Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Marois' Hubby Makes Ethics Debate Toxic for PQ

Mr & Mrs Marois..' You've got some 'splainin' to do'
When the Liberals and the CAQ demanded that Pauline and her husband Claude Blanchet appear before a National Assembly committee to explain the possible 'deal' between him and the FTQ, one that was alluded to at the Charbonneau Commission, it was mostly seen as politicking and grandstanding, an effort to  humiliate the Premier while scoring some valuable political points.
" In a conversation on 20 April 2009, presented to the committee on January 21, the former president of the FTQ-Construction Jean Lavallée said that he felt it was time to talk about "our friends in PQ" to convince them not to support the idea of ​​a commission on the construction industry, then proposed by the defunct ADQ. 
Michel Arsenault then replied: "Well they are stuck , because we have a deal with Blanchet."  Link{fr}
Later on in testimony before the commission, Arsenault tried to backtrack, admitting that he thought about using pressure on Blanchet, but ultimately decided against it. Hmmm...
Making the story all the more plausible is the fact that the Union's Fond Solidarité fund made a dubious loan to Blanchet's company for some overvalued shares, a loan that was never repaid.

At any rate the incident was swept aside and half forgotten with the announcement of a provincial election, but re-surfaced with a vengeance yesterday.

With the publication of a poll showing the Liberals ahead of the PQ, it appears Marois hit the panic button and attempted to crudely shift the focus of the campaign from sovereignty and referendums, to that of ethics, which up to now, was a non-issue.

"Marois tried to get her campaign back on track Tuesday, questioning Liberal leader Philippe Couillard's ties to alleged fraudster Arthur Porter. The attack came as the latest CROP poll shows the PQ trailing the Liberals for the first time since the beginning of the election campaign.

During a news conference at a Verdun elementary school, Marois repeatedly alluded to a Le Devoir story that alleges Porter broke the law by forming a business partnership with Couillard in 2010. Porter, who was head of the McGill University Health Centre at the time, did not ask permission from the ministry of health and social services before founding a consulting firm with Couillard — a violation of provincial ethics laws.

The Liberal leader was not in provincial politics at the time, and hasn't been(sic) accused of doing anything illegal. But the PQ appears set on using his association with Porter — who is in a Panamanian prison awaiting extradition to Canada on bribery and money-laundering charges — to compare Couillard to the scandal-plagued Liberals of 2012.

"I find the Couillard's Liberals look an awful lot like Jean Charest's," Marois said, referring to the former Liberal premier. "I see Couillard had to clarify the situation (with Porter), so it worries me since he's the Liberal leader."

An investigation by The Gazette found that Porter and Couillard's consulting firm never got off the ground and was eventually dissolved." Link  
But Couillard wasn't having any of that, accusing Pauline of mudslinging and shooting back with a vicious threat of his own, one that really must have shaken Pauline quite a bit.

In a radio interview, Couillard warned Marois that if she raises questions about Liberal ethics, he will bring the issue of the Blanchet 'deal' to the table in the leaders debate on Thursday, a threat Marois would be wise to consider.
"If she wants to play in the mud, either directly or through an intermediary, that's not the kind of politics that I want to conduct. We're here to tell Quebecers how we want to govern Quebec over the next years. I would be very happy to have a debate on this level. If she wants to wade down in the mud I have about four or five questions, interesting points about the deal, among others. " Link{fr}
It's a bit strange that nobody in the media noticed that the PQ never mentioned the ethics issue before in this campaign, the issue was if you recall, the cornerstone of the PQs last election strategy.

Could it be that PQ strategists steered away from the ethics question up to now because the party was ahead in the polls and because they believed that the supposed Blanchet/FTQ  'deal' a toxic issue that any public discussion of ethics was bound to raise?

Pauline is actually more vulnerable to an ethics debate than Couillard, she clearly has more baggage.
Her loathsome husband has never really answered for his actions, at least not to the satisfaction of the public.

What evidence we do have today in the FTQ ' deal' file may not prove he's a crook, but it does show him to be an opportunist at the least, one who used his wife's political connections for personal gain.

I'll remind readers this isn't the first ethical question that has arisen over Blanchet. First was his cushy settlement that he wrung out of the government after being relieved of his duties at a government investment agency that he ran to the ground. Then there are questions about the swanky estate that he and Pauline owned, where the land was mysteriously re-zoned, ballooning the value.  Read: How estate was built on public, farm lands 

Mr. Marois attempted to silence the critics by suing the Gazette for defaming him, ultimately reaching the most asinine out-of-court settlement, one in which he tacitly admitted that the article was factual.
Read this hilarious translation of the settlement.
"The Gazette considers that it's article of September 22, 2007 on the subject didn't falsely represent the facts, but the Gazette recognizes that others could have falsely interpreted its article and that Madame Marois and Mr. Blanchet could have suffered a prejudice.
I wonder if Pauline ever considered the phrase that tells us that "People in Glass Houses, shouldn't throw stones" a modern take on the biblical passage that warns us "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone" and her  playing of the ethics card, a strategy that has every likelihood of backfiring.

I expect Marois will remain cloistered today, preparing her responses to these possible questions about her husband and the FTQ that Couillard has promised to deliver if an ethics debate is opened by Marois herself.

It's the kind of debate that cannot be won and brings to mind Richard Nixon's famous "I am not a crook" a speech that cemented most people's view that he was indeed a crook. Watch the speech

"On November 17, 1973, President Richard Nixon infamously denied any involvement in the Watergate scandal with his now timeless defence. 
Thing is, he was. Link

At any rate, it appears that up to now, the campaign couldn't go any worse for Marois, the return of the sovereignty and referendum debate a killer issue and now a possible ethics debate in the face of the unresolved issue of her husband's, and her implication in that now infamous 'deal' with the  FTQ.

For PQ boosters, it is evident that the campaign is off-kilter and yesterday, in a Journal de Montreal opinion piece, the wordy Mathieu Bock-Coté urged the PQ to get back to the wedge politics of the Charter of Values. The tried and true PQ politics of division and hate.

And so the campaign will hinge on which party manages to control the debate, be it the Charter of Values, or ethics or sovereignty and referendums.

If the PQ can't get the debate to focus on the Charter of Values, they are sunk.

So if I was a betting man, Pauline will steer clear of an ethics brawl in the leaders debate, hoping that Couillard sticks to his promise to leave Pauline alone over her husband.

Too bad.....

107 comments:

  1. Pour ceux qui préfèrent le couple Legault...err

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42jV8-I8Mqg&feature=youtu.be

    Assez humiliant merci.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For unilingual anglos :

      He told his wife in front of people : Shut the fuck up!!

      Delete
    2. He said: "No they aren't talking to you." Try to translate correctly.

      Delete
    3. That's all you have Press 9? Your splitting hairs. I would too after you just sank even more in polls. Get ready for two more weeks of being humiliated and then the shovel chopping off your smug heads. Buh..bye.

      Delete
    4. This afternoon the polls showed that only 29% of quebecers want a referendum so the PQ are dead in the water. Too bad Peladope spoiled your charter of hate eh trolls? Most of the people are finding all this as tiring and as bad for the economy as everyone here has stated. When you all grow up and become true citizens of this wonderful peaceful country, come back, apologize for being the A$$holes you've been and you'll find that, if you're willing to work and play a useful role in society, most of us will be very forgiving.

      Delete
  2. Couillard Quebec City Radio Interview March 19, 2014
    Émission : Bouchard en parle : Philippe Couillard, Chef Parti Libéral Québec

    http://www.fm93.com/lecteur/audio/philippe-couillard-chef-parti-liberal-quebec-dan-215831.mp3

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd like to know if some contributors out thee can tell us how much of the things we see in the Gazette and on the news gets inti the French press and media and how i is treated. perhaps spme that read the French papers could tell us. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judging from the fact that no journalist has ever asked the PQ brain trust how much Separation would cost or what would happen after a YES vote, I doubt the French Press is doing their job properly. This issue has only been hanging over our heads for 40 years and Separation is still Fantasy Island.

      Delete
  4. So on the listings Thursday night from 20:00 to 22:00:

    Canadien game against Columbus
    Senator game against Tampa Bay
    March Madness
    Election debate

    Which one Quebecers most likely tune into?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't under stand the rush to a new post, the debate is not until tomorrow. I asked some questions yesterday that I would like to have heard other people's opinions on. This one today is old hat. We have hashed that already. Are we to be guided by the desires of one contributor? Ed

    ReplyDelete
  6. From CJAD news: 170 job losses at Hanes. http://tinyurl.com/ngu8tuk

    Now these people need new jobs, not a Charter of Values, not a referendum on independence.

    ReplyDelete
  7. When are you Quebeckers going to get your act together and start playing a productive role in Canada?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In your statement, Sub "Quebecers" with the word Separatists and or Nationalists. Do not paint all of us with the same brush please. We've gone to the trenches twice already for Canada in the past 35 years.

      Delete
    2. For sure JF - the separatists are enough of an embarrassment for us without everyone in Canada thinking that most of us support them. They are a small bunch of malcontents that are ruining the province for the majority!

      Delete
  8. By. AnecTOTE

    "At any rate, it appears that up to now, the campaign couldn't go any worse for Marois, the return of the sovereignty and referendum debate a killer issue and now a possible ethics debate in the face of the unresolved issue of her husband's, and her implication in that now infamous 'deal' with the FTQ."

    @Editor

    If you recall, a few weeks ago, I had suggested that all of opposing political Leaders running should end any and all Face time with a Mic and Camera by asking exactly that. "....and WE, The People, demand to know more about the Blanchet/FTQ deal. This issue has not been explained at all, to the satisfaction of quebec citizens by Mme Marois". It is after all, a highly valid question that requires absolute focus and attention by the other political parties, and especially the Liberals, (tho, I secretly hope it is Legault who goes for the jugular, on this one! Lol, just for the delish irony of it all). But, were I a betting person, I suspect she will not be able to explain it away and where there is smoke, my Lovelies, there is Fire!

    To Monsieur CouIllard: Do you want to lead this Province? Prove it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anectote, when you speak of the IRONY of Legault attacking Marois are you referring to the fact that it was Legault who first introduced her at the 1981convention?. Ed

      Delete
    2. God made the rivers;
      God made the lakes;
      God made these idiots
      But we all make mistakes!

      Delete
    3. Who the F&%&* is god?? And On which side of your brain tumor is he?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsWednesday, March 19, 2014 at 7:45:00 PM EDT

    «Tentative d'intimidation» de Couillard, accuse Maltais:

    http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/dossiers/elections-quebecoises/201403/19/01-4749368-tentative-dintimidation-de-couillard-accuse-maltais.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B9_elections-quebec-2014_1965459_accueil_POS2

    So after Couillard mentions that if Marois wants to talk corruption he'll bring up the deal between her husband and the FTQ, that makes him a bully looking to intimidate Matante Popo?

    Spineroonie!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By AnecTOTE

      Ahhhh really? Lol.

      Have you all noticed how telling the truth in this province, has become taboo? Telling the truth about the broke-ass "quebec" brand...has now become "quebec" bashing. Attempting to get to at the Truth and demanding to know what went on with the whole Blanchet/FTQ deal, is intimidation? Really? Lol.

      They should NOT, REPEAT NOT back off from this, if seppies are trying this hard to dissuade further talk on the whole matter, it is because , NOT ONLY is there smoke, there is DEFINITELY Fire! Be like pitbuls and don't let go!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsWednesday, March 19, 2014 at 9:09:00 PM EDT

      Dear AnecTOTE,

      Is it just me, or do you feel a quiver of fear in the spines of separatists as they anticipate tomorrow's stand-off?

      Just go on Twitter and see what's going on under the #PQ hashtag.

      It's like watching the Titanic sink beneath a powerful vague rouge.

      Watching Drainville come out in his Mr. Dressup sweater and beating his chest with statements like "If you don't vote for the PQ, you lose your charter of values" you know they're desperate. So desperate in fact, that he now proclaims himself in favor of making revisions to the charter.

      Is Marois going through Duceppe-syndrome at this point?

      As the incumbent, she'll be the main target of the candidates, followed by Couillard, due to his rising popularity. While Legault will have a few punches for Couillard, you can count on Francoise David having a few uppercuts ready for Marois.

      Delete
    3. By AnecTOTE

      Oh yeah....you smell it all over the place...shear unadulterated FEAR!

      They deserve to be slammed. They literally abused their power for 18 months, rather looking after citizen's interests, the Economy, Heath care, Jobs...they fiddled around with drawings of people wearing head accessories, jerking Quebecers around. Honestly, they should not be allowed to get away with such irresponsible governance. There should be standards and priorities that must be addressed as a rule, way before you undertake completely unimportant issues, not to mention creating problems and conflict, INTENTIONALLY, where none exist. This is abhorrent governance. When you are elected to govern, you are accountable, you can't just assume Power and do what the fuck you please. And this is what we have witnessed for the past year and a half. I hope the silent majority is tired of having that stick shoved up their behinds.

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    4. "Ban the burka for students, Parti Québécois says" from Maclean's: http://tinyurl.com/khqhzn3

      Marois can always call in sick for the debate and have Drainville take over. Now that would be a freak show.

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    5. Talk about trying to slip that through. SO they're going to stop anyone from receiving a government service if they wear a face covering? I'd put out your house fire, but I'm only allowed to service you if you remove your face covering. Where are all the student groups who claimed they were protesting to protect access to education? The PQ is essentially saying any student that wears a face coving will be denied an education.

      Also I question how Mr. Drainville would know if students at Concordia University wore face coverings considering he ran away scared when he was supposed to show up for a debate.

      Delete
  10. Maybe we can all chip in and buy some for our favourite contributors:

    http://goo.gl/ERMz1S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ctie, are you referring to me? Hee Hee Ed

      Delete
    2. You're not francophone Ed - the shirts and stickers are for francophones that believe in bilingualism!

      Delete
    3. Existe-t-il une version pour les anglos? : J'aime le français ?

      Delete
  11. By AnecTOTE

    I once also asked HOW MUCH would sovereignty cost. (crickets).

    Well at least we have more of an answer when it comes to territory. Seppies may be able to walk away with MAYBE 1/3 of the territory, and bye bye Hydro Quebec? Lol

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/First+Nations+warn+they+will+oppose+sovereignty/9637832/story.html

    "Most of the aboriginal land claims within Quebec remain unresolved and cover a swath of land that occupies roughly two thirds of the province. And with much of the province’s massive hydroelectric dams and mining resting on land within Cree, Innu and Inuit territory, it gives the First Nations major leverage in any negotiations with Quebec."

    I call front seat AGAIN...Cutie ..you bring the popcorn...k? Lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why are you still discussing sovereignty? It's over, that's a thing of the past. We don't care about the cost of something that will never happen. I've been saying for months that there wil be no separation, no division and no city state. I know you wanted very much for a city state Anectote and i'm sorry your dream went down but you can enjoy the fact that mayor Coderre is going after Couilard for special status for Montreal. He wants a seat at the Liberal caucus meetings. He'll get it, Couillard will reach out to him and work together. When it's over our work here will be brining a peaceful end to a heinous bunch of sadists How about some suggestions folks on how we could make the seps feel safe after we win. . Ed

      Delete
    2. Eddie. If there is no separation then you won't be able to have dual citizenship like you wanted.

      Delete
    3. Steve, what the hell are you talking about/ I don't even have a Canadian passpor, or do I need one. Ed

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    4. I'll bring the popcorn AnecTOTE and I'm extremely happy that the First Nations Peoples are speaking out about the issue of separation. That alone kicks the shit out of the idea that quebec will get what it wants by taking the whole province out of Canada. There goes their hydro plants and all the electricity money they are currently pocketing! One more myth dispelled seppies! We could go on forever about how much BS your politicians are making you swallow! Fools.

      Delete
    5. By AnecTOTE

      Bring bring..that popcorn my dear Cutie, they just covered this in 6pm news, lol

      It's far from over, lol!

      Delete
  12. Dr. Couillard doen't want to destroy Marois. At the last meeting he said, "We've had enough hatred. I have to leave the separatists feeling that they haven't lost too much. To create a peace between the hard core and the English will require carefully made chandes. Hopefully the Anglos and Allos will be gracious." For this reason he will leave bill 101 in place with some adjustments. He is not at all impressed with OQLF but he is thinking to leave it as an educational aid to the schools, promoting French spoken and written properly. world wide. With these two ideas the Francos in the stix would feel that french is still being made superior. Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed,

      Dr. Couillard doen't want to destroy Marois.

      If that is the case, he has no business running to be the Premier. Marois needs to be utterly destroyed, that she leaves politics permanently, just like NDP and PCC totally destroyed Gilles Duceppe.

      Delete
    2. By AnecTOTE

      Thank you Troy, I have a really difficulty time reading stupid comments from that person, these days.

      Delete
    3. Troy, dans le fond, c'est comme les dessins animés! Les gentils contre les méchants!

      Pour la prodondeur de ton analyse, on repassera...

      Delete
    4. Couillard doesn't want to anger the separatists who love her. He is thinking about creating a livable peace after the election. He is doing this to protect us. there's a lot of dangerous people out there who will be looking for a security blanket. We need to think about the weak and helpless that may fall victim to the anger of sep losers. If we are gracious it will make things easier for the Doc to make changes that will benefit us. Ed



      Delete
    5. Troy, dans le fond, c'est comme les dessins animés! Les gentils contre les méchants!

      Pour la profondeur de ton analyse, on repassera...

      Delete
    6. Troy, are you saying that Dr. Couillard should run for Premier just to destroy Marois? What juvenile thinking, the man is doing what no other Premier has ever done for Quebec, thinking of the future. It's essential to plan the aftermath of such a violent campaign. To protect our children and elderly we need to let them down gently and offer a tidbit in return for each thing they lose.. Remember the mentality we will have to live with. Ed

      Delete
    7. God made the rivers;
      God made the lakes;
      God made Ed
      But we all make mistakes!

      Charest didn't think of the future, so why should Couillard? Such blind faith in a false prophet!

      Delete
    8. I hope Couillard makes her look like the fool she is in front of everyone that is watching the show. That'll stop the "love" the seppies have for her and that snake Drainville! Those two do not deserve to live in quebec or anywhere in Canada. I would love to see them shamed and taunted the way they have hurt the anglophone and our new Canadian citizens with their hateful charters and bills. Piss on them - Show them the way to go home Couillard!

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    9. And Ed please tell us exactly what they are "losing"? If they got rid of Bill 101 they would be gaining the advantage of being able to choose what school their children attend for God's sake. Since when is learning anything "bad" for a segment of the population? That's what's wrong with the whole movement - no one tells them the disadvantages of "protection" of their language. No one is trying to remove their language - convince them of this and we can move on to more important things like our hospitals, our infrastructures, and on and on! Stop with the language and PROMOTE bilingualism for the sake of themselves and their children. God, this province is the most backward in North America! Learn things especially when they are young and can absorb. The kids around my place speak both languages with ease and comfort as it should be!

      Delete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By AnecTOTE

      You can call me whatever you like honey, I just hope that should she that lady get unfortunately harassed because of your stupidity, she slaps the idiots that do harass her with a slander suit. She'd have just cause! Just sayin' lol

      @Cutie

      Don't you find it fantastically amusing that we drive these deadbeats crazy? Lol. We speak ..and they can't stand it. Lol
      It warms my heart that they lay awake at night with rage and anger thinking about us and the truth we reveal about their broke-ass quebec brand!! Lol

      Delete
    2. Je me demande pourquoi les "libs" méritent le vote de la communauté anglo de notre Métropole.Même Denis coderre,le fédéraliste,dans ses récentes demandes auprès de Québec,ne mentionne votre groupe linguistique...Bizarre,non?

      Voyons Antoinette,revenez sur terre :)

      Delete
    3. By AnecTOTE

      Well gee...lemme see now, I'm not a fan of the Liberals but at least they don't invent despicable excuses to intentionally cause division of the masses for their political agenda. What the PQ did, introducing that charter, was so dishonest and dishonorable, it was plain evil. We have to ask ourselves just how far it will go to obtain its illegitimate ends? To what depth of Lies and Deception will it stoop to..to get its way? Besides being dishonorable and dishonest, what it did was plain WRONG. It has demonstrated it has no Principles or Scruples and this is a dangerous thing that everyone needs to pay attention to. It served irresponsibly and abused the 'Power of the Office'. It should be held accountable.

      The PQ plays games, ...WTF! Do we actually need to say that this is unacceptable of Government? For this reason, it doesn't deserve the Anglo or the Allo vote. Nor does it deserve the seppie vote. It deserves to be banished into oblivion for the disrespect it has shown ALL citizens of this province..point-à-la-ligne.

      Delete
    4. Tote, honey, pull up a chair and have a glass of wine. It's the first day of spring after all.

      Delete
    5. "It warms my heart that they lay awake at night with rage and anger thinking about us and the truth we reveal about their broke-ass quebec brand!! Lol"

      C'est cute, monsieur (ou madame), semble se donner beaucoup d'importance.

      Delete
    6. By AnecTOTE

      Omgggg all I want to do is talk to you all night and I have to go to sleep, I'm driving to Ottawa and back same day, tomorrow, I have to be in the office for 9am..I'm giving a talk...Damnnnnn ...but I am just sooooooooooo happy and thrilled to see you post again! It's freakin' Christmas as far as I'm concerned, forget Spring, lol.





      Delete
    7. Mo...Les anglos sont hyper précieux,de très gros égos gonflés d'air chaud.

      Delete
    8. "I'm driving to Ottawa"

      Un rendez-vous coquin avec Galganov?

      Delete
    9. "C'est cute, monsieur (ou madame), semble se donner beaucoup d'importance."

      C'est madame,qui d'ailleurs,est assez bien enrobée (dans les 125 kilos) selon les photos (et vidéos).

      Delete
    10. God made the rivers;
      God made the lakes;
      God made seppie web trolls
      But we all make mistakes!

      Delete
    11. Merci de votre précieuse contribution Mr. Sauga.

      Delete
  14. Sondage:

    Croyez-vous que le gouvernement libéral est corrompu ?

    Oui : 70%

    Ouch!

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=818464448167720&set=a.411895315491304.109350.100000125182568&type=1&theater

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FIrst off: Tinyurl.com

      "Croyez-vous que le gouvernement libéral est corrompu ?"

      That Question doesn't even make sense. The reason for that is it's taken from a different poll 2 years ago. Though fun fact based on another Leger marketing poll 70% of Canadians think all governments are corrupt, so that 70% doesn't really say thing about the PLQ themselves, context is King.

      "Nearly 70% of Canadians believe that their political systems at both the federal and provincial levels are corrupt."

      http://tinyurl.com/qajl5wb

      Delete
    2. Actually even better taken from the same poll:

      "Croyez-vous que les partis politiques en général sont
      corrompus ou non?"

      66% said yes. Congrats to the PQ being seen as 4% less corrupt than the Liberals in 2012. Hmm I wonder what those numbers would be after Paulines relationship with the FTQ has come to light...

      http://tinyurl.com/n6q7r8r

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    3. News flash: pas la même campagne.

      Un chiffre tiré d'un sondage Léger du 6 aout 2012. Tsé aux dernières élections. Celles où Popo s'était transformée en tapocheuse quétaine et quêteuse de chaudrons. Pis où on prédisait l’effritement des libéraux? Ça sent pas mal le désespoir chez tes comparses si ça prend du réchauffé pareil -- photomanipulé en plus! -- pour animer vos troupes...

      Coudonc Pressoir, de la rigueur hostie!

      Delete
    4. Omg...OMG!!!!
      Wait...I gotta sit down....
      .....
      Chik?

      Delete
    5. By AnecTOTE

      Waitttttt STOP, wish I knew where you lived so I could send you Flowers. You just made my day, you know that?
      Thank you :-)

      And don't you dare be a stranger anymore..Please.

      Delete
    6. Very kind of you Tote! You made mine too.
      But I don't know that I deserve flowers for merely happening upon the blog and debunking one instance of our frustrated little miracle's misleadingly conflated propaganda. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I suppose.

      Love the screen name by the way. Made me smile even though I'm about as warm to the idea of partition as I am that of separation. I won't post my address and postal code here of course, but to entertain part of your comment, it occurs to me that the current state of fact (and incidentally the last line of my address) -- Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- is a powerful commentary on the balance and vulnerabilities of the Wizard of Oz-like political situation we live in. And also a commentary on the hope for our collective future, if only we think it through a little harder.

      In the end, there is something delightfully poignant about the order and placing of those three place-names. Metaphorically, even Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man realized that the courage, brain, and heart that they respectively sought were inside them the whole time. I hope that once the Wicked Witch of our Metaphoric East-West Insecurities is defeated, we might realize, former "federalists" and former "sovereignists" alike, that we're in this together and that there truly is no place like home.

      Delete
    7. @Apparatchik

      Je crois que vous avez une touche avec Antoinette,j'espère que vous avez un gros appétit car cette rondelette Italienne ne semble pas lésiner sur les portions de pastas.

      Delete
    8. @Roger Binette

      Well since the Editor isn't deleting slanderous comments today, might as well get my jabs in on you. From what we all saw from your pictures, you're quite the skinny little twerp. In fact, you make the poster boy definition for the term pencil neck. My recommendation is before you make fun of people for their weight you might want to put a little on yourself, for now that they know who to look for, you can be quite easily broken. I still can't believe you look exactly like I pictured you!

      Delete
    9. J'avoue que Roger et moi partageons des opinions similaires :

      L'ivrognerie naturelle des Ontariens / Natural drunkenness of Ontarians

      http://tinyurl.com/pzh63nw

      Haha!

      Delete
    10. Statistics indicate that the Quebecois are the biggest drunks in Canada. Quebec has the top ten cities and towns with the most bars per capita. None of the towns listed have significant English populations.

      http://i.imgur.com/a0a2skH.jpg

      Delete
    11. Pourtant aucun maire alcoolique/drogué reconnu à l'international :)

      Paris est probablement la ville qui a le plus de restaurants et pourtant aucunement reconnue pour son taux d'obésité élevé.

      Les canadiens ne savent pas consommer avec modération.

      Delete
    12. Quebec's mayors (plural) are renowned for corruption.

      You keep associating doughnut consumption with Anglos but in reality they are more popular with Quebec Francophones, who are the number one customers at Tim Hortons outlets in Canada.

      http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/996273/tim-hortons-celebrates-opening-of-500th-restaurant-in-quebec

      Delete
    13. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, March 20, 2014 at 1:06:00 PM EDT

      Durham 2 - 0.

      If I was one to have any sense of sympathy for separatists, I might feel embarrassed for Roger, but hey, what can you do when you were raised in the sticks and the internet is your first ever exposure to the outside world.

      Delete
    14. By AnecTOTE

      "Je crois que vous avez une touche avec Antoinette,j'espère que vous avez un gros appétit car cette rondelette Italienne ne semble pas lésiner sur les portions de pastas."

      Really you idiot, you're making fun of this lady now cause according to you she's fat? Should she make fun of you cause you're stupid? She can always lose weight, but you will always be stupid! LOL

      We are not the same person, I am not on any of of the social media sites..NONE. So pls stop bothering her.

      But if you continue to harass her because of me, I do hope that she slaps all you Losers causing her unnecessary grief, with a nice huge lawsuit for slander. But hey, knock yourselves out!!!!! Lolololololololololol.

      Delete
    15. By AnecTOTE

      I am THRILLED that more and more people see the Light! I hope she kicks ass!!! And MORE of it!

      Nice to see that because of seppie stupidity, we're all becoming Activists!!!

      Delete
    16. Bonne chance alors...GalgaTOTE :)

      Delete
    17. Oups...Le lien a été retiré

      Delete
    18. By AnecTOTE

      @Apparatchik

      "But I don't know that I deserve flowers for merely happening upon the blog and debunking one instance of our frustrated little miracle's misleadingly conflated propaganda. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I suppose."

      You deserve the flowers and things do stay the same. It has been 40yrs since this beautiful city of ours, Montréal was brought to its knees..it hurts to see it like this. I was in and out of Ottawa today, and thought to myself, could I ever live here? The truth is...I would miss all of it...even speaking French on a daily basis...BUT to me, and to my mind, the moment we relinquished our Rights and Freedoms is the moment we regressed. It is..unacceptable, for a North American society, j'ai mal à accepter cela. So my dear friend...here we are, once again the authors of our Future? Maybe we can have a city screening of The Wiz...thx for that btw...maybe it will resonate...lol

      @R.S....@Cutie, ...@ABSA

      Lookkkkkkk Chik is back....!!!

      Delete
    19. La presque totalité des anglos et des minorités sont disposées a accepter des bandits au lieu de considérer les frogs qui se battent pour conserver leur identité et leur culture. C'est Parizeau qui avait raison, et il faudra sûrement changer notre stratégie. Car on ne peut, en aucun cas, laisser ces xénophobes nous piétiner plus longtemps. Dans les faits, on se défends, n'est-ce-pas? Et avec une pareille raison, comme cela s'applique ailleurs dans le monde, on pourrait construire un mur ou encore buldozer les ghettos anglos et établir des colonies «de souches» en lieu et place. On se defends, ou non.

      Delete
  15. By AnecTOTE

    First the PQ says it is about the charter, then it is about sovereignty, now it is about the charter again...cha cha cha? YEAH a bad one.
    The don't even know what message to get behind
    Can you trust this Party?
    Credibility 0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it's about both. can you handle two electoral issues at once mate or are you too thick?

      Delete
    2. How can sovereignty be an election issue Student? The PQ keeps saying it isn't, you must be thinking of another party, perhaps an actual separatist one?

      Separation is like the PQ's drunk welfare husband, Pauline keeps trying to hide it from the neighbours because she's embarrassed of him and she wants someone to like her, but she won't leave him because she needs his welfare cheque.

      Delete
    3. By AnecTOTE

      @whowhatzit

      Pinstripes is a sad product of DNA excrement, pay her no mind.

      That was pretty funny tho, "Separation is popo's drunk welfare husband", lol..Can I use that sometime? LOL

      Delete
  16. Les libéraux et l'éthique
    "Une décision de la Cour du Québec de 2010 fait surface dans la campagne du candidat libéral dans Jonquière, Tommy Pageau.

    Le jeune homme aurait fait des déclarations mensongères à sa compagnie d'assurance afin d'obtenir une indemnisation plus généreuse pour un vol de camion et de VTT."
    http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/electionsquebec2014/archives/2014/03/20140318-134213.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Un jeune crosseur qui a de l'avenir chez les "libs" ;)

      Delete
  17. On top of the news another head office is leaving Montreal due to political reason (Hanes, affecting 170 jobs), the 128 year old Redpath Mansion was demolished today. Likely to the delight of many separatists who take glee in seeing the erasure of English history in this city....

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/After+year+fight+save+Redpath+Mansion+finally+razed/9636971/story.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pourquoi les propriétaires ne l'ont pas gardé dans un meilleur état?

      Delete
    2. Because the irresponsible owners illegally started its demolition in 1986 and then left it open to the elements ever since, leading to its demolition by neglect.

      The demolition of the Van Horne mansion on Sherbrooke St. at Stanley St. (today’s bland Sofitel Hotel) sparked the creation of Heritage Montreal:

      A view of the interior of the Van Horne mansion

      40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEMOLITION OF THE VAN HORNE MANSION

      Van Horne Mansion (1870-1973): a Demolition That Changed the History of Heritage Preservation

      Delete
  18. Darth Drainville makes one of his Orwellian speeches (subtitled in French):

    http://youtu.be/onJaZzcJZxg

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, March 20, 2014 at 6:35:00 AM EDT

    Theo posted this earlier in the comments, but I don't want to see it buried: http://tinyurl.com/khqhzn3

    "For people who are requesting a service, like students, must do so with their faces uncovered." - Drainville

    1. Here is the real Bogeyman...chasing after a splinter of Quebec's society - women wearing the niqab. The chances of seeing a niqab-wearing woman in the positions mentioned by Drainville are somewhere around 0.02%. Sound like a threat to you?

    2. The charter claims to be for a more egalitarian society where everyone is supposedly on an even keel rights-wise and yet, a splinter of the society will be completely ostracized by the state. Nice!

    3. Right now Drainville is touting the need for uncovering the face, however, we all know how separatists are hopelessly addicted to semantics when it comes to the spineroonie. Check out this girl here: http://bit.ly/1eoVd3a

    In the eyes of the PQ and the trolls on this blog she's "a revolting Islamic fundamentalist" because of her hijab. To me, she is drop-dead gorgeous. Anyways, the point is her hijab covers a portion of her forehead, which could be defined as part of her face by the PQ.

    Part of the point of the hijab is to cover up the hairline and I can see the PQ trying to define the face as where the hairline meets the forehead, thereby banning it's use.

    I can already anticipate Student's reaction to my claim: "dude, your argument is so totally crappy - you should come back after you put more thought into what you write. if the pq did that, it would mean that no one could wear baseball caps and such, which means that all you're doing right now is quebec bashing."

    Hmmm. Would Student have a point by stating as much. Why yes she would.

    Sure would be bad if Quebeckers couldn't wear their Habs hats, huh?

    Oh wait...I can think of one reason Muslim girls could be banned from wearing the hijab, while Quebec sports fans can keep on wearing the Canadians caps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. National Post also has something on the burka ban: http://tinyurl.com/oauce9p

      Delete
    2. Anonymous Buster of Shit Arguments,

      The irony is obvious that during the "Maple Spring", a movement that the PQ threw its weight to support, the demonstrators fought hard against the prohibition of having demonstration with one's face covered - with mask, with scarf, or any other.

      Delete
  20. From Ann,
    According to Bruce Hicks (podcast in The Gazette), he predicts a PQ minority. I seem to recall he predicted a PQ majority in the last election so I am not sure this guy is really in the know. However, he is right that just because the Liberals are ahead doesn't mean they will win, because the francophone vote is still heavily in favour of the PQ. The problem is with the high illiteracy rate amongst francophones in Quebec and their history of being content letting the Church run their lives, now they seem to be quite content with a government brainwashing them and removing freedoms. They have not yet clued in to the fact that it is not only anglo and minority rights that the PQ have stripped away, their own rights are slowly being eroded as well. If anglos and minorities disappeared completely from Quebec, the PQ would simply focus all their attention on controlling and violating the rights of the francophones. That concept is something the PQ supporters simply cannot grasp. I don't have any faith in the people from the hinterland being worldly enough to understand the danger of the PQ government to their own civil rights. I am afraid we will be stuck with another PQ government, even if it is once again a minority government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The main thing here Ann is that everyone has to get out to vote! No excuses, go to advance polls, whatever, but make sure you all vote! I'm really not sure if Couillard will really change anything (politicians are politicians) but we have to give the guy the chance and put the pressure on him after the election (which has been brought up many times on social media) to make changes so that everyone can live in peace and harmony. He also has to look into fixing our voting system (which should be his first priority considering that Charest did nothing about it - also brought up frequently on social media) and if the man is truly interested in getting the province back into Canada, start working with the other premiers rather than fighting with everybody and their dog! Let's hope if everyone gets out to vote that Miss Piggy and her group of discriminatory idiots are beat soundly!

      Delete
  21. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, March 20, 2014 at 8:51:00 AM EDT

    Would love to hear your opinion on this, fellow readers.

    IF Couillard turns in a powerful performance tonight, could you see a Vague Rouge taking over the political landscape or not?

    Could a powerful performance on his part sway several of the Francophones who presently remain in the PQ's favor?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, March 20, 2014 at 9:19:00 AM EDT

      @Troy

      In the last federal election, the landslide NDP victory in Quebec was nicknamed la Vague Orange. Given that the Libs are red, well...

      Also, great call on pointing out the discrepancy between the students fighting for the right to cover up their faces during the "Maple Spring".

      Delete
  22. Apparatchik , from reading your posts for a long time I know you have a very perceptive mind, I would like to know how you think things will go in this Province after a Liberal win.. How should we treat the separatists? Ed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed,

      Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

      Delete
    2. Troy, over the seventy eight years of my life I have seen often that a positive attitude can be a winner. Ed

      Delete
  23. The mayor of Greenfield speaks up against these language zealots - good for you mayor! There should be many more of you!

    http://goo.gl/TlTnr4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greenfield Park, my hometown. In the 60s and 70s we thought the future was bilingualism and started some of the first French immersion programs in our schools. GPK was about 90% English then (it's been around over a hundred years but really came into its own as a post-war suburb - never been more than about 20,000 people). Maybe in a bit of a defiant move it changed the name of its biggest park from Empire Park to Parc Pierre Laporte (it's very close to St. Lambert where Laporte lived).

      It's not a town anymore, it's a borough of Longueuil so he's not a mayor. For many of us it's a bit of the canary in the coal mine - GPK was always a working-class town, no big bosses lived there, no movers and shakers of the establishment - a lot of unionized workers, that kind of thing. So when it loses its status as a town and loses its bilingual status it does feel like things have gone too far. GPK could never be a threat to Quebec culture (it always thought it was part of it ;)) and yet it still has to be wiped out?

      Delete
  24. Couillard ne peut prétendre qu’il ignorait le passé de Porter

    Philippe Couillard prétend qu’il ignorait le passé inquiétant d’Artur Porter. Pourtant, le 24 novembre 2004, alors que le chef libéral était ministre de la Santé, le Journal Le Devoir publiait un article intitulé : « Un personnage controversé à la tête du CUSM ». La journaliste Louise-Maude Rioux Soucy écrivait que le Dr. Arthur T. Porter traînait derrière lui une expérience désastreuse en matière de PPP.

    http://tinyurl.com/om6hzmf

    Hm...Intéressant

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol oh Gilles you sure are desperate. In 2004 one article in one rag mag wrote than Porter had a troubled past so clearly Couillard had to have read it (because you know he reads every article in every news outlet ever) and had to have believed it (kind of like how everyone in Quebec believed macleans when they called out the province as being corrupt?).

      Delete
  25. La firme Roche soupçonnée d’avoir fait du financement illégal au profit du PLQ

    http://tinyurl.com/nn9loj5

    Ce parti ne cessera jamais de nous étonner...De façon négative,bien entendu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps linking to a story not behind a paywall would be more interesting?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, March 20, 2014 at 12:30:00 PM EDT

      @whowhatzit

      You'll have to lower your standards and expectations when dealing with Roger.

      Whereas Student's arguments go nowhere, most of Roger's link lead to the distant past. "Oh look, an example of Quebec-Bashing happening yet again!!" [Link to Trudeau declaring martial law].

      Delete