Thursday, October 25, 2012

PQ Set to Drive Language Wedge

It's Friday and before I get to the main theme of this post, permit me license to ramble on a bit.

As you may know, my wife and I were away for a couple of days, visiting our son and daughter-in-law in New York City.
Grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, siblings, great grandmothers and friends, both home and abroad are thrilled with a brand new little girl, hale and hearty. 

Thanks to everyone who took the time to email me offering their best wishes, it was most appreciated.

I hope to reply to each, but it will take a couple of days to get through the mail.

So please excuse the lack of post on Wednesday, frankly my head wasn't into it.
That being said our blog received an above average hit rate on that day and yesterday, so considering that there was no new post, it is a bit humbling.
I've always maintained that it's the comment section that drives this blog and I suppose that this result offers proof positive.
I was however a bit disappointed that nobody with sovereignty views offered any sort of reply to my proposition that it was time for sovereigntists to embrace partition.
I would have been interested to hear from them, but alas it was not to be.
Be sure it is not because we are not read by those who view our blog as a threat, perhaps they had nothing to say or nothing to offer in rebuttal.

Remember when I told you that the Americans would be none too pleased that US companies were being targeted by the OQLF over descriptors and that the post I wrote would probably be circulated in Washington.

I actually get to see where traffic to this blog originates and what stories are being viewed.
Here's just a snippet ( about 15 minutes worth of traffic) of those arrived on our blog to read that piece.


A couple of posts back, I made reference to a protest song written in the sixties entitled THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION, by Barry McGuire.
Whilst sojourning in the Big Apple, one of the lines of that song reverberated in my brain as I read of one more tale of linguistic intolerance, this time by a paramedic who should have been instructed in the Hypocratic Oath as part of his training.

♪♫ ♫ "You may leave here for 4 days in space.

 But when you return, it's the same old place" ♫ ♫


Yes, being away for a couple of days has put a fresh perspective on things and the endless and tedious sky-is-falling discussions about the French language seem childish and self-destructive when viewed from afar.

Listening to the horror stories emanating from the Charbonneau Commission, it is painfully evident that the Maclean's magazine article claiming Quebec as the most corrupt province was woefully understated. Quebec is likely the most corrupt jurisdiction, right down to the Rio Grande.

I tapped out a few calculations on my IPhone calculator, using what few numbers I could glean from stories surrounding the issue of Quebec corruption and what it actually costs. I came to a very rough but nonetheless disappointing conclusion.

It seems that corruption in the construction industry in its heyday cost taxpayers about 1 to 1½ billion dollars a year, enough to pay for the health tax levy that the Marois government recently eliminated and then reinstated because she had no money to pay for it.

In fact the elimination of construction graft would mean that the Quebec sales tax could go down by one full percentage point or to make it more personal, here's what corruption would cost you based on your own salary.
If you are earning;
$100,000 a year, corruption costs you $2,000
$50,000 a year, corruption costs you $1,000
$25,000 a year, corruption costs you $500

And it isn't just corruption plaguing our construction industry, it is also gross incompetence. Our bridges and highways are clearly second rate, built on the cheap and poorly engineered.
Driving across the iconic 130 year-old Brooklyn Bridge earlier this week had me scratching my head as to why our Champlain bridge is ready for the scrap heap and must be replaced after just fifty years in operation. Is that what they mean by Quebec know-how?

You'd think that the government would be assembling a crisis management team to deal with the corruption catastrophe that plagues cities and towns across the whole province, not only Montreal, but it seems that language issues are more important.

With its popularity down to under 50%, less than two months in government and after a few disastrous forays by clumsy ministers, the PQ appears set to go back to its election game plan and use language to divide and conquer Quebec.

The latest gambit by the government is based on census results released by StatsCan  indicating that French is in danger or is in fact, well-preserved, depending on who is doing the spinning.

Jean-François Lisée, a PQ cabinet minister is once more aghast at the apparent linguistic shift on the island of Montreal, vis-a-vis mother tongue and French's slow and insidious decline.

We've talked about this before on this blog and how utterly stupid the whole question is.
When you bring in 40,000 immigrants a year, almost none of whom who have French as a mother tongue, the linguistic balance of mother tongues is bound to change, especially in Montreal where 90% of these immigrants choose to make their home.

Complaining about it seems a little silly, it's like blaming the ice cream itself for one's own weight gain!

The PQ government is warning that stern measures must be adopted to preserve French in Montreal and one of Mr. Lisée's suggestions is to create more affordable housing for young families on the island of Montreal.
"Lisée said the pattern is that as couples have one child or a second child, they realize they need larger accommodations, but housing on the island is more expensive than housing in the suburbs.
“And if we can keep them, that would reduce the trend,” he said, referring to the tendency for francophones to leave the island." Link
I don't know how that is going to work short of posting signs on these 'affordable' properties that Anglos and Ethnics need not apply, as they are reserved for 'real' Quebecers. The proposition is probably the most moronic notion ever proposed by a member of government, the rank stupidity boggles the mind.

And so with the government promising to make language the major thrust of their legislative agenda, choosing to ignore the economy, corruption and wealth creation, it was sadly to be expected.

"The Quebec government says it is preparing a “robust reform” to stop the decline of the French language in Montreal in response to an “alarming trend” reported in the 2011 census released by Statistics Canada.The 2011 census showed that the number of francophones leaving Montreal continued to increase. And while the census numbers released on Wednesday showed that the use of French in immigrant households was increasing there were growing signs that the knowledge of English was still being demanded in the workplace requiring newcomers to eventually embrace English rather than French, according to the Quebec government." Link
So here we go, the PQ is going back to the tried and true, the politics of division.

It is usually the case that political parties once elected leave the rhetoric of the campaign behind as they become subject to the realities of responsibility, but for the PQ it is the opposite.

As they realize they cannot implement their leftist agenda, (the opposition has already told them it will not be tolerated) the PQ is falling back to language where it will be tougher for opposition parties to vote against oppressive language laws, which has essentially become a motherhood issue.

And so we are to face more language strife, confrontation and friction.

Sadly, it's something the PQ is comfortable with, driving Quebecers apart through the creation of a divisive Us/Them political atmosphere, something we clearly saw in the election campaign.

Marois and the PQ are set to launch a language war, telling francophones that if they aren't with them on the issue, then they are against Quebec as a French 'nation'

As the rhetoric rises, it can only lead to more incidents of intolerance as ordinary citizens are told that to hate Anglophones is not only all right but a required element for defenders of French.

If a PQ cabinet minister can refer to English as a 'foreign language' without apology, then the message being sent is that it is open season for hate.
Just for one minute, imagine the uproar if a member of Stephen Harper's cabinet called French a 'foreign language" in Canada.

So get set to see more sandwich throwers, more refusals by paramedics, metro ticket takers and bus drivers to speak English, they are being encouraged to do so.

It augers poorly for all Quebecers, because while Quebec is melting down, Marois will be desperately playing the language fiddle as the shelf life of her government shrinks with each passing gaffe.

*******************

Speaking of bridges, let's hope that when the government gets around to replacing the Champlain bridge that they build it as tough as this railway bridge....






Please have yourself a very good weekend!
Bonne Fin de Semaine!

81 comments:

  1. I feel sorry for those poor tall vehicle owners, but wow! Is the sign inaccurate, or are the owners that stupid? We'll never know, but I'm sure most underpasses with that many hits in Quebec would be history a long time ago!

    ReplyDelete
  2. And the Bloc Québécois follows the PQ's example. Recent polls indicate that were Trudeau to win the Liberal leadership, the Liberals would win a majority of seats in Quebec in the next federal elections, although doubtless Mulcair would put up quite a fight. The BQ leaders' solution to their third-place chances is to put this on top of their things-to-do list. At least Trudeau's given them a more hot-button issue to make a stink about, since quibbling about the Clarity Act is hardly enough to fire up the troops.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And now, onto my thread. In referring to the second portal link showing the Globe and Mail article:

    "One possibility would be to adopt fiscal measures to help young families gain access to affordable housing in the city or encourage developers to build dwellings more suitable to young families. The program would be made available to all Quebecers but it is believed that mostly French-speaking suburban families would take advantage of the measures."

    After greasing the palms of the corrupt municipal politicians and engineers, how much inflation would padded in these "subsidized" dwellings, and who is it that really would be subsidized?"

    Too, as the Editor mentioned, what discriminatory measures would be taken by the government to ensure their kind of people would be sure to get the housing? Come to think of it, when was the last time subsidized housing projects took place in Montreal or anywhere in Quebec for that matter? Wasn't the Olympic Village supposed to become low-cost housing after the 1976 Olympics? If I recall correctly, it became fairly expensive housing!

    “The need for Montreal to become majority francophone is a legitimate national objective. This is being said for the first time. We want it and we will work to achieve it,” said the Minister responsible for Montreal Jean-François Lisée.

    If I recall correctly, this is the yutz that talked about "corrective action" against English right on election night on CTV News? The PQ is going right back to March 1977 when it tabled its original language legislation, Bill 1. This was the first iteration of that great Charter of Charters that eventually had to be modified by July to ensure the most important and controversial aspect of the legislation would be passed before the end of the school summer break, the language of education. And so, Bill 101 replaced Bill 1 to prevent the probability of filibustering by the PLQ had the modifications not been made.

    So...here we are, 35 years past the hour and it looks as if we're about to go back to early 1977. Who says history doesn't repeat itself?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, Mr. Sauga, they live in the past, the dwell in it. Especially with the shitty attitude of theirs, which is the real core of the problem...

      Delete
    2. WA: Yes, your hypothesis has merit, but that Minister of Education is now planning to perpetuate the hateful "shitty attitude" to use your term, in place of teaching English.

      With any luck, much of the proposed legislation won't pass because the PQ is the minority. On the other hand, as someone wrote above, not voting for language legislation may be seen as anti-Francophone - ridiculous, but it appeases the ignorant and/or the hateful elements of society. Former Premier John James "Goldilocks" Charest certainly didn't lift a finger to counteract RAMQ and CSST policy where English will not be spoken to the public unless absolutely necessary (i.e., never) and he substituted Bill 104 with Bill 104.1.

      Fight English as they may, they'll never be able to completely get rid of English.

      Delete
    3. ...not until they are surrounded by 350 million English-speakers...

      Delete
  4. One American and one Brit left nodogs via hidemyass.com! Interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the day the blog piece was published 13 people visited from Washington, 2 from Baltimore and two from Bethesda.
      Obviously you hate this blog, so why not offer an alternate opinion instead of being petty and nasty.
      Is it because you've got nothing to offer?
      And remember, only on this blog would the moderator abide by insulting comments like yours.
      I do so to show the weakness of our opponents.

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

      Delete
    3. FROM ED BROWN
      Really John. Why should we care. hidemyass is for people who want to be invisible. If they don't want to be seen they're welcome to go. Ed

      Delete
    4. Was I listed? I'm the one whose American flag is usually next to "Montgomery Village, MD." Right now I'm in "Rockville, MD."

      Delete
  5. In the Gazette article of October 25th:

    "“Is it necessary to work in English?” [Immigration Minister Diane] De Courcy asked at a news conference called to comment on the 2011 census figures.“If not, why do we require (English)?”

    I guess this implies there will be language spies placed in every small business looking for breathing violations.

    "But [De Courcy] takes a dim view of employers who require their staff to be bilingual."

    Naturally! Dimwits tend to take dim views on stupid, trivial aspects not worth worrying about, especially on a continent were 340 million people speak English and 6 million speak French. I imagine her answer will have something to do with fighting a tidal wave with a bucket. I guess the announcements when the Assembly convenes shortly will be as pathetic as they will be bellyaching laughs. I imagine the editor is waiting with bated breath as this will be lots 'n' lots 'n' lotsa fodder for upcoming blogs, and I'm sure most of them will have over 200 responses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once again, Mr. Sauga: crappy attitudes produce crappy answers like "if we don't need, it's not necessary, ergo ditch it".

      Delete
    2. WA: What I wrote above. Péquistes simply have a visceral hatred towards anything and everything not of their ilk, «pur laine».

      Delete
  6. FROM ED BROWN
    Editor The Harbour bridge (Jacques Cartier) and the Champlain bridge were built by people who knew what they were doing, Dominion bridge an English Company built both.
    The difference is that the Harbour bridge because if it's location was maintained by the Federal Government. They stopped painting the Champlain and Mercier bridges when the PQ government took over.
    Money in the contractor's pockets was more important than upkeep. Dominion Bridge was called into action by Bourassa when He took Expo out of Drapeau's hands to clean up the mess and get it finished on time, which is why the work is still standing. they were closed when they was called into action to complete the olympics site. Knowing that with the PQ election they would not get any work they closed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FROM ED BROWN
    Editor
    About cheap housing. Of course it will go to French families, it's happening now. The opposite side of my street is all City of Montreal coops. Not one English family. I don't mind, they are good people with nice kids and I'm happy for them. A friend of mine has a place in the Pointe. She has a french name but to get it I went to the interview with her and did all the talking in french. He didn't care who answered as long as it was in french.

    ReplyDelete
  8. FROM ED BROWN
    Most truck boxes are made of aluminum which gives easy. What often happens the city raises the road under the underpass to get rid of the pool that collects on rainy days. They put up a sign but people who have been passing that way for years
    think they still can. Most of the trucks were five ton which are anywhere from 11 ft.to 13. Notice they are all going the same way. They could have gone through to the market but on the way home the empty truck is higher. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOL those drivers are actually even dumber than the PQ! Can't believe it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Census numbers are interesting. Points to stabilization of English speakers and actual real growth after all the decreases since the late 70s. The numbers are even more interesting west of Montreal though, demographic changes in Vaudreauil Soulanges. In just a few years there will be enough demographic changes there that a corridor from Montreal Island to the Ontario border will be feasible.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wrote an e-mail to Justin Trudeau to thank him for his stance on Bill 101- told him I would like it abolished but can live with it the way it is - also mentioned partitioning of this province to let those go that want to go - also mentioned the abuse of the "Notwithstanding Clause" by the separatists.

    Received another flyer in my mailbox from Olivex Real Estate that was totally in french. Wrote to tell them they are ignoring the english community and that the language bigots are not more important than their customers. Told them I would never use them if I wanted to sell my home.

    Hope more than just Ed and I are doing our part to end this deliberate ignoring of our language in this province.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Il est peut-être temps pour vous cutie,d'apprendre le français,surtout après autant d'années chez-nous.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Why would I bother? If I had to deal with people like you, I'd prefer not to learn french because I would never be accepted anyway. That's the problem with you separatists - just learning the language is not enough - people are to think "french" whatever to hell that means!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FROM ED BROWN
      Cutie, Let's ignore him today. Ed

      Delete
    2. I think we should all go easy on S.R for the next couple of days. It must be really hard for him these days. According to the new data released, French is losing ground in Sherbrooke, a whole 1.2% in 5 years, so now the francophones are only 90.9%!!! Can you imagine, in another 5 years or so, they'll probably drop to under 90%! The horror!!!

      Not only that, but he can't even blame the perpetual enemy, the anglo; it's because of the 'ethnics' and imports! Soon he won't be able to brag that he lives in an 100% franco neighbourhood, save for the asian convenience store owner (if), so please, go easy on him. His world it turned upside down now!

      Delete
    3. OK, I've reconsidered and will ignore him too.

      Delete
    4. Si cutie mettait autant d'effort à l'apprentissage du français qu'à l'énergie gaspillée à formuler des plaintes au quatre coins du Québec et du canada,elle serait déjà bilingue.Elle pourrait lire tous les dépliants qu'elle reçoit dans sa boîte aux lettres.

      Non?

      Delete
    5. Cutie, apart from ignoring S.R.-Untermensch, consider these two points:

      - Learning any language is a boost for your brain and self-esteem: you may be trying with a more useful language like Spanish (I don't want to suggest German because I wouldn't objective)

      - Untermenschen like S.R. are a tiny minority: don't think every Francophone is like him

      Delete
    6. "Untermenschen like S.R. are a tiny minority"

      La petite minorité qui est pour le maintient inconditionnel de la loi 101?

      Delete
    7. S.R vous êtes un imbécile. Cutie je vous encourage à apprendre le francais, et j'appuie vous démarche pour être servie dans votre langue maternnelle.

      Delete
    8. Croyez-vous que si j'avais traité cutie d'imbécile,mon commentaire serait toujours ici?

      Delete
    9. Really S.R...Who cares?

      Delete
    10. Admit it, you're too stupid to learn french, and you’re stuck here because you’re not competent enough to be transferred to the Mississauga branch office…

      Delete
  14. FROM ED BROWN
    Right on Yannick. let's see if we can go though the rest of this post without answering him. The ones that answer are what he wants, those less intelligent than him. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  15. «De dire que renforcer la loi 101, ça empêcherait les Québécois d'être bilingues et de connaître l'anglais, c'est ne rien comprendre. Je dis à Justin Trudeau: au Québec, en ce moment, les citoyens québécois sont les plus bilingues en Amérique du Nord», a-t-il ajouté.

    Hah! Sure, if by "les Quebecois" you mean "anglos and ethnics". "Real" Quebecers are almost as bad as Americans in terms of language. Francophone bilinguals are incredibly rare.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Replies
    1. FROM ED BROWN
      Never. You do more than most when it comes to action. If anyone has the right to talk it's you.
      Sorry love. Ed

      Delete
  17. C'est très bien que la population anglophone augmente,ils sont de très bons payeurs de taxes...Volontaires on non ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Editor,

    Congratulations for your granddaughter, she's adorable.

    Regarding the affordable housing in Montreal, I would love to see that happening, we're living in Timbuctoo because we could not afford a house in the island when we wanted to buy, but since we are not from here, I doubt we would qualify, in spite of Lisee's statement according to the Gazette:
    "Lisée said the proposed affordable housing program is not solely designed for French-speakers, but for all Quebecers, “be they anglophones, Hispanics or French.”

    ReplyDelete
  19. For the record, the guy who maintains the 11foot8.com website about that bridge in Durham, NC, explains everything in the FAQ. Basically, there were no minimum clearance standards when the bridge was built 100 years ago. He explains why the bridge can’t be raised nor the road lowered and that there are “low clearance” warning signs for 3 blocks on all approaches. Some overheight trucks need to be able to approach the bridge anyway in order to service nearby restaurants. Overheight trucks trip the “Overheight when flashing” warning sign with flashing yellow lights. Most trucks that trigger the warning stop and turn onto the side road but about once a month, a truck manages to hit it anyway (usually inexperienced rental truck drivers). They are actually hitting a massive steel crash bar that protects the bridge, not the bridge itself (and even the crash bar has been replaced once!).

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is why I am glad the PQ is shackled by being a minority. I wonder how long before the PQ starts internal squabbling. What I have noticed about the subsidized housing near where I live is that it has mostly French speaking immigrants mostly from the Magrebh. The intention is to preserve French on the Island but instead just cause the Immigrants to aspire to learn English after exposure to many English speaking immigrants that seem to be better positioned then them. Francophones are not going to stop the exodus off the island. Unless the PQ decides they are going to limit suburban development. In that case they might as well handover their PQ seats that they won North, East and South of Montreal to Libs and CAQ.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...or Lisée clarifies his definition of "corrective action" to involve guillotines or firing squads...or gas chambers for the masses!

      Delete
  21. I was pretty surprised upon reading this article on Vigile.net. I agree with parts of this article. Hell freezes over. I agree with someone - presumably a separatist - on Vigile.

    It is interested to read the paragraphs about building development, in regards to Montreal vs. Toronto. I had this debate with Michel Patrice several months ago. I am glad that now a writer on a separatist website agrees with my position.

    But then, look at the comments. Back to nastiness and even borderline racist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claude Dupras is a pretty decent blogger and has some interesting opinions. He is particularly even-handed.

      But you are right, the comments are particularly nasty.

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

    ReplyDelete
  23. And on the Imperatif Francais website, English is noted as "the language of Jack the Ripper" - these people are insane! What can we say about people like this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahaha...Jack the ripper...Excellent!!!

      Delete
    2. S.R,

      Jack the Ripper was never caught. He could have been a Francophone for all we know.

      French was the language of the Marquis de Sade. I wonder what Imperatif Francais would say about that?

      Delete
    3. Lookit everybody, IMPératif français is the perfect name for this collective of jackanapes. They're both IMPs and their behaviour is completely IMPious.

      And that, fellow readers and contributors, is what the IMP stands for in IMPératif français!

      Delete
    4. FROM ED BROWN
      I thought it meant IMProv because they seem to make it up as they go along. They think it's for IMPerious (that is so De Gaulle) actually in the end it is IMPotent. Ed

      Delete
    5. I'm not an expert but I don't think IMP means the same thing in French and in English and at my age I wouldn't make jokes on impotence.

      Delete
  24. FROM ED BROWN
    Mr. Sauga, Acting on your idea I have compiled a list of news stations across North America. emails and phone numbers which I will post when ready. We can blitz news teams with stories from the Gazette and other trusted sources. The aim is to embarrass PM Harper into acting on behalf of English Canadians
    Jack Cafferty (CNN)is interested after the election. George Stromboloupoulous (Toronto) too. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strombo is the best! That would be terrific to get him involved.

      Delete
    2. Actually True, I'd be far more in favour of Jack Cafferty over Strombo. Getting the Americans into the act carries far, far more weight and the separatists hate it like poison when the Americans get involved. It bodes very badly on them. I've written about the 60 Minutes piece in 1998 several times and how callers into a popular radio show got so upset, the radio host had to interrupt his show for several minutes to calm down the listeners, many making vitriolic anti-Semitic statements right on the show.

      Delete
  25. I posted the same exact sentence Friday, October 26, 2012 10:47:00 PM EDT. I'll claim copyrights on your comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My 4 year old grandson has been diagnosed with a rare, very bad, blood disorder and guess where he's being treated? The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario without a question being asked as to whether we're french, separatist or anything else of a political nature. There was also help available in french had my son not been anglo. Wow - Imagine that! The diagnoses was made on Thursday and he is already being set up with specialists on Monday. This is heartbreaking for the family and his father (my son) and his wife are devastated. Where would he be treated if stupid separatists had their way and we were considered part of another country? Montreal? What if they vote to remain part of Canada when the partition of this province takes place? Watch what heartless comments come out of the mouth of one SR - he had better remain anonymous for his own sake because right now he could be in danger. This is my family and a 4 year child - think before you put something stupid up here SR.

      Delete
    2. Really cutie...Who cares?

      Delete
    3. Cutie, stop answering his comments. You have some many interesting people to speak with.

      I agree: you are the worst person even met in my life, S.R. I have never said it to anybody, but I with all the bad things you told us on this blog came back to you and your family in a much harder and merciless way.

      Delete
    4. J'aime les personnes qui sont le centre de l'Univers comme cutie.

      Delete
    5. "...but I with all the bad things you told us on this blog came back to you and your family in a much harder and merciless way."

      Ça ressemble étrangement à de la bonne vieille morale catholique ce genre de logique :)

      Delete
    6. Je me demande pourquoi cutie habite au Québec...Pas vous?

      Delete
    7. Probably because she was born here just like you...

      Delete
    8. Johnny boy,je suis né in ontario et lorsque j'en ai eu assez qu'on m'impose l'english,devinez ce que j'ai fait...

      Delete
    9. You thought they should have imposed French in Ontario?

      Delete
    10. Pas plus que l'anglais au Québec mais au lieu de critiquer l'ontario à longueur de journée et d'essayer de changer leur mentalité,j'ai préféré quitter.N'est-ce pas la solution la plus simple et la plus saine?

      Delete
  26. Well WA his type of politics has made the acceptance of civil war in this province much easier - his image will be in my sights should the need to protect my land ever come. He and his ilk do not deserve to live in any kind of civilized society and I hope his family is ready to pay the price for the miserable s--- that he is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ....I understand: we are ready to bounce back on a daily basis and to fend off people like him, but nevertheless you shouldn't feel the urge to be sucked into his vicious comments, wasting time and energy reading them and answering them or even mentioning him. Just skip it as if you had to skip a pile of manure on the street: you skip and walk away from it without looking at it...

      Delete
  27. Everytime I see the swasti...um I mean fleur de lys that SR uses, I just skip over the comment altogether.

    ReplyDelete
  28. He is one sick SOB - I'll bet Ontario breathed a collective sigh of relief when he left. Wish he would have the same courtesy for us and move to France.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I think no one cared. Don't give him too much importance!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Vic Survivaliste

    (posté sur canadian unity rally)

    Ireland has been conquered, humiliated and wiped out. Now they speak the language of their conquerors. Is that what you wish for Quebec?

    The success of 2 or 3 writers in their conqueror's language does not make the success of a whole nation, come on! They are, at best, collaborators, at worse, traitors.

    Now Irish canadians are supporters of the Crown and super-canadians even after they have been humiliated by English canadians in the last century. No respect for them.

    Remember: the first Crystal Night in the Western World was in Montreal, when the Anglos burned down the Parliament because the MPs were to vote credits to compensate the innocents farmers who never took part to the rebellion, all men, women and children killed, raped and burned by the British Army in 1837-1838.

    Who talk about bigotry?

    And don't tell me it's Past, contexts change but mindset, not that much, especially when we read Montreal anglos' newspapers and when we watch tv and listen to anglos' radios.


    Vic Survivaliste

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is incorrect. It’s not quite as simple as the knee-jerk decrying of “colonial oppression”.

      Irish Gaelic has been a minority language in Ireland since the early 1800s. While the decline of Irish Gaelic was partly due to British rule, its use dramatically declined as a result of the Great Famine in the 1840s, when Ireland lost a quarter of its population due to death and emigration and which disproportionally affected poorer Irish speakers on the western and southern coasts. Irish political leaders themselves considered the language “backwards”, encouraging English as the language of the future, and the Roman Catholic Church discouraged the use of Irish in its schools as well. As a result of this stigma, Irish parents actively discouraged their children from speaking the language long after independence.

      The language shift that was due to British rule in Ireland, however, was nowhere near as severe as that in post-Revolutionary France. The Third, Fourth and Fifth republics employed humiliating practices to stamp out minority languages and dialects from the French territory (in the case of Breton, this went on right up until the 1960s).

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    2. First, it is odious and offensive to compare the burning of the Parliament building to Kristallnacht, a pogrom against an entire segment of the population, in which 1000 synagogues were burned, 7000 Jewish business were destroyed/damaged and 30,000 people were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. There is no comparison.

      Second, if France hadn’t been the loser in the war and hadn’t given up Canada for Guadeloupe, then it would have been the French Army that would have had to put down rebellions and be the “bad guys” “killing/raping/burning men/women/children” (Burning children? Really? You’re stooping extremely low here) instead of the British Army.

      Tough noogies.

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    3. FROM ED BROWN
      What decimated the Irish language most was King James translating the Bible into English.

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  31. Le français n'est plus la 2e mais la 3e langue parlée à Winnipeg

    http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/manitoba/2012/10/24/005-winnipeg-recensement-francais.shtml

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    Replies
    1. Mother tongue...

      Doesn't mean that more people speak Tagalog than French

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    2. Don't these separatists have their own venue in which to bitch?

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