French versus English Volume 100

Quebec’s getting more equalization money from Ottawa next year.

Attention Mario Beaulieu !... Add this to your Quebec-bashing report!

"According to federal finance ministry numbers posted online Tuesday, Ontario will receive just under $2 billion from the feds in 2014-15, down from $3.2 billion this year.
Quebec will see its piece of the equalization pie rise to $9.3 billion next year from $7.8 billion in 2013-14.
Equalization payments go to so-called "have not" provinces to ensure that Canadians get access to comparable level of services regardless of where they live in the country.
The Stephen Harper government was not pleased when Ontario, the most populous province in the country, became eligible for equalization payments for the first time in 2009-10.
Quebec's equalization payment next year will be larger than its Canada Health Transfer or its Canada Social Transfer.
Other provinces in line for the payouts are P.E.I. at $360 million, Nova Scotia at $1.6 billion, New Brunswick at $1.7 billion and Manitoba at $1.8 billion.
The remaining provinces are not eligible for equalization." Read more at Sun News

Here are two predictions  cocerning this piece of news;
The Quebec government will not say 'Thank-you, Canada' and
defenders of the Quebec model will remind Canadians that per capita, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI, get more equalization money than Quebec.

Now I'd like to make a point about these transfers from the federal government and Quebec's hypocritical position.

Last Spring, Nicolas Marceau, Quebec's finance minister dredged up the old complaint of the so-called 'fiscal imbalance,' whereby it is claimed that Ottawa takes out too high a proportion of taxes and leaves the provinces (read;Quebec) scrambling to pick up the crumbs.

 "Quebec fears Ottawa is trying to balance its budget on its back and plunge both levels of government in fiscal imbalance....." 
....Mr. Marceau believes that there is a disproportion between the tax revenue of each level of government and services to the population for which it is responsible. "The unilateral decisions taken by the federal government lead us to believe that Ottawa wants to clean up its finances on the backs of the provinces," mentioned the Quebec minister. Link

A decade ago, Quebec was so concerned about the 'problem' that it created a commission to study the so-called 'fiscal imbalance."
Its conclusion was not surprising;

"This situation can be summed up fairly easily: the federal government occupies too must tax room compared to its responsibilities." Link

But what everyone fails to understand is that the fiscal imbalance (if it exists) FAVOURS QUEBEC!!!
Let me explain;
Every time Ottawa takes taxes out of the provinces, it returns the money disproportionately, with Quebec the largest benificiary.

Let's take the equalization program as an example.
The federal government collects $17 billion in taxes across Canada to fund the program. Quebec contributes around 18% of that total, or $3 billion, but takes out 55% or $9.3 billion.
The same goes for programs like Employment Insurance, where Quebec also gets back more than it pays in, by about $1 billion as well.
By the way, Quebec then stupidly complains that the feds are unfairly skimming the surplus from the EI fund, when in fact, any amounts of money they do skim, is returned to Quebec disproportionatly!

It's simple, the more Ottawa taxes all of Canada, the better Quebec makes out, it isn't rocket science.
Quebec contributes about 18% of federal taxes, but receives back about 25% of the benefits.
If Ottawa taxed an extra $10 billion from across Canada, Quebec would contribute  about $1.8 billion, yet would receive about $2.5 billion back.
Complaining about the fiscal imbalance is the very embodiment of  looking a gift horse in the mouth. (à cheval donné, on ne regarde pas la denture)
If Ottawa was to tax less, Quebec would be the biggest loser.

Quebec’s credit rating downgraded to negative from stable  

And the outlook is....."Minable!"

"Fitch Ratings has downgraded its outlook on Quebec’s credit rating to negative from stable.
The agency said on Friday the revision to the long-term rating reflects the decision of the Quebec government to push back its zero-deficit target to fiscal 2016 from 2014.
“The delay is based on slower economic and revenue performance since the fiscal 2014 budget was tabled and the consequent reduction in forecast economic and revenue growth thereafter,” the agency said in a news release.
In reaction to the downgraded outlook, Despicable She pooh-poohed the whole affair as not a big deal.
Journalists reported that Fitch was actually on the verge of downgrading its rating of Quebec, instead of just the outlook and it took an intervention by the PQ with Fitch to avoid that calamity.
Nothing is known about what the PQ promised behind closed doors.

In a further interview Pauline then said that the downgrade was the fault of the previous Liberal government.
Hmmm, wonder what she will say next year, when she blows the budget again?

...meanwhile  Canadian Business reported;

"Looking for work? You're in luck; employers seem to be in a hiring mood. There were more than half a million-job openings in Canada in November, a 22% jump over the same period last year, according to new data from Workopolis.
The online job site is reporting year-over-year increases in job postings in every employment category and every region of the country, except Quebec where the number of job postings declined 4%."   Link

Pauline in Paris

It was a meeting of the like-minded in Paris as Pauline Marois met with French president Francois

Hollande.
La Pauline can take comfort that she is twice as popular in Quebec as Hollande is in France, although that isn't saying much.
Pauline has an approval rating of 32%, a number Hollande can only dream of. The sad sack French president stands at an approval rating of just 15%, which has to be the lowest approval rating for any  leader in the developed world.

Hollande and Marois struck it off so well that La Pauline actually referred to the French president by his first name in public, a diplomatic gaffe that he seemed to forgive.

Mr. Hollande gave open support for Quebec's Charter of Values, secure in the knowledge that it was inspired to a great extent by French legislation limiting religious freedoms in France.

Perhaps in private he told Marois that after the Quebec legislation is passed, the province could expect to enjoy the same wonderful race relations as exist in France.

Feeling particularly chummy, Marois took advantage of their mutual admiration, by asking for a favour.
She asked the French president to give Quebec its own seat at the climate conference to be held in Paris in 2015.
She told Hollande that it would be greatly appreciated because Quebec has a different position on climate change as compared to Canada.

Maria Mourani stabs sovereignty movement in the back

Maria Mourani accepts separatist award from smiling Mario Beaulieu....this photo from her personal website pulled today!  I've got two words for Ms. Mourani......"STATUS UPDATE"

It's a long road from being named Patriot of the Year by the separatist Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste in 2012, to becoming a declared federalist, one who publicly denounces the sovereignty movement and vaunts the advantages of Canada.

"Maria Mourani, former Bloc Québécois MP who quit the party after a disagreement over Quebec’s proposed secularism charter says she’s no longer a sovereigntist.

Maria Mourani made the announcement in an open letter, where she writes that she’s leaving the “independentist” movement because it has changed for the worse.

She writes that she now believes federalism is the best way to defend minority rights.

Mourani says she’s remaining as an independent MP and won’t join a new political party for now." Link

Mouraini was particularly stinging in an open letter in which she embraced Canadian federalism and trashed the PQ and Quebec's Charter of Rights.

She dumped sovereignty after a long career as a useful idiot, a rare ethnic who supported Quebec indenedance.
Here's a small translation of part of  the open letter she penned.;

"Canada, the best defense for our Quebec identity
"The ease with which the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of Quebec may be modified or terminated, convinced me of the relevance of the Canadian federal system. I came to the conclusion that my membership in Canada, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, better protects the Quebec identity of all citizens and all citizens of Quebec. I'm no longer an independantist. "

The pill is particularly bitter for the PQ and hard line sovereigntists like Mario Beaulieu, head of the SSJB who couldn't hide his disappointment in saying;

"She won the prize for her past actions, but to claim that the Canadian Charter protects the Quebec identity, we would like to know where and how," said Beaulieu.

"The Charter was used to defeat Bill 101, promoting multiculturalism an attempt to drown the Quebec identity. It's really disappointing from Maria Mourani, "said he added Link{fr}

Her about face on sovereignty is a real disaster for the PQ and separatist insiders must be fretting mightily. Her defection to the federalist cause is a clear signal to ethnics that they have no role to play in the sovereignty movement and if she chooses to become a militant spokesperson, she will no doubt remain a festering open sore that threatens to become a gangrenous infection.

Emotional  denunciations from separatists are pouring in at the moment, but after some time for considered reflection, sovereigntists against the charter (yes, there are many) will be emboldened and openly question the Marois' and the PQ's policy of alienation.

One last note on the subject.
The whole Mourani affair is a lesson in political amateurism.
I don't want to overly dump on Daniel Paillé, the ex-leader of the Bloc who resigned over health issues, but truth be told, it was he who brought on all this misery to the sovereignty movement by kicking  Mouraini out of the PQ caucus in a fit of pique.
At the time, the Bloc hadn't even pronounced or taken a position on the Charter and how much better would it have been to allow a little dissent.
Compare Paillé's handling of Mouraini with that of Philippe Couillard's handling of Fatima Houda-Pepin, who like Mourani broke ranks with the Quebec Liberal party over the Charter. Instead of kicking her out of the caucus, the Liberal leader met her half way and kept the disagreement from causing extensive damage.
You may want to call Couillard a flip-flopper on the issue of the Charter, but he's doing the best he can to take away the PQ's only election issue.
It isn't pretty, but that is politics. Those who say Couillard isn't leadership material are either his enemies or just don't understand the art of politics, like Daniel Paillé, who by the way, at his press conference announcing his decision to resign, looked about as healthy as did Jack Layton did at his last press conference.

OQLF Creole-gate affair proves that a leopard can't change its spots.

As you've no doubt heard the OQLF has once again made fools of themselves by intervening in  affairs that they by law and regulation have no right to do.
Another infamous anonymous complaint led to the OQLF demanding that two Creole-speaking Haitins at work in a hospital address each other in French , even when speaking in private.
Listen to a sad interview  by Barry Morgan of Montreal radio station CJAD with an OQLF spokesperson

The hospital wasn't amused with the complaint and went public with the issue to humiliate the OQLF.
Mission accomplished.
Once again the OQLF displays its uncontrollable obsession with eliminating English from the workplace, legally or illegally.
While the spokesman claimed innocently that the OQLF was just investigating and that there was no disposition of the affair, the truth is that in sending a letter warning the hospital that it faces a $20,000 fine was just a plain old-fashioned case of extra-judicial intimidation.

At any rate, the hospital over-reacted. They could have safely told the OQLF to stuff it, because unless the OQLF was willing to reveal the identity of the anonymous complainer, there  is no case.

Let me explain....
The OQLF can follow-up on an anonymous complaint when it is about a sign, website or advertising material. They just need to verify the actual material themselves and the complainer's name is of no import.
But when the anonymous person complains about a scene that he witnessed and one that the OQLF cannot verify in any way, shape, or form, no reasonable investigation can take place if the alleged guilt institution is deprived of the abilty to make an independent determination by confronting the accuser and the veracity of the complaint.
The OQLF would be laughed out of court if they pursued a case based on a complaint by an anonymous witness, who they will not identify or present in court.
In order to be more politic, the hospital should have  just have written to the OQLF demanding to know when and where the incident happened and in front of whom. Otherwise, they could not make any determination.
The OQLF, refusing to reveal its source would abandon its case quickly.


Let me add a contrasting footnote to the story .
In Toronto a restaurant, the Papillon on the Park, (which incidentally is Quebec-owned) was held liable  by the Ontario Human Rights Commission to pay three employees $100,000 in damages for abusive practices;
The allegations;

• A cook  was forced to taste a dish containing pork, contrary to his religious beliefs
• An employee was forced to work on the day of Eid al-Fitr
• A Complainant was treated as "crazy" because he refused to eat a meat pie during the Ramadan fast
• An Employee was forced to speak English rather than Bengali in the kitchen
• A complainant was threatened to be replaced by white employees

In Quebec, the Charter of Secularism would deem refusing to taste pork an unreasonable accommodation because it is part of the job and asking for a day off for a religious, but non provincial holiday, also an unreasonable accommodation.

And of course the Pièce de résistance, being fined for forcing employees to speak a common language.

Which side of the Quebec/Ontario border is the Twilight Zone?

Read the story in English or en français

Between a rock and a French place

In light of the Supreme Court's rejection of the Harper paln to install a single national regulatory agency to regulate all of Canada's stock market, the feds have thrown the language issue back into Quebec's court as it pertains to the issue of French translations of prospecti (the formal legal document, which provides details about an investment offering for sale.) 
In the past many companies provided brief summaires in French based on the more complete English version, something that the organization that does the translations objects to. They appealed to the PQ government to make complete translations mandatory, but the PQ government is stalling.

The reason  that  the PQ is balking on supporting the translators is because it is faced with a bitter dose of reality.
Over the last three years over 1200 issues weren't translated into French at all, with companies telling unilingual francophone investors to lump it or leave it.
But banning these issues from being sold in Quebec is not the same as banning English toys like Buzz Lightyear. Telling brokers that they can't sell issues that don't provide a French language prospectus would penalize Quebec investors adversely. It would also lead to Quebec investors moving their brokerage account to Toronto or Ottawa, after all it's all done online anyway.

So the Quebec government is in a fine language pickle.
Imposing the language law on Quebec brokers will do more harm than good and so in the spirit of cooperation the Finance Minister's department is talking 'compromise'.
Read a detailed story in French

Really?.....

France is actually looking to Quebec for advice in how to combat its high-school drop-out rate; Link{fr}

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The Quebec government is advertising for university students in France in order to fill empty classrooms.
One of the benefits, according to the government is "an interactive Anglo-Saxon experience" Link{fr}

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After the PQ came to power a very good friend of Pauline Marois and hubby Claude Blanchet, Jean-Yves Duthel, was given a $90,000 for a one-year contract to represent Investissement Québec, in Germany, a kissoff job from the boss.

But before he took up the position the office of the  Directeur général des élections announced that it
was going to charge Duthel over an alleged illegal $500 campaign contribution.

And so the government decided that Mr. Dutel wasn't apt to take the job, to which Duthel took exception and threatened to sue.
And so, the government paid him $50,000 to end the contract.
Mr. Duthel never worked a day.   Not kidding. Link{fr}

By the way, Mr. Duthel is Pauline Marois' biographer.

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 I've written before on how Quebecers are Canada's cheapskates when it comes to donations.

A new study confirms that this year once again, for the 15th year in a row, Quebec has maintained its miserly position.

Quebecers give on average  about $615 to charity as compared to Canada which gives more than double that amount. Link{fr}

I daresay that the average would plummet if the donations from the very engaged Quebec Anglophones and particularly the Quebec Jewish community, were removed from the calculations.

The Quebec Jewish community raises almost as much money for Jewish charities as does all of Centraide and Jews generously contribute outside their community as well.

At any rate, a TV panel led by the esteemed Richard Martineau explained away the anomaly by claiming that Quebecers are certainly as generous as other Canadians, its just that they are taxed heavily and have mandated the government to donate for them. Ha!!!

What a load of crap.

Put aside the donation question and I'd like the panel to explain why Quebecers are also in last place in donating their time to charitable organizations.

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