Friday, January 6, 2012

French Versus English Volume 42

French militants to demonstrate at Bell Centre before game.
"The grumbling continued Thursday over the Montreal Canadiens’ appointment of a unilingual anglophone coach.
The latest to denounce coach Randy Cunneyworth was the Mouvement Quebec Francais (Movement of French Montreal), which issued a statement that a peaceful demonstration would be held before the Canadiens’ next home game, Jan. 7." Link
Montreal Bars advertize New Years party in English only
An article in Le Journal de Montreal took several Montreal bars to task for advertising their New Years Eve bash in English only.
The newspaper produced a list of fifteen bars that had posted English-only advertisements touting the celebrations.
When questioned by reporters about the slight, bar owners insisted that they were just targeting tourists who made up over 90% of their clientele. Hmm.....

Bars have always been 'selective' on who they let in, using doormen to cull potential clients and admit those that fit in with the 'image' that the club wants to project.
Although never admitted, most clubs attempt to control what type of clients enter their premises based on dress, sexual preference, colour, race and now apparently language.
While nobody may be refused or admitted exclusively on the basis of these criteria, it happens every day and patrons understand where and where they are welcome.
And so it seems, that these bars are promoting an 'English-only' affair, something that upsets French-language militants.
The ever-indignant Mario Beaulieu misses the point entirely, thinking that the bars are trying to attract francophones by using 'cool' English.
"It's deplorable. I don't know why, but it seems that people think they must speak English to appear cool with younger people," he denounced, "It's something to be changed. Otherwise, French will be in real danger in Montreal."
Mr.  Beaulieu fails to understand the message being sent. 
It's an English only party, so don't expect Loco Locass to be played or French commentary from the deejay. Link{Fr}

Bombardier union frightened by language attacks on company
I guess someone is worried about attacks over English at Bombardier and the spectre of losing jobs. The union representing employees is painfully aware of the international nature of the company and the tenuous grasp each division holds on its jobs. It moved the union to make an official statement supporting the company;

"The progress of French at Bombardier Aerospace may be imperfect, but it has grown steadily over the last two years, said union representative , Eric Rancourt..."We cannot be said to be in favour of the agreement (a waiver to allow English..ed.,)but we are far from being against it, because that provision affects new development programs at Bombardier like the CSeries that create jobs," he said.. Link{Fr}

Wow.... Talk about doublespeak!
Health agency to stop serving immigrants in French

"Quebec's medicare agency is taking steps to reduce the dependence of immigrants on the English language, according to The Canadian Press.
Starting January 30, 2012, the Regie de l'assurance maladie du Quebec (RAMQ) will impose a one-year limit on communicating in English with immigrants, even if their knowledge of the French language is weak." Read the rest of the story
Quotes of the week
Anne Lagacé Dowson, the insufferable leftist bore (recently sacked from the radio station CJAD) told a French language television panel that;
"Bill 101 saved Canada"
When Tasha Kheiriddin complained that many Canadians object that unilingual anglophones be excluded from consideration for top governments jobs, the host of the debate, Céline Galipeau told her that;
"There are plenty of bilingual francophones who can replace these people." Link{Fr}

English bonus legal
"After offering a bilingual bonus to 40 of its employees, the City of Sherbrooke was the target of a lot criticism from certain politicians and organizations fighting for the protection of the French language. Three months later after the story broke, the Office québécois de la langue française(OQLF) confirms that the premium remains perfectly legal.... "From a legal point of view, it is not forbidden," ruled a spokesman for the OQLF, Martin Bergeron." Link{Fr}

This ruling has infuriated the French supremacist group Impératif français which in a news release fumed that;
"Quebec is a nation occupied by the English language. Even the  Office québécois de la langue française contributes to this influence!...
Although it was created to defend and promote French in Quebec, this agency has declared "legal" the discriminatory practice of offering a bonus to some employees who speak English in Quebec"
Link{Fr}

Phoenix versus Phénix
The continuing controversy over the name selected for a new QMJLH hockey franchise in Sherbrooke continues to brew.
But an article concerning this debate intrigued me for another reason, the last paragraph particularly where the journalist claimed that there is opposition to an Anglophone head coach.
"By appointing an English coach,the Phoenix organization has become the target of much criticism. Fans are demanding a francophone coach and propose the appointment of Patrick Roy, who is willing to listen to an offer by the Phoenix, even if he  is already the head coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts.

I guess it doesn't matter if the Anglophone speaks French or not . The fact that the fans demand a francophone, no matter what,  doesn't seem to be that big a deal to the  the journalist.....Hmmm.... Link{Fr}

Too much English at Montreal city hall
Vision Montreal councillor Elsie Lefebvre complained in public that French was being disrespected in City Hall by the overuse of English.
The mayor, Gerald Tremblay dismissed her claims saying that such ideas were in her DNA, being a former Peekist.
"Tremblay's remarks follow Lefebvre's decision to rise on a question of privilege during a meeting of city council on Tuesday to contend her rights as a city councillor were being belittled "because this municipal council becomes more anglicized month after month, week after week." LINK{Fr}
This follows a complaint that a bilingual flyer was sent to homes around the Park avenue area encouraging people to shop on the street during a bothersome construction project.
The OQLF deemed the flyer legal, but chastised the city for setting a bad example. Link{Fr}


Vigel.net continues strong support for murdering Assad's Syrian regime 
In its pursuit of a policy of opposing everything that Canada, America or Israel supports, regardless of any moral imperative, vigel.net continues publishing stories favourable to the Syrian regime.
In a series of articles, some of them outright fantasy, the radical website attempts to explain why killing unarmed civilian protesters is legitimate.
vigile.net touts Assad 

"As you recall, the decision to attack Syria was taken at a meeting at Camp David, September 15, 2001, just after the attacks in New York and Washington....
....President Bashar al-Assad is not like his father. He is not an autocrat. He governs with a team. The strategy of his government is on the one hand to preserve civil peace and deal with attempts to destabilize and sectarian division, and also to strengthen its alliances, especially with Iran, Russia and China." Link{Fr}

Why the urgency by the international community, to announce new sanctions without being concerned about who are the real perpetrators of this violence. We know that states, grouped behind the United States, decided from the very beginning of this story, that President Bashar Al-Assad is solely responsible. Witnesses and analysts who argue along the lines of another explanation are ignored." Link{Fr}

Also featured on the website is a video showing Assad being wildly cheered by adoring crowds. The video entitled 'Syria Loves Bashar' can be seen on vigle.net or YouTube

Two standards for bilingual websites
Le Devoir ran a story entitled "No French for Baird and his collegues" in which English ministers  were called out for running English only personal websites. John Baird, Tony Clement, Jason Kenney, Joe Oliver, Jim Flaherty, Peter MacKay and  Diane Finley were all mentioned in the story as the guilty parties.
The article did however mention that two ministers ran French-only websites, but this wasn't reflected in the headline and the story which highlighted the linguistic faux-pas of the Anglos only.

'Quebec Delegate General in New York communicates in English only...
(NDOA exclusive story)
While the Quebec government tut-tuts the use of English at the Caisse du Depot, its very own Director General in New York, responsible for relations with eight States across the eastern seaboard communicates with Quebeckers in English only.
John Parisella, who acts as Quebec's 'ambassador,' to the United States, has been serving in the job since September 2009. He has been writing an official blog (in English only) about his activities for almost two years.  Quebecnewyorkblog.org.

Says Mr Parisella on his front page in English only;
"I intend to use this space to keep you informed on my work and to update you on my government’s actions in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond."
He also has a FaceBook page and Tweets regularly on behalf of the office, all in English only, as well.

In fact the Twitter account associated with the blog, @QuebecNewYork, follows 101 other Tweeters, all English, except one! (Radio Canada Info)

This from an official Quebec government representative.

'Short stuff
After a few months of operation, the Quebec based site modeled after WikiLeaks has quietly gone on hiatus. Problem- nobody sent in anything to leak ..Link{Fr}

A veteran separatist and self-proclaimed 'intellectual' Gilbert Paquette complained that his Federal MP has dared to send a bilingual pamphlet to his home.
"I hope your future mailings will respect the French fact in Quebec until such time that we can remove the control of Quebec by the Parliament of Canada." Link{Fr}

Another unilingual Anglo has been publicly outed and denounced, this time a coach for the University of Montreal football team. Link{Fr}

In a fantasy too often repeated, a letter writer in La Presse, tells readers that in business, its more important to learn Mandarin, Spanish or Portuguese than English.... Portuguese. REALLY? Link{Fr}

66 comments:

  1. Most of this week's stories are outright hilarious. However, I must correct you on one point Editor. The health agency isn't completely banning the use of English in its communication with immigrants. If you read the article in its entirety, it says that they'll offer English services to immigrants if they ask for it. They now have to do it every year. If you check "anglophone" in your medicare records, you'll always receive services in English.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like pressing 9 and getting a dial tone, every time I have ever requested english, whether it be for my hydro bill or help in the hospital, I have been flatly refused, told it was impossible, or told to get out. The moment it says 'you need to ask' it means 'we cannot legally state we will refuse you, but we damnwell plan to.'

      Delete
  2. Double standards in Quebec where unilingual French is OK, but not the same for English? SOSDDBS!

    Unilingual English in NYC's Quebec House? Break out the Pepsi and May West!

    English in Parc Ex? Scandalous! The ultimate crime!

    Support for Asaad's regime? Maybe we should slaughter the sympathizers!

    Problems with bilingual bonuses in Sherbrooke? I lived in Ottawa and worked for the federal government 30 years ago and there were Franco Québécois working on unilingual French speaking teams getting bilingual bonuses as bribe money not to support separation. To anti-bilingual Sherbrookites: Fageddaboudit and go fuck yourselves! Twice on Sundays!

    Anne and Tasha: You both have skulls full of shit for brains! Fageddaboudit and go fuck each other! Twice on Sundays!

    Hockey team? How about the Feenicks? Féniques?

    Protest at the Bell Centre? Why not at the Big Owe to protest the fact Gene Mauch, Bill Virdon, Dick Williams, Jim Fanning, Frank Robinson and all the players and other Expo club officials over their 36 year history didn't speak French with the exception of Claude Raymond, Denis Boucher and a few others you could count on the fingers of one hand.

    How about protesting in front of McGill Stadium? After all, how few French speakers are there between the coaching staff, club officials and players? Then again, what self-respecting Francophone buys tickets to see the Als?

    ReplyDelete
  3. A few comments from outside Quebec.

    "The grumbling continued Thursday over the Montreal Canadiens’ appointment of a unilingual anglophone coach."

    Sure thing...some bunch of language zealots having a demonstration...when most of the people just want to have a winning team. Ask youself, how many francophone coaches won Stanley Cups at the helm of the equipe Candiene?


    "Bombardier union frightened by language attacks on company"



    Vous besoin travaille a Bombardier. Apprendre le anglais ou en anglais, parlons blanc :) I note Bombardier has special dispensatin to avoid the problems of the OQLF.

    "English bonus legal"

    Has gone on for years in the federal civil service with the 800.00 per year bilingual bonus. Who does this benfit?

    "Phoenix versus Phénix"

    Anyone really care about this. Non issue,

    "Too much English at Montreal city hall"

    Lot of anglos and allo second language english in Montreal. Why should there not be a lot of english at city hall. Wonder how the people in westmount feel about this or the francos who live in the West Island and speak english to be cool. What a joke.


    " Vigel.net continues strong support for murdering Assad's Syrian regime "

    You would expect anything else from a bunch of racist bigots. They would support the devil as along as he spoke some Joual. I visit this site regularily and find it quite hilarious. Especially the rants of some idiots such as Jack Christmas and the idiot engineer "not telle." :)


    "'Quebec Delegate General in New York communicates in English only..."

    When in Rome do as the Romans I guess. Rather hypocritical that their delegate only releases documentation in the Maudits Anglais. Or , perhaps he is in sync with the world.

    "Quotes of the week"

    TL made her point. Who did the have on the panel at 1400 Renee Levesque but non other than seppier BS'er JFL. Galipeau should really get some journalistic ethics. Of course. we all know the CBC/SRC are a group of leftist malcontents. I listened to it for about 3 minutes, got bored and clicked it to file 13 where most CBC BS belongs.

    "Two standards for bilingual websites"

    Might I remind everyone including the losers (seppies and French language zealouts) that Canada is for the most part majority English. Why would Baird, Clements and others have any purpose in having a bilingual site where no one pays attention to the "autre langue officiele" Was of time, money and effot.

    "In a fantasy too often repeated, a letter writer in La Presse, tells readers that in business, its more important to learn Mandarin, Spanish or Portuguese than English...."

    Surely a knock off of this site where it is often commented that it would be better to teach other languages than French, which is becoming less significant in the world of international affairs, busines and science.

    Must be terrible to be someone like JFL and associated company to know the history of losing the war on the Plains but also seeing the language war being lost today. Its over. So goes Montreal, so goes Quebec. Just a matter of time ;)

    Anyone up for a uniligual prime minister of Canada? Why not?

    ReplyDelete
  4. To all.

    Sorry for the spelling mistakes in the last post. It's late. I am sure you get the drift in any event.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is not correct. It's actually every 4 years after the 1st year.

    "If you read the article in its entirety, it says that they'll offer English services to immigrants if they ask for it. They now have to do it every year."

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Feds should stop funding the CBC/Rad-Can.. Let them go the PBS way.. USER pay... The two Anglo Uncle Tom's make me wanna to puke.. People like this have caused as much damage as the Quebec Nationalists to English rights... I can only dream that one day, that the Feds will grow some balls repeal the OLA and purge all these Separatists from the Federal Service.. it's galling to see our Tax dollars go to support State sanctioned Racism against English speakers in all of Canada let alone those in Quebec

    ReplyDelete
  7. Despite my dislike of most things from Vigile. I have say that the western world is probably better off with more secular dictators like Assad and Hosni mubarak then what will replace them. The islamist dictators that the west helps put in power will make the previous dictators like like democrats.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Quebec is a nation occupied by the English language. Even the Office québécois de la langue française contributes to this influence!..."

    Heh that made my day..
    Anyone ever notice how separatists only have enemies? Their own allies, the people and organizations they spent years defending, can instantly become an enemy overnight!

    René Lévesque (who left his own party), Lucien Bouchard (who's now considered an Elvis Gratton), Pauline Marois ("destroying" the PQ after receiving a 93% approval rating), and now even the OQLF!

    The only people the separatists still respect are the extremists/racists (Hello Jacques Parizeau). Is this any surprise?
    It says a lot about the movement itself...

    ReplyDelete
  9. The word "respect" (or "disrespect") occurs 8 times in this week's summary of English vs. French.

    The Quebecois are brainwashed by their elites (political, cultural, artistic, and academic) from an early age to always feel disrespected, and never achieve a state where one does not feel disrespected. This society is defined by "respect". Respect (or "disrespect" rather) is omnipresent and constant. You can't go a day without a news reaching your ears that someone somewhere has disrespected the Quebecois people (i.e disrespected not an individual but a collectivity of 7 million people).

    But when you ask for an explanation of what it would take to "respect" Quebec and the Quebecois, you get a blank stare. They don't even know themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree with the above comment. In Quebec, you don't follow rules, you respect them, which is why nationalists feel that they are not being 'respected,' by a hockey team who hires an English coach.

    Please tell me how to 'respect' my fellow Quebecers without kowtowing blindly to the pur-lain midset?

    That's right. It's not possible.

    ReplyDelete
  11. At 11:30, Beaulieu says that Bill 101 applies to the Montreal Canadiens.

    http://www.radio-canada.ca/audio-video/#urlMedia=http://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/2012/CBF/CestBienMeilleurLeMatin201201060815.asx&pos=0


    The question is, is the hockey club at fault, or is the Quebec language legislation disconnected from reality? Guess which way I'm leaning on this one...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well nice to see things are just getting worse in Kebec, what a mess.

    It does surprise sometimes that this racism, this anti-English language bigotry is so out in the open. Wow, what an intolerant racist province kebec has become. Sad indeed, oh well, we will just spend our money elsewhere until the language Nazis repeal bill 101 and give us back our equal rights. Good luck with that happening any time soon.

    Go leafs, GO.

    ReplyDelete
  13. OK, Anonymous 2:53PM, don't say things like "Go leafs, GO" or else we lose a little respect for you....although I respect the rest of your post.

    Go Habs Go!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm not surprised about the comments made by the union rep. Although he had a hell of a hard time coming straight out with the obvious response, he does understand that without English speaking people there would be no jobs for them on the assembly line. The entire buisness section of Bombardier (as with all aerospace and multinational companies) operates in english. Is it really that hard for the seppies to understand that this fact will never change. Bombardier's extention certificate to continue to receive government kickbacks without following bill 101 is in the mail. Just a formality really. The seppies obviously fail to realise that they sell ZERO commercial and/or corporate jets to people of quebec, so why the need to speak it. All customers and suppliers around the globe all converse in the universal language ENGLISH.

    This brings me to my next comment in regards to the letter to the paper. Where was I when it became apparent that Portuguese is of higher value than learning english? I missed that news flash, better sign up for lessons ASAP. Just goes to show you the level of denial (or should I say blind hatred) to anything english. That writer is not even embarrassed about making such a rediculous claim. Only in Kebek.

    Finally i sincerly believe that the seppies have misconstrued the meaning of respect, for that of welfare. They are so used to the ROC bending over backward for them and their inferiority complex, and getting things they ask for, they now expect for this to keep continuing. Its not respect, its GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE.
    We all now what happens eventually to those who demand and want at nausium.
    Soon (i hope) they wont GET!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ohh I forgot,

    The habs are a laughing stock now, and will continue to be so. Too bad they cant even convince the french speaking stars to even play here. Times have really changed..Ohh well, atleast there is a protest to look forward to. Its such a disgrace to have an english speaking coach in an english speaking NHL. My God, the HORROR!! Forget giving him a chance even to learn speaking french, that would be too much like bowing down to the English majority. Ohh ya English is the majority in Canada, it just dawned on me. Also, Kebec is nothing but a province as well, in a majority..

    Obviously its still much too hard to open their eyes and see the world is moving past Kebec at breakneck speed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Habs will pass the Leafs soon...again.
    Cunneyworth is a good coach.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anon @6:37

    I agree that Cunneyworth will be a great coach if given some time. Too bad the zealouts dont care unless he is quebecois. Such bigots.

    Also, passing the leafs is not much to strive for. Lets be honest here.

    ReplyDelete
  18. True dat. But it has been a bad year for the Habs. So, if we do pass them, it would still make me happy. Even if we don't pass them, we will get a good draft pick. So, for me, win-win. lol

    ReplyDelete
  19. Editor,

    1. As deplorable as Vigil.net's support to current Syrian regime is, it has nothing to do with the theme of English vs French. That post does not say anything about the state of languages in Quebec or in the ROC.

    2. The blog of Quebec's delegate general is his personal blog. The official blog is bilingual. Besides, Mr. Parisella is no longer the Delegate General.

    3. I believe that your French is far superior than mine, but I think what the reader wrote to La Presse was, "It is better to understand Mandarin, Spanish or Portuguese than to limit oneself in English." Therefore, giving the reader the benefit of the doubt, I think he encourages people to take yet other language(s) rather than concentrate only on English. Of course, this makes sense only after one is proficient in English (and French).

    Mississauga,

    1. "Anne and Tasha: You both have skulls full of shit for brains! Fageddaboudit and go fuck each other! Twice on Sundays!"

    While I am all in for a hardcore girl-on-girl action, looking at your proposed performers I need to bleach the image from my mind...

    2. "How about protesting in front of McGill Stadium? After all, how few French speakers are there between the coaching staff, club officials and players? Then again, what self-respecting Francophone buys tickets to see the Als?"

    First off, virtually all of the major players in the Als are American. There are some good Canadians like Shea Emry or the whole o-line but surely they are not comparable to Calvillo, Richardson, Stewart or Cox.

    Same goes to the coaches. In fact, of all CFL coaches from 2000, only five of them are Canadians. Interestingly, three of them can be said as Quebecers (Buono, Maciocia, Bellefeuille).

    However, please do not belittle us Alouette fans. We are a proud bunch who do not really care about language. In the stands, we converse with each other with whatever language we like. And believe me, the are plenty of French-speaking season holders. Some of them have been ones for decades, through thick or thin.

    3. What is it with you and your obsession with Pepsi? I prefer Pepsi than Coca-Cola, or any other cola drinks, what does that make me?

    adski,

    So what is he saying, that players of a sport team have the obligation to communicate among themselves in French?

    I am rather glad that they have not touch football yet. While the case of French language can be raised for hockey, it can not be for Canadian football. Try to impose French on the the Alouettes, might as well fold or move the team. Football is very much dependent on American talents and I guess even separatists know that fact.

    The Alouettes had Etienne Boulay and Mathieu Proulx, the duo francophone defensemen that they liked to showcase in the French media. While they were good players, they were not the superstars of the team. Nevertheless, their being francophones made them the face of the team. However, Proulx retired last year and Boulay had long-term injury. And the team did not have "spokesman" for the Franch media last season.

    Just FYI.

    ReplyDelete
  20. "Go leafs, GO."

    I am not a Leafs fan, but I always support whatever team is playing against the Canadiens. The Habs are nothing more than the team of the Franco-fascists as far as I'm concerned. I hope they never win another Stanley Cup.

    ReplyDelete
  21. @ Troy,

    "What is it with you and your obsession with Pepsi? I prefer Pepsi than Coca-Cola, or any other cola drinks, what does that make me?"

    "Pepsi" is a derogatory term for a French Canadian. Checkout this link:

    http://maisonneuve.org/blog/2010/02/4/how/

    ReplyDelete
  22. About Pepsi, I remember reading that Pepsi was number 1 over Coke in only two places : Québec and... Bangladesh. Bizarre. (That was when Meunier did their advertising.)

    Michel Patrice

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy New Year to all NDOA readers.
    Little joke from my niece; told using the Maple Leafs but Habs can take their place.
    What does the Titanic and the Habs have in common?
    A.: Both were glorious before hitting the ice.
    *rimshot*

    Here is an interview between Dutrizac and that "blowhard" Mario Beaulieu.
    They pretty much confirm that learning a couple words is not enough despite what journalists like Tremblay keep demanding of unilingual anglos.
    http://www.985fm.ca/audioplayer.php?mp3=120737

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous at 14:25,

    Of course I know the meaning of 'Pepsi'. As someone who likes Pepsi, I just do not like it. I like Pepsi and I guess fellow NDoA followers know how not a francophone I am. And it just happens that Mississauga Guy likes to equate Pepsi and the separatists.

    And oh, Pepsi is the official soft drink of the NFL. Does it make the NFL a separatist group?

    ReplyDelete
  25. There is a good article in the National Post today about the state of the Quebec economy. The headline is "Quebec in jobs debacle, Employment in free fall as rest of country stable or rising."

    http://business.financialpost.com/2012/01/06/quebec-in-jobs-debacle/

    The article notes that Quebec is the only Canadian province that experienced a decrease in employment from Dec. 2010 to Dec. 2011, and its unemployment rate has even surpassed that of the United States!

    ReplyDelete
  26. "And oh, Pepsi is the official soft drink of the NFL. Does it make the NFL a separatist group?"

    Of course not. I'm sure there are some Anglos who also like poutine, and they're not separatists either. It's just that poutine was created in Quebec and has come to be associated with Francophones.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Headline : "Quebec in jobs debacle, Employment in free fall as rest of country stable or rising." (Anonymous4:16)

    There is an article in the Gazette on the same topic. The Gazette article is more interesting since it looks at possible causes.

    A quote :

    "Ironically, Quebec had a very good job-creation record in 2009 and 2010.

    The province suffered only small job losses initially and later enjoying a strong rebound, a performance credited largely to a big roadconstruction program that had begun to be ramped up even before the recession hit.

    But because the province began its stimulus spending early, it felt a need to pull in the reins early as its deficits mounted, leading to weak job growth this year, suspect Porter and Carlos Leitao, chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

    Both economists believe that a similar story will play out in Ontario over the coming year or two.

    As a percentage of its economic output, Ontario's provincial deficit is more than twice the size of Quebec's. Last month, Moody's Investors Service, an influential bond-rating agency, announced that it would cut Ontario's credit rating if the province's budget this spring fails to show a credible deficit-cutting plan."

    Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Quebec+could+canary+economic+coal+mine/5960657/story.html#ixzz1ioMzmCXF

    For the last 26 months, Québec's unemployment rate was lower than United States's and Europe's, and for most of that period, above Ontario's and Canadian average.

    See also, a surprising observation by Globe and Mail Jeffrey's Simpson : http://michelpatrice.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/surprising/

    Michel Patrice

    ReplyDelete
  28. To Troy re: John Parisella

    At the time I published the piece, Parisella was the Quebec Delegate-general in NY. He wrote his final blog piece Thursday, in which he said he'd be leaving soon.

    The blog,(www.quebec-newyork.org,) Twitter account(www.twitter.com/QuebecNewYork) and Facebook account (www.facebook.com/QuebecNewYork) are all related to his official function as delegate general in New York.

    His uses a different Twitter account (@JohnParisella) and a different Facebook account(http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Parisella/175189093415) for personal communications.


    I stand by my story.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Editor,

    As you almost certainly will be at the Bell Center tonight - you are, after all, a season ticket holder - can you please give us eyewitness report on how the MQF protest goes? Thank you.

    I will not going to watch the Tampa Bay game since I am watching NFL playoff games.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous at 16:24,

    "Of course not. I'm sure there are some Anglos who also like poutine, and they're not separatists either. It's just that poutine was created in Quebec and has come to be associated with Francophones."

    That is exactly why I dislike stereotyping.

    ReplyDelete
  31. "M.Molson, il y a trop d'Anglos sur votre bateau"

    http://www.ledevoir.com/sports/hockey/339801/cournoyer-estime-que-le-sport-et-la-politique-font-un-tres-mauvais-menage

    And Beaulieu said it isn't about ethnicity, but about unilingualism of the coach.

    There goes that excuse.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The icing on the cake:

    http://www.ledevoir.com/galeries-photos/environ-500-personnes-ont-manifeste-pour-la-defense-du-francais-devant-le-centre-bell/86162

    ReplyDelete
  33. "As a percentage of its economic output, Ontario's provincial deficit is more than twice the size of Quebec's."

    It's true that the recent economic downturn has hit Ontario particularly hard, because it is the manufacturing centre of Canada. Ontario would owe much, much less if the Feds hadn't obliged it to funnel tens of billions of tax dollars into the bottomless pit of Quebec when Ontario's economy was stronger.

    We must put a stop to the transfer payments going to Quebec. Then we will see just how poorly it is really doing.

    ReplyDelete
  34. "We must put a stop to the transfer payments going to Quebec"

    I second that motion!

    Quebec is nothing more than a parasite, sucking the life blood out of the ROC.

    ReplyDelete
  35. "The icing on the cake:"

    They say 500 people .. Likely about half that number in reality. Joke. They should have stayed home. Nothing of any pertinence here. Maybe if they had a couple of thousand but less than 500. No one cares!!!!

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  36. "The icing on the cake:

    http://www.ledevoir.com/galeries-photos/environ-500-personnes-ont-manifeste-pour-la-defense-du-francais-devant-le-centre-bell/86162 "


    Interesting, QMI and friends are saying 300 people.

    http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/sports/nouvelles/archives/2012/01/20120107-181957.html

    On Cyberpresse, you can read a quote from one of the protestors saying that they are 500.
    It's interesting to see where Le Devoir gets its information. "Oh that protestor said so? It must be true!"

    Each and every time there's a protest related to language issues or separation, the number of participants is always wrong. Anyone else notice that?
    I don't understand how some people can't see through all the BS separatist/language nazi propaganda..

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  37. Five hundred, eh? The capacity of Bell Center is 21 273. And it has been sold out for Canadien games for decades.

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  38. Erratum, I really meant to say, "And it has been selling out Canadien games for decades."

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  39. To Quebecker of Tree Stump

    I used to be pals with many senior members of the Montreal police.
    One officer told me that every time the Press estimates a crowd of demonstrators they usually report double the amount of people that were actually there.
    He told me that they verified this a couple of times by having a cop count bodies with a hand-held counter, this a number of times.

    He also told me that when it comes to separatist/language protests the Press usually triple the amount of demonstrators.
    Looking at the video, my estimates are somewhere between 100-200.

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  40. ...to Troy yesterday morning:

    1. I really don't care what those women do--now maybe if they threw Julie Couillard in the mix...

    2. I was being fecetious re the Als. Anyone who buys a ticket can go to the games, and the fans can speak Afrikaans and Swahili for all I care. I think it's mostly Anglophones and Allophones who go to the games anyway. Couldn't attract this many people in the Big Owe in the eastern part of the city anyway.

    3. Pepsi outsells Coke in Quebec, but who cares? Actually, "pepsi" in Joual is a negative connotation, a derogatory innuendo meaning a low-class Franco Québécois. "Hotdog eater" is another like term. Trudeau once called Bourassa by that innuendo. In English, it simply is a racist innuendo about Franco Québécois, similar to the "n" word used to describe people normally of African heritage with very dark skin. The "n" word rhymes with the name of the late Roy Roger's horse (which is Trigger).

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  41. To Adski;

    "And Beaulieu said it isn't about ethnicity, but about unilingualism of the coach",

    I've got an interesting picture from the demonstration, in Monday's blog piece, that destroys Mr. Beaulieu's contention.

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  42. To Mr. Sauga re: Als.

    Sorry to disagree, but the stands are chock full of francophones. I know, because I've attended many games.
    Football is big in Quebec,the college and university leagues are dominated by French schools that regularly kick the crap out of the English schools. Interest is more intense than in English Canada.
    Strange but that just the way it is.....

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  43. Everybody is so anti francophone here! It's ridicoulus. We live in Québec, where else do you think we are? In Berlin people enjoy German, in Tulum spanish, in Rome Italian, what's the big deal about speaking French in Québec? More than 80% of the population uses French at home as a first language. I guess I'll go tell Ontarians to shut up when they speak English, in Toronto.. Imagine?

    I live in the west island and learned english as a kid playing with anglo neighbours. I am proud to speak 4 languages and understand different cultures for fun and for my business. You see, I'm even writing this in English.

    How can a coach for the official hockey team in Québec not even know French? That's retarded. He is retarded, some kid neighbours i know speak very well both languages and are only in grade 2 or 3. Imagine an interview with them. Hahahaha!

    Poor him, he's going to quit eventually, because "it's toooo haaaarrrdddd to leearn... booo hooo hooooooooo"

    No seriously, imagine becoming prime minister of Canada and not speaking English or French?

    Be an adult.

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  44. Imagine coaching the New Zealand rugby team and not speaking English! It's the same thing here.

    Or imagine the Toronto Leafs coached by a unilingual French dude, like just in French!! That's crazy don't you think?

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  45. "Be an adult."

    Sorry my friend,only childish bigots here.This blog is more about frustrated angryphones than a real debat on the linguistic issue.

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  46. "In Berlin people enjoy German, in Tulum spanish, in Rome Italian, what's the big deal about speaking French in Québec? "

    In Poland, people enjoy speaking Polish, but that didn't stop the national soccer team to hire a non-Polish speaking Dutchman to coach the team. Russia, whose people enjoy speaking Russian, hired another Dutchman (non-Russian speaking), who previously coached South Korea without speaking Korean. The Greeks enjoy speaking Greek, but their national soccer team is coached by a non-Greek speaking German.

    Your mixing of sports and the language "enjoyed" by the people is misleading. The situation is not that simple.

    ---

    "More than 80% of the population uses French at home as a first language."

    Again, the situation is more nuanced.

    1. The Canadiens represent the city of Montreal, not Quebec. Many in the Regions hate the Canadiens and keep their loyalty to the non-existent Nordiques. They demand a French-speaking coach for the Canadiens on political grounds, not through their allegiance to the team.

    2. If the Quebecois feel insulted by a unilingual coach, why not punish Montreal Canadiens economically - just stop going to the games. It's the same principle as with the shops downtown.

    ----

    "I guess I'll go tell Ontarians to shut up when they speak English, in Toronto"

    Stay on point and don't digress. Nobody is telling you not to speak French. It's you who are telling the Montreal Canadiens what kind of coach to hire. It's you attacking, not being attacked. Remember that.

    ----

    "Or imagine the Toronto Leafs coached by a unilingual French dude, like just in French!! That's crazy don't you think? "

    Oh really? A National Hockey League coach who doesn't speak English would be equivalent to a National Hockey League coach who doesn't speak French?

    Think about what you just said.

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  47. Another nuance is in defending the protest on the grounds that the rally was about the "respect for the Quebecois". As we could see in the pictures from the protest, some people attracted to that rally were plain racists (carrying signs that said: there are too many Anglos in the organization), or complete loons (as in my "Icing on the cake" link, where the guy was trying to say that Montreal is occupied by Anglos).

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  48. "Or imagine the Toronto Leafs coached by a unilingual French dude, like just in French!! That's crazy don't you think?"

    What a naive and blindly stupid comment. I guess its another example of how the seppies lack total common sense.
    The NHL is an ENGLISH business, where everyone speaks english. Even in Montreal, for ever, they have spoken english in the dressing room and in the front office. I don't think it would make much sense to have a fracophone only coach in Toronto (or anywhere else) where the entire team speaks english. That would not be in the best interest in the team winning games. Even then, I'm sure that they would just install an interpreter. How revolutionary would that be.
    Now if Kebec was its own country and they had the Quebec Leveques with all french only speaking players, then i would see how a Francophone coach would make perfect COMMON SENSE.
    Why is this so hard for the seppies to understand?
    All multi national companies (that includes the NHL) speak english. Im sorry for the grossly obvious reality of it, but you must open your eyes.

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  49. ...to Editor: Actually, the U. Laval team is very good, and I've noticed that. I guess this new love for football is something that has manifested since my departure.

    Remember how the Als folded two days before the start of the 1987 season? Football was up the creek in Montreal about the time I left. Thank King Nelson of Skalbania in part for the demise of football in Montreal (remember the Concordes?) That moniker given Skalbania was by former CBC sportscaster, Bob McDevitt. Whatever happened to him?

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  50. To ano January 8, 2012 10:14 AM


    "Be an adult."

    Sorry my friend,only childish bigots here.This blog is more about frustrated angryphones than a real debat on the linguistic issue.

    And what about vigile net???Isn’t it swarmed with corrupted bigoted idiots like you…At least here, we debate about real linguistic issues, we do not promote hatred nor spread any Nazi propaganda. We just observe and make our own assumptions concerning the situation on the language barriers that currently reside here in this province, and we do it in the most diplomatic way besides, whether being angryphone or not!

    You see, the fact of the matters is that, opinions need to be voiced out accordingly, and no one, and I say, NO ONE, will ever revoke my right to do so. And you SIR are nothing but a perfect example of an illiterate Goof with nothing valuable and clever to say, and who btw, is obviously a good representation of fascism in its purest form,… So having said that, I strongly believe it would be in your best interest to shut up and keep your mindless comments to yourself if you’ve got nothing better to say. Ok la!!! Et non, je ne suis pas unilingue en passant, Je suis parfaitement bilingue si tu veux savoir. Alors tu ne pourras rien me reprocher au fait que je ne t’ai pas parlé en français.

    Pi allez tous chier ceux qui ont protesté hier au centre Bell contre le nouveaux coach, je vous emmerde tous bande de cons et je pisse sur vous tous, bande de mange marde bornées racistes.

    < Monsieur Molson, Il y a trop d’Anglos sur votre bateau>

    Wow, that sounds very welcoming and friendly, doesn’t it??

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  51. From the CBC story on last night's protest...

    "Someone even brought a dummy of Molson and put a noose around its neck"

    Again , who are the true Racists.... Where's Charest in all this? You would think that a true leader would come out and condemn such bigotry.. Just another George Wallace... Liberals just as ethnocentric as the rest... Party of Anglos/Allos, my ass!!!

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  52. "The Canadiens represent the city of Montreal, not Quebec."

    ??!!??

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  53. @ Anonymous aka Press 9,

    "Sorry my friend,only childish bigots here.This blog is more about frustrated angryphones than a real debat on the linguistic issue."

    Don't you think you're being rather hypocritical by posting in English now, Press 9? Your past comments here have proven that you are a racist of the worst, most virulent kind, backed up by the fact that you are also a member of Vigile.net.

    What a case of the kettle calling the teapot black.

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  54. From pictures, it looks like there were only about 100 protesters. Also, I think they were supposed to give Quebec flags for people to wave in the crowd at the Bell Centre. I watched the game and I only saw two people wave the flag a bit at the beginning but they quickly put it down as they sat down in their seat.

    This controversly is completely driven by the media (especially the francophone media) but I think we should all remember that we have more good interactions with francophones than bad.

    It's just that you can have 20 francophones be nice to you and 1 be a total a**wipe, and you'll only remember that 1 person. I guess it's human nature but with the low number of protesters, I think we can see what real francophones think.

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  55. Completely agree with you Roger. I continue to maintain that this recent spate of drama-scandals is a media invention meant to raise interest in a moribund project.

    More cynically, the fact that two and a half centuries ago the English took over this continent and pissed off the French by doing so isn't newsworthy at all. The fact that the remaining French are understandably on life support isn't new either. Neither is the fact that despite even the best preventative care, a weaker organism will ultimately collapse.

    A genuine (and in my view, far, far more legitimate) protest outside the Bell Center ought to indeed have taken place before last night's game. But it needn't have been about language at all. It should have been about manifesting true fans' extreme disappointment at the team's recent less-than-stellar performance.

    THAT, in my view, would have at least made it (sports-) news-worthy.

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  56. Well, Apparatchick, sovereignty has to be promoted somehow, right? It's the old make francophones insecure about losing their language trick. lol

    When you think about it, it's also in the self interest of the J de M, La Presse, TVA, V tele, and all the francophone media to set up an English-French situation and be against any kind of English in Quebec. They don't want their listeners or readers to be reading The Gazette or American TV, right?

    Better for them to make francophones insecure so that they won't want to learn English and stay in a francophone ghetto.

    As for a protest, I'll give Cunneyworth some more time to string a few wins together and maybe we can all have a demostration in support of Cunneyworth.

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  57. "Rien de plus farouche en moi que le désir du pays perdu, rien de plus déterminé que ma vocation à le reconquérir. "

    Andrée Ferretti

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  58. I am a unilingual anglophone. I don't know what you're saying. Can you translate that for me? There are tonnes of us unilingual anglophones in Quebec. lol

    Well, I am sure, you are a separatist, so you're probably saying something about wanting a country, which the majority of Quebeckers don't want. SooOooO..good luck with that!

    Nanananah Nanananah Heyyy Goodbyee!!

    P.S. Tell me another joke.

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  59. Dear Anon poster above re: Andrée Ferretti;

    You must live in a fantasy world if you think we actually give a shit what Andrée Ferretti has to say.

    If you've got an original opinion, offer it. Otherwise spare us the bon mots of your separatist heroes.....
    YOU ARE ON THE WRONG BLOG!

    I was going to delete the comment consistent with the policy of this blog not to publish naked quotes from separatist heroes, but because someone has already made fun of you, I'll leave it up.

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  60. Isn't she dead yet? I hope so. LOL

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  61. Would somebody be kind enough to enlighten me who Andree Ferretti is/was?

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  62. Dear Editor,

    Even though I agree with your policy, some people don't have original opinions. They quote because they don't know how to think for themselves. (They might hurt themselves).

    They have been trained to be lobsters, to be led to a pot. Hmmmm..I feel hungry now.

    G'night All

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  63. To Troy,

    You can copy the quote from the resident NDOA troll in google and it will take you to a separatist website, which will explain it a bit.

    But, to tell you the truth, those are minutes of your life that you will never get back.

    l8r

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