Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Very Public Humiliation of Bernard Drainville

Who me? ....NO! NO! NO!,..It's not my fault!!
If there's anything the public loves, it's to watch a self-important, arrogant or pompous public figure, a movie or television star, politician or a mega wealthy person suffer a humiliating fall from grace.

I never thought I'd get back to the subject of schadenfreude so quickly, but Bernard Drainville has shown us once more how we much we enjoy the suffering of those we either dislike or disrespect, especially when they are among the high and mighty.

There's a subtle difference between those whose pain and humiliation we relish, as opposed to a fellow like Rob Ford, an example of a demon-stricken politician who most of us are actually pulling for, a likeable fellow whose problems are amusing, but not in a schadenfreude type of way. Most of us are hoping that he licks his substance abuse problem and that he makes a successful comeback, he's much too much fun putting the stodgy, holier-than-thou Toronto city council members to shame.
There may be those in Toronto who are humiliated and angered by his actions, but for the many, he is the best thing that hit Toronto in many a decade. It may not be politically correct to say, but his antics have elevated Toronto from its stodgy Kraft Dinner reputation to something a bit more risqué and exciting. (Hmmm.... I can't wait for the comments) 

But then there is that detestable owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, whose fall from grace over some disgusting racist remarks qualifies him quite justifiably for our scorn and delight in his very public humiliation and downfall.
Who can forget Mel Gibson, who became a pariah in Hollywood overnight for a drunken antisemitic rant and Anthony Weiner, a New York congressman forced to resign over a lingering sexting scandal that lasted for months, playing out salaciously across the New York tabloids much to our prurient delight. 

Of course we cannot forget the religiously fallen preachers, televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson, all who suffered a very public and humiliating comeuppance.
Visit the: The Televangelists' Hall of Shame!

Not many survive the humiliation to make a comeback, with perhaps Tiger Woods the exception that proves the rule.
Although Woods went through a couple of tough years over disclosures of his philandering and humiliation of his wife and family that saw him lose sponsors left and right, he has climbed back somewhat into the golf world's good graces, perhaps his talent just too much to ignore.
But for others like Alex Rodriguez, Lance Edwards and various Olympic cheaters, including Canada's very own Ben Johnson, there's no coming back from cheating and lying scandals.  See slideshow of dopers.

Which brings us back to our own Bernard Drainville, whose very personal public disgrace is all the more delicious because with his re-election, he will be around for quite a while to entertain us, despite calls for his resignation, which isn't likely.

For those who don't know, Drainville has been pilloried in the media for lying and misleading Quebecers over the Charter of Values, claiming or intimating that he and the PQ had legal opinions backing the constitutionality of the proposed law.
That turned out to be a lie and a deception of monumental proportions and when the new Quebec government revealed that the Justice department had never even been asked by the PQ to provide an opinion, the you-know-what, hit the you-know-what.

Drainville's sad attempts to deflect blame are as delicious and amusing as Anthony Weiner's defence of his depraved behaviour in his sexting scandal. Drainville has the audacity to tell reporters that he did have legal opinions, just not on the whole Charter, but parts of it. Ha!
In fact, the constitutional jurist that the PQ most cited as having provided an opinion, Henri Brun, denied the whole thing!
"Bernard Drainville says essentially to have had legal advice on parts of the bill, but not the entire project. The MP said he had received notices from a dozen lawyers. He said he had obtained an external legal opinion, one written by Henri Brun, a constitutionalist. But Mr. Brun  published a letter in Le Devoir, in which he claims not to have produced any reviews on the draft charter. In respect to this confusion about the contribution of Mr. Brown, Bernard Drainville offered by way of explanation, that Henri Brun ruled on the guidelines, not the entire project. Link{fr}
Drainville defended his handling of the file Tuesday morning amid mounting pressure to resign his seat in the National Assembly.
In September, Drainville said the proposed charter was on a solid legal footing based on judicial advice that the PQ government had received. . Read a sad defence by Drainville
Drainville reminds me of a gifted and experienced con artist, who once exposed by his target as a cheat, attempts to brazen it out and further defraud the poor sap once again.

And so it has become evident that the Charter of Values was never an attempt to 'regularize' Quebec society, it was a law designed to goad the Supreme Court into declaring it illegal, all in a naked and cynical attempt to enrage and humiliate Quebecers into supporting a sovereignty referendum.
Drainville's unwavering refusal to compromise with the CAQ over the harsher aspects of the law was puzzling at the time, Franocis Legault actually begging for a compromise, bit is easily understandable now that the true motive is exposed.

As one of the Charter's biggest supporters in the media, Richard Martineau  wrote dozens of article over the months in a passionate defence of the proposed law. After events played out, he sadly noted that had Drainville compromised, 80% of the Charter would have passed, but the PQ's steadfast refusal to budge an inch, led us to where we are today. 
"Thus, no legal opinion was requested by the government Marois on the constitutionality and legality of the entire Charter  bill...
Amazing ...
Basically,
they did not care that if Charter passed the
Constitutional test or not ...
If it did, the better. And if it did not, they could say, "Look, this is proof that we must separate ..."
Finally, it was all a farce. We used the Charter as an excuse, it was exploited ...
To win votes and boost support for the sovereignty Option" ...  Link{fr}
What is making this so enjoyable is that Drainville remains in a fantasy bubble, thinking that he can somehow recover from the fiasco, oblivious to the situation, while every one else is enjoying the joke on him, pointing and snickering at him like we would at a chic and haughty restaurant patron who leaves the bathroom with his nose in the air and toilet paper trailing after him.

Now the fact that federalists and other assorted enemies are mocking Drainville unceasingly doesn't really matter, that is par for the course and politicians are immune to criticism from them, but the fact that his erstwhile friends and colleagues as well as hitherto supportive journalists have washed their hands of him is the real story. 

That Lise Ravary, one of the few federalists at the Journal de Montreal has called for his resignation is of no matter, but the pointed rebukes and denunciations from those on the sovereigntist side is, as they say, that's the whole enchilada.

Nothing stings as bad as this denunciation from  Gerald Bouchard;
Of all the examples we could mention here, the bill on the charter and the way it was promoted attracts attention. We know the rather sinister part that was played by the Marois-Drainville duo. It has been widely commented on and strongly condemned, with good reason. We must go further. There is a major cleanup to be done within the party. All those who guided it along the path of intolerance, hypocrisy and amateurism must go. As for those who completely poured out the most shameless demagogy, either by multiplying their lies to the public, or by encouraging the practice by their complacent silence, one wonders if they still suited to occupy political office or even a public position. Beyond the harm that was done to the Parti Quebecois , these Duplessis-esque maneuvers have disappointed many honest people. In their eyes, they discredited the entire political class.

....Two members of the party, more than the others, embody its disgrace. First, it’s Marois ; she had the decency to resign. Then, it’s Bernard Drainville ; we’re waiting for him to do as much. For nearly a year , he propagated inflammatory and misleading statements in order to build up the Quebec majority against minorities and immigrants. He led a primary role on the subject of the false legal opinions. As long as this person remains associated with the PQ , a shadow will continue to be cast over it. CJAD    Original letter in French
Ester Begin 
A question arises.... Does Mister Drainville really believe that he still has the required qualites to one day become the leader of the PQ or any any other political party? Link{fr

But Drainville is still furiously trying to bail water out of a sinking boat, claiming innocence in the face of total public repudiation;
"It's been two or three days that I'm been pegged as a liar , with some saying "Drainville told us that there were legal opinions and the new Minister of Justice said there were none." There were, I would like to confirm, "said PQ MNA Tuesday morning, in an interview with Radio-Canada HERE First and RDI. "But I did not want to comment on those legal advices because I think it is irresponsible to do that. From the moment you reveal  that they exist, you give ammunition to those who would challenge the law in the future. I did not want to agree with the liberals, "added MNA Marie-Victorin. Link{fr}
Ha! Ha!
He's been making the rounds of all the TV and radio stations, trying desperately to repair his reputation, but the the verdict is in.
Drainville can tap dance all he wants, the stink won't rub off, once branded a liar in the court of public opinion, a politician can never come back.
He can't even go to rehab like Rob Ford and perhaps make a comeback, there is no forgiveness for being caught deceiving the public so cynically.

When they start laughing at you in politics, it's just about all over.

(Headline) LIAR! LIAR!...... (Caption) Have confidence in me
Those left in the PQ are no dummies, they understand the toxicity of those closely associated with the Charter and while it will take while for Drainville to realize what everyone knows already, the painful delay is what schadenfreude is all about.
 In the meantime, let's sit back and enjoy his pain. When the penny finally drops on him that he is toast it remains to be seen if he will resign or play out the string. (Sorry readers, I'm running out of idioms......)

I'm hoping he stays.
At any rate, as they say in the McDonald's commercial... I'm loving it!

48 comments:

  1. With Drainville becoming a political Tar baby that no one wants to touch with a 10ft pole, that leaves us with PKP and Lisee as the two front runners to rule that dysfunctional party. I have a strong suspicion that the skeletons in PKP's closet will bubble up to the surface sooner or later and he'll either resign for "family" reasons or simply take a step back. A right wing Union buster as leader of the PQ was never in the cards after all. That brings us to the insufferable JF Lisee as the only viable candidate to run the PQ (Duceppe couldn't be bothered). Good luck to him, he has a lot of bridge building to do.

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    Replies
    1. why do you think lisée is insufferable?!? what do you know about him?

      Delete
    2. @LD

      Yeah...it is what I was afraid of. Fake Tom Hagen get's everything he wants. He should be dragged through the mud as well since he's the one that provided braindrain with the rock he threw at ethnics. Make no mistake, I'd bet cash Fake Tom Hagen was the one who masterminded the idea of that stupid charter, and the other idiots ran with it. He's as insidious and diabolical as they come, and he needs to be watched constantly, cause trust me folks, he's just gettin' started. I'll go as far as saying, that it wouldn't surprise me if at the back of his mind his intention was to set-up the other bozos, think about it. Of all the PQ seppies, he's the most repugnant, I'm totally convinced he thought up that racist bill. Just the fact that it didn't bother him for a moment to think of the harm he'd be perpetuating to innocent people, all for the selfish self-serving agenda of sovereignty, all I can say is....You're the pond scum that grows on pond scum mister.

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    3. LD: I really don't think there are any viable candidates. They're all rabid racists, and all Lisée will do is talk about "corrective action" (read wanting the guillotine off every maudit tête off every maudit minorité).

      Damn them all to Hell!

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    4. @jay

      mate these three comments up here illustrate very well what i was writing yesterday. a bunch of ridiculous insults without any substance whatsoever. where does this speech come from? these three lunatics didn't come up with it. as the human being is not that mean naturally. but he can be conditioned to be mean.

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    5. @student
      Have you ever met Lisee? Or met anyone who's worked with him?

      He and Drainville are peas in a pod: people who think they are the smartest in the room, people who are very good at spinning and twisting whatever is said into knots, but when you get right down to it, they are not people of substance.

      Look at how much dipsy-doodling Lisee is now doing over the PQ's woes -- and then remember that he is the person who first drafted the reasonable accommodation 'crisis' plan with his books Nous and Sortie de Secours.

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    6. "He and Drainville are peas in a pod: people who think they are the smartest in the room, people who are very good at spinning and twisting whatever is said into knots, but when you get right down to it, they are not people of substance"

      Sorry Kev...but he never fooled anyone in THIS room. We had him pegged from the beginning, An aquarium: Transparent and Fishy! And completely lacking in political subtlety. To pull off the kind of political savvy he was trying to, you have to swallow your ego and stay under the radar. He's too arrogant and quite condescending generally. Très déplaisant, à mon avis.

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    7. "where does this speech come from? these three lunatics didn't come up with it. as the human being is not that mean naturally. but he can be conditioned to be mean."

      Really pinstripes, faking indignation now? You really are small. Nobody buys it. And if you're really wounded, all I can say is..(yawn).

      Speaking of Lunacy, it doesn't get better than PooPoo, Fake Tom Hagen, and Liar-Liar-Pants-on-Fire braindrain (Larry, Moe & Curly) all thinking they could introduce a piece of trash legislation which was illegitimate and racist to begin with, under false pretenses, and think they could get away with it. Haha, good one, AND the sh*t storm is just gettin' started.

      Faut le faire....to target the minorities in a community, in the cheapest, lowest and most despicable way possible, for the self-serving purpose of carrying the seppie hidden-agenda. Tell us, where does THAT kind of "Meanness" come from? C'est petit et c'est misérable. That will be the seppie Legacy going forward...Live with that.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsWednesday, May 7, 2014 at 7:58:00 AM EDT

    Loving every moment of this as well and it needs to be said - this couldn't happen to a bigger asshole.

    Now, it's just a question of time - how long will Drainville remain once he realizes he has no chance of becoming the PQ leader.

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    Replies
    1. ABOSA: Unless he gets a better paying job (unlikely), he can just recline on the backbenches, do sweet f.a. and collect a healthy paycheque for the next four years, followed by a platinum pension later. What more does he need?

      Delete
  3. @Student

    It was written in the aftermath of World War II, so George Orwell's essay on nationalism will seem like hyperbole in today's discussion but it is still well worth reading (all Orwell is worth reading but especially the essays). At least the Wikipedia entry is worth looking at:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_on_Nationalism

    My own feeling is that it is easy to divide people and difficult to unite people. Politics today is populated almost entirely by people who seek short-term gain by dividing people and there's no good future in it.

    Of course, I don't know how to get past it, just that partisan politics won't be where answers are found.

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  4. Political insiders have always know the PQ is a party that eats its own.

    What is fabulous is how the rise of social media is giving everyone a ringside seat to the PQ's first leadership race since Marois took power.
    It's amazing to think that it was just three years ago that Marois fended off the hardcore separatists in her party.
    But now, in a full-fledged race, the sheer viciousness that only the PQ is capable of is coming to the fore.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: we are witnessing the destruction of the PQ, and with it the last vestiges of power of the separatist movement.

    Meanwhile: Drainville is fucking hilarious.
    "I have legal advice- from this guy Brun.
    Brun: What? I didn't give you any legal advice! I gave you my opinion, and I'm a lawyer, but that's not legal advice!

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    1. Kevin: Wishful thinking on your part. It has been said time and time again that it is 1/3 of French Quebec is the core of separation, but French Quebec is 20% non-French, so it's not 33/100 Francophones that are chronically separatist, it's 33/80ths of the population, or over 41%!

      Just because you witnessed the extinguishing of a forest fire, you must remember that despite the ugly charring and damage in the immediate aftermath is eventually replaced with reforestation. Over time, the area damaged will naturally replenish itself and it will look as if all that horrible damage never took place.

      Think about it!

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    2. @Sauga
      I'm sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about.
      You can get that kind of response if you ask the public about sovereignty or sovereignty-association, with Parizeau or Marois was prattling on that our new country would use the Canadian dollar, and have the Canadian passport, etc..
      All of which is a complete crock of shit.

      Ask the real Question: Are you in favour of a separate Quebec: any pollster who asks that real question gets a very different answer.

      Then ask the other real question: Do you want an independent Quebec or are you do you want to be part of Canada?
      Canada wins every time by a very wide margin. 2-1.

      It's time to change your paradigm and stop living in the past.

      Independence was grafted onto the baby boomer ethnic rights movement of the 60s. Ethnic rights won, but independence won't give Quebecers anything.

      Face it, nobody under 40 cares about an independent Quebec anymore because they have evidence, right in front of them, that they can succeed.

      Delete
  5. Who can ever forget the smug expression on Drainville's face as he encouraged that hillbilly family to " say more - say more - we still have time here " - what he was really saying was " say more - say more - what we're doing here has no legal substance whatsoever - so let's get the public outraged over muslim's - quick ! " ) I'm not laughing at any of it yet - still too new for me - I'm still at the stage where I get chills thinking these people could have got IN..................
    And if you think Drainville's stuttering explanations are funny - you should read the staunch separatist's comments on the French media - as they bluster around trying to justify the PQ's actions - just yesterday Student was saying people were lying - that he DID in fact have legal backing on this.......................even as it all comes out that he didn't.
    It's such a strange thing to me, this fierce loyalty.
    Federalist's tend to admit when their leaders do wrong - Separatist's apparently can't. They just can't. And that's how the term
    Quebec Bashing became so prevalent during the last term - any mention of the PQ government's wrong doing was counteracted with it - even though Anglo and CANADA bashing are for more common in this province.

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    1. @Sickofitall

      It’s really just nationalism. The Orwell essay lays it out well:

      “... identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of advancing its interests... Patriotism is of its nature defensive… nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power... As nearly as possible, no nationalist ever thinks, talks, or writes about anything except the superiority of his own power unit. It is difficult if not impossible for any nationalist to conceal his allegiance... he will generally claim superiority for it...”

      Of course, today we’re sophisticated enough not to claim superiority but rather some form of “distinct-ness.” But there’s clearly an us and them.

      The superiority is claimed, “not only in... political virtue, but in art, literature, sport, structure of the language... and perhaps even in climate, scenery and cooking. He will show great sensitiveness about such things as the correct display of flags, relative size of headlines and the order in which different countries are named.”

      As I said, it was written just as World War II was ending so it’s extreme for the current discussion but in many ways nationalism is nationalism. Instead of the size of the headlines it’s the size of the store sign...

      It’s not a very long essay, you can read the whole thing here in a couple of minutes:

      http://orwell.ru/library/essays/nationalism/english/e_nat

      Delete
    2. Jay, thanks for that timely reference to Orwell's Notes on Nationalism. I am a big fan of Eric Blair, certainly one of the most trenchant observers and critics of the 20th century. I had not looked at the Notes for some years but I followed your advice and refreshed myself on line. Despite his mid century references one is immediately struck by how he penetrated to the heart of modern nationalism and its pathology. Among the "mental habits" of nationalism which he discusses I suggest that two of them : (1) Obsession and (2) Indifference to Reality are being demonstrated daily by PQ spokespersons on the reasons for their recent defeat. Unfortunately, he also teaches us that we are stuck with these PQ dudes. To paraphrase Patrick Henry : ' Give me Independence or Give Me Death ! " So we had better fasten our seat belts because win or lose we are stuck with the Drainvilles and Parizeaus until they die.

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    3. Who cares what George Orwell (??) states. Yet another clueless Anglo with no idea what's going on here in Québec.

      Delete
    4. The only problem quebec has is caused by the very people that spew nonsense like student and the late SR. All the crooks that reside here, both liberals and PQs, are not Italian - most of them are francophones that are ripping off their own kind - pretty sad but true. Some culture - lol.

      Delete
    5. @editor

      please editor if you could delete previous comment from "student" as it wasn't written by me. thanks.

      Delete
    6. "The late S.R." Lol.

      That's too much! Le pauvre, nous sommes en Deuil, ahhhh.

      Delete
    7. @Student

      Yes, we could tell, it didn't end with "mate."

      And the Orwell is worth reading.

      Delete
    8. Jay, there are some amazing birdbrains out there. I blame the schools !

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    9. What I wrote above on the aftermath of a forest fire equally applies and belongs on this thread as well.

      In fact, think of the French schools as the fertilizer that spreads the manure - well- most fertilizer IS manure!

      Delete
  6. Off this topic a bit but More About Mario - It's confirmed - we have at least 2,000 racist, unintelligent, bigots inhabiting this province that were willing to sign for blabbermouth Mario to run for the leadership of the Bloc. Let's see how this goes in the next few weeks - will be worthy of many comments on this blog; that's for sure. What the hell are these people thinking? Have they not been embarrassed enough yet? Well, we can keep it up for as long as they can spew their garbage - they underestimate the strong federalists that live in quebec.

    http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/Former+Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9+SaintJeanBaptiste+president+Mario/9815551/story.html

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    Replies
    1. No way. I'd have signed up for a Bloc membership just for the laughs!

      Delete
  7. Editor,

    1. Who is Lance Edwards?

    2. Did you use Google for translation? Somehow I do not think that ICI Radio-Canada is correctly translated to Radio-Canada HERE.

    3. Rob Ford is actually a good mayor. In terms of governance, he governs well. He has that kind of personality and apparently he has a personal problem (read: substance abuse) but he does not do disservice to the city and residents of Toronto. Compare that with Gerald Tremblay, Gilles Vaillancourt and Michael Applebaum whose actions actually cost money to the taxpayers.

    4. If Bernard Drainville did receive legal advice or opinions on parts of the Charter affirming the values of State secularism and religious neutrality and the equality between women and men, and providing a framework for accommodation requests, why does he not come clean and just disclose all those opinions?

    5. It is now I think the time for the media and the public to keep the pressure on Mr. Drainville and not to let this matter be swept under the rug and be forgotten after a number of news cycles.

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    Replies
    1. And what does he mean he got different opinions on "parts " and all together it made up the whole? WTH? LMAO
      Why didn't they present it in it's entirety?
      This just goes to show how stupid he believes Quebeckers are....................keep swimming Drainville - it doesn't look like
      anyone's willing to throw you a life preserver.

      Delete
    2. Anti-intellectuals! So glad we r rid of them.

      Delete
    3. Troy and Student :
      1. Obviously the editor was referring to Lance Armstrong. Just follow the link!

      2. I am also wondering how Troy translates "ici". You might say "Here is Radio Canada" or "This is Radio Canada" but not every French expression has a precise English equivalent.

      3. Troy..."he governs well'? Quoi ! Leaving aside his personal problems the man is a serial liar, he has no coherent program, he can't work with the municipal council,...etc. Ford is almost history. Large cities need smart hardworking mayors who understand how to build consensus. Ford can't spell the word, let alone achieve it.

      4. Student is correct that if a legal opinion is provided to the government it is up to them to disclose its contents, or not. But the fact that there is an opinion on "parts" of the Charter is not privileged. Drainville has already said so. It would also not be improper for Drainville to disclose who gave the opinion(s) and what sections of the Charter they relate to.Why hasn't he provided that information? Also, since Couillard has made it abundantly clear that (a) he is prepared to waive privilege and place this matter into the political realm, and (b) the Charter as drafted is a dead duck and will never be passed, nothing would prevent Drainville from disclosing any opinions that he has in his possession. I would be astonished if a fellow with Drainville's approach to politics who is now on the defensive and fighting for his political future would not disclose any such opinions - IF he has copies and IF they supported his position. He is trying to change the channel but its too late.

      Student, there was nothing "silly" about Couillards promise. As noted, the Charter as drafted is dead. This is a purely political matter now. Far from being a fool, Couillard has done enormous damage to Drainville and the PQ. And Student, you are very naïve. Couillard made that promise because he already knew there were no opinions. Perhaps it has not occurred to you that some of the lawyers in the Ministry of Justice may be PLQ supporters? But you are just a student, after all, and you are just learning, I guess.

      5. I don't think Drainville's opponents, including the many PQ supporters who are furious with him these days (just read the comments from readers of the recent articles and blogs about this topic) will forget this clanger. Drainville is a dead man walking.

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    4. @sandy

      "Student, there was nothing "silly" about Couillards promise."

      if it wasn't silly to promise such a thing he'd disclose them now. but he doesn't with the lame excuse that they are partial. wtf?!? the only possibility is the legal opinions back the charter. and he thinks it would be more damaging for him to disclose pro charter documents than to ditch the electoral promise. or the government dudes dudes told him not to divulge any such a thing as it would create a dangerous precedent. opposition couls ask for all written legal advice before passing any new law in the future. if this is the case, his promise was silly nonetheless.

      "Couillard made that promise because he already knew there were no opinions."

      thing is there are opinions. don't you follow newsfeeds mate? please avoid traps set up by angryphones.

      Delete
    5. Student, there are NO legal opinions on the constitutionality of the core provisions of the Charter - in particular the prohibition of religious hats. A few conversations with Henri Brun are not a "legal opinion". Opinions expressed in op-ed pieces in a newspaper, letters to the editor from lawyers, chats at cocktail parties and briefs provided to the public consultation are not legal opinions. Frankly, one of the problems with this whole discussion is that most people do not seem to know what a legal opinion is.

      I am not sure what a "newsfeed" is but I can assure you that I have followed this story very closely, in both languages. And "traps" ? ... I do not follow. I prefer the facts. There are no Ministry of Justice legal opinions supporting the constitutionality of the key Charter sections - such as the prohibition of "ostentatious" religious symbols - because those provisions are clearly inconsistent with both the Quebec Charter and the federal charter. See the Quebec Bar Association's brief, the Human Rights Commission's brief, etc. Also, the Ministry was never asked to opine on the fundamental constitutional issues. If they had been asked any competent lawyer can tell you what their opinion would have been. I am sure the the PQ knew this, perhaps from their early 2013 chats with Henri Brun. I suggest that is exactly why they did not ask for a genuine "legal opinion" from the Ministry. Crazy like a fox?. Meet Bernard Drainville, one of the chief foxes on this file.

      A first year law student could figure this out. It seems that law is not your subject. What is your subject ?

      Incidentally, what happened to your earlier comment on Troy's 3:54 pm questions? It disappeared. I'm not sure why. It seemed like fair comment to me.

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    6. Sandy McTire,

      ICI Radio-Canada is a brand name and therefore should not be translated. That is why I asked if the translation is Google-based.

      Delete
    7. Troy, I get you. It was a small point anyways. Surely we don't have to translate everything. What's the point of speaking another language and still expecting simultaneous translation, en tout cas ?

      Delete
    8. @sandy

      "What is your subject ?"

      my subject is angryphones. you're not the best specimen.

      Delete
    9. @student

      Just out of curiosity, what, in your humble opinion, is a good Anglophone. Because clearly the lot of us on this blog who merely want a bit more of an equal footing in parts (not all) of this province, and are Canadian first, are labeled angryphones, englishits and are told if you don't like the way things are in this province, head dOwn the 401. Is asking for a lil respect that too much to ask? Why all the hate?

      Alex

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    10. Its funny how any criticism of quebec and you are labelled a quebec-basher. Yet some Quebecois mock the ROC and anglos all the time and its accepted as just normal discourse. The seperatists in particular seem to have very thin skin..not sure why they are so angry and spiteful all the time? They have a law..Bill 101..which goes out of its way to protect the french language and clearly violates anglo rights yet somehow its still law. They have manages to staff the quebec public service with 98 percent francophones even though anglos make up 9 percent of the province. They are over-represented in federal public service because they managed to push bilingualism into many many jobs. They are over-represented in any of the union jobs protected for life jobs. They managed to get the ROC to send them an extra 15 billion per year while bashing them at the same time. But no its still not enough..

      Its the classic spoiled child syndrome..the more you give in to the spoiled brat the more they want and the more they whine..its really as simple as that. Some tough love from the ROC would do wonders and now is the time to start. I hope the toll on the champlain is at least 6 dollars. I think there should be tolls on all the bridges in Montreal so the suburban leeches can finally pay their fair share..they all drive into Montreal for work and leisure but then run away to avoid paying their fair share of the taxes and they also expect us all to pay for the cost of the bridges..typical leech mentality. Look how big of a story the toll on the bridge issue is..everytime you try to make people pay their fair share in quebec there is a reaction like this. I could care less if the other bridges get more congested..let it be..if people are too cheap to pay the true cost of the bridge then let them sit on the bridge for an extra 20-30 minutes..they chose to live off-island to get a nice cheap house with low property taxes..nobody forced them to live there and nobody forced them to work on montreal island..

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  8. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsWednesday, May 7, 2014 at 9:25:00 PM EDT

    Typical separatist loser: http://www.ledevoir.com/culture/actualites-culturelles/407603/victor-levy-beaulieu-met-ses-manuscrits-et-livres-rares-aux-encheres

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    Replies
    1. why is he a loser in your humble opinion?

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    2. Anonymous Buster of Shit Arguments,

      What is so wrong with Victor-Levy Beaulieu selling his manuscripts? I am not in agreement with the man, but I can not see what is wrong in this. However, if you want to see M. Beaulieu being a separatist loser, check here.

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    3. I'm with Student and Troy on this one. VLB is a serious man with a solid literary reputation. So what if he is an independentiste? He had a deal pending with the government to buy his notes, manuscripts etc. which fell through. Now he has no choice but to raise some money. Personally, I think it is very harsh to call someone a loser just because you disagree with their political choices. With that beard VLB would be a natural for a reality TV show. Perhaps ...Les Bucherons de Trois Pistoles? Now you're talking real money !

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    4. Anonymous Buster of Shit ArgumentsThursday, May 8, 2014 at 7:19:00 AM EDT

      He is a loser because he saw the writing on the wall for where he was heading and was planning on having the government take care of him.

      Despite his accolades and merits, he was only netting $30K a year even at the peak of his career while his Anglo counterparts were doing much, much better. But hey, why should he worry about where he's NOT going - someone should just take care of him, right?

      Honestly, I would love nothing more than to be the one to buy his work, take it down to the circus and have an elephant shit on it.

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    5. @ a bs argument

      "I would love nothing more than to be the one to buy his work, take it down to the circus and have an elephant shit on it."

      have you read his works before mate?

      would you love to do the same with the works of every separatist? so you're in for a cultural genocide, right?

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    6. "so you're in for a cultural genocide, right"

      Of PQ members and "Les Quebecois" culture that we see on display everyday at Charbonneau. Yes Absolutely!

      Of backwoods francophone dominating the discourse and direction and leeching the money in the province. Yes Absolutely.

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    7. "so you're in for a cultural genocide, right?"

      You know, maybe that Orwell essay isn't too hyperbolic for this discussion afterall...

      Anyway, the Brits have been trying for four hundred years to eradicate Irish culture. It's true, they managed to almost completely eliminate the Irish language, the culture not so much. In fact, some might say that mastering the English language is the main thing that has kept Irish culture so strong in the world - exporting it to every corner through people like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan and Roddy Doyle and even Brian Moore in Montreal...

      Imagine if every city in the world had a Quebecois presence like the Irish...

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  9. this link has nothing to do with the article but hope it helps you write an article about how universities around the globe are teaching in English. Sorry to post it here, but any one interested in reading this article will learn alot from those universities the importance of English in this moderen socitiy. thanks. http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/05/english-universities?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/notstudyingbutstudyinginenglish

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    Replies
    1. Interesting article. For the past 40 years the political class in Quebec has treated the teaching of English to Francophones and recent immigrants as an act of treason and something to be frowned upon. As if someone that learns English will suddenly cease to be a Francophone. Thankfully, that attitude is dying a slow death and does not resonate with younger Francophones.

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  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRZuxYjNm4Q&hd=1

    enjoy, great clip

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