Monday, October 1, 2012

PQ Faces Reality Check in First week in Power

Pauline, You've got a lot of splainin' to do!
Let's just say the PQ enjoyed the shortest honeymoon of any newly-elected government in memory, as the government lurched from one disaster to another, proving conclusively that the amateur hour which we witnessed during the election campaign has carried forward into government.

The not ready for prime-time gang had the professional watchers scratching their heads in disbelief as Pauline and her gang made one gaffe after another.

Things started off in the grand PQ tradition of backstabbing as the cabinet named by Marois was deemed unacceptable by a member of her own caucus Noëlla Champagne(who had expected to be named to the cabinet herself) who raised an unseemly ruckus in the Press over the unfairness, in her view, of having no cabinet representation for the Mauricie region, especially since one of Pauline's first moves was the announcement of the closure of Quebec's only nuclear plant which is located in the region.
The loss of 800 direct jobs and perhaps another 1,000 spin off jobs had locals seeing red and the idea that an outsider  from Longueuil, Bernard Drainville would be responsible for economic development in the region was too much of an insult for the local PQ member.
After a public outcry in the region, Pauline backtracked quickly by taking away the responsibility for the  region from Drainville and handing it over to the party whip, Yves-François Blanchet, who doesn't even sit in cabinet.

On Sunday, a protest march was held in support of the nuclear reactor and the mayor of Trois Rivieres denounced the government for making an improvised decision before all the facts were in. Apparently a report is in the process of being prepared dealing with the viability of the plant.

In another mess, the government announced within hours of being elected that the $200 head tax for health services would be abandoned, the shortfall of a billion dollars to be made up by taxing the rich retroactively.

The crap hit the fan when it was revealed that nine months into the year, taxpayers would be required to modify their tax returns to pay for taxes that they never knew were coming.

Now realistically, the hoi-polloi didn't have much sympathy for the richnicks who would have to dig deeper into their pockets to make up the shortfall, but largely ignored in all this were the two other retroactive provisions, that is, the raising of the capital gains tax by 50% and the reduction of tax credits on dividend income. Link

These last two measures, haven't garnered a lot of publicity, but they should, because they affect a lot more people than just the rich. Many retirees live off their investment income that includes dividends paid on the shares that they own in publicly traded companies. Each quarter, when they receive payment from these companies, they dutifully put aside a certain amount of the money they receive to pay the taxes due. Then they are free to spend what is left over.
But now the new government is saying that they owe money because the tax rates have been increased retroactively.
Not really cricket.

As for capital gains, let me make it as simple as possible.

Take the example of a couple which sells a vacation cottage that they own. Because of retirement, it is a luxury they can no longer afford and like most people, they sure could use the money.
The cottage was purchased decades ago at about $10,000 and was sold this last May for $150,000.
According to the old rules, taxes would be owing on 50% of the gain (there are some adjustments to be made, but let's not get complicated.)
In other words the couple would have to add in $70,000 to their income tax return and pay perhaps $30,000 in additional taxes.
After dutifully putting $30,000 aside to pay for the taxes due, they spend the balance fixing up their home, putting on a new roof and making some repairs that have been neglected for too long.
After taking a round-the-world cruise, they gift the balance of the money to their three children, so each can have a little wiggle room in their own family budget.
Life is good....

Imagine their surprise when the accountant phones them in a panic and tells them that due to Madame Marois retroactive increase in taxes on capital gains, they will owe another $15,000 to Quebec come their 2012 tax return in April next year!

"But we spent the money, where are we going to get 15 grand!!"

When all the repercussions became apparent, the financial community went nuts on Nicolas Marceau, the new finance minister, who looked clearly out of his depth.
Our boy wonder finance minister started to back off the retroactive part of his tax hike after both major opposition parties said that they would vote against any such proposal

All this will add a billion dollars to the 2012 deficit, not an auspicious start!

And as Laurel told Hardy throughout their movie franchise;
"Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into"

As for following through on the promise to abolish the tuition fee increases, the Marois government didn't think to, or dare to abolish those measures that the previous Liberal government put in place as a carrot for the students to stop their protests.
Those measures increased the amount of money available for bursaries and loans to ease the pain of higher tuition fees, but with no tuition fee increase, the money became just another perk for the students and in the end, the entire fiasco actually puts the government further and further into the hole!

Then of course were two PQ members that got themselves into some controversy, right off the bat.
"André Villeneuve, the Parti Québécois MNA for Berthier, who also owns a construction company, said Friday he has asked the Charbonneau Commission into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry to supply him with the licence plate number and the time a vehicle belonging to Plancher Mirage André Villeneuve inc. was seen parked at the mall where assassinated Mafia kingpin Nicolo Rizzuto would hold court." Read the rest of the story.
While the stunned Villeneuve denied any relationship with the mob, the vehicle in question was far from home, and no explanation was offered as to why it was there.
So far, he is being given the benefit of the doubt, but questions still linger.

In another case of skeletons in the closet, Minister of the Environment Daniel Breton denied being a member of the lobby group Sortons le Québec du nucléaire despite his name being listed as being a member of the advisory board on the group's website .

Within hours of the controversy, his name was removed from the website, but not before I grabbed a Before/After screen shot.


Now the minister vehemently denied his involvement in the group but alas his denials weren't credible.
Michel Duguay, the Sortons le Québec du nucléaire coordinator, gave an impromptu interview to TVA where he asserted that he had been working with Mr. Breton for four years and that Mr. Breton was and still is a member of the group. Link{fr}

Somebody's lying and I don't think it is Mr. Duguay!

In another shot aimed at the new government, the board of directors of the association of Quebec's Chamber of  Commerce blasted the new government in a news release: 

FCCQ calls on Quebec government to open dialogue with business community on economic growth

"The board of directors of the FCCQ finds it regrettable that major decisions made so far by the new government are contrary to this spirit of dialogue and cooperation.
  • Major decisions have been announced in a hasty manner, without consultation with the communities or businesses most directly affected and without the least assessment of their effects on the economy.
  • A major tax increase has been announced, particularly on capital gains, which is actually an undue tax on success, even for small investors.
  • Measures that effectively maintain or increase provincial revenue have been abolished without identifying areas where spending will be reduced.
  • Even before the findings of strategic environmental studies are known, major reservations are being expressed about the possible exploitation of natural gas and even certain oil fields, when these sources could create a great many jobs and revenue for the province.
  • Draconian changes have been announced to the conditions imposed on natural resource development companies, and there is a good chance that this may halt the economic recovery that has begun in many of Quebec's natural resource regions.
  • The Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export, which had succeeded in establishing ongoing communications with companies throughout Quebec in supporting their efforts to promote business growth, both locally and internationally, is being dismantled. Read more
 I think that just about sums it up....

Then there was the partisan appontment of:
"Nicolas Girard, who was Parti Québécois MNA for Montreal’s Gouin riding for nearly eight years until his defeat in the Sept. 4 election by Françoise David, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, was named by the PQ cabinet on Wednesday as president and CEO of the Agence métropolitaine de transport....
In order to make room for Mr. Girard, Madame Marois let go Paul Côté, interim president of the AMT, someone described by interim Quebec Liberal leader, Jean-Marc Fournier as “very competent.

BEFORE: "Partisan nominations by the Charest government are a scandal!" AFTER "Gulp!"

Who says a minority government can't wreak havoc?

All this controversy in the first few days of power.
Is all this just teething problems or a taste of the future and is Pauline destined to follow in the footsteps of France's new president François Hollande, whose popularity has plummeted just four months after the election as voters realize their huge mistake? Link

Time will tell....

151 comments:

  1. Great post, especially regarding the communication of the new tax hikes...

    I know that if this goes through everyone making over $130,000 will get nailed, but i just recently learned about the increase in capital gains tax, and now the reduction of tax credits on dividend income...

    Why don't we just hand over the entire pay check to the government and ask them to give back what they think is fare for us to keep... what a joke!

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    1. It's bloody disgusting the way these people spend our money - I'm so fed up with the taxes in this damn province - who is going to move here with all this going on? You'd have to be sick in the head or on welfare - they're the only ones who are gaining in this area of Canada.

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    2. Editor, thanks for this post. Like Jason I was also not fully aware about the additional taxes on capital gains... We'll see how we fare when we file in our 2012 taxes, I guess even the most devout to the Bill 101 cause will also feel the pain then too...

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    3. Guys, I did a quick experiment using the data from the revenue Canada/Quebec web pages, to see how much income tax I paid in Quebec, relative to the rest of the provinces...

      I knew we were heavily taxed in Quebec, but I always thought that Ontario wasn't that far behind...

      If you do this experiment for all the provinces, considering all the different tiers of taxation for each... Quebec is head and shoulders above everyone else... BY FAR!!!!

      On a $100,000 income (let's keep the math easy) Quebecers pay ~$11,000 more tax then Ontario!!!!

      Yes ~$11,000 !!!!!

      Considering we all pay the same amount in federal income tax, that's ~$11,000 more in Provincial tax then Ontario. I was dumbfounded!!!

      Do the math yourself...
      http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html

      This of course doesn't include QST\GST, and all the other taxes we pay in the form of Gas, Alcohol, cigarettes, license & registration...

      Insane!

      Do the Math!
      You will wonder why we still all live in this province!

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    4. Yannick,

      I file my family's taxes using H&R Block. Reading your comments, I opened my 2011 file and changed the address to Ontario. I changed nothing else. If only I lived in Ontario, I would have gotten $1000 extra in return. If both my wife and I did, $2000.

      Are you really saying that taxation in Quebec is not that bad?

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    5. Yannick,

      Imagine this. Your boy comes home with a bloody mouth and blue cheeks. What happens? He tells you that a bully in his school punched him three times on the face. Angrily, you confront the father of the bully. The father defends his son. He said, "Yes, my son punched your son. But he did not punch him three times. He only did it twice."

      That is what you are doing now.

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    6. @ Yannick - Thanks for the info!
      I new there was a kickback somewhere but I didn't know how much it was, or that it was called "abatement" refund. Nor did I realize it was that significant.

      I'll read into it in more detail, thank you.

      Never the less. 1 punch, 2 punch, 3 punch, 4! We all pay way to much tax, and to pay more here where we seem to be hated and marginalized by the powers that be, hurts even more.

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    7. Hi tax readers! Actually, the abatement that only Quebec taxpayers receive is based on two headings, one abating 13.5%, the other 3%. This goes back to the 1960s and it's all due to the fact Quebec has opted out of certain federal programs for compensation. The theory is Quebec augments its tax rates to collect the savings. Portal link: http://www.fin.gc.ca/fedprov/altpay-eng.asp#APSP

      It's not really easy to compare Quebec's taxation system with the federal tax system because Quebec often defines certain income and allowable deductions differently. Quebec can do this because they (are the only Canadian jurisdiction that) collect their own tax. In more recent years, the federal system has given the other provinces more flexibility in structuring tax calculations on one's tax base as opposed to the former system where provinces taxed the federal tax (i.e., provincial income tax was a percentage of the federal tax, not the income itself).

      Now you're up to date.

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    8. Yannick,

      Calm down. The point that I would like to bring up is that Quebec is the most taxing among Canadian provinces and territories. Nobody even comes close. On that point I would think you agree. We may disagree on how much more Quebec taxes are, but for me it does not matter much. Just the fact that Quebecers are the most taxed in the continent, omnibus rebus consideratis.

      I posted my real-life examples supporting that argument and I will keep on doing so, now that I can consider myself both resident of Ontario and Quebec.

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  2. So not only is the PQunt, xenophobic, racist and hateful, they are also incompetent!
    We need a coalition government ASAP before the damage done cannot be repaired.

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  3. Time to retroactively change your vote

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  4. I'm feeling sick with a cold, but after reading this article, Editor, like the Dave Clark Five, I'm feeling glad all over (that I left Quebec).

    Now the crash test dummies who speak French and voted for the crash test dummies in Quebec and France are regretting their decisions. I've never heard of a government in Canada, or elsewhere for that matter, trying to impose a retroactive tax burden.

    When Bou-Bou Bourassa was elected for the second iteration back in 1985, one of the first things he did was abolish succession duties, an irritant that prior to elimination raised a measly $40 million.

    Even that financial wizard, Parasite, twice miscalculated or ignored the deficit potential. On November 17, 1981 in a mini budget, he doubled the gasoline tax from 20% to 40% on the taxed federal price (and a 20 cent beer tax on a case) to avert an additional $1 billion on an already mushrooming $3.3 billion deficit.

    In his 1982 budget, he raised the sales tax rate from 8% to 9%, but more importantly, he had to recover the budget deficit increase from 1979 on the backs of the public and parapublic service. That was a handout to aid in the 'yes' vote in the referendum in 1980. That failed, so the government needed to roll back the public sector wages by about $½ billion to reduce Quebec's deficit again! He also imposed a hiring freeze for the rest of the fiscal year, ending the end of March 1983. The result was a 20% wage rollback for most public sector earners, except part-timers who earned below about a $16,000 threshold. That was for the first 3 months of 1983, right when people were getting their Xmas credit card statements (although a 7-month warning in advance was ample time for the workers to brace themselves). After that, the rollback was reduced by about half and it took until 1985 for workers to get back to the 1982 pay levels.

    There are still people today yapping about that wage cut, 30 years later!

    Of course, the PQ kept subsidizing companies pissing money against the wall, like Québecair, The Asbestos Corporation, Sidbec and others I can't even now remember. Do recall I referred to Parasite as a "financial wizard"!

    Well, compared to this recently elected circus, he DID look like a wizard. A friend of my life partner is looking to sell a condo she owns on the South Shore. She learned recently there are a lot of properties up for sale now (quel surprise!) I'm sure this is just the beginning as this black vortexed tornado is just building up. Anyone with money, especially investment income, is probably going to pack up stakes and leave, unless these measures are soundly defeated with the first budget.

    Oh well, what's another $300+ million election among friends? ♪'Cause I'm feeling [boom-boom] glad all over, yes I'm [boom-boom] glad all over♫... Oh, and the debt clock? If you haven't taken a look since the last time somebody put in the portal link, here is is again: http://www.iedm.org/27-quebec-debt-clock

    Let's face it folks, is it really worth staying and fighting for a sinking ship?

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    1. Incidentally, Editor, good catch on the Daniel Breton issue above. Also, while checking the portal link to the rest of the FCCQ story you started to write about, there was another portal link to a story in the Vancouver Sun. It points out how businesses and jobs over the last ten years are leaving the Island of Montreal for the 450 regions; furthermore, Marois' threats to francize businesses with 11 or more employees will cause additional bureaucratic and regulation headaches in an already overregulated bureaucracy. The portal link for that article is http://3.hidemyass.com/ip-2/encoded/Oi8vd3d3LnZhbmNvdXZlcnN1bi5jb20vT3Bpbmlvbi9PcC1FZC9PcGluaW9uK2VtcGxveWVycytmbGVlaW5nK0lzbGFuZCtNb250cmVhbC83MjY4OTQwL3N0b3J5Lmh0bWw%3D

      Boy-o-boy! The worst keeps on getting worse. Thinking of opening a small business in Quebec? Faggedaboudit! Think Ontario...or Nova Scotia, Alberta...

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  5. Montreal is a disaster and its only getting worse each year. I'll be so glad when I'm finally gone.

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    1. So what's holding you back?

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    2. For me it's the money, and a francophone fiancee who thinks I'm being paranoid.

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    3. With all due respect, you're marrying the wrong person. Her beliefs are not only backward, they're not compatible with yours. Marriage is tough enough when you marry someone with your own background. If you believe what you wrote and she tells you you're paranoid, this is a conflict that is going to infiltrate your lives together.

      If you're writing about "money", I'm assuming you have a well-paying job. Aren't you able to seek employment outside Quebec (unless you're in the public or parapublic sector)? You wrote "when you're finally gone". Does your fiancée know you have aspirations to leave? Is she willing to go along? If you're not sure, you bloody well better find out! ...before it's too late. Over 50% of marriages end up in divorce. I'm a victim myself.

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  6. Thanks Editor for another eye-opening update.

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    1. All of this is so disheartening! Damn - we have to find a way out of here before we don't have a cent in the bank.

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    2. Cutie: What's holding you back? From what I've read, you live where you can skip a stone on the Ottawa River.

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    3. True, but other circumstances have me tied up right now - know one thing, if I do sell I will never invest another cent in this province. Was talking to a bank rep this morning and wondering about investments. Asked that one of my investments be placed into something that has absolutely nothing with shares in Quebec, including Quebec Hydro.

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    4. Qu'attendez-vous cutie?

      Mr.Suga vous invite personnellement au royaume du beignet.Allez hop!

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  7. Ignorance is bliss (comment from le Devoir, alias, cahier de petits québécois frustrés)

    François Dugal - Abonné
    1 octobre 2012 07 h 58

    CH
    Dans la Confédération Helvétique, il y a quatre langues officielles, dont aucune n'est l'anglais!
    1- Le français, région de Genève et Lausanne
    2- L'italien, région de Lugano
    3- Le suisse-allemand, région de Zurich
    4- Le romanche, canton des Grisons
    En plus, il y a souvent des référendums sur des sujets des plus divers.
    Déménagez-vous, monsieur Jarislowsky?

    After this flow of useless, emotional puke, check out the real reality:

    http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/countries/uk/language.html

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    1. Heureusement,nous ne sommes pas la Suisse.

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    2. "Heureusement,nous ne sommes pas la Suisse"

      No, you're not, as you are neither culturally nor economically developed to understand the Swiss model. And you seem to be happy and proud of it.
      Petit peuple pour un petit pain dans un petit monde pour une petite vie.

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    3. La Suisse aurait de graves problèmes si une des quatre langues officielles était le globish,
      Forcément,cette dernière essaierait de manger les trois autres.Ha ces anglos...

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    4. Which sociolinguistics or sociology book contains this lunacy? We need facts, not personal grudge-based drivel... Fact, facts, facts, we need empirical evidence.

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    5. "Petit peuple pour un petit pain dans un petit monde pour une petite vie."

      ...Avec une petite minorité anglopone constituée de petits anglos avec de petites idées et un petit peu racistes.

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    6. Read Le Devoir, vigile.net and all the separatist blogs: you will see that your buddies are even much more racist than my comments. Of course, my comments are "racist" because they touch subjects les québécois refuse hearing or reading.

      You know, between les québécois and the catholic Church there is a common denominator (which explains the perverse, WANTED relationship 'master' and 'slave' they had in the past): both jettison what they don't like or don't want to see or hear by lashing out at the world and by tagging the others as racist, enemies, evil and so on. Isn't it what you did with my comment?

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    7. Yannick,

      Until several months ago I could say the exact same thing about Montreal.

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    8. To my knowledge, in Switzerland it is compulsory in schools to learn at least two of the four national languages. Makes sense. English on top of that is a bonus and the only genuinely foreign language. All our German speakers in Italy born from the 70's onwards speak both German and Italian and, generally, English too, all courtesy of the Public Education system.

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    9. Luckily, Switzerland is more intelligent than péquistes.

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  8. L’allemand, le français, l'italien et le romanche sont les quatre langues NATIONALES parlées en Suisse.

    Le globish n'est pas une langue officielle mais utilitaire,entre autre pour le tourisme,désolé.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You don't get it, but it does not surprise me: you see the reality through fogged-up, distorted lenses called Bil 101 and mentalité québécoise.
      I will try to use simple ideas for your very simple mind.
      The comment wants to demonstrate (but it fails) that, if English is not an official language, you don't need it because it's not official and because it's not official, you don't need it. Typical Le Devoir-mentality. It's like saying: it's warm because it's sunny and, because it's sunny, it's warm. You see NOTHING in between.
      Not to take into consideration the racist "Déménagez-vous, monsieur Jarislowsky?", which is the reason why you fail to see beyond your nose.
      Anyway, for your info: in CH English is a very well-established language, which is more than official despite the fact that it's not officially official.

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    2. I wouldn't bother with him. He has ZERO understanding of the economy and how it works. Like a child, he believes everything will work out fine in the end, because that's how it is in the movies.

      NOTE TO EDITOR: Last night I addressed the removal of certain key posts in a very enlightening sub-thread.

      And yet if we take a look at S.R's latest comment: "Le globish n'est pas une langue officielle mais utilitaire,entre autre pour le tourisme,désolé." He once again oversteps the line.

      My advice to the homeowners on this blog: don't sell your home, just take out a second mortgage for now and buy up land in Ontario's Georgian Bay region. It's currently a buyer's market and if all goes to pot, and you have to sell your Quebec-based assets at a loss, you'll recover it when Georgian Bay returns to a seller's market.

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

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

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    5. A point worth making is that S.R. seems to think that "globish" is some sort of bastardized slang good for nothing other than "filthy lucre". In reality it is, even more than English itself, the language of the world and, as such, it occupies a higher place in the language hierarchies, just like standard (Parisian?) French is higher up the food chain than any regional variety. After all, if the world didn't speak globish, nobody would really feel surrounded, no?

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    6. Whatever globish may be, he sure has a bizarre fixation on whatever it is.

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  9. The PQ is self destructing on its own..we dont need to add any more fuel. They are obviously totally incompetent. All we need now is for some revelations to come out with respect to the PQ party in the Charbonneau commission.
    If this keeps up then the PQ may be down to 25 percent in the vote within a few months. I heard Raymond Bachand interviewed last week..sounds like a pretty decent guy..speaks excellent english and seems quite business minded.

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    1. Yeah right, there are just enough ignorant and entitled people in Quebec who absolutely eat this shit up. And its all spoon fed to them by the PQunt‘s union, education and media friends.

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    2. This is why I'm for cutting off equalization payments to Quebec. It's nothing but billions of dollars pissed against a wall and going down a black hole. Why doesn't the government just give university students their free tuition and bursaries to pay for books and transportation for their commutes? The debt at this moment is quickly approaching $254 billion and counting. From early this morning when I last checked it, the figure has grown $8 million.

      Right now it's the minorities who make up 20% of the population and pays 40% of the tax revenues. Why? Simple history.

      Prior to the Quiet Revolution and the growth of nationalism in the 1960s and its manifestations in the 1970s, the private sector was ruled by the minorities. Why? Because the non-French speaking Catholics who live with a work hard and prosper work ethic; too, as the late Mordechai Richler controversially put it, the «pur laine» population was producing babies like sows, i.e. «la revanche des berceaux».

      Now the «pur laine» population is seemingly catching up to and surpassing their perceived masters of the pre 1960s era. How? By growing the public sector, that's how! It's not as if the «pur laine» population has grown the private sector, it's just that they've grown the public sector and it's reserved primarily for the «pur laine» population, and the Quebec government has never made any apologies for that. This is part of the reason why Quebec will never allow the "real Canada" to form nation-wide professional associations. They want their own kind to run their associations, minorities need not apply.

      One problem: The public and parapublic sector are fueled by tax revenues, not private investment, and the public sector pays itself more generously than the goods and services they produce. The result: Every Quebecer, man, woman and child, now owes over $30,000. Add their federal portion of the debt and that increases to $47,000! Complication: Since Quebec is not a sovereign state, at least not yet, they cannot print their own money and they have to borrow to increase their money supply. That increases the debt and therefore the interest that has to be paid on the debt. Even if they could produce their own currency, then the value of their currency would depreciate. Depreciation of money = Inflation.

      What worries me is that the "real Canada's" currency is going to undergo the same pressures the Euro is undergoing where the strong countries are supporting the weak. Frankly, I think we in the "real Canada" should consider throwing Quebec out of our confederation before our currency devalues in the way the Euro is. I think the European Union is nuts for not throwing Greece out of the Union and letting them sink for their own stupidity and negligence. Why should the rest of the Union support their negligence and why should the "real Canada" pay for Quebec's? Quebec has gotten half the equalization money since this program started in the late 1950s - $510 billion paid out, $253 billion to Quebec.

      Oversubsidized tuition, $7-a-day daycare for anyone and everyone, not just the working poor, a neglected infrastructure and convoluted priorities. The «pur lainers» expect the Gouvernemama to unbutton her blouse and lactate profusely while the people who have come to Quebec work for their milk and pay 40% of the tax revenues with 20% of the population. Why

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    3. If the rest of Canada throw us out we will then be able to get a really good partition movement going and the ROC is right to do this. The money is pissed against a wall for sure. Don't blame you guys at all - it's sickening.

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    4. I agree with you Mr. Sauga. Partition is the only answer. The problem is since Trudeau and his gang of bigots from kebec arrived in Ottawa in he 1960”s the same tax and spend mentality has spread across the entire country. Under Trudeau our debt went from 18 billion to over 200 billion bt the time he finally left office. The size of government grew by over 400% during his watch.

      Truduea supported all the anti-English language laws in Kebec while enforcing bilingualism, (code for French) all across the country. The amount of money spent on this social engineering is over 1 trillion dollars and counting for the frenchification of the country while Kebec wipes out our language and culture. Nice eh. Typical hypocrisy from Kebec politicians.

      So yes partition for sure, and take all of those scum bags in Ottawa and TO with you. Just look at all the debt mounting in Ottawa and Ontario. We are heading down the same road as Kebec, debt, big goverement, debt and more debt. What a mess.

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    5. James Wolfe, The tax and spend would have happened no matter what. Just look at US spending after the oil shocks. Even without the costly Vietnam war. The oil shock cycles have continued since the 1960s and 1970s getting worst. Unless the west gets an alternative renewable fuel the oil shocks will continue causing debts and deficits to accumulate.

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    6. I would have to agree with you Mr.Sauga. Les Quebecois basically rely on government for the most part. There are exceptions..certain areas like in The Beauce and around Quebec City the francophones are quite entrepreneurial. I guess thats why they vote CAQ and the odd PC.

      However you could also apply the same argument to the Maritimes..most maritimes provinces recieve much more per capita in equalizatin payments than Quebec does. Ontario is catching up as well. The overall amounts to Quebec is high but per person its lower than PEI NS and NB. Only recently has Newfoundland improved due to oil.

      If you only looked at finances western Canada should seperate from the east..they would be filthy rich.

      Delete
    7. Yannick and James Wolfe: You're right about the Ontario debt clock, but it's still nowhere near the debtload Quebecers are carrying. Nominally the Ontario debtload is $10 billion more. That is disturbing, believe me, but Ontario's population is 40% larger than Quebec's; furthermore, and most importantly, Ontario is trying to freeze a number of civil servant wages, and the opposition Conservatives want even more cuts. Ontario is cutting expenses, Quebec is cutting revenues (i.e., eliminating the $200 flat medicare fees and tuition hikes). Who's debt is going to grow more? Raising the capital gains tax to 75% chokes off investment when everyone else will keep the taxable portion at 50%

      It makes sense from Marois' standpoint to tax the rich because the rich did not vote for her, but in the greater realm of things...well...How many rich can you tax? At one point in Britain in the 1970s, the top tax rate reached 98%! So Elton John, Paul McCartney and other rich brits moved their money away, to Monte Carlo and other places. Investment in Quebec will head in the same direction...OUT!

      Delete
    8. BC and Manitoba are way better off than areas Ontario and east. If you look at the debt of even Ontario its quite shocking. Ontario has been hit very hard by chronic weakness in manufacturing..its not going to get better.

      Manitoba has agriculture, hydro and a bit of oil and gas. BC has asian money, close links to asia, lots of natural resources and most importantly of all their debts are way less than those in the east. Debt to gdp in Manitoba is 26 percent, 17 percent in BC, 5 percent in Sask and no debt in Alberta. Meanwhile Ontario is at 38 percent, Quebec (yikes!!!) at 51 percent, the maritimes around 35 percent. So there is no contest..the west is in far better financial shape.

      Delete
    9. On the issue of partition, I made a comment yesterday about how to connect the ridings which would vote in favour of partition. I proposed a narrow strip of land which could connect the (likely few) areas which would be surrounded on all sides by either separatist ridings or the United States (In the 1995 referendum, there was only one area like this, and it wasn't too far from other ridings which voted "Non", just separated from them). I'm not talking about small anglo enclaves, I'm talking about large areas of multiple ridings which still would not be connected to the rest of the new province. Before you call me dumb for suggesting an idea like this, it wouldn't be unheard of. For example, if you look on a map, India has a very narrow strip of land between Nepal and Bangladesh which connects the territory that didn't secede from India. I was proposing something like this. I don't see how this would be a bad idea.

      Delete
    10. EDM,

      In the event of partition into a new province, the strip of land connecting the landmasses would have to be negotiated and/or the populace (the property owners at least) need to be bribed to have their land attached to the new province. Or mass transfer by choice of the populace from one land mass to the other. IF after a division of Quebec occurs and Quebec remains a province of Canada then Quebec can not curtail free transport from one province to another. IF Quebec becomes a new country and they enforce a blockade, it works both ways, Quebec would loose access to free travel as well. There was a study on truck traffic on the 401 and it was estimated about 30% of the traffic is from Quebec based trucks.

      Delete
    11. The separatists never mention all these "little problems" - Again, they think they can live in isolation but, if they want to "live", there are many things they will have to accept as a new country. Personally, I don't really care what they want, think, feel, any longer - 40 years of this is enough now they can take whatever shit-kicking we can give them. They treated us with disdain for far too long - let's see how they feel when the shoe is at their throat.

      Delete
  10. By the way, check out this article in The Gazette. I think it sums up how many anglophones feel living in Quebec quite well.

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Opinion+vraie+Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9coise/7322827/story.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fantastic letter. Says it all, really.

      Delete
    2. Outstanding article! Eloquent, succinct and cogent. Not one drop of my blood is Francophone, and I was born, raised and educated in Quebec, just like Ms. Sykucki. How can I, or anyone for that matter born in Quebec be something less? Only in Quebec.

      My epiphany on identifying who I am came on my first-ever trip to Toronto in 1974. I was smack-dab in the middle of my adolescence. We went for a family function, but also made time to sightsee in Toronto and Niagara Falls for a few days. This was my first overnight trip in Canada outside Quebec. Others were taken in the States prior to this. For five days I saw English-only signs, the public transit workers all spoke English and everything was in English. The only negative experience was a driver behind my father who went ape-shit when my father missed a left turn. "This is Ontario, not Quebec..." he said. I could see way back then there was no loveloss between Quebec and "les autres".

      Anyway, we returned to Quebec and I didn't feel happy when we passed those Quebec border signs. It was the first time I really felt like a fish on land. Later, in the summer, Bill 22 was passed, and I was furious about it. I got a job for part of the summer so it was my first time commuting from home to work and back. I started to hear the hostility of the public transit staff (and the Metro operators went on strike shortly after I started for the duration of my employment--lots of walking to Central Station! Too, passengers at times were reminding me of what I am...or am not, depending how you see it.

      I endured for the next ten years, finished my education and left Quebec for good mostly because I was made to feel like I was something less, much the way Jennifer Sykucki does. Being only a second generation born in Quebec (I have renounced ever having been a Quebecer, I am a Canadian first and a loyal Ontarian second).

      Jennifer, the rest is up to you!

      Delete
  11. Great letter, so sad and so true - no wonder we're having so much trouble. Our own people are not even "our own people" in this province. They pay taxes, as we all do, trying to raise a family that is not eaten with hate and prejudice, teaching their children that both languages are important and what do they get? Wow - I hope you seppies are proud of yourselves and the way you make your own friends and neighbours feel unwanted and unacceptable. You should hang your heads in shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How can the separatists and the PQ lay any claim to NOT being racist or xenophobic after reading that?

      Any nobility that was rooted in good intentions is no gone...

      Delete
    2. How can the separatists and the PQ lay any claim to NOT being racist or xenophobic after reading that?

      J'avoue que nous le sommes un peu mais qui est parfait en ce bas monde?

      Delete
    3. I read that too. Pretty sad when you feel like a stranger in your own land. Thats why we need to get the PQ out of power as quickly as possible. I think she should publish her letter in french in a francophone paper.

      Delete
    4. "J'avoue que nous le sommes un peu mais qui est parfait en ce bas monde?"

      Care to also admit that you have no redeeming values as a human being? I'm not perfect, but thank the heavens I'm not like you.

      BTW, I've long suspected you of just being some dumb kid, but other posters have pointed out that you just might be a very pathetic parasite in his 40 to 50+years.

      I'm just a few steps shy of identifying you S.R...you have no idea how many hints you drop about yourself. After all, what they say about Vegas should apply here...

      What happens on nodogsoranglophones.blogspot.ca stays on nodogsoranglophones.blogspot.ca...

      Delete
    5. Je suis un demeuré de 50 ans qui habite encore le sous-sol de ses parents et qui adorent faire chier les anglos.Pourquoi?Je l'ignore mais ça me procure un étrange plaisir,ça et certains autres sites dont je tairai le nom.

      Moi je me pose la question suivante: Êtes-vous un vrai indien?

      Delete
    6. "Thats why we need to get the PQ out of power as quickly as possible."

      Croyez-vous que si nous éliminions Harper les canadians changeraient de mentalité?Qu'ils cesseraient de vénérer la reine d'angleterre et l'énergie datant d'un autre siècle?

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

      Delete
    8. Les canadians ne semblent pas être offusqués outre mesure par ce comportement rétrograde.J'avoue que c'est assez étrange.Autre comportement de ce gouvernement qui me semble disproportionné,c'est l'acharnement à vouloir diaboliser l'enfant terroriste qu'est (était) Omar Khadr.

      Delete
    9. C'est bien possible Yannick,pourtant je m'efforce de garder l'oeil ouvert sur à peu près tous les médias canadiens.Tant mieux si le NPD progresse dans le RoC,nous pourrons enfin songer à une certaine rééquilibration des valeurs.

      Delete
    10. SR -
      Since the PQ won the election the tension levels between the anglos and the francos have gone up by a factor of ten. All was relativerly peaceful before and now Pauline and her gang want to strip more rights away from anglos and demonize anglos and the rest of Canada even more. And lets not talk about the economic damage that the PQ is and will cause..the longer they are in power the weaker the economy will get..they have no clue how to improve it. All they know is how to blame all the problems in Quebec on anglos and the rest of Canada.
      It would be nice for many Quebecois to take a good hard look in the mirror sometimes and start taking responsibility for the chronic economic weakness in this province. Thats what happens when you let the unions take over, when you overtax people, when you just keep adding to the debt, when you run the government in such an inefficient manner.

      One day SR you may wake up and get what you want but I bet you wont be that happy. You may end up with a country that has 6 million francophones..with all the anglos gone. But you will be isolated from the rest of North America and have a debt as bad as Greece. Many large corporations will be gone..all that anglo money will be gone..good luck trying to create wealth without the anglo community especially after destroying Canada.

      What you need to understand SR is that you cant have it all..you cant have a strong economy and at the same time treat anglos like second class citizens. Either you embrace anglophones with the same rights and privileges as francophones or you end up with a francophone country that is poor. You know what I bet..many francophones would leave a bankrupt Quebec and move to Canada to find a decent job.

      Delete
    11. That's exactly why we need to partition this damn place and let them go.

      Delete
  12. I absolutely love that photo of Desi and Pauline!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Je me posais la même question,c'est sûrement de la culture américaine.

      Delete
    2. I'm going to let Laurie answer the question when she checks in, this is her thread.
      There's nothing wrong with your question it really is a question of nostalgia.

      It reminds me of a story Billy Crystal told about his young daughter who asked him if he was aware that Paul McCartney was in another band before 'Wings'

      Feeling old now?

      Delete
    3. Here are a few good clips from the show I Love Lucy

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9KJHCDZ_EE

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFLLw7JcU74

      I could not find a clip of Ricky Ricardo (played by Desi Arnas) saying to Lucy (Played by Lucille Ball): Lucy, you got some splainin' to do!

      She was always getting into trouble and that is what he would tell her. Great show, used to watch it with my mom.

      Delete
    4. One of my favourite episodes of I Love Lucy, was the candy assembly line, where Lucy fell behind with comical results.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbNcQlzV-4

      Years later I realized that the show was inspired by a Charlie Chaplin film 'Modern Times" which also made fun of the the factory mentality.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdwH84AT5fU
      To those too young to have enjoyed Lucille Ball, she remains perhaps the greatest female American comedienne of the twentieth century,
      BTW, you need no English to enjoy these two scenes.

      Delete
    5. Love the candy assembly line too!

      Delete
    6. Can we have some fun.

      Here's a list of the Top 10 sitcoms,according to some website...

      10 Friends (1994-2004)
      9 The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
      8 The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
      7 Cheers (1982-1993) Of course the show "Fraiser" was a spin off of "Cheers."
      6 M*A*S*H (1972-1983) Sitcom? Maybe not, but there was a laugh track.
      5 All In The Family (1971-1979) Hilariously racist.
      4 Family Ties (1982-1989) Michael J. Fox
      3 The Simpsons (1989-Present) #3? Doh!
      2 I Love Lucy (1951 - 1957) #2? Lucy! You got some spanin' to do!
      1 Seinfeld

      Do you agree?

      i think AITF IS NUMBER1. WHAT SAY YOU...

      Delete
    7. I'll join in with my top 10:

      10 - Scrubs
      9 - Frasier
      8 - Phoenix Nights*
      7 - Father Ted*
      6 - The Simpsons
      5 - Malcolm in the Middle
      4 - Family Guy
      3 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
      2 - Two and a Half Men
      1 - Blackadder*

      That might be revealing of my age and life history, but so there.

      *You might not have got these, but they're worth it.

      P.S. I never got Seinfeld, Friends was over-overplayed and I never thought Cheers was that funny. YMMV.

      Delete
  13. EDITOR,

    Sorry, but I'm done.

    I've been following your blog for a few months and chose to take action only recently and it seems my reticence was warranted.

    Lately, I've seen a few posters leave or just slow down.

    Apparatchik no longer contributes at the same level.

    Adski is also very absent.

    Troy is leaving for Toronto and has little to say about this place...same for Apple.

    Harvey Dent disappeared after election night.

    The Cat is rarely here anymore.

    JBG seems to have bailed as well.

    The point is this - I would figure a reason for this (outside of having something to do in life) is these people got tired of certain aspects of this blog.

    Namely, S.R.

    So you know what S.R?

    You win.

    Yep that's right - YOU WIN.

    I'm joining those others you mentioned and quitting this blog. See, the Editor is very concerned with being fair.

    On paper that's very good, but the problem is this - you've long abused his diplomatic approach.

    And that's why I now blame him...and not you. See S.r, thought you are indeed a small-minded, hateful little bigot, it's the EDITOR's fault for not putting you in your place.

    Just like members of the KKK or Neo-Nazi groups, you have abused your freedom of speech...by a longshot.

    But it's not your fault.

    That's why this blog exists...because you don't understand my point in the first place.

    Editor, times are changing...that is the only thing I will tell you in this leaving note.

    One more time - YOU win S.R...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Merci bien mais je ne savais même pas que nous étions en compétition.Quel est mon prix?

      Delete
    2. I think that readers will come and readers will go. Also, some might take a break now and then, it can be time consuming. Others might be reading and just not commenting.

      Delete
    3. Hopefully, Geronimo, after a media fast (you decide how long), you may feel better. I fully understand and feel your pain, perhaps as well as Apparachik, Adski and the rest. Given my drathers, I wish the Editor would extricate those empty dickheaded remarks made by the likes of S.R. Unfortunately, Editor does have a life and can't scrutinize every remark all the time. It's not his full-time occupation. Nevertheless, since his contributions are more toxic than constructive, the best thing to do is block him. Losing valuable contributors for garbage is just not worth it...at least not to me it isn't.

      Delete
    4. I'm not gone. My contributions ebb and flow because... well, I do have a life outside of this blog but, just like I'm planning to outlast every single one of my children's strops, I'm planning to outlast the likes of S.R. too (and, frankly, he's way less of a challenge)

      Delete
  14. Editor: Damn - we can't afford to lose ANY good CANADIANS BECAUSE OF S.R. = please get rid of him so we can continue to try to resolve our problems with like minded people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vous aimeriez faire du "Québécois bashing" sans aucune riposte,n'est-ce pas cutie?

      Delete
    2. @ Geronimo;
      I love to read your comments and would feel bad if you decided to abandon us. That being said, I don't agree with your demand to ban S.R.

      I've removed personal insults from the comments section, but the rules have to apply equally to everyone.

      I think that everyone has to accept that many Quebecers are sovereigntists and disagree with us vehemently.
      Is it really in our interest to cut them off from the discussion?

      To be honest aren't some of the things written in the comments section just as insulting to those that oppose us?

      In this regard, I'd like to ask for input from our blog community.

      Should all opinions that go against the majority be banned?
      And is not S.R last comment pertinent?

      Opinions that goes against the grain is something to be tolerated, that is our British heritage of dissent.

      "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." (Actually, that is a Voltaire quote.)

      I hope that you stay and continue to comment, your opinions are important.
      But if the price to pay for your continued participation is the banning of any individual, it is too steep a price to pay.
      That being said, I hope earnestly you will stay.


      Delete
    3. I am a big believer of free speech. It really bothers me when people start talking about banning certain people because they disagree with what they are saying. If we only listen to people who are like us then we are in big trouble..tunnel vision syndrome.

      Delete
    4. Same Quebecois bullshit - anything to keep you quiet. I hope Geronimo sticks around. Why let the bigots have their way?
      Not that any of the pro-Quebec posters are any different. They've been reading the blog for ages but still respond with a 'nevertheless'.
      It's indicative of the actual situation in the province. Nothing's going to change unless we take real action and stop tolerating SR types wherever they may be found and in whatever capacity they come at us.
      A political solution will never trickle down. The only way that will happen is with our complete civil disobedience.
      Treat 101 like the rag that it is and speak your language all the time. Respond in kind at whatever's thrown at you.
      We have to reclaim political relevance, whatever it takes. Screw provincial stability. We've given up all our rights in the name of 'getting along' and forty years later guys like SR are the Quebecois norm. Fight back!

      Delete
    5. Ya guys, I agree with Editor. SR is a royal pain in the ass and certainly gets our blood boiling most of the time but he has tried to follow the rules put forth by the editor. I don`t agree in banning someone just because they don`t agree with me even if they are like a fly in my face, like an ignorant tail-gaiter who thinks he`s too cool, like a school bully, like a...like a...separatist!!!

      Besides, having someone like him here reminds us of how petty they can be, it also shows the world what type of mentality we have to deal with on a daily basis.

      Delete
    6. Hi all! As I just responded to Geronimo on the thread immediately above this one, all S.R. does is make one- or two-line cracks about doughnuts and other assorted stupidity. His arguments are rarely constructive or cogent. I see his remarks and usually ignore them completely knowing they're frivolous and meaningless gibborish. As I wrote above, I can't expect Editor to scrutinize every remark every five minutes. That being said, and despite his reluctance to block anyone permanently, the question becomes whether the benefits of the very, very few constructive contributions he makes really exceed the many, many wise cracks he makes. I for one don't like losing valuable contributors who write thoughtful, cogent responses because of trolls like S.R., but this is the Editor's blog so he is the ultimate decisionmaker.

      Delete
    7. Michel Patrice,complicated et Yannick (et quelques autres) ne sont pas très appréciés sur ce blogue malgré leurs efforts de commenter de façon constructive et modérée(in english please).

      Leur faute commune:Ils sont francophiles.

      Delete
    8. Any point of view that backs 101 and the conditions for anglophones in Quebec will not be appreciated. I may not agree with Michel and Yannick on most, if not all points, but I recognize that they're making an effort to have a dialogue in an environment where the fed up (me), are more interested in an immediate end to the present situation with or without discussion and negotiation. You SR, are the epitomy of that old Sabbath lyric - "when you listen to fools, the mob rules".
      Your posts have more in common with the swastika tags, the douche groups outside the Bell Centre demanding more French, the reseau and the other extremists in Quebec. You're here to drive the same old nail home, to troll. Your points of view and the attitude you have are the reason Quebec will have a new group of hardliners, only that this time, they'll be standing up to oppose you. The shooting at Metropolis has more to do with 40 years of people like you than anything else. If you want to allocate responsibility for a life lost, you should start counting the beans of repression and intolerance that you represent and which will, no doubt, lead to more of the same.

      Delete
  15. @ Editor
    The Quebec bashing comment? According to SR types this whole blog, including the majority of your articles, are Quebec bashing. It's only a term used as a hammer to silence dissent and opposition. It would be Quebec bashing if it wasn't true but unfortunately, it's all true. Quebec deserves the bashing it gets and really doesn't get as much as it deserves.
    SR laying claim to a voice and trying to domineer posters is just his natural expectation as a Quebecer. If he can get away with it in daily life, then why not cyberspace? Doesn't even respect us enough to post in English. I say you delete all his posts unless he shows us enough respect to respond in English. He expects this from us at all times. His political establishment mandates it. He should be held to the same standard here.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Céline Dion et Arcade Fire chantent en hommage à Denis Blanchette

    http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/musique/201210/01/01-4579354-celine-dion-et-arcade-fire-chantent-en-hommage-a-denis-blanchette.php

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Call me cold and heartless, but where were the concerts for those killed by the
      FLQ?....

      Delete
    2. Ce phénomène d'hommage musical/spectacle est plutôt récent au Québec,je ne crois pas que ça existait dans les seventies.Pourquoi ne pas le proposer aux organisateurs,on ne sait jamais,peut-être qu'ils accepteraient de faire un hommage post mortem décalé en l'honneur des victimes du FLQ.

      Delete
    3. Same reason it took 40 years to put up a monument to the Blue Bird victims.

      Delete
    4. Bonus question for one 10 points : can you tell me the name of the bridge that crosses the Saint-Laurent river in front of Québec City right beside the Pont de Québec?

      Delete
    5. Michel,

      Pierre laporte bridge, and there are some schools named after him. On the other hand he was a cabinet minister in Bourassas liberal government. What about the other victims that will be forgotten, because they were just regular people going on with their daily activities until tragedy struck.

      Delete
    6. How about imprisoning terrorists that plant bombs, and then worry about naming bridges after victims? As it stands it's just a measure of the disdain and hypocrisy that infects Quebecois society. That they can flaunt the name of Groulx on streets and the metro, let terrorists go free because they targeted anglos, but name bridges and schools after their victim. How 1984 of you, and disgusting on the part of Quebec society to accept this status quo.

      Delete
    7. REWRITE

      Jarry Street,

      You ask "What about the other victims that will be forgotten, because they were just regular people going on with their daily activities until tragedy struck."

      Well, they will be forgotten.

      I personnally don't really like the idea that a bridge is named after a man who is essentially famous because he has been killed by the FLQ. I prefer a bridge named after someone who accomplished something great and who has central place in our history, Champlain for instance.

      And Denis Blanchette will be forgotten in time since, after all, the concert is ephemeral.

      But the Editor asked where were the commemorations for the FLQ's victims and the Pierre Laporte bridge appeared to me so absurdly obvious that I could not help but point it out.

      Delete
    8. etnic,

      If you are refering to Rhéal Mathieu, I would just like to point out that he was sentenced to jail (for 1 month) for complicity after the crime.

      Now, you can go on about how ridiculously short is this jail time, that it is so short but only anglos were targeted and so on, but it is just not true to say that bomb planting terrorists were, in this instance, let free.

      Delete
    9. It is ridiculous. But he wasn't sentenced for terrorism or for planting the bomb. He was sentenced for complicity after the crime. He was sentenced to one month in jail in addition to the nine months he had already been held before the trial (and time before the trial counts for double, so it is 2x9+1=19 months). And no one died.

      The point is : saying that the police and the judge will let you free because you targeted anglos is not true.

      Delete
    10. Michel, attempted terrorism is still terrorism. What if someone had died? It's like saying "Okay, well, you're a terrorist, but you're a really bad terrorist, your bombs only did property damage."

      "Here's a slap on the wrist."

      10 months is not that much for planting bombs.

      Delete
    11. Had it been an anglo or a Muslim they'd throw away the key. Calling that a sentence is as bizarre and insane as the situation in Quebec. No only did he plant the bombs, but police found weapons and bomb making material in his home. That he was not charged with terrorism is telling in itself. I know guys that got stiffer sentences for growing and selling weed, and with no criminal history.
      The message is simple. If you're a patriote acting on nationalist fervor, there will be leniency and the public, even if with its silence, will be supportive. If you're an anglophone serving beer on an English coaster, the book will be thrown at you hard enough that you may eventually lose your business.

      Delete
    12. Foremost,

      As I said earlier to etnic, "you can go on about how ridiculously short is this jail time, that it is so short but only anglos were targeted and so on, but it is just not true to say that bomb planting terrorists were, in this instance, let free."

      If it is not clear enough, I added, for Yannick, that "the point is : saying that the police and the judge will let you free because you targeted anglos is not true".

      This being said, in a court, attempted terrorism is no more terrorism than attempted murder is murder, both will not do the same jail time. Also, murder is not simply murder, there are such things as a premeditated murder, first degree murder, manslaughter, and so on.

      And one will get more time for a terrorist attack that kills someone than for a terrorist attack that kills no one.

      This being said, you can nitpick all you want about the details of each sentences, the shortness of the sentences, etc, but it is beside the point and I have little interest in arguing about it forever.

      Delete
    13. It's the essential argument Michel. It's the litmus test of a society - how it treats, legislates and judges its citizens. If a minority group is targeted in this manner by a member of the majority and the penalty is practically zero, it's testimony to the true condition of minorities in Quebec, their rights and their safety all of which, are guaranteed by Canadian law. The Quebecois stance on this issue, your willingness to minimize it, and the political and media silence on this particular matter point to the true danger we face in Quebec as a community.
      By whatever means, whether coercive assimilation or intolerant conditions that make one leave the province of their birth, what is happening here is ethnic cleansing. All paid for by Canadians who are kept in the dark.

      Delete
    14. In a just and equitable society they make an example of Rheale. He never sees the light of day. Instead, in Quebec people are arrested for black humour following the event at the Metropolis. And what exactly for? There was nothing illegal about the comments. But in Quebec, the voice of an 'autre' is a threat and a crime in itself to be nipped at the bud. Rheales, Provosts, Peladeaus, and the rest of them can engage in hate crimes, hate speech, hate publications freely and publicly.
      It's not a hate crime when it's in the imaginary defence of an imaginary threat facing the pur laine. Sickening.

      Delete
    15. M. Patrice,

      So by your own admission, Rheal Mathieu got away with attempting to firebomb Second Cup, did he not? And Second Cup is an English-language establishment, is it not?

      Therefore, ethnic's sentence:

      ...let terrorists go free because they targeted anglos...

      is factually true, is it not?

      Delete


    16. Guy Turcotte got away with murdering his children, did he not? His children were francophones, were they not?

      Therefore, Guy Turcotte was let free BECAUSE he targeted francophones. Is it factually true, is it not?

      Delete
    17. M. Patrice,

      Would you think that if Dr. Turcotte was not an francophone he would still get away with the murder?

      Delete
    18. I just gave up on you Michel. If that's your deduction then you're just a more articulate SR.

      Delete
    19. Except for the glaringly obvious, namely that rheale was politically and racially motivated and that this was not only established by his own admission but by his criminal history.
      Your response to this shows the disgusting nature of your Quebecois society.

      Delete
    20. Turcotte was found mentally unstable, that's why he skated. Even though he dodged criminal charges, I would keep him locked up in some mental institution for a long long time, even for the duration of his life. But just because Turcotte's verdict was soft, can it be used to help Rheale's case?

      Or this stuff about an act being "attempted" as opposed to carried out...yes, for an attempted act of terror or an attempted murder you don't do as much time as for the committed act, but does it excuse an exceptionally light sentence? Does it justify trivialization of the act? What about the fact that in some cases in may confer fame and privilege (like in the case of Rose, who's now some union bigwig)? What does that say about the society?

      I also think that the point of asking Ethnic personal questions was to zoom in on his background, so one could say: you're Italian? Then you know about the Red Brigades...You're German? How about the Red Army Faction. Indian? Then how about the New Delhi bombings in recent years...See, the FLQ is not so out of the ordinary…Which may be true, but given what passes for “ordinary” (terrorism is common around the world), "ordinary" does not mean acceptable, it actually means unacceptable.

      Or because the situation of AB francophones is such an such, don’t complain about the situation of anglophones/allophones in QC…Except that even if there was a similarity (there isn’t – there is no state-sanctioned discrimination against francophones in the RoC, there was some in the past, but there isn’t any now), then both would be unacceptable, and not both ok and mutually justifying.

      Reading these sorts of rationalizations, I’m sometimes amazed to what lengths some people will go and what techniques they'll use to justify the status quo. Reading the works of progressive scholars and writers about various political systems of the past and present, one sees that similar conflations, euphemisms, double standards, and ambiguities were used by the proponents of racial segregation in the South, or the defenders of Apartheid in South Africa, or the supporters of Israel’s expropriation of the Palestinians. The anti-Spanish legislation is AZ also has ardent defenders. QC is therefore no exception.

      People have an immense motivation to defend privileges that a given social arrangement offers them. There no limits to the arguments which they will employ in defense of a beneficial social order. In these cases, any ethical considerations fall by the wayside. Tribal allegiances and the maintenance of privilege take center stage.

      Delete
  17. FROM ED BROWN
    S R is a very keen minded individual who is out to destroy anything meaningful on this blog. Unfortunately he succeeds because writers will not ignore him. His work is to repudiate the meaning of writers here and he does it. I have put a lot of posts which I felt were worthy of response and got nothing but S R always get answers. A while back I suggested that Legault might jump in bed with Marois.
    He knows his power could give her the majority and being behind her he would be there when her party kicks her out like they always do with their leaders. he would be premier with majority government.
    Also threre was a great discussion about partitioning the province . Some were talking about connecting different sections by roads and who would guard them. I pointed out that a partition would probably be one straight line from Ottawa to Lennoxville and Canada would have the bottom half bordering the U S as they did in Ireland, Korea etc. 38th or 49th parralel type of thing. A country must have definable borders. I saw nothing but SR always gets answers with stupidity which is what he wants to defray the importance of other peoples messages. It makes one not want to bother posting. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a shame that one moronic yet prolific writer with no life finds a way to post so constantly here... of course, one must remember that he is not representative of the vast majority of real francos who not only actually have a life to live and but also have genuine opinions to offer, as opposed to simply linking newspaper articles and making snarky remarks... oh well, it's a reality with anonymous internet postings... it's easily ignored...

      Delete
    2. I don't know if this is technically feasible on this blog, but some blogging/messageboard software allows individual users (via login) to have their own individual contributors' blacklist contributors, so that the blacklisted posters do not appear in their personal view of the board. This would prevent putting the burden of censorship on the editor, still maintain freedom of expression in this blog (as opposed as being forced to take notice) and make the experience more constructive for those who are not here just to "watch the world burn". Only a suggestion.

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

      Delete
    4. See, if there was an "Ignore List", there wouldn't be a need to remove S.R.'s comment. I'd still read Yannick, Michel Patrice... hell, even complicated, but I'd be spared the brainless one-liners from S.R. without the need to impose any censorship, just like you ignore the nutter in the street who shouts "The End is Nigh!"

      (Having said that, the Editor was darn quick with this one, so I'll never know what "unspeakable" abuse was directed at me ;-)

      Delete
    5. As my french studies ended several decades ago, I find reading the comments that are being posted in french to be a slow, time consuming process. After going through some of S.R.'s efforts early on, I fairly quickly came to the conclusion that as there was nothing of value there, it wasn't worth the effort. The main problem is that those of you who can read french easily DO read the crap he writes, get worked up about it, and then respond to it. Writing (and reading) a response to drivel is a waste of time and energy. As others have said, ignore him. Maybe he'll get bored and go back to his wingless fly collection, but for God's sake stop responding to him because it makes YOUR writing tedious.

      Delete
  18. FROM ED BROWN
    I agree with ethnic he should post in English. By posting only in the language of his choice he shows his disdain for all of us. Are we all beneath him?
    Is that not what this blog is all about, the English language being good enough. He is simply more of Pauline Marois kicking us in the ass through HIS language. Frankly, I too have had enough of him. As complicated says "I believe in freedom of speech" What he doesn't get is that's what this blog is all about, freedom of speech for us as well as S R. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's too bad we don't have the same freedom in Quebec. Maybe the editor should retract this liberty. It's not much, only a little indicator of what it's like to have your voice and culture smothered because of the language you speak.

      Delete
    2. Why? Are they planting bombs in your neighbourhood in Calgary too? Are they breaking your windows, assaulting you on the street and every other public place as well? Did the office of the English language just rip you with a multi thousand penalty because your menu is in French, or bilingual?

      Delete
    3. Yes Yannick - I keep saying that don't live here so it's difficult for you to judge how we feel with all this stuff going on. You may have resided here at one time but things have changed in the past 6 months.

      Delete
    4. I don't care if you post in French - I never said that. I'm saying that unless you live here in the current situation, you don't have the same outlook as we Canadians that live with the hate on a daily basis.

      Delete
    5. No, just that you do not and will not have the same perspective as a lot of us that reside here.

      Delete
    6. Ed Brown,

      Sorry but I can not agree with you.

      One separatist-militant blog that I follow occasionally is Louis Prefontaine (for some reason he renamed it Le dernier quebecois). Just like our Editor, Prefontaine likes to post many things about the state of French and independence in Quebec. Also, there are many people commenting on his blog. However, the difference between him and our Editor is that he censors the comments. The first filter for him is language. If it is not in French he will certainly delete the comment.

      I think it is patently unfair. He makes his comments up and down about English, with his twisted logic and insults, and one can not refute him in English. Therefore, I do not want our Editor to go that way.

      Delete
    7. And why should the residents not post here? What's that supposed to mean?

      Delete
    8. I'm here to learn and see if there's a way out of this - the best and the fastest. I hope that the contributions made are not all the same - that would be a waste of time. I have learned some history, proposed partition and trying to seek the easiest way to partition in the fastest manner. Hopefully will learn some other things should I keep reading. Perhaps some legal suggestions, perhaps change some separatists' minds if they see how unfair all of this is to their friends and neighbours, etc.

      Delete
  19. God save us from this Queen...

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151042915021744&set=a.10150309645306744.340425.594131743&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't blame anyone for being annoyed with S.R. and I totally ignore anything he writes except when he called me a vile name. I guess it is up to the Editor to make the choice to keep his comments on or not but please, let's not lose sight of our goal here. If he can beat us here and drive us away, we are still not ready to fight these losers and for our own sake, we have to be, because we will be pushed to the limit perhaps within the next year. This is only one way we have of fighting back. Please re-consider before leaving the site = we need all Canadians to contribute and share ideas to fight these separatists.

    ReplyDelete
  21. etnic,

    I am curious about you.

    You once refered to greek language. Is it your native language?

    I understand that you serve customers in a restaurant. Are you a waiter? Therefore, I imagine that you are young. Or are you a restauarnt owner? You would be older then?

    You speak french very well I believe. So you attended french school? If so, your parents did not attend english school before bill 101 (because I assume that you would have then attended english school too.) If they did not attend english school before bill 101, they would be recent immigrants? But I have this idea that the greek community has been here for decades (if you are indeed greek...)

    You give once in a while little clues about you, but I can't really figure out who you are. I am just curious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michel, I've grown comfortable in my identity as an ethnic 'other'. The group I belong to is not really too relevent since we're all just others here. My background does include Greek, Armenian and Jewish. Perhaps it's this trinity of real victim groups that have survived multiple genocidal attacks that fuels my militancy on these issues and makes me feel disgust when a Quebecer feigns historical ills based on race and culture.
      Where I've worked and what exactly it is that I do, is out of the spectrum of our conversation.
      Once I may have been comfortable in disclosing more but in the past few years I've been the target of multiple threats.

      Delete
    2. Where you work isn't really relevant indeed, I was more trying to figure out your age (waiter=probably younger, and restaurant owner=probably older...).

      Your background (greek, armenian and jew) is interesting.

      Did you attend french or english schoool?

      And I was wondering if you and your family have been here for a long or short time. I am guessing for a long time but I don't know. If your family has been here for a long time, then this land is your native land, your home and everything, and yet, you obviously hate many things about the society you live in. Sometimes, it is as if one was a stranger in his homeland, as if one was born in exile. If find this paradoxical and intriguing. Hence my questions.

      I don't want to start you on our multiple faults against you, I got that part.

      Delete
    3. Michel, how long is "for a long time"?

      Delete
    4. TS,

      C'est très relatif.

      If you came here old enough to have memories of your native countries, or if you came here a few years ago, this is short time.

      If you are born here from parents born elsewhere, it is already a longer time. If your parents were born here, this is long time.

      Delete
    5. Michel, I was born here. I have childhood memories from here and Europe. I've lived here most of my life. I attended private American and British schools overseas, as well as English schools in Montreal. This place is home to me. The sad part is that I've been alienated from it all. My Habs, are now your Habs because the onus is on their French identity and not the Montreal they represent to the rest of us. The streets I grew up on now carry different names. Family members and friends I grew up with have left for Toronto and Vancouver.
      It's hard to feel at home when you're looking over your shoulder for language police and with everything else that happens here. How can an ethnic watch Parizeau's referendum speech and not want to barricade the door and keep a shotgun handy? Everyone I know has been verbally assaulted at one time or another for being an anglophone. At times, the attacks have been violent.
      The schools we attended are now Francophone institutions - our history is being erased. Not the distant past, but the days of our lives are being washed away to make room for you. All this colours my perspective. I hate what Quebec has become. I no longer trust my neighbours. Their silence, apathy and support for what's happened to my community leaves a bad, angry, bitter taste in my mouth. I hate that my community is not important enough to preserve and is diminished so that yours may grow. In short, the Quebec of 101 has taught me to hate. It's made the memories and stories I've heard from my family about persecution in other countries real. I can now grasp a sense of what it's like to be singled out, to be disenfranchised and to be treated as a lesser person within your society.
      For everyone I know personally, this has been a part of our Quebec identity.

      Delete
  22. In a just and equitable society they make an example of Rheale. He never sees the light of day. Instead, in Quebec people are arrested for black humour following the event at the Metropolis. And what exactly for? There was nothing illegal about the comments. But in Quebec, the voice of an 'autre' is a threat and a crime in itself to be nipped at the bud. Rheales, Provosts, Peladeaus, and the rest of them can engage in hate crimes, hate speech, hate publications freely and publicly.
    It's not a hate crime when it's in the imaginary defence of an imaginary threat facing the pur laine. Sickening.

    ReplyDelete
  23. The PQ is off to a great start:

    Des entrepreneurs veulent «sortir» leurs actifs du Québec
    http://affaires.lapresse.ca/economie/quebec/201210/02/01-4579622-des-entrepreneurs-veulent-sortir-leurs-actifs-du-quebec.php

    Lancaster (Ontario): frénésie immobilière made in Québec
    http://affaires.lapresse.ca/economie/immobilier/201210/02/01-4579395-lancaster-ontario-frenesie-immobiliere-made-in-quebec.php
    «C'est vraiment économique, ce n'est plus une question d'anglais ou de français»


    It will be bad for everyone, but once our economy goes from bad to worse, maybe some of the PQ voters will realize the damage they've done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tree Stump,

      The situation in Lancaster is an interesting one. Over at Imperatif-francais, they keep on complaining about "Ontarians" who work in Ottawa and reside in Gatineau. Now the situation is inverted, let us see how they react.

      On a second thought, I think they will make noise regardless. They made noise when they found that the Rector of UQ Outaouais lived across the river. Imagine if one of those who choose to live in Lancaster is a bigwig from Bombardier in Montreal.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I personally know a few people who live here but claim residence in Ontario and I don't blame them one bit. The tax rate difference is huge so what does Quebec expect. Besides, there are many reasons I don't report anyone - most of us have GPs that work in Ottawa because there are no doctors available here and our doctors in Ontario don't get paid the same amount of money by the Quebec Government for looking after us (is this fair)? Our house painters get about the same amount per hour as our doctors so why would they stay and work here when they can work in Ontario. I need an MRI and can't even get on a list in Quebec but my GP got me an appointment for one in an Ontario hospital and I know the hospital will never recover the same amount for treating me and I don't consider that fair at all! I need eye surgery and am having that done in Ontario also - different hospital, different doctor but again he and the hospital won't get paid a fair amount for treating me. Why should I help the Quebec Government with anything = they don't even protect my rights as a Canadian anglophone and are desperately underpaying our professionals because of the unions in this province. They can go to hell as far as I'm concerned.

      Delete
    3. Cutie003,

      You are not entirely correct. The RAMQ makes an exception for the Ottawa-Gatineau region. RAMQ pays full for medical treatment done on the Ontario part of the NCR for the residents of Quebec side of the NCR.

      Delete
  24. FROM ED BROWN
    I'm sick of it. practically the whole blog was about SR today. Either dumping him or apologizing for him like Troy. The only one that makes sense is Cutie. If we can't beat this one individual how can we stand up for English anywhere. I'll stop wasting time here. I'll go check out the Rants and Raves on Craigslist. Those idiots make as much sense as SR. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  25. I wouldn't worry too much about S.R. he won't write in English on this blog because he CAN'T. Let him keep writing in the only language he can, French, it's very limiting, but it's all he's got. That and the fear he feels reading what is written. It tortures him no end that people express exactly what they feel here, without reservation, they express what they cannot elsewhere. So, keep writing , keep expressing, keep exchanging. This is they way we stay healthy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ce ne sont pas les langages qui sont limités mais bien certains cerveaux.

      Delete

    2. Certains cerveaux? Faites-vous référence au votre? C’est dommage, mais vous n’avez rien compris, en plus je tiens à vous informer, cher monsieur, que c’est un manque de respect à tous ceux et celles qui blog ici. Par hasard, êtes vous aveugle? C’est un blog Anglais et vous vous permettez d’y afficher en Français? Dans mon cas, c’est la première et dernière fois que j’ose le faire moi-même. Considérez-vous chanceux étant donné que celui qui gère le blog est pour ‘la démocratie’. Toutefois, je me pose la question, "et moi, est ce qu’on m’accorderait le même privilège, celui de m’exprimer en Anglais, sur « certains » sites plutôt xénophobes québécois?" J’en doute fort.
      Enfin, si vous DEVEZ répondre, EN ANGLAIS SVP

      Delete
  26. Yes Rio Mar and Ed = Just skip by his posts and we'll pretend he doesn't exist just like he does with us except to irritate. Not to worry Ed, we'll fight these a------- anyway we can and if we ignore him, it will serve to pee him off.

    ReplyDelete
  27. FROM ED BROWN
    For God's sake Cutie, listen to yourself. "Try to ignore him" That's exactly what this site is supposed to be all about, fighting back. I say again , if we can't beat this one frenchman we have no chance against the PQ. I thought the site was about standing up for ourselves. Your sounding like Troy and Complicated. I'm giving up. I won't be back. SR has beat all of you. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  28. Ed - I only suggested that you ignore him because he is upsetting you - no other reason. I am the one that originally said that we have to fight against people like him, not just him - I don't care that he posts because he's an idiot and I can ignore idiots. Please don't give up - I'm not and I understand your point completely but we have to support one another against such people - like ethic is doing - we have to fight back with every means possible and this is just one way - there are many others and we must use any means we can. If we all just give up on the site, the idiot gets exactly what he wants - to have us all shut up and let them do as they like to our rights and freedoms - keep that in mind before you vacate the site - you're needed here and everywhere that you can be!

    ReplyDelete

  29. Cher Geronimo,

    Notre Rédacteur a raison; S.R. a le droit a dire ce qu'il/elle voudrait dire, et s'il te dérange -- tant pis pour toi.

    Comme tu as le droit, quand tu te trouve en différend avec moi, a me dénigrer comme "Anglo pathétique" que cherche a "épicer ma vie plate" avec le français "parce que c'est exotique a mes yeux Anglos", S.R. a le droit a me ridiculiser, a se moquer de moi, a cause de mes erreurs en français. Tu n'est pas du tout supérieur a S.R.; en fait, je dirait que vous soyez la même.

    Si nous nous trouvions sur le siteweb vigile.net en lieu de celui-ci, tu ferait la même impression sur les commentateurs que S.R. fais ici. Oui, il aime fouiller la merde aux gens qu'il n'aime pas - et toi, tu aimes a faire la même chose. S.R. m'a blessé en se moquant de moi, et toi, tu m'a blessé en la même façon.

    Je voudrait que S.R. soit le bienvenue ici, autant que je voudrais que tu sois le bienvenue, aussi.

    Et aussi, j'apprécie beaucoup que le Rédacteur est d'accord a accepter des commentaires en français et en anglais, mais surtout, qu'il a une perspective spécifique mais a la fois permets des commentaires d'un voix d'une perspective completement opposée.

    ReplyDelete
  30. D'ailleurs S.R., tu m'intéresse, et j'apprécierait un courriel de vous si tu est d'accord... tu peut me contacter a jasonbogreen@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete