Friday, January 4, 2013

Quebec's Annus Horribilus

A small break away from the blog is always a pause that reinvigorates the creative juices, but let's face it, those of us so inclined to blog are badly infected with what is described in Latin as....Cacoethes scribendi, so it's good to be back. 

At any rate, here we go....

"May you live in interesting times."

Although the above aphorism is attributed to the ancient Chinese, the origin, as well the meaning, is probably not what we have come to understand.

Today we use the phrase to wish upon the beneficiary some positive excitement or new and happy experiences, but in reality, the phrase means quite the opposite...

"May you experience much disorder and trouble in your life." Link

And so, 2012 was certainly a year where Quebecers 'lived in interesting times' and not in the good sense. For old-timers like myself it's hard to remember so disastrous a year for our dear province.

As I search for the right words to describe last year, I have come up with but one that succinctly sums it all up ..."Bizarre!"

It was a year that challenged our deepest faith and convictions about who and what our society really is.
The public revelations of shocking and pervasive corruption of too many public and elected officials rocked our world and had us collectively confronting issues of trust. The number of public miscreants and delinquents rose to a level where we now wonder, not which officials are dirty, but which few are actually clean.

The middle of the year was dominated by an incredibly naive and patently stupid and disruptive  student revolt over rising tuition fees, which ironically remains the cheapest in Canada.
The decision by students to put their school year at risk over a couple of hundred dollars, baffled ordinary Quebecers and for good reason. When push came to shove, the student radicals opted to lose their year of school, demonstrating that they essentially placed no value on their time.
When classes resumed on an accelerated basis, meant  to perhaps save the semester, many students chose to forgo the onerous effort and opted to repeat the year, demonstrating no particular rush to get on with their lives.
Strangely, for these students who lost a year over the proposed tuition hikes, a lost year meant a repeated round of tuition fees, the irony of which went unnoticed by most.

Then there was the election of the PQ, which because of vote-splitting by federalists, backed into a minority government and proved within a few short months to be a group of utter incompetents and fools, unable and incapable to govern responsibly, looking like the rank amateurs that they are.

And so both separatists and federalists are faced with the worst case scenario, for the separatists, a government which won't promote or attempt to move the sovereignty file forward because of the lack of real support.
And for federalists a government incapable of dealing with the financial complexities of a province strapped for cash and unable to pay for its election promises.
Not much of this and not much of that, a veritable pig's breakfast.

As I think of the disappointing year we experienced, I'm reminded of the story of Shoeless Joe Jackson, an American baseball icon who was exposed as one of the crooked team members of the Chicago "White Sox" who collectively fixed the 1919 World Series for gamblers.

"Legend has it that as Jackson was leaving the courthouse during the trial, a young boy begged of him, "Say it ain't so, Joe,..." Wikipedia

In regards to the revelations emanating out of the Charbonneau crime commission, I too found myself muttering that same phrase, 'Say it ain't so,' because so shocking were the allegations being bandied about, that for the sake of our society, I honestly wished that the witnesses were lying or embellishing for effect.
But as the year rolled by, most Quebecers also came to feel this same sense of betrayal, the daily reports of malfeasance and corruption exposed at the Charbonneau commission, made it seem that the mob run city of Chicago of the '20s and '30s was a prim and proper Mormon town, in comparison to us.

This year I was captivated by two television mini-series, both with the subject of public corruption as its centrepiece. One is called "Boardwalk Empire," detailing the criminal goings on in a prohibition era Atlantic City and the other entitled "The Boss" starring Kelsey Grammer as a modern-day mostly corrupt Chicago mayor.

Compared to the corrupt goings on in our province, these two shows seemed mild in comparison! 

It all started just over a year ago when Maclean's magazine wrote a story labelling Quebec as the most corrupt province in Canada, which understandably raised indignant howls of protestation at the perceived Quebec-bashing in the local media. Link
The powers that be in the media were so outraged at the article that Quebec's Press Council unanimously reprimanded the magazine for poor reporting;
"......Mr. Patriquin displayed a lack of journalistic rigour.
"We are forced to conclude that they (the comments) reveal prejudice and are all the more condemnable under the circumstances as they carry prejudices against all Quebecers," the council wrote.
That lack of rigour was also attributed to a column by Mr. Coyne." Link
When events over the next year proved that if anything, Maclean's understated the length and breadth of Quebec corruption, one might have expected the Press Council to rescind that reprimand and apologize to the two wronged journalists, but alas this is Quebec, where covering one's own ass always trumps doing the right thing.

When my old friend Jacques Duchesneau, Quebec's newest version of Elliot Ness announced that 70% of political financing is illegal and that the mob had infiltrated the construction industry, the press and the public chalked it up as exaggeration, too impossible to believe, likely a case of hyperbolic politicking.
"Duchesneau detailed what he called “an entrenched, clandestine universe of an unheard-of size that is harmful to society in terms of security and the economy, as well as justice and democracy.” His report described how a tiny group of construction and engineering firms—“an oligarchy,” .....
.....Transport Québec has become the cash-generating and laundering outfit of choice for Quebec’s formidable organized crime network. “There are groups of general contractors who work as cartels, organizing to collude the tenders process to protect their members, eliminate competition and to get contracts at the price they want. Though they are legal themselves, some of these firms have silent partners, thus increasing organized crime’s presence in the legal economy.”
Link
But alas, all the stunning revelations, as impossible as they sounded, were proven entirely true, with elected officials, public servants, mafia dons, construction magnates, engineering firms and yes even RevCan employees all discovered to be feasting at an epic Bacchanalian orgy of greed, paid out of the generosity of the public purse, funded by sad sack taxpayers like you.

It is almost impossible for an honest citizen to make sense of it, or yet come to terms with the depths and depravity of the betrayal of corruption that was so deeply entrenched and undeclared, for so many years, with nary a peep from a single whistle blower.

The discovery of this corruption beast living within the body politic of our society is as shocking and painful as having your doctor tell you that a pernicious tapeworm has made a home within your intestines and has lived there for years and years, slowly eating your guts from the inside out, with the most debilitating and disastrous health implications now manifesting overtly.
And so our collective societal panic is understandable, where the one and only maddening obsession is to kill and remove the accursed beast.

I wish I could predict a better year for us all, but in truth I cannot. We haved lived through a vertible Annus horribilis, with 2013 auguring no better.
Unfortunately, the corruption scandal has not yet reached it zenith, we've got a lot more crooks to uncover and politicians to chase from power.
Police are slowly getting through dozens and dozens of investigations and my most flamboyant prediction is that some of these crooks will flee the jurisdiction à la Arthur Porter.

There are a least five high-profile trials coming up this year and at least a dozen in 2014.
The economy, already on shaky ground will likely deteriorate as America comes to grip with its huge debt with another recession possibly around the bend.

The PQ will continue to fiddle while the province's finances melt down. When the next budget is to be tabled the phoney revenue predictions that we were fed this year, will come back to haunt the PQ, resulting in a three to eight billion dollar shortfall, even after all the tax increases.
And this time they won't be able to blame anyone but themselves.

And so, the PQ will raise the language debate to distract the masses from the financial disaster. I am sadly afraid that the big bad anglo devil will be trotted out once again,(as was the case during the September election) in another desperate attempt of ad captandum vulgus or if you like, the more familiar panem et circenses  

I apologize for my decidedly negative assessment, it is just the way I see it, I wish I could be more upbeat.

The one and only thing to hope for is that with a little luck, the Liberal Party will choose a leader who inspires the people just enough to cause the PQ government to fall, leading to a minority Liberal government.
It is just about the best we can hope for.

My New Year's Resolution....... to remain a thorn in side of the militant French language movement and to denounce their many lies, distortions and overt racism.
For your information, I haven't gotten around yet to reading the comments regarding the possible  re-formation of the Equality Party and promise to do so this weekend, with a blog piece concerning the subject soon after.By the way that blog piece resulted in over 600 comments and over 65,000 words!

PS....If you haven't had enough Latin for a day, I will leave you with my favourite quote concerning gun control ...enjoy!

Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt

247 comments:

  1. I wish Charest hadn't retired from poltics following his defeat. I believe that he was a great leader for the province and was very popular among francophone and anglophone voters alike. Sure, he may have made a few mistakes, but as far as Quebec premiers go, he was arguably the most respectable the province had had in decades. I wonder had he not promised to extend Bill 101 to federal businesses, if he could have been re-elected. Hopefully the Liberal party's new leader will have the same appeal to voters that Charest had in his early years as premier.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. problem with liberal party of quebec is that it became a money laundering business. corruption is a powerful cancer. these guys need to spend a lot of time in the doldrums so they understand that giving away contracts following cash donations through mafia is unaceptable. if they get re-elected subito they will just carry on where they left and you will get more of the same crap.

      "I wonder had he not promised to extend Bill 101 to federal businesses, if he could have been re-elected."

      i don't think so mate. liberal party was voted in in every english riding of the province... how can imagine a difference if he had been more pro englisg?!?

      "Hopefully the Liberal party's new leader will have the same appeal to voters that Charest had..."

      you already know it's gonna be bachand couillard or moreau. so, anyone has the kind of appeal you are dreaming about edm?

      Delete
    2. Student,molo avec Ed,il a 75+ ...

      Delete
    3. Strange... I distinctly remember that there were 3 PQ governments in power from 1994-2001 when corruption and collusion were just as rife as ever and yet they never lifted a finger to do anything about it. How dare they suddenly act outraged now...

      Delete
    4. Exactly though the seppies ignore this fact. No whistler blowers then either but they're not guilty of anything. BS. As I said, they're all crooked and have been for years.

      Delete
    5. Silly me, according to that completely unbiased website, corruption only started in Quebec in 2003! Yep, and there most certainly wasn't any corruption back during Maurice Duplessis' time either. Pity no one bothered to make a website about that though. No website = it never happened.

      You know, your twisted thinking, your predilection for making false assumptions and your general bossiness are all quite tiresome.

      "You have to do this! But don't bother doing it!"
      "You have to acknowledge the obvious! Even if no one denied it!"

      Dude, relax. You've already started on a very bad foot and managed to get most people to tune you out. You may want to start taking some of your own advice. You might start feeling better.

      Delete
    6. R.S.: Corruption back during Maurice Duplessis' time, nothing! Don't you remember an article from the New York Times Editor posted about corruption in Montreal going back to 1909? Honestly, too many people have too short memories!

      Delete
    7. LOL... yes, indeed, I most certainly do remember that and I did think of mentioning it but I was worried that he might get too much of a shock to learn that the Liberals were nothing new, there has been plenty of corruption in Quebec for well over a century. :)

      Delete
    8. "according to that completely unbiased website,..."

      dude every website is biased. you have to dig out facts from them and make up your own judgment. you claim that the pq government from 1994 to 2001 was just as rife. i proposed to you a list of rife actions from charest's government. if you care to back up your claim, you have to remove facts that you think are not true from my list, and explain why you do it, and then come up with a list of pq frauds that is at least as impressive as what remains of mine.

      if what i am writting makes you unhapppy, you will have to argue with the people who wrote this page: http://tinyurl.com/4ukll

      "your predilection for making false assumptions and your general bossiness are all quite tiresome...

      "You have to do this! But don't bother doing it!"
      "You have to acknowledge the obvious! Even if no one denied it!""

      what false assumptions?

      and i think being misquoted is even more tiresome than being given advices.

      "You may want to start taking some of your own advice."

      which one?

      Delete
    9. John James Charest is burned to the bone, and will never be able to enter politics ever again.

      But who cares? For 9 years he has been able to thoroughly grease various businesses with our money, businesses who now owe him greatly and that will result for him a steady stream of juicy board appointments and various lucrative contracts.

      Why should he bother in politics ever again, his reputation is made and his gravy train assured.

      Delete
  2. FROM ED
    EDM Do you think there's any chance of getting Charest back. He left a cushy job in the Federal Party to save Quebec from the separatists. He loves Quebec and Quebecers French and English. Do you think he could be enticed to return. Trudeau did after retiring.
    He is exactly what we need right now. I'm sure he would be welcomed with open arms and win a majority. The University and College professors who stupidly supported the pot bangers are now saying "is my job safe".
    Most people now see the error in voting CAQ and would not make that mistake again. Quebecers are looking at Pauline Marois and realizing how well off they were under Jean Charest. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "He is exactly what we need right now..."

      yeah sure. you need a guy who left with close to seventy-five percent of the population disaproving his command. what i see is that the guy is pretty much hated amongst the francophones. dude... how delusional can you be?!?

      actually i would support charest's return. best way to make sure this party doesn't win anytime soon.

      Delete
    2. Student,molo avec Ed,il a 75+ ...

      Delete
    3. @s.r

      "...molo avec Ed,il a 75+..."

      really? sad stuff. one would hope that old people be wise enough not to wish for the return of a guy that turned the government into a money laundering business.

      Delete
    4. "...a guy that turned the government into a money laundering business."

      Nous le savons tous,c'est pourquoi je me demande pourquoi sa tête (charessst) n'est pas dans la bouteille de vodka.

      La morale des angryphones est très décevante.

      Delete
    5. Even with everything he had going against him after 10 years in power, it should have been a cakewalk for Marois and yet Charest still came within 0.7% of getting re-elected.

      Dude, how delusional can YOU be?!?

      Delete
    6. Damn you people! Goldilocks is just another Francophone politician who ignored then turned against the minorities to show the separatists what he can do for them. You morons forget it is the non-Francophone minorities who make up 20% of the population yet contribute 40% of the tax base.

      Goldilocks proved what he can't do; besides, he has $100k in pension coming his way in six months, and another $100K + to follow five years hence, indexed to the cost of living. He quit first thing after losing, i.e., the money to be made HAS been made. Somewhere along the way he'll get a juicy patronage appointment, like the senate or some other plum job that pays more than most readers here will ever make. The $200,000+ he'll make in the next 5½ years sitting on his ass will be more than what 98% of the population is making working full-time, so imagine a well-paying plum appointment as icing in the cake.

      John James "Goldilocks" Charest has done his time in politics. Goodbye, good luck and good riddance. It's not as if his replacement will do anything to help the minorities since he or she will have to prove how tough he or she is to the separatists. And the band plays on...

      Delete
    7. "yet Charest still came within 0.7% of getting re-elected."

      so what? it just means there's a lot badly informed people in quebec. or a lot of people with wierd priorities. i don't see you point here r.s.

      Delete
    8. OR those with weird prorities DIDN'T vote for the Liberals and you may have a point that "there's a lot of badly informed people in quebec" ....AND, one of those just happens to be you. LOL

      Delete
    9. @anectote

      yeah that's another hypothesis. but i think it's a really bad one because it's not weird to have integrity as a top priority.

      Delete
    10. I guess it now takes "integrity" to vote for the PQ - I learn something new every day. lol

      Delete
    11. Pul-lease! The PQ and integrity... snort!

      Here's just one little bone for him to nibble on (I know, I know... one example won't be enough to tide him over, he'll need 50 or 500 or 5000... well, too bad!):
      http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/112200/rapport-moisan-le-pq-a-sciemment-ferme-les-yeux

      As a bonus, it's from Le Devoir so it's not the big bad anglos who are informing him about PQ corruption.

      Delete
  3. Lord Dorchester

    With corruption exposed, revenue streams and laundering schemes coming to an abrupt end for a lot of shady Quebec business' I can foresee an increase in mob violence as these groups rejig their operations to keep the money flowing. Expect a Wild West Scenario to unfold. It will be another painfull year and hopefully we can put this chapter behind us. Thanks to Maclean's Magazine for getting the ball rolling and to M Charest for the Chabonneau commission. Also, it should be noted that Montrealers will vote for a new Mayor this year and whomever they elect, they will have a lot on their shoulders.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And it was evening, and it was morning of the next day.

      Delete
  4. "The decision by students to put their school year at risk over a couple of hundred dollars, baffled ordinary Quebecers and for good reason. When push came to shove, the student radicals opted to lose their year of school, demonstrating that they essentially placed no value on their time."

    Finally, my exact sentiments echoed. In fact, I just read the following: http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2013/01/03/des-milliers-dabandons

    After all the bullshit they put the province through, they're just giving up.

    To tell you the truth, the student "movement" of 2012 was worse for me than the election of the PQ simply for the fact that it clearly showed how behind in the times Quebec happens to be.

    At least we can tell ourselves that the PQ took office on a measly 31% of the vote.

    The student "movement" however, showed us that hundreds of thousands of spoiled little iPhone babies can take to the streets, loot, vandalize and hold the general population hostage...and be glamorized for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Resident Evil,

      The article on JdeM is reserved for members only. Do you have the copy of it?

      Delete
    2. You're all overlooking the obvious. What is far worse to imagine is these are the members (maggots and dregs, really) of society that are going to shape the future of Quebec.

      Is this the Quebec you want to remain in and be a part of? If you choose to stay, you're really working against yourselves.

      And it will be evening, and it will be morning of the days to come.

      Delete
    3. @Troy,

      Quick summary is that the kids essentially put themselves into a hole. Their excessive protesting cost them valuable time and trying to squeeze two semesters into one to catch up for lost time has burnt a few of them out.

      Delete
    4. Mr.Suga,

      laissez nos joujoux (ToTo le clown,Diablotin la limace et Betty007 la militante de sous-sol) tranquilles,le Québec a besoin de ces têtes de Turcs qui n'en sont pas à une contradiction près :)

      Delete
  5. I agree that on the surface, it was pretty bad. The students did loot, vandalize etc, and cost us all millions. Also, they probably could never have accomplished half of what they did without the backing of Unions in this province whose main objective was to make the Liberals look bad at any cost, and exploited the entire movement for their own Agenda. That being said, the “squeaky wheel always gets the grease”. You have to commend the students at least, for taking action and doing something about their cause, as misguided and misplaced as it may have been.

    Here we are with the Charbonneau commission staring us down and we’re the ones that now should be out there banging pots and refusing to pay one more tax dollar until all the money is put back, but strangely enough, we have yet to even witness a singular effort organizing a protest march anywhere.

    So though I hate to say it, good on the students, in the end they were willing to get out there and do something about their cause.

    Disclaimer: I did not and do not support the student protest; I do support their RIGHT to protest however.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More complacency of the minorities. And it will be evening, and it will be morning of more days to come.

      Delete
    2. I have to hope you're wrong on that Mr. Sauga. Complacency is killing us and those of us that are participating to this blog had better realize that this has to come to an end.

      Delete
    3. "More complacency of the minorities."

      I am afraid I cannot agree with you Mr. Sauga. Complacency doesn't belong exclusively to the minorites here... It belongs to ALL who inhabit this fine province.

      Delete
    4. Good point - I still have to wish there were more that were complacent: IF and SJBS for two examples. A lot of this shit going on were not be happening if were not for them and their militancy.

      Delete
  6. They spent months on end protesting a price hike that amounted to a piddly $0.35 a day.

    Yet, at the time, I had a couple of students in the office and these guys were consistently coming in hungover and ordering out - not exactly the picture of someone desperately struggling to get by. Of course, I had to here of their disdain with the Charest government and how "life is so unfair."

    Oh yes, life is unfair...like say for the couple of 20-somethings I read about who died of cancer on Christmas.

    Life is both short and valuable, which means that if someone insists on marching down the streets for months and months on end to protest $0.35 a day clearly has no sense of responsibility and isn't willing to take ownership of their lives.

    As for the Charbonneau commission: Too little too late.

    I've seen the gross misappropriation of funds for years, but the majority of Quebec's people were too busy griping about how Canadian Tire should be Le Pneu Canadien to realize that the province charges more for user fees than Ontario and B.C., yet we're always fucking broke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Evil, you're just starting to get a taste of what "always fucking broke" really means. This is just the beginning, esp. if the Editor is correct and those deficits grow to $8 billion per year.

      This is why I'll be lobbying my MP to focus on cutting out equalization payments to a sinking ship that has only its incompetence to blame for its downfall. I'm beyond fed up with my tax dollars going to endless incompetence, endless corruption, endless ingratitude and endless hopelessness. Quebec is a lost cause.

      Delete
    2. Uh huh... except that with your anti-Quebec hardon, you're conveniently neglecting that the 'Ndrangheta
      (the Calabrian mafia) is even more firmly entrenched in Toronto than the Cosa Nostra (the Sicilian mafia)
      is in Montreal. It may well be the case that Quebec is simply better at exposing corruption these days than Ontario is.

      Delete
    3. @resident evil

      "They spent months on end protesting a price hike that amounted to a piddly $0.35 a day."

      share your calculation? what i heard was a 82% hike.

      don't you think, by the way, that relative numbers are better than absolute for these kind of assessments? depends on one's objective i guess. if yours is to impress, stick with absolute. but if you're in to rationaly evaluate the impacts of this tuition fee raise, i suggest you go with percentages.

      "I had a couple of students in the office and these guys were consistently coming in hungover and ordering out..."

      ok so this couple of students were incoherent. adds nothing to the comprehension of the big picture. it's the same shitty argument richard martineau came up with when he tweeted he saw students enjoying a sangria on a terrace.

      resident evil, generalization from a particular case is invalid. super basic stuff.

      Delete
    4. @Student - Just a reminder...

      I don't know if you recall, but last post I extended you an olive branch and you turned around trolled-out on it, which means you'll get no further answers from me.

      Just thought I'd remind you to save your time, if you so happen to value it in any way.

      Delete
    5. @resident evil

      "you'll get no further answers from me."

      when i ask you for a minimum of backgroud on some of your bad arguments, and you don't provide any for some obscure reason, well your arguments remain without background, you know?

      it's up to you, mate.

      Delete
    6. @student

      One gets the feeling, every time we read your posts, that your main objective is to oversimplify and trivialize anything and everything that is being expressed; especially when what is being expressed is the hard cold truth & unadulterated reality. Now you’re doing the same with what R.E is ascertaining. But here’s the big picture "dude", and we can’t dispute it, the economy in this province is in the toilet. We are carrying the largest debt in this country, we pay the highest taxes and this is why our fellow bloggers, (by their own admission), flee south of the 49th parallel to purchase whatever they can (I’ll address this later), if it means they can save a buck. This is the state of our economics in this province, undisputable, in your face, no getting away from it, no running away from it...BANG ON!

      Now, this insistence of yours to minimize everything being said here, is that for our benefit or for yours? Are you trying to persuade yourself that perhaps...nothing is as bad as all that...after all...so no need to fret about it, or scramola outa here, cause all is fine in dandytown? Cause if that’s the case, DUDE you’re the one that is irretrievably delusional.

      Finally however, if your intentions are simply, less than honorable though you make a damned hard effort to appear to be, and you want to argue for the sake of arguing, and not because you are interested in a real constructive debate, but you wanna just stir sh*t, then you’ve become the blog troll poster boy “par excellence” and S.R. has nothin’ on you!

      Please bring on the IGNORE BUTTON.

      Delete
    7. @anectote

      you are overreacting.

      here, resident evil came out with this 35 cents magic number. it's surprisingly low, so i asked for details. after all i hope you know by now that not everything you read on blogs is true. as a side question i proposed he uses relative numbers. i also reminded him not draw global trends from particular cases.

      which bit launched you on that tirade about quebec's economy and me being a troll?

      take it easy mate.

      Delete
    8. Don't bother AnecTOTE - Not worth the effort.

      Delete
    9. I've got to give the kid this much - he's ten times more obnoxious than S.R.

      I didn't think it was possible, but S.R has been de-throned as King Troll.

      It's the end of an era.

      Now all "Student" has left to do is advocate attacks against Anglos, immigrants and the native population and the cycle will be complete and he'll fully usurp S.R as the Uber-Troll to end all other trolls.

      Delete
    10. @anectote

      "See...ya did it again!"

      err...yes... right right. i did "it" again.... whatever.

      but about my question? any thoughts?

      Delete
    11. It would be awfully nice if our "mate" put half the effort in attempting to discredit the Editor's articles with the same enthusiasm that he does with everyone else. After all, that is the main point of having this blog.

      And it's something our pet troll has never attempted to do even ONCE in all his daily visits over the past few years. Let's see if this one can match that record.

      Delete
    12. @r.s

      why would i "attempt to discredit the editor"?!? i'm a guest in his home!!

      "it's something our pet troll has never attempted (...). Let's see if this one can match that record."

      what's his score? zero attemps? well i already have matched that r.s, now haven't i?

      Delete
    13. No. The point of this comment section is mainly to discuss the Editor's articles. You have ignored his points so far in favour of jumping all over the other commenters.

      No again. You've only been here a few days. You still have a few years to go yet in order to match his trolling record.

      Basic stuff, mate.

      Delete
  7. FROM ED BROWN
    LORD DORCHESTER brings up a relevant point about violence. I remember when Drapeau tried to clean up Montreal
    he closed the blind pigs and gambling joints, also the late night spots. The gangsters who ran them needed money so a rash of bank hold-ups using machine guns began city wide. Det. Sgt. Albert Lisacek of the Provincial police Robbery Squad started carrying a Thomson sub machine gun which he called his 'Chicago Umbrella'. The gangsters that ran the joints had to make money somewhere and started raiding banks and finance companies. I was there when a gang robbed Household Finance in St.Laurent. When they came out the door the police opened fire with shot guns. A 22 year old that I knew from Boys Farm (Shawbridge) died on the spot.It was violent and could happen again. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed, sadly you can expect it to happen. Banks don't have the cash in the drawers they used to, and each cash deposit goes into a locked vault. Expect more ABM and credit card, as well as on-line fraud. Maybe they'll knock over fast food eateries and depanneurs. Expect more drug trafficking and cigarette smuggling. I can imagine organized crime making deals directly with the tobacco companies to sell them smokes at a higher wholesale price, but sell them on the black market at a lower price. Good profit margins, and the taxes and duties will be bypassed. More erosion of the tax base! The debt situation worsens.

      Delete
  8. FROM ED
    I have been accused of repeating myself,so I'm doing it again. Let's ignore the trolls. Already 5 out of 11 comments are trolls. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looks like you are one, Mr. Bill 1-0-1.

      Delete
    2. @You

      Aside from calling me a troll, what's your contribution to this blog.

      Delete
    3. @ed

      "I have been accused of repeating myself,so I'm doing it again."

      why would you keep doing something you're accused of, after admitting your guilt?!?

      i can't fathom your motives here ed.

      Delete
  9. R.E. votre lien (http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2013/01/03/des-milliers-dabandons) est reservé, on ne peut pas le lire sans être abonné... c'est quoi, l'idée générale de cet article?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. En effet, pour terminer leur session perturbée par le conflit, les étudiants subissent trop de pression.

      Delete
  10. @ Editor

    For starters, I would like to wish you a great New Year and thank you again for this blog.

    This blog is a wonderful forum for exchanges of ideas, opinions and perspectives. You will agree that it is important to include as much participation as possible even though we may often not always agree and have different opinions, but then, isn’t this fodder for healthy debates? You will appreciate however, that this is difficult to do when you have individuals, who again attempt to monopolize and dictate who should contribute, who shouldn’t or who we should pay attention to or who we shouldn’t pay attention to, and are being highly disrespectful in the process. Obviously, some will post simply to irritate, annoy, and condescend or even in an effort to sabotage your good efforts and intentions for this blog. Hopefully we can distinguish who is who. Undoubtedly, most people will keep participating despite the nonsense even when they are being unjustifiably singled out and attacked; incidentally this is highly bullish behavior by some we should have zero tolerance for. People will keep posting regardless of the overt coercion but this may also result in turning other people completely off and discouraging blogger participation. “The Cat” had suggested it may be a good idea to perhaps revisit your posting rules. I would like to make my own suggestion, if there could be an ignore button we can click on so that we simply read the posts we would like to read and respond accordingly while ignoring those we are not interested in reading, WIN WIN for everybody, n’est pas? I also encourage fellow bloggers to write you in support of this idea, ...merci à l'avance.

    Thank you Editor for your efforts and attention.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is a free add-on available for Blogger, Wordpress, etc... that many blogs use these days called Disqus. It allows users to vote up interesting comments, vote down stupid ones, has proper nesting of threads so replies match the comment they are made to, it has the ability to edit your own spelling mistakes, the ability to ignore obnoxious trolls, post anonymously or not, and so on. However, it appears the Editor has already decided against giving it a try.

      http://www.disqus.com/

      Delete
  11. At this point, is a minority CAQ government really that bad an option?

    They are the only party that campaigned and seem to be genuine on cleaning up corruption.

    Could they be less financially responsible then the liberal (who were in power during all this corruption) or the PQ (that are a total joke).

    Just food for though, since I have always voted liberal...

    Also, looking ahead, what would a new Equality party do for us anyways? I foresee, at most, 5-10 electees (in the absolute best scenario). You're basically watering down the vote again, and increasing the chance of having Pauline back at the helm. How does that help anyone? At that point you might as well vote for the CAQ and cross your fingers... no?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason: 5-10 MNAs that represent their constituents beats the s--t out of the Quislings that the likes of Kathleen Weil, Yolande James and Geoffrey Kelley are to their constituents.

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      Jason we did that and how did it work for us. we have a PQ government. That's how it worked. In spite of what some people think of the Liberals on this site, they have the berst chance to win.
      I posted this before, In 1981 at a PQ convention the whols party gave a 20 min. round of applause (standing ovation) to the FLQ members that killed Pierre LaPorte and many others with their bombs. Francoise Legault was one of those praising the killers. He introduced Pauline Marois for the first time. Since then he has spouted the PQ hatred for the English people until he got beat out to lead the pq and started his own party, and now he refuses to say he is for federalism. Ed

      Delete
    3. @ Anonymous - That 1981 reference is hard to argue...

      I should just get the hell out of here I guess...

      Delete
    4. Jason - if you're a free young man and have the opportunity, get out, because things are going to get a lot worse before we break free from these bigots. There will be a make or break situation coming but how soon we don't know.

      Delete
    5. That same stubborn way of thinking maintains the status quo..more Liberals or PQ means more of the same..more decline..more corruption..more mismanagement.
      Yes Legault is not a federalist but I dont think he is much of a seperatist either..I think he is pragmatic..I say give him a shot.
      But I am sure the anglos will start elevating Couillard to rock star status over the next few months and proclaim him the new savior..that he will be the one to really change things..good luck with that..
      I am making plans to move out of this place..Quebec is done..put a fork in it..

      Delete
    6. The CAQ is just a party made up of opportunist entrepreneurs, liberal to the bone but in name.

      It is the same clique of entrepreneurs who drape themselves behind an anti-corruption stance to attract the clueless who do not understand that the name of the came in business is collusion.

      I know, I have been working in the private sector for more than three decades, and rigged bids to fetch the best kickbacks is the order of the day. The only thing is that in the private sector, those things are not exposed to public eyes.

      The liberals are corrupt because their people are from the private sector, and that's the only game they know: what brings them the most dollars in their pockets.

      The CAQ is exactly the same, being made of the same kind of people.

      They are just brand new, so they don't carry the corruption baggage the liberals carry.

      Delete
  12. I think that, optic wise, this is a bad decision for federalists. Legault, whether we like it or not, is still a separatist and, to the general public, it then looks as if ALL of quebec wants separation from Canada - publicly, the seppies will jump all over it and convince soft separatists that this is the way to go. The liberals are not ideal, I agree, but they are, at the present time, our only option in this province and that's why I'm hoping that a new leader will be much more vocal about the benefits of being a part of Canada and also hoping that not too much shit comes up at the Charbonneau Commission against them. I would still like to see the creation of a new Equality Party (new name of course) along the lines that contributors suggested during the last post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I'm hoping that a new leader will be much more vocal about the benefits of being a part of Canada..."

      ?!?...Ouch!

      Delete
    2. Cutie: "they (PLQ) are, at the present time, our only option in this province and that's why I'm hoping that a new leader will be much more vocal about the benefits of being a part of Canada...

      You mean like Bourassa x 2, Claude Ryan, Daniel Johnson Jr., and John James Charest did? What do you call someone who does the same thing time after time repeatedly and expects a different outcome? I hate to classify you as being the answer to that question, Cutie. C'mon! You're better than that, aren't you?

      Delete
    3. Not much choice Mr. Sauga - want a new federalist party but stuck with the liberals if that does not happen.

      Delete
  13. By the way, I agree with AnecTOTE - an "ignore" button would be great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with Cutie, new (Equality) party...movement, different name. There was very little we can say was great about 2012 fiscally and politically, from the student strike, to a dreary provincial election and now all our fears quickly materializing by the advent of the Charbonneau Commission and what it is bringing to light. I know one thing for sure, at this moment in time, none of the main stream provincial political parties represent me.

      I wonder how many other people feel exactly like me.

      Delete
    2. "...an "ignore" button would be great!"

      Vous allez perdre beaucoup de "lecteurs" cutie,surtout que vous répétez sans cesse la même chanson.

      Delete
    3. FROM ED
      Would somebody clue me in on the 'Ignore Button'. I don't understand it's purpose. Can't we just ignore posts we don't like by scrolling past them? Ed

      Delete
    4. @ed

      "Can't we just ignore posts we don't like by scrolling past them?"

      how can you know you don't like a post if you did not read it?!?

      anyway it doesn't work.

      proof: you're reading this.

      Delete
  14. The American business community is starting to see how truly ridiculous Bill 101 is when it comes to the OQLF regulating international brand names. This is the view from Gregg S. Lipman, Managing Partner at the CBX brand agency, which he also posted today to the Huffington Post. There you can read comments by bitter, offended francophones who trot out their same old false comparisons to try to justify their dream of creating a 100% French utopia in Quebec, even though that has never existed before.

    http://www.cbx.com/press/pardon-my-french-quebec-but-your-language-laws-are-ridiculous/

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-s-lipman/pardon-my-french-quebec_b_2396822.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As one of the HuffPost commenters pointed out, it's true! The Club Monaco website is censored if you try to access it from within Quebec! Check it out for yourself:
      http://www.clubmonaco.ca/quebec/index.jsp

      Surely it's not due to a simple translation matter, since the message is bilingual, but I wonder what the real reason for it is. Surely it has something to do with our gouvernemaman's penchant for over-regulating businesses. I wonder if it's perhaps a sign that some retailers are starting to think it's not worth it to jump through so many hoops anymore just for Quebec's small market (which is basically the size of a large city).

      Delete
    2. I hope it's a sign that they're as fed up as we are!

      Delete
    3. Commerce au détail: l'invasion américaine se prépare

      http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/affaires/actualite-economique/201110/18/01-4458569-commerce-au-detail-linvasion-americaine-se-prepare.php

      Héhé!

      Delete
    4. When Target arrives here later this year, I wonder whether the OQLF will threaten them with fines unless their name is pronounced "Tar-jay"...

      Delete
    5. They'll have to put the phonetic spelling on their sign, but twice the size of the word "Target".

      Delete
    6. Are they coming to Canada as well? Oh great! There are way too many yank corporations here already. It's our own country's fault our centuries-old retail chains like Eaton's and the Hudson's Bay Company had to sell out to the Americans, we're letting foreigners have corporate monopolies on our own soil.

      Delete
    7. I, for one, will be very happy if Hannaford - with its contents and its price - can open its stores in Canada, including Quebec, including Montreal.

      Delete
    8. EDM: What's the matter? Y'scared? There is nothing to force you or anyone else in Canada to shop there, but let's face it: They're better merchandisers than #%$&!@ Zellers, who Target is taking over. Compared to Target and Walmart, Zellers sucks big-time, hence their demise!

      Delete
    9. I would just rather see Canadian corporations succeed and grow.

      Delete
    10. Money talks EDM and when offered enough any business I know will sell out. Human nature. Canadian corporations that succeed and grow will be offered the money to get out of the competition and that's how they see themselves as being successful.

      Delete
    11. I know, but why can't we be the ones doing the takeovers for once.

      Delete
    12. Well, there's always Couche-Tard that is doing well in the dépanneur market. They've made big inroads in the U.S. market by buying up chains like Circle K there and under the banner of Mac's in the RoC.

      http://www.couche-tard.com/corporate/united-states.html

      Does anybody else remember Perrette's? Provi-Soir? They've all been swallowed up by Couche-Tard. Dunkin' Donuts too.

      http://www.couche-tard.com/corporate/history.html

      Delete
    13. There was also Jean Coutu pharmacies that had bought the Brooks pharmacy in New England and the Eckerd pharmacy all along the East Coast of the U.S. but those have since been sold to Rite Aid (and made Jean even more of a billionaire).

      Delete
    14. The US business community is very keen to adapt it’s products and marketing to foreign conditions because it ultimately means more profits for them.

      Law 101 is just yet another of the thousands of international regulations they have to comply in order to sell their shit abroad, regulation they adhere to without blinking.

      Why should it be any different in Québec or Canada?

      No, really what you want is to go 40 years backwards, back to the "speak white" years.

      Won't happen. Deal with it.

      Delete
  15. Thank you Cat - the usual tripe from a few separatists and their rantings against the anglos - more of us should add to the comments. Please do if you get the chance everyone. I'm sure that guy from B.C. will be just as happy as a pig in shit when he returns to this doomed place.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cat as always, you’re Stellar! And thanks for those links.

    Per Mr. Gregg S. Lipman from “Pardon my French” on the subject of signage:

    “Furthermore, while there was certainly a time in our civilization’s history where a language only applied to a specific, corresponding culture, in this day an age, the high degree of exposure, interaction and connectivity afforded us (in large part thanks to technology) has allowed language to mutate to such a high degree that it has effectively decoupled from culture. That is to say: a culture that spawned a language, no longer necessarily defines it.”

    Perhaps the first order of business is that we ought to begin differentiating between language and culture in this province? They have been so intertwined for centuries; this is exactly the root of the problem. Mannn..even outsiders get it!!

    “And we know that centuries of close proximity to America has enabled many English words to migrate over into French. To assume that they would need English retail signage translated into French is thus, well, silly. After all, over here in America, we’re not translating Le Pain Quotidien into “The Daily Bread” or “Le Chateau” to “The Castle.” Trying to legislate language is not only virtually impossible, it shows a willful disregard for the power of language and its free exchange between societies, as a continuing catalyst for cultural and creative growth.”

    Thank you Mr. GREGG S. Lipman!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hear, hear the usual litany of platitudes to whine againt law 101, because he is too stupid to learn french and not compentent enough to be transferred to the Mississauga branch office.

      Delete
  17. Thanks to the Lipman piece, I recovered something I actually forgot about:
    http://journalmetro.com/actualites/national/65422/un-auteur-denonce-lapartheid-universitaire-au-quebec/

    Rather than argue how utter imbecilic this "work" is, I think I'll let a song say it for me instead:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nf4DhXy9oU

    ReplyDelete
  18. Gee, how would some of these journalists and politicians make their money if this province became bilingual? Just think, no more arguing about the funding = all the universities could allocate it according to such things as number of student, courses offered, etc. That would be too sensible I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You only want Québec to be bilingual again because you are too stupid to learn french. Bilingualism only means that the french have to learn english and not the opposite.

      Delete
    2. RE-BANG!!!

      Quelle belle journée qui s'annonce :)

      Delete
  19. One has to also wonder though, what will happen if the courts vote in favor of the huge retailers, and deem that 101 cannot be applied to the fullest extent as prescribed by OQLF for ..whatever reasons, what will the real implications be ...then for “ la Loi 101”. You know this will be a fight to the death for the l’Office, cause let’s face it, if they lose this court battle, they lose Face...PERIOD. More to the point, this will open up a huge Pandora box for then questioning the entire legitimacy of this legislation altogether.

    If the retails lose, will they opt to bite the bullet and do as they are told...OR pack up, give us all the finger and leave for greener pastures?

    Frankly, I’m not sure a whole lot will change for Quebecers anyway since most already flock south of the border every change they get anyway, if it means saving a buck. I actually know a family that has not spent anything here in Quebec for over 2 yrs now, from buying food, clothing, any and all essentials, milk & gas, they purchase absolutely NOTHING here in Quebec, if they can help it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The elephant in the room that is so obvious and yet conveniently never talked about is that requiring the addition of French descriptors to international trademarks serves absolutely NO FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE WHATSOEVER. If it had any genuine purpose, then Quebec-based companies like Aldo would also be required to add descriptors for all the dummies in Quebec who apparently don't realize that they sell shoes.

      There is one and only one purpose to this fixation on descriptors and that is to socially-engineer a French "visage", no matter how artificial it may be, to attempt to create the illusion that Quebec is 100% French by having as much French displayed in as many places as humanly possible, based purely on the insecurity and the revanchist "on wa les awouèrent, les maudits anglais, sti!" attitude of the most narrow-minded and frustrated franco-supremacists.

      I can already hear a certain someone trot out his numerical ratio for the umpteenth time while refusing to admit that, country or no country, nothing will ever change that fact. Furthermore, he is intentionally being dishonest (not to mention delusional) by consistently denying that not all francophones are Quebecers and that not all Quebecers are francophones. Never have been, never will be.

      Delete
    2. AnecTOTE,

      Frankly, I’m not sure a whole lot will change for Quebecers anyway since most already flock south of the border every change they get anyway, if it means saving a buck. I actually know a family that has not spent anything here in Quebec for over 2 yrs now, from buying food, clothing, any and all essentials, milk & gas, they purchase absolutely NOTHING here in Quebec, if they can help it

      Me... me... me...

      Now that I spend my weekdays in Toronto I instruct my wife not to buy anything in Montreal (except essential items) if possible. I get what my family wants / needs in Toronto and bring them to Montreal. Even then, at least once a month I take my family to Plattsburgh or Burlington for shopping.

      With the difference in taxes, identical item in the same chain is sold cheaper in Toronto than in Montreal (Old Navy jeans at the both Eaton Centres for example). Do not even try to compare the price with Old Navy in Plattsburgh.

      Delete
    3. Troy, you might be surprised. I remember a former friend of mine who would drive 2.5 hours to Quebec City all the time yet at 40 years old, had not once in his life ever driven 1 hour to Plattsburgh or Burlington... never!

      I still remember once throwing a party with popular retro 80s music that none of his friends even recognized; meanwhile another friend who grew up in Spanish in South America knew all of it just as well as I did. On New Year's Eve, they all knew about watching Bye Bye yet had never heard that there was also this ball that dropped in New York City's Times Square.

      To this day, I'm still astounded by this blinkered "nombrilisme" that one can encounter among some sheltered franco-Quebecers who are almost completely unaware of their own neighbours. No wonder the PQ wants to discourage, if not prevent, franco-Quebecers from being able to explore outside Quebec (unless it's to go to France, natch).

      Delete
    4. Moi j'ai un ami américain du N-H qui n'a jamais mis les pieds à NYC.En passant,je n'ai jamais croisé cutie ou Ed dans une galerie d'art de Soho.

      Delete
    5. I'm glad you're boycotting quebec as much as possible Troy - we should all be doing that. I go for my groceries once a week to Ottawa and only buy here if I run out of milk or bread e.g.

      Delete
    6. Heureusement pour vous que vous n'êtes pas amateur de bonnes bières ou de bons fromages.

      Delete
    7. "I still remember once throwing a party with popular retro 80s music that none of his friends even recognized..."

      maybe it was bad music? and maybe his friends tend not to remember bad music so much? and maybe they knew popular retro 80s french music that you didn't? what does that make you?

      "I'm still astounded by this blinkered "nombrilisme"..."

      you give three examples: never going to plattsburgh, not knowing the same music as you and not knowing about the drop ball in new york.

      do you also have good examples on hand?

      Delete
    8. Les canadians sont des Américains si on soustrait la créativité,l'intelligence et la fierté.

      Delete
    9. True Montrealer,

      Have your former friend ever driven to Ottawa and/or Toronto?

      Regarding travel to France, Air France has its fleet Airbus 380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world. Starting on April 2011, there was daily flight of A380 from Paris CDG to Montreal Trudeau. Make sense, I think, connecting the world's two largest French-speaking cities. However, that service was reduced to 4 weekly in Summer 2012 and cancelled altogether in October 2012, replaced by Boeing 747. That A380 is now flying to Singapore.

      Point is, being a French-speaking city alone apparently is not enough to sustain Montreal economic feasibility. To a larger extent, this is one of many evidence that Montreal is sacrificing prosperity in the altar of the French language.

      Delete
    10. "being a French-speaking city alone apparently is not enough to sustain Montreal economic feasibility."

      true, but who ever said that anyways?!? it's easy to make up bad argumets and refute them afterwards. also useless.





      are the a380 flights to singapour always full?

      Delete
    11. @troy and @cutie003

      i'm not sure about the logics that should sustain your idea of boycoting quebec economy, i mean not buying anything in quebec, or from quebec. how is this supposed to lead to a better life in quebec?

      Delete
    12. @ student

      "you give three examples: never going to plattsburgh, not knowing the same music as you and not knowing about the drop ball in new york.

      do you also have good examples on hand?"

      Gee, do you want him to lay out 50 examples for you? Maybe then you can say..."I need 60 at the bear minimum to believe you". LOL

      You’re the guy who gets beheaded and says...”is that the best you got?...What..you’re not cutting off my limbs too...just for good measure”?

      Minus the Ignore button, I guess two can play this game.

      Delete
    13. student,

      true, but who ever said that anyways?!? it's easy to make up bad argumets and refute them afterwards. also useless.

      While I know that English is not your first language (just like it is not mine), please note the word 'apparently'.

      are the a380 flights to singapour always full?

      And you obviously do not do your research regarding Singapore. Singapore Airlines is the launch customer of A380 and now they have 19 planes. In addition, A380s of Emirates, Qantas, Thai Airways and Air France fly to Singapore.

      Does that answer your question?

      Delete
    14. « Les canadians sont des Américains si on soustrait la créativité,l'intelligence et la fierté »

      Donc par ta propre affirmation tu es dépourvu de créativité, intelligence et fierté aussi! Puisque tu quittes pour aller vers les "galerieS d'art de Soho" petit joujou, tu quittes avec un beau passeport portant un emblème canadien.

      Sucks to be you I guess ! LOL

      Delete
    15. http://www.passeportquebecois.com/

      Héhé!

      Delete
    16. Not only are they making no money with this project:

      But...it's not a Quebecois guy that's behind this...it's some dude from France:
      http://www.alexa.com/search?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.passeportquebecois.com%2F&r=home_home&p=bigtop

      Lionel Dumas-Perini, a resident of the French city of Furiani.

      Héhé! -- #UltraFAIL

      Delete
    17. @anectote

      "Gee, do you want him to lay out 50 examples for you?"

      it would be great, but that's not what i'm asking. actually the number of examples brought forward is good. it's their quality that's not up to my and hopefully your standards.

      "You’re the guy who gets beheaded and says..."

      you compare being fed "never drove to plattsburgh" as an evidence of "nombrilisme" to beheadment?!?

      @troy

      i don't understand what the word apparently is supposed to change. you're still making a point against a statement nobody ever made.

      "Does that answer your question?"

      no it doesn't as i asked if the singapore plane was always full. it probably is, and it proves there is more people that fly paris singapore than paris montreal. doesn't prove that montreal is "sacrificing its prosperity" on any altar, though.

      Delete
    18. Troy,

      I took him on trips to expand his horizons a little more... so he finally got out of his sheltered bubble and discovered not only Vermont, Ottawa and Toronto but also Mauricie, Charlevoix, the Gaspé peninsula, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia... all the way to Cape Breton!

      Parks Canada has the best parks and fantastic campgrounds. If you're into that, I highly recommend it. http://www.pc.gc.ca/

      Delete
    19. student,

      As you do not seem to have enough wisdom (yet) to read between the lines and to make deduction, I would suggest that you continue with your studies and come back to discuss with us when you are more seasoned and more experienced.

      Delete
    20. Resident Evil,

      Speaking of arrogant Frenchmen, you reminded me of an arrogant Parisian who thoughtfully provided this letter to Impératif Français in 2003 informing us on how we should be renaming some of Montreal's street names in order to further erase our own history and celebrate that of francophone places (and francophone places only) like Haiti and Guadeloupe instead!

      It proposes, for example, renaming Amherst St. to rue Toussaint-Louverture in order to celebrate the independence of Haiti rather than a victorious British general. I presume he hasn’t similarly written other letters proposing the renaming of streets
      in other countries that are named after 18th century French generals who may ever have done bad things. Considering that France abandoned Quebec in favour of Guadeloupe (and also that it also pillaged Haiti so much and for so long that it continues to be impoverished to this day), the French writer’s arrogance is simply breathtaking.

      Delete
    21. @troy

      "As you do not seem to have enough wisdom (yet) to read between the lines and to make deduction..."

      ah! i see... you keep the clever stuff hidden! cool! i love riddles!

      but... why are you so cryptic troy?

      Delete
    22. Looks like another homegrown separaciste got owned by his superior immigrant counterpart.

      Delete
    23. @student, who does this sound like?

      "What?!?! The sky is blue? Nah....the sky ain't blue...the sky is f%^& green! The sky cannot be blue even if the entire world looks up at it from the four corners of the earth and admits that it's blue, nope....I say it just ain't. IT'S GREEN! You cannot convince me, not with reason, not with facts, not even with freakin' Einstein reaching down and bitch-slapping me with Science can you convince me that the sky is blue...norsireeeeeeebop....THE SKY IS GREEN. Also, just so we're clear, I'm gonna continue to be a dick cause I've developed a real knack for it suddenly and I will disagree with you, just cuz I can ..AND...more importantly...just to freakin' spite you all. .lallallalallalalal....ANYTHING YOU CAN DO...I CAN DO BETTER....I CAN DO ANYTHING BETTER THAN YOU, lalalalalallala"

      Well, we may not agree that the sky is blue, but we certainly do agree that you're a dick!

      Fellow bloggers, I profusely apologize and beg your forgiveness. His utter stupidity made me do it!

      Delete
    24. @anectote

      dude, you just lost it. but i must admit you put up a good show. with capital letters and all. chapeau!

      Delete
    25. Troy,

      I remember being amazed visiting Singapore. I didn't realize that they got the A380 that we lost but it makes sense. For an island nation that's almost exactly the same size and population as Montreal and Laval and which was largely swampland as recently as WWII, they managed to build one the world's best airlines with one the world's best airports and one of the world's most important seaports. Great street food for $1, $2, $3 (not of this 99¢ business) and respect for 4 official languages. However, banning chewing gum is over the top! ;)

      Delete
    26. There will come a time in this province that if you try to use that phony passport cover over a real Canadian Passport you will be arrested for treason. I hope that time is fast coming for our resident troll.

      Delete
    27. @AnecTOTE

      At this point I'd love to challenge him to go skydiving without a parachute.

      Captain: "Son, what are you doin'? You don't a have a parachute on! You'll get yourself killed!"

      Student: "Dude, you're fucking delusional...give me 17 facts on why jumping out of this plane without a parachute will kill me."

      Captain: "Fine, then, let's start with gravity."

      Student: "Uh sorry mate, do you have the facts to back that up? I mean, if not then it must be bullshit. Come on, I'm sure you can come up with a better argument than that."

      Captain: "OK, how about terminal velocity."

      Student: "You lack objectivity. Terminal velocity will kill just about any other human, but I'm me and so therefore I'm different - maybe you should re-think your statement before you speak."

      Captain: "Know what, you're right kid, go right the fuck ahead an jump. I'll call your mama."

      Delete
    28. R.E. LOLOLOL... I'm still laughing...that was REALLY good...I suppose it deserves...deux chapeaux! LOL...hey...You're the best!

      Delete
    29. Good one, R.E.! Trois chapeaux for a succinct illustration of our self-important logician!!! Heheh... :)

      Delete
    30. Thanks to you cat, for bringing up the uppity Frenchman who saw fit to invade the Quebecois media with his chest-thumping Franco-supremacist poo.

      I would love, nay ADORE to see a British aristocrat to the very same, in favor of the English.

      How "drole" it would be to see an Englishman (that be from Britain for you seppie folk) write a letter to the French media dictating to them that streets with French names should be Anglicized to reflect the "superior power."

      In fact, instead of turning Rene Levesque Blvd back to Dorchester, we should name it William Wallace Way in respect to the Scottish warrior who died fighting the English who France pledged to help his army fight...

      ...only to back out without word at the last minute and leaving an outnumbered Scottish force with insurmountable odds.

      Delete
    31. What will happen is that the notwithstanding clause will be invoked, just like when the STAUNCHLY FEDERALIST LIBERALS invoked it for law 178, 20 years ago.

      And the big box retailers will bitch against the extra expense, and will either pass the cost to their customers (who will shop elsewhere) or simply close up shop, leaving their market to the competitors.

      Nowhere in the world is commercial speech a human right, because businesses are not human, and Québec is no different.

      Delete
    32. No Jean,

      You have it backwards - it's SEPARATISTS who are not human. They were engineered in a lab with the express mission to be unleashed amongst the people and infect them with a whiny, self-defeating attitude.

      Second, by technical definition, corporations are "people" and you, like so many other sovereignists who whine about capitalism should pay greater respect to the people who provide you with jobs, pay the taxes that help keep your streets and aqueducts maintained and all.

      Like the others that invade this blog, you strike me as someone who really doesn't have a lot going on in his life and you very likely failed in whatever career to you attempted and therefore hate anyone (including fellow francos) who have built awesome lives for themselves.

      Delete
    33. The liberals, unfortunately, are not staunch federalists even though all federalists on this blog would wish this to be true. They are the lesser of all the evils you separatists have eating out of their hands (and pocketbooks) in this province. We would be ecstatic to have a REAL federal party in this sinkhole and so would most of your francophone friends to get us back on a road to prosperity and out of the mess we're in at the present time. You socialist bums don't know what it is to accept responsibility for your lives and/or that of your families and nothing will change until we get rid of the lot of you.

      Delete
    34. The 'NOTWITHSTANDING' clause in the constitution of Canada (that you separatists refuse to acknowledge) is always abused by you people just so you can lord it over the ROC. It must be removed from the Constitution and then you will have nothing to use to break every law of rights and freedoms in this place. Grow the hell up!

      Delete
    35. Let’s not forget that the NOTWITHSTANDING clause in the charter was put there at the insistence of western provinces in order to allow them to discriminate against the french.

      I love the irony that made a federalist Québec government use it first.

      But you english brought it all upon yourselves…

      Delete
  20. "...a family that has not spent anything here in Quebec for over 2 yrs now..."

    L'important c'est qu'ils soient heureux,ToTo :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ils n'investissent pas dans ton économie joujou, cela ne te dérange pas?

      Delete
    2. Pas du tout,même si je trouve ce comportement totalement loufoque et contradictoire.Pourquoi ne pas aller vivre aux É.U ?

      Delete
    3. AnecTOTE, you should know by now that he doesn't care if the economy goes down the toilet, as long as it goes down in French, FRENCH, FRREEEEEENNNNCCHH, sti!

      Delete
    4. Exactly RS - they are so stupid - we're swirling the drain and that's all they think about - controlling the anglos with their language laws. Dumb, dumb.

      Delete
    5. They are very clueless indeed.

      Referring back to that awesome Huffington Post article that Cat generously provided us, here is a comment from another "nombriliste" with no comprehension of the economy or history:

      "[it takes] years and many millions of marketing dollars, to create a distinctive and memorable brand name"

      Tell me, what does it cost to create a distinctive nation with it's own culture and language ? It took a lot more than a few years an some marketing dollars. This is our history, there is the concept of protecting this identity of ours."

      Firs he says it took a lot more than marketing dollars - well, he's right...it took BILLIONS of stolen tax dollars.

      He says that this is "our history" - well, only after you came in raped and killed the native population (and even built latrines over their burial grounds to show them "dirty Indians" who's boss).

      I don't know what's sadder...

      ...the complete and utter inability to understand Kindergarten-level economics.

      ...or the weak, pathetic little solo-victim mentality.

      Delete
    6. "...the complete and utter inability to understand Kindergarten-level economics"

      De qui parlez-vous?Des indiens?

      Vous portez bien votre nom...Diablotin

      Delete
    7. @Diablotin

      Hmmmm...

      https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151437138783646&set=vb.765728645&type=2&theater

      Delete
    8. R.E, I cannot understand how trademarks, in any language, can threaten a people, their identity and history. What I take from here is that the 'identity' is so fragile and shallow that anything can become menacing.

      I think this whole 'frenchisation' of businesses is to boost the national pride and ego by misleading the ignorant population into thinking that many successful businesses are quebecois - and it seems it works; i.e. S.R being convinced that Bureau En Gros is a quebecois business... Unfortunately, I think there are too many like him.

      Delete
    9. Doesn't take a whole lot of work to fool someone like S.R.

      The only difference between separatist plebes and the plebes that make up the majority of every society, is that the sovereignist powers that be have a greater hold on them than the federal side.

      I'm convinced that party (like say the CAQ, but not necessarily the CAQ) which would promote a pro-business, pro-prosperity agenda would win over nationalists with time and show them that true accomplishment starts with the self - not as some collective blob that foolishly believes it's very existence hinges on a form of communication.

      Delete
    10. TS: "I think this whole 'frenchisation' of businesses is to boost the national pride and ego by misleading the ignorant population into thinking that many successful businesses are quebecois - and it seems it works; i.e. S.R being convinced that Bureau En Gros is a quebecois business"

      It`s also about immigrants. Newcomers have to have an illusion that this society is creating and innovation. I, for one, did not know that BenG was Staples for a long time. I thought it was a Quebec home-grown business. So the "French feel" is there to hoodwink immigrants which arrive in high numbers every year.

      Another reason is to distract the local population and let them fight over less relevant things, while drawing their attention form the most important one- the economy.

      -----

      "The point about disputes on such topics as the value of sexual abstinence, the role of religious charities in state-funded activities, the question of gay marriage, and the like***, is that they are not framed to be resolved. The political function is to divide citizenry while obscuring class differences and diverting the voters' attention from the social and economic concerns of the general populace. Cultural wars might seem an indication of strong political involvements. Actually they are a substitute. The notoriety they receive from the media and from politicians eager to take firm stands on non-substantive issues serves to distract attention and contribute to a cant politics of the inconsequential."

      Prof. Sheldon S. Wolin - "Democracy Incorporated - Managed Democracy and the specter of Inverted Totalitarianism"

      ---------

      ***In the Canadian context, like the Fr language issue

      Delete
    11. *and innovating

      (TS`s point about the ego boost is also true)

      Delete
    12. Now, I have seen everything. "Bureau en Gros" a scheme to "hoodwink" immigrants…

      Delete
  21. FROM ED
    EDITOR YOUR QUOTE
    Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt, would today be translated as, "If guns are banned only criminals would have guns."
    The truth is that hopefully only criminals and the police would have guns. The quote as it is sounds like it's advocating guns for everyone and I hope that never happens. There is an American channel show called
    "1000. ways to die. The number of deaths due to carelessness with guns is frightening. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe issuing everybody a gun to all would be the best thing. With any luck, the biggest pinheads in Quebec would end up shooting themselves! Knowing the way Quebec works, the best and brightest would be shot by the pinheads.

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      On the subject of corruption, I don't think the politicians in any of the three parties are involved. The big scale thefts are between the contractors and civil service.
      There was two incidents that led to that. One was Rene Levesque giving the unions so much power to get their votes. The second was during Drapeau's time when they were building the Olympics site. mayor Drapeau told the contractors what he wanted and left it up to them to build it. Of course they saw big money with no spending limits. When Bourassa and the Liberals took over the job because Drapeau could not get it ready on time, they discovered 100 cranes on the site at $100.an hour each.
      The Libs threw them out and brought in an English company, (Dominion Engineering) to get the job done using three cranes. If I'm right it might explain why the corruption seems to be more Montreal based than provincial. Ed

      Delete
    3. FROM ED
      In my post above, where it says contractors read gangsters. Ed

      Delete
  22. FROM ED
    MR SAUGA, You're right.Remember Schmiel, Schmozzle. It's the poor Schmozzle who gets what the Schmiel screws up. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  23. Two headlines out of the Ottawa Citizen this morning: "Snow haulers object to Quebec trucks" Ottawa companies want city work saying they're unwelcome in Quebec.
    "Ambulances stop going to Quebec" - Ottawa city paramedics won't answer calls from west Quebec until a new pact is signed.
    Again, quebec can't get along with any other province on anything and so are health is further jeopardized because quebec doesn't have enough ambulances or staff to handle our own emergencies. Seppies would rather spend money on fighting Walmart over french names on signs. Sad, really. Are we just going to keep on letting these maniacs endanger our lives with their stupidity?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cutie,

    Wouldn't your pet "Partition or bust!" dream be best served by a successful "Oui" referendum beforehand?

    In that sense, maybe a separatist CAQ or PQ government would, ironically, be ultimately in your own personal best interests.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JBG...you're back! And writing in normal people English, no less ;-)

      BTW dude, never did see Skyfall, like we discussed, but I watched Django Unchained and
      Looper over the holidays and both come very strongly recommended.

      Delete
    2. Skyfall sucked. Actually, it was OK for the first hour until Javier Bardem shows up as a blond, gay Vidal Sassoon... worst Bond villain ever. No one will ever beat Sean Connery as Bond!

      Delete
  25. I understand what you're saying but a "yes" referendum would look as if we all wanted to leave Canada. The separatists, including the CAQ, would never allow more referendums after the fact. We are then looking at possible physical conflict. If a referendum was worded such that it stated beforehand "areas that vote no remain part of Canada" would be a great way to resolve this issue but there is no quebec government that would allow that to be part of a referendum. If the Federal Government stated that before a referendum, that would be a dream but can't count on that either. That would be my ultimate wish though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! Seppies will never mind referenda outcomes and are willing to hold as many expensive neverendum referendums as they can until the glorious day that they finally manage to eke out a +1 majority, but after that, forget it! Then the result is locked in forever!!! So hypocritical.

      Delete
    2. R.S. LOLOLOL...thx for that, OMG you guys kill me, you've all been on a roll today!

      Delete
    3. Admit it, the fact is that you do not accept Democracy, and you, as an imperialist english, you cannot accept that the frogs that you conquered 250 years ago be able to break free from your stonghold.

      So, for you, any democratic way of changing the current situation is just not acceptable, and as a sore loser, you will do all you can to undermine Democracy when it does not suit your little self.

      Delete
    4. Jean Naimard = Victim.

      Delete
    5. You, Jean, better be ready for real democracy when we vote to partition this place and your area becomes federalist and part of a new province. Get ready to pack your bags and move to one of the few areas left in quebec that vote to leave Canada. In fact, we are so kind that we will help you pack up your belongings and even pay to transport you to your new location up in the backwoods of the new country of quebec. That will be real democracy and something all you seppies seem to like to brag about even though you have lost two referendums and won't accept either one as a NO. The next one will be the final one and your land mass will sink along with your population and your economy. But it will be done democratically and FINAL!

      Delete
    6. Partition has been debunked more than 15 years ago...

      Yawn.

      You may want to read this:

      http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html#sec43

      Delete
    7. Isn't that from the Canadian Constitution that you seppies never signed? Yawn yourself. You can't have it both ways even though you keep trying. The Constitution can be changed by the will of the people and WE ARE THE PEOPLE - You will go with the land that your population votes on by municipality or Federal District but you're not forcing all of us, with OUR LAND THAT WE PAY TAXES ON, to go with you to your destruction. Off with you and the faster the better. The boundaries of any province within Canada can change with one referendum and you'd better understand that if Canada is divisible so is quebec.

      Delete
    8. How cute: cutie003 grasping at straws…

      Delete
  26. If the feds did that, I would vote "yes" in an instant! I would be pushing for a referendum starting right this minute.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Read it and weep seppies:

    http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/01/04/national-post-editorial-board-english-is-a-right-not-a-privilege/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ cutie, thanks for that link

      "Montreal anglos wrongly have come to believe that the use of English by public service workers is a kindness rather than an obligation. Indeed, many of them believe that French is the only official language in Quebec. But English is in fact an official language in Quebec, by virtue of Section 133 of the BNA Act and the federal Official Languages Act. That rankles Quebec nationalists, but there is nothing they can do about it. When the PQ came to power, they declared French the only official language of the National Assembly and the courts — even though everyone knew this was unconstitutional"

      I suppose then when we venture into the subways of 'La belle province' these day, we should go around with a copy of Section 133 of the BNA Act and the federal Official Languages Act and stick it up their booth windows when they refuse to speak English to commuters.

      Delete
    2. I saw a similar story in the news yesterday. I'm sick of the whole "Québec est une province francophone" argument for why STM workers needn't know English. Montreal is the most bilingual city in Canada, not some French-only storybook town that the separatists want.

      Delete
    3. Well, for me it is not an issue of French or English language but an issue of customer service and common decency.

      I wrote in this blog sometime ago about when I took the subway in New York. A Japanese lady with obvious difficulty in communicating in English seek help from the attendant. And the attendant helped her by speaking slowly, using signs and basically trying to understand her patiently.

      Why can those troubled STM employees not have the same attitude? I believe that the MTA never obligates its employees to learn Japanese.

      Delete
    4. @ Troy

      It's not about Language for me either, as a matter of fact, I am often unable to address a Francophone in anything other than French, even when they may speak to me in English, I stick to the French, dunno why, but that's just the way it is. Maybe because I do not put a great deal of importance on the language itself, but rather prefer to respect the person and accomodate them accordingly. Likewise, I do the same with other people if they happen to speak a few other languages I know....It's automatic and I don't even realize it. But I feel as you do, it is a question of customer service and, more specifically, the 'RIGHT' to be served in one of the two official languages of this country particularly since 'a customer' would be entitled to be.

      Delete
    5. Troy, I believe you already know the answer to that one... because Bill 101 makes francophones feel like they can now lord over everybody else!

      I remember when I was working at CN (Canadian National) years ago and someone made some sort of complaint about his rights to work in French only with this or that. While he may technically have been correct, do you think with an entitled attitude like that that he would someday be promoted to senior management? Not a chance.

      Delete
    6. It's not about Language for me either, as a matter of fact, I am often unable to address a Francophone in anything other than French, even when they may speak to me in English, I stick to the French, dunno why, but that's just the way it is.

      I know! Same here! And it's the same with everyone I know in real life. That's why I'm finding it such a shame that we allowed our pet troll to immigrate here (as he would put it) so that he can try to create so much strife with his hate-filled existence. He is causing so much damage to Quebec with his hateful attitude that is completely unnecessary and unwarranted.

      Delete
    7. Tell me about it... with an attitude like his, I'm almost tempted not to visit Sherbrooke anymore just in case I should inadvertently spend any money at his commerce...

      Delete
    8. @ Troy,

      I lived in Tokyo (never mind New York) for several years and I can vouch that over there, they truly believe in the adage that "the customer is always king". As inexperienced as they are with any non-Japanese foreigners (far, far more than with non-francophones here!), no public transport employee would ever dare think of putting a customer into a headlock for not speaking Japanese. It's simply beyond comprehension! Just as it should be in any civilized place in the world... except, apparently, Quebec. :(

      It's so embarrassing to think that we live in such a backwards society that there exist some people here who would not denounce such behaviour immediately and without a second thought...

      Delete
    9. The "entitled" attitude is becoming more common place everyday in this area. I blame IF and SJBS for a lot of it because they are more and more outrageous in their demands for everything and everyone to ignore anyone and anything that isn't french. If our provincial government had any good will towards any other culture or language, they would start reigning in these militants. Instead they seem to encourage their bigotry and these organizations grow larger and larger each day and they send more reps to businesses pushing their agenda of extremism to the limits. People are getting really frightened to do anything but submit to their demands. What kind of society are we creating in this province that people are frightened to carry on with their business without these people scaring the shit out of them? It's getting to the point where I look at everyone with suspicion before I speak to them when out walking my dog. Never, ever before the last election did I feel this way.

      Delete
    10. @Cat - I'm jealous. I've traveled a lot in life, but never got my ass over to East Asia.

      I've always wanted to visit Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos was added to that list after I read Tom Robbins' book, Villa Incognito.

      I'll tell you this much though...In one of my worst trips ever - a visit to Cuba, my better half convinced me to buy a package at a resort as it was cheaper than standard airfare to Havana.

      Out of a seven-day stay at the resort - we spent only two nights there. But of those two nights I got to see a couple of unsavory Quebecois visitors who actually had the nerve to complain that the Cubans at the resort weren't addressing them in French! ;-)

      BTW folks, if you do visit Cuba, please don't encourage resort culture over there...the Pensiones cost more, but they're worth it, and you'll meet far more interesting people too.

      Delete
    11. See - exactly what I mean by "entitled" - imagine thinking that Cuban residents should speak french! God, some nerve. Why don't they learn Spanish before they travel over there? They expect everyone here to speak french including tourists! I never again will say I'm from quebec when I travel anywhere - almost ashamed at this time to admit I live here. I will say I'm from Ottawa and leave it at that (and hope my wish comes true)-lol - where's that lottery!

      Delete
    12. Bilingualism only means that the english will be spared the humiliation of learning french because the french will learn english.

      Guess what boys? We ain't going back 40 years.

      No way.

      Now learn to deal with it.

      Delete
    13. You people are such idiots - being bilingual, in any two languages, is something to be proud of not something you push in someone else's face all the time. What the hell is wrong with your thinking? Why aren't you proud to be bilingual? What's wrong with that? Boy, talk about going back 40 years! It's your thinking that's 40 years out of date. Man, get a grip on reality.

      Delete
  28. More info:
    http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/misinterpreting+Bill+civil+rights+lawyer+says/7777557/story.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thank you one more time for proving my point that anglo-saxons are culturally unable to understand other cultures (it comes from being the most imperialistic people in History, who is not accustomed to be doing anything else than dominating and ruling other cultures).

    Being from a mercantile empire, you naturally bring down everything to mere dollars and cents, so, for you, you have absolutely no problem dealing with the corruption brought about with the wheeling and dealing of federalist entrepreneurs; after all, it is just good old commerce, whose purpose is to enrich the most business savvy people at the expense of others.

    Why are entrepreneurs and businessmen federalists? Because they know very well that in a sovereign Québec, their corrupt practices will never be tolerated, and they would not be able to make as much money as in an anglo-saxon context, where everything is subordonated to the allmightly Economy.

    We (those filthy frogs), on the other hand, do not think that the Economy is all that important. Oh, it is important, for sure, but not more than the other social and cultural facets of society, none of which shall be subservient to the Economy.

    The Economy is a tool, not a master. When it is used as a master, it is a very poor one.

    But most telling of your bad faith is that for you, the greatest catastrophe is not the corruption (which is as much rampant in the rest of Canada, but it is being exposed in Québec because it is so much against our culture, and it only was able to grow so much because we have been ruled for the last 9 years by staunch federalist entrepreneurs), but the election of the Parti-Québécois whose ultimate goal is the withdrawal of Québec from the corruption cesspool that is the canadian confederation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OMG - here we are with that "quebecers are special" again! The cesspool that is quebec has been going on for 100 years but now it's the fault of the anglo-saxon! You people are the worst - you've got to go! You have some nerve blaming the anglos for your politics in this stinking place! You vote too dummy! PARTITION THIS PLACE PLEASE and an ignore button for the seppies, please editor!

      Delete
    2. "it comes from being the most imperialistic people in History"

      Alongside others: Spaniards, French, Dutch, Portuguese. The English were most successful, but not the only ones. Check your own descendents for example. As white imperialist as they come.


      "Because they know very well that in a sovereign Québec, their corrupt practices will never be tolerated"

      Corrupt practices would remain and would be common, as is the case everywhere.


      "We (those filthy frogs), on the other hand, do not think that the Economy is all that important", but "Why are entrepreneurs and businessmen federalists?" Those francophone federalist entrepreneurs are "frogs" as well. And there are nationalist rich entrepreneurs as well. PK Paladeau for example. The guy is steeped in s**t, and yet he hangs with QC sovereignists. Biz of Loco Locass is his pal.

      There will always exist a corrupt state-business nexus, whether English Canadian, French Canadian, American, British, French.


      "but it is being exposed in Québec because it is so much against our culture"

      Interesting twist. So much he corruption is being exposed, but all of it is just proof that corruption is not part of this culture, because it is being exposed. Circular logic that proves that the more there is of it amongst us, the less it is part of us.

      Delete
    3. And we never, ever called our francophone friends "those filthy frogs" - what a terrible lie and a terrible thing to say and don't try to mislead the francophones that contribute to this blog and are our friends and neighbours.

      Delete
    4. My jaw dropped when I read Jean's comment (is he for real...?), but then remembered his name - the anglo and jewish hater reddit troll. So... don't bother, adski.

      Delete
  30. Boycott the province and all companies with head offices from the province. Its simple, government won’t give us back our equal rights in Kebec while forcing the bilingual (French) crap all across the country, so we the public have to do what has to be done.

    Just a few companies from the racist, corrupt (bills 22, 178, 101…) province of Kebec to boycott -

    Sun Media - TV and print. Bell (CTV…BNN), CBC (French run and controlled), Videotron, Cogeco, Rona…

    "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it; he is obligated to do so."-Thomas Jefferson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hydro-Québec aussi?

      Héhé!

      Delete
    2. Oh, dear conqueror, please tell us what "right" does law 101 is depriving you from... Please, I'd love to hear it...

      Delete
    3. Cher Jean,

      Since you're new here, let me give you a quick education.

      1. Most people on these boards speak perfect French (present company included)

      --The reason we're on this site however, is that whether we're uniligual Anglos or bilingual, we're opposed with the Nazi-methodology employed by sovereignists to have things "their way."

      2. I notice you perceive members of this blog to be "anti-Quebecois"

      --No...we're anti-separatist and anti-racist.

      3. You've stated numerous times "If you don't like it, why don't you just leave?"

      --Love this one...because the Anglophone community is part of the QC landscape. Therefore, they're 100% entitled to be treated with respect for sticking with their preferred language.

      As for immigrants who don't like the separatist point of view...many have come to this country and accomplished a hell of alot more than many sovereignists. Further, the longer you remain on this blog, the more you'll see trolls like "S.R" publish racist tirades against anyone who isn't white or "pur laine" meaning even if said immigrants speak perfect French, they're still outcasts.

      You see to have a very poor comprehension of the way real life works, but don't worry son...

      ...we school you and help you embrace modern common sense.

      Delete
    4. Hydro Quebec - Indian land and Indian owned - just try to claim it as part of quebec and see what happens. Turn on your news channel today and see what happens if you piss them off - they aren't pushovers like a lot of us - they take no shit from anyone and good on them!

      Delete
    5. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151437138783646

      Hoho!

      Delete
  31. FROM ED
    Did I miss something? "In a sovereign Quebec corruption would never be tolerated." So far the Charbonneau Commision has not brought out any English names. Every one so far, Quebecer or Italian is a Francophone.
    Ed

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm so sick of the anti-English rubbish everyone seems to be throwing around these days. The Quebec separatists do it, the Scottish separatists do it, everyone seems to think it's all right to point the finger at the English people. The English carry on their backs all of the sins of the British Empire, much of which they are not even responsible for. The Scottish had colonies in North America as well, but nobody points the finger at them. Separatist French Canadians want to make it seem like they were the rightful owners of Quebec, when they stole it from the aboriginals in the first place. You anglophobes have no right to play victim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You also claim that the anglo-saxons are "the most imperialistic people in History". Need I point out that we haven't had an anglo-saxon monarch since the Norman conquest of the 11th century? Guess which country the Normans are from?

      Delete
    2. What about the anti-french oxdung that is posted here wall-to-wall???

      Delete
    3. Jean, if you please we asked a question you've yet to answer...

      Why are you, like so many other seppies, always referring to the English as tyrannical colonizing force when France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Italy have all colonized other nations throughout history?

      Are you just sour that the English were better at colonizing than the French?

      What if the French had prevailed as the dominant colonizer in North America? Would you still hate the English as much? Would you have any concern for the minority of English presence in North America if the outcome would have been the opposite?

      Please do not dodge these questions, I would very much love to hear your answers.

      PS ~ Did you know that, as a means of establishing dominance over the native population, French soldiers deliberately built their latrines on sacred burial grounds?

      Ouin, c'est vrai.

      Delete
    4. I am just sour at not being able to have a country of my own like the english have. Being at the receiving end of colonialism, I do not wish it on anyone else, including the english.

      That’s just it.

      If you read the vast majority of comment by english here, they are just whines as how they cannot dominate Québec like they did until about 40 years ago.

      Once we leave, you will be free to speak white as much as you want and have as many crumpets as you wish.

      Delete