Wednesday, December 11, 2013

PQ Faces Disastrous 2014

When the PQ was first elected last year, I wrote a couple of pieces describing how grossly under-qualified I believed the Marois cabinet was. I'm sure some wrote off my missives as the rantings of a disgruntled angryphone, strumming on the harp of discord and finding fault, no matter what.

But it's not really the case.
In the past we've had PQ governments that were largely competent or at least as competent as any Liberal government (which isn't saying much.) The fact that they were sovereigntist was largely beside the point.

It's hard to compare the likes of René Levesque, Pierre-Marc Johnson, Lucien Bouchard and even Bernard Landry and Jacques Parizeau and their governments, to that of Pauline Marois and her merry band of incompetents.
It's not a case of comparing apples to oranges, but rather a case of comparing dollars to donuts.

I know I'll catch a lot of crap for saying that in my estimation the above-mentioned gentlemen towered over Despicable She in so many ways that to compare her intelligence, political savvyiness and sense of public duty with them, an exercise in futility.

All these ex-Premiers were ardent separatists, but never forgot that they were the Premier of ALL Quebecers and always strived to be as inclusive as they could and never singled out the Anglos or Ethnics in order to practice the wedge politics of division.
When Parizeau slipped up and in the heat of the moment whilst in the cups and made some injudicious statements after the referendum, he did the honourable thing and resigned.
Could you imagine under which circumstances la Pauline would resign over an ethical question? NEVER!
I remain convinced that Parizeau wasn't a racist or language supremacist nor any of the other Premiers, who all shared the common trait of being highly intelligent and socially and politically responsible.

But Pauline is different.
A racist, supremacist, ethno-centrist, or a virulent and uncompromising separatist?

Nope, she is none of the above...she is worse.

Pauline has no idea and no ideology other than the preservation and advancement of herself as Premier.
Power for power's sake and damn the consequences (and there are plenty of negative consequences!)

She reminds me of those current world leaders who would rather see their country go down the tube, rather than give up power. There's at least half a dozen idiots, running their respective countries into the ground that I think can of, off the top of my head.
I won't mention those leaders here, I'll leave that up to the readers to do so in the comments section, because  if I compare her mentality to that of those destructive megalomaniacs, it will be misconstrued as the ranting of a angryphone à la Galganov.

The other day I caught a show with one of my favourite political commentators, Jean Lapierre, a straight shooter, who has the political experience as an ex-Liberal party cabinet minister and Paul Martin's Quebec lieutenant, to back up his observations with authority.
He told his interviewer that its time to dump the sad sack minister of the Environment, Martine Ouellet who has as he claimed demonstrated herself to be incredibly inept.

Now I've told you way back when that despite her education, she seems to be completely lost in the real world, someone who may be book smart, but woefully asea..

For those who haven't seen this clip of her floundering badly in an interview with a Radio-Canada reporter, who is visibly stunned at the minister's lack of comprehension, give a look.
In this clip, the minister fails to understand what a loan guarantee is, as the polite, but incredulous reporter, gently tries to explain exactly what it is, to Quebec's very own version of James Hacker.



Let me make it simple for our idiot minister.

Imagine your brother going to the bank for a car loan and being told that if he could get you to guarantee the loan, (because he hasn't got good credit and you do,) he'd be eligible for a reduced interest rate, saving him $900 in interest over the term of the loan.
And so you, being a good sister, sign the loan guarantee, understanding that you'll only be liable to pay, in the case of default.
If your brother makes good on all the payments in a timely manner, it costs you nothing.......

Somehow, Madame Ouellet figures that the $900 in interest that your brother saved, is coming out of your pocket. She repeats that notion several times! I'm surprised the interviewer didn't break out laughing.
And this is the idiot charged with developing policy for the future of Quebec's resource industry. 

She is but an example of the team of lightweights in the Marois cabinet, all punching above their weight.
From the Minister of Revenue who can't do addition and subtraction and resorts to a number of 'oopsys' to explain his miscalculations,  to the the Family Minister who would rather create new daycare slots when empty ones already exist within the system, to Pauline herself who insists on investing in costly new wind power electricity projects when Quebec is sitting on a surplus of electricity and perfectly good  power plants, mothballed because of over-capacity.

But aside from this crisis in leadership and competence, the PQ government is also facing deteriorating market and employment conditions, an aging population as well as an approaching debt ceiling and a finite tax base, the confluence of negative conditions, the harbinger of  an economic Perfect Storm.

Now in a rare moment of lucidity, the finance minister, Nicholas Marceau has told us that he cannot raise taxes any higher, admitting that there is just no more room to gouge Quebecers further without affecting Quebec's competitive position.
There is already a 10 cent difference in the price of gas between Montreal and Toronto, and so how much higher can the gap be raised before the rules of economics kick in?
Provincial sales tax just jumped to almost 10% and the health tax brought in by Charest hasn't been repealed, a promise made by Pauline during the last provincial election campaign.

Aside from that, homeowners were targeted by massive increases in school taxes, a result of Marois cutting the educational budgets and telling the school boards to tax the difference back directly.
After that fiasco and the public outrage that ensued over the increases, Marois demanded that the school boards give the money back, but never explained how to make up the shortfall.
How's that for improvisation!

In fact, since 2010, the government has added over 5 billion in new taxes, yet still cannot balance the budget.
Quebec's  $2.5 billion deficit this year would have almost doubled if not for an extraordinary $2.2 billion payment made by Ottawa in relation to the harmonization of sales tax, but that won't happen again next year.

To make matters worse, the bottom has fallen out of the electricity market, ironically because of the Americans fully embracing shale gas development, an energy source that undercuts production costs of standard hydro-electric generation, Quebec's bailiwick.

While Quebec soldiers on with wasteful wind-farms and the unneeded development of the massive La Romaine power project, the message hasn't sunk in that the hydro-electric ship has sailed.

Quite simply Quebec is out of financial options. At least Jean Charest realized that natural resource development was the last chance towards prosperity and so created the 'Plan Nord,' which the PQ and environmentalists fought tooth and nail.

After three failed attempts to pass a mining Bill, one that started out with the goal of gouging developers out of existence, our enlightened Natural Resource Minister (who doesn't understand what a loan guarantee is)  was finally forced on her fourth attempt into a humiliating compromise, which at any rate, may be too little and too late.
"The Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based think tank, ranked Quebec as the most attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining activity between 2007 and 2010 but the province has since slipped to 11th place." Link
Under the PQ, business is wary to invest and who can honestly blame them?
Between long regulatory delays, endless BAPE hearings, shifting regulations and high taxes and labour costs, investing in banana republics and war-torn countries, actually becomes a more attractive alternative!

And so going into next year, we have already been promised another deficit, as well as the year after. The finance minister, crossing his fingers, predicts that in 2017 perhaps the budget will be balanced but really, who can believe that.

The truth is that the province can no longer generate enough revenues to cover the budget, this even after massive transfers from Ottawa and the future looks bleaker as health costs (our biggest expense
continues) to rise with our aging population,
While the PQ is talking about putting a cap on expenses, it hasn't really worked out with spending increasing beyond revenue growth.

There is no solution but deep cuts to existing programs, but what PQ government is going to do that, an admission that the Quebec social model has failed?

So what will 2014 bring?...............More of the same I'm afraid.

Political expediency being what it is, the CAQ is deathly afraid of being voted out of existence,and so will support any nonsense put forward by the Marois government, as long as they are allowed to save face and given the opportunity to 'contribute' to the proposed legislation, something La Pauline will certainly allow.
After all, remaining in power is the be all and end all.

As the economy deteriorates, and the financial situation sinks further, look to the PQ to ramp up  the rhetoric against Ottawa, blaming the financial problems on the  mythical 'fiscal imbalance' ( a concept where Ottawa takes too large a slice of the available national tax pie.)
The narrative to be woven is that the evil ROC is stealing the hard-earned tax money of Quebecers to support a military-industrial complex which Quebec eschews, the Oil Sands which drives up the value of the dollar, expensive ship-building projects in other provinces and financial support of the hated Queen, the effect, short-changing Quebecers on every level.

This is going to be the debate of the future, because frankly, Quebec is unsustainable and when all else fails...Blame Canada.

Laughable?.......wait for it...it's coming.

130 comments:

  1. Perfectly timed piece to reflect the bullshit CROP report that was published this morning.

    44% support for sovereignty based on a swath of 1000 people?

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    Replies
    1. 44% that's pretty high. and when you factor in the traditional federalist bias of crop you get an even shinier outlook.

      are you scared mate?

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    2. Hmmm, non.

      1000 responders (via Internet)...that does not constitute a province-wide consensus. Skewing an online data collection is very easy.

      Also, where was the swath done? Did they swath 1000 participants from a seppie stronghold like Saguinay?

      How about where they advertised for participation in the poll - did they filter their participants through Le Devoir?

      Let's poll 5000 recipients from all corners of Quebec and then we'll have a real idea (I still think it's at the same 28 to 31% it was at two years ago).

      Oh and one last thing...even if it was 44% we all know plenty of OUI voters shit the bed at the last minute and place their checkmark next to the NON, so yeah, not really scared.

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    3. Well, someone has to be off in their methodology... This Leger poll from Dec 7th has support for sovereignty at 33%:
      http://www.ledevoir.com/documents/pdf/sondage7decembre.pdf

      And regardless of the true number, independence is not happening, for the same reason Marois has so quickly calling for control over Employment Insurance or the bridges: Quebec is broke.

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    4. @sylvain raciste

      haha. you conclude your comment by refering to a random old poll that used the very same methodology you tried your best to discredit in the same comment. how is that for ridiculous shooting in one's foot? continue writing mate it's amusing for our community.

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    5. @am

      "And regardless of the true number, independence is not happening, for the same reason (...): Quebec is broke."

      hum. quebec then needs to change something. the province thing doesn't work as you cleverly point out. it probably needs more freedom.

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    6. There we go… it had been several days now without the troll mentioning the always-unexplained, unsubstantiated benefits of “more freedom” that will somehow magically heal Quebec’s ills. It’s important to keep parroting PQ dogma because repetition will somehow make it true. Weaksauce, indeed.

      The fact that this is in reference to one of the most free societies the world has ever seen in its history makes this standard pequiste lie even more wicked and sinful.

      Delete
  2. The mind boggling thing is that after a year of this disastrous PQ government, they still have close to 40% support among francophone voters. You cannot tell me that these voters are thinking about the economy or healthcare or education. These voters are motivated by something completely different, fear and ignorance and a yearning to separate from Canada. There is no talking to these people. They believe their survival is at stake, the economy be dammed. We as Montrealers need to figure out a way to get as far away from these maniacs as possible before it's too late.

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    1. "You cannot tell me that these voters are thinking about the economy or healthcare or education."

      i can tell you that they think about many things mate, including culture, identity and separation from canada. and economy obviously. but they hesitate to switch from a new government that managed to cap its spending to a corrupted party that had nine years to prove its worth but didn't. i don't think fear and ignorance are significant factors in pq support.

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    2. @LD

      You are correct, these ignorant fools are just hell-bent on one thing and everything else be damned. Even those that know better, clearly don't give a crap..this made evident by that CJAD interview I listened to earlier, with our illustrious minister for Anglo MTL. Perhaps if MTL manages to distance itself from the ROQ, maybe it can salvage something....ITSELF. But right now, it is a speeding train headed for an economic derailment, a catastrophic one at that, it's just the Truth.

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    3. @hands off my hijab

      "But right now, it is a speeding train headed for an economic derailment, a catastrophic one at that, it's just the Truth."

      you should be an american preacher mate. you already have two required characteristics: you detain the truth and your fear speech is already run in.

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    4. student -
      Are you saying the PQ government capped spending..as far as I saw it is up 3.2 percent..more than expected and as you know the deficit is higher than last year even after promising it would be balanced only 3 months ago!!! This current PQ band of clowns is a farce..they cant even count a few months in advance..the minister of resources doenst know the difference between a loan and a loan guarantee. This band of fools priority is to divide Quebecers for their own political agenda..even if it impoverishes all Quebecers!!!

      All Quebecers prioroties based on a recent poll are the economy, jobs, taxes, debt, health...the charter of values is way down the list. This government is not solving the real problems but actually making them worse. And it is not Canada fault. Quebec has managed to rack up the highest debt in the country, have the worst economy, the worst infrastructure and the highest taxes despite receiving more money from Canada than any other province. Its total incompetence and mismanagement at the provincial level..and yes the Liberals were not much better but they were better than the current PQ government who will likely go down as the most incompetent group ever.

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    5. @complicated

      Wouldn't you love to translate what you just said into French, stick it up high on a bill board off the 20 for all to see? Heck, stick it up everywhere. Lol

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    6. @complicated

      "Are you saying the PQ government capped spending..as far as I saw it is up 3.2 percent..more than expected..."

      yes i am. as far as i saw it's 2%. on target. and half the average increase under the last liberal rule.

      check this out: http://tinyurl.com/pw6dqex

      here's the relevant bit:

      "Malgré tout, le ministre Marceau a fait valoir la rigueur de son gouvernement au chapitre des dépenses, dont la croissance, à 2%, atteint les cibles. «C’est ainsi pour la deuxième année consécutive et c’est du jamais vu en dix ans», a souligné M. Marceau, ajoutant que la croissance des dépenses sous le gouvernement libéral a été de 4% par année en moyenne."

      you should read les affaires more often mate.

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    7. Meanwhile all of the government service fees, school taxes and hydro rates will see increases, of bit of slight of hand to get where funding is coming from off the books (hint: it's still us, at the same rate). At least they managed to balance the budget as promised and not have a deficit, otherwise they were just making unfocused cuts that will do nothing but hurt the healthcare and educational systems. Hmm I wonder if all of those huge spending promises they've made over the last few weeks are included in the cuts? Probably not right, they're just things we can't really afford, but won't appear on a balance sheet until after an inevitable election.

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    8. A $2.5 BILLION deficit announced a mere three months after the PQ assured us that they were perfectly on track for their promised balanced budget… of course, that had nothing to do with the PQ’s dithering about whether to call a spring election or not, which would have required lying to their base. Once an election became untenable, they finally released the truth. Then they naturally tried to spin it into something more palatable.

      And still, our brainwashed student continues to defend the indefensible, no matter what… completely astounding!

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    9. The bottom line student is that Mr.Marceau went from assuring us of a balanced budget in september to a 2.5 billion dollar deficit in november. If thats not incompetence then | dont know what is. How can anyone believe anything he says after that? He is now assuring us of only 2 percent increase in spending..yeah right..and a balacned budget by 2015..uh-huh..my prediction is that we will have a 5-7 billion deficit by 2015. The deficit will get worse and once again they will somehow blame Ottawa for this. He has the nerve to blame Ottawa for tightening the mortgage rules which were way too lose in the first place. Allowing people to carry 40 years mortgages is crazy..it only has fueled the property bubble in Canada and it will eventually result in a crash just like in the USA.

      Then he takes zero responsibility for the reduction in revenue when its so clear that the PQs policies of focusing on dividing everyone is scaring away private investors and also resulting in local spending less. At least the Liberals were focused more on the ecoomy..at least they werent spending day and night obsessing about the charter of values and language.

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  3. Thought I'd also love to hear student make her attempt to refute the Editor's argument.

    Of course it'll never happen because she knows she ranks at the Martine Ouellet level of understanding the facts about finances and besides, why debate logical facts when you can just troll for the sake of trolling, right?

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    Replies
    1. which argument from the editor do you think is refutable sylvain raciste?

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    2. Up to you little girl. Stop trolling.

      GO back and read the article instead of racing to the comments looking for shit.

      Phil did a great job of showing why the PQ is the Walking Dead and your movement is on life support.

      Why don't you pick out a few of Phil's points and attempt to refute them?

      Oh yeah, because...

      A) You're a compulsive, programmed liar who computes on emotion and leaves out facts when you know you're losing.

      B) You know you are not a match for the Editor's level. It's OK, that's why the seps are losing and therefore desperately clinging to the sinking ship that is the charter of so-called values

      So give it a shot petite fille, challenge the Editor's points for once in your inexperienced, unfulfilled life.

      Delete
    3. @Sylvain R.

      THAT troll is defective. It is not functioning properly, and it it not worthy of its name. IF sent us a marginally working troll and I am boycotting it, till they send us something we can sink our teeth into., this one needs to rot by the wayside, it is not up to the task. Pay it no mind, not worth the bother to play with a broken toy...No Fun.

      Delete
    4. @sylvain raciste

      "Why don't you pick out a few of Phil's points and attempt to refute them?"

      which ones do you think are refutable mate?

      "So give it a shot petite fille..."

      why do you call me petite fille? is it because you are a sexist or because you are a pedophile?

      Delete
    5. RE: Phil's points - none are refutable, that's why you never argue them and insist on trolling with lies and unsubstantiated statements. Weaksauce.

      As for resorting to tossing accusations of pedophilia - extra weaksauce, but I'm not surprised, you've demonstrated your lack of quality as both a thinker and a person an general for quite a while now.

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    6. Vous êtes misogyne alors ou d'une race qui avez peur des femmes adultes ?..Tenter de rabaisser les femmes cache effectivement quelque chose de louche.

      "Petite fille"...C'mon Sylv!

      Delete
    7. @sylvain raciste

      "Phil's points - none are refutable..."

      right... then why do you keep asking me to refute them?!? doesn't make sense sylvain raciste.

      "As for resorting to tossing accusations of pedophilia - extra weaksauce..."

      ah! it's not pedophilia. you're a sexist then right? if not why else would you call me "ptite fille"?

      Delete
    8. Thanks for confirming that Phil is completely right in saying that the separatist movement and the PQ government is incompetent and completely without hope.

      As for your pedophilia bullshit, I'll leave that to you since that's all you have...disgusting attacks just because your movement is little more than a beached whale waiting for the sun to finish it off slowly.

      Delete
    9. @sylvain raciste

      when did the editor say that the separatist movement was without hope?!? you're making stuff up again right?

      "...disgusting attacks just because your movement..."

      you're the one who awkwardly called me petite fille mate. you're the disgusting one. but maybe you're not a pedophile and you're just a sorry sexist after all. both hypothesis could explain your behaviour.

      Delete
    10. LOL... so even the student implicitly just acknowledged that the current PQ government is indeed incompetent.

      Delete
  4. Lisée: «le Canada devient de plus en plus un corps étranger» au Québec

    Malgré les deux échecs référendaires successifs de 1980 et 1995, les Québécois réalisent avec le temps qu'ils sont souverains et se détachent graduellement du Canada, a dit mercredi le ministre des Relations internationales, en point de presse.

    http://nodogsoranglophones.blogspot.ca/2013/12/pq-faces-disastrous-2014.html

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    1. How delightful. S.R. doubtless intended to refer us all to this:

      Monsignor Lisée's sermon for the day: How to "K-O" federalism with one flawed poll result

      Instead, he linked directly back to today's post. Well, I'd say any of the good monsignor's pontificating should be followed by a reading of today's post. Well spotted, S.R.

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    2. Lisee: "We restrict individual rights as a group, because we feel it's what's right."

      The good news is you're right, SR.

      Quebec IS becoming more and more estranged from Canada...it's just the part of Quebec we don't want anymore.

      Montreal, Laval and the Gatineau region are coming with us - go ahead amigo, the rest is all yours! :-)

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    3. I love how this comes out the day after Lisee's interview with Delmar where he got butchered:

      http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/201312/11/01-4720068-lisee-le-canada-devient-de-plus-en-plus-un-corps-etranger-au-quebec.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_BO2_quebec_canada_178_accueil_POS1

      To make up for his humiliating defeat, JF makes an AWESOME spin where he claims the Bloc Quebecois died simply because separatists lost interest in federalism.

      Right...and that's why Duceppe hung up his skates within 30 minutes of getting beat.

      Delete
    4. Yes Sylvain - We're not captains of this damn ship called quebec and no reason for the areas that want to leave quebec to go down with the ship. I'm sure there will be a partition party rising soon and we need one to get rid of those areas that want the "divorce" from Canada. They have no democratic right to take all the "Canadian" land with them and I'm sure our area will vote to leave quebec. No one has picked up the gauntlet yet but, when the chips are down there will be partition groups from Montreal, Gatineau, the Pontiac and Laval that will demand the right to make their own decision about their land and the businesses which are on Canadian owned property in this lousy province that can't live with anyone but themselves.

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  5. @Editor

    That pic with the monkeys, where can I get a copy? Lol

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    1. http://www.parl.gc.ca/ParlBusiness.aspx?Language=F

      Delete
    2. you can right-click on the pic and select save image as. and the funny object you're using right now is called a computer.

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    3. It's "Monkey Parliament" by the British painter Banksy. If you do a google search, I'm sure you can find larger images. If you actually want a print, go here.

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  6. I think Lisee's comment underlines the basic difference in points of view between separatist Quebec and the rest of Canada (including federalist Quebec).

    Separatist Quebec thinks that Quebec and the rest of Canada are equal partners and that they are on equal standings, never mind that separatist Quebec only makes 12% of the population of Canada. The rest of Canada, however, thinks of Quebec as just one of 10 provinces of Canada, no more, no less. And therefore Quebec should not have the right to break the integrity of Canada without the approval of the other nine.

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    1. @Troy

      Except that quebec is not on equal footing with Canada. I mean if it were Alberta taking that stance and making the claim that it and Canada are equal partners, well AB can pull it off..from a fiscal perspective it has every right to make that claim. quebec on the other hand...dirt poor and draining the ROC..lives in Fantasy Land.

      My advise to quebec: Shurrup, keep a low profile, bring nooo attention to yourself, and with any luck the RoC won't notice how much bone marrow you've already sucked from it.

      Delete
    2. AnecTOTE,

      My opinion is no one province has more rights than the other ten, regardless of the wealth of the population of such province. As well, province does not have unilateral right to secede. In the event of it is doing so, the Federal Government has every right to protect the integrity of the country. I wonder why no Quebec separatist ever take the U.S. Civil War as an example of secession. I also wonder why Quebec separatist never take the examples of West Virginia vs Virginia and Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland of what happened to the territory after secession.

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    3. I agree with you Troy - they (the separatists) know there is a very good chance of them losing some of quebec if they try to leave Canada even though they keep up the bluff that their territory is not up for grabs. They will do what the hell they are told should it ever come to that, being between a rock and a hard place, of the US and Canada if they ever want any trade or business dealings with either of these countries. 80% of their claims are BS and the only ones that don't know it are the naive and uneducated which make up the rural areas of the province and support the PQ.

      Delete
    4. @cutie003

      "80% of their claims are BS..."

      what's the separatist's 20% valid claims in your humble opinion cutie003?

      Delete
  7. Editor,

    While the PQ is talking about putting a cap on expenses, it hasn't really worked out with spending increasing beyond revenue growth.

    While it may not be a lot, the government - not just current separatist government - of Quebec could actually cut spending. Unlike doing "normal" things like other provinces, there are a number of redundancies in Quebec administration:

    1. Revenu Quebec. Why do Quebecers need to do their taxes twice?
    2. RAMQ. Quebec Medicare system is the only one not integrated with other 9 provinces and 3 territories.
    3. Quebec foreign missions. Even the mighty Ontario houses its officers within Canadian Embassies or Consulates.
    4. QPP. Quebec loses some of economy of scale by not joining CPP.
    5. Quebec immigration system. That system cost almost half the Canadian system while processing just a fraction of applicants.
    5. Last but not least, the OQLF. What does that agency do anyway?

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    Replies
    1. @Troy, unfortunately no one talks about these possible cost cutting initiatives because it will eat away into the Quebec civil service and no Quebec political party (other than the Quebec PC party) has the courage to make these much needed decisions.
      1. Revenu Quebec. ANS: Revenu Quebec is simply a political initiative fostered to undermine the Canadian Revenue Agency. Quebec, and its belief in being distinct, believes that they need to administrate their own tax collection agency so that they are ready for independence and the creation of their banana republic. Nine other jurisdictions work hand in hand with the CRA and collect on behalf of provincial governments hence saving the overhead costs for provincial governments however why work with something that functions well when we can complicated the hell out of something that does not work well . I lived in Ontario for a few years and let me tell you that filing my income taxes could not have been any simpler. This also applies at the corporate level, which believe it or not is also one of the many factors why companies prefer to set up in jurisdictions outside Quebec.
      2. RAMQ. ANS: Once again RAMQ is simply a political initiative fostered to undermine the Canadian Medicare Initiative. If you ever have the pleasure of presenting your RAMQ card in any hospital in the ROC you will find out first hand that the card is not very welcomed. ROC hospitals want payment upfront and tell you to go collect your money with the RAMQ . The interesting fact in this matter is that Quebec has a better agreement initiative setup with France then it does with the ROC.
      3. Quebec foreign missions. ANS: The PROVINCE of Quebec likes to think that it is more than a simple province and forgets that their priorities should be at the domestic level. One more time they believe for this is to undermine the Canadian government and also to plant the seeds for independence. If ever they do achieve independence they will need recognition from other countries for their claims to stand ground. Basically they pretend to be sovereign now and hope outsiders think they have been sovereign all along.
      4. QPP. ANS: Another preparatory factor for sovereignty and also to undermine CPP. Personally I blame the Federal Liberal government of the time for allowing this however the Feds never learn.
      5. Quebec immigration system. ANS: This is strange one. A part of me can’t comprehend why the Federal government would give up this portion of their jurisdiction to Quebec however when I see the mess that Quebec got itself into by prioritizing French speaking immigrants to actual immigrants who can contribute to the Quebec economy they (Quebec government) can not blame anyone else other than themselves. Maybe the Feds played the “bridge game” and figured there was no way to satisfy Quebec then to let them shoot themselves in the foot and not take the blame for the boo boo!!. Definition of “Bridge Game” : When the PQ government acts tough by saying they want to manage the MTL bridges and the Federal government offering these bridges for 1$ and the PQ government placing their tails in-between their legs and running away.
      6. OQLF. ANS: OQLF enforces Bill 101 which undermines the Canadian Charter of Human Right and hence undermines the Canadian government. This is simply a complete waist of tax payer money however how can you argue with an organization that targets Pasta.

      I hope everyone sees a pattern with all these different duplicates in government bureaucracy. ROC please do not vote for another Quebec born PM. None of them have ever protected Canadian rights within the province of Quebec and all of them simply place Quebec priorities first.

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    2. I couldn't agree more and that's why I repeat time and time again: NO MORE POWER TO QUEBEC FOR ANYTHING. Harper shouldn't even have recognized them as 'a nation within a nation" - more distinctness is not what quebec should have - it is killing our right to be treated as Canadians within our own country. All this damn power tripping and pretending to be a separate country is brainwashing the population into actually believing that they are their own country and can make up their own rules as they go along! It has to stop and I don't give a damn what part is in power in the federal government - NO MORE POWER TO THESE SEPARATIST IDIOTS!

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    3. Actually, with a ramq card every hospital in the country must serve you without paying. Most Doctors offices in the other provinces Will make you pay first but some dont.

      Delete
    4. The problem here is that the quebec government don't want to pay the bills when they receive them for our care and the hospitals are always short-changed by these crooks who would rather pay graft than honest to God expenses to any other province for our care. Sickening - the other provinces have to absorb the loss and wish to hell we would go elsewhere for our care. Not sure if these costs are part of the extra $20B that Canada is providing to quebec or not.

      Delete
    5. Jake Roberts,

      Actually, with a ramq card every hospital in the country must serve you without paying.

      Not true. When I just moved I still held the RAMQ card. I went to a lab to have blood work done. After I was done I had to pay for the service. I claimed the amount to RAMQ, RAMQ said that that service was not covered out of province. I claimed to my group coverage, they said it was under Medicare coverage. All in all I got screwed. Should I held OHIP then, the service would have been free. Not that, should I held BC MSP, that would also have been free.

      Delete
    6. 1 of 2:

      Troy and Where:

      1. In the case of Quebec collecting its own personal income tax: Prior to WWII, the provinces were collecting their own taxes, but as an emergency measure due to the war, the feds took over collecting the taxes. In addition to Quebec collecting its own personal income taxes, Quebec, Ontario and since 1981 Alberta collect their own corporate income taxes. Several provinces also collect their own corporate capital taxes. In 1955, then-premier Maurice Duplessis with his «Québec d'abord» (Quebec first) policy was part of why Quebec decided to return to a separate personal income tax. Ontario did a research paper on this subject in the early 1980s looking at several alternatives, including the Quebec model, and decided not to do it at that time...or any other to date.

      2. RAMQ: At one point there was a reciprocal agreement, but to the best of my knowledge, Quebec only pays what it pays to its own hospitals, and said hospitals probably have to chase Quebec for the money. Again, Quebec has shot itself in the foot. FYI, several years ago a chronic eye problem decided to flare up when I was visiting Montreal and I had to pay the doctor cash up-front. I then had to apply to OHIP for reimbursement and I got back about 85% of my claim, strange considering Quebec allots its own doctors less than OHIP, so I imagine the Quebec doctor gouged me for more than what RAMQ would have paid him. Years before that, I came to stay with my parents for a few weeks because I sustained an injury that took several weeks to heal. I had to go to the Jewish General to see a specialist. The JGH took my OHIP card, but the doctor, who said he had worked in Ontario previously (Francophone), charged me up-front (but probably still had his OHIP number), and again OHIP reimbursed me, but not 100%. I'm sure he charged a premium.

      3, 4 and 5 QPP? Who cares? The Caisse de depôt f--ked up a few years ago losing 25% of the value of its holdings. Thankfully we in RoC don't pay for that. Quebec House is a total waste of money that we in the RoC pay for through equalization. The cost of running those should be cut from equalization, but so should all equalization payments be cut to Quebec for things the RoC doesn't enjoy, like $7-a-day daycare. In addition, it's a make-work initiative that provides jobs for Québécois de veiille souche that would otherwise not exist and raise their unemployment rate. Same for its immigration department, with federal compensation. If Quebec wants jurisdiction over immigration, a power not granted any other province under the tutelage of a Quebec-born PM, again Quebec should get NO compensation, the price for the privilege of f--king up by bringing in uneducated and unqualified morons that have no other merit than their abilities to speak French well (well...sometimes). BTW, Quebec is the only jurisdiction in Canada WITH COMPENSATION at that, to collect the HST on behalf of the federal government. It's also the only tax in Quebec that corporations can file their documentation in English if they choose. Corporate income taxes and capital taxes in Quebec MUST be filed in French, plus CSST reports and documentation No more in English. I question the constitutionality of that.

      Delete
    7. 2 of 2:

      The OQLF? Oh, come now! Just a police force tantamount to the Nazi SS, a body of s--t disturbers created to harass English and minority business owners. Remember Louise Beaudoin's failed Bill 40 and the recently failed Bill 14 that proposed giving the OQLF unannounced powers of search and seizure in your business location and/or your own home for "illegal English" ?

      If I ever got elected to federal office, look out! I'd eliminate not only equalization payments to Quebec, but every program Quebec operates separately with compensation. You want "special powers" and privileges? PAY FOR THEM! F--k the Official Languages Commission as well. A complete waste of time and money.

      That Harper called Quebec a nation? So what? Steven Colbert, the American political satirist with a French name addresses his followers as a nation. Rob Ford's loyalists are referred to as Ford nation. Semantics, semantics, semantics!

      Delete
  8. @ Editor

    You make a very good point; I absolutely agree with you that Madame Marois is in it for the sake of power. The woman is on an ego trip and I am convinced the francophone majority will eventually see this and at the very least pressure the PQ intelligentsia to putsch her out of the leadership of the PQ. Though I wish and hope that the whole PQ will be kicked out of office but only time will tell if this will happen in the shorter term.

    I have been in airports all day and only just read La Presse and the results of the Crop poll and the latest comments of J.F. Lisée. Without a doubt this blog will be full of comments about this.

    Firstly about the poll, one poll does not establish a tendency either way. Sometimes I wonder if polls are not rigged for the customer, in this case La Presse, in order to provide them with a story and subject matter for a weeks worth of editorial commentary. I am no expert in the science of polling but I do have a good knowledge of statistics, as well as some common sense. Many things can influence the outcome of a poll, time of year, the questions asked, sample size, demographic and geography and so on. In any case, the same polling firm predicted a comfortable majority government in the 2012 election. The popularity of an incumbent government will always be in flux, up and down, influenced by many factors and the current PQ government is no different and again, only time will tell.

    Secondly J.F. Lisée’s comments are, in his defense, nothing new. In his last book he used the metaphor of Québec and the ROC of being like an old couple that stopped loving each other years ago and simply share the same house because it would be too much trouble to divorce. He basically said the same thing again, not in the same words but essentially that is what he meant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By AnecTOTE

      Polls are always embellished and very unreliable, just ask Mirr Romney. Fake Tom Hagen should work on his diction.

      Delete
    2. @MarcMC

      Fake Tom Hagen (my new name for our illustrious minister for Anglo Mtl) is a rhetoric peddler. He is eatured today in the The Gazette with caption: "Quebecers realize we are sovereign" bla bla bla (yawn).

      The premise: You keep saying it and repeating it, then it must be true.

      More JUICE anyone?

      Delete
    3. @hands off my hijab

      "Polls are always embellished..."

      you think high sovereignty support numbers is an "embellishment"? that's surprising from an angryphone. did you change? have you come to your senses?

      Delete
  9. It doesn't have anything to do with this excellent blog entry by the Editor, but I read something that affects nearly everyone reading NDOA---Canada Post will be ending home delivery in urban areas in five years, and I assume this also means Montreal, too. Anybody planning on getting a P.O. box now, or do you intend to wait until this is fully implemented in five years.

    As for me, I already have a P.O. box, but as an American my mail is delivered by the USPS. Won't be surprised if this eventually gets implemented here, too though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the plan is for Canada post to set up community mail boxes, so I wouldn't run out and pay for a P.O. box.

      Delete
    2. From what I understand, this also will not have effect to those living in apartment buildings since the mailboxes that are usually in the lobby are considered community mail boxes.

      Delete
  10. By AnecTOTE

    This Letter to The Gazette, restores our Faith that some people's eyes are wide open. Wake up the rest of you.

    "Re: “The new road-building agency holds promise” (Editorial, Dec. 7)

    I get the impression that the PQ government has once again stepped into the rabbit hole and now The Gazette wants to follow them. The road building agency proposal may look good on paper, but one only has to look at Hydro-Québec and other supposed “arm’s length” agencies to see that political interference is never far away. Hydro for example, is continually affected by political interference such as the appointment of PQ buddy P.K. Péladeau as chairman, the closure of the Gentilly plant, the need for hiking rates to try and balance the budget and many more. Politicians ultimately decide what and where lines are run and dams are built.

    The STM is also supposed to be “arm’s length” is it not?

    I can quote many more examples, but I’m sure you get the idea. Why would the proposed road agency be any different? What roads are built paved and maintained has been a cornerstone of Québec politics since the days of Maurice Duplessis — maybe even since there were roads.

    Does the PQ or The Gazette, for that matter, really believe that adding yet another layer of government bureaucracy to an already bloated list of agencies, bureaus and provincial corporations will change any of that? I don’t think so. This will only end up as yet another place to park political hacks such as André Boisclair and many others. Once again our political scene is getting in the words of Lewis Carroll “curiouser and curiouser.” What we need is not more agencies, but better leaders.

    Roger Pelletier

    Mont-St-Hilaire"

    Too many quebec government agencies? But of course who else is going to hire unilingual French pur-laine?

    @Editor

    One for your suggestion box: Bloated quebec civil service and why we no longer want to pay for the agency that puts up Christmas Trees for all the other agencies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnecTOTE,

      I agree 100%

      Adding another layer always sounds good to these idiots.

      These gazette isn;t exactly a "think tank". Just because they write it doesn;t make it true. The gazette for decades basically encourages anglophones to knuckle under instead of fight for any rights.

      Adding bureaucracy never solves anything except for frustrated poli-sci majors working as writers at the gazette.

      The problem is TRANSPARENCY. I don;t care what level of asshole civil servants makes the decision. The meetings notes should be public and available on the internet.

      Each of the people that vote and their position should be easily available online.

      The only way to fix things is to make it plainly obvious to everybody who are the people taking the payback are.

      Easily run the stats to see who votes for what project. Its easy to tie the project to the mobster/union/developer later to see who the inside paid people are.

      On the plus side, we need to give a shout out to the mayor of Chateaugy for breaking with Quebecois culture and tradition.

      http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/UPAC+arrests+Ch%C3%A2teauguay/9277631/story.html

      What's next, rights of an anglophone patient to understand a diagnoses over the rights of the doctor to speak french?

      Shouldn;t get excited. The PQ faithful are re-indoctrinating each other as you read this.

      It's embarrassing when the mind control stops working.

      Delete
  11. Polimètre Marois

    It's official everyone, Pauline Marois has accomplished only 21% of her bloaated promises: http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/politique/201312/11/01-4720153-le-polimetre-marois-un-verificateur-de-promesses-electorales.php

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sylvain Raciste,

      On the other hand, Marois's supporters could say that it is only 8% of her promises that can not be achieved.

      Delete
    2. @sylvain raciste

      i would believe that when she made her promises she anticipated a majority government. 21% after one year in this context is pretty good i'd say.

      Delete
    3. "21% after one year in this context is pretty good i'd say."

      We've already confirmed that:

      1. You're a troll
      2. You're 100% brainwashed
      3. You're racist and xenophobic
      4. You can beat Rob Ford in a lying competition any day of the week
      5. You have no life
      6. ...and that you are a chronic under-achiever. Anyone who says "21% is good enough" is clearly a career welfare scammer.

      Delete
    4. @sylvain raciste

      you expected the pq to fullfil all their promises in the first year?!? oh i'm sorry for you mate, you weren't aware a mandate lasts four years. well now you know. they are just 4% away from theoritical target 25%, assuming they spread the promised results over the whole term. it's actually quite impressive for a minority government. don't you agree?

      Delete
  12. "We don’t want the party to end, the “free” trips, expense accounts…perks, gold plated pensions, free this, free that…Yes indeed, see we in government, are all entitled to our entitlements folks and we can’t stop that, at least not until we retire. Our unions say so, it’s ours and we want it now...$$” Nice eh? See what working for government has become? Go look at all the debt mounting. Governments all across Canada, the US… have been on a hiring binge, a spending spree for decades now. Government = police, fire, hospitals, teachers, lawyers…= high salaries, bonuses, pensions, perks… all out of control for decades now = More and more debt…making the connection yet?

    Decades of overspending…more and more debt, see what these people in government are doing to future generations?

    Greed, greed and more greed... this is what runs Canada now. All government, all greed...every day…

    ReplyDelete
  13. Totally agree. It's time to leave the boat and let it sink!

    ReplyDelete
  14. By AnecTOTE

    Perhaps off topic...and maybe not so much. Joseph Rosen has written a wonderfully courageous piece in the magazine The Walrus, Jan-February 2014 edition (on Society). I strongly urge you all to pick up a copy. He develops this idea of how "historical trauma" has greatly affected Jewish Society. In reality, it is argument is a universal lesson that specifically French Canadians can identify with. It is quite an enlightening piece. He refers to the charter of qc values as simply a reactionary thing and the repercussions so far. It made me realize we have never had an honest conversation about French Canadian's "traumatic narrative", maybe if we 'treat' it, we can overcome it, and then we can finally, all get on with our lives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Link attached

      http://thewalrus.ca/the-israel-taboo/

      Delete
    2. And this is what we get for having OUR rights and freedoms suppressed and all the hate displayed towards us from the separatists:

      http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/calling-for-an-end-to-quebec-bashing-and-francophobia-1.1586626

      They deserve every bit of the bad publicity they get - fascists!

      Delete
    3. By AnecTOTE

      @Cutie

      Thanks for that link, and it seems once again Fake Tom Hagen has been fast at work crafting another perpetual (diarrhea) rhetoric. I mean can you believe that the Anglo and Ethnic minorities in quebec (with almost insignificant numbers) pose a treat to the quebec brand? Mmm looks like they've declared themselves victims all over again. I mean...a petition now ...by 101 (lol) personalities...no less...yawn...(doing that a lot lately). Of course we need to keep focused on the distraction project, the one where the PQ procrastinates on dealing with the real issues..THE ECONOMY, HEALTHCARE and JOB CREATION.

      Not sure if popo is getting her money's worth with Fake Tom Hagen. Lol

      All this just confirms seppies reallyyyyyy don't want to become a nation. Becoming that means you gotta grow up and they are not prepared to do that....(yawnnnnnnnnnnn)...I think I have suggested therapy already have't I? Mm

      (Think I 'm gonna go read the sports pages...let's see if PK made the Team).

      Delete
    4. lol - Marois is reforming pension plans for government employees - just like Canada again but they are different; so they say.

      Delete
    5. More on the BS from Lisee:

      http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/12/pq-says-44-support-for-sovereignty-shows-quebec-has-been-decanadianized/

      Delete
    6. There is one interesting point from one of the comments on the National Post article:

      Here is the bottom line for the PQ. You want independence then be honest about it. Hold a referendum and ask an honest question. Do not presume to speak for Canada and offer "sovereignty association"

      So this is my question to the separatists on this blog. A question that I has been asking for a while, a question that I never receive a coherent answer for.

      If independence is good for Quebec, and if Quebecers want independence, why is there never a direct referendum about independence?

      Delete
    7. Thank you for the link, Cutie.

      I do not like Lisee, but I do have to hand it to him for his talents.

      He's a very capable manipulator and knows how to appeal to the lowest common denominator of Quebec society like no other member of his team understands.

      Too bad his interview with Delmar was not widespread.

      He mutilated himself beyond belief and proved that the Charte des Voyous is little more than a smokescreen.

      Wouldn't mind seeing Delmar getting into politics.

      Delete
    8. @troy

      i agree with you troy. i think the next referendum question should be clearer than the last ones. does it answer your question?

      on the other hand, if they ask a question about sovereignty-association, they'll have an answer about sovereignty-association. why not if that's the proposed constitutional project?

      Delete
    9. @Troy - because they want to have their cake and eat it too.

      Like the spoiled, irresponsible teen who desperately wants out of mommy and daddy's, yet still craves the mother's milk, they'll cook up a bullshit scenario that sees Quebeckers pulling out of the federation, yet being able to enjoy the same benefits as always.

      The real "OUI" question should read:

      "Do you accept responsibility (both individually and collectively) to continue accumulating debt and NOT repaying on that debt, instead carrying on like nothing is wrong and separating yourself from the top scapegoat you've relied upon for the past century (and more). Do you wish to carry on knowing that (we all know it) the cultural-preservation argument is a big scam and that your taxes will rise by XX% while your property values dive __% and that prominent Anglo and Allo entrepreneurs will leave and quite possibly take your job with them, do you wish to separate from Canada?"

      Delete
    10. @anonymous coward

      haha! you are funny. no a better question would be do you want the quebec province to become an independant country?

      Delete
    11. Coward porte vraiment bien son nom...Les bons vieux épouvantails fédéralistes qui ne font plus peur à personne....Pauvre coward..."smh"

      Delete
    12. By AnecTOTE

      @AC

      Sorry..Fake Tom Hagen just does't cut it for me...try as he may, he sounds so...insincere and disingenuous, it oozes through his body, and comes across as something pathetically ugly through his voice, which betrays him incidentally. If he took a lie detector test, it be a monumental and colossal ..#FAIL

      Pack it in FTH you fool no one.

      Delete
  15. CJAD = Radio-poubelle des anglos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By AnecTOTE

      CJAD has nothing to do with Fake Tom Hagen sounding fake, that's totally on Fake Tom Hagen. He sounds fake even when he's on TLMEP. Fake is fake.

      The End.

      Delete
  16. http://www.cjad.com/cjad-news/2013/12/12/baseball-could-come-back-to-montreal-with-government-funding

    Ok people this is a *MUST HAVE* for Montreal and Quebec.

    Quebec City is getting a new stadium and a favorite Quebec corporate company will capture whatever profits while the public is saddled with the debt.

    This is a successful Quebec model. Some might call it corrupt. They don;t understand the Quebec model.

    Creates jobs for the right people in construction. They are the most important of the unions. Thousands of them. Lots of graft all over. The public is saddled with 40 years of debt so that a few select contractors and their FTQ employees can feed at the trough for a few years. What kind of insane payoff is that. 5 years of union labour and mafia peace for 40 years of debt?

    We havn;t even finished paying for the last stadium and they want to build a new one.

    Here's a novel idea. All buildings come down. It's not IF the big O is coming down, it's when.

    800 million to take down. Even the gazette brain trust figured that sounded overpriced and wrote a column about it. Almost cynical in tone. The disrespect for the political manipulation was good to see.

    We can have our cake and eat it too. Build a wall around it. Let it decay n it's own. It will look the almost the same from a distance for another 20 years and the public will be safe.

    200 employee per year to maintain the place. How many no work jobs is that again? Do they really have to show up every single day for 8 hours? Is that fair when they have nothing to do?

    Anyway no matter what course the idiots in charge take, it's important we embrace the massive debt burden possibilities.

    We can;t stop digging our hole, so lets help us get to the bottom faster.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sort of a voyage to the bottom of the sea, eh, Cebeuq? You're right, though. There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and what you wrote above.

      Actually, there was a panel in Toronto that came up with proposals on how to enhance and pay for transit over the next two decades or so. One of them was to raise gas tax by a dime a litre over the next seven years, starting next year with 3 cents. My MPP is the Minister of Finance for Ontario. I sent him a response, including this link! A few days earlier we here in Ontario were told our electricity rates will go up 33% after doubling over the last ten years. You'd think Quebec with its abundance of hydroelectric power would be standing on their heads to sell Ontario their surplus! Hmmm....

      Delete
    2. By AnecTOTE

      "Ok people this is a *MUST HAVE* for Montreal and Quebec."

      The "Distraction Project" hard at work, ...throw the dog another bone (this time the possibility of baseball franchise ) to keep him busy while you put your feet up on your desk and hands behind your head figuring out how YOU are going to spend the Christmas bonus the Quebec taxpayers paid for and do nothing concrete for them.

      Even separatists have to wonder about this: People settle for governments they think they deserve.

      Delete
    3. AnecTOTE,

      Seppies think it's a good idea. They need a sports team they can all talk about once they separate. Isn;t it normal and natural the a distinct country have it's own distinct team?

      Imagine how much the tickets will cost until they realize nobody is going. Anybody who actually *ATTENDED* an EXPOS game knows how pathetic it was.

      Talk about a wanna be place.

      Delete
    4. By AnecTOTE

      @cebeuq

      I watch just about everything...from hockey to curling...yes...curling too..and golf on occasion, the Masters anyway...but I could neverrrrrrr sit through baseball, try as I may and I was once taken to a game down in the good ole' USA where we know baseball IS a religion, I couldn't wait for it to be over...slow slow slow, even the only Home run was anticlimactic ...less painful to watch a parlementary debate. But to each his own...I certainly don't want to pay for it in any way-shape-or-form.

      Delete
  17. As the Editor wrote near the end of his commentary: "As the economy deteriorates, and the financial situation sinks further, look to the PQ to ramp up the rhetoric against Ottawa, blaming the financial problems on the mythical 'fiscal imbalance' ( a concept where Ottawa takes too large a slice of the available national tax pie.)"

    By thunder, let's give THEM something to really gripe about, like cut Quebec off equalization. Let's see what happens after pulling a stunt like that!

    ReplyDelete
  18. By AnecTOTE

    Bravoooooooooooooopo Mayor Nathalie Simon! Somebody, give this woman a cigar!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Partition May Be A Good Answer To The Quebec Question:
    http://nationalvoicecanada.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/partition-may-be-a-good-answer-to-the-quebec-question/

    The most enjoyable part is to see how the very idea makes one angry (livid) separatist go postal, absolutely ballistic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By AnecTOTE

      I don't understand why. We keep saying and repeating it, if Canada is divisible, so is Quebec. You have to be brain-dead not to get that concept.

      Vive la République de Montréal!!

      Delete
    2. lollllllllllll, i love it...Quebec will be partitioned, like it or not...

      Delete
    3. Effectivement,le Québec peut être partitionné mais par qui?...Nos anglos ne font que parler,parler,parler.

      Action = 0

      Nous pouvons dormir tranquille....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

      Delete
    4. By AnecTOTE

      The seed has been planted, it needs time to grow, we're not going anywhere. We shall be here to cultivate and nurture it, in our little preservation of Democracy greenhouse...t'inquiète.

      Delete
    5. Désolé de vous apprendre que la graine a été plantée en 1980....C'est looooooooong :)

      Delete
    6. By AnecTOTE

      What part of .."has been" planted did you not understand. But hey look...it's been much longer for you seppies now...hasn't it? Tu as raisin...c'est longggggggg.

      Delete
    7. Partition is preferred over all of Quebec staying in Canada.

      Canada needs to get rid of Quebec city and the other undesirable parts of the province that want to go.

      Quebec is just too destructive a place. The citizens never tire of feeling repressed. Give them their own corner of the sandbox they can destroy without Canada trying to hold them back.

      Let les Quebecois be as destructive and crazy as they want.

      Finally the rest of Canada and Montreal can be free of the idiocy that the rest of Quebec cannot move past.

      Remember people, up the quebec bashing ten times. The truth hurts.

      The way forward is to have the tinderbox explode in Quebec not to talk us back from the edge.





      Delete
    8. @Cat - thanks Cat - as far as I'm concerned, and I'm sure you all know, partition can't happen soon enough for me! These people are strangling us to death and they live in the 1800s. Time to move on without them keeping us from peace and viability. Just imagine all - we could finally have some peace and spend our time saying how well we are doing instead of these down articles haunting us all the time! Please Santa!

      Delete
    9. I am slowly warming to the idea of partition. But the reality is that it will be a long and drawn out affair which will result in years and possibly decades of economic misery. Montreal is the real issue. There are ways around this. Perhaps we could give up Montreal to the new country but only if all people who want to stay in Canada are compensated for their loss of property values. Or we split Montreal in two but thats awkward. Or Montreal becomes a special zone. It would be very complicated and messy. I am not sure Canada will support a partition idea..thats another issue..they may want simply to get rid of Quebec as quickly as possible.

      But I have to admit that this never ending 40+ years of bickering has to stop at some point. Montreal is sick and tired of being beaten into the ground by incompetent provincial leaders who care nothing about the economy here.

      Delete
  20. 150 Québécoises d’origine maghrébine pour la Charte

    http://vimeo.com/80832718

    Bravo mesdames et bienvenue chez-nous

    ReplyDelete
  21. The editor is bang on when he says that the Quebec government will blame Ottawa for any economic weakness or deficit issues in Quebec. I have been waiting for this for years..its just a matter of time before the economy goes into recession in Quebec and the deficit jumps to 5 billion or more. Instead of accepting the blame the PQ will do all in its power to blame these made in Quebec problems on Ottawa.

    Even with massive transfers of money from Ottawa and a much improved north american economy Quebec still is nowhere close to balancing the budget. Another thing I always find amusing is how socialists whine incessantly about the banks and how evil they are and yet they see no problem with asking their government to borrow billions from the banks to finance all these pie int he sky social programs. We owe 200 billion dollars now..thats about 30 thousand dollars each. The federal debt is another 15,000 per person so every man, woman and child owes 50,000 dollars to the bankers. A family of five owes 150,000 dollars to the bankers. This does not include the pension liabilities..most public and private pension plans are in huge deficits which at some point need to be covered. Where is all the money going to come from?? The PQ scares all investors away so no hope of revenue going up,..taxes are already sky high..highe taxes will only cause more economic pain..cuts will also cause pain. We have bosed ourselves into a corner..no matter what we do now it will be painful but the sooner we act the less painful it will be. But of course Quebec like Greece and Spain believe in fairy tales..that they can run deficits forever with no consequences..its coming people.

    I am not a fan of the banking and financial industry. In my opinion half of wall street should be in jail. Goldman sachs, jp morgan, citibank should have all been allowed to fail..then new banks who were prudent would have taken over. Instead the powers that be in new york forced the federal reserve and the us government to bail them out. Now they are handing out record bonuses again on the backs of a decimated middle/lower class in the usa and in europe. So I want my government to balande their books asap so that we never have to borrow money from these crooks. Because at some point in time these crooks as they have done in greece and spain swoop in and take over control of governments and government assets.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good one complicated, and bang on. People have no idea whats coming and sooner then people think...a housing collapse...

    "We don’t want the party to end, the “free” trips, expense accounts…perks, gold plated pensions, free this, free that…Yes indeed, see we in government, are all entitled to our entitlements folks and we can’t stop that, at least not until we retire. Our unions say so, it’s ours and we want it now...$$” Nice eh? See what working for government has become? Go look at all the debt mounting. Governments all across Canada, the US… have been on a hiring binge, a spending spree for decades now. Government = police, fire, hospitals, teachers, lawyers, crown corporations – Canada post, Hydro…= high salaries, bonuses, pensions, perks… all out of control for decades now = More and more debt…making the connection yet?

    Decades of overspending…more and more debt, see what these people in government are doing to future generations?

    Greed, greed and more greed... this is what runs Canada now. All government, all greed...every day…while the private sector gets gutted…thanks greedy unions… This is just a fact.

    The real Fiscal cliff 101 –

    US - $16.9 trillion in debt



    Ontario debt as of today - $270 billion, 968 million and
    change...what a mess.



    The province of Quebec – 250 billion in debt…a real, real big mess…

    Ottawa - Canada debt as of today - $609 billion, 666 million and change...what a
    mess.

    Record personal debt in Canada and the US…something has to give.

    Record low interest rates…for now…?

    When and how does it end? Greece, Ireland, Californian, Wisconsin, Detroit, Kebec…all technically bankrupt…a real mess in the making and no one in government or the mainstream media (CBC, CTV…) is dealing with it. Nice eh?

    This is what all politicians in the country are ignoring. Pathetic, all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well we agree on something James. But lets not pat the private sector too much either. A lot of the private sector has the government in their pockets..ie the financial industry, the oil industry, the mining industry and so on. Government is always bending over backwards giving corporate welfare to these companies and they often pack up and leave anyway.

    There are countries like Norway for instance that has kept a lot of control for example over the oil industry and hence a lot more of the money has stayed in Norway instead of going to large foreign controlled corporations. Norway has a wealth fund of 650 billion dollars.
    If government cuts it also has to cut all the massive subisidies it gives to the corporate world. And many natureal resource companies need to take responsibility for the mess they leave behind..ie abandoned mines, oilsands, etc. These companies come in take the resource, make a killing, send the resource to other countries for processing and we all get pennies on the dollar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. complicated,

      don;t forget the "private sector" like SNC Lavalin, Bombardier and other "great Quebec companies" in your list of financially unviable companies that fleece the govt for money over decades.

      They arn;t even honest enough to call it a grant most of the time. The govt labels it a "loan" and then "forgives" the amount.

      Nice. All citizens need some of that for their credit cards.

      Delete
    2. Guess we're not the only ones that know that quebec is in big trouble:

      http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/idUSL1N0JR2B620131212

      Delete
    3. By AnecTOTE

      @Cutie

      Thank you for that link. Not that anyone is surprised, the Financial forecast for this province is pathetically dim...with a chance of meatballs if it's lucky. I don't want to make light of the matter, cause we really need to be monitoring these reports and driving the point home: This province is in dire-straights economically and fiscally, and it is no time to "niaser avec la puck", but hey AS IF... the PQ know better. (NOT), ...de toute façon! I was wondering about one thing. I noticed that they mention "sovereignty movement has been a source of uncertainty in the past although it is not a current issue". A little misinformed our friends there...but if they would know the truth, it could impact our already volatile status....we are currently slated as a "Negative", but this could mean a further downgrade. Worrisome Times.

      Delete
    4. I think our american friends are somewhat clueless about what is going on here. You have to heep in mind that these ratings agencies did a horrible job before the 2008 crisis. Essentially they more or less do the bidding of the big wall street banks. The USA is about as bankrupt as Quebec and yet the ratings agencies still give them a decent credit rating.
      I think once our deficit is around 5 billion they will take notice and thats when it will become harder to borrow money.
      Its so ironic..the PQ and 30-40 percent of francophones want independance and yet they are totally dependant on wall street for setting their interest rates. Their total mismanagement of our finances for the past 40 years..along with the PLQ..means that even if Quebec managed to seperate they would be under more control of anglophone groups..ie the wall street raings agencies.
      In the end I think the seperatists really want to just suck more money out of canada. If they were serious about seperating they would have ensured that Quebec is in much better financial shape. Instead they have basically bankrupted the province.

      Delete
    5. Cutie, thanks for the link.

      Thats great news.

      ""The Rating Outlook is revised to Negative from Stable.""

      Awesome. Pauline you are doing such a good job in the face of Canada taking away all your power and money and trying to sabotage you at every corner. You are a paragon of strength and resistance.

      "In addition, Fitch affirms the outstanding 'F1+' short-term ratings on the
      Province of Quebec."

      F1+, that's lower then AAA right?

      This is the only hope we have. The power of the PQ get taken away by the courts and bankruptcy proceedings. Les Quebecois are not capable of figuring running the province for themselves after they forced out "les maudit anglias".

      How many years does it take them to figure out how to do it right? Perhaps competent leadership and govt is just not attainable for Quebecois due to their culture.

      Cliche and Charbonneu, 40 years apart, but consistently Quebecois.

      Delete
  24. http://www.businessinsider.com/cairo-snow-2013-12

    Global warming! Ya right.

    All these idiots still thinking they have a bigger impact on the planet then the strength of the sun.

    ReplyDelete
  25. By AnecTOTE

    From "Partition may be the answer". One of the latest comments. Scroll up, Cat graciously provided link, thanks Cat.

    "A country is only as strong as its weakest link. If there are people who want to leave one of the greatest countries in the world let them. we would be better off without them. kind of tired of being held hostage by Quebec any way. Give us more money or we will leave. tired of my tax dollars being spent on ice breakers keeping the St. Lawrence open when goods could be dropped of in Halifax and St. john then put on rail at a much cheaper expense for the Canadian Tax payer. To all you Separatist get out! Good riddance. Canada will be better than ever."

    Montreal city-state ...Yes We Can!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know what..I used to think this partition idea was a pipe dream but it makes a lot of sense for both sides. I mean the seperatists are mainly from eastern Montreal and northeastward. The federalists are from west Montreal and southwestward. So it seems that by splitting up Quebec in this fashion then its a win win. Of course the battleground will be over Montreal.

      Maybe a partition party should be organized..it might be able to get support from west Montreal and areas west and south of Montreal. I have to admit that this 40+ year debate needs to be resolved once and for all before we are all bankrupt. The francophones would have their area..the anglos and allos and federalist francos will have their zone. Perhaps a few billion dollars could be made available for those who choose to move to the new Montreal province and vice-versa. And there is also a high chance that northern Quebec will stay with Canada. It would also allow Canada to maintain its link with atlantic provinces through a southern corridor.

      Delete
    2. By AnecTOTE

      @complicated

      When the PQ was elected albeit as a minority gov last year, the very first thing they should have tackled...to shut everyone up ..was the Economy. EVERYBODY and their grandmothers in the PQ party should have been hard at work to try and figure a way out of this seriously messed up financial upheaval the province is in. They should have made it a point ..even before we had the election to line up some of the best SME's in the country or even worldwide, in case they were elected ...to subsequently...get to work. There were a million ways to show credibility to Quebecers and prove they were serious about reigning in this astronomical problem. Even if they couldn't have solved it, they would have it on their track record that they tried...they really gave it a shot, (one yr later). NOW that is something no one...could have reproached..and..even the staunchest Federalist could have at least respected their efforts. But no, their modus operandi is their amateurish ways, and thus, they grab power and run with it....in the wrong direction, stirring sh*t and inventing problems we don't have rather than solving the ones we do. That is the illegitimacy of the PQ government. Introducing extremist divisive bills it wants to enact into Law. It is painfully obvious that Power for them..is nothing but a self-serving agenda, it was nothing but a contest they wanted to win. How small of them..and how irrelevant they are to be that insignificant and petty. So long story short, let's understand what we need to do and let's act responsibly. it is best for diverging parties to go their own way. Montreal must be rid of the dysfunctional elements which plague it if it is to flourish again, in any way, we will settle for that. Let's acknowledge this and let's be civil enough to find a compromise. Quebec will have Quebec City and parts there-of, it can can finally be a nation. We will have Montreal city-state, everyone is happy.

      I move to have our own mini-referendum as soon as possible....Mr. Mayor..you tuned in?

      Delete
    3. I'm so happy to see some of you guys realizing that a peaceful partition of quebec is the way out for all of us! I never thought complicated would see the reality of this being a solution for most of us! The billions you speak of complicated could definitely come from the ROC (that 20B) as, in the end, they would save money not to have to continue to support those areas of quebec that want out of Canada! A referendum for Montreal would bring about probably at least a 60% - 64% vote of support to leave quebec and the other strong federalist areas would also, more than likely, bring at least the same results. Democratic and definitely the way things should be done. We could peacefully assist people from either side that wish to move for a period of say 3 years and make everyone (except those that are totally set in their ways to shit disturb anyway). Perhaps Montreal (ie being a part of Canada) could make some kind of financial arrangement with quebec to pay them for 10 years or so because it would thrive again without the separatists interfering with the politics of all of us. This would give them some incentive to accept the outcome of referendums without a huge fuss. Win/win for all of us!

      Delete
    4. In theory and in an ideal world cutie. But you know as well as I that the seperatists will scream bloody murder. They will say once again the anglos are trying to steal their territory and their biggest city. I dont see them ever accepting to give up Montreal. But perhaps we can sacrifice Montreal if the federal government helps us financially resettle. Montreal is crumbling anyway. Or perhaps Montreal could be some sort of city state..neither Canadian nor Quebec..but I suspect the seperatist wont like that either. They want total control..they want french only..there is no room for compromise with them and thats what makes them dangerous.

      If we try to grab Montreal..even part of it then we will see a repeat of the FLQ..not sure its worth living in a civil war zone. I dont think the seperatists will be mature about this..they will resort to violence even if we bend over backwards trying to be accomodating. Look at how whiny the PQ is with the federal government..I mean they complain nonostop about minor and trivial issues that are often more the fault of the PQ.

      Delete
    5. Devolution to city-statehood needs to happen worldwide to stop globalizing tendencies (one world government) and nationalist/statist "alternatives" to globalization (like Quebec) which do not promote diversity contrary to their claims, but enforce their own versions of uniformity.

      Montreal is a perfect case. Language is one of the things, with individual communities refusing pequiste orders to "de-bilingualize" local services. Now, boroughs and institutions are openly refusing the charter. The disconnect between the technocrats ("experts") and communities is wider than ever, and all that the "experts" can say is: you'll have no choice (that's what Lisee has been saying to all the institutions rejecting the charter of values). This is the only way they can talk to us: by threats and coercion.

      Quebec's champions of diversity denounce the uniformity of one world culture, but the only thing they can offer as replacement is their own version of one and only culture passed from top down. Make no mistake about it folks. These "cultures" are not bottom up things (started by "people" and protected by governments). They are very much concocted up top, and then passed down to us.

      Delete
    6. Maybe it's time we stood up for what we believe in complicated. We can't keep concentrating on things like the FLQ. Even if quebec votes to leave Canada, there is a huge possibility of civil war. 49% of the population are not going to just sit back and let their land be stolen by these thieves - that is really dreaming big time. With partition and a democratic vote, at least there is a chance of making this breakup bearable to a lot of people. There will probably be trouble either way but with partition and the population having a say there would probably be less problems. Not the way the PQ are talking but they would have no choice but to negotiate our release to prevent even worse trouble both with Canada and the US.

      Delete
    7. Thats fine and dandy in principle but is Canada going to defend us if we start having FLQ like groups running around attacking anglos? There are so many examples of civil wars in history that in the end were not really worth the cost..look at Yugoslavia 20 years ago still a total mess. Its easy to talk tough now when we are all comfortable and safe but if all hell breaks loose not sure we will think its worth it.

      Personally I think most anglos and allos will just leave..as soon as a few mroe restrictive policies come in they wont stay any more. People are already leaving and we only have a PQ minority. The real question is how much Canada will defend us..perhaps they would fight more than I think..we would have the canadian military on our side in the end but living in a militarized zone..not fun.

      Delete
  26. Shhh,

    Nobody tell Ed.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/jacques-corriveau-charged-with-fraud-in-sponsorship-scandal-1.2463345

    Not another high profile Quebecer charged with fraud! Zut Alors. What next? Mafia leaders charged with a crime?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nos anglos dans un Québec souverain deviendraient de vrais citoyens,à part entière.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No surprise at all…more liberal, Kebec frenchies, friends of Chretien… charged with corruption, fraud, money laundering…oh ya the kebec way of doing business... they are all over Ottawa, all over government…

      What is really disturbing though is that we pays cops for 11 years to investigate this scum…11 years…wow!!! That’s a lot of money…way to go police, real impressive…NOT!!! They are laughing at us all the way to the bank…the cops, the whole lot of them…

      Delete
  28. Editor: "I remain convinced that Parizeau wasn't a racist or language supremacist nor any of the other Premiers, who all shared the common trait of being highly intelligent and socially and politically responsible."

    I disagree that they were not language supremacists. Being a member, let alone leader of the PQ, goes hand in hand with being a language supremacist. You don't go near the PQ if you're not at least a little bit supremacist in your beliefs, and you certainly don't rise in rank in that party if you're not at least moderately supremacist.

    I don't know about racist. Maybe these ex-premiers were not racist, but so what. They expressed their sociopathy in a different way: by signing up to an ideology that does not look at the color of the skin but language. Which still makes each one of them a sociopath.

    "Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it." - John Lennon

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great news...Fitch affirms Province of Quebec, revises outlook to negative...lollllllllllllllllllll

    NEW YORK, December 12 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings affirms the 'AA-' long-term ratings
    on senior unsecured obligations of the Province of Quebec, Canada, as detailed
    at the end of this release.

    In addition, Fitch affirms the outstanding 'F1+' short-term ratings on the
    Province of Quebec.

    The Rating Outlook is revised to Negative from Stable.

    ReplyDelete
  30. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/man-charged-with-threatening-premier-marois-on-facebook-1.2463349

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From Ann
      This was inevitable. I am relieved that he was francophone not anglophone otherwise the anglophone community would never hear the end of it. Already a certain group is trying to portray anglophones as being supportive of the election night shooter. I saw this news on the Journal de Montréal site and one person wrote a comment that the guy was probably a federalist. Unbelievable. Meanwhile, these separatists seem to conveniently forget about the bombings and killings of the FLQ. Somebody I know was in a store today and overhead two people having a very loud verbal altercation, one speaking in French the other in English..it was about language.

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    2. The PQ has launched the SQ to stifle the anti- French stuff ... the first arrest is likely a warning to Anglos

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