Friday, June 21, 2013

French versus English Volume 87

This week in Quebec corruption

It was of course a monumental week with the police arresting the interim mayor of Montreal Michael Applebaum and ex-city councilor Sollie Zajdel (who actually ran under the Conservative banner in the last federal election) for allegedly accepting bribes to effect zoning changes.
Both men have professed their innocence, but alas, it doesn't look good as the police seem to have a squealer in hand.
The story has gone viral and has again put Montreal and Quebec on the world map for all the wrong reasons;
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
CBS News -Montreal's interim mayor Michael Applebaum arrested on fraud charges
CNN -Montreal's interim mayor arrested on fraud charges
Le Monde -Au Québec, un vaste système de corruption mis au jour
From Denmar -Borgmester anholdt i sag om korruption
From Russia -Как мэр Монреаля стал мафией
From Israel -  מונטריאול: ראש העיר היהודי נעצר בחשד לשחיתות - חדשות - בחדרי חרדים
From Mexico - El alcalde de Montreal es detenido por corrupción el primer año de mandato
From Italy - Il sindaco di Montreal è stato arrestato
You get the idea.....

Overshadowed is the news that three Montreal police officers were suspended in relation to a possible fraud over a security contract for the Montreal Police HQ, where a company with dubious provenance was awarded the contract under less than kosher circumstances.
"Montreal La Presse reported that the investigation is related to a contract handed to the now-defunct BCIA firm for surveillance at police headquarters. That contract was handed out by the force's former administration.
Ex-chief Yvan Delorme, who unexpectedly resigned in 2010, has said there might have been "administrative errors" in the awarding of the contract but that they were committed in good faith." Link
In the meantime, the federal Competition Bureau is investigating whether price-fixing has been going on by Quebec companies involved with the production, of all things, lampposts. Link
Shout out to Tim C for the pic

And in what only can be termed 'hilarious' testimony at the Charbonneau Commission, ex-Laval City manager, Claude Asselin pulled a Sgt. Shultz;
"He said it was common knowledge that there was collusion but he didn't do anything to stop it. Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt decided which construction company got contracts with the city and Asselin respected his authority, he said.
But commission chair France Charbonneau didn't seem to buy his explanations.
"It's hard to understand how a general manager who was in charge can say there was collusion yet didn't do anything about it," she said.
Link

In negotiation for amnesty for himself, a corrupt fundraiser, Pierre Lambert turned over more than $700,000 in cash to police. The cash, a slush fund that belonged to the crooks that ran the city of Laval was stored in a mini-warehouse.


The part I found interesting was the $1,000 bills found in the plastic bag in the top left position.
The 'Pinkie' as it was then affectionately known as, actually went out of circulation back in 1990, replaced by a newer bill which also went out of circulation in 2001, the government rightly concluding that the bills served the interests of crime.
These bills were used widely in the construction industry to settle large debts and to transfer wealth abroad to tax-haven banks. The above picture is proof that they continue to be used to this day.
As for drug dealers and other criminals, the bills were never that popular because they couldn't be easily spent or readily deposited in local banks without raising questions.

All this to say, that twenty-three years after the bills were removed from circulation, they are still being used to crookedly transfer wealth.
By the way, there remains in circulation over one billion dollars worth of these bills, most in the employ of tax dodgers and crooks.
I'm pretty sure that Fintrac, the agency tracking loose money has the banks on the lookout for these bills, with reporting mandatory for anyone trying to deposit one.
It makes for an interesting scenario, where the bills cannot be easily cashed, yet remain common currency in the underground and illegal market.

Pq hits a new popularity low

"There is not a single positive element for the PQ government to take away from the latest CROP poll.

Published in this morning's La Presse, 70% of respondents say they are not satisfied with the government's performance to date.
Part of the problem may be the leader.
Only 11% of respondents see Pauline Marois as the best candidate for  Premier, compared to 26% per cent for Liberal leader Philippe Couillard and 17% for Francois Legault of the CAQ.
Read more

According to the La Presse story;

"A problem of leadership or leader? The question remains.  
Only 11% of people see Pauline Marois the best candidate for the post of Premier, slipping five points in a month - and a steady decline since the beginning of the year. Only 51% of PQ voters see Marois as the best person for the post of prime minister. "

Philippe Couillard, who arrived this spring, is down by two points - 28 to 26%. François Legault, more present in the media in recent weeks, gaining three points to 17%. Françoise David made a good showing, her personal support rising from 6 to 9%.

Voting intentions in June did move much from the previous month. The Parti Quebecois (PQ) remains at 25%, the Liberal Party (PLQ) and the Coalition Future (CAQ) are treading water with, respectively, 38% and 22% of voting intentions. Québec solidaire is up one point to 11%.

According to the pollster, these results predict a comfortable victory for the Liberal Party of Quebec, "probably the majority
." Link{fr}



Jean-Martin Aussant steps down as head of Option Nationale

The Editor calls "BULLSHIT"
"The founder and leader of Quebec's pro-sovereignty party Option Nationale is quitting politics.
Jean-Martin Aussant made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying the struggle to run a fledgling party and raise twin two-year-olds is just too much.
He clearly found the decision heartbreaking, and as he read his statement broke into tears, thanking the 80,000 people -- 2 per cent of the vote -- who voted for Option Nationale and thanked his wife for her support.
"It's more sadness than frustration. Polls still show that about 40 per cent of Quebecers are in favour of sovereignty and the largest party doesn't really talk about it," said Aussant. Link

Readers, I haven't heard such a bullshit excuse since Frank Zampino called a news conference to resign his position as deputy mayor of Montreal, in the middle of his mandate. He told reporters this cockamamie story;
"My intentions are to take a step back, and spend the next few months to consider the opportunities that could emerge in the private sector," Zampino told reporters at a news conference at city hall."

Not one reporter called Zampino out on what his real motives were.
The same for Jean-Martin Aussant, who claims he is leaving his job as leader for family reasons.
Another crock.
I don't know why Jean-Martin Aussant, is leaving, I've got no contacts on the separatist side to spill the beans, but he is either;
  • Burnt out and dejected.
  • Facing a health or scandal issue.
  • Already committed to a new job.
Or perhaps, it may be that Pauline Marois has promised him a secure job, to get him out of the way, just like Gilles Duceppe.
Does a committed father of twins really leave a secure job just like that without having something lined up?
Look for a well deserved summer vacation for a month or two, followed by the announcement that to nobody's surprise, Aussant has 'found' a new position.
Care to bet a two/four?

 Turban war leaves bitter taste for losers

I must say that even I was a bit surprised at the rage expressed by certain francophone journalists over the  turbangate affair where the most extreme anti-religion sentiments were expressed in response to a humiliating defeat for Quebec public secularism.
Réjean Tremblay -Journal de Montreal- "It's evident that English Canada is taking advantage of another occasion to vomit on Quebec" Link{fr}

Richard Martineau  -Journal de Montreal- "Extremists Win"  Link{fr}

Joseph Facal  -Journal de Montreal- "FIFA -Incoherent and afraid"  Link{fr}
The level of anti-religion venom spouted was surprising and leaves one to wonder exactly who the real fundamentalists are.
By the way, detractors of this blog often point out the comments section as a hotbed of anti- Quebec hate.
Check out the comments under the Martineau article, this in a mainstream newspaper.

And according to Don Don Macpherson of the Montreal Gazette; 
The soccer turban controversy: It started with a lie.
When the Fédération de soccer du Québec announced on Saturday that it was lifting its ban on players wearing the turban, it said it was because the sport’s international governing body, FIFA, had decided only the day before to allow the Sikh religious head covering.
That’s not true.
A Radio-Canada television report on Saturday evening showed documents proving that the Quebec soccer federation knew as early as last September that FIFA allowed the turban.
That’s when the Canadian Soccer Association sent the FSQ and other provincial  associations a letter informing them that the international governing body had decided to allow the turban.
So FIFA’s statement of Friday simply reiterated a position it had already taken nine months earlier.
And in the Radio-Canada report, the Quebec federation’s director-general, Brigitte Frot, made a damning admission.
She said the federation’s board of directors “heard of” FIFA’s position in the letter from the CSA, the sport’s governing body in Canada, in which it ordered the provincial associations to allow the turban.  Read the rest of the story
Thanks to many readers for the story.

PQ proposes law to battle imaginary urban myth

Well perhaps it isn't an urban myth, but rather a rural myth, the one that is circulating around Quebec that says that foreigners, especially the fearful Chinese, are buying up Quebec farmland for speculative purposes.

The xenophobic PQ minister of Agriculture, François Gendron, is so concerned that he's proposing a law to block the sales, EVEN THOUGH HE ADMITS THAT THE PRACTICE ISN'T TRUE, the whole story, nothing but a myth.
He told TV interviewer Mario Dumont, that even though it isn't true that foreigners are buying up farmland in any significant amount, the fear that they are, must be addressed.
I kid you not.
This idiot is actually proposing a law to ban something that is not happening, because some fools believe it is.
"(translation) "Mr. Gendron acknowledged that the phenomenon is relatively marginal, but his goal is to ensure that agriculture remains in the hands of Quebec."

"One thing that's for sure, I'd rather take preventative action than propose a cure later on," he said during a press briefing at the National Assembly, after the filing of the
bill. Link{fr}
The amount of hectares of farmland that is actually bought each year by foreigners is about 2,000, which may sound like a lot but is actually insignificant considering that Quebec has 3,500,000 hectares of farmland with about 1,000,000 unused anyways.
And so the yearly foreign purchases represent about .02% of farmland not in use.

Let me summarize this story as follows;
(Paranoia + Xenophobia) x Idiocy = PQ

What's next?...An anti-Zombie law?

French in Burlington, Vt.=Good

English in Montreal, Qc=Bad

The Journal de Montreal ran a gushing article on the City of Burlington, Vermont, which is making an effort to make Quebecers welcome by adding French to signage.
"Vermont wants to say "Hello" to more Quebec tourists by displaying more French in one of its busiest border towns.
Following the adoption of a motion of "French friendship" by the Burlington City Council, the French Alliance has installed about 700 stickers on parking meters downtown during the weekend explaining their operation in French and English, reported television station WCAX. 
It is a way to welcome visitors arriving from Quebec, just across the border. Link{fr}
Hmmm. I wonder what the reaction of the newspaper would be if the story would be reversed?
"Quebec wants to say "Hello" to more Vermont tourists by displaying more English"

Weekend reading;

"But it seems we've ignored a silent threat tucked into the bill for too long: an extra two months a year for Canadian snowbirds to hang out in South Florida.
That's right, America. If the Senate has its way, those Quebecois bikers flooding your favorite beachside tiki bar with their poutine and their Fin Du Monde will be allowed to stay up to eight months at a time in the U.S.
 Read more  - The Silent Threat: Canadian Snowbirds 


"Angry Ontario truckers will block part of the Champlain Bridge on Thursday morning to highlight their frustration over the presence of Quebec construction workers on this side of the provincial border.
Link


McGill University obliterated its goal of a $750-million fundraising campaign and succeeded in raising more than $1 billion over the last nine years to boost support to students and research — a historic achievement for the university and the most raised by a Canadian university in that amount of time. Link



Have a laugh...



Many readers of this blog are polyglots (like me), able to speak three or more languages.
I bet we're all proud of our abilities, that is until we compare ourselves to this guy;







... Count the traffic violations


By the way, since Quebec has decided to exclude anything non-French from the provincial celebratory day, I shall roundly ignore the holiday.

Have a great weekend.

Bonne fin de Semaine

131 comments:

  1. Am I missing something?

    Wasn't there an editorial on Howard Galganov on "No Dogs"?

    ReplyDelete
  2. FROM ED
    I suspect right now there is a plan underway to oust Marois. How much more of her stupidirty can the party take. It will probably be led by Lisee, who can at least look like satatesman. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. statesman? Charlatan you mean.

      The PQ won;t oust the crazy lady while this gvt is still sitting.

      They arn;t going pull the knives out for the "first woman premier of quebec" while they sit in govt.

      That's not as big a deal as kim campell we can all agree? Kim cambell country is bigger by population and area, ie bigger accomplishment.

      The PQ will trample all over rights of founding anglo's and minorities. IE we don;t matter, arn;t full humans.

      They don;t dare screw with womens rights and the narrative of woman premier.

      You have to understand the caste system (hierarchy of rights) with your PQ glasses on.

      Delete
    2. I'm not especially proud of women like Marois, as she gives female leaders a bad name.

      Delete
  3. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTFriday, June 21, 2013 at 6:49:00 AM EDT

    "The xenophobic PQ minister of Agriculture, François Gendron..."

    Gendron, a pure laine is not xenophobic. He is a pure laine.
    What we all witness in quebekistan is the slow balkanisation of Canada.
    Alike the Serbs, quebec is trying to expel undesirables. First, it will be discreet.
    Within 10-15 years, some undesirables will feel the heat.
    My theory. Not impossible... It happened elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This pure laine stuff reminds me of that Harry Potter pureblood/mudblood business. The only pure people who belong here are the Natives.

      Delete
  4. "Quebec wants to say "Hello" to more Vermont tourists by displaying more English"

    Quebec would be SUCH a more pleasant place if only people could behave normally with their neighbours and finally shake off this preposterous fear that allowing anything English will automatically assimilate them into oblivion.

    Remember when Sir Paul McCartney (an ex-Beatle!) came to celebrate Quebec for free on the Plains of Abraham? Off with his head, some said!! Ridiculous… this nombrilisme has got to stop.

    Not only is it embarrassing for us (you’ve seen the Quebec government’s English signs at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport inviting investment here while neglecting to mention that English is basically illegal in Quebec) but otherwise, Quebec not only will not grow but will further stagnate with this turning inwardly upon itself in the name of preserving French to the exclusion of everything else.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Many readers of this blog are polyglots (like me)"

    Really?Hmm...Not sure at all

    "Sad'lair aça chète di!Les ohsti chinois ... Stacé"

    WTF?!?

    ReplyDelete
  6. The language gap on “values”
    June 20, 2013. 4:00 pm • Section: The Don Macpherson Quebec Angle

    The Parti Québécois government, which intends to propose a “Charter of Quebec values” in the fall, is right about one thing: the cultural “values” or attitudes of French Quebec are different from those of English Canada. In particular, within Quebec, the attitudes of the French-speaking majority are different from those of the linguistic minorities.

    This is apparent in the results of three recent polls conducted during and after the recent controversy over the Quebec ban on male Sikh soccer players wearing the turban and other religious head coverings. Previously unpublished results of a poll conducted on Tuesday by Forum Research suggest that majorities of both Canadians in general and Quebecers in particular agree that “immigrants to Canada must abandon their native cultural values when they conflict with Canadian cultural values.” Regionally, however, agreement was highest among Quebecers, at 73 per cent, compared to 63 per cent for the country as a whole.

    On Thursday, Quebec City’s Le Soleil reported results of a CROP poll conducted June 12-17, in which 63 per cent of Quebecers approved of the ban on the turban, to 33 per cent who disapproved. While 69 per cent of francophones approved of the ban, however, only 34 per cent of non-francophones did. This led CROP vice-president Youri Rivest to tell Le Soleil that the turban issue was a “polarizing” one. “There’s a Quebec way and a Canadian way to see things,” he said.

    Finally, a poll conducted June 10-12, before the ban was lifted, by the Léger firm for the Association for Canadian Studies suggested attitudes on the turban and other identity issues were harder among francophones than among other Canadians and other Quebecers. Francophones were much more likely than non-francophones to agree that wearing the turban while playing soccer is a safety risk, that their identity is threatened when they see minority religious head coverings, and that the Quebec soccer federation should ban the turban.

    These findings are in line with those from a survey in March by the Léger firm that was commissioned by the government, which interpreted the results as showing Quebecers want it to “affirm Quebec values.”

    And that’s just what it intends to do in the fall.

    dmacpherson@montrealgazette.com
    Twitter: MacphersonGaz

    ReplyDelete
  7. PQ Quebecers thinking big again.

    http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10560088

    Seppies you must be so proud of all the important work the OLQF does.

    Taking petty minded to new depths.

    Perhaps the OLQF should turn over EVERY single spoom or fork or knife in the province and see the words "made in China".

    Quebecers will not be allowed to use cutlery until the seppies can start their own $10 per fork cutlery factory.

    Language stupidity in Quebec has no bounds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For a separatist, this is positive news. It means more high-paying unionized job in the Quebec spoon making factories, subsidized by the government of course. Fini les anglais qui volent nos jobs!

      Can't afford a 10$ spoon? No problem! There will be a government program for that, you will receive a monthly spoon allocation.

      Delete
    2. Regi of Knife/Forks and Spoons.

      They should include "sporks". Don;t want to discriminate against a type of cutlery used by the prison population.

      Another area Quebecker can hire a bureaucracy. cutlery inspectors. Restaurants will only be allowed to use cutlery for 5 years before it must be melted down and purchased again.

      Think of the satisfying union job opportunities.

      Finally Quebec will be able outlaw chopsticks and other disgusting symbols of culinary imperialism that invade Quebec the rest of the world.

      Is there a purely Quebec design of fork we can come up. Something the first Quebecers used but is totally impractical now? Wooden spoons? Something they can force on the population while they stroke themselves.


      Delete
    3. What's wrong with fighting against job outsourcing? The spoons won't cost $10 that's a myth the corporate elites want you to believe. The reason for outsourcing is profit for the corporate executives, plain and simple. It has virtually no effect on what the consumer pays. Companies are just getting more greedy.

      Delete
    4. ""What's wrong with fighting against job outsourcing? The spoons won't cost $10 that's a myth the corporate elites want you to believe.""

      The NEOCONS and capitalists are always to blame?

      Clearly you know nothing about manufacturing in Quebec if you think we can make spoons for less then $10 in Quebec. You'd be a great union negotiator for Humpy Dumpty with the clear handle on this issues like that.

      The first problem is that Quebec doesn;t have any workers that actually know how to do the primary processes of forging etc. There probably isn;t a single drop forge company left in Quebec.

      None of these jobs are wanted by PQ Quebecers anyway.

      Unless they can be paid $35/hr it's easier to stay home and let the immigrants do the work.

      Quebec is a "knowledge company" now anyway. Quebecers write seperatist poems and video games now. That's the stuff the world needs more of.


      Delete
    5. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Ontario+truckers+block+part+Champlain+Bridge+Thursday+morning/8516130/story.html#ixzz2WmetDQHc

      "Fairness is a Two-Way Street Act" That's a perfect description of Quebec and it's issues.

      "The bill would bar Quebec contractors and construction workers from provincial or municipal job sites in Ontario, including hospitals, schools and Ottawa’s $2.1-billion light-rail development, until such time as Quebec’s provincial government eases restrictions that effectively block Ontario workers from landing contracts in that province.
      "

      Excellent. So good to see Ontario pushing back against unfair Quebec construction workers.

      No surprises here. Ontario will have to fight for the rights of Quebec households not to be ripped off by the PQ and it's union construction goons.

      It's typical rules in Quebec thinking. Quebecers can work in Ontario but Onatrio people can;t work in Quebec.

      That's the seppie definition of fair. A one way street with all benefits to themselves.

      Delete
    6. To each his own, cebeuq.
      We all have our own opinions. No hard feelings intended.

      Delete
    7. "The bill would bar Quebec contractors and construction workers from provincial or municipal job sites in Ontario"

      The bill should be expanded to ban Quebec construction workers from private job sites in Ontario too, because the reverse is mostly the case for Ontario workers in Quebec.

      Ontario should also cancel its health care agreement with Quebec. Thousands of Quebec residents are taking advantage of the health care system in Ontario because the Quebec system is a complete mess. They are using up the resources that should be primarily available to Ontarians.

      Delete
  8. Editor, your numbers are surprising! Léger is predicting a majority for the PQ. (kidding)

    Gouvernance souverainiste: les conservateurs seront «plus combatifs»
    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique-canadienne/201306/21/01-4663624-gouvernance-souverainiste-les-conservateurs-seront-plus-combatifs.php

    Le Québec se trouve systématiquement en queue de peloton en matière d'endettement et de développement économique, dénonce-t-il, et le gouvernement s'intéresse à fomenter «la chicane» plutôt qu'à remédier à la situation.

    et mettre l'économie là où elle devrait être, parce que c'est trop laissé de côté avec le gouvernement qui vient d'être élu à Québec.»

    M. Paradis ne craint pas que son approche plus musclée face au gouvernement péquiste soit perçue comme du «Québec bashing». Il dit représenter «une majorité silencieuse» qui ne se reconnaît pas dans le «soi-disant consensus» dont se réclame le gouvernement péquiste.


    10/10

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @quebecker of tree stump

      10/10?!? you must be as obtuse as this paradis clown, then.

      first of all invoking the silent majority is always a shit argument because you can have it say whatever you want. it's silent, mate. how can you know you represent it?

      also, the latest poll show a circa 10% support for the cons in quebec. and the dude claims he represents the whole anti-marois crowd? what a bad call. seems to have worked with you, though.

      Delete
    2. Maxime Bernier arrêté au volant sans permis

      http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2013/06/20130621-061817.html

      Un "cons" qui porte bien son nom :)

      Delete
  9. FROM ED
    I'm surrounded by separatists. I must be the only English person on the street. The immigrants, Chinese, Japanese mostly all speak English with me. I get myself into discussions with teens on my front gallery or up at the Park. the tell you their innermost feelings. They seem to feel ambivalent about attending English schools although most would like to learn English. The young and the adults seem to share a common thought that if they lose the PQ they will lose something important. They don't know what it is, they only know that PQ gives them a feeling of security. When I point out how this a false security and why, they have no idea that English is so popular through out the world
    These are all beautiful people. hey love their children. I watch the welfare mothers sending each one of to school or school bus with a hug and kiss, I see their joy watching the bairns coming down the street. They are not only ignorant of the facts but they harbour a fear of the unknown that has been inculcated in their minds. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ED,

      You can't blame the kids. It's not their fault they are growing up in an education system that is more intent on indoctrination then actual education.

      If students are taught to strive to learn and question they will rebel against the "Quebec system". This is why Quebec education system specializes in memorization instead of understanding. Gets the "facts" but dont; give them the basis to question the facts.

      Nothing in Quebec stands up to facts and logic or the bright light of day.

      Seppie logic is like a cockroach that scurries away in the sunlight. Fear of being exposed.

      Delete
  10. Editor,

    Your links to the Journal de Montreal articles by Tremblay, Facal and Martineau are all behind the pay wall. Could you please copy and paste those articles? Thank you in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rejean Tremblay"

      "Le turban

      Il s’est dit et écrit bien des turpitudes sur le turban sikh. Il est évident que le ­Canada anglais a profité d’une autre occasion pour vomir sur le Québec. Mais ça arrive, quand t’es valet dans une fédération.

      Cependant, je ne partage pas du tout l’opinion de mes confrères qui ont «parlé d’une affaire de sport» dans cette histoire de turban et de soccer. Ce n’était pas une histoire de sport, c’était une histoire de religion. En fait, c’était une grosse ­affaire d’intégrisme religieux.

      On s’est servi d’enfants pour faire avancer encore la cause politique des sikhs dans le pays. Et vous l’avez compris, dès qu’il y a intégrisme religieux, il ne peut plus y avoir de raison. Parce que la religion est le contraire de la raison. La religion est basée sur la foi. Et les plus fous parmi les religieux sont évidemment les plus bornés quand vient le moment de discuter et d’entendre raison.

      RATIONALITÉ

      Les catholiques qui demandaient de jeûner à partir de minuit pour aller communier, ou qui exigeaient qu’on ne puisse manger de viande le vendredi n’étaient pas plus rationnels.

      Et encore aujourd’hui, les bons cathos qui ont fait leurs neuf Premiers vendredis du mois quand ils étaient enfants sont assurés d’aller au paradis. J’espère seulement qu’ils vont y retrouver les vierges promises aux martyres islamiques…

      Bon, la FIFA a plié. Les sikhs vont jouer avec leur turban. Tant qu’un frère du Sacré-Cœur ne jouera pas en soutane à la Coupe du monde, ça peut toujours passer.



      Delete
    2. Joseph Facal"



      Ne vous en faites pas, on aura amplement l’occasion de revenir sur la tragicomédie montréalaise. Finissons d’abord ce que nous avions commencé.

      Cette affaire du turban sikh au soccer s’est terminée de manière parfaitement prévisible. Mais elle est remplie d’enseignements pour l’avenir.

      Incohérente et peureuse, la FIFA sanctionne les joueurs qui enlèvent leur maillot au nom du respect de l’uniforme. Elle cède cependant devant une poignée d’extrémistes religieux qui veulent qu’on change le code vestimentaire pour eux.

      La Fédération québécoise de soccer (FQS) s’est empressée de s’agripper à cette bouée de sauvetage. Peut-on la blâmer?

      INCOMPRÉHENSION

      Pour m’amuser, j’écris, tous les vendredis, dans nos pages sportives, une chronique de soccer international.

      Certains scribes de la confrérie des chroniqueurs de sport ont été menés par le bout du nez dans cette affaire.

      Ils souhaitaient qu’on laisse le sport tranquille. Mais cette histoire n’a jamais été sportive.

      Elle était politico-religieuse. Il fallait la regarder avec les bonnes lunettes. Le sport n’était qu’un prétexte.

      Pour un fanatique religieux, le sport ne loge pas dans un compartiment à part. Par définition, l’intégriste veut que TOUTES les sphères de notre vie individuelle et collective soient subordonnées à la religion.

      Ces mêmes chroniqueurs invoquaient le «gros bon sens». Quelle massive incompréhension!

      Le seul «bon sens» que le fanatisme religieux reconnaît est celui de la primauté indiscutée et indiscutable de son dogme. La nature même de l’extrémisme le place en contradiction avec la raison dialoguante.

      L’Occident a pris des siècles pour réduire la place de la religion dans nos vies. Tout n’est pas positif dans cette évolution, mais la montée de la rationalité et de la science est la cause première de notre progrès.

      Voici maintenant que des religions venues d’ailleurs voudraient subordonner des pans croissants de notre société à leurs impératifs. Et il faudra s’en réjouir ou consentir sans piper un mot?

      FOSSÉ

      L’affaire a aussi illustré le fossé entre le Canada et le Québec.

      Au Québec, 87% des répondants appuyaient la neutralité religieuse des compétitions sportives. Au Canada anglais, on se prosterne devant toutes les religions au nom de l’ouverture illimitée à «l’Autre».

      Au royaume du multiculturalisme, on dirait que plus une religion est éloignée des traditions occidentales, plus elle mérite le respect.

      Se moquer du catholicisme, c’est montrer qu’on est moderne et ouvert. Se moquer du sikhisme ou de l’islamisme, c’est montrer qu’on est fermé et intolérant.

      De larges pans du Canada anglais en ont aussi profité pour redire ce qu’ils pensent du Québec. C’est devenu si commun qu’on ne s’en formalise plus, ni ici ni là-bas.

      Quand le gouvernement Marois s’est finalement décidé à parler du fond, il a, comme on dit au soccer, mal cadré son tir.

      Ce n’était ni «l’autonomie» de la FQS, ni la sécurité qui étaient le nœud de l’affaire.

      C’est la neutralité en matière de signes religieux du code vestimentaire dans les compétitions officielles, au Québec, du sport le plus populaire chez nos jeunes. Rien de moins.

      Cet automne, le gouvernement revisitera ces questions dont on voit la complexité. Le voyage s’annonce périlleux.

      Delete
    3. Richard Martineau
      "Décidément, je ne comprends plus rien. Hier, en feuilletant les journaux, je suis tombé sur cet entrefilet dans Le Devoir:

      «Des leaders de la communauté sikhe au Canada ont tenu à appuyer l’interdiction du turban sur les terrains de soccer. À leur avis, ce sont des groupes extrémistes qui exigent le turban, et il s’agit d’une demande “illégitime”.

      «“Il est temps que les nouveaux arrivants démontrent qu’ils sont capables de compromis”, a notamment dit l’auteur sikh Bikram Lamba, qui porte lui-même le turban…»

      UNE EXCEPTION

      En lisant cela, je me suis dit: «Voilà, le dossier est clos. Lorsque même des leaders de la communauté sikhe disent que la demande de permettre le turban sur les terrains de soccer est illégitime, il n’y a plus rien à rajouter.»

      «C’est la preuve que le Québec a bien fait de résister. Reste maintenant à ceux qui nous ont traités de racistes et d’intolérants de nous présenter leurs plus plates excuses…»

      Or, qu’ai-je appris, quelques heures plus tard?

      Que la FIFA avait adopté une exception permettant aux joueurs canadiens de porter le turban sur les terrains de soccer!

      Coudonc, c’est quoi, l’affaire?

      Même des sikhs enturbannés appuient la décision de la Fédération québécoise!

      Et là, la FIFA fait marche arrière et cède devant les extrémistes pour acheter la paix?

      C’est à n’y rien comprendre.

      LE TURBAN EN CHUTE LIBRE

      Voici ce qu’on pouvait lire dans le magazine L’actualité en novembre 2008:

      «Un magazine de New Delhi, Outlook, a estimé que 80% des jeunes allaient désormais tête nue dans les campagnes du Pendjab, un État majoritairement ­sikh. C’est aussi le cas à Amritsar. À l’Université Gourou Nanak Dev, qui honore pourtant la mémoire du fondateur du sikhisme, environ 70% des étudiants sikhs ne portent plus le turban…

      «À Amritsar, le recul du turban embarrasse le Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, chargé de la gestion des temples, écoles et hôpitaux sikhs. Jaswinder Singh, un des membres de ce comité, s’en est d’ailleurs ouvert à l’hebdomadaire Outlook: “Comment pouvons-nous nous battre pour le droit de garder nos cheveux longs et notre turban à l’étranger, alors que les gens abandonnent ces pratiques dans le foyer même du sikhisme?”»

      Au royaume même du sikhisme, on abandonne le turban, et, ici, on monte aux barricades pour pouvoir le porter sur un terrain de soccer?

      C’est à se demander si cette demande n’a pas été faite à des fins politiques, juste pour tester le système…

      DOUBLE STANDARD

      En Colombie-Britannique et au Manitoba, on donne des contraventions aux motocyclistes qui ne portent pas de casque protecteur.

      Sauf si les motocyclistes sont sikhs. La loi leur permet en effet de rouler sans casque protecteur…

      Pourquoi? Les sikhs ont la tête plus dure que les autres citoyens? Un simple turban suffit à les protéger? Ils se font moins mal quand ils tombent?

      Pendant ce temps, un père m’a écrit pour me dire que sa fille diabétique doit enlever son bracelet médical d’alerte quand elle joue au soccer…

      Christopher Hitchens avait raison: la religion empoisonne tout."

      Delete
    4. LordDorchester

      Interesting how these "journalists" want to push the idea that somehow FIFA caved in on this whole Turban debate. It should be pointed out to these scriveners that India with a billion plus people (and a Turban wearing Prime Minister) is a soccer mad sub continent and will probably buy more soccer gear in one day than Quebec can in a decade. FIFA are not fools and rule number one in business, you never alienate or insult the people that butter your bread. Match point, India. Facal, Tremblay and Martineau can suck it.

      Delete
    5. Editor,

      Thank you again. It is interesting that while the 'turbangate' has put more fuel for the desire to separate from Canada, none of these writers - or any separatist for that matter - advocate that QSF be separated from FIFA. After all, it is FIFA's decision that made QSF to backtrack on its ruling.

      After all, there is a Quebec soccer team that will compete in a non-FIFA tournament managed by an ex-Impact player Patrick Leduc.

      Delete
    6. @troy & @lord dorchester

      hey guys i found the latest photo of your canadian football squad: http://tinyurl.com/l2uylmv

      nice, eh?

      Delete
    7. Richard Martineau: "Christopher Hitchens avait raison: la religion empoisonne tout."

      How appropriate of Martineau to bring up Hitchens, since both of them are versions of religious fanatics who happen to worship state religion.

      What N.Chomsky said of Hitchens and state-enforced secularism applies also to Martineau, Facal, R.Tremblay, and many other enthusiasts of the quasi-religious construct called "L'Etat Quebecois".

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9QCAUPPeY&t=2m13s

      Delete
    8. @adski

      martineau "worships state religion"?!? what are you on, mate?

      Delete
    9. The emergence of secular state religion was noted a century ago by the prominent psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung observed how state symbols (flag, anthem) were replacing the symbols of receding religions, how revisionist history was replacing religious dogma, how deference to state figures was replacing deference to religious figures, and how devotion to state was reaching religious proportions.

      Delete
  11. FROM ED
    Right Cebeuq, it brings tears to my heart to look at these kids knowing they have no future. It's like looking at a dying man.
    You're wrong Cebeuq about the spoons. Quebec will send an ambassador to France to a state dinner. He will come home with s spoon in his pocket. then they will melt and shape some solder like my grandson used to do on my workbench when he was six. They will then have the master model, Quebec made.
    Madame Marois,, Did you have ant trouble getting the spoon? Not really My Queen, but it was embarrassing when the metal detector went off as I was trying to leave. I had to plead Diplomatic Immunity. thank God we're a separate country. Almost my faithful servant. I can help thinking how much this spoon looks like the ones we're using. Now get off your knees and find out where these come from.Yes Madame Queen , I will go to the dollarr store tomorrow..
    forgive the Typos I have pain in my elbow, it hurts to type, so I'm taking shortcuts. No Quotation marks or anything that takes two hands.Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "...it brings tears to my heart to look at these kids knowing they have no future."

      ?!? why is it they have no future already, mate? between you, an old unilingual anglo in a mainly french society, and them, french kids in same society, are you sure they are the ones without a future?

      Delete
  12. Très bonne question de Lise Ravary

    http://tinyurl.com/mfxcpj3

    ReplyDelete
  13. FROM ED
    I read with interest the piece in the Ottawa paper and I agree with most of it. He's right. Separatism is dead. Here in Quebec we've all known that and knew it for a while now. One thing where he's away off he refers to Quebecers as though the majority are separatists. They are not. Marois won the election with only 36% voters and only because lies about the Liberals boosted the CAQ. He mentions partition for what it is , a pipe dream. Canada will NOT accept to lose any part of it's land and he makes that clear. When he says Anglo and native rights would be protected, he means in case of partition which he also makes clear will never happen.
    He sums it up best himself with his closing statement;-
    "Breaking up is indeed hard to do; so hard in fact that the chances of it ever occurring are microscopic. We should say so and act accordingly."
    So there will be no separation and no partition as we've known for a while now. There are some Anglos who still dream of a partition
    but what will really happen is that there will be an election eventually. The Liberals will win ( after the corruption scandal there will be no lies) and slowly take away any thoughts of the PQ. The Federalists in this Province (66%) will win. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed - the editorial is making it clear that should quebec leave Canada they are not leaving with their borders intact. That was my point - microscopic or not the threat is always there and is killing the economy and peace in this province! I know you think that the liberals will win the next election and that is hopefully true if there are no blows from the Charbonneau Commission against only the liberals but for God's sake, the continued threat of separation is taking it's toll on everything and everybody in this province. The Editorial, the provincial Liberals and the Federal Government have got to make all of this stuff very clear to the separatists in this province so they stop with the BS of leaving Canada. Just winning the next election is not good enough anymore; they've got to make it very very clear to the separatists that they are not leaving Canada with everything they want as there is no legal way to do this! The longer this threat is here and the myth is perpetrated, the more and more trouble we will have with these people because they are not getting the damn message! There is an election every four years or so and always this threat of separation takes precedence over common sense and the rule of law. Couillard, Trudeau, Harper have an obligation to push the Canadian agenda and not just worry about winning the damn election every four years. They will keep pushing out No votes unabated as long as this myth keeps running the quebec agenda. In the meantime our community suffers the consequences of this non-action by these politicians. Try to understand what I'm saying! This province is being economically strangled as long as these myths keep going and it's important that the average separatist understand that these laws that go against minorities are hurting our damn economy and are unnecessary and are not going to gain them a damn thing but more economic problems.

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      Cutie, You're right .It i bad for the economy. In the meantime we have to live without worrying every day what's coming nexr. The polirticians will not do what you want. There was a French journalist on this blog a few weeks ago. I can't remember his name. He's the type could do what you want to see. At the next election the PQ will be wiped out, I'm sure. Ed

      Delete
  15. "we have a right to be protected along with the Natives and our land"

    De cette façon peggy?

    http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/atlantique/2013/06/14/004-arrestations-manifestants-nouveau-brunswick.shtml

    Tous des Amérindiens arrëtés dont une femme enceinte de 8 mois...hmm

    ReplyDelete
  16. Top court backs Alberta man fighting unilingual traffic ticket

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/top-court-backs-alberta-man-fighting-unilingual-traffic-ticket/article565038/

    Héhé!

    ReplyDelete
  17. @ed

    "...Marois won the election with only 36% voters and only because lies about the Liberals..."

    lies?!? you can't even acknowledge what's happening live under your own eyes. one can only imagine the depth of the distortion when you start rambling about how things were fifty years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Que faites-vous des autres franco-canadiens unilingues?

    ReplyDelete
  19. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTSaturday, June 22, 2013 at 12:10:00 PM EDT

    wow... this site has lost some of its luster. cutie debating with s.r.
    LOL!
    ---------------
    On a serious not my property management rep just sent me pics of my 5th floor condo (NW Calgary) the floods have not hit the area too bad - yikes so far, my unit is dry as a bone but there is no power since yesterday.
    My prayers go to our fellow Canadians in southern Alberta.
    Time to take my gf out for dinner here in Frankfurt. I'm in the mood for the Altstadt caffe.
    The wine is great. I cant believe there are NO mosquitoes here!
    These 3 years will be the fastest in my life. I get my car from the Hamburg port in two weeks!!!!

    Cheerio from a nice city where there are no linguistic crap.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Cutie, please learn which box to use when writing a comment. One box is for replies to the previous comment. The bottom-most box is for starting a brand-new comment. It’s not rocket science.

    Because of your inattentiveness in replying to Ed, you actually replied to the troll instead, and now YOU have prevented the Editor from fully deleting traces of the troll’s self-deleted comment. If you consider yourself to be a responsible commenter, it would be very nice of you to copy and delete your post at 9:47AM and repost it in the proper thread (i.e. as a reply to the actual, correct comment you were replying to) and let the Editor tidy up the deleted comments himself later.

    Also, congratulations on successfully provoking additional comments from the troll. You are even asking him questions now to provoke yet more useless replies. Brainwashed people are not interested in your arguments but love seeing you get all riled up. Will you please stop it with your useless outbursts? Seriously, just stop it right now. You’ve already seen how you have acquired a reputation with the troll as being an easily-aroused, shrill reactionary and you have even been singled out as such publicly on a seppie blog.

    You are embarrassing us. There, I said it.

    How many times do you need to be told that you are accomplishing absolutely nothing except providing exactly the reaction that the troll is seeking to provoke from you? Every one of your outbursts makes him rub his hands with glee at having so easily provoked a reaction from you. You are his favourite target because now he knows he can get your goat so easily.

    If you really need to vent to get it out of your system, keep a journal (Word document) and use it to write down your repetitive rants instead publishing them online and providing joy to the troll. It works equally well, seriously.

    Please, you’ve said it before but this time, will you really promise to stop doing this, once and for all?

    PS: If you post one of your trademark shrill outbursts directed at Me, you will be accomplishing nothing more than further embarrassing yourself and dragging down the tone of this blog again, exactly as desired by the troll.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @me

      "Will you please stop it with your useless outbursts? Seriously, just stop it right now."

      makes you wonder who's the real troll, doesn't it mate?

      Delete
    2. lol - why should I care what you (me) say to me? Never heard of you before and hopefully never will again. Talk about wasting a thread of the Editor's.

      Delete
    3. “Reply” means reply to someone else’s comment. “Add comment” means add your own new comment. Really, I don’t know how much simpler they could make it and yet you still pay no attention whatsoever and keep getting it wrong.

      The troll successfully managed to provoke you into feeding him by posting a link that is two years old. TWO YEARS OLD, Cutie! And the incident is from a DECADE ago. There is no reason to post a link to such old news on a blog except to provoke a response, and naturally YOU were the only one who fell for it, hook, line and sinker without a thought (never mind checking the date first). Stop acting like a petulant child and grow up already! Your near-daily, repetitive tantrums are embarrassing the rest of us.

      The troll has been putting useless comments on this blog for years now. YEARS! Do you understand what that means? It means that he’s not right in the head. Meanwhile you’ve been here for months already and are actually arguing with him still. Do you know what that means? It means that you too are unwell because one does not argue with an idiot.

      He must be thanking his lucky stars that you came onto this blog. You are his dream target come true.

      Delete
    4. If you don't like what I post or when I post it, ignore it as you do with the other trolls. If I want to post daily or hourly, you still just have to skip over my posts if you like. If the Editor decides not to let me post that's his call not yours. Stop wasting his threads.

      Delete
    5. LOL this is very funny. Cutie003 you are getting owned.

      Delete
    6. FROM ED
      To Me (actually you) and Me two (not me and you) I mean you and you. Me and Me two. Ah shit . I'm 77 and totally confused. I'm wondering how you could find so much fault with Cutie and ignore the work of Une Gars. He comes on to challenge only the trolls, and in french yet. remember not everyone here is a writer or has writing experience. We are not all highly educated and vulnerable to teasing. posting requires a thick skin and Cutie doesn't have that. She is a gentle caring person who like me (meaning me, not you me) ia a good contrast to the superior writer we have here. Ed Ed

      Delete
    7. FROM ED
      Replying to Ed since the only box I see is a 'reply' unit. It makes the blood boil rto see such waste and unfairness in our courts. It's all right to say he has the right to fight the case but he should at least have something worth fighting for before the people have to pay.
      The courts should take into consideration.that the majority of the people paying for this would not agree with them. Ed

      Delete
    8. @Troll = lol - long Saturday and I'm bored with the rain - having a little fun.

      @Ed - Not to worry- the guy is just baiting me and I'm having a little fun - can't work outside today. My skin is getting thicker all the time especially in this political environment. He only comes here to annoy others (mainly me so far) but it is apparent he has nothing to offer in the way of advice or at least something interesting to add so that's what these people do: annoy others.

      Delete
    9. FROM ED
      Cutie, who are you talking about the troll or ME. Not me of course because I am here ME isn't. He does have a point. If we could only get Une gars to shut up we' d soon be rid of the trolls. When he comes on in French it attracts them.. Ed

      Delete
    10. The first comment was for Troll Tremblay Ed and the second for you.

      Delete
  21. "wow... this site has lost some of its luster"

    L'Allemagne aussi semble-il depuis que les moustiques ont été remplacés par des morons.

    Surveille bien ta blonde,y'a d'la saucisse de compétition à Frankfurt :)



    ReplyDelete
  22. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTSaturday, June 22, 2013 at 12:40:00 PM EDT

    A radotter des niaiseries semblables tu dois en etre a ton 5ieme verre de Chardonnay?
    LOL, petit morveux.
    Tu dois etre jaloux a en baver pour avoir de tels commentaires, mon bien petit quebecois villageois. Allez houste, mauviette et prepares toi a ton festival d'abruti ce dimanche.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Quand les Américains deviennent plus accueillants que les "canadians" envers les Québécois.

    Burlington Debuts Bilingual Signs

    http://digital.vpr.net/post/burlington-debuts-bilingual-signs

    Nous passerons y faire quelques achats.

    ReplyDelete
  24. @un gars bs de frankfort

    "Tu dois etre jaloux a en baver..."

    what should s.r be jealous of, mate?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Je suis jaloux de son caleçon unifolié fabriqué en Chine et adulé par les Germains.

    ReplyDelete
  26. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTSaturday, June 22, 2013 at 4:18:00 PM EDT

    "Quand les Américains deviennent plus accueillants que les "canadians" envers les Québécois."
    "Burlington Debuts Bilingual Signs"

    Ha ha ha, petit morveux. Essais ceci;

    Quand les petits quebecois deviennent moins accueillants que les canadiens:

    Loi 101

    Ca fait mal la verite.

    P.S. Savais-tu que ton St-Jean le baptiste etait juif? De son vrai nom Yahyâ.
    Ca fait pas trop quebecois... he he.

    Bon l'heure du dodo ici.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C'est pouquoi elle devenue la "Fête Nationale des Québécois".

      G'night mon petit gouinfre :)

      Delete
    2. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTSunday, June 23, 2013 at 1:05:00 PM EDT

      "Fête Nationale des Québécois"
      ????
      Peut-etre car c'est le quebec qui en a decide ainsi. A l'origine, mon petit villageois, ton saint etait le saint de tous les canadiens francais. Et l'est encore a ce jour... Quand j'etais en Alberta, a chaque 24 juin, l'association franco-albertaine avait un beau party le 24.
      Choisissez donc votre propre saint, un vrai quebecois. Pas un juif.
      ------------------------
      "La fête nationale du Québec, traditionnellement appelée la Saint-Jean-Baptiste ou Saint-Jean, est la fête nationale des Québécois. En vertu de la Loi sur la fête nationale1, le 24 juin est une journée fériée et chômée au Québec.
      Cette date est d'abord celle de la fête religieuse célébrant Jean le Baptiste qui s'est plus tard imposée comme fête nationale des Canadiens français, qu'on appelait alors « canadiens », dans le premier tiers du xixe siècle. Reconnue jour férié par la province de Québec dans les années 1920, le gouvernement souverainiste du Parti québécois l'a déclarée « fête nationale du Québec » en 1977. Certains voudraient que la reconnaissance de la Saint-Jean comme fête nationale efface le nom historique de la fête, sans doute à cause de son héritage catholique, mais les Québécois continuent communément de se souhaiter « bonne Saint-Jean ».
      Depuis 1984, le Mouvement national des Québécoises et Québécois est officiellement responsable de la coordination des festivités qui se déroulent les 23 et 24 juin de chaque année."
      https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%AAte_nationale_du_Qu%C3%A9bec

      Heureuse St-Jean a tous-tes!!!!!!!!!!!
      Happy St-Jean cutie!!! Have fun with you seppy friends!!!

      Delete
  27. Posh Ottawa neighbourhood deporting squirrels across border into Quebec
    http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/06/18/posh-ottawa-neighbourhood-deporting-squirrels-across-border-into-quebec/

    ReplyDelete
  28. So this whole "National" holiday -- what nation would that be? This is Canada. But anyway, I guess that's the way we all appreciate the First Nations who were here you know, FIRST and all, before the French. That's the big huge Quebec holiday where the French rise up to edify the distinct societies of Native peoples who paved the way and allowed (i.e. were slaughtered or stolen from or bribed) to give away their land and language and distinct culture. That's the holiday we're talking about, right? The one that talks a lot about respect and who deserves it most.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @yannick

      no she can't. she's a basher. bashers don't post serious links.

      one wikipedia article can help readers understand taxandria's comment. it's this one: http://tinyurl.com/22usow .

      but i'm sure you were already aware of what it contains.

      Delete
    2. @dave santi

      it's moving day!

      Delete
    3. "So this whole "National" holiday -- what nation would that be?"

      Le Natione de Merde
      Le Natione de Hillbillies

      From Hell's heart I stab at thee. For Hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.

      Delete
    4. Canada's national holiday: A time to come together with family and enjoy patriotic celebrations.
      St Jean: A time to get black our drunk, piss yourself then wake up and then go smash some windows.

      Gotta love that unique culture.

      Delete
  29. FROM ED
    I'm sitting on my front gallery listening to sounds emanating from the Jean Batisit day celebrations at the park up the street. Nice music, all American. How many times can you sing, "We will rock you" or "We are the Champions"? Good Quebec music. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since the Americans are now siding with the separatists and French-language nationalists, American music is today considered "patriotique".

      Delete
    2. Those are not American songs Ed.

      Delete
    3. Pretty sure Queen was american.

      Also in what world are the Americans siding with the separatists?

      Delete
    4. As American as bangers and mash...psyyych. Though not sure which is worse to the separatists, Their English conquers or the Americans they disdain for their "subpar" culture that 80% of Quebec television is just remakes or dubs of.

      Delete
    5. Queen was a British band.

      It's rather ironic that Quebec is the most annexationist province. The Americans would never allow language laws that repress English like Bill 101 to stand.

      Delete
    6. I've never talked to Americans about this in person, but when I see articles on American news websites about language in Quebec, the Americans commenting are always overwhelmingly in favour of a French-only Quebec. I attribute this to Europhilia and lack of knowledge of Canadian history.

      Delete
    7. EDM,

      "...the Americans commenting are always overwhelmingly in favour of a French-only Quebec."

      Do you have any examples of this?

      As far as Europhilia amongst Americans is concerned, France is excluded. Americans are not fond of the French.

      Delete
    8. @thatguy

      dude there's not a worse blog character than the arrogant ignoramus. henceforth you should change yours.

      Delete
    9. Here is an example, Mr Durham http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/travel/quebec-11-things I scrolled through some of the comments made by Americans and found they are very supportive of language laws and very unsympathetic to anglos living in Quebec. I have also read some of Mr Kondaks' articles about Quebec on a website called Huffington Post and the Americans commenting were very pro-Bill 101. I saw some more significant examples, but I forgot where they were.

      Delete
  30. FROM ED
    So what difference does that make to a separatist. The album was no. 2 on billboard in the U.S. I can bet we heard it more from there than from Britain. Ed

    ReplyDelete
  31. Please read...

    http://blogues.journaldemontreal.com/bock-cote/general/notre-seul-pays/

    Notice how some separatists try to conceal the fact that public opinion DOES NOT favor their political stance?

    Just read the comments readers left to Mathieu Bock-Côté's latest diatribe and you'll get a very clear indication of where the OUI vote is going.

    Bye bye les cowboys

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FROM ED


      Anonymous Coward thanks for the link. I read them with pleasure . These are very revealing words about how Francos see Canada and Quebec. I wish someone would translate them for the people on our blog's enjoyment. Ed

      Delete
    2. @Ed

      I'd love to translate, but given that about 80 to 85% of the commenters are anti-sovereignist, it would just take too much work.

      I just think it's awesome to know that only 20% or less are for the separatist movement,

      Delete
  32. Bowser & Blue have released this nostalgic video about Montreal, filled with loads of Montreal memories for those of you who grew up here. I wonder how many places you will recognize (feel free to add your own comments):

    @0:01 – Miss Montreal restaurant on Decarie (where today’s Orange Julep is).

    @0:13 – Craig St. tramway terminus? (now St. Antoine)

    @0:15 – Delorimier Downs stadium at De Lorimier/Ontario Sts. (now a school).

    @0:19 – Jackie Robinson, who played with the Montreal Royals in 1946 just prior to breaking the colour barrier in major league baseball the following year.

    @0:22 – The original Gibeau Orange Julep (1945-1966), which was only two stories high before becoming today’s giant orange.

    @0:33 – Place Jacques-Cartier opposite City Hall, former farmer’s market and now tourist central.

    @0:39 – Cinéma de Paris on Ste. Catherine St. (now Club Super Sexe) next to the Palace Theatre (formerly Eliko).

    @0:46 – St. Denis St. looking south from Ontario St.

    @0:49 – Original Montreal Forum at Atwater and Ste. Catherine St.

    @0:52 – Kon Tiki Polynesian Bar in the Mount Royal Hotel on Peel St. (today Harry Rosen in Cours Mont-Royal).

    @0:56 – Montreal Transportation Commission buses used to be cream and beige (rather than white and blue).

    @1:09 – Van Horne Shopping Centre; can’t see the famous Brown Derby restaurant, unfortunately.

    @1:24 – Eaton’s 9th-floor restaurant (not accessible to the public since 1999); above today’s Complexe Les Ailes.

    @1:26 – Woolworth’s cafeteria?

    @1:34 – Mordecai Richler in front Wilensky’s on Fairmount St.

    @1:38 – Montreal Pool Room (opened 1912) on St. Lawrence Blvd., now moved on opposite side.

    @1:40 – Red Light District, looking south on St. Lawrence from Ste. Catherine.

    @1:44 – Ben’s De Luxe Delicatessen (closed in 2006, demolished in 2008)

    @1:53 – Murrays (the last one, in TMR, closed in 2009)

    @1:58 – Ruby Foo’s Restaurant (Montreal’s first Chinese restaurant, now a hotel ?!?)

    @2:07 – The Loew’s, Strand, Capitol (Montreal’s greatest ever), Palace and Princess (later Parisien) Theatres on Ste. Catherine St. W. (now Foot Locker, Sports Experts, Le Commensal and A Louer, I think)

    @2:15 – I still have a Canadian-style stubby beer bottle saved; remember the S.O.S. (Save Our Stubby) campaign in the mid-80s, when American-style longnecks were introduced?

    @2:19 – Belmont Park, at Gouin Blvd. and Grenet St.; I remember having fun on the teacups and in the Haunted House as a kid; now plain ol’ housing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @2:53 – Guaranteed Pure Milk Bottle, thankfully repainted a few years ago.

      @2:59 – Steinberg’s supermarket, but which one exactly? Sherbrooke/Cavendish? (Today a Provigo)

      @3:01 – Chalet Bar-B-Q, still going strong since the 1940s.

      @3:05 – Mr. Steer, famous for its Steerburgers, still looks the same today.

      @3:08 – Bar-B-Barn on Guy St.; still going strong.

      @3:09 - Fairmount Bagel (first bagel in space!)

      @3:16 – Morgan’s Department Store on Phillips Square (now The Bay).

      Delete
    2. FROM ED
      There was a great billboard on top of a buiding on the south side of st.Catherine for Bovril. A cow had a tear running down her face and the sign said, " Alas, my poor brother" Does anyone remember this? Ed

      Delete
    3. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 7:30:00 PM EDT

      Remember Da Giovanni?
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMSt1schTjI

      Delete
  33. http://www.troymedia.com/2013/02/13/mulcairs-hypocritical-stand-on-quebec-separation/
    Some interesting articles on quebec.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/todays-letters-marios-anti-english-rhetoric-hurts-quebec/
      for you reading pleasure.

      Delete
    2. A little humour on the whole situation:
      http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Letter+English+French/8569530/story.html

      Delete
    3. Cutie, PQ Quebecers don;t respect anybody except themselves.

      All other cultures are inferior and should be kept outside the borders.

      Why would they care if other people look at them poorly? These other people are already culturally inferior and selling out their culture to American homogeneity.

      There is an upside that you are missing tho. As Quebec gets known for wanting to be culturally and racially pure they are sure to attract exactly the kind of racist immigrants that Quebec hopes to shore up it's population and culture with.

      The PQ strategy is to take the most undesirable elements of Quebec society (undesirable to the ROW thats Rest of World), ie the racist, the bigots skinheads and others we will see parading today in the East end parks and promote their agenda.

      When immigrants look at the international reputation of Quebec who's goign to choose Quebec in the future?

      The family with 4 children that might nto speak french properly, or the partially speaking french criminal that will promise to speak french (or whatever else they need to lie about).

      The family of 4 is going to choose to come to a place known for corruption, harassing it's citizens, needs to give up their "culture" etc?

      Nope, they will now skip Quebec, and we end up with the criminals and other undesirables that parrot whatever the PQ want to hear.

      Basically Quebec stance internationally is an advertisement for intolerant lying/criminal immigrants.

      All the family immigrants etc will just go to places they know are receptive (like Canada).


      Delete
    4. cebeuq - I agree - we do not attract the type of people we should be looking for; there are, of course, many things other than language that make people desirable. They should be looking at all the good, tax paying, educated, rich and/or middle class people they are driving out rather than looking to bring others in based on language alone but this is the separatist logic. I'm sure the anglophones that have lived here for hundreds of years have a lot more in common with the francophone next door than someone that comes in from Haiti for example. Stupid ideals these separatists have but you're right, there is no reasoning with them. What is obvious to others, they choose to overlook.

      Delete
    5. Vous devez souffrir de ne pas pouvoir utiliser le mot "Nigger" sur ce blogue,n'est-ca-pas Peggy Deen?

      http://www.thesuperficial.com/paula-deen-lawsuit-racism-sexual-harrasment-03-2012

      Delete
    6. "As Quebec gets known for wanting to be culturally and racially pure they are sure to attract exactly the kind of racist immigrants that Quebec hopes to shore up it's population and culture with."

      Yes, but the immigrants have been "failing" Quebec nationalists. No matter how hard the separatist try and no matter where they look for immigrants, the immigrants come in and turn out to be more of a "problem" than a solution. For example, most immigrants remain loyal to Canada, and refuse to become anti-English.

      This is understandable to anyone intellectually honest. In order to produce a separatist, you need that person to be here from the beginning of his/her life, fully immersed, passing through the stages of "education", and ideally unobstructed from counter-influence of the home.

      In the case of immigrants, they come here with their own conceptions and notions, and their kids, although sent to the "right" educational system, get a lot of counter-information at home.

      So the only way to produce separatists is to increase reproduction rates amongst the Quebeckers. Immigration won't produce separatists, because Quebec separatist is a product of a unique interplay of time, place, surroundings, influences. It's like with cults - a person needs to be in it a long time and totally separated from other influences in order to get hooked.

      Delete
  34. NOW THIS IS HOW TO DEAL WITH AN ABUSIVE OQLF INSPECTOR LIKE A PRO!
    From: http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?blogEntryID=10560440

    JohnH- posted on 06/22/2013
    I'm a small business man and I have had my share of run in with the OQLF. I contacted my lawyer the first time they came to my office because of an anonymous complaint, the (STOOLIE PHONE LINE). I refused to let them into my office. My lawyer advised me to do this until he got to my office. He also advised me to phone the police. The inspector told me through my locked office door that I had to let him.

    When the police arrived they asked me if they could come into my office. I said that only if they would not let the inspector in. The police agreed and they came in without the inspector. While the door was open the inspector threatened me with fines and my business would be closed. One of the four police officers told the inspector to be quiet. And left an officer with the inspector outside in the hall.

    The lead officer asked me why I wouldn't let the inspector in. My lawyer advised me that should this question be asked I should respond this way: the OQLF inspector's do not have the power of arrest or search or seizure, without a police officer or bailiff with a court order or warrant. Since the OQLF inspector did not have the legal documentation I invoked my constitutional right to refuse entry. The lead police officer was shocked and said why are you turning this into a bigger problem than it really is. I was about to say my constitutional right are a big deal, when my lawyer finally arrived. At that point I had to open the door to let him in.

    At that time the inspector was on his phone and told me he was in contact with the Justice Department in Quebec City and would have a court order in 45 minutes. My lawyer turned and laughed at the inspector. Then he asked the inspector what was the date of the court hearing where the court order was issued. All of a sudden the inspector closed his phone and tried to get on the elevator. At which point my lawyer asked the police office in the hall to detain the inspector. The police officer asked my lawyer for what reason? My lawyer said because he had just witnessed the inspector threat me.

    At this point the lead officer began to realize the situation was spinning out of control. The lead officer ordered the other officer to detain the inspector. Well, at this point the inspector went ballistic! Do you know who I am? I am an inspector of the Quebec government. I want all all your names. You will all be fired. I have the power of the Quebec government and all of you will not comply with my order. At this point my lawyer replied that we had the power of the Constitution of Canada and we invoke our right to refuse.

    The lead police ordered the officer in the hall to remove the inspector and detain him in one of the police cars in front of the building. At this time the lead police officer placed the remaining 2 officers at the front door of my office and asked my lawyer and myself if we could go inside and talk about what just happened. I said yes. This police officer was an old school cop. He knew this whole thing could get real serious.

    My lawyer informed the lead police officer that we intended to file a criminal and civil complaint against the inspector. And all the police officers would become witnesses. Well you should have seen the expression on his face. Then my lawyer added, you know this could take years. At this time the lead officer excused himself and made a call. He returned and asked my lawyer if there was anyway we could resolve this without all the long term legal problems? My lawyer and I spoke in another office and he told me I had a very good case. However, it could take years and take a lot of money. So, we filed a criminal complaint against the inspector and left at that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My lawyer said if anyone wants to get rid of the OQLF all you have to do is sue the inspector and the OQLF. This forces the OQLF to not only defend themselves but, the inspector too. After a couple of hundred lawsuits are filed there won't be a lot of people wanting to be inspectors. Since these independent lawsuits against these inspectors can go on for years. I wonder how long it would take the Quebec government to cut these inspectors loose to fend for themselves. Or better yet shut down the OQLF. By the way I have not a visit from OQLF since then.

      Oh' one last comment. The reason why the OQLF would lose in court. In Canada the accused has the right to confront his accuser. Can't do that when the accuser is a anonymous phone call. I heard the Federal government wants to build national zoo. It wouldn't cost too much because all they would have to do is build a fence around Quebec.

      Delete
    2. "In Canada the accused has the right to confront his accuser."

      And yet one of the clauses in Bill 14, should it pass, is to eliminate just that. You can be fined, prosecuted and sentenced by a judge for a so-called offense (i.e. displaying or speaking English in a place of business) without ever being aware of it!

      Delete
    3. @BBQ'ed Quebec Flags

      "You can be fined, prosecuted and sentenced by a judge for a so-called offense (i.e. displaying or speaking English in a place of business)..."

      that's false. you can post as much english as you wish, mate. you'll only be fined if you don't include a french translation on your display.

      more importantly, why do you think it's fine to propagate falsities?

      Delete
  35. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 5:10:00 PM EDT

    Alberta floods to get $1B boost from province.
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/06/24/calgary-flooding-downtown-water-nenshi-status.html

    If this would have occured in quebec I can guarantee that ma tante Pauline would be urging for Ottawa monies to cover the disaster. LOL! And she would find a way to insult the federal gov't by saying they're against quebeckers or some other dumb comments...
    --------------------
    On another topic, the federal equalization transfer payments are up for review in 2014 and those provinces in the Have category and even those smaller provinces in the Have-Not side are more than pissed off with Quebec being on the dole while refusing to capitalized on its own natural resources to boost its (and Canada's) economy yet still offering social programs well beyond their means or even the means of the Have provinces. There will be a day of reckoning for Quebec and few in the ROC are sympathetic to whining, political extortion and let's not forget their frequent insults to the English courtesy of the language police! If Quebec can afford $7/day child care programs and the lowest university tuitions in the country, they don't need subsidies from provinces that can not afford them and are utilizing their natural resources to to build a national economy while Quebec doesn't develop theirs for either themselves or the country - just getting off equalization transfers would give the ROC an economic boost! Given all the resources, political influence, population and location, Quebec should be a leading economic powerhouse but instead is an embarrassment to themselves and Canada - shame shame shame!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it has been going on for years due to gutless politicians in Ottawa who will not act in a responsible fashion to the ROC. You are absolutely right, however, in that the ROC and especially the West know full well about all the social programs and cheap university tuition in Quebec (thanks to blogs such as this and recent media attention that Quebec has brought to itself) that is being financed by a lot of hard working people in those "have" provinces you mention. You know the ones, des maudit anglos de l'ouest de Quebec.

      Delete
    2. LD

      I've had a few good friends from Alberta come here to Montreal to persue their under-Grad and graduate degrees precisely because of the affordable tuition rates. More Canadians should take advantage as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather a fellow Canadian benefit from cheap tuition than a foreigner that has no intention of living in this country.

      Delete
    3. Don't let that news get out LD - there will be a law against it shortly - lol. They would much rather have students from anywhere except Canada so they must have a law! Will be part of Bill 14 before they're through with that one.

      Delete
    4. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 6:43:00 PM EDT

      Tuitions for non-quebecois are more expensive. Check it out...

      Delete
    5. LD

      Free to move to Quebec and live here then enroll in university. Non-issue.

      Delete
    6. Then you have to pay the Quebec taxes which are high...I think you need to establish residence for a minimum period as well...Just my thoughts, my daughter graduated from McGill and she paid about 6,000.00 per year. A friend of hers from France got the local rate of 1628.00 at the time. That's makes a lot of sense , doesn't it.

      Silly is as Silly does.

      Delete
  36. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 5:12:00 PM EDT

    Radical socialist and sovereingist Mathieu Bock-Cote lost it big time in his rag:
    http://blogues.journaldemontreal.com/bock-cote/general/notre-seul-pays/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yeah.

      But here's the thing - read the comments.

      I pointed this out last night and it didn't get much of a reaction, but if you take a look at what people are writing, the vast majority are telling him he's out of his mind and that Quebec is a part of Canada.

      I thought is was kind of weird to see so many pro-federalist posters...but it shows that the sovereignist movement truly is dead.

      Delete
    2. @anonymous coward

      "but it shows that the sovereignist movement truly is dead."

      no it doesn't. it only means a few federalists posted their viewon bock-coté's blog.

      if it was dead, you wouldn't have a separatist party in power. don't you agree?

      Delete
    3. Alors ugBSdf?Les saucisses allemandes ont-elles le même goût que les saucisses des canadiens?

      Delete
    4. RIP Sovereignty:

      For resisting an attempt to overthrow her as leader of the Parti Québécois, Pauline Marois last year was dubbed "the Concrete Lady."

      Now the nickname has taken on a new meaning. The premier has become a weight on the PQ, dragging down its popularity.

      That's one conclusion to be drawn from the results of the latest Léger poll for The Gazette and Le Devoir. The results give PQ members something to ponder as the summer political off-season begins.

      It was already apparent from Marois's nine-month-old PQ government's lack of focus that for all her experience as a cabinet minister, she was not ready to be premier. In spite of that, though, she apparently remains popular with PQ supporters. Of the leaders of the three major parties in the National Assembly, she has the highest approval rating among her own party's supporters in Léger's "barometer" of provincial political personalities.

      Eighty-eight per cent of PQ supporters have a "good opinion" of Marois, to 80 per cent of Liberals for Philippe Couillard and 82 per cent of supporters of the Coalition Avenir Québec party for François Legault, the poll found.

      The problem for Marois is that there are fewer PQ supporters left.

      Only 27 per cent of voters expressing a party preference supported the PQ, down from an already-low 32 per cent of the vote in last September's general election.

      Léger's findings are similar to those of another firm, CROP, which were reported in La Presse on Thursday.

      One reason for the PQ's declining popularity is dissatisfaction with the government's performance. That dissatisfaction has already reached record levels for so early in a government's term and is rising steadily.

      In the Léger poll, 70 per cent of voters said they are dissatisfied with the government, to only 26 per cent who are satisfied. That inevitably reflects on Marois's leadership. It may not have helped the government's satisfaction rating that Léger's question mentioned the premier by name, referring to "the government of Quebec led by Pauline Marois."

      Among voters in general, Marois appears to be the most unpopular politician in Quebec provincial politics. In Léger's barometer, 56 per cent of voters said they have a "bad opinion" of Marois, to only 31 per cent who gave her a positive rating. That gave her a negative balance of 25 (31 per cent with a good opinion of her to 56 per cent with a poor one), the worst of any of the 62 personalities mentioned in the poll. The 56 per cent who had a poor opinion of her was also the highest in that category.

      As for the other leaders, Liberal Couillard topped the barometer with 48 per cent of voters having a good opinion of him. Next was Québec solidaire's leader in the Assembly, Françoise David, at 44 per cent, followed by the CAQ's Legault, at 42 per cent.

      Three PQ personalities did better than Marois in the barometer — including Bernard Drainville, the minister for political reforms and a possible leadership candidate.

      Another possible candidate to replace Marois, the always-available Gilles Duceppe, was not mentioned in the poll.

      And if you were wondering about the anglos' friend, Jean-François Lisée, he ranked below Marois, with only 29 per cent of voters having a good opinion of him.

      There's one more piece of evidence that Marois is a drag on her party's popularity. Among all voters, including those who declined to express a party preference, 22 per cent said they would vote for the PQ. But only 15 per cent of all voters chose Marois as the party leader who would make the best premier. So the poll results make it even clearer to PQ members what their party's problem is. The problem is Pauline. And with that, this column goes on vacation until July 30. Have a happy and safe summer.

      Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Macpherson+Concrete+Lady+Pauline+Marois+dragging+party+down/8563545/story.html#ixzz2XBCnRSOE

      Delete
    5. BTW kinda strange to see seppies commenting on this blog today of all days.

      Shouldn't they be out celebrating Defeated Welfare Colon Day right now?

      Or wait...that's not it's official name of today's celebration is it?

      Was it Uneducated Self-Righteous Indian Rapist Day?

      Delete
    6. @anonymous coward

      why did you chose the low road, mate?

      Delete
    7. "why did you chose the low road, mate?"

      Maybe (if you're lucky) I'll respond to you if you work on your grammar.

      Actually, that's imperative - improve your grammar and capitalize as is fit otherwise...


      ...troll on winnah.

      Delete
  37. FROM E4D

    http://www.barenakedislam.com/2012/12/29/let-the-riots-begin-france-slashes-welfare-benefits-to-muslim-parasites-by-a-whopping-83/ Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FROM ED
      If you use the link that I pasted above, don't include my name (Ed) at the end.

      Delete
    2. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 6:40:00 PM EDT

      Islam, particularly extremists and Islamists are probably the #1 threat to western civilization.
      Kinda makes one miss the good old soviet days...

      Delete
  38. So sad - the Fete national party on the beach is now encountering severe thunderstorms and a tornado watch is in effect. Perhaps karma reaching out. Funny how life works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Imaginez le 1 Juillet à calgary.

      Ça va sentir le cowboy mouillé "Lol"

      Delete
    2. SR (aka asshole)

      Your really are a sick f'k pissing on people whom have been devastated by a natural disaster.

      Better check out back in the day of the Ice Storm where your generators came from at no charge.

      How much has Quebec donated to the hardworking people of Alberta that contribute a great deal of money to your "have not" province.

      J'espere vous ayant beaucoup biere cette soire et aussi un grande mal tete en la matin demaine.

      And you wonder why people despise your lot.

      Delete
    3. OMG RAIN!! GOD AND MOTHER NATURE HATE THE SEPARATISTS. WE'VE GOT THEM ON OUR SIDE! VICTORY!!!

      Delete
    4. "whom have been devastated by a natural disaster"

      L'exploitation des sables bitumineux n'est pas une catastrophe naturelle. "Lol"

      Delete
  39. UN GARS BIEN SYMPATHIQUE DE FRANKFORTMonday, June 24, 2013 at 7:04:00 PM EDT

    Ma tante Pauline to pimp apple pies to Mexicans...
    http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique-quebecoise/201306/24/01-4664428-pauline-marois-dirigera-cette-semaine-une-mission-economique-au-mexique.php
    WTF?

    ReplyDelete
  40. FROM ED
    Ya know, I can't help thinking; I was enjoying reading the posts on Young Boch Cote's blog. Most of the posters sound very Federal at heart. They're telling him Quebec is not our country, Canada is. It is painstakingly slow for me to read French compared to my English speed read but it occurred to me that's why I know so little about these people because I don't read or listen to them. It further strikes me that it works two ways. Unilingual French could read more English if our blogs had a transpose in them. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "... it occurred to me that's why I know so little about these people because I don't read or listen to them."

      It is funny how one can have something so obvious before his eyes without seeing it, and then, one day, all a sudden, one sees it.

      Delete
    2. Michel,

      In a similar vein, perhaps one day you'll realize the devastating impact separatists have had on the economy of Montreal and Quebec as a whole.

      Delete
    3. @ed

      "...it occurred to me that's why I know so little about these people because I don't read or listen to them."

      facepalm.

      go learn french. then go read french stuff. then come back. just then might you be less useless.

      Delete
  41. FROM ED
    Poor Matt Cote and Duceppe not getting the rwsults they hoped for. It lokks like the mjority of French are waking up. 35 out of 50 osts were for Federalism. Ed

    From Mastt Block Cote's people.
    Jean Duceppe made a speech saying, “Quebec is our only country.”

    Robert Patry dit :
    23 juin 2013 à 15 h 31 min
    Les séparatistes sont minoritaires, ils ont toujours été minoritaires et ils seront toujours minoritairs. Vous n”avez même pas gagné un seul sondage sur le sujet alors notre pays à nous la majorité est le Canada.
    Nous n’avons pas besoin de cette fête concoctée avec vos discours patriotiques séparatistes qui n’ont pas de fin. Ralliez-vous donc à la majorité et arrêtez de nuire à l’avancement du Québec.

    23 juin 2013 à 12 h 53 min
    De quel droit affirmez-vous que le Québec est notre pays ? Avons-nous obtenu l indépendance cette nuit ? Et si les fetes de la St-Jean sont de plus en plus ignorées, c est justement a cause de gens comme vous qui ne veulent pas accepter que nous vivons dans une province distincte oui, mais qui fait partie de Canada.
    Jean Côté dit :
    Justement, non.
    La St-Jean est la fête nationale de tous les Québécois, elle devrait de refléter ce que sont les Québécois. Et la majorité des Québécois ne sont pas pour la séparation, ne partagent pas les aspirations souverainistes d’une minorité. Quand vous dites que le Québec est notre seul pays et que le Canada est un pays étranger, vous parlez au nom d’une minorité.
    C’est la fête des Québécois, pas de la souveraineté. C’est pas normal que la majorité des Québécois ne soient pas considérés comme des “vrais Québécois.”

    Le Canada et un pays étranger pour 20% de la population du Québec qui considère la France comme leur pays. Cette France qui a échangé ses “quelques arpents de neige” contre le sucre de la Martinique et de Guadeloupe et les poissons de St-Pierre et Miquelon pour arrêter la guerre avec ses cousins anglais. Pour 100% des québécois, Kanesatake, Kanawake et autres territoires très réservé où le non respect de nos lois et où l’anglais domine, sont des “vrais” pays étrangers.

    jrnelson dit :
    23 juin 2013 à 13 h 13 min
    quel est la différence entre un québécois et un américain? un américain aime son drapeau 365 jours par année,le québécois une seule avec une caisse de 24

    jrnelson dit :
    quel est la différence entre un québécois et un américain? un américain aime son drapeau 365 jours par année,le québécois une seule avec une caisse de 24
    Jocelyn Bonnier dit :
    23 juin 2013 à 16 h 05 min
    « le Canada est un pays étranger», vous pouvez vous répéter ça tant que vous voulez, comme un mantra ou une prière religieuse, mais la réalité en est autrement.
    Regardez sur votre passeport, le nom du pays qui y est inscrit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. robert patry complains about the lenght of the patriotic speech. seems like a modest anti-intellectual simple man to me. he says he doesn't need this day, as if french canadians should be the only nation in the world without a national celebration day. seems like an idiot to me, mate.

      next guy doesn't even know that pays has many definitions. a pays doesn't have to be a political entity to exist. then he lies about declining attendance to the celebrations, then he incongruously laments that separatists don't accept that quebec remains a canadian province. well what did you expect, mate?!?!

      you next philosopher here jean coté is totally off. he bitches that the st-jean should be the national holiday of all quebeckers. he seems to be unaware that st-jean-the-baptist is the patron saint of all french canadians. and that the name of the celebration in quebec has been changed recently to fete nationale in order for it to be more inclusive. then he writes the celebration should reflect the political stance of the federalist majority. what? the st-jean should be another canada day?!? nonsense.

      then jrnelson carries on with a little smear. smears are always to be frowned upon, ed. not copy and pasted from on blog to another.

      finally another denying simpleton jocelyn bonnier who can't fathom there could be a few levels of understanding to the pays concept.

      ed! were there any valid comments from federalists or were they all from braindeads?

      Delete
    2. Looks like we hit a chord.

      Student can't accept that the sovereignist is dead.

      Everyone (with brains, I mean) clearly sees viewpoints like those of Bock-Cote's as little more than the rant of a desparate racist who knows his ticket is up.

      Welcome to the new world.

      Delete
    3. FROM ED
      What most seemed upset about is that Duceppe's speech implied that St. Jean day is for separatists only. They remind Cote that the 66% of French who are Federalist have the right to celebrate too. Is there a strong need here for separation of Church and state? There's no question that separatism which is their whole program is dead. A poll confirming this should be enough for a call for an election. Ed

      Delete