mutated into two camps.

    On that note, I’ll invite you to contemplate the enormous political power that labor unions hold in this province to this day, and the effect that such power has on our province’s productivity (to say nothing about their role in promoting nationalism).

    Consider how many members of Montreal’s Société Saint Jean Baptiste (and their offshoots like Mouvement Montréal Français and related chapters across the province)) are all too willing to get in bed with marginal communists, RRQ, and other French-language supremacists and label anybody who doesn’t agree with their extremist views “enemies of the Quebec people”. I’ll also ask you to look back in time and consider how these groups’ ideological ancestors and relatives were responsible for much of the troubles of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Consider also the incestuous relationship between these marginal movements and more mainstream groups like the Parti Québécois and Bloc Québécois to the present day.

    I’ll ask you to think about the Simard-Beaudry telenovela and related tax evasion stories, as well as the different political orientations of the politicians, organizers, and businessmen involved in that file over the years and let you draw your own conclusions about the well-known proverb “l’argent n’a pas d’odeur”.

    I’ll let you consider how René Lévesque found bill 101 too extreme, how Jacques Parizeau studied in Britain and raised money for the Caisse de depot et placement by initially lobbying English-speaking financiers on Wall Street. I’ll let you consider how until about 1965 Pierre Trudeau wasn’t even fully convinced that he was really a federalist (much less a Liberal), and ask you to contemplate Pauline Marois’ Ile-Bizard chateau scandal and how she recently snapped that the money trail in her 2007 PQ leadership race isn’t up for discussion right now.

    All this to say that ideology and self-interest make strange bedfellows indeed.

    (2)

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  31. > […] the Canadian government LOVE the Province of Québec CORRUPTED…… as HELL…

    This province has enough homegrown corruption without the Federal government getting involved. I have difficulty being assured that such corruption would be in any way attenuated and/or wiped out in an independent Quebec. The hard-core nationalists would continue agitating for a purer ever-Frencher state, while the former federalists who remain would continue to resist the French supremacists’ ideological encroachment into their daily lives.

    Don’t believe me? Just look at how the different hard core separatists are spinning Duceppe’s alarmist comments and the OQLF’s *scientific* report on French in Montreal into the bogeyman fantasy they manufacture to stay in business politically. More immigrants to Montreal (most of whom end up learning (excellent) French anyway while also retaining their native languages in addition to learning English in most cases) combined with native French-Canadians moving to the off-island suburbs is suddenly transformed into a linguistic crisis that threatens to silence the French language in Quebec within a generation. Recent reactions from the separatists signal (to me) a very troubling intrusion in the private lives of individuals that should be denounced before it’s allowed to go any further. Even if you’re a strong defender of French-language rights in an overwhelmingly French-language society, is it really your business what language(s) people speak at home? Isn’t there a perverse double-standard to create an entire political culture centered on preventing the loss of French at all cost while impatiently counting down the minutes until other languages die off? As a francophone of part French-Canadian heritage, I can tell you I find it sickening that more of us don’t denounce the fearmongering for the bullshit that it is.


    I think the Federal government is increasingly of the opinion that our province is a serious basket case, with what appears to be our emotional/political/nationalist pride and sensitivities being so easily stoked, provoked and manipulated, and many of our political personalities’ tendency to become so easily outraged. I’m also not one to be much impressed by the stereotypical “passionate Latin” argument often evoked to justify our fidgety and tempestuous mood swings. (I’m given to understand that France, with its great many Age of Reason thinkers, was the center of the Enlightenment, and that Italians living in Quebec are largely federalist).

    What might have seemed - on the surface at least - to be an overtly naïve gesture on the part of some tired Bloc Québécois voters on May 2nd toward the NDP and interpreted by some as “giving a chance to Federalism” was in reality a more profound and cynical act of French-Canadian voter apathy against the failed promises of Quebec nationalism coupled with the hope that anything must be better than the crap we’ve been dealing with recently.

    We’re between a rock and a hard place, and everybody knows it.

    As Anonymous before me suggested, the fed can’t get more involved than it can justify (because we’d howl at the “humiliation” of being placed under “foreign tutelage”), and provincially, the political ecosystem we’re been living in since the 1960s has accustomed us to cyclical boom-bust cycles, with both OUIs and NONs at the helm, and we’re starting to get tired of it. And justifiably so.

    But we need to detox ourselves before we can expect any help from anybody else. Until and unless provincial politics in Quebec becomes as uneventful as provincial politics in, say, Saskatchewan, or even Ontario or B.C., we’re likely to continue this way, with the cast of characters played by different actors.

    That being said, I remain hopeful that the recent sea change might cause us as Quebecers to seriously question how our province ticks, and the ways in which we might reorganize our priorities and values as a united province in a united country.

    (3)

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  32. Why the Liberal Party was and his still so corrupted to my eyes ? Why John James Charest his trying to destroy the Québec ? À Qui profite le plus (le crime) cette situation, les fantômes ou les morts vivants ? To keep the Québec happy inside the Canada do they really need to abuse the system that much ? The result is, that they are doing exactly the opposite…. So it’s just about money then……. And CUPIDITY.

    Sorry for not exactly answering your questions (guys), I don’t want to fall into the trap of language. To my eyes there is no much problem with honesty and respect. The immigration is an other story, I don’t want to were a mask on my face/head or hide the woman inside/out of me, no way baby. I’m proud to be woman and no man, charia or what so ever creation of undefined man trip will control me or destiny. I pray the Universe almost every for this and preach my philosophy every beautiful day of creation.

    Le Québec ne contrôle pas tant de choses que cela, à mon avis. 70% of the Media and SRC seem to be controlled by a very rich group of dark-ghost fat guys. (Please correct me again if you believed I’m getting something wrong). So how can we be well inform and not manipulated by Media ?

    The questions is will Québecers be fuck more Indépendant or more respected after we clean the current mess? Or can we expect to clean this mess while been inside Canada?

    An other thing, I’m still for PEACE but why our Military Manège will not be rebuilt until 2016 ? Stephen Harper probably know how much important it is for Military peoples to be proud of what they are doing. Instead he spent too much money on the G-20 and their target was to arrest as much FRENCHY as possible. (please correct me if you want) A situation like that will not be accepted if Québec was a country, do you follow me?

    Let’s talk about the criminal code, since there is so many Mafiosi in Québec, it’s almost like you start to use drug out of your mother billy. So it’s like normal here to smoke some drug, let’s be honest. I remember the PLC was about to vote a decriminalization for small possession, but they failed because of they shit in their own nose (corruption). Now the NPD is promoting again this decriminalization, will they succeed ?

    The law is the law, but what about the Chart of Rights. Québécers that dream about a free country should not be considered by the federal RCMP beautiful guys as terrorist, this is ridiculous, very expensive and not democratic. Plus they can brake life of peoples while removing their privacy at home…… you know Patriot Act, what a beautiful thing don’t you think?

    Let’s be HONEST what are the REAL good reason to stop wanting a Free Québec country? I really want to know what both side could loose. The Canada is not even represented at the ONU has I remember…. So the Québec might win something their, don’t you think?

    That it for now boys, I’m waiting for your argumentation.

    Plus by the way, If Québec became one day a country for any reason I would like to make sure the Real English peoples will be treated as well as they use to be.

    Miss_Understood.

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  33. Haïti chérie dit: ''Anonymous said...The HEC students/assholes are the future captains of Quebec. What, me worry?
    September 17, 2011 9:34 AM '' Je suis noir et profondément désolé de ce genre d'incident qu'on pourrait qualifié d'imbécile. Par contre, tout ceci n'a rien à voir avec l'ensemble des Québécois et encore moins avec la nécessité d'être indépendant pour le Québec ! Les anglophones ont les mains tâchées de sang tout autant que les autres peuples...

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  34. Let me try to provide my own feedback. It’s up to the others to speak for themselves.

    > Why the Liberal Party was and his still so corrupted to my eyes ? Why John James Charest his trying to destroy the Québec ?

    Probably because you’ve accepted the subtle and not-so-subtle argument that has developed in the media over the years that the PLQ is synonymous if not a client of big corrupt corporate fat cats. You probably think Charest is trying to destroy Quebec because he’s the strongest asset the PLQ has, and as a result, he’s the natural target of your dislike.

    > À Qui profite le plus (le crime) cette situation, les fantômes ou les morts vivants ?

    Comme j’ai dit tantôt, il s’agit d’une situation incestueuse qui profite à tout le monde sur toute la ligne, des politiciens aux grandes firmes. Et c’est évidemment une situation qui profite au moins certains, sinon elle n’existerait pas (par définition).

    > To keep the Québec happy inside the Canada do they really need to abuse the system that much ? The result is, that they are doing exactly the opposite…. So it’s just about money then……. And CUPIDITY.

    If the allegations are true, then yes. It’s sad to see a small number of self-interested and Liberal-aligned individuals screw over all Quebecers, especially the federalists who vote for them. If any of the allegations are true, I for one wouldn’t mind to see heads rolling.

    What bothers me, however, is the suggestion that federalism is the source of corruption whereas separatism is the source of honesty and transparency. Politics is a whore, no matter the ideology, and no matter the color. I wonder whether we would find equally disheartening relationships, connections, and underground activity if we dug a little deeper on the other side of the political landscape.

    > Sorry for not exactly answering your questions (guys), I don’t want to fall into the trap of language. To my eyes there is no much problem with honesty and respect.

    I’m sorry but I don’t think I totally understand. Please rephrase if necessary.

    > The immigration is an other story, I don’t want to were a mask on my face/head or hide the woman inside/out of me, no way baby. I’m proud to be woman and no man, charia or what so ever creation of undefined man trip will control me or destiny.

    (Wow, I didn’t even see the Muslim thing coming, but okay). I’m not a big fan of Sharia law either, and I’m not sure most of our North African Muslim immigrants are demanding it either. At the same time, I’m not a big fan of favoring heavy Maghrebi (or Haitian or Vietnamese) immigration to Quebec on the basis of language alone.

    > I pray the Universe almost every for this and preach my philosophy every beautiful day of creation.

    Yes. We (I realize this reeks of Western European bias, but bear with me) had our Enlightenment. My personal view is equally pacifist and believes it’s time we let our Islamic sister civilization go through its own as constructively as possible.

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  35. > Le Québec ne contrôle pas tant de choses que cela, à mon avis. 70% of the Media and SRC seem to be controlled by a very rich group of dark-ghost fat guys. (Please correct me again if you believed I’m getting something wrong). So how can we be well inform and not manipulated by Media ?

    Hein?! Le Québec n’a pas le contrôle de tous les leviers qu’il lui faut?! Kessé que ça prend de plus? Une armée? Une flotte? Un autre siège à l’UNSECO? Un Franc Québécois? After having literally decapitated our English-dominant economic sector and replacing it with French-Canadians, after having given our assent, as a society, to the vicious eradication of bilingualism of Montreal in support of some initially understandable fears that morphed into a misguided nationalist caprice, after seeing our once-great metropolis fall to second place (with an ever widening gap between us and Toronto), you’re telling me what we need is MORE people on the TV, radio, and internet telling us we aren’t being obsessive enough about creating an environment that puts the supremacy of the French language above logic, economic reason, and intercommunal harmony?

    Are you expecting a media community that will be completely transparent about everything? Does any region in any country have that? Does English Canada have that? Does America have that? Does France have that? As an independent republic, would WE ever have that?

    > The questions is will Québecers be fuck more Indépendant or more respected after we clean the current mess? Or can we expect to clean this mess while been inside Canada?

    Honestly, I see the gang of lunatics who are looking to become the future kings, queens, princes and princesses of Quebec, and I’m not encouraged. Curzi, Beaudoin, Marois, and Lapointe, for starters, are such psychotic rabid dogs and so hungry for power that just looking into their eyes gives me the shivers. They don’t want cooperation, and they don’t want to see true harmony. Their purpose is to continue driving a wedge between Quebecers, as well as between Quebecers and other Canadians (whether about language, culture, or any other matter), and for this reason, I can’t trust them. Hence, I can’t vote OUI. Legault and Deltell are just as bad but from a different direction because neither man leads a group with a coherent vision for Quebec, let alone one that I can ever see myself signing onto. Amir Khadir? Sorry; I’m a political liberal, not a crypto-communist ethnic looking to gain brownie points by sucking up to the Plateau gaugauche.

    > An other thing, I’m still for PEACE but why our Military Manège will not be rebuilt until 2016 ? Stephen Harper probably know how much important it is for Military peoples to be proud of what they are doing.

    Ça fait trop longtemps que notre armée est équipée chez Canadian Tire. Au moins Harper fait semblant d’investir là-dedans.

    > Instead he spent too much money on the G-20 and their target was to arrest as much FRENCHY as possible. (please correct me if you want)

    Four months ago on this very blog, I commented on how I think Bill Blair keeping his job after the large number of gaffes at the G-20 summit is probably a greater commentary on the people he reports to and the public he serves than anything else. I stand by it.

    I’ve seen the Fifth Estate documentary “You should have stayed at Home” on the police crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators (including their abusive behavior toward French-Canadians) and all of it made me sick. That being said, I’d be interested if you could show me numbers proving that they targeted those Quebecers BECAUSE they were French-Canadians.

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  36. > A situation like that will not be accepted if Québec was a country, do you follow me?

    Sure it would. Are you telling me that Canadians haven’t in the past gone to other countries and been brutalized by police forces there? One of my best friends, a journalist covering a recent revolution in Egypt, wasn’t exactly treated well by police forces especially in the first few days...

    Coudonc; faut quand même pas se leurrer…

    > Let’s talk about the criminal code, since there is so many Mafiosi in Québec, it’s almost like you start to use drug out of your mother billy.

    I don’t have the exact number, but I’m sure a lot of Italo-Quebec mothers would take exception to a comment like that. Besides, good wombs have borne bad sons, and I’m not ready to look at all my Italian acquaintances and suspect they’re mobsters any more than I’m ready to suspect all my Arab and Muslim friends of a terrorist plot. Also, don’t forget that organized crime is usually organized not just locally, but often internationally as well.

    > So it’s like normal here to smoke some drug, let’s be honest. I remember the PLC was about to vote a decriminalization for small possession, but they failed because of they shit in their own nose (corruption). Now the NPD is promoting again this decriminalization, will they succeed ?

    I don’t know. But with Harper in power, I’m not so sure.

    > The law is the law, but what about the Chart of Rights.

    Which one? And what about it?

    > Québécers that dream about a free country should not be considered by the federal RCMP beautiful guys as terrorist, this is ridiculous, very expensive and not democratic.

    Maybe not, but designing a political ideology around it and force-feeding it down the throat of Quebecers for 40 years until a OUI comes around is just as ridiculous, expensive (in dollars and in disharmony), and is also not particularly democratic (since the rest of us don’t necessarily vote FOR a party but AGAINST another). Also, just as a thought, have you ever wondered whether after a hypothetical OUI, whether the authorities of an independent Quebec would ever allow zero, one, two, three, or more referendums to determine whether any part (or all) of then-independent Quebec could ever re-join Canada? Ce qui est bon pour minou est bon pour pitou. But again, deux poids, deux mesures.

    > Plus they can brake life of peoples while removing their privacy at home…… you know Patriot Act, what a beautiful thing don’t you think?

    Not a fan of the PATRIOT Act, and also not a fan of Barack Obama for not abolishing all of it. But what’s the connection between the USA PATRIOT Act and the half-truths, fearmongering, and outright dishonesty of the separatists who keep selling us a product we don’t want or need?

    > Let’s be HONEST what are the REAL good reason to stop wanting a Free Québec country?

    Freedom is a funny word because it means a lot of things to a lot of people. I consider myself about as free as possible in the context of an early 21st century Western nation.

    I don’t share the doctrine that excessive pride in my own country is a good thing and as a result I reject many of the aspects of nationalism that I see as divisive, arbitrary, and cosmetic.

    I don’t care if my great grandchildren (or yours, for that matter) don’t speak a word of English or French. I’d rather my descendents inherit my ethics and philosophy about life than my flags, languages, citizenships, religion, and complexes.

    I feel that what I have satisfies my needs, and I don’t see a need to begin a process as important as creating a new country, whose result is unpredictable and whose side effects are anybody’s guess.

    So from square one I don’t understand what this obsessive “hunger” for “freedom” is about. Instead, I put the responsibility onto the backs of the people who are trying to sell me this idea: HOW will a separate and independent Quebec be better FOR ME?

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  37. > I really want to know what both side could loose.

    The rapid erosion and eventual complete abolition of English language from public spaces in an independent Quebec is actually not what bothers me. What bothers me is that it would likely be headed by people who believe in the bullshit logic of Pierre Bourgeault who famously said “quand nous défendons le français chez nous, ce sont toutes les langues du monde que nous défendons contre l'hégémonie d'une seule. ”And yet, I’m willing to bet that the provision declaring Quebec a unilingual French state would be article one of the constitution. At least Canada (and many Canadians like me) attempt to reach and live the ideal of bilingualism in their daily lives and celebrate their Frenchness and Englishness and “Otherness” within the scope of an open multicultural country.

    I am not interested in living in a country that reminds me of a jealous and selfish mother, whose own happiness will always be a prerequisite to my own.

    > The Canada is not even represented at the ONU has I remember…. So the Québec might win something their, don’t you think?

    Careful with the details: Canada didn’t win a seat on the SECURITY COUNCIL recently, most likely because of Harper’s support for a militaristic Israel continuing its policies with regards to the Palestinians. You can disagree or agree with Harper’s position just as you can have various opinions on the Arab-Israeli conflict itself, but that has nothing to do with your original statement.

    Canada has been a member of the United Nations since its creation.

    > Plus by the way, If Québec became one day a country for any reason I would like to make sure the Real English peoples will be treated as well as they use to be.

    Here’s my first question: would you accept an officially bilingual (French/English) Republic of Quebec with bilingual public institutions open to anyone, to everyone, or only to those who are racially English?

    And what about those of us who want a bilingual country that wish everybody was able to switch back and forth between the two languages?

    I think what we've got right now is a lot closer to the grand rêve than many people realize.

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  38. About the G-20, I know victims were from everywhere in Canada (I did watch *Enquête* on Tou.tv.com) But at least 1000 peoples from Québec was arrested and they kept them the maximum time in jail, about 72 hours. That's a lot, and too much for me. Everyone else was release before the peoples from Québec. What could be the explanation for this?

    An other thing, I don't have time to read the English and the French news every day (from different channel and country) in order to compare the information and fix my mind. I need to work to pay Hydro, Phone, Rent, Car, Gazoline and insurance.

    I would like to be able to trust some general Media and few politician/Gouv. otherwise I'm working for what, the Mafia ?

    We (Human) will all die one Day for sure, before we get to the final destination we need to stand up together for truth and not fall divided on lies.

    Ho God.

    Miss_Understood

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  39. About the bilingism, of course the English will still be there but a 1/3 smaller then the French. The French is a huge commercial asset to the Québec in America. Just look at the Main in the south, they are adding French everywhere. Why do you think they do that? For business my Friend. And please be honest one more time, English peoples love the French accent and culture because it’s cute. Which language the top Diplomats are using English or French? French Kiss is very Romantic don’t you think?

    Miss_Understood

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  40. I'm sorry for some writing mistakes, expression or mind translation not enough clear, those are not intentional I didn’t received a perfect education ;o-. For the bilinguism in a Free Country of Québec, as example, I would say we are already bilingual and the advertising must be French or Bilingual (with the English translation 1/3 size of the French part :o). We only need to teach better French 1st, English 2nd and a their language of their choice to all our children.

    By the way, which language the Judges at the Supreme Court of our bilingual Canada talk?

    We all know the answer, business as usual !

    (For your information we are already taking care of many old persons from 17 different languages: Français, Anglais, Grec, Hindi, Russe, Penjâbi, Créole haïtien, Tamil, Urdu, Portugais, Dari, Arabe, Vietnamien, Espagnol, Italien, Chinois (17 languages)
    http://www.accesss.net/crbst_36.html ) ? Of course Volunter work is very important, other Wise the cost will be amazingly High for the Québec if we start to traduce everthing.

    Same Beautiful light Under the Sun. Except One thing, why the Province of Québec is paying so much for his health care system ?

    Any suggestions in the wardrobe ?


    Miss_Understood <0>*<0>

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  41. > About the G-20, I know victims were from everywhere in Canada (I did watch *Enquête* on Tou.tv.com) But at least 1000 peoples from Québec was arrested and they kept them the maximum time in jail, about 72 hours. That's a lot, and too much for me. Everyone else was release before the peoples from Québec. What could be the explanation for this?

    With all due respect, I think you need to carefully re-examine your sources and make sure they’re credible. A lot of huge mistakes were made, but it’s wrong of you to believe exaggerated reports just because they support some “evil anglo” myth. According to this article, 1105 people arrested were released without charges, while this Francophone newspaper from Toronto states that only 93 Quebecers were arrested. Have you got statistics from a more credible source to support your claim? If so, I’d be very interested to see them.

    > An other thing, I don't have time to read the English and the French news every day (from different channel and country) in order to compare the information and fix my mind.

    MAKE the time. Un(e) citoyen(ne) averti(e) en vaut deux.

    > I need to work to pay Hydro, Phone, Rent, Car, Gazoline and insurance.

    So does everybody else. You don’t need to watch The National and Le Téléjournal back-to-back, but even a ten minute read through the home pages of a few media outlets will give you an idea of who’s saying what (and more importantly, who’s NOT covering what). Sometimes you’ll be shocked at how bad a job the main francophone outlets are doing at informing us about what’s going on elsewhere. Sometimes you’ll feel the same about the anglophone outlets. Yes, Miss_Understood, nobody’s going to put the puzzle together FOR you. It’s sad, but it’s true.

    > I would like to be able to trust some general Media and few politician/Gouv. otherwise I'm working for what, the Mafia ?

    Aren’t we all working for one mafia or another? The only difference is that some of them are legitimate.

    > We (Human) will all die one Day for sure, before we get to the final destination we need to stand up together for truth and not fall divided on lies.

    Contrary to what you might think, I’m not as much of a cynic as I’m being today. But the notion of “universal truth” is far outside the territory of the present constitutional and linguistic debate. Myself, I choose to do what I can to live in, enjoy, and appreciate our country’s two world-class languages. As for those who spend their time hating and propagating untrue alarmist rhetoric using pseudo-scientific and amateurish arguments, I think they’re the real threat to peace and truth – not just in terms of national unity – but as vexatious spirits.

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  42. > About the bilingism, of course the English will still be there but a 1/3 smaller then the French.

    You mean in terms of signage or in terms of population? I’m not sure you’re talking about population, so I’ll bet you’re referring to signage.

    Let me disabuse you of the notion that we would be treating our English-language speakers fairly by continuing to add institutionally impairments which functionally limit and (more importantly) discriminate against their ability to express themselves freely and equally.

    Two generations ago, our women turned their back on the Catholic element of the centuries-old doctrine of “la survivance” - part of which stressed procreation and large families - because they realized that their own needs of the moment were more important than blindly keeping alive certain elements of an ancestral philosophy (forced by the Church) that had literally screwed them over royally. Maybe one day, we might decide our obsession with our own language has been a bigger hassle than it was worth – or maybe we’ll realize that we can coexist equally, bilingually, and in peace. (I’ll admit to you that the second option is the one I prefer.)

    But if Quebec is to become another Louisiana, whether within Canada or not, it will happen because the people here DECIDE that it will – and specifically, that French is not of sufficient value to keep alive. And THAT idea is something no amount of fearmongering and political pressure can ever withstand in the long run. As I have said, I would be very sad to ever see that happen, but I am even sadder to see our society (condone and) attempt to do through legislation what our families have been unable to achieve through massive procreation.

    And also, I believe it’s cheap, petty, and childish to say to a community “you are welcome here, just make yourself 33% smaller than us so we can feel secure.” BULLSHIT.

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  43. > The French is a huge commercial asset to the Québec in America.

    I agree, and I have never said otherwise. In fact, I think French is a huger unexplored asset elsewhere in North America where French is comparatively rarer. I think more francophone Quebecers need to move to English Canada both to supplement the many existing Francophone communities there as well as found new ones, thus bringing us eventually closer to a true cross-country linguistic “representativity”.

    > Just look at the Main in the south, they are adding French everywhere.

    Are you sure you’re not referring to Vermont?

    > Why do you think they do that? For business my Friend.

    Right. And you know what else? Those bilingual signs – wherever they decide to put them – will be bilingual. And I’m willing to bet that nobody from the Vermont State Legislature is going to run around with measuring tapes saying the size of the French lettering is too big.

    If business justifies the welcoming of a language, politics shouldn’t scare it away.

    > And please be honest one more time, English peoples love the French accent and culture because it’s cute.

    Honestly, I’m not a fan of the French accent when speaking English, and I absolutely HATE the English accent when speaking French.

    I’m also not sure I’m well-placed to call any culture “cute”. Moreover, I would find it rather insulting to be told that any of my cultures is “cute” – there might certainly be a great folkloric element to many cultures in the world, but to generalize that way is probably more belittling than it is complimentary.

    > Which language the top Diplomats are using English or French?

    I know for a very long time it used to be French. But now, if diplomats from China, India, Russia, and Brazil get together, my money is on the possibility that they will likely communicate with each other in English more likely than French. China might take over from America one day, at which point we shouldn’t make stupid laws to limit the spread of Chinese, or prevent all the children in our province from being educated in (and speaking) Chinese as well as French.

    > French Kiss is very Romantic don’t you think?

    Sure it is. It’s even more romantic when you’re attracted to the person you’re kissing.

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  44. What about the advantages for the Québec of staying inside the Canada?

    Thanks

    Miss_Understood.

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  45. Let me had one more thing still very actual. If ever they legalize for everyone euthanasia, I hope there will be some exception periods when you r not allowed to die by injection (let’s say 52 days before and after an election day). Just a suggestion like any others so please take this only to the first level, and don’t get me wrong.

    As funny as the webmaster Suggestive Video of Hitlerrrr!


    Miss_Understood

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  46. > I'm sorry for some writing mistakes, expression or mind translation not enough clear, those are not intentional I didn’t received a perfect education ;o-.

    No problem; I bet your parents didn’t have a choice but to send you to French school.

    I also bet your parents never imagined how much the Gouvernement du Québec with its sacred Charte de la Langue Française was fucking them (and more importantly, YOU) their daughter so that now when YOU talk to people outside Quebec (especially in English), you always feel a bit awkward, self-conscious, and uncomfortable. And THAT is the part that frustrates me – the fact that more French-Canadians in Quebec DON’T realize it and get mad at the government!

    Myself, I COMPLETELY applaud your efforts to do this now that you are 37 years old, but I can’t help but think how much more you could have been exposed to if you had been taught and exposed to decent English from a much younger age.


    > For the bilinguism in a Free Country of Québec, as example, I would say we are already bilingual

    Are we REALLY bilingual in Quebec? I know that around Montreal, the number is something astronomically high, but as soon as you get out of the metropolitan area, those numbers shoot downward very quickly… I have the acquaintances to prove it.

    > and the advertising must be French or Bilingual (with the English translation 1/3 size of the French part :o).

    There you go again, why make one smaller than the other? Would you feed one of your children 1/3 the meal of his brother because you want one to be bigger than the other?

    > We only need to teach better French 1st, English 2nd and a their language of their choice to all our children.

    I say make it a bilingual curriculum with a strong foreign language component starting as early as Kindergarten.

    > By the way, which language the Judges at the Supreme Court of our bilingual Canada talk?

    Most of them are native English speakers, at least 3 MUST come from Quebec, and most of the time there needs to be an odd number of judges present on the bench. So I figure at any time, there is likely to be at least one French-speaking judge from Quebec. Plus, all decisions are published/translated and available in English and French.

    > We all know the answer, business as usual !

    You say that like it’s a bad thing. I like my institutional bilingualism. And beyond INSTITUTIONAL bilingualism, I would really like more PEOPLE to be more bilingual. Yeah. Bilingual until it hurts. Because if it doesn’t hurt, neither side is trying hard enough.

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  47. > (For your information we are already taking care of many old persons from 17 different languages: Français, Anglais, Grec, Hindi, Russe, Penjâbi, Créole haïtien, Tamil, Urdu, Portugais, Dari, Arabe, Vietnamien, Espagnol, Italien, Chinois (17 languages)
    http://www.accesss.net/crbst_36.html ) ?

    Very interesting organization. I couldn’t help but notice that many of your activities are supported by the Government of Canada as well as three large pharmaceutical companies, two of which are headquartered in the U.S., the third in Britain. Are you telling me that under the influence of so much English, it is fair (or even desirable) to keep our upcoming generations unable to achieve advanced fluency in this language?

    With regard to helping immigrants, I believe that keeping all languages alive as long as possible is a great thing, and that doing so is one of the important elements that allows your organization to reach out to so many (especially elderly) people.

    But let’s be honest; whether we like it or not, in exchanges worldwide, it’s English, at least for the time being. Thinking otherwise is either dishonest or just plain stupid. (P.S.: Although I’m part descended from 19th century immigrants from the British Isles, English wasn’t my first language either!).

    > Of course Volunter work is very important, other Wise the cost will be amazingly High for the Québec if we start to traduce everthing.

    Let’s extrapolate.

    Imagine how much cheaper translation costs would be if Canada forced Quebec to become exclusively English-speaking, or if the English had forcibly assimilated the French-Canadians after conquering them. I’m not saying either of the above scenarios is desirable, but if Canada is willing to make the effort to attain some measure of language equality (in theory, if not in fact), then Quebec should make an effort to attain some measure of language equality (in theory, if not in fact).

    > Same Beautiful light Under the Sun. Except One thing, why the Province of Québec is paying so much for his health care system ?

    Wasteful spending, poor planning and poorer management.

    > Any suggestions in the wardrobe ?

    I’m not sure I understand the context of the question.

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