Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Montreal -The Rottenest City North of the Rio Grande

As the Charbonneau Inquiry drones on, a disgusting parade of corrupt city officials and crooked businessmen are spilling their guts, confessing their decades of thievery, not because of remorse but rather because everything they say before the commission cannot be used against them in court.

Although they all proclaim a sense of shame and regret, two of the principle witnesses moved to protect their assets by selling their homes to family members for one dollar, hardly an act of contrition.

At any rate, a tawdry picture of institutional corruption is revealed, so pervasive and encompassing that it is not hyperbole or exaggeration to describe it as mind-boggling.

Watching the HBO drama entitled Boardwalk Empire, the saga of crooked politicians running Atlantic City during prohibition, I can sadly conclude that our cast of villainous rogues at city hall could give poor Nucky, the chief villain of the show, a run for his money. 

On Monday, Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay resigned, fatally wounded by allegations that he walked out of a room where corrupt practices were being discussed by fundraisers of his Union Montreal municipal party, telling the room as he departed that he didn't want to hear what was about to be discussed.
 I honestly don't believe Tremblay took any money for himself, but by burying his head in the ground like the proverbial ostrich, he gave his tacit support to the illicit shenanigans.

In his resignation speech, a bitter Tremblay told the audience that he wasn't dishonest, but that the corruption in Montreal city hall is so entrenched and overwhelming that he wasn't in a position to do much about it. According to his story, he was a victim, not a crook....ahem.

Over a year ago, Jacques Duchesneau met with the mayor discreetly to warn him that four senior members of the mayor's entourage had been identified by his anti-corruption unit as bent. As of yesterday, when the mayor resigned, some of these people were still on the job.

I can sympathize with the mayor's impossible position where if he denounced his inner circle as corrupt, he may as well have tossed his political career in the garbage, the re-cycling bin not even an option because there's no recovering from that type of political hit.

And so the situation at Montreal City Hall can only be described as a kleptocracy, a government defined by its greed and corruption.
Even for a cynic like me, it is hard to understand how such unlawful activities could remain undiscovered and unreported for decades.

Where were the whistle-blowers, the investigative journalists and where were the politicians?
I would hope that there are actually some honest ones among the thieves.

It seems that Montreal was engulfed by the Perfect Storm of corruption, where all the components and elements; the construction contractors, the politicians, the city employees and the outside engineering firms, ALL conspired to defraud Montreal taxpayers of billions of dollars.

Imagine a hockey game where all the players on both teams, all the coaches, the referees, the team owners and the league all conspire to fix the outcome of a game.
Under these circumstance what chance do the fans have to watch an honest match.

For me, the fact that most of the engineering/consulting firms dealing with government are corrupt is particularly disheartening.
Just yesterday the anti-corruption unit UPAC raided four of these firms in Laval, including DESSAU, up to now, a proud fixture representing Quebec know-how. Link
That these large and supposedly professional companies, stocked with the best and the brightest minds are corrupt enterprises boggles the mind. We've already been rocked by allegations against SNC-Lavalin, a Quebec and international behemoth.

It's like finding out your health clinic, run by professionals and doctors was systematically defrauding patients by overcharging.
When will these revelations end?

Some in the Press are clamouring for harsh new rules and penalties, but it isn't the only answer.

Obviously an outside auditor can easily verify the integrity of a construction contract by comparing elements within. If the quoted price of say... concrete in Montreal, is double what is being paid in Quebec City (which was actually the case)  it doesn't take a genius to cry foul. But in Montreal, as I said, even the auditor is corrupt.

But even diligent oversight is not enough when so many of the players are corrupt. 
Here is a con that was described at the Charbonneau commission whereby a crooked city employee who was in charge of preparing the tender, falsified the requirements to favour his crooked construction company cohort..
Let us pretend that the actual project called for ten metric tons of concrete, the tender was written to include 18 tons of concrete and all the contractors based their submission including the cost of the fictitious extra concrete. The crooked contractor has been warned beforehand that he could complete the project using just the ten tons and so could easily underbid the others. Dastardly!

Corruption is a state of mind, and eliminating it means acting decisively and ruthlessly.
Half-measures, that include keeping the same dirty players (including the politicians) on the payroll are bound to fail.

Half-measures are not enough.
That is why the city of Montreal needs to be placed under provincial trusteeship and a thorough cleansing undertaken, like a hospital that stops normal operations in light of a dangerous contagious outbreak.

Montreal is set for a municipal election in a year and during the interim a government appointed administrator should be installed.

Every single elected politician should be dismissed and all construction projects not already underway, put on hold, including the gazillion dollar rebuild of the Turcotte Exchange.

During the next year, a thorough house-cleaning should be undertaken, where corrupt employees are to be dismissed, as well as those who knew of the corruption and did nothing about it. As witness after witness testified, every senior employee at city hall participated or tolerated rampant corruption.

Aside from the human element, the province can re-invent the city's political structure, dumping the bloated and counter-productive system of decentralization including the positions of borough mayors and councils, slashing the ridiculous number of elected officials in the process.

Yes, by all means we need to institute new regulations. We need to enforce these rules diligently and we need to step up all aspects of good and honest governance.

But nothing short of trusteeship will restore taxpayer faith and hopefully the year-long interlude in municipal rehab will allow political forces to re-organize. I seriously doubt that Union Montreal will survive, but that is a good thing.
Those politicians who are honest should welcome the opportunity to re-brand under a new leader.

Will any of this happen?

You know the answer as well as I, but at least we can dream.

110 comments:

  1. This whole exercise, as in most cases, will be a lot of talk and no action. Even if the whole industry is put under trusteeship, the trustees will become the new corrupt players.

    Montreal's, and Quebec's infrastructure for that matter, are so inferior and the taxes prohibitively high now the costs of righting the wrongs will be that much more prohibitive. It took a good 50 years to get this way, it will take another 50 years to straighten it out. Fat chance it will ever straighten out!

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    1. I decided to go back to No Dogs' early days just to see how the blog looked from the beginning and what the reply levels were like in the early days.

      I must state this blog has come a long way from the onezies and twozies in the comments section. Along the way, I came up with this bit of nostalgia.





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  2. By Mr.

    I have never been more discouraged in all my life, when you suspect that everything is corrupt around you it effects your perception of the city you live in and the people you live with. God help us all.

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  3. LordDorchester

    It's so painfully obvious that the Press (one of the Five Estates and a pillar of society) has failed us so miserably here in Quebec. Only now that the malfeasance that has been going on in City Hall has been brought to light have they actually started to do their job and question and criticize. I recall watching the Mafia sock stuffing video on W5 (CTV) three years ago on a piece they were doing about an RCMP investigation! Not one journalist in Quebec picked up on that back then? What a sorry state.

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    1. MacLean's picked up on the corruption. Remember? Remember how MacLean's took a plenitude of flack for bringing up the devil? Remember how MacLean's opened the dam and despite the ridicule of the French media, they jumped on the bandwagon?

      Lest we forget...

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    2. LordDorchester
      100% right Sauga. Any critical analysis of what was going on here by journalists from the ROC was branded "Quebec Bashing" from those thin skinned Quebec journalists too lazy to open their eyes or who were Quebec Inc. cheerleaders. Akin to being called a racist or a Nazi, any further criticisms from the ROC were effectively shunted as a result. They even got a slap on the wrist by the National Alssembly and Canadian Parliment for doing their job! That was a failure of the "independent" press and only now when the shit is hitting the fan did they step up and actually begin to delve into what the rest of the World already seemed to know, Quebec is a corrupt fiefdom that is rotten to the core and has been using isolationist language policies to perpetuate this big scam. Did you know only firms with francizization certificates are eligible to bid on public construction contracts?? Is that worth paying 35% more for a road (a subpar one at that) than what Ontario pays? Does anyone really give a fuck what language the guy spreading asphalt speaks? Our inability to tender contracts to out of Province firms, Stateside or in the ROC is absolutely part of the problem here.

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    3. Yes, it's disgusting - Quebec is allowed to bid on jobs in Ontario and do it all the time but Quebec unions prohibit Ontario firms from working in our province even though it would save us all money. You have to have a license from Quebec to work in Quebec and to get these licences the firms in Ontario cannot pass the exams required in Quebec mainly due to the requirement for the french language. If I hire a firm from Ontario to do work in Quebec, it is usually that they take the contract but come to do the work in unmarked vehicles and I pay under the table. I don't care because it saves me tax and I still get the work done cheaper. The licence requirements in Quebec are a farce because they will not accept the credentials of the same companies that have licences in Ontario.

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    4. Mr Sauga,

      MacLean's did not take a plenitude of flack for bringing up the devil. They took a plenitude of flack for saying that we were corrupted because we were pathologically corrupted, because corruption was in our genes and our culture, and things were this way because of, among other things, our nationalism.

      They said that when mostly everyone and his brother was demanding an inquiery about corruption and when we could no longer suffer to one who in our eyes incarnated corruption : (do I have to underline federalist) Jean Charest. They said that not long after the sponsorship scandal that sickened us so much that independentism went above 55% in the polls and that decimated the liberal party of Canada was decimated in Québec for years.

      When we were the most outraged about corruption, the most pissed off with corruption, the most fed up with corruption, when we wanted the most to hunt down corruption, they told us that corruption was in our genes. No wonder they took a plenitude of flack.

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    5. While I object that Quebec’s corruption is genetic, I do believe Eric Duhaime hit the nail on the head in said article:

      “I don’t think corruption is in our genes any more than it is anywhere else on the planet, but the beginning of an explanation would be the fact that we have focused for so long on the constitutional question,” says Éric Duhaime, a former ADQ candidate who recently helped launch the right-of-centre Réseau Liberté-Québec. “We are so obsessed by the referendum debate that we forget what a good government is, regardless if that government is for or against the independence of Quebec.”

      I do find that it has a lot to do with Quebec’s cultural outlook on work and money.

      How many times have I heard, “Je travaille pour vivre, je ne vis pas pour travailler”

      It’s like a “national” obsession to shirk your duties at every turn and make money as easily as possible.

      Good, honest hard work is perceived as a “sucker’s game” that only “those greedy idiots” in Ontario get roped into.

      This is precisely why if I were to fix Quebec, my first order of business wouldn’d be to tackle the sovereignist movement…because all that movement is nothing more than a shill for public unions.

      Take the FTQ for instance. They love talking shit against capitalists…and yet they were found guilty of helping Tony Accurso hide $45 million from RQ.

      Bottom line: if millions of regular members of Quebec society can live in harmony, work, buy a home and build their lives, why isn’t the same good enough for seppies?

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    6. So true..I hear that all the time from Quebecers. They seem to go out of their way to do as little work as possible and to screw the system as much as possible. I have never seen so many people in my life abuse the sick leave policy..people call in sick all the time..they treat their sick leave as an additional vacation leave.
      I would like to know how this culture of corruption and dishonesty started from..it seems very well entrenched in Quebec. Perhaps its because so many people work for government and unions that they feel that they are untouchable.

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    7. Complicated - Finally a great criticism and so very true. As stated before, the unions are killing us and nobody but nobody is willing to tackle them. They are way out of control in Quebec and are proud of it. I personally know at least 3 people that brag how easy it is go get welfare, how easy it is to go on extended sick leave (give their doctor a couple of hundred under the table to sign a certificate) or not put in the regular hours that normal people do. I have a neighbour that is in the construction business as a foreman and he is home much more than at work during the day yet he is paid full pay no doubt. He comes home to smoke pot and then goes back to work. No skin off my nose but if they'll all doing it and no one seems to care, they will just keep on doing it.

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    8. @Complicated - doesn't matter what country we're talking about...the majority that makes up any given population are always sheep...

      ...and when you seek to accomplish a large goal or seize power, you have to appeal to the sheep to have them give it to you.

      So instead of just writing off corruption in Quebec as a "cultural thing", I guess we can refer to it as "cultural programming."

      The unions and the politicians are the ones who've engrained this mentality into the majority.

      Pretty sad.

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    9. Michel P: OK, everybody is fed up with the corruption, and maybe MacLean's pushed the envelope with what they wrote about the pathology, but as time goes by, I find it difficult to rebut what they wrote. Click on the word 'nostalgia' in the 2nd entry above "Mr. Sauga Goes to the Archives".

      As you can see, Editor wrote a commentary over three years ago as quoted from the New York media written over a century ago. Face it, when corruption passes down from generation to generation to generation for over a century, isn't the corruption pathological?

      Cutie 003: My brother (who retired from the Quebec parapublic service on full pension at age 57) told me about underlings of his who would take two years sick leave, return to work for a day or two and go back on sick leave another two years. Is it any wonder Quebec is as indebted as it is. Who do you think pays the sick leave benefits? Pays 80% of one's overpaid base salary.

      I think you're referring above to the Office de la construction du Québec about labour protectionism. Who do you think actually runs the OCQ?

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    10. I realize all the above is true, unfortunately.

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    11. Thats why we need to take some risk..more of the same style of government will get us nowhere. We have had decades of Liberal and PQ rule and nothing changes for the better with either party. Hence the CAQ may be the answer..I say may because there are no guarantees in life..but they are focusing on the real problems in this province. We need someone to take on the unions.
      In the end I suspect what will happen is a major economic crisis will hit Quebec and will force the government to cut and force the unions to concede. Once the province is unable to borrow money easily then the game is up but there will be so much wailing and gnashing of teeth. My fear is all the anger from such a crisis will be directed towards Canada and the support for seperation will skyrocket.

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    12. Though I agree such a scenario would spur some separatist fervor, I think a lot of Quebecois are well aware of what's really going on.

      For instance, the America's credit crash occurred in 2008, you didn't see anyone blaming Canada when Quebec caught the cold, because it was so clearly evident what the reality of the situation was.

      What's ironic is, in the event of a massive credit crunch in Quebec, a separatist government would have no choice but to open up its borders to more trade and invariably ditch its the exorbitant mining taxes it plans on imposing on explorers and miners.

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    13. Not so sure..the reality is that Harper blew 100 billion dollars in 2 years in reponse to the crisis which sheltered many Canadians from the harsh realities many Americans had and still face. In the end the unemployment rate barely budged here in Quebec so no real impact.
      Wait and see what happens if many Quebecers start losing their jobs..the value of their homes plummet..real financial hardship. Then you will see a lot of anger and people looking for someone to blame. Guess who will be there to direct them..our friends the PQ will be quick to blame Canada for all the problems. When there is much suffering among the masses then it opens the door for extremists to come and take over.

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    14. Don't you think that Quebecers finally realize that any more changes to Bill 101 will drive the business community even further from Quebec? Their religious hangups, their bigoted language laws, their whole attitude toward big business, their persecution of the small business owners, their outrageously high taxes, both personal and business, are going to prevent anyone from wanting to move here in the foreseeable future. The value of our homes are already affected because of the election of their minority government = values were much higher when the liberals were in power, even if they have been tainted with accusations of bribery and collusion. They can try to blame the ROC for their own problems but the masses are not stupid = they know it's mainly homegrown. I think this is going to be the end for the extremists, not a revival. I think the last election proves that people are starting to think for themselves and not just following an outrageous dream whose time has passed. But I'm not going to assume it; I will keep up the pressure just in case the separatists think we're asleep at the wheel.

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  4. Kudos on the Vodka bottle. Good work!

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  5. Yannick said: "But Resident Evil and those who think like him are the ones who want to make the decisions for the immigrants, by saying that it is immoral for them to choose to espouse PQ politics! Do you not see the hypocrisy? You want to make it a free choice by picking on immigrants who've gone in the "wrong" direction, and there's something that does not add up in there."

    I know this is a bit off the topic of today's post, but I find it important to finish this.

    Yannick, though we all know you're not a separatist, let's face it, you really are a total apologist.

    See, the deal with separatists is simple - they can't be reasoned with. That's why taking such a hardline is necessary.

    And you consistently miss my point about the whole immigration thing...and that's sad given my stance is so simple.

    I believe that when you immigrate to a country, you should put your best foot forward and bring positivity with you.

    The sovereignist movement does not have an ounce of positivity to it.

    In case you've missed what I've written about the "homegrown" seppies, I believe most of them should be jailed for violations of human rights and conspiring to stunt Quebec's economic growth (of which they are guilty).

    And before you toss out any more words like "racist" of "hypocrite" in the name of playing devil's advocate for the seppie camp, just remember one thing...

    ...as a native of NB, they hate you. You're not one of "them."

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    1. I believe Rene called them "Dead Ducks" once.......

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    2. " (...) my stance is so simple.I believe that when you immigrate to a country, you should put your best foot forward and bring positivity with you.The sovereignist movement does not have an ounce of positivity to it."

      From a canadian point of view, sovereignism indeed does not have an once of positivity. Fighting Québec sovereignty is a matter of survival. (That Canada would or would not survive our independence is another issue.)

      From a Québec point of view, sovereignty and federalism are two legitimate political options. I would go further and say that, to most quebeckers, deciding between sovereingty and federalism is about deciding what is best for the nation, the nation being of course Québec.

      Further still, I would say that, since most quebeckers feel quebecker first or only*, the nation is Québec, Québec first and above Canada. So I would say that immigrants who side with federalist are seen by many, from a Québec point of view, as not putting their best foot foward and not bringing positivity with them.

      (And about your advice to Yannick not to forget that we hate him because he is not one of us. That quebeckers would accept an outsider, not accept, simply not hate, is shocking to you since it doesn't fit you simplistic manichean view of our society. And your zeal to picture us as monster underlines your fear of us and the despair and the weakness of your position.)

      Michel Patrice


      * 60% of quebeckers, which includes francos, anglos and allos. So imagine the figure for francos only... Source : Association des Études Canadiennes Jack Jewab.

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    3. Ce qui est pitoyable avec le "diable résident" c'est qu'il est un Québécois francophone.

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    4. “From a canadian point of view, sovereignism indeed does not have an once of positivity. Fighting Québec sovereignty is a matter of survival. (That Canada would or would not survive our independence is another issue.)”

      Actually champion, I happen to be born and raised in Québec, so my point of view is a Québec ois one (man, you really are addicted to exclusionary points of view, aren’t you?)

      “From a Québec point of view, sovereignty and federalism are two legitimate political options…”

      Well, that’s the fundamental difference between you and me, Michel. My parents raise me to appreciate both cultures in Québec and be accepting of others. They also raised me to appreciate all of what Canada has to offer.

      You on the other hand have come on here boasting that you refuse to teach your daughters about Canadian geography or what have you.

      “Further still, I would say that, since most quebeckers feel quebecker first or only*, the nation is Québec, Québec first and above Canada. So I would say that immigrants who side with federalist are seen by many, from a Québec point of view, as not putting their best foot foward and not bringing positivity with them.”

      Of course you’ll disagree if new arrivals don’t embrace your dated, narrow-minded view of the outside world and your complete disdain for the realities and immutable laws of economics. But here’s the thing – your 60% figure is wrong. Only 28% of Québec’s population supports separation.

      Oh and as for the allos, try making a few immigrant friends…you’ll see they’re a lot less partial to your little dream than you think.

      “(And about your advice to Yannick not to forget that we hate him because he is not one of us. That quebeckers would accept an outsider, not accept, simply not hate, is shocking to you since it doesn't fit you simplistic manichean view of our society. And your zeal to picture us as monster underlines your fear of us and the despair and the weakness of your position.)”

      Once again, I’m as Québecois as you are, and I have no issues with Yannick. And the picture I paint is of seppies, not regular, normal Québecois folks who can actually live and let live and don’t feel a need to separate and isolate…they can actually be happy in life. You don’t sound like a very happy man Michel. ;-)



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    5. @Diablotin

      La lettre pour le bilinguisme absente des journaux anglophones du N.-B.

      http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2012/11/07/001-lettre-bilinguisme-nouveau-brunswick-mercredi.shtml

      Restons positif...C'est beau le canada

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    6. And from the same site: "Francophones in Halifax will soon have health services in French" - funny this wasn't mentioned by SR - Another province that is moving forward while stupid quebec moves backward - On with official bilingualism in Quebec or let those areas go that want to go - partition this damn place and let them continue their backward ways!

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    7. Nope, sorry, Mr. Patrice, take a modern political science course. Quebec cares not in the least for francophones outside Quebec. They cared at some point in the past, before the idea of the "nation-state". Once the Quebec State replaced the Catholic Church as the major religion, all those francophones who could previously identify with Quebecers through the mere label of "french-canadian" lost the major thing they had in common. The feeling of unity is gone.

      Francophones outside of Quebec aren't interested in separating, so the only thing they have in common is a mother tongue: which does not guarantee seeing eye-to-eye. Perhaps the little people in Quebec care about them, but by and large they're ignored and lumped with the anglo-Canadians many of you so despise.

      Also, I do not believe that Quebecers have the right to criticize bilingualism in Canada; not only do Quebecers not care about francophones outside of Quebec, (they're too "Canadian") but their own complete unwillingness and outright hostility to adhere to the idea of bilingualism is massively hypocritical. "We're not going to let you use English, but we're going to criticize you for not applying Quebec-levels of French in a primarily anglophone population".

      Derp, derp, Quebec.

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    8. "You on the other hand have come on here boasting that you refuse to teach your daughters about Canadian geography or what have you. "

      In fact, I said that, in Québec schools, the frame of reference is Québec. I did not say that I refuse to teach my daughters about canadian geography, I said that first graders don't learn to recitate a list of province and capitals when they don't know yet what a province is and what a geographic map represents. But, I understand that you are not into nuances.

      "But here’s the thing – your 60% figure is wrong. Only 28% of Québec’s population supports separation."

      Since you are a quebecker, born and raised here, you understand that there is a difference between independentism and nationalism. For instance, Jean Lesage, Claude Ryan and Robert Bourasse were federalists yet they were nationalists. For nationalists, the nation is Québec first. But again, I understand that you are not into nuances. (The 60% figure comes from a Association des Études Canadiennes Jack Jewab's study.)

      "Oh and as for the allos, try making a few immigrant friends…"

      One of my closest friends was born in Vietnam. (By close friends I mean friends who will plan family trips together and friends who look after each other's children.) We met 20 years ago.

      "And the picture I paint is of seppies, not regular, normal Québecois folks"

      I got that part. What I say is that your view of separatists is simplistic and manichean.

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    9. "What I say is that your view of separatists is simplistic and manichean."

      Simple works in this case.

      If separatists would stop whining...

      ...seeing themselves as "oppressed" and painting themselves as victims, we wouldn't be having this discussion now, would we?

      As for the difference between an sovereignist and a nationalist, it's pretty clear, but that doesn't change the fact that both views are weak-minded.

      If you take a careful look at what most posters here are saying it's not that they're Canadian nationalists...they're people opposed to the avails of nationalism.

      People who seek the refuge of nationalism are people who have no sense of individuality to begin with.

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    10. @Michel - You say "(That Canada would or would not survive our independence is another issue.)" This statement pisses me off - the arrogance of approx. 3M people deciding the future of approx. 33M people - that alone is enough reason to partition this damn place so that the ROC can continue in a normal and effective way. A Canadian corridor through Quebec is the way this will go so the East and West of Canada have an effective roadway and waterway to travel from end to end.

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    11. Most posters here do not say that they are canadian nationalists. Yet there is such a thing as canadian nationalism.

      Here is an interesting quote from Trudeau :

      « Un des moyens de contrebalancer l’attrait du séparatisme, c’est d’employer un temps, une énergie et des sommes énormes au service du nationalisme fédéral. Il s’agit de créer de la réalité nationale une image si attrayante qu’elle rende celle du groupe séparatiste peu intéressante par comparaison. Il faut affecter une part des ressources à des choses comme le drapeau, l’hymne national, l’éducation, les conseils des arts, les sociétés de diffusion radiophonique et de télévision, les offices du film. »

      The flag, the national anthem, and so on, there are the tools instrumentalised to build canadian nationalism. Is this nationalism right or wrong? It is not much worse nor better than our own nationalism.

      When Cutie003, for instance, has a fit because the canadian flag is removed from the National Assembly, she doesn't have to say she is a canadian nationalist, it is obvious in itself.

      (Interestingly, one of the things that first suprised me when I began to read anglo forums is that there is among anglos a resentment of not being considered as true quebeckers. One would think that some of them would think of themselves as quebecker first. What an heresy! Not feeling canadian first and perhaps unable to cope with the cognitive dissonance induced by saying that they are quebecker first, they refer to themselves as Montrealer firt... Just a random though...)

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    12. Cutie003,

      My statement pisses you off? I am so surprised.

      The referendum is about quebeckers deciding for quebeckers.

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    13. "The referendum is about quebeckers deciding for quebeckers. "

      There's that sheep mentality I was talking about, mixed in with the stench of a victim-mentality.

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    14. Because you people forget (conveniently) that you are part of a country called Canada - You refuse to acknowledge it, but there it is. You are and have been since confederation. You don't follow the majority here but you are part of this country - a minority of this country - that has no right to decide to take Canada's property and walk away. Canada has invested (poorly - true) billions and billions of it's hard earned money into this place and you seem to think it's OK to steal it and walk away with the land that it resides on. This makes you nothing less than thieves, whether you like it or not.

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    15. Have fun with the pity party.

      I'll have myself a swig of beer cheer my parents for raising me to appreciate the good things in life, taking responsibility for my life and creating solutions to my problems instead of whining about them...

      ...and reveling in my individualism instead of joining a collective blob of disenchanted, uninspired folks.

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    16. And we Federalist residents will decide for ourselves also.

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    17. Resident Evil,

      I wrote : "The referendum is about quebeckers deciding for quebeckers."

      And you answer : "There's that sheep mentality I was talking about, mixed in with the stench of a victim-mentality."

      Please, tell me how this is a sheep mentality and how this is a victim mentality.

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    18. @Michel - avec plaisir...

      First of all - the need to identify yourself as a Quebecker. Why do you have such a desperate need to label yourself? That's where the sheep statement comes in.

      Second - your statement, "...quebeckers deciding for quebeckers" smacks of elitism. It's as if you're implying that you're entitled to a greater quality of life than anyone else in Canada...or that you're entitled to a greater set of rights. It also implies that as a separatist, you believe you know better than everyone else.

      The fact that you feel a need for "quebeckers deciding for quebeckers" also leads into the victim argument where you seem see yourself as oppressed and "shackled."

      Like I mentioned in other posts, politicians like Pauline Marois and union heads like Gerald Larose don't give a shit about you Michel.

      I don't know what your personal definition of a socialist is, but I'll tell you that a true socialist does not own a bigger house than Celine Dion on an MNA salary.

      Food for thought...

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    19. Resident Evil,

      #1 I identify myself as a quebecker just like some others identify themselves as an american, a french, a german, a catallan, a native, etc. Does one who identify himself as a canadian has a sheep mentality too? According to Maslow's theory the need to belong is a basic human need and I am not so full of myself enough to think that I am above this. Perhaps your mind is so different that you don't need to belong to a group?

      #2 "quebeckers deciding for quebeckers" has nothing elitist, nothing to do with an entitlement to a greater quality of life or greater rights.

      It doesn't imply that quebeckers know better than anyone. It does imply that quebeckers are best placed to decide for themselves. I think that germans are best placed to decide for germans, americans best placed to decide for americans, etc. And quebeckers are best placed to decide for themselves. You know, a governemnt of the people, for the people, by the people. Of course, we already live in a democracy and we are already able to decide for ourselves by the means of the federal gvt who represents us. The problem is the definition of ourselves. My "ourselves" is Québec, not Ottawa.

      About the victim mentality, one desire to take care of his own business has nothing to with being a victim.

      Pauline and Gérald do not care about me? Really? You are really bursting my bubble...

      Delete
    20. My "ourselves" is Québec, not Ottawa.

      Idem pour moi mais que certains canadiens ne le comprenne pas demeure toujours un mystère.

      Delete
    21. @Michel...

      That's it? That's all you've got?

      Et voila pourquoi le mouvement sovrainiste est en train de mourir un petit peu plus a chaque jour.

      "Please state your reasoning for your intentions to separate from Canada."

      "Uuuhhh it'd be like really cool and shit like that...ya know what I'm sayin' dude?"

      Delete
    22. Yannick, that's harsh man.

      Delete
    23. Attention! : Resident evil est un troll

      Delete
    24. "It is customary to point out that there are many more nations or potential nations than states, that most nations aspire to statehood yet many have not and will not attain it, and that many states, federal or unitary, encompass more than one nation. It is only slightly less customary to point out that states have created nations perhaps more frequently than nation states. In the classic nation-states of Western Europe, state-building bred national identity rather than simply following from it." - Richard Handler "Nationalism and the Politics of Culture in Quebec"

      ----

      "No serious historian of nations and nationalism can be a committed political nationalist. Nationalism requires too much belief in what is patently not so. As Renan said: 'Getting its history wrong is part of being a nation.' " - Eric Hobsbawm

      ----

      "Nationalism is a distinctively modern phenomenon that is a response of traditional elites to pressures towards modernization that tend to disempower them and undermine their dignity. The elites attempt to foster a sense of national unity and identity as a means of asserting their uniqueness and restoring their dignity. - Robert McKim - "The Morality of Nationalism"

      Delete
    25. states have created nations perhaps more frequently than nationS [created] states

      Delete
  6. Turcotte Exchange?...Where is it?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hâte de voir l'ontario faire le ménage...Si ils ont le courage et la volonté,bien entendu.

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  8. I know I'm going to incur the wrath of Cutie for this, but why would we, in the ROC, be at all interested in a partitioned Montreal remaining with Canada? As long as Quebec is part of Canada we are forced to live with this crap but if the PQ can engineer a "yes" vote win, why do we want to get stuck with the moral equivalent of a toxic waste site? Clean the place up and we'll talk. Despite having lived my entire life in southern Ontario, I'd vote "yes" to separation and "no" to partition. If they weren't such a bunch of fascist xenophobic nutbars with no concept of how to manage an economy, I'd be a PQ supporter. They should replace "Je me souviens" with "Haiti du Nord" on the licence plates.

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    Replies
    1. Well Diogenes, territory is territory. Wouldn't the rest of Canada want to keep as much of its territory as possible? If they don't want to keep Montreal and those areas that want to stay in Canada then it points to a lame duck, banana republic government that can't maintain the wishes of its loyal citizens. On the other hand, its not much different then the situation at the moment. If it can abandon federalists in Quebec today it can abandon you tomorrow.

      Delete
    2. Beaucoup plus facile de déplacer des populations que des territoires :)Logique,non?

      Delete
  9. Diogenes - I've never given a second thought to ROC having a say in the partition of Quebec should they vote to leave confederation. The partition of Quebec would be voted on alone by the residents of what's left of Quebec after a "yes" vote for the separation of areas of Quebec that voted to remain Canadian. If, as the separatists tout, they have a right to self-determination, so do the Canadians that reside here. After all, there are many Canadians that want and need the support of Canada to remain within our own country. I would have thought, as a Canadian, that you would prefer that there be a corridor through a separate Quebec in which Canadians, from coast to coast, retain their country. Without the corridor through Quebec, I'm sure the whole country would breakup - the west going their way and the Atlantic Provinces going their own way, probably joining the U.S. Are you suggesting that this is the best thing to happen to Canada? I don't blame you for the sarcasm about Montreal, but the St. Lawrence and the corridor through Southern Quebec is a necessity for Canada to survive as a country. Yes, Montreal has to start over to rid itself of corruption but this would be a benefit of leaving Quebec. By the way, I live five miles outside of Ottawa across the river and we, in this area are part of the National Capital Region and would never vote to leave Canada. In the 1995 referendum, we voted 87% "No". Do you feel that these separatists have the right to rob us of our land and heritage because we are in the minority?

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  10. Yeah - he would clean up and then call a referendum - he would have received a lot more fed votes did he not make it perfectly clear that he is just another separatist party - the only difference is a time line. And Yannick I haven't met nor heard of one separatist that can be reasoned with. They are a mentality of their own and are brainwashed to the point that they can't even leave their own province to see anything of the outside of their own backyard. I have a separatist friend that is 62 and just went west last month to Calgary and found it to be beautiful and she was shocked to find that the people there have accepted her daughter as their own. First time she's left the borders of Quebec only to realize that the ROC don't hate the French as they've been taught to believe. Such a shame.

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    Replies
    1. "I have a separatist friend who lived in Alberta for a few years and in New Brunswick for another four. Going outside Quebec did not magically turn him into a Federalist."

      Nothing unusual. I tell people constantly that speaking English, or traveling in Canada are not the indicators to be taken too seriously in assessing someone's political vision. In fact, knowing Englsih may actually push one to be more separatist. If your experience with English-speakers is bad, or if you realize that cultural differences are too big, then you can only come to logical conclusions. It works the same way on the other side. Many Canadians who don't speak a word of French and have never been to QC speak warmly of QC and the francohpones. On the other hand, the best books critical of Quebec were written by William Johnson and Reed Scowen, both men fluent in French and at one time immersed in the francophone culture and close to francophone institutions. For me myself, there is a linear relationship: the better my French was getting over time and the more exposure I had to the "other side", the more I was becoming resentful of QC nationalism, more convinced of the incompatibilities between francos, anglos, and allos (yes, between anglos and allos too), and more positive towards the idea of separation.

      Another thing I tell people is not too get too excited about someone being a "federalist". A franco federalist is likely also a nationalist, and as such he won't be much different from a separatist. The only difference between them will be the very final political decision each of them will make (one will vote to stay in Canada, the other one to leave), but along the way to that final point these two will agree on almost everything else that matters (they might disagree on what is their favorite color, but on relevant issues, especially the ones that relate to allos and anglos, they will speak in one voice).

      Delete
  11. This PQ minority governments' pretty good at entertainment. Gave me a good chuckle.

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Tuition+freeze+letter+sparks+outrage+Quebec+National/7512568/story.html

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  12. Editor,

    That is why the city of Montreal needs to be placed under provincial trusteeship and a thorough cleansing undertaken, like a hospital that stops normal operations in light of a dangerous contagious outbreak.

    And by "provincial" you mean Pauline Marois's PQ government?

    May I start laughing now?

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  13. Yea, it's hard to know who could do the job. Perhaps the RCMP should be called in for a total investigation of the lot of them. Any other suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Troy,

    Been a while since we heard about your changeover to Ontario.

    I am very curious to hear about how your transition has been going.

    Care to give us an update?

    Cheers!

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    Replies
    1. Resident Evil,

      As my family is still in Montreal, I go home almost every weekend. Therefore, I have not actually indulged the city as I should. As a visible minority, I like the diversity and the plurality of Toronto a lot. Even the whites come from many places, in and out of Canada. Because of that, I feel more relaxed in public. Nobody cares what language individuals converse in public. Nobody gives dirty look for someone not speaking in the "language of majority".

      I also like the fact that I bring home significantly more from the salary that is just slightly higher than what I made in Montreal. Of course, having to pay rent and mortgage and doing the weekly trip wipes that difference away.

      I like the hot dog carts, and many of them open late in the night. Where can I fill myself up with $3 in Montreal?

      I do not like, however, the public transport system there. The ticketing system is way outdated, not integrated and too expensive. The design of the subway stations makes little sense and the subway service quality is poor. While the TTC operators are none as weird as those in STM, the system is not very well-engineered.

      I also do not like that home delivery is a foreign and weird concept for grocery stores here. The first time I did my shopping and ask about delivery the store clerk looked at me funny.

      Delete
    2. Je crois que quelques dépanneurs de quartier le font toujours avec un vélo équipé d'un gros panier à l'avant.

      Delete
    3. When I was a kid some places on the South Shore used to do it, larger supermarkets like IGA, too.

      Delete
    4. I remember the old Steinberg in Rockland shopping centre had these plastic bins and a roller converyor (in front of the cash registers) for all its deliveries. Didn't know that home delivery was available outside the small grocery stores. I know some internet websites specialize in home delivery of groceries.

      Delete
    5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtlweblog/300414152/

      Delete
  15. Boisclair is going to the Big Apple courtesy the Quebec taxpayer. Funny how he doesn't mind making money in oil and natural gas industry, after all wasn't the PQ against Fracking. I guess that freedom to work Transprovincially or internationally does make English handy sometimes. Though kids in French elementary schools don't really need it and it would create other learning problems as per some PQ cabinet ministers.

    I wonder why the PQ couldn't keep this on the down low. Its going to infuriate many if implications of the double standards come out.

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Former+leader+Andr%C3%A9+Boisclair+named+York+post/7514233/story.html

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    Replies
    1. You know of course that the PQ will say that it's OK that he decided to take the job because he will be able to make his views for Quebec separation to the U.S. to make them understand just how badly they are treated concerning trade deals and fracking as long as they are part of Canada. That'll be the spin = just watch them dance again. Bunch of hypocrites. God, I'm so sick of them.

      Delete
  16. Barbara Kay gave an interview to Richard Martineau (Franc-Tireurs, Télé-Québec) that you can watchhere in reaction to this article

    Thought some of you would enjoy it!

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    Replies
    1. Selon la charte (numéro uno) de la ville de Montréal,elle est officiellement une ville francophone.J'espère que le maire par interim pourra communiquer en français.

      Delete
    2. Pour renforcer le caractère français de Montréal ses élus devraient être tenus de communiquer uniquement en français. En particulier lorsqu'ils s'adressent à des médias étrangers comme CBC et CTV.

      Delete
    3. La bonne nouvelle à propos de Babara Key, c'est qu'elle va quitter le Québec lorsqu'il formera un pays, comme 44% des anglos selon le dernier sondage.

      Hip! Hip! Hip! Hourra!....Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye!

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    4. Selon ses propos,les anglos auraient fait le compromis de s'adresser à la majorité dans la langue officielle....Wow!Merci les anglos...Ouch

      Delete
    5. Mrs. Key me fait penser à Anne Lagace Dowson avec son petit air condescendant. Pourtant elles ne sont ni Britanniques ni Américaines.

      Il me semble que lorsqu'on est pas anglo-saxon de première classe, on se garde une petite gêne, surtout lorsqu'on est sur la terre d'une autre nation.

      Delete
    6. Anne Lagace Dowson m'apparaît beaucoup naïve et ingénue que condescendante.

      Delete
    7. L'entrevue avec Barbara Kay était complètement hallucinante. Je suis arrivé à la moitié, j'ai hâte d'avoir le temps de la réécouter au complet.

      Delete
    8. Yannick, comme ça tu n'as jamais entendu parler du complexe d'infériorité des canadiens-anglais par rapport aux américains?

      Delete
    9. "C'est comme l'écho de Resident Evil qui ne veut pas de noirs lui disant d'obéir la loi 101."

      T'est vraiment épais, Yannick! Jamais rien dit de la couleur de sa peau, mais de la qualité de ses contributions au peuple Québécois.

      And there you have it folks - proof that Yannick makes up whatever the wants to be reality.

      What I said might strike some as controversial, but at least I never defended nazis.

      I'll just be thankful from now on that you failed to get a job in Montreal and bring your tunnel vision to this already crippled province.

      Delete
    10. "Que dire des Québecois du Saguenay qui charcutent notre belle langue? Sont-ils des Francos de seconde classe?"

      Selon certains...Évidemment.C'est un phénomène universel,les gens des régions sont souvent diminués par les urbains.

      Delete
    11. "Just the fact that he comes from another country, right?"

      Yep.

      No one tells me how to live - no one. I've already gotten into confrontations with separatists who've tried dictating how I should live my life...

      ...but to have a sell-out or opportunist assume he/she is in league with the "winning team" and telling em and my friends what language we should be speaking in the streets, cafes and parks we've spent our lives hanging out in?

      Right.

      You should try taking a stance someday Yannick, you'd be surprised what a difference it can make in your life.

      Delete
    12. Michel, la condescendance de Lagace Dowson est subtile. Elle se manifeste par l'intonation de sa voix pour appuyer un argument ainsi que par son langage corporel. Il semble par ailleurs qu'on retrouve ce même genre de condescendance chez Tacha Keridine, mais en moins subtil.

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    13. @Yannick

      http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2012/11/07/001-lettre-bilinguisme-nouveau-brunswick-mercredi.shtml

      Au cas ou tu n'aurais pas déjà pris connaissance de l'article.

      Delete
    14. Tacha Keridine?

      Plus tendancieuse que ça...Liza Frulla a l'air d'une felquiste à coté d'elle.

      Delete
    15. Toi ce que tu ne réalises pas c'est que le bilinguisme canadien institutionnalisé ne sera plus lorsque les Québécois seront pris dans la cage à homards canadienne. C'est-à-dire lorsque les Québécois de souche ne seront pas assez nombreux à voter oui à un référendum sur la souveraineté à cause du trop grand nombre d'anglos, d'anglo-ethniques et d'immigrants. Une situation qui surviendra lorsque la cohorte de baby-boomers sera partie, soit dans 25-30 ans. Peut-être même avant.

      P.S. "Parce qu'au Nouveau-Brunswick, on est quand même mieux traités que les anglos du Québec." Ça c'est l'affirmation la plus stupide que j'ai lu sur ce blogue. Resaisis-toi.

      Delete
    16. Although I usually agree with your posts, I do have a problem - big problem - with this paragraph:

      "...but to have a sell-out or opportunist assume he/she is in league with the "winning team" and telling em and my friends what language we should be speaking in the streets, cafes and parks we've spent our lives hanging out in?"

      Care to elaborate? Sell-out? Opportunist?

      Delete
    17. YL - why the Italian Flag - Why the soldier? - Are you gonna conscript your people to fight against the Armed Forces of Canada under the Italian Flag? You will gain separation from Canada when Canada lets you idiots go and not before - much before 25-30 years I hope. We will partition this place long before that and kick your asses to the curb. You will leave with about 2 1/2M people and live in the back woods where you belong. Let's see how you make out then. You people appreciate NOTHING!

      Delete
    18. C'est le drapeau des patriotes, ostie de niaiseuse. Lâche tes programmes de télé américains et essaie de te cultiver un peu.

      http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rébellion_des_Patriotes

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    19. Thank you Yannick - Same colours as the Italian Flag. And to YL, why don't you people try to get your heads out of the sand and live in the same century as everyone else in the world does. That's your main stupid problem. Who cares what happened back in 1837? I'm sure you didn't lose your father or your brother or your son in any battle back then. What the hell are you people thinking - get into the real world and perhaps you should watch more American TV instead of living in 1837.

      Delete
    20. By opportunist, I'm referring to say, Maka Kotto's failed acting career. He couldn't make it in the film world and therefore turned to politics. Same with Curzi...beyond the western civilization movies he really didn't go far.

      Point is, when you think that all is really takes to become a separatist politician is to regurgitate nationalist rhetoric and polarize one group against another, the barrier to entry is low.

      If you go over the Editor's previous post on the lack of pedigree most PQ members possess, it paints a pretty clear picture of how to get ahead fast and easy in Quebec.

      Delete
    21. YL says to Yannick: "P.S. "Parce qu'au Nouveau-Brunswick, on est quand même mieux traités que les anglos du Québec." Ça c'est l'affirmation la plus stupide que j'ai lu sur ce blogue. Resaisis-toi."

      Now you see Yannick why I've stated that seps can't be reasoned with.

      This is what results from excessive diplomacy.

      Delete
    22. Je crois que Y.L perçois Yannick comme un parfait colonisé toujours sous le contrôle des anglos du N.B,j'avoue qu'il n'a pas tout à fait tort.

      Delete
    23. What "control" does Anglo NB have over the francophone population that is different than any other province in Canada? Control in every province is voted into power by elections the same as in Quebec and minorities are not treated differently in any other province except Quebec. I don't think our troll has ever gotten his ass out of Quebec either. Boy, these seps piss me off sometimes - they are as thickheaded as a brick.

      Delete
    24. Don't bother Cutie.

      Besides, S.R's attacking someone who's shown him understanding and a willingness to open dialogue.

      The diatribes coming from S.R and YL, matched with Richard Martineau's contention that "there's nothing wrong with Bill 101" is all the proof we need...

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    25. Thanks Resident but I do hope this blog is not going to be taken over by the seps. There has been more than enough of their comments in the past two days or so and I'm not here to listen to their BS - a couple a day isn't bad but I'm here hoping to find ways to get rid of them not to placate them. Want to hear ideas of how to keep our country together by partitioning and let the rest of them go. 40 years of listening to how badly treated they are has really worn thin and I notice my patience with them is getting thinner when I hear their backward comments. If I didn't know they were on a computer, I would think I was still corresponding with people from 1960.

      Delete
    26. Yannick

      Ton affirmation sonne comme un noir de l'Alabama des années 1800 qui affirme être bien traité par ses maîtres.

      Tu devrais peut-être reformuler ta phrase.

      Delete
    27. Alors tu considere Yannick un esclave?

      Wow.

      Delete
    28. Pas du tout...Lost in translation?

      Delete
    29. "Ton affirmation sonne comme un noir de l'Alabama des années 1800 qui affirme être bien traité par ses maîtres."

      Pas du tout.

      Tu devrait lire du Mark Twain, voir la réalité de la situation.

      Aussi revoir l'histore de Rosa Parks.

      Delete
    30. Actually, one of my buddies, a black man from Alabama now residing in Las Vegas has a company that grossed $700,000 last year.

      Not exactly a slave, now is he? Tell you this much - he certainly doesn't think so.

      Delete
    31. Profitons de cette pause historique pour revisiter le nazisme alors.

      Delete
    32. "...a black man from Alabama now residing in Las Vegas has a company that grossed $700,000 last year."

      Il serait donc a l'abri de tout racisme anti-noirs?Une grosses voiture de luxe,une jolie maison et de beaux vêtements ne font pas automatiquement de vous un homme respectable et respecté aux É.U.

      Quelques scènes intéressantes à ce sujet dans le film "Babel".

      Delete
    33. And this is what I get for feeding the troll. Total gibberish.

      My bad.

      Delete
    34. Ne t'en fais pas Devil,ça arrive à tout le monde d'être à court d'arguments.

      Delete
    35. Yannick,est-ce que tous les Acadiens ont le syndrome de la girouette?

      Delete
    36. Resident Evil, thanks for clarifying. I had somewhat misunderstood your comment.

      Delete
  17. The Editor writes:

    "...two of the principle witnesses moved to protect their assets by selling their homes to family members for one dollar..."

    You can't do something like that in the States.

    Firstly, you have to declare to the IRS any gifts with a fair market value of over $13,000 in a year to anyone but a spouse.

    Secondly, they have, I think, a 5 year look-back for any gifts over $13,000. That is there to prevent a wholesale giveaway of one's assets when one is near death because the U.S. has a federal estate tax that levies a tax (quite a big one) on estates over a certain exemption amount, on death (also called "the death tax"). And, of course, if gifting or signing away assets was allowed, everyone would do it on their death bed and NO estate tax would be paid.

    It's also prohibited in the U.S. to prevent people from not spending down their assets in order to pay for medical costs that aren't covered by Medicare, such as long term care (ie, nursing homes) which average about $80,000 a year in the States. The government will pay 100% of the cost BUT they first want you to spend down your own assets before you can qualify for Medicaid (not to be confused with Medicare), which is a poverty program. So no one is denied ANY type of health care in the States, they just want you to spend down your assets before the government will pay for it.

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  18. @Yannick - As Bachand used to be a separatist and had a magical turnaround, I have to question his ethics. As fiance minister we did not fare well under him either.
    Couillard seems to be very bright and well spoken - former neurosurgeon and seems to have his head together when it comes to spending.
    Moreau - Nothing outstanding about him that I can see but he is young which is a plus.
    Probably will put my money on Couillard.

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  19. Interesting read, for those who are not familiar with the separatist factory that is the Qc school system. (I know I am off topic...)

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/Opinion+High+school+course+teaches+nationalist+ideology+history/7519369/story.html

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    Replies
    1. C'est écrit dans un vieux cahier Canada.
      J'y retourne quand c'est gris!

      Delete