Friday, December 16, 2011

Pipe Dreams & Fantasies..French in Multinationals

 French in Multinationals -Fantasy Island?
Over a year ago I wrote a piece about Rejean Tremblay, the dean of Quebec sportscasters who demanded in a published piece that the Montreal Canadiens francize the team by hiring more francophones to better reflect its fan base. Le CH abuse des Québécois {Fr}

In that article, he suggested that the Habs General manager implement the so-called 'Savard doctrine'(if ever it really existed,) whereby given a choice between two equal players, the team always hired the francophone.
Ironically, in another article, Mr. Tremblay complains that English NHL teams are guilty of discriminating against francophones by hiring English players before francophones. Hmm..... 

At any rate, it's a neat concept that sounds attractive if you're ready to suspend your belief in statistical probability. Unfortunately, among Mr. Tremblay's readers, there's plenty of those.

Only a dreamer or an idiot could conceive of a unique situation that repeats itself often enough, wherein two equally talented players are made available at the same time, both the same age, playing the same position and making the same salary, one being French, the other speaking English or Globish.
In the real world, that situation presents itself less often than a Henri Richard birthday. 

But the idea is a narrative that sells rather neatly to those who dream of Christmas past and the reincarnation of the Flying Frenchman. Ah, perchance to dream!

Alas for Mr. Tremblay, it is a pipe dream, and I suspect he knows it. His missive was actually a call to choose French players first, regardless of talent, but in the modern era of globalization, the only way to francize a team, is to take a qualitative hit.
Considering that the Canadiens aren't a very good team and haven't been for a decade, perhaps it doesn't matter and for Mr. Tremblay, if your going to stink, you may as well stink in French!

While on the subject of French or the Canadiens, is there any coach in the NHL who more deserves to be fired this year then the hapless Jacques Martin, for his ceaseless ability to get the worst out of his players?
It is very likely that his job remains safe only as long as there isn't a viable francophone out there ready to replace him, as the case appears to be, right now.
If Pierre Gauthier, the general manager (another horrible underachiever,) dared hire an anglophone to replace Martin, he'd be ridden out of town on a rail.
And so Mr. Tremblay seems to have gotten his way....underachieving francophones kept on because more talented anglophones are not an option. Bon Chance!

What does any of this have to do with French in the Head offices of Montreal's leading multinational companies?
A lot.

This week, in a televised debate on the subject of French in head offices, I heard another fanciful suggestion of the same sort, described by the insufferable Jean-François Lisée.Watch the debate in French

Mr. Lisee admitted that companies who operate on a world-wide basis must deal with their branch offices and customers in English, but demanded that once the telephone is hung up, the employees revert to French among themselves. Any employee or executive promoted to the head office from the field would be forced to go to the Sagenauy for six months to learn French. Bon voyage!
And so everything coming into the office would have to be translated into French and then everything leaving the office would have to be translated into English.

Sounds like a plan....for idiots.
I don't know if Mr. Lisée knows how ridiculous he sounds, but it's a good story for language militants, always willing and able to jump through hoops to make an argument for French.

Looking at the suggestion dispassionately, even Mr. Lisée would have to admit that in a situation like this, French is completely superfluous, an unnecessary layer of expense and bother.
If that's the price of locating in Quebec, what company president could justify staying?

Unfortunately for Mr. Lisée and French language supremacists, most CEOs don't give a tinker's cuss about French or English, the only language that counts, is money.

A few days ago I described how the exodus of English head-offices started soon after Sun Life made a very public exit from Montreal, much to the consternation of the then PQ government.
Hundreds of other companies followed suit, but they did so without a splash and as the old saying goes- 'Out of sight, out of mind.'

The problem of head offices leaving or choosing not to locate in Quebec was largely swept under the carpet, the companies involved relieved not to discuss the matter and the government conveniently forgetting to own up to the economic impact of French language restrictions.


To Mr. Lisée and other French language supremacists, the loss of head offices unwilling to put up with this nonsense is a reasonable price to pay for the preservation of French in the workplace.
But no politician or French language hardliner will admit as such in public and Quebecers have been largely shielded from the truth, but not the economic impact.

I came across this devastating article in the Montreal Gazette's business section, which lays bare the economic reality of these policies;
"The small city of Cornwall, Ont., 120 kilometres southwest of Montreal, has been on a growth spurt for more than a decade as retailers open new distribution centres there.
The facilities are being built to serve the Quebec market yet they're located just beyond the border rather than in Quebec itself.....
....The unsaid thing in the industry is that people just don't want unions in their distribution centres," Wulfraat said. "When you talk to the leaders of these companies, that's their foremost concern."
Added to that is the extra cost and effort required to operate in French, which can be avoided in a place like Cornwall.
"Quebec, in my opinion, has some fundamental disadvantages working against it," he said.

Read the rest of the story and then come back....Montreal Gazette  Alternate Link
To be sure, language is not the only reason that these distribution centres are placed outside Quebec, perhaps the biggest concern, unmentioned in the article, is Quebec's anti-scab law that forbids replacement workers.
In Quebec, in the event of a strike, the company cannot hire workers to replace strikers, while in Ontario such is not the case.
It's a massive concern to management, because a striking distribution centre can bring down the entire retail operation, leaving the union with unprecedented power to cripple the company.

But language as an issue, remains a huge concern, though company officials don't like to talk about it. A Quebec based distribution centre would be obligated to operate in French, an anomaly in a company that operated dozens of similar facilities throughout North America.
Let's face it, Target or Wal-Mart isn't that interested in sending a transferee to Chicoutimi for six months to learn French and they aren't interested in the added expense and bother of operating in French, not if they don't have to.
Unfortunately for Mr. Lisée and his supporters, they don't have to.

I know these facts are unpleasant to those wishing to see Quebec thrive as a French society, but as they say, 'Them's the breaks.'

Recently it was revealed that the OQLF gave Bombardier dispensation from the requirement to operate in French at its head office, a tacit admission that the company could not or would not comply with the law.
Of course the agreement wasn't widely publicized and for good reason. It demonstrated an admission that in some cases, the rules of Bill 101 and French in the head office, leaves companies with no choice but to exit the province.
Secondly, the publication of the special dispensation might very well trigger an avalanche of requests by other companies for the same treatment, undermining the holy tenet of French in the workplace.
For the OQLF it's a lose/lose situation.

Where to go and what to do to preserve and promote French in the workplace is a sticky wicket. For language militants, the solution is cut and dried, French at all times and damn the jobs.

For a responsible government, preserving French in the workplace must be tempered with another obligation, the obligation to create a society where companies can flourish and prosper and where decent paying jobs are preserved.

By opening up the debate about language Mr. Lisée and friends do Quebecers a service, although they may come to rue their decision to open Pandora's box.

Preserving French in the office can no longer be characterized as zero-sum or free, that much is now clear.
What will happen when a company like Bombardier says no to the OQLF and threatens to leave?
Will we have a repeat Sun Life and will some Quebecers have to confront the reality of working in English or collecting unemployment in French?

French militants like Mr. Lisée have  opened a debate that should have been held three decades ago -
French at what cost?

Mr. Lisée and friends, can weave their pipe dreams and fantasies which make good print and television, but in the real world, the cold hard reality of English is a fact of life that Quebecers must confront and unfortunately, not on their own terms.

79 comments:

  1. Living in Ontario means I don't get to see as many nuances in Quebec head offices. This one by Bombardier is a beaut! Considering everything about Bombardier incubated in the little berg of Valcourt, not Montreal, I sort of looked at the likes of Bombardier and SNC Lavalin as "Quebec's companies", much like the Dallas Cowboys have been referred to as "America's team".

    Bombardier applying for language dispensation? That irony is just too delicious not to savor time and time again! Gee you language numbnuts, what's next? Hydro Quebec moves its head office to Cornwall? Or Ottawa? Or (gaaaaag the fanatics) - dare I say it - Toron'o?

    As for the Habs, what about Marc Crawford? He coached in Quebec, and apparently he can speak French, albeit not fluently. BTW, what is Jacques Lemaire doing these days? Where is HE living? I know Claude Lemieux did not return to Buckingham (QC). I believe he chose to retire in Arizona!

    Lemaire became the first Habs coach since my birth to finish sub-.500, and not only make the playoffs, but advance to the third round (in the 1983-84 season finishing with 75 points in an 80-game season, then beating Boston in 3 straight, Quebec in 6, but losing to the Islanders in 6). Maybe the Habs brass should woo him back! As a GM, Gauthier is about as competent as Irving Grundman and Réjean Houle were--not very! Grundman even had the good fortune of basking in Sam Pollock's shadow and being credit for a Stanley Cup that clearly should have been credited to Pollock, but the latter quit his GM job the year before.

    Anyway, to conclude my contribution to this topic, as long as these backward, fascist
    knuckleheads get to orchestrate Quebec business and society, mainly because the more sheepish, complacent elements of the majority want it this way, Quebec will continue to tank, and deservedly so.

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  2. I bet there will be comments like: if you don't like it take the 401 and some about donuts and Pepsi.
    Let's see what a seppie understands from this article ...

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  3. in terms of the Hockey club everybody knows whether Anglo,Franco or Allo that the current management needs to be fired.. unfortunately Hockey Fans ownership will never hire a non-de souche... no matter how bilingual. it's all about ethnicity... it's clear that Ownership is GUTLESS...

    in terms of developing business in Quebec,, non-starter.. between the unions, government Red tape and the Language Nazis... You can't make a profit here...

    The only way things well ever get better in the Banana Republic will be when the Moderate open minded French Canadian in this province tells their language zealot/racist/nationalist/separatist brethren to @%%^ off

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  4. Je suis d'accord avec toi Froggy.

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  5. Quebec, the only jurisdiction in the world that graduates University students that aren't qualified to work there (English hasn't been officially recognized by the Quebec Government since 1972). Setting up National or Global Head office operations in Ontario makes economic sense, language laws don't exist and taxes are lower. 

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  6. Ouch!!!La belle image internationale:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaiMcv2gQe0&feature=player_embedded

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  7. Interesting post. Would seem Quebec continues to want to fail with business unfriendly policies (language, labor laws etc). I recall seeing a clip when Electrolux closed its plant in Quebec to relocate to the US. The employees were all over the fact that they weren't been treated fairly when in fact they were the ones that caused the problem in the first place with unreasonable demands for wages. I guess a year of EI sponsored by the ROC was better, in their minds, than actually working. EOS...plant is gone and so are the jobs. Oh and the guy giving the bad news was doing it in English and the workers demanded "en francais".

    Here is an older article by the Fraser Institute from 2003 which details the future of prosperity in Quebec. Check it out as it is quite factual although somewhat dated.

    http://www.fraserinstitute.org/publicationdisplay.aspx?id=13329&terms=quebec+economic+performance

    The figures and facts are very somber and it doesn't appear things are getting any better in Quebec since the research was done.

    Of course one has only to check out this article to see where Quebec could be headed if they continue to listen to radicals. Rather interesting that in the last paragraph it is suggested that the Bank take measures to francize everything from all employees to software and filing. Guess it doesnt occur to the the author that this all costs money, which will result in higher interest rates on his line of credit or mortgage. C'est tres incroyable, n'est pas?

    http://www.lautjournal.info/default.aspx?page=3&NewsId=3390

    Well, I guess with the gun registry about to be gone Quebecers can now shoot themselves in both feet without having to worry about repurcusions from the use of non registered fire arms :):)

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  8. Anon 9:31, excellent Study on the matter of Quebec prosperity. Most of it still rings true. We really aren't leveraging our strengths and talents to their maximum. Montreal could be a global, bilingual powerhouse, but the QC government treats the city as if it were a rural unilingual village. Besides electricity, our second largest export seems to be University graduates. That needs to be turned around, pronto.

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  9. Anon @ 9:31

    Thank you for the link. May I post an interesting quote:

    "Over the last several decades, Quebec has had the worst economic performance of any major industrial state or province. Despite its urban population and favourable geographic position, it does far worse than its neighbours and competitors."

    Gee... could it be its constant threat of separation the reason its poor performance?

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  10. I just watched the debate... What a lunatic is JF Lisée !

    If they send people to Saguenay, I can swear to you they will run for their lives, never to be seen again here. I come from there and I appropriately call the place "Death Valley". People there are afraid of change.

    That guy obviously never worked in a company at the production level...

    For most companies today, french is an hindrance.

    Does anyone of you knows which companies left Quebec like Sun Life ?

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  11. "Thank you for the link. May I post an interesting quote:"

    I was actually going to post this quote myself. Happy you found the report interesting, as did I. Unfortunate that all the people pay the price for letting the seppies and language zealots carry on their counterproductive agenda.

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  12. I saw the Radio Canada discussion when it first aired on tv.

    At one point Lisee says: "Une fois le telephone est racroché, quand on se parle entre nous, ca se passe en quelle langue? La loi 101 elle dit: ca va se passer en francais"

    Fast forward to my company where I work in IT. I hang up the phone after talking to someone in London, New York, Malaysia (we have offices there) or India (we outsource work there)...I turn around and I have next to me: a guy from Hong Kong, a guy from India, a guy from Eastern Europe, and an Italian Montrealer. The only two there that can carry a conversation in French are me and the Italian guy, although we both prefer English. The Eastern European guy speaks basic French, the Indian and Chinese guys can't say anything beyond "bonjour" and "merci".

    So I'd like Mr Lisee to propose a solution here. Maybe the company should send the 3 gentlemen to Saguenay to a reeducation camp, and force me and the Italian guy at gun point to speak French to each other? What do you say Mr. Lisee? There is a small detail here though. How is it going to affect the team and the company if 3 people are withdrawn and the other 2 pissed off? Do these implications even arise in Lisee's head?

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  13. Pourquoi tous les anglophiles se retrouvent tous dans la Province/État la moins performante économiquement en amérique du Nord?Ne savent-ils pas que leur paradis est à deux pas?

    Les plus convaincus (ou les plus courageux quittent notre province et nous restons avec les anglouilles de mauvaise qualité...Misère!

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  14. I'd like to ask Mr. Editor to ban Jason.

    He's bringing nothing of value to the discussions here.

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  15. You're wrong here Jason qui se chier dans ses pantalons. You insult these guys even though they are qualified white collar professionals, but in fact you are afraid of them. These educated and employable people descend on your province to take up work and do more even damage: they tip the delicate linguistic balance the wrong way. And all you can do is sit and shit your culottes.

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  16. @Jean-Sebastien Gratton-Fortier

    Pas de valeureuse réponse à ma question ?

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  17. @Jason
    Je m'ostine pas avec les morons.

    I can return the Question:
    Why don't you leave for France and leave us alone ? north america is not french.

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  18. "You insult these guys even though they are qualified white collar professionals..."

    Votre tendance à généraliser est stupéfiante.J'ai aussi remarquer une certaine dégradation de la qualité de votre français.

    Redressez-vous un peu cher kiki!

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  19. @Moofo

    La frustration vous rend-elle toujours aussi agressif...Mooflon? :))

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  20. I must say, I particularly enjoyed this article. You brought up a lot of good points, editor.

    Isn't it sad to see the economic state of this province? And isn't it even more sad, to see that the separatists and language nazis are actually proud of this?:

    "Pourquoi tous les anglophiles se retrouvent tous dans la Province/État la moins performante économiquement en amérique du Nord?Ne savent-ils pas que leur paradis est à deux pas?"

    Eventually, the only jobs left in this province will be those which exploit our natural resources, or which sell us back cheap crap at "Le Walle-Marthe".

    Not only do we have ridiculous language laws, but I'd be scared to invest in this province when you see the CSN trying to unionize convenience stores (Couche Tard) or the FTQ refusing to follow provincial laws.

    Again, it's sad that people like our resident Bien-Être Social above are proud of this. It's almost scary to imagine what this province would be like today had the 1995 referendum passed.

    Instead of sending people to learn french in Saguenay (Canadian capital of inbreeding), why don't the racists and other language nazis move there themselves, where they won't be bothered by "les maudits anglais".

    Finally, I still find the fact that Bombardier can operate in the language of their choice amazing. Like I've said many times before, it's a great examples of how these extremists aren't even willing to follow their own rules or beliefs when it's not convenient for them. Jacques Parizeau knows all about this.

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  21. @Quebecker of Tree Stump

    Aucune réponse?...Ben voyons!

    Salutation aux gens de Three-Rivers.

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  22. "Why don't you leave for France and leave us alone ?"

    Parce que nous ne voulons pas laissez nos terres à une minorité d'anglos...De mauvaise qualité de surcroît.

    Allez!Je vous quitte pour la fin de semaine.

    Adios les gringos!

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  23. "Aucune réponse?...Ben voyons!"

    An answer to which question? This?:

    "Pourquoi tous les anglophiles se retrouvent tous dans la Province/État la moins performante économiquement en amérique du Nord?Ne savent-ils pas que leur paradis est à deux pas?"

    I can't speak for anyone else, but without knowing anything about you, I can definitely state that I belong here as much, if not more than you.

    And hey, you want to get extreme? If we look at the results of recent elections, and the two referendums, I belong here more than you do, as my values are closer to those of the majority.

    Some of us still like this province, we still believe in it and we think things can change for the better, with time.

    I find it very sad that you seem to be proud of, or accept the fact that we can't even compete with everyone around us.

    I also find your little comments towards Quebec towns amusing, it shows how much you respect your own province.

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  24. Oups!"Laisser" pour les fanas de fautes de frappe :)

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  25. Les émotions parlent au lieu de la raison, c'est ca le Quebec.

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  26. "I also find your little comments towards Quebec towns amusing, it shows how much you respect your own province..."

    Une petit dernier pour la route :

    Alors laissez donc les gens du saguenay en paix!

    Bon week-end!

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  27. Be smart and do what most of us in Canada already do, stay out of Kebec period. Until the language Nazis repeal bill 101, you must be stupid to do business with Kebec. This is a racist, intolerant society from the top down and the bottom up, just like New Brunswick is becoming as the French language Nazis do the same thing as was done in Kebec. Its becoming a real mess in Ontario as well as more and more Kebecers demand all things in French all across the provinces…one big expensive mess, one big expensive phony hiring scam for the French. Just go look at all government offices and see how overrepresented frenchies are.

    The great phony bilingual (french) hiring scam going on in all government departments. Go check the stats for yourself. And I’m not just talking about Kebec any longer. In Ottawa it’s a disaster where some departments are over 70% French…just sickening.

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  28. "The small city of Cornwall, Ont., 120 kilometres southwest of Montreal, has been on a growth spurt for more than a decade as retailers open new distribution centres there.
    The facilities are being built to serve the Quebec market yet they're located just beyond the border rather than in Quebec itself....."

    It's also happening in Hawkesbury, Ontario. Pharmacie Jean Coutu recently constructed a huge distribution building there.

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  29. "It's also happening in Hawkesbury, Ontario. Pharmacie Jean Coutu recently constructed a huge distribution building there."

    Isn't Jean Coutu a Quebecois based company?? (seems to be by all the stores I see in Quebec)..So, it appears that even Quebec companies are moving themselves outside of the Provincie. And so the exodus of jobs and taxes continues. It is like this, really, when laws become deleterious to business operations, business generally finds a way around the challenges. In this case they exit Quebec so not held hostage by unions and language laws.

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  30. @Jason qui tond le gazon:

    What do you think would happen if all of the English speakers in Quebec were to disappear tomorrow? Is that really what you want?

    Que pensez-vous qui se passerait si tous les anglophones du Québec venait à disparaître demain? Est-ce vraiment ce que vous voulez?

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  31. "What do you think would happen if all of the English speakers in Quebec were to disappear tomorrow? Is that really what you want?"

    I'm fairly sure that it is what they want, yes. Not just the english though, anyone who's not french, white and catholic.

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  32. The bottom line is that is totally impractical for Quebec to even entertain the presumption that they can live entirely in French when they are surrounded by a sea of anglos in NA. Not to mention the fact that English is utilized around the world as a common language. Lisee and company are advocating and an innefficient system where documents, contracts etc. are translated into french coming in one door and translated into english going out the other door.

    Makes absolutely no sense to do so which is why companies will move their offices of decision outside of Quebec jurisdictions to avoid the burden and costs of such ridiculous measures.

    Bottom line will be less taxes paid in Quebec with consequent higher demands for more equaliztion and tranfers from the ROC.

    Lisee and advocates of same are accelerating the death spiral of Quebec. The people have to wake up before it's too late.

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  33. So there's nothing to be done then? The Quebeckers should just roll over and assimilate to get it over with?

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  34. @anon 5:11

    Quebecers can actually have more children and layoff the minorities. They can also create their own businesses that will work in French.

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  35. "They can also create their own businesses that will work in French."

    Comme Bombardier?

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  36. "The Quebeckers should just roll over and assimilate to get it over with?"

    Well I am not advocating they abandon their french language or culture. Continue as being as French as possible in their daily lives and communities. They should, however, curtail the war on English as they are swimming against a very strong current. Better to live with some concessions that in fact English is a fact of life rather than fight it and end up dead. The people who are against bilingualism in Quebec are totally f'ked in the head (read Duceppe, Beaudoin etc)

    A lot of people are likely upset that French doesn't enjoy the same status as English enjoys but that is just the way things worked out. If it was the other way around I think I would learn to speak a lot better French...No doubt pisses a lot of francos off, that an individual can live in Montreal without ever speaking a word of French.

    Again, Just the way it is and nothing is going to change the fact.

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  37. @anon 5:37

    Actually Bombardier bought Canadair that had origins as a English speaking company.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair

    They wanted to keep that unit working the way it was.

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  38. ""The Quebeckers should just roll over and assimilate to get it over with?"

    Why isn't Cree on signs in Quebec? Because "hardly anyone speaks it", and only cultures which are not "dead" should be promoted (see last post's comment section).

    But any minute now, Quebeckers will be "assimilated". So, isn't it indicative of a "dead" culture? So why is there a law that sustains a dead (or dying culture), if dead cultures are not to be wasted time on?

    Is it because the Quebecois culture is not dead enough, or is sufficiently alive? Is it alive just enough, unlike Cree, to be supported, but not as alive as the English one, which can in turn be suppressed by administrative means?

    The problem here is that it is very convenient to create a definition or a category of "dying but not sufficiently dead" language which happens to fit YOUR (and ONLY your) language. Convenient and hypocritical, may I say.

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  39. LOL regarding Bombardier. I can attest to this reality. They have been given special exception status since 1981!!!!! Haha. Every few years a new temporary compliance certificate is issued. The best part is the only conditions really are that they are trying to convert eventually. The last clause I ready (that expires shortly by the way) was to keep at it and hopefully comply by 2025!! What a joke. Ever heard of "kicking the can down the road". Everyone with a brain inside bombardier (albeit not outside obviously) realizes that it MUST and WILL stay English. All engineering/purchasing/management is done in 100% English. Boohoo. Welcome to the real reality. We in engineering are mostly English from outside Kebec and/or Canada. Just here getting the top dollar jobs till the work is done. There is no where near enough Kebecois to actually design anything.

    I do enjoy when natives get mad when our meetings aren't offered in French too. Allot of the senior managers are from the UK with ZERO French capabilities. Again boohoo.

    This is the sobering reality with all Hi-tech and I/T multi-nationals and others as well.

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  40. @ 3/4 American

    Le lien vidéo que tu proposes est très intéressant.

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  41. By the way.. Nice Post..

    Nice to hear some common sense for a change..

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  42. @Anon 6:57
    That's an impressive array of strawmen arguments that I've never made while simultaneously avoiding answering the question. Well done.

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  43. @Anon 5:48
    That's alot of words, but it boils down to "Yes, the Quebeckers should just let nature take it's course.", doesen't it?

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  44. Anon wrote at December 16, 2011 4:51 AM

    "in terms of the Hockey club everybody knows whether Anglo,Franco or Allo that the current management needs to be fired.. unfortunately Hockey Fans ownership will never hire a non-de souche... no matter how bilingual. it's all about ethnicity... it's clear that Ownership is GUTLESS..."

    If ownership could go back in time, would Scotty Bowman be hired? He's native, and I understand he's bilingual, but his last name isn't French. The greatest coach in the history of the NHL is no longer good enough for the Canadiens simply because of his birth?

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  45. Jacques Martin replaced by an Anglophone...

    This should be interesting!

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  46. I work at a company that is located on the south shore. We have branches in three other provinces and our head office is in Quebec.Our employees are trained in the US and must be able to read and write English. If not no job. They are all Francophones who have learned English. If the OLF forces the issue with us. We will abandon our Quebec operation and expand our operations in other provinces and move the head office. How can that be good for keeping jobs and promoting business in this province? We keep our numbers under 50 for that very reason.

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  47. I work for a company that has its head office based on the south shore of Montreal. We have branches in three other provinces. Our employees are trained in the southern US so they must be able to read and write English. They are all Francophones that have seen the light. No English no job. Period. For this we keep our numbers under 50. If pushed, we will move our head office to another province. I'm sure they will appreciate the inverstment in their communities.

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  48. 1 of 2:

    I think the last commentator works for de Havilland or Bell Helicopter. Are there other aviation companies on the South Shore? Whatever happened to the Hyudai plant in Bromont? Sounds like that organization was in like Flynn...then out even faster.

    It seems everybody has forgotten about the Jacques Martin firing here. Are you all out to lunch? I was driving to work yesterday morning when I heard the news who his replacement is, I sarcastically put my head in my hands and started screaming "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH...no....say it isn't so...the world has come to an end...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH..."

    And of course, just as night follows day, Ron McLean on HNIC absolutely HAD to have a French language journalist on the Hot Stove segment in the second intermission asking about the reaction to an English-only speaking coach, and as inevitably as day follows night, and death and taxes, the journalist diplomatically suppressed the fact Quebec was having an elephant and a cow over it.

    Indubitably and inevitably as day and night and death and taxes, there WILL be a blog on this topic before too long, and I'm sure le Journal de Montréal and the other small-minded French language newspapers will be having a shitload of shitfit commentaries and editorials about Randy Cunneyworth.

    His contract will inevitably end in June, unless he wins a Stanley Cup, and even then we can go back to 1971 when Al MacNeil was rewarded with a demotion the very next day after coaching a Habs team that won the Cup when it looked like it was going down to defeat against the Big Bad Bruins and their 400 goals and their 121 standings points and their record high 57 losses in the first round of the playoffs (until the Habs shattered all those records later in the decade, except the 399 goals scored...Edmonton smashed that record in the mid-80s).

    MacNeil, the unilingual Anglophone, most likely suffered this unjust turn of fate because he DARED berate Henri Richard, the home grown pur lainer for what MacNeil considered lacklustre play. In the meantime, Richard fired up, came to the plate and scored the two goals that won the Habs that surprising Cup in 1971.

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  49. 2 of 2:

    I read all of Dick Irvin's books, and both he and I agree that the 1971 Cup was probably the sweetest of them all because it was totally unexpected, and Irvin eyewitnessed a helluva lot more hockey than I did, even from behind the bench, a privilege no child son of an NHL coach will ever enjoy again. The next best, and so far the very last Cup the Habs won in 1993, was a sweet repeat...or almost as it came unexpected, but it will be savoured longer by older guys like myself who never in my lifetime saw the Habs go more than seven years without a Cup...until now. The previous drought was the 13 seasons between 1931 and 1944, but this year, barring a miracle, will bring the current drought to 19 years and counting, an historic high that has no end in sight.

    Then again, the 50s dynasty was under Anglo Ontarian, Toe Blake, and the 60s until 1968 with another Anglophone, Frank Selke Sr., as GM almost all that time. Claude Ruel won a leftover in 1969, then MacNeil in 1971 pulled his miracle only to be demoted, and then Anglo Montrealer Scotty Bowman won five more after MacNeil. Anglophone Sam Pollock was at the helm from the late 60s until 1978, and in 1979, no less thanks to riding on Sam Pollock's coattails, the anglo juif, Irving Grundman, got the spoils and etching his name undeservedly on the big silver mug. In fairness to Scotty Bowman, he spoke pretty good French, so I guess he gets a pass from the media.

    Oh, and as mentioned on this blog during the centennial year, now out of 102 years of Habs history, there have been only 36 years where there was Francophone ownership, partially outright and partially in partnership with others.

    So finally, who will replace Cunneyworth in June? Mario Tremblay again? Gilles Lupien? Gaston Gingras? Let's not forget Patrick Roy! After all, the New York Islanders hired a retiring goalie from their team (Garth Snow) to become GM! Look at THEIR track record since they pulled that boner! Where are you, Réjean Houle?

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  50. To Mr. Sauga

    Saturday Night 4:40 AM .......Really?

    ReplyDelete
  51. @ Mooflon et Mister three rivers

    http://lejournaldemontreal.canoe.ca/journaldemontreal/chroniques/mathieubockcote/archives/2011/12/20111215-085900.html

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  52. Bock-Côté (what kind of name is this anyways?) seems to think that civic involvement and social cohesion can only be achieved through the power of the state, and that anyone who opposes the state (be it a right-wing or a left-wing libertarian) is by definition selfish and looks at the society through the prism of the economy and money.

    This is false, and it may well be the other way around. State coercion often disrupts the social fabric, and in all likelihood people would be able to get along without the involvement of the state. In fact, they would probably get along better if it weren't for journalists (read: propagandists) and politicians in whose interest it is to keep up divisions and keep people in a state of fear.

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  53. Despite being comparatively young, Bock-Côté is himself stuck in old paradigms and all he's doing is lashing out at bourgeois urbanite post-separatists who have dumped the nationalists' insecurity like last year's charity.

    I'm glad that more of our fellow francophones (and more importantly, French-Canadians) in Quebec are waking up to the fact that the idealist crap we've been peddled for the last fifty years is no longer necessary. If that sends the seppies running for cover then all the better. We've got jobs, we're well off, and many of us speak English very well (some of us happily living biculturally) without jealously counting the number of words we say each day in each language.

    (Side note: you might find it somewhat amusing to read that Louis Préfontaine himself finds Mathieu Bock-Côté a talentless hack: http://louisprefontaine.com/2011/12/08/merci)

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  54. Ah yes, the same old story once again:
    If you're not a separatist or don't agree with current language laws, you don't respect Quebec, or its culture and values. You don't belong here! bla bla bla ...

    Interesting article on the National Post:
    http://www.nationalpost.com/news/preys+rising+cultural+insecurity/5868925/story.html
    "PQ preys on rising cultural insecurity"


    "It's at the point where the niqab, the kirpan and all the religious signs are permitted everywhere by Canadian multiculturalism, but Christmas is not allowed," Ms. Marois said

    I didn't know Marois was a comedian, but she's sure got a good imagination. Either that, or she has no idea what's going on in her own province.

    I especially liked this part, a quote from Lucien Bouchard. It's good to remember that this man was once the separatist leader and #1 hero, and now they consider him an "Elvis Gratton" (see vigile.net):

    "I think of René Lévesque," Mr. Bouchard said at the time. "René Lévesque was a man of generosity. He did not ask such questions. He was not afraid to see immigrants arriving."

    I strongly suggest you read the article!

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  55. "Ah yes, the same old story once again"

    Vous en êtes la preuve vivante et bien actuelle que vous en soyez conscient ou non(Comme Elvis Gratton dailleurs)) M.Stump...ou peut-être bien Tremblay?

    Pourquoi reniez-vous ainsi votre identité?

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  56. Vous êtes bien l'auteur de ces deux affirmations aussi stupides qu'incohérentes,n'est-ce pas?

    "...If you're not a separatist or don't agree with current language laws,you don't respect Quebec, or its culture..."

    "...Instead of sending people to learn french in Saguenay (Canadian capital of inbreeding)"

    Hmmmm...

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  57. From a Western Point of view.

    Your language laws, pseudo french culture and your province of Quebec are of little relevance in Canada. The political capital of Quebec has been subtantially diminished and this trend will no doubt continue.

    The bottom line...no one really cares about Quebec in the ROC.

    Just the same as the French language is of diminished importance. Even the Canadians hockey team has an anglo (uniligual) coach these days. Just as the auditor general, and recent supreme court appointments.

    The next positive step by the ROC will be to end the expensive and failed OLA.

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  58. Great National Post article Tree Stump. Right on the money as they say. Only small minded politicians revert to insular demagoguery as a way to boost their sagging popularity. Thankfully Quebecers aren't buying this malarkey this time around. My Québécois Gen X friends are more concerned about making sure their kids get a proper education and being able to make mortgage payments to the house they overpaid for (from a rich Baby Boomer no doubt). Generational animosity has eclipsed the whole Separatist/ Federalist thing. Generation X has inherited a broken system of government, a massive debt that can never be repaid and are being handed  a credit card bill from the government spending spree of the  70's, 80's and 90's, on top of that they are financing the retirements of Baby Boomers by over paying for their bungalows that they bought for a song and dance in the 1970's. Fuck Pauline Marois!

    Here is another interesting NPost article on the tectonic political shift going on in Quebec/Canada by Conrad Black, highly recommended. 

    http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/11/26/conrad-black-how-the-roc-bought-off-quebec/

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  59. À ce que je lis ici, c'est toujours le même Quebec bashing, le même racisme envers les Québécois... J'immagine que vous avez besoin d'un bouc émisaire (les Québécois) pour vous défouler après une dur journée de travail.

    Et vous vous demandez pourquoi on veut notre souveraineté??? Incroyable...

    Vous savez quoi, je suis bien content que nous les Québécois, avont créé la loi 101. Cela a été la plus grande réalisation du Québec et c'est ce qui a empecher notre nation de se faire assimiler, contrairement aux autres communautés francophones d'Amérique du Nord qui se sont fait lachement assimilé...

    Nous on s'est tenu debout! Et c'est ce que vous les anglophones colonialistes avez de la misère a accepté... qu'on vous tienne tête!

    La Sun Life a quitté le Québec, so what!? Quelques compagnies ont quitté le Québec, mais ça n'a pas été la fin du monde. Aujourd'hui l'économie du Québec est en grande forme, on a développé une expertise dans certains domaines comme le secteur pharmaceutique, l'aérospatiale et les jeux vidéos. Et contrairement à un commentaire écrit par quelqu'un ici, notre expertise dans les jeux vidéo est une expertise a majorité francophone (ce sont des Québecois francophones qui y travailent, même si ce sont des compagnies étrangères), et même que la plus grosse compagnie de jeu vidéo à Montréal, Ubisoft, est une compagnie Française (de France).

    L'économie du Québec va très bien, et en ce moment elle est même meilleur que les États-Unis et que la majorité des pays d'Europe.

    Et pour ce qui des transferts fédéraux (péréquation, transferts en santé et éducation), le Québec n'est pas la province qui en reçoit le plus, en pourcentage du budget provinciale. Le Nouveau Brundwick, Terre Neuve, l'Ile du prince édouard, le Manitoba, le Yukon, les Territoires du nord ouest et le Nunavut en recoivent beaucoup plus que le Québec.

    En fait 25% du budget du Québec provient des transferts fédéraux et l'Ontario est tout près à 22%, seulement 3% de différence. Alors ça me fait bien rire quand j'entend tout le monde basher le Québec avec la péréquation, quand on sait que l'Ontario est tout près!

    Essayez de comprendre une fois pour toute que l'argent n'est pas la seul chose qui compte dans la vie... Je me considère Québécois seulement, la nation Québécoise est ma seule nation, et protèger notre culture est bien plus important qu'une simple question d'argent. Et on se débrouille très bien au Québec, inquiètez vous pas on s'en sortira économiquement, on se débrouillera toujours.

    Et pour les anglos qui n'aiment pas la loi 101, vous avez toujours la liberté de quitter le Québec et d'aller vivre ailleur, personne ne vous force a y rester...

    N'oubliez jamais que la nation Québécoise est une nation francophone, ceux que ça dérange, et bien quittez!

    Et pour vous dire très franchement, à chaque fois qu'un anglo racistes quitte le Québec, j'en suis bien heureux. Il devrait y en avoir plus...

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  60. Anon 12:49, More colonial French bullshit. The French are colonizers as much as the English were. Bill 101 is a bad law and once Montreal rids itself of its French colonizers, that law will go out the window!

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  61. @Anon 1:32

    La loi 101 ne sera jamais aboli et vous le savez très bien. Les Québécois ne l'accepteraient pas. Nous ne nous laisserons jamais assimiler, vous pouvez en être sûr!

    Avec la loi 101 nous nous assurons que les enfants d'immigrant apprennent le français. Cette loi est la meilleur chose qui soit arrivé au Québec. On a prit le controle de notre province et ça, ça vous dérange... que nous soyons maitre chez nous.

    Vous perdez votre temps à essayer de combattre les Québécois. Rien ne changera.

    A Rome vous faites comme les Romains...

    Et au Québec, vous respectez les lois du peuple Québécois, that's it, that's all!

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  62. "Et au Québec, vous respectez les lois du peuple Québécois, that's it, that's all!"

    BANG!!!

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  63. Anon 12:49AM says: “Vous savez quoi, je suis bien content que nous les Québécois, avont créé la loi 101. Cela a été la plus grande réalisation du Québec et c'est ce qui a empecher notre nation de se faire assimiler”

    But only a cursory search of the Quebecois press yields tens of statements like this:

    “Le français au Québec n'arrête pas de perdre de sa substance vitale. Les chercheurs de l'OQLF constatent un recul de 1,9% sur 10 ans; ils prédisent que la population de langue maternelle française tombera à 77,9% d'ici 2031 et qu'elle sera minoritaire sur l'île de Montréal d'ici 2021.”

    http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-droit/opinions/votre-opinion/201112/12/01-4476988-lassimilation-pointe-a-lhorizon.php

    -----

    So...La loi 101 saved the French culture and language, but...French is CONSTANTLY and INCESSANTLY losing its "substance vitale"...


    The Quebecois are fed this contradictory drivel on daily basis by their guardian angels (the press and the politicians), and have been for the past 50 years. "Bill 101 is our savior and protects our language". Yet, "Montreal s'anglicise" and "We're back to the situation from the early 1970's"

    Could the fact that "nothing has substantially changed" be indicative of the failure of linguistic legislation? Isn't there only a tiny step between bemoaning the loss of significance of your language and a realization that the law that is supposed to counteract it may be ineffective and do more harm than good? Nah. Jamais!!! Long live Loi 101!!!

    ReplyDelete
  64. to ano dec 19 12:49 and 3:00... same old typical arguments of a mindless seppie that don't know the heck of what he's talking about and that just keeps coming up with the same old excuses just to support his claims that everything is going fine in quebec, when in fact it's the complete opposite!!!

    hate to be the one to burst the people...but you will need more than just UBISOFT to rebuild and solidify your economy...

    In adddtion, there is something that I want to point out too before I wrap up.. not all qubecers want to separate or/and are supportive with Bill 101. you just represent a tiny minority of them that will be pratically wiped out within 60 years from now...

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  65. "but you will need more than just UBISOFT"

    Ubisoft est un très bel exemple d'entreprise internationale extrêmement lucrative qui fonctionne dans la langue Nationale.

    Bravo Ubisoft!

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  66. to my dear JEAN GUY PATATE at 4:48, bourrée d'grosse poutine dans tête avec la peau graisseux qui dégouline la répugnance,

    They may be a good example of your language bigotry and relentless strive for underachievement but nevertheless, it's not a TRUE MONTREAL BASED company like BMO,NBC OR SUNLIFE and never will be for that matter!!! your claim regarding the fact that shitty videogame company (let's face it, most of their games suck) will be a huge success in source of revenues and marketing, will in fact, bring very little to nothing at all, and thus, will still leave you stranded at the bottom of the pit, with no hope of being pulled up whatsoever economically!!

    BTW, I highly doubt they would hire a failure like you since you seem to be literally stupid and UNDER-educated,(with all the shit you keep spewing, it is a clear indication that’s it’s the case). You argument are redundant and utter hogwash!!You can't even comment something valid and rational, your head is nothing but a heavy greasy poutine-filled skull washed up with Labatt 50 piss that's about to blow crap all over and leave a big mess behind!!!you are the perfect example of someone who`s severely affected by down syndrome and inbreeding … and on that note, I say GOOD NIGHT!!!

    Typical seppie à marde!!!You are all idiots and have nothing intelligent to say and not to mention, you all fit the profile of mediocrity and losership …

    ReplyDelete
  67. "...washed up with Labatt 50 piss..."

    Molson gringo...Molson.

    En passant je suis un professionnel en animation graphique 3D.Spécialiste en effets spéciaux et de rendus sur Autodesk 3d's Max ainsi que sur Maxon cinema 4D.

    D'autres questions gringo?

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  68. Hey gringo,regardez ceci:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IZ9iueFsjI

    Hahahaha!Ça valait qques heures de mon temps...

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  69. "L'économie du Québec va très bien, et en ce moment elle est même meilleur que les États-Unis et que la majorité des pays d'Europe"

    I think it's time for you to go buy yourself a pair of glass and have clear view of reality, you seem to be developing some sort of vision impairment right now... une bonne join hein???

    "La loi 101 ne sera jamais aboli et vous le savez très bien. Les Québécois ne l'accepteraient pas. Nous ne nous laisserons jamais assimiler, vous pouvez en être sûr!"

    How do you know???Can you forecast the future???Maybe you spend a little bit too much time in your "montreal est" fantasy world and ought to snap out of it!!! Besides, not all Quebecois support that idiotic law…As a matter of fact, a big portion of them would like to see it abolished!!!So therefore, I am not so sure IF we should be “etre sur”…

    "Vous savez quoi, je suis bien content que nous les Québécois, avont créé la loi 101. Cela a été la plus grande réalisation du Québec et c'est ce qui a empêcher notre nation de se faire assimiler, contrairement aux autres communautés francophones d'Amérique du Nord qui se sont fait lachement assimilé"

    la drogue est bonne, mon ami??? Wow if you think this is a great deal of achievement, then you must certainly have low standards in aiming for goals...low goals, that is!!!Jeez you are so pathetic!!!the Anglos never had the intention to assimilate you, they let you keep your language and practice your religion…what you’re saying is a hiddeous lie and no history record could ever back up your claim…

    ‘Et pour les Anglos qui n'aiment pas la loi 101, vous avez toujours la liberté de quitter le Québec et d'aller vivre ailleur, personne ne vous force a y rester...

    And you are always the welcome to leave North-America if you don't like the fact that businesses are run and operated in English on this continent!!!Nobody forces you to be subject to the so called “assimilation attempt” on a constant basis.

    "Rome vous faites comme les Romains..."

    WOW, you my friend have got balls to compare yourselves to Romans??? Just to let you know, you are nowhere near and nothing like them at all, since they were great achievers, inventors, innovators and warriors, unlike you, you filthy greasy ball of poutine corrupted with failures and regressive thoughts!!!!The Romans were successful in most of their aspirations and were very progressive just so you know!!!

    "Et au Québec, vous respectez les lois du peuple Québécois, that's it, that's all!"

    well, considering the fact that Anglos and Allophones are Quebec citizens as well, then technically, they should also benefit from the entitlement of being respected just like the majority is and frankly, since it doesn’t turn out to be the case right now, it makes you guys look little bit racist and lacky in term of open mindedness...chaleureux et recevant, mon cul!!!

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  70. Ça sent le donut ce soir sur ce blogue :D

    ReplyDelete
  71. "...considering the fact that Anglos and Allophones are Quebec citizens as well..."

    Pfffff!!...T'en fume du bon mec!

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  72. When are Quebecers going to accept the fact that they don't have a culture. Pepsi and poutine do not constitute a culture. As for preserving the French language, if only Quebecers could speak French. What they speak is an insult to the ears.

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  73. "What they speak is an insult to the ears."

    Et les anglouilles sont une agression pour les yeux!

    Prend la 401 gringo...Good riddance!MDR!!!

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  74. The French should do the smart thing and make Anglophones run this province. The English have always been better at business than the French. The evidence is Bill 101. Francophones care more about their language than money and jobs. Not very savvy when it comes to business.

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  75. "...if only Quebecers could speak French..."

    Normal.Les anglos et les lolos la trouve trop compliquée pour leur mini-brain.

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  76. "Francophones care more about their language than money and jobs..."

    C'est peut-être pour cette raison que nous avons les meilleurs emplois au gouvernement à Québec et maintenant à...Ottawa.

    Hahahahaha!Losers!

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  77. @Losers at 9:25 PM. Read this and shut up:
    http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/12/bleaker-reality-hits-quebecs-economy/

    And again about Ubisoft,
    You are game engine designer? Project manager? Non,
    "Je suis un professionnel en animation graphique 3D." Haha dirt-cheap labor job. I know how much you guys earn.
    This is one of the main reasons why Ubisoft chose Montreal: abundant of cheap graffiti "artists".

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  78. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  79. If you're searching for the ultimate Bitcoin exchanger, then you should choose Coinbase.

    ReplyDelete