Monday, May 27, 2013

PQ Report Card a Sad Indictment of Dismal Failure...Part Two

When the PQ was first elected I wrote a piece describing the utter lack of potential cabinet talent within the PQ ranks and the unmitigated disaster that awaited us as a bunch of incompetent fools were handed the reins of power.  Read: Pauline Steers a PQ Ship of Fools
I think it's fair to say that time has borne me out and that this opinion wasn't just a partisan shot.

While I generally disdain all pequists, past and present, I  am the first to say that many PQ governments of the past were made up of men and women with a certain level of competence, responsibility and yes, honour, all of which is sadly lacking in Pauline's motley crew.

Let me provide PART TWO of a report card on the ministers of this government, cognizant of the fact that I am not  a fan, something like a Montreal Canadiens fan rating the Boston Bruins, player by player.

Bernard Drainville- I
Minister of Democratic Institutions and Citizen Participation
Just reading the convoluted ministerial title tells me that the job has been created artificially to fill a need, like the president of a large corporation naming his son or daughter to a job with a fancy title and no responsibility.
Bernard Drainville has been rewarded for his disloyalty to Pauline Marois with a job that can best be described as an accident waiting to happen.
 In the best tradition of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, Pauline has sent poor Bernard on a fool's errand, handing him the unenviable task of shepherding the secular ‘Charter of Quebec Values,’a potential time bomb where in the case of an explosion, it will be poor Bernard who gets his brains splattered.

Let's go back a bit to the dark days of the PQ last year, where it looked likely that Pauline's leadership would not survive as the party was down in the dumps in the polls.
Many in the PQ were panicked and some were making overt and covert runs at Pauline's top job.
But we all know how it ended, Marois dispatching her arch rival Gilles Duceppe with a cleverly planted revelation that he probably abused his position in Ottawa as head of the Bloc Quebecois, by paying partisan salaries out of his office budget.
But Drainville also took a shot at the leadership, more discretely and respectfully.
"Considered a likely contender in any future PQ leadership race, Drainville even gave a round of interviews in which he took thinly disguised jabs at his leader.
“If the Parti Quebecois doesn’t bring itself closer to the people we won’t get through this,” he said, referring to the party’s low polling numbers at the time." Link
And so when Pauline survived, he wasn't sent to Siberia, but was definitely put on the Pauline's shit bad boy list.
Now during the leadership crisis, Drainville published what has to be the most nonsensical set of ideas which he claimed would reinvigorate Quebec democracy.
Some of Drainville's proposals were clearly incompatible with our Parliamentary system, including the proposal of electing the Premier directly as in the United Staes.
Even more bizarre was his proposal that citizens would be able to force Parliament to act in accordance to the edicts of a referendum initiated by citizens themselves.
"One political scholar expressed bafflement that the PQ would ever have considered the idea.
"Citizen-initiated referendums are not very compatible with a British-inspired parliamentary system," said Antonin-Xavier Fournier, a professor of politics at CEGEP de Sherbrooke.
"Citizens themselves can't oblige Parliament and the Crown to adopt a law. It's what we call 'the supremacy of Parliament.' "
This, Fournier said, is hardly top-secret information.
"This is constitutional law 101," he said." Link
And so Drainville, got what he wanted or more to the point, what he deserved, the impossible job of re-inventing Quebec's democracy, suckered along by Marois, just as before when she nixed the consultative referendum which was duly passed at the party congress.

Like the proverbial fool, Drainville is rushing in where angels fear to tread and going full speed ahead with the Charter of Quebec Values, a law designed to discriminate against minority religions, all in the name of collectivity.

I won't get into the juicy subject here, but will offer just one observation.
One of the precepts of the proposed law is the banning of religious regalia in public service, a direct attack on Muslim women who wear a headscarf to work.
The law  applies to all, but let's face reality, there aren't a lot of Sikhs, Raëlins, or Hasids working at the license bureau.
Come to think of it, I renewed my permit a couple of weeks ago and was served by a nice young lady wearing a headscarf.
Was I offended?....what do you think?
If the law goes through, will this young lady have to decide between her faith and her job?

Dranville has already started his tap dance around the issue of Christianity in public, telling reporters that the celebration of Christmas and Easter are 'civic' holidays and therefore exempt from the law and that the Crucifix in legislative bodies is also exempt because it is a 'patrimonial icon.' ...Arggghh!!

Last week he complained that a parking exemption, afforded to the Jewish community (for the last thirty years) for one of their holidays was something he opposed as an unreasonable accommodation.
When Lise Ravary, a columnist at the Journal de Montreal pointed out that there is a parking exemption in Longueuil  for Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas, Drainville remained silent.

If you are wondering what my mark of "I" means, let me explain.

Drainville has cabinet position that is evil and destructive.
To do a good job would be bad for the province and to do a bad job would be good for the province.
Drainville is bad at his job and therefore good! er.....I hope you follow the logic...

It is akin to being good or bad at running the Ministry of Silly Walks....Hmmmm!

Therefore I have decided to bestow the unique mark of "I" for "Idiot"

Réjean Hébert- D
Health Minster
The photo of the Health Minister is just a reminder of his political and social affiliation.

With apologies to Philippe Couillard ( and my old pediatrician Dr. Victor Goldbloom,) I'm always suspicious of doctors turned politicians. It is hard to understand why they willingly give up ten years of medical training for a job that pays considerably less

When Réjean Hébert came on board as health minister, you'd think his first order of business would be to address the 20 hours plus waiting period that is the norm in Quebec emergency rooms.

Imagine requiring stitches for a nasty cut  and being  told that not only would you have to wait almost a full day before seeing a doctor, but you couldn't choose to pay for the service privately because it is some horrific violation of the Health Act.
The bizarre fact is that a Montrealer can drive to a Plattsburgh walk-in clinic, be stitched and home in about three hours! 

Nope, all this is of little import to the good minister,  instead Hébert decided to tackle the important file of the Lachine hospital which is affiliated with the MUHC, the English umbrella organization for health services in Montreal.
After being pushed hard by language militants to change the hospital's affiliation to French, the minister announced that the hospital would henceforth be run by a francophone oversight organization prompting a groundswell of resistance.
After a spirited campaign that highlighted the folly of such a move, supported by anglophones and francophones frightened at the potential deterioration of service, the minister caved.
"Hébert told reporters at a news conference that maintaining the hospital’s affiliation with the MUHC “seems to be the best solution in terms of achieving the goals of this hospital.”
That’s a far cry from what Hébert said in January when he said the MUCH would never make Lachine a priority and announced it would be managed by the CSSS de Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle.
But public outcry forced Hébert’s hand. The Save Our Lachine Hospital committee formed six years ago, returned to action, collecting thousands of names on a petition insisting the hospital remain affiliated with the MUHC.
“It was a big concern, ” said hospital employee Evelyn Van Eyken, “You would lose that connection with the larger hospitals, you would lose the expertise of the larger hospitals.”
Many worried that under the management of the CSSS, the hospital’s quality of care would deteriorate." Link
Hebert is a separatist idealogue, an academic ill-suited to real world  problems. He remains part of the coterie of cabinet ministers who put independence and language before the general well-being of the province.
Shame on him...

By the way, since being shamed by the Lachine affair, the minister, like Nicolas Marceau has kept his head down, a good idea considering..

Nicole Léger- F
Minister of Families
You'd think that the Ministry of Families would be a portfolio as uncontroversial as they come.

But not in a PQ government, where the politics of language and socialism are applied.

First let us acknowledge the standard about-face that seems to dog just about every cabinet appointment, wherein a minister announces a new intuitive, policy or program and is promptly forced to do an embarrassing about-face because of public outrage.

On October 17, 2012;
"Bill 101 is going to be changed," Léger said in an interview. "I will have plenty of support as family minister to make sure it also extends to daycares....
Immigrants to Quebec who want to send their children to daycare will soon have to look into finding a French-language centre, the government said Wednesday, outlining the latest plank in its plan to overhaul the province's language laws. Link
and then October 18, 2012;....
"Family Minister Nicole Léger, in an interview with The Canadian Press, said she wanted changes to the language law known as Bill 101 to include daycare centres, suggesting that the provisions of the law that restrict access to the English-language school system should also apply to daycare services. On Thursday, Ms. De Courcy said that would not happen." Link
Hmmm......

But all this doesn't compare to the fiasco in daycare file where Leger has entered into a firestorm in implementing the PQ platform to add some 32,000 $7-a-day spots.

She announced that she would be creating these new spots by expanding the public daycare system instead of giving the private daycare system a chance to fill the 10,000 vacancies that presently exist.

Imagine building new daycare centres at a cost of about $2.5 million each, when places are going begging in the private system, just because they must charge full pop.
By just turning over the subsides to the private system, the province would save millions and millions.
But the PQ is beholding to the unions and so it's anti-business policy is put before sane financial management.
“Why give 85% of places to CPEs when they cost more to society,” argued daycare owner Bambina Gagliaidi. “You’re having a problem with finances and you still want to spend more in CPEs when they cost more to taxpayers. It’s  nonsense.”  Link
And to add fuel to the fire, the Minister demanded that those private daycares that do have subsidies, kick back some $15 million dollars to the government because they run too efficiently and make too much profit.
These for-profit daycares are not unionized and of course work hard to keep costs down, as any business. With the same subsidy per child that the public daycare system needs to operate, the private daycare can generate up to $100,000 in profit per centre.
That's too much for the minister and so she wants a piece of these profits by way of reducing the subsidy.
This led to the outraged private daycares to hold a 'strike' for one day, enraging the Minister who promised to fine each participating daycare about $3,000 for each day closed.
Her lightening reaction to the 'strike' had opposition politicians furious.
Liberal leader Philippe Couillard argued the PQ is in no position to try to muzzle protesters.
“I would like to know by which logic the sound of certain pots and the colour of certain squares appear more sympathetic to the government than others, given the fact they participated themselves when the squares were red and they banged the pots, so how come these pots and these squares are not treated the same way,” said Couillard.
Link
To be fair to Nicole Léger, this initiative is not hers, but represent decisions made at cabinet.
She is in many respects just a mouthpiece, doing the bidding of the government.
After her monumental gaffe and humiliation over French in daycares and the subsequent backpedal, she too has learned a lesson and now has become a dopey puppet to ventriloquist Pauline Marois .


Stéphane Bergeron- B
Minister of Public Security

I have to say, I think Stéphane Bergeron is the second best minister in the Marois cabinet.
He hasn't done anything amazing, but on the other hand he hasn't made any gaffes or about-faces, quite an achievement in this cabinet!

His first order of business was to purge the Sureté de Quebec of its top brass as payback for the botched security detail that led to Pauline Marois to be placed in harm's way of an assassin.
The video of her Keystone Cops handlers dragging her one way, only to reverse direction is classic among law enforcement agencies around the world and serves as a textbook case of what not to do. Video

The Minister was showing the Sureté who was boss and his frontal attack on the national police demonstrates clearly that there were no skeletons in his closet.
The Sureté is famous for keeping compromising 'files' on politicians and VIPs, in the finest tradition of J. Edgar Hoover!

The Public Security minister is basking in the glow of the Charbonneau Commission which is a big hit with the public and although it was Premier Charest that launched the inquiry, it is the present government and Stéphane Bergeron who are getting the credit for the cleanup.

At any rate, no news is good news and Bergeron carries himself rather well, projecting a serious and
confident attitude.
He has largely stayed out of the political fray but is responsible for calling an inquiry into last year's student protest, no doubt meant to humiliate the Liberals.
With the police brotherhood and the Liberal party already announcing that they will not participate, and the students complaining about the format, it looks like a white elephant in the making, but all this remains to be seen. Link

Bertrand St-Arnaud- B+
Minister of Public of Justice

Like the Public Security Minister Bertrand St-Arnaud has kept his nose clean and out of the limelight.
No gaffes, no humiliating about-faces and certainly not the appearance of incompetence demonstrated by so many of his cabinet colleagues.

In fact St-Arnaud was praised by federalists for his support of a gathering in Quebec City of interested parties concerning the promotion of victim's rights. Link{fr}

Mr. St-Arnaud also went on record as saying he wants to increase jail sentences for repeat drunk drivers who seem to offend over and over again.
"St-Arnaud says he wants to legislate a one-year jail term for a fourth infraction, and two years for a fifth infraction.

St-Arnaud says the Quebec and Alberta governments also want to pressure the federal government to modify the criminal code."  Link
Both these initiatives cross political lines and enjoy wide support.

One thing that stands out is what he did not do, that is cave in to union demands to reverse the Charest governments Bill-30, that removed the construction union's right to place workers on job sites.
The unions are so angry with the PQ for refusing to reverse the law, that they are actually suing the government over the issue and have named the justice minister in the lawsuit. Link{fr}

And finally let us remember that it was Bertrand St-Arnaud who took his own leader to task after Pauline Marois made an injudicious comment after some accusations implicating the PQ were made at the Charbonneau Commission.
Marois told reporters that the Commissioner, France Charbonneau 'needed to proceed with caution' which probably wasn't meant as a threat, but did sound like one.
The justice minister felt compelled to respond, saying;
"She (Charboneau) is a master of the witnesses called, she is master as to what approach she uses and I, as Minister of Justice will not comment on the evidence or how the Charbonneau  Commission operates" Link{fr}
 Well said!

And so it seems that I haven't finished with the cabinet review and so will offer another installment in the near future.

SPECIAL NOTE:
Readers, as the summer approaches and the political actions subsides, I'll be taking it a bit easier, hopefully enjoying the pool with family and friends (AND MOST IMPORTANTLY----GRANDCHILDREN!)
And so I'll be posting just twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, but promise to bring some interesting (I hope) insights and perhaps chart a bit of a different course.

Many people write to me and complain that I do a lot of harping without ever proposing solutions.
Fair criticism.
I'm going to try to remain positive as I hope you all will. At least for the summer.

Whether you agree with me, are against my ideas or are indifferent, there is a common bond that we all share, that is the preciousness of summer, something that Canadians across this country, regardless of language, political persuasion, race or religion hold dear.

On Thursday I'll offer an extended post about entitlement, that is, the entitlement of politicians and a view as to what makes politicians (of all stripes) betray our trust.

I'm already working on it and without tooting my horn, believe that you will find it interesting in a non-partisan sort of way.
Until then!

131 comments:

  1. A buddy of mine years ago referred to Victoria, BC as the place for the newly-wed and the near-dead.

    In comparison, I`m referring to Quebec as the place for unwed (mothers) and the brain-dead. Giving politicians B and B+ for what they have NOT done to me is retarded. That means by not doing anything in school, students should get straight A`s. C`mon, Editor!

    Well, I guess you hit that Draino-ville country hick for what he really is. I guess this is Madam Marois`s wicked sense of humour at work. In other provinces, they call these patronage appointments "Minister without Portfolio"!

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    1. The list wouldn't be nearly as interesting or informative if everyone D to F. Grading only works if there is separation of worth, and doing nothing is better than doing bad.

      Delete
    2. Mr Sauga grading in schools is bad. Undermines the little tykes self confidence is the narrative. They need to be coddled their entire lives. That's why we need the PQ in govt. To shield us from reality, until they can;t...

      Quebec prefers to shield students from real life as much as possible. Somehow they think if every mediocre effort is massively rewarded when they graduate into the real work as adults as workers they will be better off.

      In reality when they hit the real world they expect their employers to shower approval on them for ever minor thing they accomplish just like their teachers do. The difficult tasks they just walk away from. They have no ability to double down and work hard or accomplish things.

      When you get maximum praise for minimum effort for your entire life. It's a great start to a union mentality tho which is what Quebec wants.

      It explains why we have C grade everything in Quebec from politicians, civil servants, students to our construction workers and artists.

      Delete
    3. My fellow readers and contributors: If you're not already aware, the only speech recorded at the Equality Party 2.0 meeting this past Sunday is on YouTube

      Delete
  2. FROM ED
    What is this 'summer' you keep referring to Editor? I seem to remember the word but last year, I slept late and missed it. I checked the encyclopedia which claims it's a season, for which food would one use it. Very confusing! Ah well, perhaps you'll find it by the pool. May God Bless you for your patience and skill at keeping us informed and interested. Blessings on you and your family. I will have more later but right now I'll see if my gout will let me get some more sleep. It's five am. Ed

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  3. I wish they all would do nothing including Miss Piggy - we should be so lucky. Every action they take shows how much they hate anglophones, allophones and private enterprise like the day care centres that are not under their thumb all the time. Heaven forbid that people should earn an honest buck in quebec - the government does not want that.
    Off topic but in the Ottawa Citizen today:
    MPP out to block Quebec workers - keep construction jobs for Ontarians, are Tory urges. An Ottawa area MPP wants to slam the door on Quebec construction companies who cross the border into Ontario and take jobs away from workers here. Going to introduce a Bill entitled the Fairness is a Two-Way Street Act.
    Who can blame them - again quebec is selfish and want everything for nothing.

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  4. http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/05/27/psst-dont-tell-the-rest-of-canada/

    There you have it from Quebec own statistics department.

    Quebec is a 20 billion dollar net drain on the rest of Canada.

    Go seppies go. SR and student might have to start picking all the produce in the fields an tell the mexicans to stay home!

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    1. It seems like exactly the kind of analysis I've wanted to read for a while. Too bad the original piece is hidden behind a pay-wall.

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    2. I will be providing translated quotes from the article on Friday.

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    3. You can find the original source here.

      http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/default_an.htm

      Doesn;t matter anyway. Since it doesn;t favor Quebec it must be wrong and written by federalists in order to insult Quebers.

      The only accurate numbers are the partisan ones the PQ produces. Every seppie knows that. It's in the seppie handbook. Ignore all facts and logic not originating from the PQ itself.

      Delete
    4. I have heard different numbers thrown around. Of course the PQ and seperatists likely have their own numbers which are totally different. 20 billion sounds about right to me when you include the EI program, equalization. All Pauline has to say is "we send 50 billion to Ottawa every year" but forgetting to mention that we get back 70 billion from Ottawa every year.
      Even with numbers like this the seperatists will just come up with a differet number. They just deny whatever dispuates them..unfortunately most of their followers are not the most educated people around hence easy to brainwash..I think thats what the PQ wants..keep their followers dumb and unilingual and scared of the evil anglo.

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    5. It's not often I agree with you complicated but it's true that they don't seem to want what's in the best interest of their fellow quebecers. The only thing they give a sweet shit about is having their own country at the cost of a fairly good lifestyle within Canada. It's up to the voters to see through this deception and let's hope they're starting to smarten up and see these people for what they are. All rich power hungry politicians that look after only themselves, friends and family and don't care about the average Joe on the street.

      Delete
  5. Student should find this rather interesting. His last comment to me with regards to transfer payments and equalization!!!!

    "in all three categories of transfer payments, quebec is on the canadian average, on a per capita basis.

    now tell me why it is relevant to insinuate, like you did up here, that quebec gets more than its fair share out of canada?"

    Its relevent "not to insinuate" but rather " just to state the facts, that Quebec receives far more from Ottawa (and the ROC) than they contributed.

    Quebec reminds me of a selfish wife's attitude..."Whats mine in mine and what yours is mine" when it comes to digging in the the pockets of the taxpayer in the ROC.



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    1. Westerner you are witnessing the seppie attitude every day at the Charbonneau commission.

      Nobody see's anything wrong with what they did or how they view the world. It's avoidance of responsibility or even understanding of what is going on.

      How many times will we need to listen to supposedly educated people tell us they didn;t understand what a "conflict of interest" is.

      This is the beauty of Quebec thinking. Never admit to being wrong, ever, even when confronted with the facts.

      If you get cornered, change the topic, lie more and then finally say you didn;t understand.

      Student is only at changing the topic. He's got to work his way to "I don;t understand". Obviously being paid $5 an hour to Troll here that he will ever admit to anything.

      Using logic isn;t what the job entails. He must keep up the big lies.

      Delete
    2. In recent years Quebec received more money in transfer payments than all the other have-not provinces combined.

      Any transfer payments at all to Quebec is "more than its fair share" as long as it has language laws that discriminate against minorities, it remains hostile to the rest of Canada, it avoids developing its own natural resources, and it has social programs that are more generous than in other provinces.

      Delete
    3. Sure - all part of the plot to have the ROC kick us out of confederation. Sick politicos these separatists - willing to make enemies of all their neighbours for years and years to come without a second thought to what this will do to us as a society and trade partner. Selfish, malcontents with masochistic tendencies. Can you just see what the ROC will tell us to do after all we've put them through for the past 40 some years? Friends - I don't think so for at least 100 years if ever.

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    4. Not only does Quebec get more in transfer payments but also gets more in hydro subsidies, monopoly on dairy products…billions upon billions milked out of the rest of the country, all over the place…almost impossible to track, the slime, sleaze and corruption coming from the French in Quebec, Ottawa and elsewhere…watch the clip. One of the few honest politicians stating the facts about the French. Just sick what they have done to this country…the Charbonneau inquiry is just a tip of the ice berg in regards to corruption…enjoy and spread the word please. Expose these bigots for what they truly are…


      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhPcV0gtFR0


      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abOWJkf-Vh8

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    5. @westerner

      "Its relevent "not to insinuate" but rather " just to state the facts, that Quebec receives far more from Ottawa (and the ROC) than they contributed."

      ok. it receives more than it sends. so what? many other provinces also receive more than they send. this is canada. a federation. money gets redistributed to fill in gaps resulting from uneven fiscal capacities. you think alberta oil is not yours? aren't you canadian? by claiming quebec should not receive transfers you are a separatist's best friends, mate.

      Delete
    6. Many separatists constantly deny that Quebec receives more than it sends to Ottawa.

      Equalization was set up so that poorer regions of the country would have roughly equivalent social services as the wealthier regions, not so that Quebec would be enabled to have superior programs than in the donor provinces.

      Quebec also cooks its books by charging less than the going market rate for electricity to its Hydro Quebec customers, so that it receives more transfers of money than it is actually entitled to receive.

















      Delete
    7. Durham is absolutely correct....There is not 7.00 day care in SK, BC, NL or AB. We pay tuition rates for post secondary of between 5 and 8 thouand per year , program dependent. Not the 1700.00 the students pay in Quebec. We don't give out freebies such as free invitro fertilization treatment. The list goes on and on and on. Also , consider that Quebec farmers receive 50% of agricultural subsidies for a population of only 22%. Not too mention over representation at the Supreme Court.

      @ student:

      Just goes to show how ridiculous your statement was regarding Quebec paying into equalization....You ain't payin when you get back more than you pay.

      Delete
    8. @westerner

      seems to me you mix up transfer payments and equalization, the later being just one item of the former.

      if you actually check what qualization is you will realize quebec actually pays in. yes it receives more back, but it's not a net 8 billions check. if you think quebec recieves too much you'll have to claim the same for all receivers, as everybody is paid according to the same formula.

      then, quebec taxes are higher. quite shitty, right? well the upside is low tuition, cheap daycare, and on and on. if albertans want the same they can raise their bloody taxes.

      Delete
    9. If Albertans want the same they can send less money to Quebec.

      If Quebec didn't receive financial assistance the taxes would be absolutely astronomical in order to maintain its current social programs.

      Transfer payments should be reduced to the point where Quebecers can no longer have superior social programs to the donor provinces, regardless of the amount they pay in taxes.
      .

      Delete
    10. @durham

      "If Albertans want the same they can send less money to Quebec."

      no they can't. you don't seem to undrstand how canada works, mate.

      Delete
  6. Editor,

    I wish you and yours a nice and enjoyable summer. However, if I may make a suggestion, please provide vehicles for the readers to continue discussing topics that happen in real-time. For example, R.S has been rather prolific lately with the translated articles.

    You could provide the means by posting empty post every Wednesday and Friday, for example. Or if an empty post is not possible just a post with one-liner like "You can post your comments below". I am sure the robot you are using to post your pieces at midnight can do it.

    The reason is, if pieces are posted only twice a week, certain comments may get buried in the pile of hundreds of comments (sadly most are gibberish). By having fresh post every day readers can start fresh discussion and the comments are easier to find.

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    1. It's a good idea and I'll probably do it, perhaps publishing Monday and Friday with a mini-post Wed., as you suggested. Comment threads of 200+ are a bit overwhelming..

      Delete
    2. Editor: While you reading this any idea why the turnout was only about 50 some at the Equality Party 2.0 meeting yesterday? I am so disappointed. Do you think that it's because everyone is turning back to the liberals because Dr. Couillard seems to be doing so well in the polls or is it our whole mentality here that sucks and we're willing to be punched in the head again?

      Delete
    3. Probably because nobody cares about a political party that only represents a small minority, and also because people have (hopefully) learned their lesson on vote-splitting from the last election.

      The only reason we are in this mess right now is because of the non-PQ voters who believed all the bullshit about Liberal corruption, and decided not to vote liberal because of it. These people are no better than PQ voters; both are sheep who can't think for themselves.

      A vote for the Equality Party is a vote for the PQ. (Or it might as well be at least)

      Let's get rid of the PQ/separatists first, then we'll talk.


      Delete
    4. Last month, when the Equality Party held a membership drive/information session at the Royal Canadian Legion in NDG, I decided to drop in. I only got as far as the front door when they insisted, very abruptly, on a cash entrance fee. Didn't have any money on hand, but said I was just there to show my support and find out more about the party. Perhaps even meet some of the leaders and share some of my concern about the future of this province, and my own recent experiences with my rights being infringed upon.

      Nope, pay or leave was the attitude I got, otherwise you're not welcome. Then an elderly gentlemen starting repeatedly poking at me and protesting that I was wearing a hat within the hall. I apologized, explaining I wasn't familiar with the Legion building and took it off. Unfortunately at this point I didn't feel very welcome. So, instead of walking to an ATM I just walked out and decided it wasn't for me...

      Unfortunately not a good way to start attracting members or support. I was expecting a more open and welcoming bunch.

      Delete
    5. FROM ED
      Wonderful post Cebeuq. Right on. Some people never learn. Hard headed people will push Equality all the way and cry when the Liberals lose and the PQ gets another four years. A perfect example of that is our Complicated who denounced the Lliberal corruption and promoted CAQ from the rooftops. Now he complains about the PQ and still won't admit that the Libs are the only way out. Ed

      Delete
    6. "I only got as far as the front door when they insisted, very abruptly, on a cash entrance fee."

      What a huge surprise

      Politicians should simply ignore the public and stop wasting their time pretending they're here for us. They should just have corporate fundraisers, that's who they're going to be representing in the end.

      Letting the little people think they're actually involved in the process is a nice touch, it gives us the illusion of democracy and freedom.

      The Equality party, like ALL other political organizations, is nothing more than a bunch of lawyers who want their slice of public finance pie.
      I'd rather vote for a criminal organization (oops sorry, I meant political party) which stands a chance of removing the separatists from power.

      Delete
  7. Editor said: "Many people write to me and complain that I do a lot of harping without ever proposing solutions"
    That's because the solutions are pretty simple. Treat everyone as fairly and honestly as possible and govern with common sense. Now, getting that implemented is the real problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Fair" is a word that the separatists don't understand nor care about. It's always what they want, when they want it and they don't give a damn who they hurt in the process. As is evident from the article in the Ottawa Citizen, they want their cake and want to eat it too again. Their workers should be allowed in Ontario but heaven forbid that Ontario workers be allowed to work in this precious province. Who can blame Ontario for wanting fair practices? Not I, that's for sure.

      Delete
    2. Quiet day for the trolls after reading the opinion article in the Gazette - must be contacting Miss Piggy to see what figures they can make up to post here.

      Delete
  8. Speaking of summer, 10 cm of snow in Labrador today. Are the separatists still proud of their decision to claim it as part of Quebec?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No BECAUSE it SNOWED there THIS week, I DO not WANT.

      Delete
    2. Never mind Labrador. Over 12 inches of snow fell last night in Lake Placid, south of Montreal.

      I've visited Labrador three times and most of the people I met would never agree to become part of Quebec. If a referendum were held in Labrador about leaving Newfoundland and joining Quebec it would most certainly fail.

      Delete
    3. OMG Durham - Is there any place on earth that would want to join quebec? I know of no other society such as this one and let's hope this one goes away soon! Newfoundland is a wonderful place (never been to Labrador) but the people in Nfld are the most wonderful people in Canada. They treat visitors like gold and make you feel at home within 3 minutes of meeting you. Hard to understand their accent sometimes but it's cute anyway! lol.

      Delete
    4. @cutie003

      "I know of no other society such as this one..."

      there is none. it's distinct, remember?

      Delete
    5. The stupidity of EDM's question and the randomness of Alex B.'s answer is an hilarious combination.

      Delete
    6. It's my failed attempt at making a joke. I don't really believe that people care about weather when it comes to territorial disputes. I would hope you would realise that.

      Delete
    7. FROM ED
      I got it EDM. I think they only claim it in summer. Good one. Ed

      Delete
  9. Des anglophones veulent un nouveau Parti égalité

    http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/26/des-anglophones-veulent-un-nouveau-parti-egalite_n_3340618.html



    Les organisateurs ont déploré l'absence de plupart des acteurs de la communauté anglophone, et le chef intérimaire de la formation politique, Mark S. Bergeron, reconnaît qu'l est « difficile » d'unir la communauté anglophone.

    Cette première assemblée a également été marquée par la présence de l'activiste anglophone Howard Galganov, un personnage controversé qui s'était battu contre l'Office de la langue française dans les années 1990, et qui a depuis déménagé en Ontario.

    Pour lui, la cause des anglophones au Québec est perdue, et il invite carrément les anglophones à déménager en Ontario ou aux États-Unis.


    galganov prononce enfin une phrase qui a du sens :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. En tout cas il remonte dans mon estime.

      Thank you Mr Galganov. You're welcome back! We need you!

      Delete
    2. Howard! Separatism is sinking faster than the Titanic!

      See? The conquered people say they need you back, stat.

      Delete
    3. "...sinking faster than the Titanic!"

      Et comme le Titanic,on n'a pas fini d'en parler,ne serait-ce que pour faire chier les anglouilles :)

      Delete
    4. "Et comme le Titanic,on n'a pas fini d'en parler,ne serait-ce que pour faire chier les anglouilles :)"

      You'll never see this province separate, and always cause of the Anglo/Ethnic vote. LOL

      Enfin...c'est eux qui vous envoient chier! ..LOL

      Delete
  10. FROM ED
    Sometimes I do really dumb things. I did my Income Tax on English forms. Fool that I am. They refused the tax credit for seniors over 70.
    because I did not send receipts. On the tax forms and in the guide it tells you don't include receipts but keep them until you're asked so now I have to make the trip to their DORCHESTER street office to show them the papers. Fool that i am, why didn't I use the French forms. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you do that Ed they will have won again. I sent mine in in English and have outrageous medical expenses for which I did not send receipts and I had no problem. They probably pick a random number of forms that they ask for receipts and you were probably one of the unlucky ones this year. Don't give in or from now on everything you receive will be in French only!

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      Cutie, If you believe that you are naive. Over the years I used to do 40 to 50 taxes every year. All for welfare and elderly. usually
      quick and easy. When you don't charge you have no shortage of customers. For twenty years when I was Peoples Warden at our Church and before that ten years at St, Willibroards. Every year people would call to tell me they didn't get what I had told them they should have in rebates. This only happened with English names and English people with a French name had no problems. You wouldn't believe the difference between Roy and Roi. Separatism in the offices is nothing new. What gripes me is that they would try to get my paltry few dollars to pay the $7 day care. Ed

      Delete
    3. Crossing fingers here Ed but even with my very English name, I have never been bothered by the quebec government to back up my tax claims so I'm not that naive. Perhaps it's a Montreal thing but I have never heard any complaints here about the provincial government asking proof from anyone. I really have no idea why they go after seniors living strictly on pensions anyway - they should be ashamed of themselves. What you can afford to give them to help their coffers is not worth the effort nor the time they spend.

      Delete
  11. An example of where your taxes are going:
    Here is a photo of the Quebec government office in Hong Kong. Located on Exchange Square (Connaught Place, Central District), an area with one of the highest rents in town (around $100 per m²), the Canadian Consulate is located in the same building, two floors up (and it was full) but of course, we couldn’t put them together, especially since most Hong Kongers who immigrate to Quebec soon move elsewhere in Canada… I wonder whether the economic benefit justifies the rent and employee salaries to keep this open…

    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152860301190088

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey R.S., maybe it was the Feds that wanted separate offices because they figured if potential immigrants saw what the Quebec government was like, they'd all apply to Australia instead.

      Delete
    2. R.S,

      The Quebec delegation generale in Hong Kong is particularly big since it is the center for processing immigration to Quebec in Asia-Pacific region. It is an exception, not the norm. Last time I followed, this office processed and interviewed applicants from the region. As a comparison, on the Federal side, the same functions for the same region were conducted by the Embassies / High Commissions in Singapore, Sydney, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi and Manila.

      Delete
    3. I think that was the point. If this is supposed to be a particularly big and busy Quebec government office for the entire Asia-Pacific region, why would it be so barren/empty/deserted/devoid of people wishing to immigrate to Quebec and yet supposedly warrant a special, full-time office full of fonctionnaires? After all, this photo was taken today, on a Monday afternoon.

      Quebec is purposefully duplicating services that have long been already available to all provinces at lower cost, and then the PQ has the gall to claim that an independent Quebec would eliminate such duplication of services. It’s preposterous.

      Delete
    4. Can you imagine how much money we would save if we would let the feds do their job and the province do theirs? All these services were alive and well under the feds and paid for by them until the seppies decided to duplicate them. Another total waste of our tax money and providing jobs that are just another overhead to the PQ government. Mind you, the liberals could have undone some of these decisions when in office but failed to do so, so they are not guilt free by any means.

      Delete
    5. True Montrealer,

      To be fair, that is quite typical. It is not full because prospective immigrants are invited based on appointment. It is the same case as the Federal ones in Singapore, at least as I remember it.

      Now about duplicating service, it is one of my biggest pet peeves with the Quebec government. Let us see... Immigration matters, taxes, pension plans, foreign representatives. Those are functions that are already done on federal level and no other province or territory manages its own. In addition, in health care and education Quebec has separate systems that do not work with the ones working in other provinces.

      Delete
    6. Yeah and we do all of it on everyone else's dime with the transfer payments. Sick bunch of people these separatists.

      Delete
  12. English/French/Québécois translation guide:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=540384982670663

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder whether Yannick can say if these expressions are all the same in Acadian French. I know he likes to use "Diantre", which I don't think is commonly used here. Similarly, we don't say "Espère-moé" to mean "Wait for me"...

      Delete
    2. "Moor your shoes, we're taking off!"... bwah hah ha! That's funny... plus it shows how Quebecers don't have a monopoly on Canadian French.

      I admit that the "Diantre!" joke fell under the "Hmmm, I guess not from Quebec" rubric. Nor do I get the "Ajeuve" connotation, although even in English, "drawers" can mean underwear.

      Delete
    3. By Jove! “By Jove” sounds so bizarre in this day and age, not even the British use it anymore.

      While “Espère-moé” sounds something like “Hope for me” in Quebec, the expression “Wait for me” is “Espérame” in Spanish, “Aspettami” in Italian and “Espera por mim” in Portuguese, so it all kinda makes sense.

      Is that to say that all of the other expressions in the FB link are the same in Acadia? And “ajeuve” comes from what?

      Delete
    4. Kinda unfair to compare "spoken Québécois" to "written French".

      I've never heard or said (and to a certain extend I would't understand) "Baud toé zempa" and "Un sio d'marde".

      Delete
    5. FROM ED
      When I was a boy I remember arguing with my Uncle Ned down in Moncton, that the horse's hoof was pied de cheval, not pat de cheval. I found a lot of N.B. French different than what we used on the streets here. Ed

      Delete
    6. Je n'ai pas compri "Baud toé zempa" jusqu'à ce que je lise " "Bâdre toi-en pas".

      Yannick (and those who understand french and are interested in the topic),
      Have a look at Éloge du Chiac, a ONB movie (available online). In this movie, I like the young outspoken blonde girl who advocates for her way to speak chiac.

      There is a beauty in the way acadians speak old french. When they say "espérer de la compagnie", it is not quite the same thing as "attendre de la visite". "Espérer" is more than waiting, it is waiting with eagerness and expectations, and "compagnie" is more than someone who comes to see you, "compagnie" is someone to be with (co=together), there is a sense of togetherness to it.

      Delete
    7. It's explained here, along with a bunch of other expressions on this website that translates French into French:

      http://www.dufrancaisaufrancais.com/dix-mots-danglais-deformes/

      Delete
    8. "J'étais après driver sur la highway, là j'ai callé ma best friend su' ma cell, but un cop m'a vu pis m'a pullé over. Y m'a donné une grousse fine"

      that's just sad. quebeckers of all origins should join forces to make sure their society avoids this outcome.

      Delete
    9. "Je n'ai pas de leçons à me faire donner..."

      Je n'ai pas de leçon à recevoir

      Ça sonne mieux,non?

      Delete
    10. Fort probable et je te trust là d'sus anyway mon friend.

      Delete
    11. Hilarious that Quebec joual-speakers who feel compelled to teach the French from France how to speak French also feel compelled to teach the French from Acadia how to speak their own language…

      Anyway, that was an interesting documentary by the NFB/ONF (not ONB lol), only 27 minutes long. Boy, Acadians sure roll their R’s!!! In the film, the students debate whether or not chiac should use “big words” (like “un beigne” rather than “un donut”!) the way they do in big-city Montreal (pronounced “Mon-tré-al”, not “Mont-réal”).

      It was filmed at the École Beauséjour, which was Moncton’s first francophone school (opened in 1957 and closed in 2005, along with the Vanier school); the land it was on was used for the expansion of the Moncton Hospital, which means that at the end of the film, the students are leaving along Connaught Avenue (another Connaught, just like where the Canadian Consulate in Hong Kong is located!). You can still the same house across the street from where it was on Google Streetview. The school then became part of École l’Odyssée-Le Mascaret, which in turn helped to relieve overcrowding at École Mathieu-Martin in Dieppe. A plaque was unveiled on the site in 2008 to commemorate the school.

      Film link
      Plaque link
      Article link (with video)

      Delete
    12. Well, you know how franco-Quebecers speak French so well themselves, right?:
      http://ygreck.typepad.com/ygreck/2013/03/anglais.html

      I still remember Belgians rolling around on the floor laughing the first time they heard Quebec French spoken... I don't think they felt they had any lessons to be given to them by Quebecers either! LOL

      Delete
    13. FROM ED
      R.S. The Quiebecer said to the Acadian, "Lady you sure do roll your "R''s" . She said, " probably because of the high heels I'm wearing." Ed

      Delete
    14. Wow, it’s still fascinating from a linguistic point of view. Of course it’s dated; it came out in 1969 (filmed in May 1968). Did you notice how the girls all wore skirts and high heels to school then, while the boys all wore floods?

      French Quebecers look down their noses at how Acadians speak and yet presumably would never tell Haitians that they shouldn’t speak Creole. Err. Pierre (the kid in the front row with the black glasses and the lovely sweater) is from Montreal and speaks with a Quebec accent; he is already showing snobbism by telling the Acadian kids that they need to change the way they speak. Charles (the tall kid in the checked shirt with the black hair), who double-checks with Lilianne (the blonde girl) what the fancy French word for “le donut” is (@9:35), at the end says he’s a proud Chiac… good for him! (BTW, does he say “ça commence à rucher en quelque part”?)

      Anyway, none of this leads me to believe that Quebec is going down the right path by trying to turn itself into a French-only society, even if it means imposing French-only on areas and communities of Quebec that have never been French-only (or even French-first), based solely on the accidental demographics of provincial borders.

      Delete
    15. Incidentally, Ed, I’m sorry but I didn't quite get your joke. And just for the record, a "patte de cheval" means a horse’s leg and technically, a "pied de cheval" (a horse’s foot) includes a little more than just the hoof, which is called “un sabot”. This word, in turn, also refers to wooden clogs, which protesting Luddites supposedly threw into the gears of their textile looms in order to break the cogs (and which led to the creation of the word “sabotage”).

      Also, perhaps you already know that mispronouncing the word “cheval” is the origin of the word “joual” (the French-English hybrid in Quebec), just like “Shediac” is the origin of “chiac” (the French-English hybrid in Acadia), which is spoken by Acadieman, the world’s first Acadian superhero, and his buddy, Johnny Dieppe. (If you wish, you can orderer le book “Chiac pour les dummies” right now.)

      France itself uses plenty of franglais (you can see examples at French franglais or English franglais), as does Cameroon with its Camfranglais, which some academics feel is on its way to becoming a proper language.

      This is a perfectly normal thing, much as Brazilian interaction with the rest of South America has created Portuñol, Norwegian-Russian interaction in the Arctic created Russonorsk, Faroe Islanders have created their own version of Danish called Gøtudanskt (that differs substantially from regional accents within tiny Denmark), Paraguay has Jopará, a mixed language between indigenous Guaraní and colonial Spanish, and so on and so forth.

      All of which makes it even funnier that some Quebecers consider themselves to be arbiters of the French language and feel they have lessons to teach the rest of the world about how they ought to speak “proper French”.

      Delete
    16. FROM ED
      Descendants of the old countries (British isles) used to use the word arse for ass. Perhaps you should study up on the history of English as you seem to have done with every other language. Ed

      Delete
    17. Vous pouvez parler le français ou l'anglais avec l'accent que vous voulez mais les règles d'écriture (sémantique,syntaxe et orthographe) sont universelles.

      Cette affirmation : "Je n'ai pas de leçons à me faire donner..." n'a aucun sens.

      Désolé mais même un Belge ne comprendrais pas cette phrase.

      Delete
    18. "aucunes leçons de reçevoir" Vraiment?

      Les paysans auraient donc leurs propres règles (en vogue) grammaticales?


      Delete
    19. La plus intelligente et la plus jolie des femmes perd toute mon attention lorsqu'elle a un immense bouton sur le bout du nez.

      Delete
    20. Ed: Now I get it… thank you!

      Yannick: Incidentally, the 1969 film was revisited 40 years later with the same teacher and students; unfortunately, it’s on DVD and only the trailer is available online:
      http://www.nfb.ca/film/celebrating_chiac_part_2

      Delete
    21. One last thing: as you know, Chiac is not the same as Acadian French. Chiac is specifically from the southeast and uses more English words than the rest of NB does. These guys made a funny video (including bloopers) for a student project explaining the varieties of Acadian French (and how they relate to proper Old French); you might like it:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAkiNQqD1Ds
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKTGwzVmSJU

      But for something really strange, you need to listen to French people trying to explain how to imitate the Quebec accent. Even when they’re right, they still sound so wrong!
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7fKWDdBuvE
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30x3Iarg7o

      Delete
    22. @yannick

      "Je n'ai pas de leçons à me faire donner par un gars incapable d'enligner trois phrases de suite pour construire un argument."

      you taking this way too personnal. come on now get real you ar witnessing the very last puffs of a culture, the last step before total assimilation. ain't it sad, mate? shouldn't canadians coast to coast try their best to prevent the same to happen to french quebec?

      Delete
    23. @yannick

      i'd be curious to learn about the logical flaws of my last comment. please elaborate, mate.

      Delete
    24. Les pandas n'ont jamais été aussi bien traités depuis leur apparition sur terre.

      Delete
    25. @yannick

      "...la situation s'est même améliorée depuis."

      really? the trend is reversing? french usage is growing in nb? or is it just vanishing slower?

      Delete
  13. "Good Guy" JFL is yucking it up with Andy Nulman for the Just For Laughs festival, even while he's promoting Bill 14:

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/05/26/lisee-finds-humour-in-language-debate-just-for-laughs.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. If there is something else about Rejean Hebert, is that he commits crimes on daily basis. Crimes against fashion, that is. Just notice the way he dresses up. Fashion Police should arrest him and throw away the key. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He..He!!!
      Excellent pickup!
      Is he the Don Cherry of the Health industry????

      Delete
    2. Polka dot ties with a striped shirt? Blecch!

      Delete
    3. FROM ED
      Cat; You're right about polka dots with a tie. I can't wear a striped tie it clashes with my liver spots. Ed

      Delete
    4. Des Anglos sachant apprécier le goût vestimentaire? Ça paraît que les Québécois vous ont appris comment vous habiller. Good for you!

      Delete
    5. Y.L,

      Which anglos are you talking about? Me? Think again.

      What if I turn your comment around, regarding M. Hebert:

      "A francophone that does not appreciate the taste in clothing? It seems that his being a québécois has not taught him anything about what (not) to wear."

      Delete
    6. As you can see, Troy, these people that we conquered are not exactly paragons of wit.

      Whoosh! Did you hear that? It was the sound of irony flying right over his head.

      Delete
  15. @miss peggy

    Ottawa, capitale canadienne de la corruption

    http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/canada/379190/ottawa-capitale-canadienne-de-la-corruption

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that's because we have too many sneaky separatists in power in Ottawa pretending to be federalists. It's a game long played by your leaders who are too cowardly and greedy to state who they really are. Plus this is published by another separatist journalist and a separatist newspaper and we know that this must be an "honest" portrayal of how things are in Ottawa - lol

      Delete
    2. @ Cutie,

      No, its because we have too many politicians and senior bureaucrats. To be honest, Wallin is from Saskatchewan and Duffy is from PEI,,,not Quebecers. Oh, yes wife beater Brazeau is from Quebec and a number of senate seats (24 I believe) are from Quebec. In the Le Devoir article they referenced Mulroney who of course was a Quebec Prime Minister as was Chretien from the other side (sponsorship scandal). Basically, the entire Senate should be abolished as it serves not useful service whatsoever. Since the era of Trudeau the Senate is nothing but a free ride for former liberal, conservative and some token NDP bag men and those friendly to the Prime Minister of the Day. The intent of the Senate was for the most part ruined when Mulroney appointed Conservative to Ram through NAFTA and some other legislation. Look at Harper, wasn't he the guy that appointed Brazeau, Wallin and Duffy. (I am a right wing conservative by the way). For the most part the sense of entitlement by the our political elite is disgusting.

      Brad Wall, premier of Saskatchewan, is an advocate of abolishing the senate...I heard a clip this morning where he was being interviewed and he responded that if his party indicates support for abolishment, that they will table senate reform or total abolishment at the next premiers conference.

      Did you know that the conservative are trying to ram through Bill C461 which will raise the level or pay of senior bureacrats which cannot be disclosed unless over 319,000.00 . The Canadian Taxpayers Association (CTF) is fighting this one with an on line campaign...The pay levels and bonuses of all civil servants no matter what level should be public knowledge to the taxpayer. The CTF wants the level of disclosure to be reduced substantially so that any civil servant salary over 100,000.00 is disclosed as well as expenses and bonuses.

      Your allegations of sneaky separatists in power may have some Merit. But, at the end of the day, there is no end to the greed of the pigs gorging themselves on the public trough whether they be Franco Separatist, Franco Federalist or Anglo. Even the Allos have gotten in the the deal. I see Arthur Porter was taken into custody in Panama. Hopefully the have extradition agreements with Canada and he can be brought back and put on trial. Guess his lung cancer might have been overstated if he is travelling these days.









      Delete
    3. I realize all the above Westerner but sick of the kettle calling the pot black so just had to throw in a few digs of my own to the seppie troll. I too see no value in the senate but pork barreling for all the political parties - but, to be really fair, the federal government is full of separatists that have no ethics at all and work for an organization that they state, publicly no less, they hate, but have no problem collecting pay from the ROC to perform duties they bitch about everyday. Plus the pension plan. Again, NO ETHICAL PROBLEMS with this. Shows just how two-faced and deceptive they are. They should be kicked right out of the federal government and off the pay list without a cent - do not pass go - do not collect $200.00. They swear allegiance to the Queen and then bitch everyday about how they hate the Federal Government of Canada but go into work there. Sickening bunch of assholes that have no business collecting money from ROC and should be charged with treason instead of being paid by them. In jail is where they should be.

      Delete
    4. @cutie003

      "I realize all the above Westerner but sick of the kettle calling the pot black so just had to throw in a few digs of my own to the seppie troll."

      that's funny. the only one that got caught by your trolling is your mate westerner. haha!

      but thanks for admiting to filling the blog with inanities, mate. i wonder if the editor appreciates that.

      Delete
    5. Dudent, if you were truly worried about inanities, you'd omit about 90% of what I will charitably call your "contributions".

      Delete
    6. "the only one that got caught by your trolling is your mate westerner"

      How did I get caught? I simply stated the real truths regarding politicians and bureaucrats. Of course what is going on in Ottawa is ten times compounded in your province where mayors and senior civil servants should be put in jail. (Eg. Laval former Mayor)

      Deceit, kick backs and dishonesty are a way of life in Quebec.....sorry, just the way it seems the facts would indicate. Quebec and all other media including the House of Commons owes Macleans Magazine a huge apology for admonishing the magazine for stating the truth. I remember Clown Prince Mulcair (hey, is he a citizen of France or Canada) making a big issue about Quebec Bashing. You are not bashing when you are stating a known fact. Not stating the obvious is political correctness which of course is nothing more than "a blinder on the truth".

      Sorry, Student, Quebec is nothing more than a welfare state funded by the evil anglos in the ROC.





      Delete
    7. Désolé Westy mais nos maires ne fument pas de crack :)

      Delete
    8. LOL, tres tres drole,. On the other hand, they might be involved in the marketing as they seem to like cash business ;)

      Al

      Delete
    9. "Désolé Westy mais nos maires ne fument pas de crack :)"

      Worst they steal and you have to worry every time you cross a bridge...(I'd rather they smoke crack than steal from me)

      Delete
    10. "Ottawa, capitale canadienne de la corruption"

      mm...me thinks not !!...Quebec still leads on that count...sorry

      Delete
    11. @westerner

      "How did I get caught?"

      you didn't notice?!? you corrected her on somthing she later admits to be one of her "digs to the seppie troll". nobody caved in but you.

      "Deceit, kick backs and dishonesty are a way of life in Quebec....."

      false. of cours it fits your bashing narrative. but if it was the case you wouldn't have had 80% of the population calling for an enquiry non stop for two+ years until charest bent.

      "Quebec and all other media including the House of Commons owes Macleans Magazine a huge apology for admonishing the magazine for stating the truth."

      macleans was right about the existence of corruption in quebec. but it wasn't a scoop. is quebec the most corrupted province? remains to be seen as quebec is the only one to have the balls to start a cleanup. we don't have a visual yet on the state of corruption in other provinces so it's hard to compare. an apology would be premature at this time in my opinion.

      "Quebec is nothing more than a welfare state funded by the evil anglos in the ROC."

      that's a shitty opinion. i guess to remain coherent you'll have to be as rude to manitoba new brunswick pei nova scotia and ontario? or you can chose to remain incohrent. many people chose the later; you wouldn't be alone.

      Delete
    12. @diogenes

      "...you'd omit about 90% of what I will charitably call your "contributions"

      thanks mate. i understand you like many of my commnets. but ten per cent is still low. i'll try to improve.

      Delete
  16. Very interesting document from Stephan Dion:
    http://www.eurasiareview.com/26052013-secession-and-democracy-a-canadian-perspective-oped/

    ReplyDelete
  17. Quebec cracking down on the big problems. Anglo's and illegal B&B's.

    Look who's headed to the Charbonneu commission now.

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Quebec+cracks+down+unregistered+amid+explosion+online/8437373/story.html

    Hopefully the B&B and airbnb people pay NO attention to Quebec laws. Shame to see small people follow the rules when nobody else does.

    What's the worst they can do? Send them to Charbonneau and say "don;t do it again or well investigate you again"

    ReplyDelete
  18. Porter arrêté, Couillard sous le feu des critiques

    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique-quebecoise/201305/28/01-4655281-porter-arrete-couillard-sous-le-feu-des-critiques.php

    ReplyDelete
  19. And we can do this all day and then some;
    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/Charbonneau+Commission+Collusion+asphalt+provincial/8444403/story.html
    Premier from 1996 - 2001 - Lucien Bouchard
    Premier from 2001 - 2003 - Bernard Laundry
    PQ IS INNOCENT RIGHT?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. from your own reference cutie003:

      "...but it was construction companies — not public servants — who ran the schemes."

      how can you conclude, from this, that the pq is not innocent?!? can you read a news article?

      Delete
    2. "but it was the construction companies - not public servants"

      OH pleeeeezzzz. What were the public servants doing such as Mr. Zampino...looking the other way ....or not looking out for their bosses (taxpayers) best interests. Likely why overpasses crumbled on fell down in Montreal due to lack of reinforcing steel...

      Don't be to f'n naive. This corruption and collusion has been going on for years in Quebec.

      Delete
    3. and cutie003 doubles down. after admiting to be have written a silly comment to provoque a mine response she advices others to ignore me. incoherence? hypocrisy? both?

      Delete
    4. @westerner

      "OH pleeeeezzzz. What were the public servants doing such as Mr. Zampino..."

      dude i'm just saying you can't be conclusive about provincial civil servant's bad ethics with an article that claims they had nothing to do with a particular collusion ring. this is as basic as logics get. already to complex for cutie003 of course. but what about you westerner?

      Delete
    5. "Porter arrêté, Couillard sous le feu des critiques"

      Couillard just got here and he scares you already?? LOL

      Delete
  20. FROM ED
    Dr. Couillard looked very relaxed on the fishing trip. I hope he had a good time. Thanks to whoever posted the link. I look forward to seeing him as premier of Quebec. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  21. This woman is SPOT ON, especially when she touches on the 16/17-year olds that Salmond (and Marois too) want to enfranchise. Wonder why? This woman explains it perfectly. The guy after her touches on it too.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPgUvIJmDCc&t=0m28s

    ReplyDelete
  22. This touches on great points too that apply to both Scotland and Quebec. Especially on the currency issue, since Quebec separatists want to keep Canadian currency, as Scottish nationalists want to keep the UK pound. "One of the consequences of using Sterling would be that the money supply would be controlled by London, in which case you wouldn't actually be independent at all."

    If you listen to the end, at the very end the nationalist caller offers his rationale for Scotland's secession, which is that Scotland "has a great history", so he wouldn't be worried about any of the issues that Galloway brought up.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul1ysxHVAmQ&t=2m53s

    ReplyDelete
  23. Let's help them out guys - they are working hard to represent us:
    Notice to All Members / Appel à tous nos membres‏

    [La version française suit.]

    Notice to All Members
    Reference: La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal

    We are pleased to inform you that today we have started running ads in La Presse and Le Journal de Montreal.

    We are working hard to get our message out.
    Please forward our link to your contacts.
    We must grow our membership.

    Our voices must be heard.

    Appel à tous nos membres
    Sujet : La Presse et le journal de Montréal

    Nous sommes heureux de vous informer que nous avons commencé à faire paraitre des annonces dans la Presse et le journal de Montréal.

    Nous travaillons fort à faire passer notre message.
    Veuillez envoyer nos liens à vos contacts.
    Nous devons augmenter le nombre de nos membres.

    Nos voix se doivent d’être entendues.



    CANADIAN RIGHTS IN QUEBEC
    DROITS CANADIENS AU QUEBEC
    info@critiq.ca | CRITIQ.ca | Facebook | Twitter

    Add us to your address book

    Copyright (C) 2013 CRITIQ All rights reserved.

    ReplyDelete
  24. "Nous travaillons fort à faire passer notre message."

    Évidemment :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Alright complicated - here is what the CAQ is suggesting - pass it and argue later - to everyone who voted CAQ - now here is the mess were in!
    http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/bill-14-delaying-tactics-come-to-an-end-1.1302395
    Out with the separatists and let's head for partition of this damn place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pourquoi ne pas vous partitionner vous-même peggy?Ce serait simple et rapide :)

      Suivez les bons conseils de votre gourou galganov : Quittez notre province!

      Delete
    2. One of the comments on one of the blogs complicated. May think twice next time that same as a lot of us.

      VThe CAQ had it all planned out from the beginning. I'm surprised so few people saw this brilliant move - to split the Liberal vote so they couldn't win and then to ram through devastating legislation in Bill 14.

      Delete
    3. You'll leave before I will you little worm and the way you exit may not be as pleasant as you think.

      Delete
    4. Dan Delmar: PQ power gives rise to ‘Angryphone’ lunacy

      http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/05/28/dan-delmar-pq-power-gives-rise-to-angryphone-lunacy/

      La majorité des anglos n'est pas parano comme vous peggy.

      Bravo M.Delmar,EP2.0...Is a joke!

      Delete
    5. @cutie003

      "you exit may not be as pleasant as you think..."

      eew. threats! every day a new low.

      Delete
    6. peggy = La Rosa Parks de Gatineau

      Delete
    7. So by applauding Delmar’s article, S.R admits that it is PQ lunacy that is breeding still more lunacy in this province. Good to see that he’s finally seen the light and taken a right turn from his communist ways.

      The PQ’s language policies “are demonstrably xenophobic, rooted in a deep-seeded insecurity and fear of “les autres”, states Mr. Delmar (S.R’s new buddy that he is agreeing with).

      By applauding Mr. Delmar, S.R has even endorsed bilingual status for Montreal, a measure that is so obvious and so normal (“a proposal that is far from irrational, given that the city was built by both Francophones and Anglophones together”, again agreeing with what his new buddy Delmar states) that it is taken for granted by Montrealers in everyday life.

      Or could it be that S.R doesn’t even bother to read the articles he links to… Errr!

      Delete
    8. It's a very pernicious article. I usually don't comment outside this forum, but I made an exception in this case.

      He's right to call for moderation. The problem is that he dismisses the feelings of anger, forgetting how angry the francophones in ON were when their schools came under attack in 1913, how 't they protested and spoke up, and how they closed ranks and organized. In my opinion, indignation is sometimes necessary and it doesn't preclude moderation.

      He also sets the bar very high by pointing out that there is no state violence against minorities, implying that short of state violence nothing should produce criticism or unhappiness. But between one extreme of state violence and the other extreme of total harmony, there are so many points that can produce feelings of disenchantment.


      Delete
  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete