Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Does Premier Charest have a Horseshoe up his Keester

Every time one assumes that Jean Charest is on the ropes, he re-invents himself like Madonna and proves that his career can be salvaged and as Celine Dion would sing, go on and on and on, forever!

I'm not going to duck responsibility, I said a fall election was unlikely unless facts on the ground moved significantly and facts have moved significantly, but whether enough to trigger an election remains to be seen.

As things stand now, there will not be an election because things are too close to call, but clearly, momentum is shifting ever so slightly towards the Liberals and all that is required is a two three percentage jump to trigger an election call.

The latest polls indicate that while Charest isn't burning any popularity records, his Liberal party is running neck and neck with  his arch rival the Parti Quebecois, an astonishing feat considering the bashing he's taken over the last couple of years. It may speak more to the public's natural uncomfortableness with Marois herself and her divisive policies and talk of unattainable sovereignty that scare the bejesus out of mainstream Quebecers.

More interesting is the fact that Francois Legault's new party, the CAQ, perceived as the one-time savoir of the province, appears to be laying quite an egg after a fireball start last year, where all indications pointed that he'd become the next premier of Quebec.
But six months is a lifetime in politics and Mr. Legault's lack of charisma, his disjointed political platform and his inability to attract star candidates, has his party polling down in the twenty percent level, something that has come to aid Mr Charest's quest for another term. It seems that the CAQ has taken more support from the PQ than the Liberals.

And so this election is decidedly a case of choosing between the lesser of two evils.

While the PQ and the Liberals are running neck and neck, something that always worked to the PQ's favour because of the way the votes fell, where they won the lion's share of the seats, that situation has actually reversed itself.
The Liberals, pretty much in a statistical tie with the Parti Quebecois, are now projected to win more seats!

That is an amazing turn around!


For more detailed polling information, go to threehundredeight.com

Most of this support is courtesy of the Quebec Solidaire party which is stealing enough votes in certain ridings to allow the Liberal candidate to nose out the PQ candidate because of separatist vote splitting.
The 8% in popular support for the QS, is more significant than it seems, as their votes are bunched in key ridings. Unlike ridings in western Montreal where their support is insignificant, elsewhere, they poll up to 15% or 20%, all of which comes out of the PQ total.
By my calculations, this QS support will allow Liberal candidates to 'steal' up to nine ridings.

Remember when I told you that the Premier wouldn't call an election any time soon because he was in danger of losing his own riding of Sherbrooke?
Well, that too has turned around, again courtesy to a powerful showing by QS, which is polling at about 14% in that riding, all the votes coming directly out of the pocket of the PQ.
Mr. Charest now has a 5-8% lead in the riding.
It's like the Red Sea parting for Moses and the Israelites and who knows, perhaps Mr. Charest is benefiting from some sort of devine intervention.

The two QS candidates projected to win their seats are of course, none other than Amir Khadir and his co-president Francoise David, both will win their Montreal ridings comfortably.

Don't feel too bad, these ridings traditionally belonged to the PQ and the voting block that represents the QS will assure that the Liberals are in position to form a government, either majority, minority or leading a coalition government (my favorite choice.)

As for the talk of uniting separatist forces, there's nothing really in it for the Quebec Solidaire, the PQ is unlikely to give up any seats to accommodate them and there's nothing in it for the QS to withdraw candidates so that the PQ can win a majority, a case where the QS would become redundant.
Better for Khadir to face off with Charest and company than with Marois, which would be a disastrous situation as QS would have to stake out a position farther to the left of the PQ, or as they say in baseball, way out in left field.
Madame Marois could never offer any QS politico a place in her cabinet, in return for not running candidates, so for the QS there's really nothing to gain from cooperation, much to the hand-wringing of die-hard separatists who know that a uniting of all separatists forces is the only way to power.

And so it seems that the stars are aligning for the Liberals.

A big part of the decision to call an election depends on the students, who are promising to start up protests again this fall.

The public has soured on the whole student thing and the 'red square' has become a symbol of entitlement and radicalism. The number of wearers has dropped dramatically as abuse, some physical, is being directed at wearers. There are stories of 'red squares being denied access to bars and restaurants for 'political reasons' and recently Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the most famous of the student leaders was told in no uncertain terms by the mayor of Trois Pistoles that he wasn't welcome to attend a city sponsored event. Link{Fr}

For the students, whether they realize it or not, the tide has turned, even the PQ know it. Thus the party has unceremoniously dumped the red square from its web site and Pauline removed the telltale sign from her attire weeks ago.
The controversial video that the Liberals put out of her banging pots was devastating, despite the brave face she put up. She looked the right fool, not someone you'd want for Premier.

I've added subtitles for your enjoyment.



They say a brave man can endure torture for many hours, but if the torturer stops and gives the victim a break, the anticipation of the next round of pain is enough to break even the strongest of characters.

After a summer of relative calm, if the students start their destructive tactics once again, whatever support they have will crumble. They are old news.

Another blocked bridge or classroom, a riot or two, and Charest can think about rearranging the furniture in his office, we'll have an election for sure.

Even if things remain the same, as described in the poll above with the seat count giving the Liberals a minority government, things can also work out well.

Instead of ruling from a minority, Charest can form a coalition government with the CAQ, with he as Premier and Legault as vice-Premier.
Let's face it the two parties aren't far apart politically and the stability will offer both parties something they desperately want....power.

Five years of a Charest/Legault coalition sounds like a better deal to me than a PQ government.

Ah, perchance to dream.....

86 comments:

  1. You sound so shocked. The people in the Liberal Party machine are geniuses. They pull victories out of their asses, time and again. One of their strengths in being underestimated. The plan to raise tuition fees and the buffalo stance was genius. If he keeps it up, Charest will be back. People are fed up with the socialist elites. Charest knew enough to tap into that frustration.

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  2. When the student strikes began and the PQunt wasted no time getting behind the students, I knew that they were handing Charest a lifeline. Such fucking arrogance from the seppies. All they had to do was wait it out and they were in with a majority. What greedy, racist morons!
    What I want is for the Liberals to win a majority and for the PQunt to implode. Much like last year but with more fireworks. Then maybe Legault can get booted from the CAQ and we can have a genuinely fresh face running that party.

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    1. You won't have to wait long for that implosion. The only reason they didn't replace Marois the first time around is because they sensed that an election was near. The PQ has a clear history of giving any leader who doesn't bring victory a nice shiny knife in the back. Of all the PQ leaders who've been given this treatment in recent years, none will have deserved it more than Matante Poule-in.

      Delete
    2. LOL PQunt Funny LOL.

      If the moderator approved your message, he should approve mine too.

      Delete
    3. Dear ADMIN

      Could you please change your screen name, it is a bit deceiving....

      Delete
    4. Certainly not more deceiving than some of the comments here.

      Delete
  3. We can put all the pros and cons in the perspective columns for each of the main parties and almost all the points will look the same except for one important factor, RACISM!!

    Living here all our lives and found the political machine is designed to favor the politicians, not us. The insult is bad enough, but when you add the injury to our soul that is racism, you know there’s no way the disgusting Partie Québécois, political wing of the FLQ can ever get the vote of anyone who wants to live with some measure of humanity!!

    Of course we need a change, and the only way to get it is to dismantle the racist parties so that we can have competition between parties. The way for this to even have a chance of ever happening is another five years of Jean Charest.

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  4. Let me get this straight, Premier "Goldlocks" Charest getting re-elected for a 4th term is considered a good thing?

    Only in Quebec would Anglophones believe another 5 years of oppression and being stripped of their basic rights be something to cheer and celebrate. Has anyone even paid the slightest attention to the evils the Quebec Liberals have done recently? Now if the PQ were totally obliterated of all their seats, like their Bloc Quebecois cousins, then, and only then, might this play out as an interesting election. Otherwise this is all an exercise in futility.

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    1. Ah, Apple, you obviously forgot about the Election of '73, when Bou-Bou won 102 of 110 constituencies. In reality, he wasn't THAT popular, but he managed to out-vote the PQ just enough in many, many ridings. Next thing he got so full of himself that he called another election less than four years later and voilà...Bou-Bou lost the election, he lost his seat and he was out of Quebec for five years, but lo and behold, he ran again for the PLQ leadership in '83 and won it all back. His flower grew again in his own manure. Only in Quebec!

      John James "Goldilocks" Charest is proving history is repeating itself, and it can only happen in Quebec. Bou-Bou and Goldilocks both have 18 horseshoes up their asses, let alone one!

      I reckon there are too few choices in Quebec to vote for rather than the PLQ machine employing geniuses who know how stupid the electorate really is! I guess this will mean more alienation of the minorities with Goldilocks hiring more language police people, and at least four more Quebec government ministries refusing to speak English to their clients, assuming the conversion rate is one ministry per year.

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    2. Sauga,

      I asked you a final question in our continuing discussion two blogs back witch was:

      In your heart of hearts, wouldn't you rather have OurCanada remain proud and free from coast to coast with its new EleventhCanadianProvince of Montreal?

      You answered:

      Yes I'd prefer a coast-to-coast [-to-coast] uninterrupted border on the U.S., but the reality is not that way and there is no indication Quebec will be adopting mainstream Canada's pluralistic values anytime soon.

      So, I remind you that Montreal and surrounding areas has mainstream Canada's pluralistic values and you bloody well know it!

      You assume much, but offer only the alternative, which is even more racism. How you, of all people can show an utter disregard for your brethren in this province (3 or 4 million strong) to want them to fall in the HateCamp of the QuébécoisRacistTaliban PQ is disheartening to say the least!

      Of all the powerful societies in our history, the one that celebrates the notion of freedom as the Greeks had defined it, are the English. If the Greeks were able to survive 450 years of barbaric Turkish rule, surely you can’t believe that Montrealers will ever yield to the RacistTaliban.

      No! You have it wrong! Charest for 4 or 5 more years will damage the QuébécoisRacistTaliban far more than it will the proud AngloCanadians of this Province...

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    3. Charest for 4 or 5 more years will damage the QuébécoisRacistTaliban far more than it will the proud AngloCanadians of this Province...

      Huh? Charest is as much the source of Quebec's xenophobia and close minded ignorance as the Parti Quebecois. He and his party are not our salvation, they are part of the problem. Seriously, PQ, PLQ or CAQ, they are all stand against what Canada is....freedom, acceptance and equality. They are the antithesis of Canadian values, and they ALL disgust me.

      Quebec is caught in an endless vicious cycle, I'm utterly convinced it will never change here (well, at least not in any of our life times). Unless you have another Equality Party form a future government here, and bloody fat chance of that, the only other solution is to remove Quebec from Canada.

      Delete
    4. Well, there is one move that can break the stalemate...but it would take balls, and I mean big balls - to draft an anti-sedition law that would render illegal the existence of sovereignist movements.

      Otherwise, when you check out the latest verbal diarrhea from Mathieu Bock-Côté... http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2012/07/24/les-souverainistes-sont-ils-racistes-

      ...that vicious cycle will remain intact until someone steps in and takes a controversial, but very necessary action.

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    5. Apple IIGS,
      You're giving the racists what they want; your surrender!! Do you know the meaning of Country?!

      Harvey,
      Under who's watch do you see that "controversial, but very necessary action" taking place? the FLpQ of the man the QuébécoisRacistTaliban FLpQ wants to kill?

      Delete
    6. Harvey,
      Under who's watch do you see that "controversial, but very necessary action" taking place? the FLpQ,
      or the man the QuébécoisRacistTaliban FLpQ wants to kill?

      Delete
    7. GD: You wrote: "So, I remind you that Montreal and surrounding areas has mainstream Canada's pluralistic values and you bloody well know it!

      In all fairness, my lady and I went to St-Denis a few years ago to do some shopping, and I must state the merchants were accommodating when it came to English. One merchant struggled a lot but she made the effort. Impressive! I guess the motto in the private sector is «Ici on commerce en argent froid et dur.» I guess in business it's the money that does the talking, at least in the Montreal area. Outside that realm, you're on your own. Too, the government deals in information, except for Revenue and a few selected areas, so no money, no accommodation. Even public transit has its troublemakers and don't they depend on ridership for money?

      If the Quebec society is as milk and honey as you want me to believe, GD, why is the public service tightening the screws on the public? Even the head of the OQLF suggests speaking to tourists in French whether they understand it or not. That's narishkite!*

      *Yiddish word meaing stupid, idiotic, crazy.

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    8. Sauga,

      Your lady and you went to St-Denis a few years ago?
      I was on St-Denis a few minutes ago!
      Are we to believe that you condemn our way of life by looking through a keyhole?

      Again, I remind you that there are more than 4million of us in
      Montreal and surrounding areas who have mainstream Canadian pluralistic values, and you bloody well know it!!

      Wtf are you saying? that you don’t like that the whole country is not the way you want, it so you’re pushing a final solution of your own?

      If you give a damn, HELP US!

      Delete
    9. GD, you've got to be a troll. I've tried to help. Galganov is still at war. He toted the banner as high as if not higher than other minority activists including a morning radio show on an English station in Montreal.

      He ended up having as many if not more problems from the English media than he did the French. He's an entrepreneur in private business and while he was doing his show there were opportunity costs, i.e., he could have made more money in his business than the did doing the radio show, but in addition to language activism, he raised money for the needy in the communities, so it wasn't in vain; nevertheless, for all he did, the minority community that should have risen up to work WITH Howard instead were even more antagonistic.

      With the number of departures of the minorities exceeding arrivals, the point of fighting from within is becoming lost and futile. Physician, heal thyself.

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    10. wtf man?

      You resort to calling me a troll because you cant shake the truth that you coward from here, and continuously take pot shots at us from your OntarioIvoryTower?

      You are about yourself and show no empathy for your countrymen! Shame on you!!

      Give the racists part of OurCountry and then try to partition it?
      That's more than narishkite!!!

      Delete
  5. Editor, I'm surprised at you. While coalition governments appear good on paper because of the compromising, it slows down the wheels of parliamentary procedure, and even worse, the compromises cost more money. Then again, it brings Quebec closer to its inevitable debt Armageddon...

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    1. I believe Editor is thinking, anything but the racists!!

      Delete
  6. Yes, another five years of the Liberals led by Charest is a good thing. Mr Charest is walking a tight rope. It's a fine line between the Francophones that vote Liberal because they know what to expect and the ones who would switch to PQ if Charest did anything for the English. I personally have trust in him.
    None of the corruption in Quebec has pointed at him. He looked bad because he hesitated to call for an
    investigation but he also wanted to stay alive. As soon as he had help and backing of Ducheneseau he went ahead. So let's wait it out and see what happens. Give it a chance. The failing Quebec infrastructure was done by the PQ who stopped painting bridges and doing upkeep inspections. The only way he could clean it up would be to raise taxes. He projects stability which we need desperately. If He runs saying give me a mandate and I'll stabilize the province, I'm sure he would get it. edbrown@bell.net

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  7. "Remove Quebec from Canada" How do you plan to do it
    with a whiteout on a map. Will you also so callously
    whiteout our homes, our income. Should we dig up our loved ones buried here and bring them along.
    Don't speak for the English hjere you obviously know nothing about them. We are in Canada, our people fought and died to be here and live in peace and serenity. We have no intention of wiping it out because you hate all our political parties. We are happy to stay here and fight for our rights. edbrown@bell.net

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    1. Merci Edbrown!!

      The Proud Anglo Canadians are not alone!
      Count on nearly all BilingualFrancoCanadians, nearly all Alo Canadians, and a shit load of UnilingualFrancoCanadians!!

      That's easily more than 60% of the province!, and that, without the call for LA PROVINCE CANADIENNE DE MONTREAL!!

      Delete
    2. @ Anonymous, 5:31 AM...

      Don't speak for the English hjere you obviously know nothing about them.

      Oh, really? You might be surprised to learn I am ONE of them! Not only do I currently live in Montreal, I was born here and have family roots going back a few generations.

      I am not oblivious to what goes on in Quebec, it quite frankly puts me in a rage. There's not a day that goes by where I am not fuming about this province. I would like nothing more than to see change in this province, but I know it will never happen. At this point I would so much rather leave this province and live somewhere where all this crap with language politics, racism, corruption, animal abuse, etc is not in my face every single day. And whether I'm still here or not, this province has no place within Canadian confederation. If you think otherwise, we might as well invite Iran or China to join as new Canadian provinces. Quebec is the antithesis of Canada.

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    3. Apple IIGS,
      You're giving the racists what they want; your surrender!! Do you know the meaning of Country?!

      STAND UP and FIGHT!!!

      Delete
    4. Mr. Sauga toApple IIGS & all our other loyal readers and contributorsThursday, July 26, 2012 at 12:18:00 AM EDT

      Take a look at this: http://www.galganov.com/editorials.asp?id=1478

      OK, GD, are you going to partake in what is available in the portal link above?

      Delete
    5. I asked you if you know Dr. Roopnarine Singh.

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

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  8. Harvey Dent sunk my battleshipWednesday, July 25, 2012 at 6:37:00 AM EDT

    I agree with James John and Gens Denis about the PQ's fate after this election.

    If the PLQ succeeds in forcing out the majority, Pauline Marois will be ousted and the notorious PQ infighting will begin and this time, that infighting will prove fatal.

    A PLQ re-election would give Charest up to five more years to groom a star-successor who would take his place mid-term to give him/her a good couple of years of face time before another election.

    Right now, the PLQ is in a perfect position to divide and conquer all of its opponents.

    We already covered what would happen to the PQ, but what about the CAQ?

    Gone.

    Legault not only lacks charisma, he doesn't have a formal stance. I mean come on... "We're neither left wing or right wing, we're neither federalist or sovereignist."

    Well, good for you then - you're neither getting my vote, or the next guy's vote.

    Quebec Solidaire? Well, put it to you this way: I'm a federalist aaaaannnd a capitalist, but I will vote for the QS in the next election.

    Wait, why would I ever do that?

    Simple - I live in Rosemont-Petite Patrie, where the PLQ has ZERO chance of getting elected, so there's no point wasting a ballot...but since Francoise David is the candidate here, she has an excellent
    chance of stealing a seat away from Marois.

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    1. If Charest wins a majority he will be like some kind of beast that the seps can‘t conquer. He‘s in their heads already, what with someone hacking Le Devoir 2 years ago to say he died of a heartattack and the “Charest in a trunk“ rallying cry at the separacist student protests. All wishful thinking on their part.
      Just imagining the tantrum thrown when he wins makes me giddy despite all his flaws.

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    2. If John James "Goldilocks" Charest is in for another half decade, the debt Armageddon scenario will be that many steps closer to happening. If the students are beefing now, WAIT!

      The youth of Quebec are already getting screwed, so an intergenerational war is getting nearer. I heard the Quebec government has cut a lot of jobs to part-time. For five hours less work per week, they've butchered the benefits the Boomer full-time civil servants are enjoying to the fullest. What will happen to those RREGOPpers (i.e., the gold-plated pension plan some Boomer civil servants started collecting in their early 50s) when the money runs out? The Greeks swallowed bitter pills for their fiscal irresponsibility! This is just the beginning of Generation Screwed's beefing!

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    3. If there's anything the Quebec needs to do more of, it's to cut (read: GUT) spending in the public sector.

      I mean, just look at Montreal for instance. Toronto is 2.5 times the size of MTL, but here we have 3 fucking times the number of seats in the municipal assembly.

      As for the students, they have nothing to whine about and it won't be long until the voters of La Belle Pro show them what's up.

      Like I mentioned in yesterday's post - in winning a majority, Charest has to know that it would be the Liberal's last ride for a few years and go apeshit with reforming this province.

      ...Starting with reforms to the public unions.

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    4. Actually, Harvey, in a real sense the students have what to beef about. David Foote, in his 1990s book Boom, Bust and Echo wrote how there will be intergenerational disputes as the younger generation become inreasingly frustrated trying to get the better jobs. There is a glut of Boomers, Gen-Xers, etc. in the pipe now, and hiring part-time has become the norm as employers don't want to pay benefits as they have.

      You're quite right about overrepresentation in municipal government. This has forever been the case. Why do you think taxes are higher and services less in Montreal than Toronto? For well-paved roads and clean, pristine parks though, you have to come to Mississauga!

      A friend of mine in NDG who organizes baseball games compared the disgusting parks in Montreal where the facilities don't work and the grounds look like a battlefield vs. the much nicer Hampstead Park that is well-kept. He organizes as many games in Hampstead as he could as dealing with the municipal employees in Montreal is like dealing with Jason from Friday the 13th! First, they want a cheque before they'll even talk with you.

      In Montreal, you don't get what you pay for, because you pay for underworked and overpaid do-nothing union members.

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    6. Did someone hear something? Kinda sounded like a little seppie being crushed beneath the weight of his own stupidity...

      ...Guess I'm just hearing things.

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    7. Our resident separatist troll is posting as 'Doug Nutt' now, because his 'doughnut' postings are being removed by the Editor.

      I can't understand why he keeps associating doughnuts with Anglophones. There are 500 doughnut selling Tim Hortons locations spread out across the width and breadth of Quebec.

      Delete
  9. John James Charest marche présentement sur un fil...Une seule petite gaffe et lui et ses vieux "liberals" sont cuits :)

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  10. Funny how the racists couldn‘t capitalize on Law 78 despite how the media played it up.

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    1. No, but they sure got a victory (an ugly one, at that) over the Habs' coaching fiasco. Cunnyworth was thrown under the bus before he could do anything. If he was smart, he just kept his suitcases packed during his whistle stop in Montreal.

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    2. Blame the weak ass Geoff Molson for that.

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    3. Right you are, JJ! Molson indeed is a spineless jellyfish--a 7th generation, who like Paris Hilton, has to make noise to let the world know she's privileged because of her pedigree. Actually, Hilton far exceeds Molson at self-promotion.

      Delete
  11. Par contre les médias font bien leur travail sur l'anglicisation de notre ville.


    Résultat:L'embauche de plusieurs agents (OQLF) supplémentaires.Merci Johnny boy :)

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

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    2. notre ville?

      R.S,

      You can't legislate pride!

      We are not Québécois! Nous sommes Montréales!

      VIVE LA PROVINCE CANADIENNE DE MONTREAL!!

      Delete
  12. Out of topic comment.

    S.R,

    You wrote in the previous posts about violent crimes in Toronto. Look at these numbers. It is the crime severity index and you can see that Montreal is included with the worse half of Canadian metropolitan areas.

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    1. To be fair, Quebec City is the SAFEST of all the 'big' cities in Canada.

      By far. Its crime index almost a third that of Winnipeg.

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    2. What percentage of the population of Quebec City works for the government at any level?

      Delete
  13. @GensDenis

    A style question I've had for the last few weeks as I read your post: why the compound nouns with mixed upper and lower case? Is there a significance to these terms that I should be seeing or is it simply a whimsical style choice?

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    1. Yes App, this is a way of emphasizing certain terms while making them mini titles and sub headings for the AntiRacism projects that we have in the works.

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    2. "...AntiRacism projects that we have in the works."

      Vous avez commencé à prendre des cours de français?

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    3. I guess I'd have to since the "french" I learned was in QuébécoisSeparatistFactories that you racists call Schools!!!

      Delete
  14. these ridings traditionally belonged to the PQ and the voting block that represents the QS will assure that the Liberals are in position to form a government, either majority, minority or leading a coalition government (my favorite choice.)

    @Editor: why is the latter your favorite choice?

    Does this just reflect your a preference due to your own right-leaning tendencies or is there a cultural/tactical purpose to it?

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    1. I've never hidden the fact that Jean Charest is a personal friend and my criticism of him is always tempered.
      That being said, you wouldn't necessarily want your friend to date your sister.

      I think that a coalition with the more conservative CAQ would help right a government that has been adrift and which hopefully will result in a shift in priorities.
      It's clear that the government has run out of gas and perhaps the CAQ can provide some energy.

      But in the end it's...ABPQ (anything but the PQ)

      Delete
    2. Fair enough...

      What's your opinion on the way Legault "handled" the Kamal Lutfi thing this past weekend?

      For all the talk about the Liberals being nothing but the PQ in slow motion, are you, Editor personally ready for and comfortable with a union with a party headed by an ex-separatist who is more than willing to oust an immigrant for having the balls to speak out in the open against the ugly truth that the separatist establishment would desperately wish we'd shut up about?

      Was this merely an act of political expediency for Legault in a supposedly pre-election period, or is your so-called "setting aright" of our political culture really nothing more than new makeup on the same old separatist pig in new/slightly repurposed political garb?

      It's still the old guard in Quebec, Editor, and I'm not so proud. The French-Canadian equivalent of the Orange Order hasn't yet died and I suspect it'll be a few decades still before any change in a more cooperative, open, and conciliatory tone with ourselves and with our geographical neighbors will take place.

      Delete
    3. Apparatchik, in your G&M article link above, one of the commenters mentions the MSMQuebec.com website, which proposes trying to find a “permanent, long-term solution to the Quebec debate that works for all sides, thus effectively dealing with the historical anomaly we all find ourselves in once and for all” (or at least for 50 years). They call it “Quebec 3.0” and/or “Mutual Sovereignty”.

      The gist of it is to have a redefinition (not partition) of the present-day Quebec (to be renamed “New Quebec”) into 3 sub-states, which would be determined according to a plebiscite (not a referendum) held using the current provincial electoral boundaries as the basis. Those ridings voting for Quebec sovereignists/separatists will belong to the “Eastern Quebec” sub-state; those voting for Quebec federalists will belong to “Western Quebec” and the third sub-state would be for “Aboriginal Quebec”. New taxation, budget and transfer payment conditions would be applied to each sub-state. For example, Eastern Quebecers would get a Quebec passport to replace their Canadian one and would stop receiving any transfer payments from the ROC; Western Quebecers would retain their Canadian passports and continue to be taxed both federally and provincially, and so on. The guarantee of French language protection would be perpetual but made to the degree of each region’s choice. Economic success would replace linguistic control as the basis for political parties. (Full details are available on their website.)

      At first glance, it sounds like a pretty pie-in-the-sky idea but it also sounds like a genuine effort at finding a new idea to try and break the current logjam. At any rate, I thought I’d bring it to the attention of blog members, who might like to chime in with their opinions on this new effort to find a suitable solution.


      Also, for any of you who like to listen to podcasts while surfing the net (or reading this blog), the CBC Radio 1 show “Radio Noon” with Bernie St-Laurent has a segment discussing the Lufti thing (entitled “CAQ drops candidate”). The call-in comments by listeners are quite interesting and seem to indicate a uniformly negative attitude towards the CAQ by anglos as a result of this (and also by one Acadian @8:30 who finds the situation in Quebec “laughable”… Yannick may be interested in that one when he comes back from holiday).

      Delete
    4. MSM = Pollyanna

      Fageddaboudit! The separatists are determined to take ALL of Quebec and it's indivisible [LOL,L,L]! First Quebec should separate, then it should partition with RoC making the final call if any of the partitioned jurisdictions could re-join the fold (Montreal with the least amount of problems, the rest? Well...)

      For Montreal to come back into the fold, one condition would be the Habs would have to hire an Anglophone head coach for 25 years! Another would be the complete abolition of Bill 101 and any laws making French the only official language of the jurisdiction. Oh...and no, I don't want to see an attempt at abolishing French altogether. School boards and the jurisdictional government should be encouraged to make second language immersion a goal of education with those unable to handle the curriculum not forced to do so.

      This is just one person's agenda, and I'm sure there would be as many agendas as there are people, each one as unique as a snowflake or one's DNA.

      Any comments on this, fellow readers?

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    5. I strongly support the separation of Montreal from Quebec in the event of winning Yes vote.

      However, just to draw a little further on the idea, I wanted to pull attention to Allen Nutik's proposal for a new province of Laurier:

      http://affiliationquebec.ca/en/release-20080221-TheProvinceofLaurier.html

      To tell you the truth, I would love for a group to initiate an MTL separatist group even before the next provincial referendum.

      Delete
    6. Sauga,


      You want to give the racists a country, and then try to partition it?
      If you continuously allow the implementation of “Goldilocks” when speaking of Premier Charest, allow my repeating:

      ---------------------------------------------------
      “P” is for PROVINCE, not for partition!!

      The PROVINCE DE MONTRÉAL Movement represents the will and sentiment of more thanamillion Montrealers already.

      “P” is for Province and it is about helping our brothers in the RoC to understand that we are not all ethnocentric xenophobe separatists.

      “P” is for Province and it is about helping our brothers in the RoQ understand that Our Country, Canada works!!

      We are not Québécois. Nous Somme Montréalais!

      We denounce the word partition because it is a word designed to segregate. Province is about the will of French Canadians Wanting to remain Canadian along side, and with our English and ethnic Brothers.

      Note that the legal mechanism for the 11th or 12th Canadian Province is in place and it is not treason to ask from Our Country, Canada and from The Governor General permission and affirmation of such.

      VIVE LA PROVINCE CANADIENNE DE MONTREAL!!
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------

      And Sauga, I find you taking potshots at us from your OntarioIvoryTower, saber rattling and your polemic aptitude disturbing, since you’ve arranged to not have your hide be caught in the crossfire!!

      Delete
    7. Harvey Dent,

      I thought my answer to a racist a while back could shed some light at how more ready than not we are...


      is all you can say as the ground shifting under your hate cult is about to knock you off your Pauline Antoinette pedestal, since creating the 11th or 12th Canadian Province is as realizable as gerrymandering?

      Wow! I do feel sorry for you. You have been bred in those Separatist Factories you call Schools that stole from you the ability to understand that being French does not automatically make you a racist traitor.

      In 40+ years of government hate propaganda you have not been able to convince more than 30% of Quebec French People to join your cult. Of those who have, almost 99% speak only French. (See formula/recipe bellow)

      (separatist factory + separatist QC French language media = lobster pot)

      The reason you have failed is that you miscalculate how good a People French Canadians are and what Country really means. So put all the sticks in the countless many wheels of
      LA PROVINCE CANADIENNE DE MONTREAL Movement
      that you want. We won’t hate you, because we know that you have been cheated out of your Country Canada by a self serving special interest minority that wants to be the big fish in a smaller pond.

      And to answer your simple minded question, the premiere of
      LA PROVINCE CANADIENNE DE MONTREAL
      will not be a racist!!

      Delete
    8. sorry Harvey,
      His question was:

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

      Delete
    10. @Cat: I think the proposal is full of shit. ENOUGH of this crap about accommodating the intangibles a bunch of snivelly whiners who've had their cake and eaten it too for over half a century now. Confederation was deliberately implemented as a way to accommodate French-Canadian concerns about self-determination and it seems there's an element in this province that has exploited much since then as a gradualist push for separation.

      Quebec is Canadian. It's time we realize we are responsible for promoting our existence as French-Canadians within a united Canada. We have much more to gain when we don't act like spoiled teenagers with byzantine arrangements about "boundaries", "borders", "responsibilities"... Enough fucking bullshit.

      Delete
  15. I don‘t get the Goldilocks reference

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    Replies
    1. It's this eye-rollingly pseudo-polemical manner of his to refer to Charest. Part of it has to do with the fact the the two share curly blond hair and also that according to Sauga, Charest -- like Goldilocks -- blows both hot and cold on various topics.

      If you stick around long enough (or read enough of the archives), you'll see he does it practically every time he writes Charest's name. Yes, it's fucking annoying as hell, since we got his point the first time, but it's not your blog or mine. There's admittedly a streak of repetitiveness among some which makes the comments section of this blog mind-numbingly inane at times. Develop an immunity, skip the comment, or skip the comments section altogether.

      Delete
    2. Actually, App, I like your anology in the 2nd part. Never thought of his blowing hot and cold wind! He is indeed a wind bag! I think the guy is a big hypocritical SOB for first behaving like "Captain Canada" during the 1995 Referendum and then turning on the minorities by hiring more tongue troopers, a wicked witch running the OQLF who makes a policy that speaking French to tourists whether they understand French or not and stating 50% + 1 votes is sufficient for separation. Oh, and now under his tutelage one government department after another is refusing to speak English to those who opt for English. Half his heritage is English, and he has turned on his own.

      He didn't even help that one child whose siblings function well in school in French but he didn't, and the fascist charter itself provides for those who have severe learning challenges and other exemption on humanitarian grounds. JJC didn't lift a goddamn finger to help this child. He let his shark minions in the Ministry of Education eat him alive--or go to Delaware (where his mother was from) to obtain an English education.

      Don't like my constant embellishment of JJC's full legal name? Tough!

      Delete
  16. De plus en plus de Québécois aimeraient expulser Montréal hors du Québec et j'en fait partie.

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    Replies
    1. That would be good. But, it still won't give you a QC country because, as I said above:

      In 40+ years of government hate propaganda you have not been able to convince more than 30% of Quebec French People to join your cult. Of those who have, almost 99% speak only French. (See formula/recipe below)

      (SeparatistFactory "schools" + separatist QC French language media = lobster pot)

      This formula/recipe is unsustainable unless you employ force.
      Your QuébécoisRace title is forced on us, but we don't accept! We know that you have been cheated out of your Country Canada by a self serving special interest minority that wants to be the big fish in a smaller pond.

      If you believe that we live surrounded by a sea of English, then it's time to learn to swim!!

      Delete
    2. Je préfère la propagande Québécoise à la propagande canadienne,merci.

      Delete
    3. Canada doesn't need propaganda. Everybody loves what we are, except the racists!!

      Delete
    4. "Everybody loves what we are"

      Sauf les canadiens eux-même...Car ils aimeraient tellement être américains.

      Delete
  17. I like the reference to separatism as a cult. Indeed it is, the same as the Moonies and other groups of crackpots. The only difference is that sepatists belong to a subgroup within cults, namely, bigots. I do not care for the term racist because their hatred is towards English speakers, not any race in particular.

    I think it would be interesting to have some of these bigots come on this blog to answer questions about their views. For example, I would like to know their views on Amir Khadir, what their vision is of a separate Quebec post partition, why they think that they have been unable to put forward a clear question within the meaning of the Clarity Act, what benefits would be achieved for the general population of Quebec by independence, how would daily life be different if Quebec were independent post partition, how many embassies would Quebec open and who would be employed as ambassadors and consuls around the world, how secure would be thevUebec Pension Plan post independence, what effect would independence post partition have on the credit rating of Quebec, whether they believe that Quebec post independence would be able to negotiate entry into NAFTA on the same terms as presently exist, whether Quebec post independence could satisfy the US government as to the security threat that could be posed by its new immigration policies which would encourage immigration from ARab countries where French is spoken

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Étrangement sans le pétrole provenant de ces pays,l'économie des É.U s'écroulerait comme un château de cartes.L' "american brainwashing" est efficace chez nos voisins canadiens.

      Delete
    2. Perhaps he speaks of the American worry regarding security threats coming from Quebec because of Ahmed Ressam, the so-called “Millennium Bomber” who tried to blow up Los Angeles airport. He was Algerian, attended terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and lived in east-end Montreal for many years. He attempted to enter using a fake French passport, claimed refugee status when caught and lived off welfare benefits and theft while here. He lived with other Algerian immigrants in an apartment building that was later identified by international police as the headquarters of a Montreal cell connected to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.

      Delete
  18. "... their hatred is towards English speakers" et "...would encourage immigration from ARab countries"

    Et la haine de certains est envers les arabes surtout si ils sont francophones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you smell what Harvey Dent is Cooking!Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 3:25:00 PM EDT

      Lost in translation...

      Though it's worded in a touchy way, I will admit, I don't believe his intention was to project any ill-will towards immigrants from Arab nations.

      I believe he was merely trying to project the U.S. security and immigration's stance on members of Arab societies filtering into America and posing a potential threat.

      I know you guys, Doug Nutt & Yannick, love to hate anyone and anything that isn't white, francophone (pure wool) and Québécois, but that doesn't mean everyone is as bitter and spiteful as you two are.

      I won't deny that racism exists in every culture...to deny that is pure idiocy...but the difference between the separatists and the followers of this blog is this:

      1. The followers of this blog oppose the close-minded, closed-spirited nature and isolationism that the entire sovereignist movement is rooted in. They oppose you because they don't agree with you closing off contact between different people.

      2. You oppose entire groups of people. Doug Nutt has consistently published posts that both directly and indirectly show he believes in francophone/Québécois superiority...that "his" people are higher quality of human being than Anglophones, Canadians and Americans.

      And that's why the separatist movement keeps falling flat on it's face...

      ...because in the end, the bad guys always lose.

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    2. "Can you smell what Harvey Dent is Cooking!"

      Un pâté chinois version rive sud de Québec?Avec du ketchup américain?

      Delete
    3. En passant Harvey,il n'est pas interdit de communiquer dans ta langue maternelle sur ce blogue.

      Delete
    4. Harvey Dent Wants SR to Make Him A SandwichThursday, July 26, 2012 at 4:02:00 PM EDT

      J'avoue que t'as raison sur ce point. À venir bientôt: des discours anti-souverainiste EN français.

      For those of you who didn't understand the French part, my common sense will now be broadcast in Canada's TWO OFFICIAL languages when the source comes from a francophone.

      Delete
    5. La plupart des intervenants sur ce blogue sont Québécois (feedjit à droite de l'écran) alors laisse tomber ton cri planétaire d'anglo opprimé,surtout que tu es un Québécois francophone.

      Au fait,au baloney ton sandwich?

      Delete
    6. Don't Fuck With Harvey Dent's SandwichThursday, July 26, 2012 at 5:41:00 PM EDT

      Franchement, t'est pas mal cheap!

      Du baloney!

      Voilà ta recette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQX2kC1jUB8

      Delete
  19. BTW, check out the haters in this piece: http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2012/07/25/un-phenomene-web-bien-de-chez-nous#disqus_thread

    If Epic Meal Time was comprised of francophones, they would have been given high-fives and back-pats up the yang....but of course, they're "filthy West Islanders" so why not shit all over their accomplishments.

    And that's the problem in a nutshell...we're talking about a thin-skinned movement perpetuated by visionless, uninspired do-nothings who hate anyone and everyone who has ever accomplished something in life.

    Keep hating, kiddies...we're getting shit done and living well while you keep on whining that "life ain't fair" and that "Anglo culture keeps you down."

    Oh and for any little whiners complaining that Canada is keeping them down...two words for you: Guy Laliberté.

    Self-made francophone who got shit done while you guys thought voting YES would make a difference.

    While you were unhappy with your life and voting YES thinking it would change your life Laliberté was unhappy with his circumstances and voted YES for himself.

    There's no way around it - you have NO excuses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. De la merde pour ados attardées et gaspillage de nourriture inutile.Lorsqu'on est conscient que plusieurs enfants crèvent littéralement de faim ce genre d'"accomplissement" nous donne la nausée.

      Quelle pathétique mentalité.

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    2. "De la merde pour ados attardées et gaspillage de nourriture inutile.Lorsqu'on est conscient que plusieurs enfants crèvent littéralement de faim ce genre d'"accomplissement" nous donne la nausée.

      Quelle pathétique mentalité."

      Translation - I have fuck all going on in my life and no aspirations to accomplish anything. Man, does it ever piss me off to see something so simplistic take off and make its creators successful, while I continue to accomplish NOTHING in life.

      Inquiètes-toi pas...le 1er Août arrive...t'auras bientôt ton chèque de BS mon p'tit Bougon mal nourri.

      Delete
  20. It wasn't Anglo culture that kept French Canadians down, it was their own. Franco families with six or ten kids found out that having babies is one thing but feeding and clothing them as teens was something else. In my day in Verdun most boys were put to work at 14 or 15 to help the family. Usually on a bike delivering groceries. There was four English elementary schools and two high schools in Verdun. There was 11 French elementary schools and only one high school that went as high as grade ten. It was lack of education that held the franco culture down. Some blame this on the Catholic church's stand on birth control but whatever the facts are there. When they say the English bosses would not hire French it's not the case. My Father with 50 years service as Auditor of passenger accounts for Canadian National had a very high position but his pull could not get me a job driving truck for them with only grade 8. They wanted grade 9 minimum. ed. edbrown@bell.net

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