Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Language Militants Fiddle While Quebec Burns

To describe recent events in Quebec as surreal would probably be a profound understatement, the student uprising based on a tuition increase has escalated badly out of control and threatens to rock the foundations of Quebec society. To those of you outside the city, it remains an interesting news story, but to Montrealers living the nightmare it represents a frontal attack on our way of life.

I'm not sure if the rest of Canada and even those in Quebec supporting the unrest understand the gravity of the situation and the fragility of our democracy.

At any rate, I'm going to leave the student uprising alone today and focus on the utterly moronic language parade that wended its way through the streets of downtown, with a cadre of delusional whiners, protesting  the supposed evil influence of English on the hitherto linguistically pure and chaste French Quebec.

I cannot think of a more fitting analogy than that of Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

It's like the customers complaining at the counter in the front of the store about the lack of availability of their favorite flavor, while the ice cream factory has a raging fire burning in the back.

The guided tour, led by the Frick and Frack of the French language movement (Mario Beaulieu and Denis Trudel) visited the various institutions and stores accused by these fantasists of anglicizing Quebec by virtue of their English names or by their employment of unilingual anglos.
The idea for the parade was the brainstorm of Denis Trudel who mentioned rather honestly, that they had to do something different, because the student protest was stealing their thunder.

At any rate the turnout was what I predicted last week, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 people, most of them, aging separatists of the 70's. This was the feeble turnout after enough free publicity by a fawning media to fill the Bell Centre twice.
Just for comparison, the day before, twice as many people marched in Quebec city to mark the tragedy of fetal deaths......Really.
It remains a sore spot with me that nobody, but nobody, in the mainstream media ever asks these clowns why nobody shows up to their demonstrations.

I would not give credence to this event had the media left the story alone or given it the coverage that it merited, but no, the pitiful march by a bunch of pathetic losers is highlighted in the media as a significant event.
And so it behooves me to point out the banal and sad aspects of the parade and to expose the fact that these get-togethers have morphed into racist anglo-bashing hate-a-thons, where publicly denouncing English and Anglophones has become a blood sport.

Where is the Quebec Human Rights Commission to denounce these excesses?
It seems that everyone is protected from hate speech in Quebec, everyone that is, except Anglophones!

Think I'm exaggerating or taking a hyperbolic flight of fancy?

Here is the evidence, a rather long video of the parade.
Permit me to critique it for you. You need not watch the video or speak French, I shall offer a concise summary of the salient scenes of stupidity.

If you want to reference what I've said, I've added a time code related to my comments;



3:50 
Mario Beaulieu complains that McGill University is a force for Anglicization. "Paid for with OUR taxes!"
Exactly what should be done he doesn't say. Perhaps McGill should be converted into a French school or perhaps absorbed into UQAM, so that it can truly represent the Quebec educational reality!

7:20 
Mr Beaulieu starts in on stores and businesses that have trademarked names like "STARBUCKS COFFEE" and "OLD NAVY" spreading  the lie, first enunciated by the OQLF, that Bill 101 requires those institutions with English sounding trademarks to add a French modifier, for example "Les Cafés Starbucks Coffee"
Of course nothing in Bill 101 provides for this and in the 35 years of the existence of the law, not one company has ever been cited or even (to my knowledge) received a warning from the OQLF re modifiers.
The modifier campaign is a well orchestrated attack meant to embarrass and intimidate companies into doing what the law does not provide for.

7:59 
Mr Beaulieu asks his minions if they are 'interested' in shopping at a store called "STYLE EXCHANGE" a backhanded way of calling for a boycott. He calls for the company to change its name into French.

10:38
Mr Beaulieu tells the nose stretcher that English signs are hiding the linguistic reality of Montreal, when in reality, French-only signs distort the truth. On the street where Mr. Beaulieu is holding his parade, I imagine that about half the shoppers are speaking English.
The Big Lie....rinse, repeat.

11:00
Mr Beaulieu leads the crowd in a chant demanding that government services and businesses use French exclusively. The chant demanding French, also targets the metro, radio, cegeps, hospitals, Revenue Quebec, SNC-Lavalin, 'Banana Republic,' 'Starbucks.' etc. etc.
When he calls for the store "MEXX' to become French, he displays his ignorance, probably thinking that it is an English name.
It is here where he takes a dangerous 'virage' attacking stores and businesses with proper names that don't sound French. This gentle readers, is where the event takes a dangerous turn into the land of racism and intolerance.

The question to be asked is how do you translate 'MEXX' into French and why should you.
How or why should you translate 'REITMANS,' and does 'HARVEYS.' need to become 'Chez HERVÉ.'

The idiot then complains about 'INSIDE EXCHANGE,'(sic) and also takes a shot at 'BELL CANADA' which everyone knows dropped the 'Canada' from its name in Quebec a long, long time ago.

11:00
Mr. Beaulieu demands that LEVI'S  change its pronunciation from 'Lee-Vies' to the very French 'Lee-Vee'.

14:15
Mr. Beaulieu demands that "TOMMY HILFIGER STORE" become "LES MAGASINS 'TONY' HILFIGER" even though the store doesn't have the word 'STORE' in the name. BTW, 'Tony'....really?'

16:15
Mr. Beaulieu asks his crowd if they'll shop at 'BIRKS,' another proper name that irks him to no end.
The crowd shouts "NON" they will not shop there, one lady commenting that it's too expensive.

16:15
Complains about "MOORES"

19:09
Exhorts the crowd not to shop at "FUTURE SHOP"

On and on it goes....QUIZNOS SUBS, CENTRE HI-FI, blah...blah..blah!

22:40
Of all the nonsense above, nothing but nothing, reflects the disconnect from reality that these idiots embrace as is this attack on SNC-LAVALIN by Denis Trudel, who complains that a Francophone president has been replaced by a unilingual anglophone.
Mr Trudel is saddened by the fact that the 'flower of Quebec' business is sullied by an English president, ignoring the fact that the company is in a tragic free fall.
The hasty change of leadership was precipitated by the scandal enveloping the company in relation to millions of dollars in under the table payments to Libyan interests close to Moammar Gadhafi.

Of no matter to Mr. Trudel is the fact that the company's shares have dropped 34 per cent, wiping out $3.3-billion worth of SNC-Lavalin's market value!
All that matters to the language zealot is that the multinational be run by a francophone!

And so let's all chant "SNC -En français!" -"SNC -En français!" - "SNC -En faillite!" Hurray!!

34:00
Bloc Quebecois leader Daniel Paillé takes to the microphone to complain that members of Parliament elected from Quebec shouldn't be allowed to ask questions in English in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
I imagine this includes Irwin Cotler and Francis Scarpaleggia, both MPs representing largely anglophone ridings! 

37:35
Mr. Beaulieu reminds us that Bill 101 isn't racist, but actually the opposite, a law that is inclusive!!!!
He then finishes with a flourish, "Vive Le Quebec, Vive le Quebec Francais et libre!"

BTW----
Two readers sent me emails saying that the entourage was heckled mercilessly as it made its way through the streets.
I can't verify this officially , but it probably makes sense as they were traveling through hostile 'English' territory and I did wtnesss a bit of heckling in the video.

At any rate, you'd think that I'd be immune to such stupidity, having witnessed such foolishness over and over again, but alas, it still stings.

It 's hurtful to think that people in the guise of promoting themselves, feel free to tear down others
I take solace that these misguided fools are the stark minority, with most Montrealers bilingual, tolerant and more importantly, too busy to indulge in hate.

Despite the student riots, despite the intolerance of a few language militants, despite the corruption and stupidity, I still love Montreal and our community.

There's just something mystical and addictive about Montreal, a certain je ne sais quoi., and if you don't believe me just ask any ex-pat who deep down misses his or her city of birth.

And yes, that includes you, Mr. Sauga!

190 comments:

  1. i dont have words other than the less attention paid to these racist idiots the better

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll enrich your comment by one word, the one word that Galganov entitled his book on this whole waste of peoples' lifetimes and energies, and succinctly discloses who and what these people truly are: BASTARDS!
      http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1746328742&searchurl=an%3DGalganov%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3DBastards%26x%3D53%26y%3D10

      Delete
  2. I didn't watch the video but, judging from your summary, I'm surprised they skipped out on Chapters, where at least 4/5ths of the books are English and it has an "offensive" English name. They also probably approve of the Famous Players Paramount changing its name to Cinéma Banque-Scotia but they'd still be pissed that it shows English movies, as does the AMC Forum 22, but that's too far west for them to troddle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure that they would have gotten to that. It's just that the horse got tired after pulling fat ass a couple of blocks. lol

      Delete
  3. Editor,

    Bloc Quebecois leader Daniel Paillé takes to the microphone to complain that members of Parliament elected from Quebec shouldn't be allowed to ask questions in English in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

    I wonder what is going to happen if the table is turned on him: ...members of Parliament elected from outside of Quebec shouldn't be allowed to ask questions in French in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

    Those include the the Speaker, Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu'Appelle) and, of course, Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest). Both represent provinces which anglophone populations overwhelm the francophone ones, much more than francophones against anglophones in Quebec.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, speaking in any language other than French or English in parliament is the law of the land. So the rules as they exist now in parliament are restrictive.

      As silly as Mr. Paille's comments are, it is all beside the point. There are two professions in Canada where the ability to speak both French and English are utterly unnecessary: Member of the Federal Parliament and Supreme Court Justice.

      Both of the professions have the unique benefit of having every word you utter during the course of your activities in your place of work simultaneously translated -- orally and in the written word. So it matters not an iota whether a francophone speaks only French in the House of Commons or on the bench at the Supreme Court, or an anglophone only English because for all practical purposes it is said in both languages.

      That is why I consider it a silly practise for Members of Parliament to pepper their speeches in the House with both official languages. MPs and Supreme Court justices are the only professions where it is entirely unnecessary!

      Indeed, speaking both languages in these professions is the opposite of the spirit of Official Language policy. Having two official languages is not for the bilingual individual but for the unilingual individual.

      As former MNA William Shaw once observed: "What's the point of bilingualism if everyone is?"

      Delete
    2. clarification: I meant to write:

      "Of course, to speak in any language other than French or English in parliament is prohibited and is the law of the land. So the rules as they exist now in parliament are restrictive."

      Delete
    3. @ Troy

      I think that it is to be expected that Danielle Paille would be against someone from Quebec speaking English because he is for the breakup of the country (as is Tony) so he would not people from different parts of Canada show respect for one another and try to understand one another.

      @ Yannick

      Je pense que ce bon quand les parliamentaires essaient de parler français et anglais pour essayer d'etre compris par la population au complet.

      Delete
    4. Tony Kondaks,

      I disagree with you about unilinguism of supreme court judge. Two reasons.

      #1. A supreme court judge doesn't only have to understand the pleadings. He has to understand both common law and the code civil. To understand the code civil, you have to understand french because the code civil is written in french and its jurisprudence is written in french.

      I would like to quote Université of Montréal law teacher Jean Leclair : "J’ai toujours été frappé de constater que plusieurs des gentlemen que sont mes collègues constitutionnalistes du Canada anglais peuvent disserter savamment sur le droit constitutionnel américain, anglais, australien ou autres, mais doivent s’excuser avec un sourire contrit quand je leur demande s’ils connaissent quelque chose de ce qui s’écrit en français au Québec."

      #2. I think that simultaneous translation for pleading is OK to you because you have never experimented simultaneous translation. Imagine that you are on trial. Could honestly tell me that you would not care that your lawyer's pleading was simultaneously translated to a judge who doesn't understand your lawyer's language?

      Simultaneous translation is not OK for pleading, specifically in law where each and every word counts. That is why french lawyers will often plead in english when one or more of the judges doesn't speak french in order to be better understood.

      Delete
    5. They do. La cour suprême ne rend pas une décision basée sur la loi, elle interprète la loi, que ce soit une loi fédérale, provinciale ou municipale, que ce soit une cause criminelle, civile ou administrative. Comme il s'agit d'interpréter la loi, comprendre le sens des mots, comprendre la langue dans laquelle la loi est écrite est d'autant plus important. Et les versions anglaises et françaises sont aussi légales l'une que l'autre, il faut donc comprendre les deux.

      Un exemple récent, les étudiants en grève veulent contester la constitutionnalité de la loi 78. Cette cause pourrait se rendre en cour suprême. La cour jugerait une loi provinciale dans cet exemple.

      La citation du professeur Leclair vient de : http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/votre-opinion/201111/11/01-4466969-la-realite-un-juge-unilingue-ignore-la-doctrine-quebecoise.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B13b_lapresseca_792_section_POS1

      Delete
    6. Je viens tout juste d'y penser : la cour suprême n'a-t-elle pas rendu des jugements au sujet de la loi 101, loi qui, comme tout le monde le sait, est une loi provinciale?...

      Delete
    7. Et aussi, j'y pense, il y a au Nouveau-Brunswick des juristes qui écrivent et développent des réflexions et des opinions juridiques en français dans le cadre du common law. Ces écrits ont de bonnes chances d'être ignorés des juristes unilingues anglais. Ce qui fait que sans doute plusieurs juristes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick écriront plutôt en anglais.

      Delete
    8. Michel:

      Your points are well taken.

      My emphasis was on language, not on the understanding of jurisprudence and the civil law which would probably require a good knowledge of French.

      Of course, Louisiana is under the civil law as well (and so is, I think, Scotland?) so anglophones could, technically, study those systems in English only.

      Delete
    9. T. Kondaks,

      Louisiana and Scotland are hybrid civil and common laws, somewhat like Quebec. Continental Europe is 100% civil law. One can easily find reputable law schools offering degrees in English there. Leiden in the Netherlands, Humboldt-Berlin in Germany and Paris I and II in France are quick examples.

      Delete
    10. Troy and M. Kondaks,

      There is not one civil law, there are many. A civil law system is a system in which laws are voted and written by a legislature, as opposed to common law system in which the law evolves with the decisions of courts. Laws are not the same in each country having a civil code system as they are not the same in each country having a common law system.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law
      http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_civil
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_law

      Delete
  4. sigh. I think i have to stop reading this during breakfast. Now i have heartburn,

    I hate this province. First chance i get i am outta here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Come to Alberta we need people who know how to read. After you navigate your life outside of Quebec for a month or two perspective's of the hate crime against English in Quebec will become crystal clear to you.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. "Now i have heartburn"

      Je crois que l'Alberta n'a pas besoin d'individus avec des problèmes digestifs,ils ont déjà assez de difficultés à digérer les Québécois.

      Delete
    4. @ Yannick,

      You obviously have never seen the Rocky Mountains.

      Your home of New Brunswick is almost as bad a cesspool as Quebec. New Brunswick would be a Third World jurisdiction without the constant flow of cash from Alberta.

      Delete
    5. I have lived in Ontario and Quebec, and travelled to every other province in Canada except Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

      Quebec and French-speaking areas of New Brunswick are shitholes.

      Delete
    6. "...entre un trou perdu au N-B et un trou perdu en Alberta."

      Les mêmes hillbillies conduisants les mêmes pickups parkés devant les mêmes Tim Hortons.

      Delete
    7. Ya Albertan's can read, I was being stupid. Were OTT White. At time's, I roll my eye's so much I get a headache at how linear groups can be in Alberta, careful to a fault

      As I was saying this is a code red: Our economy needs English folks of all colors to come work and be a part of things. You can put some money aside to get a spot in Quebec for when it's better, I do. Newfoundlanders have been doing it for years. If you don't leave people behind it can get nostalgic and weepy, you'll find many people who are the same, we all sniff together.

      The benefits tip the scales to being in the west. Must speak English, grade 13 and higher is a good thing here EI will help you get started if you don't know what you want to be yet.

      For the french not so much this is where they get schooled for treating Canada bad. If they become proficient in English and lose the stealthy way they have when they're around people here they have a hope. I know from friends and family in Oil and gas it's not a good scene for the French up north

      Delete
    8. "Les mêmes hillbillies conduisants les mêmes pickups parkés devant les mêmes Tim Hortons."

      The only difference is that in Quebec the hillbillies speak Joual and have fascist inclinations.

      Delete
    9. We have more blonde female's in Alberta, guys new to the place make that observation pretty quick.

      Delete
    10. Most Francophone women are natural brunettes. There are many more blonde and red-headed Anglophone women in Canada, and as they say, variety is the spice of life. :)

      Delete
    11. Whew! Good thing I didn't take my computer with me on a 3-day getaway from where we returned last night!

      My partner has happy memories for Quebec as she got plenty of help from the government as a single mom with two young children. She will always be grateful for the help she got, but she's thrilled to be in English-speaking, tranquil Ontario. He daughter, now grown up, has referred to Ontario as her Viagra (her words, not mine!).

      Believe me, Anon @ 5:59 yesterday, you won't regret leaving Quebec, esp. considering the recent manifestations taking place there. Montreal can expect to lose a plenitude of tourists this summer, and the dollars therewith.ew! Good thing I went on my 3-day getwawy without my computer. I needed a bit of a media fast looking at all the comments, and the blog of the day!

      I'm in my 28th year away from Quebec where I was born, raised and educated, and with every passing decade, year, month, week, day and hour, I'm becoming ever increasingly convinced I did absolutely the right thing. I heartily encourage you and all anglophone and allophone readers to leave ASAP, and make every effort to do so ASAP! For you Francophone readers: Stay right where you are--and suffer!

      Actually, my aspirations to leave Quebec are really 38 years old, but I was still in high school when my mind to leave was made up, but thanks to a dirt cheap education compared to elsewhere, I bided my time and left the very day after my university convocation to set up home IN ONTARIO!

      My partner moved in three years ago after a long-distance relationship of 11 years (she was living in Montreal) and in light of the recent antics, she is every bit as happy as I am she left. She still has feelings for Quebec and is grateful for all the help she received as a single mother with a modest income and virtually no support from her ex, the father of her children.

      Delete
    12. If she still has feelings for Quebec, she's alot smarter than you.

      Delete
    13. @Yannick:

      Surely he's going to pay that money back!!

      Delete
    14. So you mean to say that everything balances out in the end?

      Delete
  5. About one hundred people showed up to the march against the anglicization. This clearly shows the level of support the French activists have. Virtually none. Makes me wonder why anyone even listens to these lunatics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I hate this province. First chance i get i am outta here."

      Je crois que ce ne sont pas les opportunités qui manqueront dans les mois et les années à venir...

      Delete
    2. Speak English lazy guy you cut and paste all the time. It's an insult to readers, if you can understand it speak it. We won't make fun if you use words out of context.

      Delete
    3. "Speak English lazy guy you cut and paste all the time"

      Restez calme s.v.p, nous sommes au canada en 2012 et vous devriez être en mesure de comprendre que ce pays jouit de deux langues officielles.Auriez-vous un problème avec cette réalité?

      Delete
    4. "Opportunité"

      Synonymes:Débouché, occasion, temps.

      http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/definition/opportunite/

      :)

      Delete
    5. "Speak English"

      Ou Speak White.

      Toujours la même rengaine.

      Cette semaine la radio de Radio-Canada présentait un autre de ses reportages pathétiques sur la vie en français dans le Rest of Canada.

      L'interviewé disait à peu près ceci : « À Yellowknife il y a une vie collective francophone [...] les francophones du Manitoba, de la Saskatchewan, de l'Alberta qui vivent ici ne sont pas habitués de parler français en public, car dans leur province d'origine ils se font taper sur la tête lorsqu'ils parlent français en public ».

      Delete
    6. Les anglos du Québec viennent ensuite se plaindre de notre attitude.

      Delete
    7. Moi je préfère "L'atelier du futur" à "future shop" , c'est plus poétique.

      Est-ce que cigarette est un mot anglais?

      Delete
    8. Moi je trouve que tu n'as aucun sens de l'humour.

      Delete
    9. The French language spoken in Alberta would be hard for french in Quebec to use it is not the same Alberta French is perfect french of france.

      All french communities in Alberta have the highest regard in our province. Quebec french share a micro of the blood lines research why it's apart of french history.

      In France they laugh at Quebec French and they call Mexx....Mexx

      Delete
    10. Yannick,

      The "Wal" in Walmart does not mean wall, but comes from Sam WALton, its founder.

      Delete
    11. Et CJAD vient de son fondateur : Joseph-Arthur Dupont

      Delete
    12. Anonymous writes:

      About one hundred people showed up to the march against the anglicization. This clearly shows the level of support the French activists have. Virtually none. Makes me wonder why anyone even listens to these lunatics.

      ...and yet a recent public opinion poll shows about 45% of the population want separation. I assume most separatists support much of what these yahoo's want.

      I really don't think the turnout of only 100 is indicative of waning support for Bill 101. I wish I could say otherwise but I don't think it's the case.

      Delete
    13. In 1994, you were the leader of the CANADA! party.

      1994 Election Results:

      Party # of votes % of votes Seats

      1. PQ 1 751 442 44.75 77
      2. Liberal 1 737 698 44.40 47
      3. ADQ 252 721 6.46 1
      4. NDP 33 269 0.85 0
      5. Natural Law 33 206 0.85 0
      6. Equality 11 526 0.29 0
      7. Sovereignty 5 566 0.14 0
      8. Green 5 499 0.10 0
      9. Lemon 4 087 0.10 0
      10.Canada! 2 567 0.07 0

      Hmmmm, if I recall the Natural Law Party, are those the people who believe in flying yogiis to solve all our problems? LOL And they got more than 10 times your vote!

      And you ask people to trust you political instincts? Please!

      (P.S. So from ultra-federalist, you went to ultra separatist a la Richard Holden because people didn't vote for you. Please do discuss with Michel Patrice how you're going to break up this country.)

      Delete
    14. Well, it wasn't formatted properly but in any case the PQ and Libs got about 1.7 million votes, the Natural Law party got 33 206 votes, and the Canada! part with Tony Kondaks as leader got 2 567 votes.

      I think you'll have as much success with what you're proposing now, Tony.

      Delete
    15. I have no idea. I personally would prefer a Lemon Cheesecake party, at least.

      All I know is that it, along with 8 other political parties, got more votes than Tony's, lol.

      Delete
    16. Roger Rabbit:

      Some of us sit at home, anonymously, tapping away at the computer.

      Others get off their asses and do.

      Delete
    17. Roger Rabbit:

      1) I wasn't leader of the Canada! party during the election in question. I created the party as a one-issue party: a vote for the party meant that you wanted your riding to stay in Canada.

      2) I didn't form the Canada! party and then get disenchanted with federalism as a result of the bad showing and then became a separatist, as you suggest. My formulation of the Two Question Referendum dates to five years prior to the formation of the Canada! party. See L'Aut Journal

      3) Please feel free to criticize me but do try and get your facts straight.

      Delete
    18. You know, Tony, I would not be so harsh toward you if you show a little more charity toward Quebec. I know many anglophones have been driven out, including most of the people I have gone to high school with. Change is sometimes too slow but francophones did have to wait a long time until they had the same opportunities as anglophones.

      I believe that the time will come when the pendulum will swing towards the laws being less discriminatory towards anglophones. The fact that more and more francophones are learning English in primary school because of Charest is good. The fact that a mega-hospital is built for the English community is good. Things will change and I don't think anything good will come from proposing a rupture of Quebec from the rest of Canada.

      Montreal being a separate province in Quebec is not acceptable to those in Quebec, in my judgement. However, we can propose to people that they accept Montreal as the bilingual city that it is. All polls show that Quebeckers know this, whether they like it or not.

      So, instead of wishing Quebeckers ill will and denigrating the anglophones who remain here and saying that Quebec is a cesspool, I wish you ex-Quebeckers would try to build bridges instead.

      Delete
    19. Tony, regardless of the exact way the party that you founded worked, the fact remains nobody supported it. Now you have a hair-brained scheme to have Montreal be a separate province within Canada. Don't you think that it would just be easier and satisfying to work on people accepting a bilingual Montreal within a Quebec that remains in Canada? When you think of something constructive, let me know.

      Delete
    20. * I mean a separate province within Quebec

      Delete
    21. Anonymous Roger writes:

      You know, Tony, I would not be so harsh toward you if you show a little more charity toward Quebec.

      I don't mind dealing with whatever harshness you feel you are doling out to me; what I object to is having to deal with your incorrect assumptions. Please try and employ facts in your arguments, at least when it comes to what I have and haven't done. Everything else I am happy to deal with; I have unusual ideas outside the mainstream and if I take the risk to do that I should be prepared to deal with any criticism that arises from it.

      Anonymous Roger further writes:

      So, instead of wishing Quebeckers ill will and denigrating the anglophones who remain here and saying that Quebec is a cesspool, I wish you ex-Quebeckers would try to build bridges instead.

      I don't think I have ever denigrated anglophones who remain in Quebec. Can you cite me one instance in which I have denigrated anglophones for staying in Quebec? Yes, I have said that the intelligence of the anglophone community went down the 401 a long time ago but that was in reference to the community's constant (on the order of 90%?) voting for the Liberal Party of Quebec.

      I don't think I have ever called Quebec a cesspool; if I did, I will stand corrected. Yes, I believe that human rights violations occur and, yes, I would rather see Quebec separate and respect human rights than continue as a province in Canada that doesn't...but I am not alone in this; William Johnson has said precisely the same thing.

      As for my hair-brained schemes, as you put it, I will continue to come up with proposals and ideas that will get equality back any way I think is effective. If you don't think the ideas are constructive, don't read anything I write. Or you can note your objections and I will be happy to deal with them.

      And I am not sure what you mean by a "bilingual" Montreal. Do you mean you want it to have, on the level of government services, two official languages? If so, I am all for that. If you mean that it is a sociological observation that Montreal is bilingual, well, of course that's true. If you mean, we should encourage only individually bilingual people to come to and live in Montreal, then that I believe is the wrong way to go. We need as many unilingual anglophones to come to Quebec to live, work, educate, invest, enterprise, and interact with the Quebec government in unilingual English. Only when that happens will the French language be best protected.

      Delete
    22. You know Tony, you get hung up on the most minute of details. Let me make it clear for you. The party you founded got 2 567 votes in a province of approx 7 million people in 1994 at the time when you were living in Quebec. What worse is that you were promoting your weird idea of an independant Montreal in an independant Quebec before I thought you were and you were still only able to get 2 567 votes in the whole province of Quebec. Now, you're living in B.C. somewhere. You will not be taken seriously in Quebec, if you ever were, and being over 3000km away makes it even more hard to take you seriously.

      Just another point, your confrontational style won't win you many points with too many people. This was the downfall of Alliance Quebec: so called leaders who operated more like tin-pot dictators of a small fiefdom, instead of working to build bridges.

      As for Montreal, I believe that we should just recognize it as a bilingual city with bilingual government services so that anglophones can work in English where needed and francophones can work in French. (No necessity in adding an additional headache of Montreal being an independent province in an independant Quebec.)

      Delete
    23. Wabbit:

      If I'm so inconsequential why, pray tell, do you spend so much time looking me up on Wiki and the internet and responding to my posts here? Better to just ignore me.

      Delete
    24. You present yourself as an expert on Quebec. Now I know you aren't.
      I thought you might have had good ideas in the past. I guess you didn't.
      Now I know.

      I hope you don't distract people into saying "Yay! We can have our own province" and then a few weeks later when they realize it's not happenning, they'll want to leave. Better to have people build a cohesive society in which we can all live.

      Delete
    25. Rabbit writes:

      Better to have people build a cohesive society in which we can all live.

      Why don't you tell us how you propose to build a cohesive society in which we can all live?

      By the way, those 2,567 votes that you snicker at are about, oh, 2,567 votes more than anonymous posters that use cartoon characters as internet monikers got. What exactly have you done in the real world to advance the cause of the cohesive society you claim you want to build?

      Delete
    26. Mr. Sauga to Anon @ 9:53AM yesterdayThursday, May 24, 2012 at 3:01:00 PM EDT

      It is YOU who seems to have problems with this "reality" about two official languages in Canada. Seems you and your ilk don't want to know from one of the two "official" languages.

      Delete
    27. Evariste gives us a quick history lesson, as he sees it, on "Speak White."

      The way I see it, it is in the best interest of francophones in Quebec to encourage as much "speak White" and unilingual English as possible in Quebec. The best way to preserve and promote the French language and culture is by having affluent francophone Quebecers. We have had instances in the past ("the great hemorrhage") in which a substantial percentage of the population of francophone Quebecers left the province as a result of economic conditions.

      Encouraging and drawing upon the 330 million+ unilingual anglophones that surround Quebec (that evil "sea") to come to Quebec to invest, create jobs, and bring their professional and entrepreneurial skills won't cost the government a cent...but it will create affluence and wealth for francophones. And they won't come if they can't live, educate, start business, and interact with the provincial government if they have to learn French. Quebec competes with 9 Canadian provincial entities and 50 American state entities to draw from that 330+ million sea; discouraging unilingual anglophones from coming is a distinct competitive disadvantage.

      On top of that, freedom of choice in language across the spectrum of Quebec society -- business, schools, etc. -- will enable francophones to learn English better and in greater numbers than they do today, enabling them to prosper themselves, additionally ensuring cultural survival.

      Sorry, I didn't create the situation in which English is the international language of business, culture, communications, and the internet; that's just the unhappy reality. Learning English will not only not impinge upon francophones' affluence but will strengthen and enhance the culture. After all, you need only to look at virtually all leaders of the PQ (Pauline Marois being the only exception) to see wonderfully bilingual people who, not for a second, had their francophone identity threatened by their knowledge of English.

      And whether this happens in an independent Quebec or a Quebec within Canada is beside the point. But it must happen (that is, if you are truly interested in preserving and promoting the French language and culture). Freedom is the answer, not repression of freedom.

      Delete
    28. Tony,

      I don't pretend to be a politician.

      It remains that 2567 votes in a province of 7 million is negligible.

      If you want to spend your time thinking of a way to help Quebec anglophones, this is not it.

      Delete
  6. If they don't want to shop at stores with English/Spanish/Swedish etc. names, they don't have to. Actions speak louder than words, so this must not be a big deal. (That one woman even cited a store as being "too expensive" -- a logical reason not to shop at a particular store.) They should take some lessons from places like NYC where stores have all kinds of names in many different languages and no one freaks out like crazy over it. Or OMG Texas even where I think a good third of stores have Spanish names (mmm great breakfast tacos at Las Palapas!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mo writes:

      If they don't want to shop at stores with English/Spanish/Swedish etc. names, they don't have to.

      And that, of course, is the very reason Bill 101 isn't needed at all. Most of the results desired by the restrictive provisions of Bill 101 can be achieved by the marketplace, as you suggest above.

      Withhold your consumer dollar because you're not getting the service you want (i.e., service in French) and see how quickly the merchant will change his policies.

      Unfortunately, the Courts (including the Supreme Court of Canada) allowed themselves to be influenced by political expediency and didn't include such cogent reasoning when they ruled that Bill 101 could continue to be restrictive (albeit not as restrictive as the original legislation).

      Delete
  7. @Éditeur

    "je ne c'est quoi"

    un je ne sais quoi.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Editor: "I would not give credence to this event had the media left the story alone or given it the coverage that it merited, but no, the pitiful march by a bunch of pathetic losers is highlighted in the media as a significant event."

    Very true. It shows that the actions of the militants conform to the interests of the higher ups in this province (otherwise the militants wouldn't be showcased and plugged on the national, err...provincial media). Which in a way is an indictment of those higher ups by being associated with these extremist elements. And I still want to know who pays Beaulieu's and Trudel's salaries.


    Editor: "It 's hurtful to think that people in the guise of promoting themselves, feel free to tear down others"

    The concept of rights can be very tricky, and often people's interpretation of their own rights interferes with other people's rights. So when smokers demand the right to smoke indoors, they don't realize that they might be interfering with the non-smokers right to fresh air.

    Sometimes it's hard to place where one's right should end so it doesn't interfere with the rights of others. I think Oliver Wendell Holmes, once a judge on the US Supreme Court got it right when he said: "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."

    So to all the militants, you have the right to speak and live in French, and I would defend that right if I were a francophone. But you have no right to impose. When you come into my corners and try to influence me, you're not defending your rights, you're interfering with mine.

    And of course we can't forget what Karl Marx once said: "Between equal rights force decides". The fact that the militants want to co-opt the state apparatus to force their "rights" onto people is proof that they know that their "rights" seriously conflict with the rights of many other people, so that those other people need to be "helped" to acknowledge the "rights" of the militants.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Banana Republic on the corner of McGill College and St-Catherine has one of these "Ici on commerce en francais" stickers on its front door. Yet the store was still the first target of Beaulieu's "guided tour".

    It shows again that trying to appease these people is useless. They'll come back with something else sooner or later, because their problems do not stem from English store names but from something much deeper and more serious inside their heads.

    My advice to the stores, given the history with these people, is not to budge an inch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Mais je ne crois pas qu'offrir le commerce en français soit mauvais, ou simplement de "l'appaisement". Je crois que Beaulieu ou pas, c'est bien d'offrir le service dans les deux langues et de l'afficher fièrement dans une ville bilingue comme Montréal."

      I've lived in Montreal for 20 years and I've worked downtown for 10. During all that time I haven't seen a single instance of a francophone being refused service in French. In fact, I was just at the Apple Store on St Catherine getting my iPhone replaced. The clients came in both English and French. The ones in French were served in French without a problem. I saw the same thing in Fairview mall last weekend, at that Apple Store. These two facts just shatter the myths peddled by Beaulieu et al: that Montreal is a French city (where do all these English speaking customers come from then?), and that francophones are refused service in French (where? when? I want to know).

      As someone who lives in Montreal and sees (or rather not sees) the things the militants talk about, I can see how full of crap they are. And you're not even a militant and you bring up the "service in French" issue. I think that this is so deeply ingrained in the francophone culture that you guys can't go a day without bringing up the subject of being (not being, having the right to, etc...) served in French.

      The 50's are long gone. The Anglo lady at Eaton's is a thing of the past. Time to move on.

      Delete
    2. Assez surprenant qu'un individu prétendu intelligent tel que vous établissiez une règle générale à partir de quelques expériences personnelles limitées à votre vie de quartier.

      Delete
    3. "une règle générale à partir de quelques expériences personnelles limitées à votre vie de quartier"

      A generalized rule based not on 20 days but 20 years of living here, during which I have not a single time witnessed a francophone being refused service in French. Not a single time having the experience yet hearing every day about it. So something doesn't add up. It's almost like being told every day that the sky is green, yet when I look up it's always blue.


      "Only because you seem to call it "appeasement"."

      I didn't use it in this thread, or anytime in reference to service in French in Quebec which I consider fair, although there is also the equally rational argument of francophones having the right not to shop where they don't feel welcome. I could use the word "appeasement" in reference to the OLA though, and I surely would use it in reference to the asymmetrical relationship that formed between the RoC and QC in the last 50 years when national unity came to the forefront.

      Delete
  10. My advice to the stores, given the history with these people, is not to budge an inch.

    Je ne crois pas que se soit la bonne attitude (défiance) ces temps-ci.Je ne sais pas si vous suivez les actualités mais les vitreries de Montréal semblent rouler sur l'or depuis quelques semaines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once you start throwing bricks, then that's more reason not to budge an inch. And this is coming not from some right winger but from someone who favors listening to people's grievances and finding the middle ground.

      Yet there are people like you, whose definition of middle ground is when everyone else is pushed out completely and you're all that's left. So there is a time to talk, and a time not to budge an inch, depending on whom you're talking to.

      Delete
    2. "Yet there are people like you"

      Quoi?Je ne fais que souligner la réalité,Je n'ai jamais cassé intentionnellement une vitre de ma vie.

      Delete
  11. I guess when I go to Quebec on vacation I am going to have to pick out a French sounding name to be able to walk the streets? I think I will skip over that province. Wait until I tell all my friends what stupidity is going on there. It's bad enough with the ignorant students and their criminal acts....LA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wait for it: French baby-naming laws in Quebec. Or more accurately, the OQLF pretending that there are French baby-naming laws as part of Bill 101.

      Delete
    2. Yannick,

      There are baby-naming laws in various countries in the world. But those laws are to prevent parents giving ridiculous or inappropriate names, like Adolf Hitler in Germany or Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.

      However, what some members of the separatist movement want (and you can find many postings on SSJB, MQF, Imperatif-francais, Vigile sites about it) is to force parents either to not giving English-based names or to giving French-based names.

      Delete
    3. Avouons que Kevin Tremblay ça sonne bizarre.

      Delete
    4. Yannick,

      I did not know that. It is a bad law in Denmark. I think it is not supposed to be followed i the free world. But what can one expect from a country with a "Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs". Nevertheless, two wrongs do not make one right. Just because Denmark has that law does not mean Quebec should. Just like we do not have to follow the United States in maintaining the death penalty.

      Delete
    5. Yannick,

      If we are going to cherry pick elements of "cultural insecurity", we can gather many examples from all over the world. However, looking at Quebec case, we can see those elements combined resulted in one very bad behavior for the territory. It becomes "the sum is greater than the whole of its parts" kind of thing.

      Let us see:

      1. Bill 101. Better or worse they say it is the law.
      2. Bill 101 turns to be not enough. There is also need of respect the language, beyond Bill 101.
      3. Turns out language alone is not enough. There are also the so-called "Quebec values".
      4. Someone who speaks French and pretty much comply to the values turns to be not enough because he was not born in Quebec.

      Delete
  12. Vous n'avez pas à changer votre nom mais votre attitude et informez-vous davantage avant d'attaquer tous les étudiants Québécois.Pour ce qui de vos vacances avec vos amis,le sujet n'intéresse personne...

    Bonnes vacances au Mexique Pedro!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Did Burger King escape the criticism? Must be the commercial in support of making poutine Canada's national dish. I love how they demand that the internet should be exclusively French as well, ha ha ha , they're coming for you editor! ;)
    I've been conducting all my business, all my shopping, and all my communication in general, in English exclusively for years. If the person serving me is unilingual, I wait until they bring someone who speaks English or I go somewhere else. Piss on 101 and everyone that supports it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you're right. Was thinking of the Burger King pou - tine ' commercial. Thanks!

      Delete
    2. The MINUTE Wendy's decides that Poutine is CANADA'S national dish - I will not step into another Wendy's EVER. Poutine is so gross and SO not Canadian. It must have been an American to suggest this. I would THROW UP if I was handed poutine. It is so unhealthy.......and disgusting. LA

      Delete
  14. Michele Mattia-beaudin

    This happened to my friends husnad today !!
    On his status it reads ...
    I just stopped in at ElectroTel on Tascherau blvd to buy Danny a grad gift, the guy inside told me to speak French or get out, he said there are other stores where they speak English , he then took the gift I wanted to buy and put it behind the counter, refusing to sell it to me!!!! Ok now I'm pissed

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/275962695828596/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no merchant can refuse you it's the law ! you can report him to the better business bureau ..if it's a service... you can say I don't have time ..if it's a bar you can be thrown out and the owner can have any reason...but a merchant can not refuse you to sell a product.. how ever he can charge you more for it and then it's for you to refuse ...report the dink

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  15. "I've been conducting all my business, all my shopping, and all my communication in general, in English exclusively for years"

    Venez nous dire maintenant que vous n'êtes pas la minorité la mieux traitée.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Venez nous dire maintenant que vous n'êtes pas la minorité la mieux traitée'
      Ha ha ha, too funny. Well, I exist illegally in Quebec since I chose to practice my LAWFUL right to speak the official language of my choice. I get fined by the OLF at my place of business on and off and they've threatened to shut me down more than once over the years. Essentially, not only do I have no political representation, but to practice my rights as a Canadian I have to do so beyond the boundaries of Quebec's legislation. As far as I'm concerned, any Francophone not fighting the unlawful legislation of bill 101 is a racist douche bag and they can all fuck themselves.

      Delete
    2. "I get fined by the OLF at my place of business on and off and they've threatened to shut me down more than once over the years."

      On va t'avoir un d'ces quatre mon fanfaron.

      Delete
    3. Just met my quota of responding to Francophones who don't speak English. Thanks for coming though.

      Delete
  16. I have to say Beaulieu cracked me up twice in this video.

    His joke at 29:30 is pretty funny - In the rest of Canada, there are two languages, English and Translated.

    But when he mispronounced Tommy Hilfiger as Tony Hilfinger, that made me rofl. The guy surpassed himself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would've been funnier if he tripped somewhere and ate a bumber.

      Delete
  17. Editor, why are you giving these retards even more press? You should be focused on how the separatist movement is using the youth of Quebec to advance their racist cause. Shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Editor:

      I would not give credence to this event had the media left the story alone or given it the coverage that it merited, but no, the pitiful march by a bunch of pathetic losers is highlighted in the media as a significant event.
      And so it behooves me to point out the banal and sad aspects of the parade and to expose the fact that these get-togethers have morphed into racist anglo-bashing hate-a-thons, where publicly denouncing English and Anglophones has become a blood sport

      Delete
    2. I think the editor has done a good thing by keeping on the topic of the whole blog. Now after we vented we get back to focus on the meat of the matters.

      Delete
  18. The Editor writes:

    The guided tour, led by the Frick and Frack of the French language movement (Mario Beaulieu and Denis Trudel) visited the various institutions and stores accused by these fantasists of anglicizing Quebec by virtue of their English names or by their employment of unilingual anglos.

    There is actually a silver lining here, one that can work to our advantage.

    As far as protesting against particular businesses and their practises vis a vis the language a business conducts itself in (e.g., the language of commercial signs), this should be encouraged.

    Why?

    Because to protest business practises or call for boycotts is part of the marketplace. If refusing to shop at a business or protesting their practises is successful in getting the business in question to change their practises, it means the end of various parts of Bill 101.

    This has to do with section 1 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 1 is the "reasonable limit" clause which allows limits to certain rights and freedoms contained in the Charter, such as freedom of speech. But there is a specific, carefully defined "test" under which a law that, on its face, restricts a right or freedom must go through in order to be a justified limit. For example, Bill 101 calls for the requirement of French on most commercial signs. On the face of it, this is a violation of freedom of expression (and the Supreme Court has said as much). But the Supreme Court ruled in 1988 that requiring French -- even its "marked predominance" -- while not restricting other languages is an acceptable and reasonable limit to free expression guarantees of the Charter.

    However, what these protests do is demonstrate that they can, by themselves and without any government dictum on the matter such as those found in the language of commercial signs provisions of Bill 101, effect the change sought. This is important because the "test" of section 1 also says that if a process exists which minimizes -- or, ideally, eliminates -- the need for any restriction on the freedom in the law, this is what must be the law.

    That is, if protests such as these can effect a business enough to give the public French signs, then there is no need for restrictive language legislation. So even the "marked predominance" decision of the Supreme Court would have to be amended to allow full freedom of choice in language of commercial signs. Why pass a law requiring French on signs when the marketplace -- i.e., the effects of protesters -- achieves the same goal?

    So, at least from this perspective, I hope the protesters are successful because their success means the elimination of parts of Bill 101.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Le représentant de la reine au Québec récompense Jeanne Reynolds.

    Une des figures de proue de la contestation étudiante vient d'être récompensée par le représentant de la reine au Québec pour son... implication communautaire.

    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/dossiers/conflit-etudiant/201205/23/01-4527968-le-representant-de-la-reine-au-quebec-recompense-jeanne-reynolds.php

    ReplyDelete
  20. 'Now after we vented we get back to focus on the meat of the matters'

    I hope that this will eventually change from a commentary of Quebecois douchebaggery and evolve to just how the hell do we get away from it. The only realistic solution I've seen discussed briefly is political separation from the province. Sounds good to me - Free Montreal!

    ReplyDelete
  21. without the English, Montreal would have never become a city. So, if that Fat Pig embrace the city so much, then why does he take on the English language so viciously when in fact, he should be thankful rather than heinous?

    btw, the city is a direct result of the conquest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you a francophone pretending to be an anglophone? Not working very well...

      Delete
    2. Probablement un outaouin complexé.

      Delete
    3. No, I'm just extremely exhausted right now...sorry if I wrote the paragraph so awkwardly and didn't correct the mistakes....I didn't mean to give you a hard time to read it!

      Delete
    4. Tiredness? Okay, all is forgiven. I would say though, that francophones have also recently contributed to the Montreal economy, like the Bombardier's, the Jean Coutu's, and the people at the head of the Just for Laughs festival. You are right to point out, though, that the English brought big business to this city. We should all recognize that the English, the Irish, the Scottish, and the French have all contributed to Montreal from the foundation of this city.

      Delete
    5. Probablement un outaouin complexé

      and what about you? Aren't you full of complexes yourself?

      Delete
  22. Free Montreal!: In Quebec you can start a club for Canada with a formal board with clear headed ethical folks then you can apply for grants and have function's The criteria is in Service Canada's non- profit sections, all you need to know. I've done it it's super intense at the beginning making all your bylaws and process documents for your board it's so worth it in having actual power to make little changes in Municipal and federal laws by supporting groups of people who need it. You don't march or make conflict your role is to bring people together in a light hearted way that is positive the government loves that shit. You do your events always benefiting a group who has no power Food Bank is classic. The more people and media know how nice you are the positive press has politician's hoverin by you to be associated because you are so liked you. That's why you need a board that are ethical To maintain the momentum you must party at least 4 times a year and invite everybody. I would be on this if I was in Montreal if you want to stay and make it better. For example this blog in Alberta it could get funding because it meets all kind of criterium in giving people with an identity a place where they meet like minded people

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nahh, I'd like to have political representation now while I'm still alive to vote. I say we man the barricades and burn 101 to the ground as far as the island is concerned. They can do whatever they like in St Jerome and I'm sure they can find some good spots for the st jean celebration in the Beauce.

      Delete
    2. To Anonymous 8:26PM :

      That is actually a very interesting proposition...

      Delete
    3. 'You do your events always benefiting a group who has no power'
      We already do that. Think they're called equalization payments.

      Delete
    4. We've had zero political representation since the 70s, we are subjected to an unlawful legislation and we are not covered by the Charter of rights. The last thing I want to do right now is bake cakes for meet and greets with the st jean society while they keep shutting down our schools and fining us for not speaking the uber language. The last peaceful demonstration I'm aware of that was against Bill 101 led to continuous death threats for the organizer.

      Delete
    5. Pourquoi ne pas commencer par trouver un nom de parti politique qui représenterait votre communauté multiethnique?Les grands mouvements commencent souvent par une idée simple.

      Delete
    6. 'Pourquoi ne pas commencer par trouver un nom de parti politique'

      How many Francophones do you think will vote for a party that advocates the end of bill 101 and for an officially bilingual status in the province? It's precisely why the Anglo and Ethnic communities have no poilitical representation in Quebec. Successive French first governments and their intolerant electorate have maintained that a regional majority is sufficient for separation, or at least to coerce the governments involved into attaining their goals. I'm just buying in to this principal of regional majority and the concept of the ends justifying the means, especially when democracy has been suspended to an entire segment of the population. I believe that political separation is the only solution and that we should start taking steps toward a referendum for that end.

      Delete
    7. "How many Francophones do you think will vote for a party that advocates the end of bill 101 and for an officially bilingual status in the province?"

      J'avoue que vous y allez un peu fort pour commencer.Je vous propose un mouvement plus étapiste et un nom de regroupement sympathique avec des intentions moins radicales.

      Delete
    8. I don't believe that the abolition of 101 is radical. 101 is illegal and its imposition has created two classes of citizens within the province - those with a vote that counts, and those with a vote that is completely meaningless. It's the reason that you find Ethnic and Anglo minorities huddled in ghettoized areas in and around Montreal. We are unwelcome everywhere in the province. We are the subject of 'accomondation talks' as if we belong here less than our French neighbours, even if we've been here for generations. The status quo is not only undemocratic, it's a throwback to the fascist politics of race from the early twentieth century.
      Separation from Quebec would give Quebecers the freedom to go their own way and achieve nationhood without victimizing their minorities any more than they already have, and it would give us, or at least our children, a home where they are not forcibly assimilated, a choice for the education and the language that they want to pursue it in, and an equitable society where the rights of all Canadians have equal value regardless of the language of choice. Most importantly, we will regain our electoral voice.

      Delete
    9. Parfaitement d'accord,ça fait des années que je lutte pour l'anglicisation du Québec et j'en connais un bout sur le phénomène de rejet.J'ai perdu plusieurs amis et j'ai même été renié par certains membres de ma propre famille pour mes convictions politiques.Ils ne comprennent pas qu'un avenir prospère du Québec passe par son anglicisation.Les Québécois sont vraiment des idiots,parfois je songe m'expatrier en Ontario mais le problème est que je ne parle pas anglais.

      Delete
    10. I'd be curious to see Francophone Quebec's reaction if they were to wake to a province that had English as the only official language, a Bill 102 that enforced it with fines and the other means at the olfs disposal, and a vote that meant absolutely nothing. We had the FLQ bombing our neighbourhoods for far less. I guess that if you were wearing the right shoe you wouldn't feel the idea is so radical.

      Delete
    11. Ils réagiraient probablement très mal au début mais avec les libéraux à Québec et les conservateurs à Ottawa marchants main dans la main pour nous enfoncer de rigoureuses lois,je crois qu'ils n'auraient aucun choix.Ça manque de discipline au Québec:Trop de chefs et pas assez d'indiens.

      Delete
    12. --Fin de mon commentaire sarcastique--

      Delete
    13. V, I love the way you're thinking. I concur with your comments above.

      Canada doesn't deserve to exist if it continues to allow the type of society you describe above, with two classes of citizens. The basic tenet of a free and democratic society is that one set of civil rights accrues to all citizens, without divisions.

      It's one thing to have divisions along socio-economic lines (that's bad enough); it's even worse when it is codified into law, as is the case with Bill 101.

      Delete
  23. Mario Beaulieu and Denis Trudel are both ignorant, intolerant clowns. I don't know why anyone takes them seriously. They're entertaining and good for a laugh, but that's about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Editor probably pays attention to them because the media does and the media believes that controversy boosts ratings. You're right, they are unfunny clowns, which makes them redundant.

      Delete
  24. 'We should all recognize that the English, the Irish, the Scottish, and the French have all contributed to Montreal from the foundation of this city.'

    which is why the MTL coat of arms features a lys,a rose, a clover and a thistle!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yawwwwwwwwwwn!!!!!! Same old debate out of Quebec. Boooooring.

    ReplyDelete
  26. The Francais is done.

    The Anglais have won.

    Tout est bon.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nobody asked you to read any of this."

    Far Better than a sleeping pill!!! Almost as good as watching les Canadiens jouer le hockey!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Habs will get better much sooner than the Maple Leaves!

      Glad that Brian Burke is running things in Toronto.

      Delete
    2. Actually Roger, both teams suck slough water. LOL

      Delete
    3. True, true, but the fact that we got rid our crappy GM and the Leaves still have Brian Burke means us better next yr! lol

      Delete
    4. I'm sure the Habs are going to suck again this year. The focus of this ownership is not on providing a competitive product on the ice. Positions are not handed out according to merit but according to language skills (just like most job postings that are filled in this province, second rate will do as long as it's French). Molson just wants to appease the pure laine so he can keep pushing his beer. Everything in this province revolves around that one issue. Why would the habs be any different. Reminds me of a Sabbath lyric, "When you listen to fools, the mob rules".

      Delete
    5. The ungrammatical "Maple Leafs" has, I assume, been with us for as long as the Club has. The grammatically correct "Maple Leaves" just doesn't sound right so I suppose and "common error" as they say makes law.

      It's kinda like the way the word "literal" has been adopted in the English language from continual misuse that the wrong use has become the accepted practise, as in "the man was so surprised at seeing the snake on the floor that he literally flew off his chair." Of course, the man doesn't actually fly off the chair because humans can't fly. The proper way to say it would be "the man was so surprised at seeing the snake on the floor that he figuratively flew off his chair." Most dictionaries now recognize the misuse of "literal" and include it as a legitimate definition.

      Delete
    6. Troy, I was writing it just to show a little disrespect to Taranna's hockey team. The whole sentence was written in neanderthall, if you look at it carefully.

      I have family in Toronto, so if I can take a little swipe here and there, why not?

      @ Anonymous 1:18PM

      We can't say for sure which hockey team will be better. If we look at the last five years, the Habs have missed the playoffs once while the Leaves have missed it 5, count em, 5 times.

      However, the Leafs still have the same GM (Brian Burke) and the same coach (Wilson). The Habs meanwhile have replaced the worst GM they ever had and replaced him with someone very respected in the hockey world (Marc Bergevin), who was with a very good organization (Chicago). Keep in mind with the bad GM that we had, in all the years except last year, we did better than the Leafs.

      Of course, we can't predict the future but by having new blood in the organization, I think we have a much better chance of doing well than the Leafs do.

      Now, just because someone is French-speaking doesn't mean he is incompetant. The Habs had success with their francophones stars: the Maurice Richards, the Jean Beliveaus, the Guy Lafleurs, and the Patrick Roys of this world.

      Don't pay attention to the French media. It is in their interest to forment language controversy. Only 100 non-fans, who show up at every anti-English demonstration, showed up to the demonstration against Cunneyworth. If you read most comments in the francophone papers or listened to most fans that pay for their tickets, they couldn't care less who the coach is, as long as the Habs win. (Meanwhile for the student "strike", there are 100 000 people in the streets for a real demonstration)

      I liked Cunneyworth, especially the agressive style he brought in, when he first came in. However, after a few weeks, he reverted to the Jacques Martin style, and, in the end, didn't have a better record than Jacques Martin. Throughout the media manufactured controversy, Cunneyworth retained his composure and handled himself with dignity and respect. I think that he showed himself to be an impressive human being, if not the right coach (in terms of results) for this team.

      Anyone who coaches the Habs won't care about what the media says about who should play and who shouldn't. They will just be concerned about keeping their job.

      I can't think of any good English speaking coaches available. If Muller was available, then I think he would be a good hire. I don't think that the French speaking (bilingual) coaches will do any worse. It remains to be seen.

      Just to let you know, Bergevin had his first hire as a scout today, Bobby Kinsella, an English speaker to scout the midwest US. He had recruited Max Pacioretty for Sioux City. As well, Bergevin didn't throw Cunneyworth under the bus. He retained him as assistant coach until he hires a new coach.

      Delete
    7. Roger,

      Ron Wilson has been canned and replaced by Randy Carlyle since early March.

      Delete
    8. Oops, sorry Troy, you're right. I think if they replace Burkeee, as they call him in TO, then they'll be on to something. To tell you the truth, I don't really follow that team, which last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 (just looked that up), when life was in black and white.

      Delete
    9. Roger,

      Not only was life was in black and white, but the joke is that when the last time the Maple Laughs won the Cup, Pearson was a Prime Minister, not an airport.

      Delete
    10. LMAO! There are alot of Leafs jokes out there.

      Q: What do a fine wine and the Maple Leafs have in common?
      A: They both spend a lot of time in the cellar, cost too much and are only enjoyed on select occasions.

      Q: Why is the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto?
      A: It’s the only way the Stanley Cup will EVER be in Toronto

      Q. What do you call 30 millionaires around a TV watching the Stanley Cup Finals?
      A. The Toronto Maple Leafs

      Delete
    11. R. Rabbit,

      Now that the Montreal Impact is part of the MLS, I am enjoying a bit of schadenfreude. The TFC just broke the MLS record by opening the season with nine consecutive losses. Of course they then bounced back by winning the Canadian Championship, but still in terms of MLS they are 0-9-0.

      Delete
    12. Thank you Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment for making Montreal sports teams seem all that much sweeter :)

      Delete
  28. Michel Patrice, the Civil Code of Quebec is written in both French and English and decisions of judges are written in the language of choice of the judge.

    We do not live in a perfect world where everyone has the same level of proficiency in the spoken and written word, even in the case of a single language. The judicial system does the best it can in the circumstances.

    To take the converse of the point you are attempting to make, an anglophone or an allophone is at a disadvantage if appearing in court before a francophone judge or where there are francophone witnesses,

    To apply your logic a step further, a judge in Quebec or on the Supreme Court cannot limit himself only to juris[rudence written in French, even in cases involving an interpretation of the Civil Code. There are an abundance of sources of jurisprudence that may have to be considered from numerous other provincial and foreign jurisdictions. Your view would be that a francophone judge could not appreciate the nuances of those decisions written in English, so that a non pracophone party could be prejudiced.

    The judicial system has worked well since Confederation, notwithstanding your desire for a perfect world. It may not be perfect but it is the best possible system and it would not function any better in the heavenly world of a sovereign Quebec.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To expand on M. Patrice's logic a little bit:

      It is the right for everyone on Canadian soil to choose whether to have one's day in court in English or in French. From coast to coast to coast. No exception. Because of that, why do we not make all and every judge in Canada bilingual? What if someone in Swift Current, SK out of the blue demands to have his proceeding to be in French?

      Of course it is silly. There are many qualified translators and interpreters in the country whose job is to translate and interpret English to French and vice-versa. I would rather have them do their job well rather than forcing the Justices to have the competency on top of their legal expertise.

      As for the Civil Code, Jonah is right. All law codes in Canada are available in both languages. Besides, if Civil Code is the problem, there are three justices already with Civil Code expertise. And Quebec is not 100% Civil Code. Criminal Code is Federal and it is common law and it is very much in effect in Quebec.

      Delete
    2. Just to briefly add, the Supreme Court is not a regular court where people are on trial for an offence. Rather, it is a court to clarify and interpret the law in cases or for legal situations where there are grey areas. It is essentially a discourse between lawyers and the nine Supreme Court judges. The Supreme Court judges have full translation services at hand, together with many researchers etc, and they do not make "on the spot" spontaneous decisions or rushed decisions; they make very carefully considered decisions and discuss the cases amongst themselves and/or with SCC staff before rendering a decision. If there are any misunderstandings in terminology or phrasing by any judge, and this is pertinent to a case, this is worked out. In short, there is not a need for judges to be bilingual to do their job despite the arguments of some. I am not aware if any SCC ruling in recent decades has become controversial due to a linguistic misunderstanding.

      Delete
    3. Provincial justice in Canada is english if you want french in Alberta I guess you hire a french lawyer who is educated in both. I remember a case where two Bank robbers from Quebec demanded the trial in french it went pear shaped for them because they were Crafty never be crafty if you get caught doing crime in Canada. The courts in all our land are not there to protect the cunning or the rich. They are there to assist the ignorant and downtrodden no matter what language they speak or how trailer trash you think they are. If the judge is proven to give the more powerful side an advantage tipping that delicate balance the lawyer on the weak side can make a big stink, they work to resolve it before they resume a trial, even in heinous murder trials. it's so rare. If you can find an actual with a lawyer fighting against a Quebec Judge because he was leaning on the English person, I think we'd all like to see it. Backtracking is it Quebec that the Retired judge killed his wife to be with his mistress?

      Delete
    4. To expand on Yannick's point above:

      Section 133 of the BNA Act gave Quebecers the right to speak either English or French in provincial court. I think that right was expanded to New Brunswick with the '81 patriation.

      Little known fact: if you go to any court in Quebec and the written judgement is in French, you have the right under the law to have it translated at the expense of the provincial government into English.

      Delete
    5. Yannick,

      I agree with you and it is actually my point. Because a court proceeding in Canada can be in English or in French, why do not we mandate that all judges in Canada be bilingual? This is to follow Michel's logic.

      Delete
    6. No your mixed up about a judge a judge he has like a book full of solutions he cant be creative english or french doesn't matter He knows before he starts what the charges are in criminal courts he has a list if found guilty it's not 5 yrs for english 10 for french it's what the province has decided meets the crime for all the same people doing that one crime.

      In youth court a parent can rise and be heard when they have a youth who has been very naughty and ask the judge to not be lenient then the judge may take the parent to chambers to fashion an appropriate boundary around the child so they stay on the straight and narrow.

      In small claims it's all about paper the judge looks at the paper who has best record wins I had a case dropped for my dad because I told the lawyer for the company my dad messed up a bid he made, that my dad has Alzhiemers that the company wouldn't win when I put the medical results to my dads lawyer. Sound mind and body rule

      Divorce and children are now almost always referred to a mediator in Alberta to preserve the family from war

      Amazing advances in Law in this country that empower all of us to stand up for ourselves when we get shat on

      Delete
    7. Yannick,

      There was a case in 2010 about the lawyer Stephane Handfield. That story was also posted by the Editor here, if you care to search for it since it was before I saw you being a regular here.

      Basically Me Handfield took over a case at IRB, a case that has been proceeded in English. He then demanded that the case was in French, his language (not of his client's). That language case became big that it overshadowed the immigration case that he was handling.

      Delete
    8. Yanncik & Troy re: Stephane Handfield

      I followed this case and concluded Maitre Handfield chose to advance his own language militancy on the back of a client.

      Whether you are an English or French rights activist, it seems a bit cruel to advance your position at the expense of a poor client.
      I believe that Maitre Handfield did exactly that.
      I think it also goes against the very essence of what a lawyer is, someone who advances his client's position above all else.
      The question remains; Did the stink he raised help or hinder his client's cause and was the strategy based exclusively on the strategy to advance the client's cause.
      Regardless of political affiliation, the client's best interests must prevail..

      Delete
    9. Editor,

      Do you know what ultimately happened to Leonardo Javier Bolanos Blanco, the client? His case was totally overshadowed by his lawyer's self-centered affair. I say it is self-centered because his whole argument was that it was him (Handfeld) who needed the French language, not Sr. Blanco.

      Yannick,

      The client wanted to change from english to french after getting his lawyer.

      No he (Sr. Blanco) did not. It was the lawyer who demanded that the proceeding be changed into French since his (Handfeld's) mother tongue was French and of course because it was Quebec... blah... blah... blah...

      Delete
  29. With all the students (anarchists) openly defying the law with little consequence, why don't we try an experiment: Post a bunch of Enlgish-only signs outside your shop/restaurant and see how fast:
    1) The OQLF sends in the troopers and slaps you with a fine
    2) The Joual de Montreal writes a front-page report on the number of infractions to bill 101
    3) The debate passes from the student protests back to the anglicization of Montreal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, so true. Amazing how commenters here towards one controversial law they happen to agree with tell us to "Just follow the law kthx" and then one they don't agree with magically merits not-so-civil disobedience.

      Delete
  30. On s'occupe de Charest après ce sera votre tour,un peu de patience mes frères.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you wish for a civil war ? you got it.
      you are used to the fact that in the last 40 years nobody stood up to you and you think that everything belongs to you. it's not the 70's anymore.

      you and your redneck friends are in for a BIG SURPRISE !

      Delete
    2. one last thing for our redneck stupid friend: you and your kind fail to understand the power of immigrants and their will to keep Canada one piece. And you fail to understand that nobody and I mean NOBODY will force them to kick your ass.

      Delete
    3. "...immigrants and their will to keep Canada one piece."

      Le canada est constitué de plusieurs pièces (régions/valeurs/mentalités)) qui ne tiennent artificiellement qu'à un fil.Nous ne sommes pas les É.U.Si le Québec ou l'Alberta décroche,le canaya s'effondre.

      Delete
    4. it's easy on the paper my friend...
      the thing that everybody is trying to omit is that "these days" Quebec will be condemned to fail from start: no real friend in Canada after disastrous separation, si real friend in USA.
      France is too far away and itself in deep shit.

      ( btw, do you really believe that support for Quebec is that high in France? you'd be surprised that the huge majority don't give a fuck about Quebec; not bringing in discussion that a huge part from that huuuuge majority don't even know where is Quebec; they just know that somewhere in Canada there is french spoken ... believe me, lived there 10 years before moving to Canada )

      Again, everything is nice on the streets, when you drink beer and dream about sovereignty, but when you will translate that into facts, real facts, and when you'll see that the beginning of a new country doesn't mean anymore just culture and language, but actually FRIENDS north/south/east/west and money, lots of money, huge mountains of money...OMG, it's so utopic what you dream that my head starts to hurt.

      Delete
    5. Tous les spécialistes sont d'avis que le canada est un faux pays.Plusieurs immigrants et pas d'unité nationale.La preuve à plus petite échelle :Les multiples ethnies peuplant Montréal sont incapables de se réunir afin de former une organisation qui les représenterait.Pathétique.

      Delete
  31. French colonial attitudes are so passé. The SSJB is about as relevant as the Klu Klux Klan and almost as offensive. That video highlights just how retarded and backward ass the Separatists have become. It's a Must See for any prospective immigrants that are in the midst of choosing where in Canada to settle down an plant roots.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The french on here throwing chippy shots it's what they do when threatened, yip yip handbags at 10 paces..

    Why do the English make you so nervous?

    Most want to like you but you say really shitty things about english people and cultural backgrounds that's not on.

    Here's a 10 second therapy session for you french nervous nelly's,

    Your parents lied,

    That English chick isn't worth hating all the english for

    All over the world, all languages 1 in 10 is an asshole

    We are the same as you ten fingers ten toes

    English doesn't make you less french Canadian, French doesn't make you less English

    Your culture is awesome, where your parents saw it was going extinct i'll never know

    Frankly all this is your parents fault quit fighting the battle they started ask them what they were thinking in 1969 when all the organizing started for that bill 101 ask them what they were told about it.

    Ask them how it felt the next friday when it hit them by voting a certain way they declared war on the English.

    It'll make them squirm but do it so you know we aren't lying. Ask mum and dad grandpa and grama how many friends they lost who were english watch their faces as they reel back the memory to how it all came to be.

    Ask them about the loss, what they lost that's key because we were all friendly together asides the 1 in10 asshole ratio. All born and raised 3rd generation people on this page should all ask the senior relative's if they remember the frantic phone calls and crying french and English ripped apart by 101

    Ask them about the french screaming at each other hysterical in the streets over the betrayal. How they ruined a beautiful life Cancer man all happy smokin and jigglin his happy dance

    Ask them about the mass migration of entire families and companies how Montreal french felt betrayed by 101 tried to fix it to keep the money and friend's from pouring out of the province. Ask them how we got along before 101 compared to now maybe that is the solution have the people who voted do interviews talking about the trauma on all sides.

    These kids walking downtown at night are whispering compared to the roar that started when 101 went live it can still be heard to this day

    *Research what i say it's in the CBC archives and Gazette, French radio was off the chain with the people talking about the betrayal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Francophones will never understand the pain and sense of loss English Quebec felt because of that law. They didn't watch half their family move to another province. They didn't loose half of their friends who's families picked up their stakes and left Quebec. They will never understand because everyone they know was a Québécois with no reason to emigrate. Everyone they know is still here.
      These people that left were born in Quebec and educated here and were supposed to contribute here but instead felt they had to relocate and plant roots elsewhere because of a government law (& economics). Not a single Quebec politician has ever dared to state what the true quantitative cost of Bill 101 to Quebec has been. Paying for a kid's education all the way into University only to have him/her pay taxes to Ontario or Alberta is Quebec's loss. Now times that by 100,000 or more. It makes the Big Owe look like small potatoes.

      Delete
    2. drunkGuyReneLevesqueKilled writes:

      Not a single Quebec politician has ever dared to state what the true quantitative cost of Bill 101 to Quebec has been.

      One of the things I think that camouflages the effects of Bill 101 and economics in this regard is equalization. Bill 101 results in negative economic effects but the equalization formula conpensates for this by giving the province money ($8 billion last year). It's harder to feel the pain when you're given funds to make up for mistakes and, as a result, there is less incentive to initiate remedial solutions (such as repealing Bill 101).

      Other policies by Ottawa add to this effect: transfer payments and sweetheart deals that Ottawa makes on Quebec's behalf to make them feel "comfortable" within Canada. Deals in the private sector ("we'll give you grants and tax breaks if you decide to build your company's new factory in Quebec") as well as in the public sector ("Instead of building that new federal government agency in Ottawa, we'll build it -- and employ 10s of thousands -- across the river in Hull").

      Without all these perks, Quebec would see and feel "the pain" of the effects of Bill 101 much more readily. That's why I'm convinced that an independent Quebec, once it is separated from these perks, will quickly sober up and see how utterly important and valuable a viable English-speaking community in Quebec would be. And why I contend that English rights and individual rights in an independent Quebec will be much greater than in a Quebec within Canada.

      Delete
  33. Hoho!

    L'appui à la loi 78 fait mal à la CAQ

    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201205/24/01-4528156-lappui-a-la-loi-78-fait-mal-a-la-caq.php

    ReplyDelete
  34. The French militants seem to forget that large part of Quebec's immigrants today come from war torn countries. They are not the pacified population of Hampstead that they bombed in the 70s. The same actions today would tear open a can of revenge that no brasserie revolutionary can imagine when he goes home for a session of Modern Warfare 3. Fuck it. I say bring it and let's see where the chips fall. Maybe this time the federal government will get off its ass and protect our rights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Maybe this time the federal government will get off its ass and protect our rights"

      Quels droits ?

      Delete
    2. "The French militants seem to forget that large part of Quebec's immigrants today come from war torn countries. "

      As an immigrant from the former eastern block, I can assure you that people who come from there have a very skeptical and even cynical view of authority, unlike people in North America, especially the Quebecois who adore their L'Etat.

      So we don't make it easy for the gouvernemaman and the militants by any means.

      Delete
    3. "The French militants seem to forget that large part of Quebec's immigrants today come from war torn countries. "

      Comment peut-on oublier quelque chose que nous ne savions pas et surtout qui ne nous intéresse pas?

      Delete
  35. The worst part of it is that there are probably Phd assholes over at CSIS reading this blog and seeing our rights trampled with death threats and other means of coercion and are furiously penning suggestions for further political appeasement. What a joke, worse, what a disappointment this Canadian dream of equality and multiculturalism turned out to be.

    ReplyDelete
  36. It just proves it once again - rights and political representation are not granted, they are seized. Forget the commentary and break out into civil disobedience of 101! They can't arrest all of us and they can't force us to put up with their OLF. If they shut down our schools, shut down the bridges to Montreal. If the signs in your neighborhood that you pay for are unilingual, find a way to make them bilingual. Do something and fight back.

    ReplyDelete
  37. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO READERS

    I've just removed a comment from a reader concerning another comment about a south shore merchant who allegedly refused service in English to a customer and supposedly was rude.

    The commenter published the store's phone number with an eye to having some sort of action taken against the store.

    This blog will not under any circumstances publish this type of information nor condone such targeted actions against small merchants or individuals, regardless of their point of view.

    If you are offended by the merchant's action, just don't shop there and tell your friends not to shop there....
    This is what we say to Francophones who are offended to so-called 'Anglophone stores.'

    This is an appeal to readers not to 'slip in' these type of comments with phone numbers or addresses of individuals or small merchants that offend them.
    Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A much better policy than what some separatist websites have where they actually publish the names and phonenumbers of Liberal donators.

      Delete
    2. The names of all donors to political parties is a matter of public record by law in Quebec. The names of donors -- and the party to which they contribute -- who donate over a certain nominal amount (I think it's $200) are published in a large, thick book each year by the Director-General of Elections of Quebec. Indeed, I think it is even put online now.

      Not sure whether the address and phone number are published, too, but I seem to recall that at least the address was back 20 years ago when I was researching these things.

      But even if it is just the name, it is a simple matter from there to look up in other sources (such as White Pages) to get the address and phone number (at least where it isn't an unpublished number).

      So what the separatists are doing may or may not be despicable but it is certainly legal and one where the work has, by virtue of the law, already been done for them.

      Delete
    3. I read that too, seemed out of place. I thought doesn't say Anglos Name-an-shame on this piece. They know now a mistake

      Delete
    4. @Tony Kondaks
      "The names of all donors to political parties is a matter of public record by law in Quebec."

      As an ex fundraiser, I can't describe the harm the publication of donor names is to our democracy. I know this is counter-intuitive, but such is the case.

      I have a blog piece already written on the subject and will publish it when space permits. I'm going to use my experience to let you in on the secrets of the trade. .....stay tuned.

      Delete
    5. Editor:

      I look forward to it.

      If I'm recalling correctly, the reason the publishing of names of donors was put into law was to cut down on corruption. The major overhaul of the law governing political party financing was done by the PQ in their first mandate (1976). Previously, they had accused the Liberals of major corruption and the idea was that rich donors had been getting payback by getting lucrative contracts from the government. The new law limited the amount of donations as well as requiring the publication of names.

      At the time it was seen as a great progressive step forward for the cause of democracy.

      Delete
    6. I prefer Jean Chretien's law whereby parties were given a voter subsidy per vote earned during an election. He should have rid the system of the donations that could be given to political party to better limit influence peddling.

      The funny thing about the PQ was I believe they disallowed businesses from donating and yet allowed unions to do so.

      The problem with having fundraising info public is that soon everyone is harassing the same people for money, regardless of the DNC list.

      Delete
    7. Roger:

      There was (and I presume still is now) such a regime in place for Quebec. When I was active in Quebec politics some 20 years ago I believe it was 25 cents per voter (and then I think it was put up to 50 cents or a dollar a voter).

      Certainly, if unions are allowed to donate then businesses should, too, although I think only individual electors are allowed to donate in Quebec, but I am not 100% sure.

      I think it's an equitable system although the complaints that I've heard for the federal side is that it pisses off pro-federalists to know that the Bloc Quebecois gets a subsidy from the very country that they are trying to break up (I don't have much of a problem with that seeing as the Bloc is/was democratically elected).

      Delete
    8. Tony,

      Although Rene Levesque gets credit for changing the election fundraising law in Quebec, I think it would be better if Jean Chretien's per vote subsidy for party financing is adopted both federally and provincially as the SOLE means for a party to support themselves, if we are indeed interested in limiting corruption.

      Donations in Quebec, for example, can always be funnelled through private individuals to political parties from engineering and construction companies, who expect contracts in return. That is a major problem in Quebec.

      Delete
  38. Un petit révolutionnaire ? :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. ATTENTION READERS
    Just a reminder....
    This thread is approaching 200 comments, after which you will have to press the "Load More button to see the most recent comments.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Schwartz's est en feu...Comme le Québec?

    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201205/24/01-4528378-un-incendie-fait-rage-au-mythique-restaurant-schwartzs.php

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank god it was small, it's for sale or sold to new buyers

      Delete
    2. Talk about s-m-o-k-e-d meat!

      Delete
  41. Quebeckers need to stand up for this crap. I watched the whole video and nobody said anything to those dimwits while they were spreading this anglophobic, separatist garbage over the streets of bilingual Montreal. If they pulled that horse carriage through my neighbourhood I would have said something, you can bet on that. That's the problem with the situation. The anglo minority is so unjustly oppressed that we've grown used to it, and have just given up. We need to be vocal!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I wish that all householders could become more
    aware of the serious dangers posed by carbon
    monoxide poisoning. Every year more than twenty people are killed by this odourless,
    colourless gas leaking from faulty gas boilers and many hundreds more suffer health problems because of it.


    Visit my web-site; radiators not working

    ReplyDelete