Monday, September 24, 2012

Xenophobes and Racists. If the Shoe Fits...

Luce Cloutier & Mario Beaulieu. If the shoe fits, wear it!
On Friday I promised a piece about xenophobia and racism as it pertains to the radical French language and sovereignty movement in Quebec.
This in response to Quebec language militant Mario Beaulieu taking great exception that some in the English mainstream press and within the blogosphere (sites like ours,) had the audacity to use these terms in describing the PQ, Pauline Marois and the radical language movement.

Here is the type of thing Mr. Beaulieu is complaining about;
“Xenophobia” is applicable because it literally refers to a fear of the other. It’s not a pretty word. It pains me to use it when describing those who shape the discourse in my home province. When Quebec nationalists speak incessantly about the “Anglo threat...,” 

There’s no denying the furor that would ensue if Quebec politicians spoke of the “Arab threat,” or the “Chinese threat.” When one of the province’s most popular radio hosts, Benoît Dutrizac, mocks the Anglo accents of veteran, bilingual Montreal city councillors, where is the outrage? And had Charles Adler imitated a Québécois accent; what then? The double-standard is shocking: It is perfectly acceptable in Quebec to demean Anglophones as a form of over-compensation for past abuses. Institutionalizing that debasement is equally tolerated... ”   
Read the rest of the story: Xenophobia and Quebec’s uncomprehending radicals
and here is part of what Beaulieu complained;
"For example, in The Gazette, National Post and the Globe and Mail, Quebec separatists or those who want to strengthen Bill 101 are depicted as Franco-supremacist, intolerant, anglophobes, radicals, close-minded idiots, who want to assimilate, destroy and despise minorities. And spread without restraint, downright hateful comments from readers who are not shy to draw parallels with neo-Nazi and fascist movements. Link{Fr}
"xen-o-pho-bi-a"
-unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

French language militants and Peequists are all quick to say that the sovereignty movement is inclusive and is based solely on French as the common language and all who speak it are welcomed wholeheartedly into the fold.
Unfortunately, it just isn't true.

For the last couple of years we have been treated to incessant harangues by these so-called open and inclusive democrats, including Mr. Beaulieu and the PQ's newest minister, Jean-François Lisée, who complain bitterly that the island of Montreal is in danger of being lost because more and more of its citizens have a language other than French as their mother tongue.
In fact, alarm bells were pushed by the above two gentlemen when shock of all shocks, it was revealed that the balance of mother tongues is shifting over to the dark side and soon the majority of Montrealers will have a mother-tongue other than French.
The horrors!

Let us consider the 'problem'
Each year Quebec welcomes about 45,000 immigrants, of which, about 10,000 leave for other provinces leaving 35,000 net newcomers, of which about 30,000 settle in the Montreal area.

About 95% of these people have a language other than French as a mother tongue, so it is easy to understand that slowly but surely the statistic concerning mother tongue will shift away from French (and English).

But so what?

Let us take the example of a Spanish speaking family named Gonzalez who immigrated from El Salvador to Montreal and who speak no English at all.
The family sends their children to French school and the parents learn French quickly and get jobs, working in French. The years go by and the family is firmly rooted into the French side of the language equation, economically, scholastically, socially and culturally. The family still speaks no English and in public all their interaction is in French. That being said, at home, they speak their native Spanish.

And therein lies the rub.
Because they speak Spanish around the dinner table, they are, according to Mr. Lisée and Mr. Beaulieu, a 'problem' and are counted on as being on the wrong side of the equation in the 'mother-tongue' debate.
When militants describe a language problem in Montreal, the Gonzalezes are part of the problem!
"The future of the French language is at risk because of a steady decline in the number of people on the island of Montreal who use it as their main language, Lisée said, citing statistics from the Office québécois de la langue française showing the number of people who speak French at home dropped from 61 per cent in 1971 to 54 per cent in 2006. If nothing is done, Lisée said, it could drop to 47 per cent in less than 20 years.
“The weakening of the francophone majority imperils the ability of new arrivals to integrate in French in the city, and makes the future of the French language extremely fragile,” said Lisée, a former journalist and adviser who worked with former premiers Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard."-Jean-François Lisée, Link
When militants complain about mother-tongue, they are not only complaining about immigrants who assimilate over to the English side of the language equation, but the Gonzalezes, as well.

But honestly, what more could the Gonzalezes do to satisfy Mr. Beaulieu and Mr. Lisée?

You cannot get around the fact that the 'mother-tongue' debate is ringed by xenophobia, the only 'flaw' that language militants perceive in the Gonzalezes, is where they were born.

Mr. Lisée is particularly galled that 'real' French speaking natives are leaving the island of Montreal and being replaced with the foreigners, many like the French-speaking Gonzalez family.
And so when French language militants, complain about 'mother-tongue,' it is not really a language issue, but largely a foreigner issue, or to put it more bluntly, a 'too many foreigners' issue.

Whenever you hear the militants bring up the 'mother-tongue' debate, alarm bells should go off in your head.
Those who complain are less concerned about the French language and more concerned about who it is speaking French and whether they are 'de souche' or not.
It is no different than complaining about skin colour, religion or ethnicity and no matter how hard all these 'foreigners' try to integrate into francophone Quebec society, according to the language militants, they will always be on the other side of the 'good citizen' ledger.

In the end, there is only one solution to the 'problem' of the shifting away from French as a mother-tongue in Montreal and that is to curb immigration.
So spin it however you want, complaining about mother-tongue is xenophobia, pure and simple, something Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Lisée and all the other radicals should be called out over.

Now before I go further into this post, I'd like to preface everything I write above and below as applying to a tiny vocal minority of extremists who enjoy a disproportionate amount of media exposure.
The vast majority of francophones in this province (including sovereigntists) are as racist or xenophobic as are their Anglophone counterparts.
Unfortunately for all of us, we are over-exposed to the French language mullahs in the media, who do preach xenophobia and hate.

As an observer, I actually remain pleasantly surprised that in spite of the vast media campaign to demonize English, Quebecers remain unconvinced, much to the frustration of language militants who have no other choice but to ramp up the linguistic pressure and exaggerate problems that do not exist.

Perhaps it is the fact that collectively, francophone Quebecers, who having been led up the garden path by the Church for centuries, are loathe to put too much trust in those telling them how to conduct their lives.

Now let us turn to the racism part of this post and specifically, the most recent campaign of the Mouvement Québec français and an action by its branch in the Lanaudiere region, which recently won a great deal of media attention by compiling 1,000 language complaints for the Office québécois de la langue française.

The thousand complaint story was splashed all around the media with not many reporters bothering to dig into the specifics where they would find that many of the complaints were completely bogus, like those that cited Churches for posting signs in English.
Even the most radical of French language militants knows that religious institutions and not for profit educational institutions are exempted under Bill 101 from the obligation to use French at all.

I'll save all that for another post to concentrate on another big aspect of the complaints, that of English names or trademarks, those that the MQF demand be accompanied by French descriptors.

The very idea that a company like Canadian Tire, an institution that has operated in Quebec for about seventy years, be forced to change its name is galling, considering that the demand has zero to do with familiarizing unilingual Quebecers with what is being sold in the stores, and everything to do with humiliating and showing up those Anglophone companies who dare to trade under a non-French, corporate name or trademark.

According to the MQF, the issue is about respect and that an English name, in and of itself, is offensive and disrespectful to the majority.
Is that not utterly racist?
Imagine the public reaction if all the anglophones in your place of work were obliged to change their names to something more acceptable to the MQF?

The respect that the MQF demands, reminds me of the respect demanded by young King Joffrey in HBO's War of the Thrones, a nasty sort who demands that subjects bow down to him both physically and metaphorically, under pain of certain death.
I don't call that respect, I call it intimidation.

Racism?
Not convinced, let us explore the story just a little further.
Forget about FUTURE SHOP or CANADIAN TIRE for the moment, the MQF and the local windbag, Luce Cloutier, took the debate over English to a whole new level of ugliness, when she included in the 1,000 complaints, stores and businesses that sported English proper names.
"As for complaints about company names, the photos showed not only the usual Canadian Tire and other Pizza Hut, but also several IGA, Bentley and Reitmans, which are not English words but proper names or initials without meaning.

Mr. Beaulieu believes, however, that all these companies should accompany their names with a generic name, according to the law, as did the Second Cup chain, which appears to Quebec under the name 'Les Cafes Second Cup' "
Link{Fr}
"It has become normal in our environment to see store names like Reitmans, Smart Set, Bentley said Ms. Cloutier. Link{Fr}

So let us get this straight, if a store is named after an English founder (Reitmans) it needs a descriptor, but if a store is name after a French founder (Tanguay) it does not.

I'm curious if the cookie store called Monsieur Felix & Mr. Norton, needs half a descriptor?
Such is the utter pettiness and stupidity of these racists.

Madame Luce Cloutier, went on to say that certain English Italian Spanish 'foreign' proper names like 'Quiznos' are also 'unaccetpable'
And so, following the MQF criteria, here is a list of store names that need and don't need descriptors.

Harveys / Lafleurs
HMV / Archambault
Reitmans / Marie Claire
Aldo / Jean-Paul Fortin
Birks / Sebag
Bentley / Fournier
Greiche & Scaff / Antoine Laoun
Rogers / Videotron
Laura Secord / Laura
Ernest / Vincent D'Amérique
Parasuco / Tristan


Many of you readers are looking at the list above and asking yourselves if this is joke, but I assure you, it is not.
This is what the MQF is about....
I've heard some racist crap in my life and this fits right in with the worst.
Demanding that proper names pay 'tribute' to the French language is discrimination pure and simple.

According to the MQF, this sign is offensive
Perhaps Mr. Beaulieu and Madame Cloutier could implore the PQ to host a Wannsee-like conference to figure out rules and regulations pertaining to proper names and what will be permitted with or without descriptors.
After all, there are some thorny issues.
Stores like Ernest can be considered English or French, but considering that Ernest the owner, (who I know personally) is an Anglophone...well...

What about a store like 'Simons?'
Although the family has Scottish roots, the word Simon can actually be considered French.
But then one has to consider pronunciation and alas, the English version prevails (Sigh-mon, and not Cee-mo), so I guess a descriptor is in order.

Ah well, the subject boggles the imagination of any bone fide racist.

Ditto for Reitmans
By the way, I'd like to point out to that miserable piece of hate, Luce Cloutier, that the Reitmans clan (who I also have the honour to know personally) are a fine old Montreal family who run their retail empire from a head office right here in Montreal.
I don't know what her problem is with this Quebecois family.
Is it because they are Jewish, or is it because they are a Anglo?
Like the English, the Scots, the Irish, the Italians and a multitude of of other ethnicities who dominated business and industry in Quebec, are we all disdained for our success?

Back to Reitmans, a company which started with one store on St. Lawrence boulevard in 1928 and now operates close to 1,000 stores with 10,000 employees, across Canada.
For almost eighty-five years the company has provided employment for Quebecers and has paid millions upon millions in corporate taxes here.

Perhaps Madame Cloutier wishes to chase the head office of Reitmans out of Quebec, perhaps to Toronto, where they will be welcomed instead of humiliated.
Such is the depravity of the MQF racists.
For shame.

Incidentally, just in case the MQF doesn't know, there isn't a Quebecer in a gazillion who does not know that you don't go to Canadian Tire to buy a dress and you don't go to Reitmans to buy a hammer.

All the rest is racism, pure and simple.

165 comments:

  1. In describing discrimination towards alo/anglophones to me the word RACIST is too powerful. Do we not share ancestry from Europe? Is the colour of our skin different? No. Therefore I will go so far as to agree that XENOPHOBIA is more then rampant in Quebec but Racism? Me thinks not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ethan: So when loose cannons like Gilles Proulx go on the publicly funded SRC shoot their mouths off with diatribes shouting «tête carré» this and «tête carré that freely, that isn't racism? On its English counterpart, the CBC, Don Cherry's worst diatribe was that European and French Quebec hockey players are the biggest wearers of eye visors (but he said "Frenchmen", who by Canadian standards are really from not "Frenchmen", but Québécois), he was threatened with being fired from his Coach's Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada. Proulx, and others like him, get to shoot their mouths off on a regular basis without threat of termination. Ethan: Methinks thou doth protest too much!

      Delete
    2. Ethan, your apologist remark is the exact reason these trailer-park buffoons take license to continue in their ways. Please refrain from showing them even a glint of defence.

      Delete
    3. Selon les anglos : Le globish serait une race?Hmmm...

      Delete
    4. SR's just bitter that French isn't todays 'globish'. After all, that's all Quebec nationalism is - a form of neocolonialism where the vanquished can't accept the result and dream of the days that they were the masters of a colonial empire. They just blame others for being imperialists while they take strolls along the Quebec castle watching guys march by in antiquated French imperial uniforms, playing at being something that they're not - indigenous victims and the descendants of empire.
      They're all roleplaying. Now roll a d10 to see if you advance to the next round, or if you'll rely for an English company to provide you with 'le job'.

      Delete
    5. Saying Quebec is not a racist society, is like claiming water is not wet. You would either have to be blind or living under a rock to disagree. Or, perhaps, not necessarily under a rock, but simply living outside of the province or country. The on-going situation in Quebec reminds me of a husband that has been physically and psychologically abusing his wife for years, but has managed to keep it a secret from his neighbors.

      Of course one day the dirty secret is discovered, and the husband is exposed. I feel like that day for Quebec is just literally around the corner. Seems the rest of the country and world are seeing the truth about Quebec society.

      And speaking of racist acts... How about the little pogrom held in Hampstead just a few months ago, against the Jewish community over restricting noise on Yom Kipper. Got a bunch of red neck Quebecois honking horns, screaming, waving their hate-flags, all while lead by the police who supported them. May as well have them drive through with burning crosses and white sheets over their heads. Don't give me any bullshit excuses about "unreasonable accommodation", that is just something to hide behind, like always for these cowards! And just this afternoon, I see on the news another issue with "unreasonable accommodation" at Montreal city hall over Yom Kipper. Never ends.

      Oh, and the immigrant who had his store smeared with feces, protesters blocking access to his business and threats of violence against him and his family. All good, just substitute unreasonable accommodation with "protecting French language" and racist acts are applauded in La Belle Province.

      I hate to say it, but I believe racism is more deeply rooted and festering among the general public, here in Quebec, than anyone likes to admit.

      Delete
  2. So spin it however you want, complaining about mother-tongue is xenophobia, pure and simple, something Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Lisée and all the other radicals should be called out over.

    110% agreed; you are absolutely right, Mr. Editor.

    I remember the first time I ever read Lisée; although I agree with Ethan that 'racism' doesn't exactly fit, Lisée's sentiments are easily, conveniently described as racist -- esp when someone like the Gonzalez family enters the discussion.

    as applying to a tiny vocal minority of extremists who enjoy a disproportionate amount of media exposure.

    Again, totally agreed. But that tiny vocal minority sure can ruin a nice day!!

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  3. Editor: The two freaks of nature photographed at the microphones are, like Pavlov's dogs, are classic examples of those who over time have been conditioned.

    In the case of Pavlov's dogs, at first a bell rang within earshot of them, meat followed, and the dogs salivated. Over time, the dogs were conditioned to believe that when they heard the bell, it stood to reason meat was coming, so they started to salivate before seeing the meat.

    The two dogs in the above picture were exposed to the diatribes of, or equivalent to those of the late Abbé Lionel Groulx. Those of that ilk would go on radio every week back in the 1930s and 40s spewing xenophobic nationalism. Others subsequently internalized this xenophobic doctrine. In reality, the French speaking population was led by a false doctrine until circa 1960 when after 200 years of being fed this drivel constantly, the mainstream population of Quebec finally realized it was lies and drivel, and abandoned it.

    Unfortunately, French language legislation became the new scripture, so instead of salivating over the bible, they salivated over a new facsimile. It started with a failed Bill 85, a manifestation of the now defunct Union Nationale, to Bill 63. Bourassa's so-called federalist Liberals concocted a stronger version called Bill 22, fortified about 14 years later with Bill 178. So much for federalist Quebec Liberals who weren't much different than their separatist counterparts but for holding a referendum now and then.

    Finally, you had the out-and-out separatist party who finally got elected when they promised to hold a referendum on negotiating sovereignty instead of a vote for them was a vote for automatic separation, a means just to get themselves into power.

    The out-and-out separatist party's first act was to fortify the "New Bible" with something so punishing, it made enough of their own ilk squeamish enough (Bill 1) to be moderated to something that would not be viciously shot down as being excessively unconstitutional (Bill 101).

    Now you have those doggedly nationalist animals who are looking to implement the defeated Bill 1 on a step-by-step basis. Bill 101 simply was not enough to pacify the rabid dogs of the outfit, so they're trying to build a ladder that could slowly be climbed.

    I can't help but believe if these freaks of nature are allowed to go unchecked, next thing will be public beheadings of their enemies at Phillips Square or somewhere like that--maybe the Big Owe!

    Jean-François Lisée, on election night earlier this month, spoke of "corrective action" re integration dissidents. What is this "corrective action" of which he speaks? Beheadings? Courtyard firing squads? The noose? Torture? I would have been interested to learn of what "corrective action" Lisée had in mind.

    As the modern-day Josef Goebbels of the governing party, I'm imagining the mystery will unfold in the coming months. Again, I thank God I made the wise decision to live in Ontario in the "Real" Canada.

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    Replies
    1. Hear,hear. The word "animals" is a proper use of h term. Editor and Sauga, you have exposed these racists and bigots for what they are. You have finally drilled down deeply enough .

      Add these to a hypothetical list of names:

      Daniel Johnson
      Claude Ryan
      Robert Burns



      I want to reiterate my open challenge to Michel Patrice to state whether or not he agrees with Marois! campaign promises. Michel, please tell us what your convictions are. Silence will be taken for agreement.

      Delete
    2. In a earlier discussion, I told you that the idea that I dislike the most was the idea of a french test for running in an election. Generaly speaking, I don't like Ms Marois's style so much.

      If you have specific questions on specific issues, feel free to ask.

      Delete
    3. What else do you dislike about PQ's program, Mr Patrice?

      Delete
    4. Well said. Other crazy countries use extreme measures to get rid of the Christian religion. Even if people are tortured for years and many spend most of their lives in prison under humiliating circumstances, they still are Christian, continue to risk their lives and teach their religion to their children.

      So I also would like to know which corrective measures he was talking about. lol

      Delete
  4. EXCELLENT POST.

    This petty idiocy needs to come to a head and go the way of the dodo once and for all. Thumbs up for explicitly laying it out for all to read.

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    Replies
    1. Also agreed, this post is one of the most eloquently-written pieces and lays out all the details that I wish the separatists would read.

      It's always difficult to see things from the other person's perspective, but I feel that given a chance to examine how their actions are viewed by people who don't share their values, the 101-Militants might have an idea of the backlash they're cultivating.

      BTW, are any readers of this blog involved in the legal community? Are there any avenues for some type of group-action suits?

      Delete
    2. Nop!

      Comme le dit si bien le slogan de Réno Dépôt : Si ça existait on l'aurait ! (vous l'auriez)

      Delete
    3. Not so sure about that S.R - it's a question of finding the right loophole or maybe even going beyond Canadian law and invoking some type of international precedent.

      We could always study the south and see what kind of action has been taken against factions of the KKK.

      One way or the other, the behavior of the MQF and IF contravenes several human rights.

      Delete
    4. Vous avez vraiment de la difficulté à vous conformer à la langue d'usage des Québécois,n'est-ce-pas?

      Il serait pourtant plus simple de faire comme plusieurs de vos amis en prenant la 401 vers l'Ouest.

      Bonne chance tout de même :)

      Delete
    5. Now why would I conform?

      I already speak French everyday and approach strangers in say, a store in French first.

      I have NO problem respecting the fact that French is the predominant language of the province.

      However, it is not THE dominant language.

      And that's where I think you miss the point S.R - this really isn't so much about Anglos and Allos not respecting French and expecting to have everything "their way."

      Most here are fluently bilingual and have no trouble communicating in la langue de Moliere.

      Trouble is, people like you, don't show respect for those who...

      A) Feel more at ease in another language because their French is a work in progress.

      B) Have a mother tongue they prefer to speak either at home, or when hanging out with their friends (an example of this was the Asian guys hanging out just among themselves, only to be accosted by a stranger who wasn't part of their group or had any interaction with their group).

      C) Despite how you might feel in terms of Bill 101's application to the English language, to have groups refer to written English as "visual pollution" is not "reporting a violation of an established policy," it's out-and-out baiting and harassment.

      You reap what you sow and even a lunatic like Charles Manson can see how this will unfold - after all, he used this very premise to fuel his Helter Skelter campaign.

      Delete
    6. Trouble is, people like you, don't show respect for those who...

      ...Ne vivent pas comme les Romains à Rome.

      Delete
    7. Une question simple pour vous 2 (Laurie et Géronimo)

      Pourquoi perdre autant d'énergie à des projets qui ne vous mèneront nul part sauf peut-être,de donner d'avantage de munitions aux défenseurs de la culture Québécoise?

      Vous n'êtes réellement pas conscient,que vous les angryphones,avez le très mauvais rôle?

      Delete
    8. Pourquoi perdre autant d'énergie à des projets qui ne vous mèneront
      nul part sauf peut-être,de donner d'avantage de munitions aux défenseurs
      de la culture Québécoise?

      The same could be said about your participation here on this site, which
      certainly gives munitions to human rights activists.

      Personally, even if I can exist in French just fine and dandy, I do it out
      of principle, nothing more, nothing less.

      Just as I don't approve of the way Francophones were treated in the 50s and
      earlier, same goes now that the situation is in reverse.

      The difference between now and then is, at least the Anglos of the 50s were
      merely acting with ignorance and indifference, whereas the separatists are
      acting out with beligerence (be it physical, cultural, political).

      Than Anglos of yesterday were not deliberately trying to keep the Francophone
      down, whereas the separatists will stop at nothing to abrogate every right that
      non-Francophones are due.

      Vous n'êtes réellement pas conscient,que vous les angryphones,avez le très mauvais rôle?

      Why are we Angryphones?

      Like I mentioned, some of us don't even qualify as Anglophones.

      Tell me S.R, how would you feel if I locked you in a cage and treated you like an
      animal - would you not have a right to be angry and resent me?

      Of course you would, because I'm taking away your liberty and degrading you.

      No one should be subjected to that.

      How often have you posted racist, hateful little barbs in which I've seen you snidely
      laughing about someone who is depressed with their current situation.

      It's one thing to oppose another's point of view.

      You, however, take deliberate pleasure in watching others endure hardship.

      You're a sociopath...and that's what defines playing a bad role.

      Delete
    9. "Than Anglos of yesterday were not deliberately trying to keep the Francophone
      down"

      Comment pouvez-vous être aussi convaincu d'une telle affirmation?

      Delete
    10. Autre question:

      Est-ce que vous comparez réellement la situation de la communauté anglo d'aujourd'hui avec la situation socio-économique des francophones des années 40 et 50 ?

      Seriez-vous en plein délire?

      Delete
    11. "how would you feel if I locked you in a cage and treated you like an
      animal..."

      Avec des universités,hôpitaux,écoles et tous les services en anglais?

      Je saute dans cette cage quand vous voulez :)

      Delete
    12. "Est-ce que vous comparez réellement la situation de la communauté anglo d'aujourd'hui avec la situation socio-économique des francophones des années 40 et 50 ?"

      No, of course not...after all, Francophones today have an extraordinary quality-of-life
      by comparison. They no longer play second fiddle and enjoy all the rights everyone on the
      North American continent should be privy to.

      For instance they have the right to:

      1. Be the most heavily taxed population on the continent (with the burden about to increase
      very shortly thanks to that good 'ol Marois Magic).

      2. They have the right to endlessly protest in the streets over having the lowest tuition fees
      anywhere in the West.

      3. They have the right to demand FREE education instead of the cheapest education without taking
      even a second to question where the funding for such a measure would come from.

      So, I guess when you look at it, the more the situation improves, the worse it actually gets.

      "Avec des universités,hôpitaux,écoles et tous les services en anglais?"

      Damn kiddo - you really are living in a closed-in reality.

      You've really never stepped outside of Sherbrooke, have you?

      I've been to Sherbrooke, and while I admit it's a nice town, it is a small place and as you might imagine,
      there's an ENTIRE WORLD outside of your home city.

      So, I just have to ask...Why is it you always insist on using unsubstantiated claims
      (like all-English hospitals for instance) to prop up your backwater points-of-view?

      Fun fact: Doctors make between $100K right up to $250K a year.

      With Marois' new tax scheme in place, those charged with caring for your health will have 30% less
      incentive to practice in this province.

      Given that there's already a stark shortfall of Francophone medical students, one of the only other options
      left to counteract the "brain drain" that will result from the new tax code will be to import new doctors
      from other parts of the country.

      New doctors with no experience who are looking to get a foothold in their new profession.

      See, S.R, I saw you laughing at the people who are going to have to pay more taxes...are you still going
      to be laughing when Francophone doctors just say "Fuck this shit" and move on elsewhere?

      Delete
    13. "to be laughing when Francophone doctors just say "Fuck this shit" and move on elsewhere?"

      Après avoir complété leurs études à rabais et sachant fort bien les conditions de travail qui les attendent?Rien de nouveau sous le soleil.

      Rien de drôle non plus à propos de ce phénomène,c'est tout simplement pathétique.

      Delete
    14. "Après avoir complété leurs études à rabais et sachant fort bien les conditions de travail qui les attendent?Rien de nouveau sous le soleil."

      FALSE.

      This is just another popular rhetorical argument.

      The doctors leaving this province do so largely due to the crushing tax burden.

      You want to keep more doctors here? You need to improve living conditions and not
      make excuses.

      Delete
    15. It must be a bitter winter with blizzard in hell because I find myself 100% in agreement with Yannick. :-D

      Delete
    16. You got it! Seppies are ready to destroy no matter what.

      Delete
  5. Well, I suppose if they make things too difficult the companies will just relocate head offices or close the stores. I remember a Wal Mart that closed a few years ago in a Quebec city due to union issues. In the big picture, the store was just one little pin on a map in the corporate head office. Easy to pull the pin. This of course, costs jobs and income to Quebec. The xeno"phones" are cutting of their noses to spite their faces at the expense of the people of Quebec.

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    Replies
    1. Actually, Westerner, the closed Wal Mart was located in the very nationalist city of Jonquière, not far from Lac St-Jean. The new Wal Mart was located about 20 miles down the road in Chicoutimi, another very nationalist region, right on Lac St-Jean. Nationalists are very pro-union.

      Wal Mart will not pull out of Quebec because the stores are making profits. They don't seem to mind making French signs and literature to comply with the law, but Wal Mart has closed stores that try to, or do successfully unionize only to open another store nearby. They're that rich and can afford to close stores on principle.

      Delete
  6. ...Ne vivent pas comme les Romains à Rome.

    Actually yes, I do like our Quebecois "Romans" - they say "Vive le Quebec libre..."

    And so every day, I exercise my liberty as a Quebecois and speak in the language I see fit.

    Cheers buddy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. FROM ED BROWN
    Geronimo, Whenever I see someone like you mention the way anglos treatred french people in the fifties, I realize you have no idea of the ethos at that time. Francos might have spewed Lionel Groulx teaching somewhere but we knew nothing about it. We didn't listen to french radio. We didn't go to their Churches and we didn't speak or understand french the way we do now. We simply saw no need to. The 'big fat woman in eaton's' didn't serve in french because she didn't know how but she did not refuse to serve. We helped french we spoke to who were struggling with their english but we felt natural and rightly so speaking the language our parents taught us. There was noattempt socially or politically to
    suppress or denigrate french. We had people speaking polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Italian and french of the ones I remember. Our own troops were constantly returning. Many of our boys, especially those who spoke french or italian stayed until the fifties helping to rebuild war torn countries. We were always being asked to contribute to their causes. Many of those who came joined aour churches. The french roman catholics pretty much shunned them ala the teaching of God awful Groulx so they built their own Churches which are prominant today. We had projects to help England pay her war debt she had accunulated tp the U.S. England and Canada were the only countries who paid
    their war debt in it's entirety. I never figured out how we had to pay when the ones who started the war paid nothing. I can assure everyone that there was no noticable animosity between the factions socially and if there was we didn't know it. Ed
    immigrants as the ones I remember.

    ReplyDelete
  8. FROM ED BROWN
    Interesting, A Lithuanian friend of mine in the fifties told me that Rome was helping rebuild churches in Europe but would not help in Quebec.
    They built Holy Cross Ukrainian Church in Ville Emard. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  9. "When in Rome" is probably the lamest "argument" a person could use. It pretty much gives away the fact that the person has no arguments.

    As to everything else in the post - I think that the reason why the MMF gets so much air time in the media is that the PQ (and the PLQ before that) knows that the limits of state intervention have been reached. We have, after all, been living under something called bill 101 for over 3 decades, and after 35 years the desired effects have not been reached (and now even the true believers know that they won't be reached with 101 alone, even a stronger 101). And when state coercion doesn't work, the state usually resorts to playing people against each other (by using the media, for the most part) and that's what we're seeing here. The reason why all these Beaulieus or Perraults operate with impunity and get so much air time is because they serve a purpose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "And when state coercion doesn't work"

      Êtes-vous bien certain?Ed représente votre prédécesseur (avant 101) et a beaucoup de difficulté à s'exprimer,selon ses propos,"in French" alors que vous,le post 101,semblez saisir assez bien mes propos.Non?

      Delete
    2. I don't speak it at home. I'm not immersed in the culture. I don't (and won't) vote for nationalist options. I'm not loyal to the symbolism and jingoism of L'Etat Quebecois. I fall way short of the actual aims (aims: plural) of 101.

      101 can only go so far. The population is therefore called upon by the media to complement it, but it won't be able to push the cause much further either, no matter what levels of frustration are whipped up. Feeding off the frustration on others can be achieved easily (all one needs is a tuna sandwich in her hand). Getting the others to shape up or ship out cannot. They will stay, unchanged, all the while the social fabric (cohesion) is being broken. And that can't bode well for a society.


      Delete
  10. FROM ED BROWN
    It's also interesting to that for english it was the men that voted. Woman showed little interest and it made men feel like the boss. My Father and many of his friends I remember didn't bother to vote in privincial politics because they felt it was pointless. My Father would say, "They (the french majotity will vote in whoever they want, it makes no difference." Basically they didn't even know the candidates. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  11. linguicism or language discrimination ... I think that it's still a form of racism depending on the definition that you are looking at...

    ''Racial discrimination refers to the separation of people through a process of social division into categories not necessarily related to races for purposes of differential treatment. '' so yeah, you can go on to say racism.

    Um... where does the OLF get is's stats from? Lookie here now ...

    http://www.spl.gouv.qc.ca/documentation/rapportssondagesstatistiques/dynamiquedeslangues/tableaux/

    Spoken French at home increased slightly. These are their own stats.

    Now, I contacted them and asked them how any educated person who knows anything about statistical information can look at these stats and come to the conclusion that French is endangered and that English is a problem. English has declined.

    How much French do you need to consider that it's not endangered? 100%? French being endangered in Canada is just a myth. Language fluctuations are very normal and French is the second most spoken language in Canada. Stop being so self centered and protect the many other languages that actually may be hurt by French laws.

    You don't need much a brain to figure out that making business change their names, will in no way increase the amount of French speakers within Quebec. It is discrimination, exclusion of a ''particular langue'' and nothing else.

    You do not ask companies to change their names. They have built a reputation, worked hard for it and were free to choose the name of their choice. It is attack upon their freedoms, an attack upon their companies and it is extremely unreasonable to do so. Should ''Céline Dion'' have to change her name to English? Should the ''Cirque du Soleil'' have to change their name to English? Wouldn't that be an insult? Well guess what, it's an insult for others to !

    I wish that ''common sense'' would exist in French also so that I could express it.

    On a funny note, Mario Beaulieu feels attacked by the English media because they said his province was xenophobic. He gave no argument to the contrary, as there is none, and the first thing that he does is go on to show the world just how xenophobic Quebec tends to be.(Not everyone of course) People like him give a bad name to all the good people.

    Amazing...






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Common sens translates into "le bon sens", if ever you need such an expression in French.

      How much French do you need to consider that it's not endangered? 100%? French being endangered in Canada is just a myth. Language fluctuations are very normal and French is the second most spoken language in Canada. Stop being so self centered and protect the many other languages that actually may be hurt by French laws.

      I fear that, to many Quebeckers, language is not a sheer private determination, it is a political and cultural one. It has a collective value, it belongs to the whole nation. Their acting accordingly should be understood within these parameters.

      I have, for my part, never witnessed any nation which could not be dubbed "self-centered" in that way. Every nation minds what it holds most precious, that's just the way human beings are made.

      What languages do you have in mind that could be crippled by language policies in Québec ?

      Delete
  12. S.R,

    I think that you should a little about your history with the Indians and see just how you treated them. .... At least the English allowed you to keep your language, culture and civil laws, protecting you to this day though one could debate over whether it is deserved or not.

    http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/008004/f2/H-30_en.pdf

    Bill 101 did nothing. There was only one girl in my English school who did not speak French and that's because she was in the process of learning... yeah, people do not learn it within 5 minutes and there was only one French boy actually attending our school. So it was his rights that were taken away from him.

    As for the English community, they have services just like any minority, though much less compared to all other provinces.

    That is not what they are complaining about. They are saying that they want to be respected and for discrimination to be eliminated !

    Would you like to have your language banned within Canada? Well maybe we are human beings who do not like it either.

    My mother is French and still does not like to hear people telling her to speak only French. It is not human, not respectful and it is a total disregard for other peoples rights within a free country.

    Quebecers are even going to other provinces and even other countries and refusing to speak English, the language of the majority, and you tell our people that they should speak only French here? These people have a bad reputation all the way down to the other end of the states for being rude and demanding to be served in French! The languages in the states are English and Spanish, not French.

    Canada, outside of Quebec is a 95% English population and people expect to be served in French? How unreasonable can a person be?

    Quebec is also in Canada, just as it decided, but still refuses to use the language of the majority, thus remaining in the dark, because English is the universal language and the key to knowledge in this part of the world and even in countries in the East.

    I am in Quebec city. My English hospital is French and most services offered to me are French and these people do not even take the time to understand the needs of the English community, which is very unprofessional in my field.

    Even if you visit English schools, you would be surprised at the amount of people speaking in French. Because we speak whatever language that we feel like speaking, be it English or French and there is not discrimination happening, apart from a few racist French people who work in these schools.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very well put Anonymous - and thank you. Too bad it's wasted on the likes of SR who doesn't appear to have a job (as he is on the computer 24/7) and couldn't care less about anyone but himself and the other separatists in Quebec. I reiterate - time for a break from these people - 75 referendums (Federal electoral districts) clear question, clear majority, Clarity Act rules as stipulated by the Canadian Supreme Court and let those areas of Quebec that vote to leave,go, have their little kingdom and leave the rest of us in peace and respectful existence (bilingual) and with property values and a little left in our bank accounts. Off you go guys - we need a Provincial Partition Party!

      Delete
    2. Cutie003, ad hominem attacks are pointless. By all means, point out why you think that SR is wrong, but attacks on his supposed employment status are petty and not constructive.

      He might be misguided, but he is entitled to his opinion. Remain on the moral high ground and don't resort to childish insults.

      Delete
    3. Pardon the double post, Editor, but I am a university student with a portable computer and wireless access everywhere I go. I work at a hospital in an office, with a computer connected to the internet. I also have internet access at home.

      I can assure you I do have a life, and I am employed!

      Delete
    4. Unfortunately Foremost he has insulted me many, many times in the past, including calling me vile names, so I feel no guilt in pointing out that I do not value his opinion in the least, even if he has a right to an opinion. I'm sure you do have a life and are employed but then again, I do not see you posting 24/7 as you are busy with that life.

      Delete
    5. By the way, I worked for 35 years and an now retired so I do have some time on my hands but not as much as SR.

      Delete
    6. Foremost,

      What if I tell you that S.R is lazy and not smart? Will that be ad hominem? Because you know what? It is true.

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

      Delete
    8. Trailer Park Biology Lessons To EDITORMonday, September 24, 2012 at 8:08:00 PM EDT

      Question Editor,

      What I wrote may well have been offensive towards S.R, but what about the fact that S.R referred to Cutie as a CUNT (yes, that's right) - a slight you admitted, none the less.

      We all love this blog however, what's the point of bothering to continue reading and following if you continue to shield the resident troll from lashings he brings upon himself?

      S.R violates every rule you set up yet you keep tolerating him and allowing him to continue.

      You could simply invoke an English-only rule to shut him up.

      Or simply have an approval-only system and phase his lamentable bullshit out once and for all.

      Other separatists (Michel Patrice for example) have commented here showing far more respect as well as well-though out insights.

      Why do you keep allowing S.R to comment considering the nature of his barbs?

      I'm not the only one who'd like to know.

      At the very least you could force him to apologize to Cutie...

      Delete
    9. Thank you, TPBL!

      Encouraging opposing opinions is not at all the same thing as protecting trolling.

      I know for a fact that participation in this blog has decreased on account of this policy.
      Sure, SR highlights the foolishness of seppies for all to see but it also makes reasonable people feel stupid to participate on this blog.

      I really wish the Editor would explain his reasoning to us one of these days.

      Delete
    10. I don't ever recall allowing a comment where S.R called some else the 'C' word.
      If I did, I apologize for the omission.

      I cannot bar anyone based on IP address, Blogger doesn't allow it. As for banning S.R, he can switch to another alias.

      But in response, I will tighten up on all ad hominum attacks BUT beware, it plays both ways.

      Any personal insults about other commentors won't be printed.
      You can still rag on Harper or Marois, but lay off with disparaging remarks about other contributors.
      Only comments that focus on issues will be printed.

      As for S.R, try to remain humorous or sarcastic and your comments will be printed.
      Be mean and they will not...

      Delete
  13. Actually Bill 101 did something, there was an exodus of English people who also took their businesses, diplomas, money and jobs along with them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have no idea why we are responding to SR who refuses to post to this blog in English. I would not waste my time with hi,m. It is THIS type of anglophobic bigot we avoid. They are beyond convincing. Nice barb telling us to get the hell out of Kaybec. Because then they would be an all-French province but still sucking Canada's English money. Best of both worlds for them. Geronimo, do not waste your time or effort o\until he speaks to you in YOUR language.
    PARTITION NOW!!!
    (Don't feed the French trolls)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ordinarliy, I'd agree about not giving him the time of day, but if you
      really look at today's posts, he hasn't really been insulting and his
      posts have served a very useful purpose.

      Think of it as a bowling game.

      S.R keeps racking up the pins (the pins being his typical, rhetoric-laden
      claims and rebuttals) and the Anglos and Allos have been smacking them down
      each and every time.

      Come to think of it, S.R has yet to win ONE argument so far today.

      Delete
    2. Lucky ex Kaybecer. Wish I could join you.

      Delete
    3. "until he speaks to you in YOUR language."

      Hahahaha!

      Geronimo est un Québécois!Un Elvis Gratton (on les aimes bien quand même) mais tout de même un Québécois.

      Delete
    4. Wow.

      So the fact that I earn a decent living and don't hate people who are different than me and enjoy traveling makes me an Elvis Gratton?

      OK, then...I ain't nothin' but a Québécois hound dog (served up "steamé" at la Bell Pro)...

      Delete
    5. "I earn a decent living and don't hate people who are different than me and enjoy traveling"

      Nous avons beaucoup de points communs...Sauf celui de se laisser "brainwasher" par le "mainstream" anglo.

      Vous voyez,j'ai fait un effort en utilisant deux mots anglais.

      Delete
    6. Awesome! You used two English words...we're so proud of you S.R!

      Keep going mon petit! We know you can do it.

      Love,

      Your buddy Elvis

      Delete
    7. Actually, the Editor stated that he banished one commenter in the past and I'm willing to bet that it was one of S.R's many previous alter egos. If someone is banished, it should be permanent.

      Delete
    8. At least his English is improving...

      Delete
  15. Quiznos is not even a word. Who can argue and say that it's English or French? It's a combination of letters. Silly people.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I agree... you can't win an argument when your ideas are simply wrong.

    It would be like muslims winning the argument that it is okay to stone woman because of their religion. I do not care about the reason, it is not okay. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @Anonymous
      As a first time poster, I applaud your decision to join our discussion..... but you cannot post under "Anonymous"
      I'm going to leave these posts up for a while so that you will see this message.
      Please look at the green bar at the top of the page and clink on How to comment on this blog
      Hope to see you back with a proper screen name....

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

      Delete
  17. I find it nice that the National Post, Globe and Mail, and The Gazette are openly criticizing the xenophobic policies of the government and it's friendliness to the francosupremacist minority.

    They're the only papers in the province that people outside Quebec would pay attention to, so it's nice to have some people defending the anglophones publicly for once, if only through attacking the xenophobes.

    Many of the francophone families I known and frequent think the seps and ultranationalists are insane, anyway, and I don't think they have much credibility elsewhere throughout Quebec either. Sure, they're a minority gov't, but not by much.

    Much like how everyone was shocked when Quebec turned out to be orange last year, I think Quebec is starting to be tired of the same old crap. I'm curious to see how this will progress on the PQ side, I don't see what more they can do without pushing for another bill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I know. I think the PQ knows it too, which is why it is focusing its attacks on minorities, because that's the worst (best) they can do to further the souverainiste mouvement. Maybe they think if they make life miserable enough for anglos and ethnics, they'll leave in a repeat of the reprecussions of Bill 22, which will cull the population enough for that support to augment.

      If so that's a tad retarded on their part, as the vast majority of people who don't support sovereignty are francophone Québecois, so a tiny drop in non-"de souche" Quebecers won't affect anything but the tax revenue.

      If even Mr. Bain's attack of the crazy failed to convince the soft separatists that sovereignty is the best course of action, I can't imagine what more they could do.

      Imagine how frustrated Marois' government must be! "The basis of our platform is sovereignty, and you don't want us to separate?! None of you are real Quebecers!"

      Delete
    2. I think the PQ`s tactic will be to put a wedge between to so-called rich and BS types, this is where they get their votes. They will continue to push measures aimed at taxing the "rich" and when they come out with their new socialist (communist) budget in the spring, the CAQ and Libs will have no choice but to vote against it. It will be so outrageous and unfair to business and anybody trying to get ahead, that no decent political party would vote with them. That way, they could say to their supporters, you see, I tried to help you, I tried to do soooo much for you regular Joes and you see what happens? The other parties don`t care about you like your nanna, so now you need to give us a majority.

      Delete
    3. Laurie just nailed it on the head.

      The PQ is powered by the "BS Bougon" vote and all governments thrive on divide and conquer tactics.

      Thing is this - there is getting to be less and less of a population left to divide each year.

      The fatal flaw in the PQ strategy is that the BS voter is too stoned and busy playing World of Warcraft in mom's basement to be bothered to go vote.

      The $100K+ earners are the minority, but the IMPLICATED minority. Sure there might only be 150,000 of them in the entire province, but with so much to lose, they'll come out to the voting booths in rates as high as 90%...versus low-wage earners with little to lose outnumbering them by 4 or 5 million, but turning out at a rate of 28%.

      Delete
    4. Yes, both you and Laurie are right - Promise them the world and these people will follow them anywhere. I hope you're right about the voter turnout but, for sure, what normal person wants to live in a province where you're considered rich if you earn half decent money? We are more communist than any other place in North America and it's getting worse. We have to get a partition party and get out of this province to have any chance of having $2.00 in the bank!

      Delete
    5. I'm finding it interesting how Cutie is suddenly pushing partition for all it's worth. During Bou-Bou Bourassa's second iteration in power from 1985-94, one of Bou-Bou's high priorities was to rid Quebec of succession duties, the last jurisdiction to have them in addition to capital gains upon death that exist everywhere else. As it was, when Bou-Bou did this, the revenues added up to only $40 million, i.e., the cost of richer taxpayers moving their assets away from Quebec was costlier than eliminating the irritant of the little tax revenue reaped by the government by keeping it. Doing this lightened the paperwork involved as well.

      As Suburban editor Beryl Wajsman pointed out several months ago on CTV News in Montreal, the minorities make up 20% of the population, but 40% of the tax revenues the government receives. My life partner has a friend who put up one of her condos on the South Shore for sale recently for financial reasons, and she's now learning there are a lot of properties suddenly on the market with this new PQ crap going on, and so we're going back to the 1990s where properties didn't move, or more distress sales will take place. That may be good for buyers who want to take a chance and invest in Quebec.

      Too often though, these federalist/separatist waves that ebb and tide cause more destruction than benefits. I remember a significant philanthropist and wealthy founder of Matrox, Lorne Trottier, talking about divesting in Quebec during the lead-up to the 1995 referendum and how he was leasing equipment and property rather than buying in case the referendum was successful. Upon the end of the leases, he could move his assets out of Quebec quite easily. In the end, Matrox still has its world headquarters in Dorval, so he obviously decided to take root after the referendum passed, but what if this new round of tension takes root? Looks like it has, and people are putting their homes up for sale!

      Little by little, the Bronfmans are divesting themselves from Montreal. I remember when Bourassa came out with Bill 22, Charles Bronfman declared he was going to pack up stakes and take his billions with him. Bourassa made a point of seeing him personally and somehow talked him out of it back in the mid-1970s, back in the day when his biggest pet project was as owner of the Expos Baseball Club.

      Let's see how this string plays out. As far as I'm concerned, every time there is a separation tide, the fever sets in and divestment from Quebec takes place to the point the losses either are not replaced or they take a long time to fill the voids.

      Partition would be a means of at least keeping investment in the parts where the divided Quebec remaining in Canada would benefit, the rest would stagnate or sink. Go partitionists go! Go partitionists go!

      Delete
    6. Exactly, Mr. Sauga: And even worse, her announcement yesterday about the tax increase for $130,000 and $250,000 is just going to drive out more of that 40% that pay the most taxes! I don't have to worry about that, for sure, but I know people who do and guess what? All they'll do is increase their prices for whatever they do (I have a friend who's a vet) to download it onto taxpayers anyway! They have to recover their money from somewhere. I can't think of any other way out of this ongoing mess than partition and let those socialists go to their utopia and the rest of us can live a normal, anxiety free life again as a Canadian Bilingual Province - Partition please - 75 Federal Electoral districts, 75 referendums, clear question, clear majority, Clarity Act rules as laid out by Federal law, those that vote to go please go - the rest remain in Canada and sign the constitution to give us some well deserved peace after 40 years of turmoil.

      Delete
  18. Those people have clearly too much time on their hands.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The Editor is eager to point out that it is not ordinary Quebecers who demonstrate xenophobia and racism but only the militants.

    I disagree. Laws are passed by the provincial legislature which democratically represents the majority. Quebec has encoded into law the language of education provisions of Bill 101 a regime of discrimination based upon bloodlines which segregates the civil rights of Quebecers on that basis. This is racism (as a cursory comparison with the Indian Act -- which uses pretty much the same form of discrimination -- will show which has, from the Supreme Court on downwards, been declared a race law).

    Canada is equally guilty. Section 23 of the so-called Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms entrenched this regime of discrimination right into the constitution.

    You can't decide rights based upon who one's parents are, what their classification is, and then hand down this right from generation to generation based upon this classification.

    Every movement has its nutcases, be they anglos or francophones. By focusing our complaints to these militant nutcases diverts our attention to the real racism in this province and country which is encoded into law. This is a much, much bigger problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right on, Tony! Right you are! Considering it is the "federalist" party, the PLQ, that introduced and passed into law the most anti-English of the pro-French language legislation, this is why I have stated on this blog previously that for the most part, practically ALL QUÉBÉCOIS PUR LAINE at least support the language legislation and are therefore, whether they like to believe it or not, separatists because this mentality goes against true Canadian values.

      In the real Canada or as Reed Scowen referred to a Quebecless or post-sovereign Quebec as Canada with italics, our values are in conflict with Quebec. For the new millennium, Claude Ryan, a former PLQ leader and MNA, wrote what I refer to as a manifesto for the PLQ referred to as Liberal Values in a Contemporary Quebec. I read the translated version by fellow MNA Geoffrey Kelley. The one thing written in the manifesto was collective rights trump individual rights. Thus, ergo and therefore, Claude Ryan gave justification to Quebec running roughshod over those who are not Québécois pur laine and legitimizes the Great Charter of Charters.

      In Chapter 6 of Mordechai Richler's book Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!, Richler lists a rather lengthy slew of contradictions of Claude Ryan, one after another after another after another.

      The one over which I flipped when I heard it on the news, and Richler stated the source of this statement was from The Gazette on March 17, 1989: "we understand that premature exposure to English might not be compatible with the best development of the child". This was Ryan's justification for not granting funds to French schools and boards who dared introduce English in their schools prior to grade four. Interesting how this wasn't the same case regarding French being introduced to children right in kindergarten or grade one! My my my!

      Delete
    2. Interesting how this wasn't the same case regarding French being introduced in English schools to children right in kindergarten or grade one!

      Delete
  20. FROM ED BROWN
    Evil, when we ask don't feed the french troll, there is a reason. We can see that S.R. has not insulted anyone today yet but that does not make up for the past. He has been extremely aggravating and insulting to a point where people lose it and it gets out of hand. What you don't get, he doesn't need to win. He just wants to tie up the blog with crap and you help him do it. The editor has asked him to post in english but he has no more respect for the editor than for any one else. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed, I dislike S.R every bit as much as the others on this blog. However, as someone who studies Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I like the idea of translating the essence of that martial art to intellectual debate.

      Today, S.R fed US, not the other way around.

      He cranked out the self-pitying, self-serving sovereignist rhetoric and it blew up in his little face. Like in BJJ, the members of this blog used S.R's own momentum against him. Every proverbial punch of kick he threw resulted in his ass landing on the floor.

      You simply couldn't ask for a better opponent.

      He's so utterly inferior that you really don't need to raise a hand to his statements, but as we saw today with Geronimo and Laurie, if done right, the troll can be put down with very little effort. :-)

      Cheers,

      RE

      Delete
  21. FROM ED BROWN
    I've asked this before. Why do some people use double and triple spacing. I t foll up the thread
    needlessly. We can get your point from your words.
    Ed

    ReplyDelete
  22. @MJohnsonCTV
    What's @jflisee offering to Anglophones and will Anglos believe it? He talks to Mutsumi Takahashi ce soir at 6 on @CTVMontreal. #qcpoli

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well that was a pile of bull---- Pretending that he cares about the Anglophone community = Smooth talker but what an about face. Don't trust the guy in the least = He says he was noticed by Pauline because he was standing up for the anglophone community = first time I heard him say that he was going to help us but that couldn't be because he's a politician?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right Cutie, he said he was standing up for us in their English bashing meetings. I would like to know what they were saying that was so terrible that the likes of someone like him actually had to defend us. We must get trashed pretty badly in those meetings, by the sound of it.

      Delete
    2. They can basically promise to "respect our rights" all they want because what is considered to be "respectful" to the English community is open to interpretation in their eyes. Honestly, if you want my opinion, you'd have to be a fool, a darned fool, if you think any separatist politican (whether affiliated with the CAQ, the PQ, the QS or any other sovereignist party) will do anything towards promoting linguistic equality in Quebec. They'll continue to seek more anglophone support but never more anglophone rights.

      Delete
    3. Make no mistake… when péquistes say “We will respect your rights”, they mean “We will respect your right to wither away and die without access to any more immigration” and “We will respect your right to wither away and die while preventing any further access to your educational system.”

      Delete
  24. I tell you these people are really scary. I just looked up the Imperatif Francais site and low and behold, there they are complaining to our Gatineau city council about the lack of french services in some poor manicurists shop and some flyers that were printed in english only. They just go on and on about how insulting this is, etc. and ask that people e-mail their rep to complain. Well I did, to complain about them and asking that city council take into consideration the fact that a lot of people who want to be served in english will not go to shops or restaurants if they are not served in the language of their choice because we only go across the bridge to shop in Ottawa, me included should that ever happen to me. Our businesses here would suffer greatly if they refused to speak to people in the language of their choice. These idiots don't care about anyone but themselves. Partition please - bilingual province.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Here's a new Franco-Ontarian music video made by students from 120 schools across the province... turn up the sound!

    How many differences can you spot compared to similar Québécois pure laine?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idITDTAcJU4

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

      Delete
    2. In other words, you couldn't care less about francophones outside Quebec...

      and you don't realise that Quebec is among the most "libre" places on Earth...

      Delete
    3. Why was my comment taken down? I only posted a link featuring the Québec diversity in it! There was nothing offensive in that comment. The fact that it was removed, only gives more reasons for guys like True Montreal to blast me for something I didn't wrote.

      Delete
    4. @Guillaume Légaré
      Links provided by commenters are judged on their appropriateness.
      This blog is about the Anglo & ethnic experience in Quebec, not one promoting sovereignty.

      Delete
    5. @Editor : True Montrealer was asking for an example!

      @True Montrealer : You're acting in bad faith. You wanted an example, you got one. I never said anything wrong about Franco-Ontarians. On the other, it seems like you can't accept that people, other than white Francophones, feel more attached to Quebec than Canada.

      Delete
    6. Sure Guillaume. I guess that's why 'no' votes were chucked in the bin during the last referendum in ethnic areas. Must've been the overwhelming support we all showed for our second class status or our appreciation of that racist ham Parizeau singling us out as the scapegoats to his failure. Come on now, who doesn't support being a second class citizen as long as they're a member of the super French class?
      Of course, selective immigration and a douchebag educational/propaganda system that infects Quebec with intolerance, hate and misinformation might contribute to the occasional 'tard that will join the cause.
      It's the insidiousness of Quebecois nationalism that makes all sovereigntists so disgusting to me. I hope you all wake up to Canadian tanks plowing the fields of Abraham, or nationhood as north Ameicas sweatshop. I hope all this, in good faith.

      Delete
    7. Ethnic, I don't think it's your first comment here, so how about you use your real username if you want to attack me!

      Also, during the 95 referendum I hadn't even started elementary school, so I don't see why I should have to carry on my shoulders all the "problems" of the immigrants in Quebec.

      I grew up in Montreal and went to school surrounded by people from different ethnic backgrounds. I believe the people of my generation are much more open minded. That's also why most of us don't relate to Pauline Marois and her team.

      Delete
  26. FROM ED BROWN
    For God's sake Evil, what does it take for you to get it. Did you get kicked in the head in martial arts class. You are not making a fool of him he's doing it to you. All he wants is to fill the posts with garbage. He's making you think your winning by allowing you to do so. He asks questions he knows have only one answer and you and others are telling him what he already knew you would say. Go back over today's posts and see how much space was dedicated to him and his garbage. He's playing you his way. We're not here so you can have fun with S.R. You're helping him take over the post. Thinking people get bored with that and move on. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  27. FROM ED BROWN
    I hjave counted the words wasted on S.R. today and it's over 2300 words, 200 lines. Since people insist on answering, perhaps you could at least answer only when he talks english. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  28. Just a test .... more if the editor actually lets it go.

    ReplyDelete
  29. "Teen Attacked for Speaking English"

    http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10442669

    Well, that's lovely. /Sarcasm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's just great that we have another divisive election coming in the very near future and that these incidents are going to become more common. Why do these militants think they have any right to tell people what language they can speak? The rhetoric from these separatist politicians feeding the public garbage about how they have to ensure everyone speak French to save their language, have played right into the hands of these people and we have to hope that it won't be so bad next time. Instead of people showing each other respect of privacy (which is everyone's right - isn't it?) they think they can just go around getting into every ones business. Partition of this province and letting these militants go is the only way out for we who want democracy and our rights back within Canada.

      Delete
    2. Well once again the nastiness is coming from BOTH sides not just the french side. We all have the responsibility to keep the nastiness down or these type of events will become more and more common.

      Delete
    3. complicated,

      Anybody in Canada is ever attacked these days for speaking French among themselves?

      Delete
    4. There is a lot of hatred directed towards Quebec from the rest of Canada. There are tons of bigoted statement from the english media in particular directed at Quebec and often in general at francophones. I wouldnt be shocked at all if there are some anglos who have told french people to speak english or mocked them in some manner. There are idiots on both sides.
      It seems the english media is working overdrive now to report each and every incident of a francophone insulting an anglophone. Does that mean it doesnt happen in reverse? I doubt it.
      I have a lot of family out west and some of them are borderline racist against francophones..I heard a lot of anti-french statements growing up out west. The francophones I know have also experienced it..it goes both ways.
      I mean we could just get down and nasty are keep on demonizing each other..in the end we will end up like Israel and Palestin, Ireland and England - is that what we really want??
      I guess that makes me an apologist..that seems to be the favorite word to throw around when you refuse to support 100 percent of all the statements on this website. I know what I am..I am a realist..I am closely connected to both the french and english sides. For years I was more of an angryphone like most people here but I also can sympathize to some degree with the francophone side.
      Bottom line is I detest any comments from either side thats sole purppose is to provoke the other side.

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

      Delete
    6. Complicated,

      I don`t see you condemning the behavior of these individuals. I do see you making excuses and explaining away their behavior. It reminds me a little of the feces incident where the victim was blamed. You know, if he had just learned French the way he should have, it never would have happened!

      Delete
    7. Complicated, you don't seem to understand the way the world works outside of Québec... regardless of your mother tongue, you simply cannot claim that the discrimination shown towards anglos and ethnics in Québec compares to any sort of discrimination towards minorities in Canada. You can't.

      In the RoC, if any sort of minority were attacked on the street for ''not speaking _______'' you can be damned sure that there would be public outrage, and the guilty parties would be prosecuted. This idea that Canada is racist and not multicultural at all seems to be a fallacy solely localized with the misinformed Québecois population.

      Here, no one cares. The police are sympathetic to the anglophobes and racists, and the government secretly loves that the people is doing its work for them.

      Also, Israel-Palestine and Ireland-UK are poor examples.

      Israel would have crushed the Palestinians long ago if it were not for international involvement. The Palestinians are not interested in peace, they want the total annihilation of Israel and Jews worldwide, much like many ''official'' Muslim nations; their displacement is merely a convenient excuse. Israel is surrounded by hostile nations which have repeatedly nad routinely attacked and threatened to attack it, with its complete destruction as their only goal.

      People who are not pro-Israel are either Muslims or completely ignorant about that nation's history. You want to know about suffering and persecution? Look at the Jews. To compare Québec's imagined 'plight' to that of the Jews is disgusting.

      You should be ashamed of yourself for such blatant ignorance!

      As for the Irish, after more than hundreds of years of intermittent armed resistance, a civil war or two, and innumerable rebellions, they finally achieved their independence through peaceful means. Québec whines incessantly while gulping down Federal dollars.

      Another extremely poor comparison. Try paying attention to real history books sometime, not the heavily edited and censored garbage the Qc gov't feeds it's francophone children and those who attend her schools.

      Delete
    8. What, and the Jews weren't throughout the entirety of recorded history? Get real.

      They were displaced in the late 40's on the heels of WWII, after an armed conflict in which Israel was the victor. The Palestinians had their chance, had their allies outnumbering an Israel which was alone and had only itself to rely on.

      That war is over and done with. Israel won, now Palestine has to deal with it. The Israelis have their own country and just want to be left alone. The same cannot be said for the Arab nations, which despite all their Islamic rage will never be able to push the Israelis back into the Mediterranean.

      You just think you can empathize with terrorists & genocidal maniacs because your ancestors also lost a war which resulted in their losing control of some land. It's ridiculous to think that the international community should have a say in a war that was decided 70 years ago, before there was a U.N.

      It would be like France renegotiating Canadian borders with England. Today.

      Delete
  30. Some interesting comments in the Montreal Gazette under Mr. Lisee's appointment to his new portfolio.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Le fait français recule en Ontario

    http://www.lapresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/ville-dottawa/201209/25/01-4577226-le-fait-francais-recule-en-ontario.php

    C'est vrai?Non...

    ReplyDelete
  32. Get your own country Yannick and go ahead and assimilate. Until then, be a good Canadian boy or ship off to Algeria and enforce your particular French version of white mans burden on another indigenous culture. The fact is that French north America was a political still birth kept alive today by special interests and ignorance. Quebec is Canadian territory and in modern terms, that means neither English or French exclusively, but a multicultural part of a multicultural country whose population uses English as a means of communication. In case you didn't get the memo, Groulx passed on to his hellish racist deserts a long, long time ago. The dream of a unilingual, white Catholic French bastion for you all to lord over your minorities will not be.

    ReplyDelete
  33. S.R

    Did you read the rest of the article.

    http://www.lapresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/ville-dottawa/201209/25/01-4577226-le-fait-francais-recule-en-ontario.php

    "L'immigration, si elle ne freine pas pour de bon le recul démographique, permet cependant à la francophonie de se renouveler."

    So do you think it is ok for Francophone community in Ontario to renew itself through immigration?



    ReplyDelete
  34. SR is like one of those clients I don't serve. Obnoxious, rude Francophones who feel it's their right to be served in their language but refuse to extend the same courtesy to others. You'd be waiting for your beverage a long, long time unless you ask for it in English, the OQLF and the rest of you be damned. Two fines later, but there's nothing like watching you make constipated faces at my audacity to exercise my human rights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well said yannick. Thats what I am talking about..ethnic`s attitude is not helping at all. Yes there are stubborn and rude francophones but it seems to me that if they are in Quebec they should be able to be served in their language. I suspect if an anglophone went to a restaurant in Toronto and was only served in french I bet he wouldnt be too happy.
      But having said that I think an anglophone should also be served in their language here in Montreal. Frankly I have rarely had an issue with that..been living here 12 years..I can count on one hand the amount of times I was served in french only.
      The whole seperatist movement started because a lot of anglophones refused to give service in french. Pretty arrorgant if you ask me..

      Delete
    2. Les anglophones doivent comprendre que les francophones n'ont qu'une seule maison en amérique et c'est le Québec.Le bilinguisme chez les francophones ne sera qu'un pas (rapide) vers l'unilinguisme anglais et nous ne sommes surtout pas intéressés à devenir le deuxième Nouveau-Brunswick canadien,non merci!

      Delete
    3. S.R. while you wouldn't like to be like New Brunswick, and the minorities would like to be like New Brunswick, I am sure it would be in your interest to support a partition of Quebec.

      Delete
    4. It's not discrimination Yannick. I simply expect to be addressed in English in the place that I built, with my own money. If I come to your place and it's your choice, I will gladly speak to you in French. In my place, if you give me the 'c'est le loi' attitude I simply won't serve you.
      I understand that it's a stretch for Quebecers to understand that minorities may have expectations as well. Think of me as an educator of sorts.

      Delete
    5. complicated is no doubt barricaded in the basement with an army surplus helmet handy in case the Francophones get violent. What a shill. Not even internet brave. Listen here pal, there is nothing constructive to be done by bowing down. If you want to take it go ahead and do so. I am neither French or English. My family moved here to live free and I will live free. That does not include zero political representation or linguistic laws. Bloody revolutions have been started for less!! I'm done with 101 and the rest of this bullshit. If anyone wants me to comply they'll have to make me and fines or broken windows won't do the trick. Piss on 101 and the bigots who support it!

      Delete
    6. The argument of founding nation is an obnoxious eurocentric mantra. North America didn't need to be found in the first place. Second, politically, French 'founding' ended on the plains of Abraham. End of story! Thanks for playing.
      Maybe you can try bombing, colonizing and converting the indigenous to Catholicism at some new destinations with more success in the future.

      Delete
    7. So have the Mohawks. I don't see you pushing for indigenous languages having official status in their home provinces.

      Delete
    8. The French contributed in Louisiana as well. A few street names will suffice for a defeated nation that lost its imperial gamble in North America hundreds of years ago.

      Delete
    9. I'm not seeking their assimilation. I keep my language and culture alive without oppressive legislation to aid me. Francophones can do the same, like every other group in North America. I'm just pointing out the reality. Quebec is not the safe house for unilingual bigots. It is a part of Canada and all Canadians should have equality in every way. If that is denied to them in this province, then in black and white terms, political parties that create this situation are treasonous and should be punished accordingly. I'm all for Canadian tanks rolling into QC and establishing Canadian authority and our civil rights. Quebec is a rogue province surviving on ROC payments and using this money to destabilize and undermine Canada as a whole.

      Delete
    10. All you really need to know about this province is that as recently as the last decade, M. Reale planted bombs, was arrested and did no time. I bet they throw the book at the Metropolis shooter though. A bit like Levesque running someone over while drunk and getting away with it on 'national hero' status. This place is a joke and it needs an enema immediately.

      Delete
    11. By the way, Reale getting away with the attempted bombings is as close as you can get to state sponsored terrorism in this country. The precedent that was set is that targeting ethnics and anglos is a slap on the wrist offense.

      Delete
    12. "Responding to discrimination with discrimination is not some kind of heroic stand"

      What about responding by some sort of civil disobedience? This is what he's doing, in my opinion. He's not being "difficult" in a vacuum, he's being difficult in a place called QC where we have been living under state-sanctioned bullying for quite some time (34 years too long).


      "I suspect if an anglophone went to a restaurant in Toronto and was only served in french I bet he wouldnt be too happy. "

      I doubt it. The consciousness of the Torontonians has not been conditioned by culture and politics to be that receptive to these matters. In most cases, a Torontonian would probably shrug his arms, walk out, and never come back.

      But let's assume that the sensibility of Torontonians gets a make over on these matters by some hot headed Anglo-Supremacist mayor. So now, a Torontonian that walks into an Indian or Chinese restaurant is "asked" to pay attention to the language and "demand" to be served in English. In such a conflict, I would stand 100% behind the people who disobey. This issue goes beyond language. It goes straight to rights, and is about select groups of people who get "ordained" by the state to bully other people, under various cloaks, be it "the rule of majority", or "respect", or "a world normality". Cut through that nonsense, and what you have left is bare bullying which should be opposed (not by violence, but by disobedience and withdrawal, in my opinion)


      "It is a part of Canada and all Canadians should have equality in every way."

      Even if QC was a country, your attitude would be legitimate. It's irrelevant what QC is as a political unit, what's relevant is what it is doing as a power center, and how you're taking a stand against it.


      "My family moved here to live free and I will live free"

      Keep up what you're doing. You're in the right.

      Delete
    13. Ethnic, it seems like you own a business, and had run-ins with the OQLF. My advice to you is: be "professional" and courteous during the raid, but do not "conform" to any of the "warnings" or citations. If they ever cite you for a "violation", take down the whole sign. Do not adjust one language over another, take down the whole thing even if it means that your store becomes sign-less and label-less (except for the numeric prices). Trust me, your clients will understand and will not be deterred.

      Good luck, brother.

      Delete
    14. I doubt it. The consciousness of the Torontonians (...) walk out, and never come back.

      Et si c'est un restaurant indien incluant le service en indien,comment réagira votre torontois?

      "a world normality"

      Pourriez-vous élaborer sur ce qu'est la "normalité mondiale"?Je suis très curieux de nature.

      Delete
    15. I could not careless how the Toronotonian would react. He could get angry and slam the door on his way out, for all I care.

      Such an angry Torontonian might not be unusual, what differentiates him from an angry Montrealer is that the Torontonian does not have a government agency set up to deal with such nonsensical details of the daily grind, he doesn't have social permissiveness behind him for "defending" English in any way possible (antisocial way included), nor could he hide his assholness behind the cloak of nobility ("yes, I am angry, but I'm only protecting my language") because nobody would buy this excuse (in other words, people would see him as a total asshole and a government snitch first, a glorious defender of his culture way way way second).

      Now, if we were to go down to Arizona, things might be a little different. Judging from a distance, it appears that some Arizonians do in fact exhibit symptoms of pequistitis, as in trying to get the government to get involved on the Spanish "issue".

      Delete
    16. Ethnic,

      If you get raided by the OQLF again, try capturing it on video with your cellphone or another device and then post it on YOUTUBE. People across the world will see it. We need to expose these bigots for what they are, in the broadest manner possible.

      Delete
    17. Je crois que ce sont les anglos qui auront le très mauvais rôle dans ce film.

      Delete
    18. You guys are so full of it sometimes. Are you seriously telling me that if on a regular basis anglophones in Toronto were not served in english that the wouldnt mind?? And if this happened in several different establishments then they wouldnt mind..come on..you know darn well there would be an uproar.
      Its because anglophones are almost never in that situtation that they cant relate at all. Try to put yourselves in a francophones shoes. They have the right to be served in their language here in Montreal and even now they arent always getting that even though they are 80 percent of the population..something is wrong..

      Delete
    19. I am behind Ethnic 100%.

      When I go out for a drink, I don't want to waste time bitching about my rights, I want my beer and pub food. I don't care what language it is presented to me in.

      For me it's simple. I'll order in French if the guy behind the counter's a francophone, or in English if I can detect an accent, but as soon as I get any lip or dirty looks for speaking in English amongst my friends, I'm gone and the guy just lost his tip. I've only had to do this once, thankfully, and I've never gone back to that bar again. That's how a Canadian handles it.

      I generally only go to Irish pubs in MTL anyway, and I can speak any damned language I please without being worried about someone calling me out on that.

      An indignant francophone would complain that "c'est la loi" and "enwoye donc, vam'chercher ton gerant, crisse" etc, etc, and make a big scene. If you're not happy with the service you're getting, leave: that's how the rest of the world acts. You're not a hero, you just come off as a racist dolt.

      Ethnic, your bar sounds like the kind of bar I'd go to, and you can bet your sweet booze that you're in the right when it comes to telling the language police to sod off with a smile.

      Not acquiescing to discriminatory laws via civil disobedience is okay in my books. He's not threatening anyone or breaking any real laws, so what's the problem?

      Delete
    20. Complicated, we can hypothesize how Torontonians would behave in such and such situation, but life was kind enough to set up a real case for us - that of the Arizonians. Just like our French speaking residents of QC, the English speaking residents of AZ feel "threatened". The state of AZ had therefore passed a few legislations targeting the Spanish language (not as severe as 101, but very obvious in aim). The question for you: do you support the AZ rulings and the people of AZ in their quest to prop up their language? Yes or no?

      Delete
    21. Bizarre questions but we're used to that by now.

      Delete
  35. Yannick,

    It's one thing to want to ensure that newcomers learn their language, its another to want to forcefully assimilate them. Assimilation is an evil unless it's the good guys doing it, huh?

    Any forced assimilation towards English community happens in English Canada these days? Do you have any example?

    Note that the key word is "forced" instead of "natural".

    ReplyDelete
  36. ethnic,

    I notice your screen name for the first time so I assume that you are new here. Welcome.

    Just so you know, Yannick is not a quebecker, he is acadian, he now lives in Alberta, he is federalist and he is opposed to Québec's independence. He doesn't dream of "lording over minorities", he is part of a minority outside Québec.

    ReplyDelete
  37. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "You'd be waiting for your beverage a long, long time unless you ask for it in English"

      Vous travaillez pour Air-canada?

      Delete
    2. ya you wait a long time for anything whatever language you ask in :P

      Delete
    3. It used to be worse with Quebecair...

      Delete
  38. Yannick,

    Mea culpa, I misunderstood your tone.

    ReplyDelete
  39. FROM ED BROWN
    Cutie, You say 79 federal districts. This is all good but there is one problem. You will nevger get Prime Minister Steven 'laid back' to do it. The only way he will move is if he's under enough pressure so he can say I had no choice. they were forcing me. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  40. FROM ED BROWN
    Complicated, who the hell are these anglophones you keep talking about. The ones who wouldn't serve in French. For the last twenty years french has been the main language used in Quebec. Before that english was used in english stores and french in french stores. When will you stop blaminmg english people for thge PQ"s policies.
    You make my blood boil when you say, "The whole sepratist movement started because english people refusede to give serbvice in french.
    Arrogant! Your damned right it's arrogant how dare you blame us. You whiny little sycophant.
    Go kiss Marois ass you arrogant bastard. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you denying that francophones were unable to be served in french in the 1960s? Its pretty common knowledge that it happened frequently to francophones here in Montreal. Even now francophones are not always served in french..I see it with my own eyes ED!! I saw it yesterday..in a restaurant..a server only responding in english to francophones. Is it really too much to ask to have the majority served in their own language??
      When people start throwing out insults like you do then you obviously have no intelligent argument to make..so you resort to name calling..pretty pathetic Ed.

      Delete
    2. complicated,

      Here's another name for you. You're a Quisling with Stockholm syndrome.

      Delete
    3. Don't listen to them. There opinions are not worth more than yours.

      Delete
    4. Its really depressing to see how brainwashed some people are. Its like talking to a brick wall..you just cant get through..there is no compromise..no will to listen.

      Delete
  41. Thanks for the welcome Michel. I'm not new here though. I'm familiar with Yannik's posts and though I usually appreciate his calm tone, I recognize that his sole purpose is to act as an apologist for the status quo in Quebec. 40 years of being under foot is a long time and as far as I'm concerned, the time for niceties and polite discourse ended when the bombs went off in English neighbourhoods. Again, when attempted bombings in the year 2000 went unpunished, and when students goose step downtown flaunting 'zig heil' arms and defacing ethnic and anglo property. These, just the tip of the iceberg in provocation and the vilification of an entire community.
    Quebec, as is evident, is not only trying to assimilate ethnic communities. It seeks to dispossess them of their political rights, and has done so successfully. There isn't a single political party representing the interests of anglophones and minorities in this province. We are the economic heart of the province and yet have no voice. Yannick is more than happy to sweep this under the rug with white gloves, harping the strings of Francophone plight. We can always hop on the 401, right?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Yes Ed, I know that we would have to push for the 75 referendums but that's why we desperately need a Partition Party in this Province. That's the only way we will get the Feds to realize that we mean business and cut this damn turkey once and for all. We are going down quickly here - losing our rights hand over fist and going bankrupt more every day with PQ policies and union participation in our own ruin. We have to start somewhere with this movement and it may as well be here. We have to start complaining to the Official Languages Bureau in Ottawa also when we run across stores that don't have bilingual signs and menus. We have to start fighting back in any way we can. We mustn't sit quiet any more - enough is enough. Partition Party Please - Let's get something going.

    ReplyDelete
  43. From ethnic :"Quebec is Canadian territory and in modern terms, that means neither English or French exclusively, but a multicultural part of a multicultural country whose population uses English as a means of communication."

    I understand you hate sovereignists and Francophones in general (judging by the tone of your posts) but with a comment like this, you are just adding oil to the fire.

    It's : "part of a multicultural country whose population uses English and French as a means of communication"

    It's in the constitution. Canada isn't an "English territory." Hopefully for everyone on this blog, the PQ understands the English can also be spoken outside of the ROC.

    ReplyDelete
  44. @Troy : Is there any ways to "assimilate" (I hate this word) the new immigrants toward the french community naturally?

    In other words, why is the assimilation to the English community in Quebec deemed as natural?

    ReplyDelete
  45. Maybe because newly arrived immigrants came to a supposedly free country to escape specifically what the Quebec government wants to force on them... how to think, what language to speak, what doctrine to adopt...

    Assimilation should be voluntary, and you're a fool if you think otherwise. Why do so many immigrants enjoy being _______-Canadian in the RoC? One should love the culture and language in order to identify with it. How can people do that when they're accosted and criticized by both the government and the people for not speaking French within 30 seconds of stepping off the plane?

    Why do you think so many move on to the RoC? They take a look around and go "f*ck this" and leave for greener, less xenophobic pastures to the east.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I understand but even if we get rid of those laws, it won't necessarily make the French language and the Quebec culture more appealing to new immigrants.

    When there were no "language" laws in the first half of the 20th century, it didn't pushed the newly arrived Jewish, Italian or Greek communities to learn French.

    If we get rid of these laws, then the argument that "French language is in danger in Quebec" becomes a reality. Francophones shouldn't feel threatened on their own province while minorities shouldn't see their rights be restricted. However, finding the perfect balance is not easy.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Mere speculation, Guillaume...

    Avant the Quiet Revolution, c'est absolument correct lors que les francophones nous disent que leurs grands-parents n'avaient pas le même genre de protection que la langue française a aujourd'hui. Les parents de ma blonde (une francophone ''pure-laine'', donc ''de souche'' si tu préfères, en passant) me racontent souvent l'histoire de leurs parents, dans le temps que la farine Five Roses n'était qu'en anglais, et que l'on ne pouvait trouver du service en français que dans des endroits spécifiques a Montréal.

    On n'est plus dans cette age. Si la langue française a survecue ces derniers décennies, c'est parce que elle n'est pas réellement dans le genre de danger que les souverainistes et les péquistes aimeraient nous faire croire qu'elle l'est.

    Je suis fédéraliste. Je suis anglophone. Je me considère d'être canadien avant d'être québecois. Malgré cela, je compte elever mes enfants pour être des anglophones bilingues, car je sais qu'ils auront l'avantage sur les unilingues, qu'ils soient anglophones ou francophones.

    Comment expliques-tu donc ce sentiment ? J'ai reçu mon education en immersion français, et je refuse pourtant d'être ''assimilé''.

    ReplyDelete
  48. complicated,

    Were english speakers denied service in English from francophones in the 1960s?

    Even before bill 101, a relative of mine from England was in Montreal in 1973 and was refused service when he inquired at a ticket booth about fares in English.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I am not surprised..it even happens now. But that was 1973..after the seperatist movement was born because of previous injustices against the french. I dont agree with it..but my point all along is that the entire PQ movement was spawned because of english arrogance and indifference towards francophones up until the 1960s. French people regularly were refused service in their language up to the 1960s and they got fed up. Its the same old British imperial arrogance that resulted in the clashes in Rhodesia, India, and other colonies around the world.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ugh, Complicated... please stop regurgitating your french CEGEP college history textbooks which gloss over everything that doesn't portray Quebec as a shining beacon of hope and rainbows and unicorns and whatever.

      "Blah blah blah BNA evil, British Empire evil, Canada = British Empire, FLQ heroes, Patriotes weren't actually led by anglophones and weren't a complete failure, blah blah pride, blah blah language, blah blah Quebec libre, blah blah victim, blah blah no the federals dont give us 8 billion a year because our economy is in shambles, blah blah de souche"

      We get it. You can stop now.

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    2. Don`t forget, blah blah maîtres chez nous, blah blah peuple à genoux.

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    3. And most importantly "blah blah blah french is disappearing blah blah the english are coming blah blah blah why does no one like us"

      Although "maitres chez nous" and "vive le Quebec libre" are my personal favourites.

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  50. You know I could use the same juvenile argument as you foremost..<

    Blablabla all languages die at some point... blabla bla we need to partition its the only way
    Blabla bla the french and english got along just fine in the 1960s bla bla bla the seperatists are pure evil and are out to destroy the anglos bla bla bla any anglo who doesnt agree 100 percent with us is an apologist Bla bla bla bla just let things evolve naturally bla bla bla bla

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