14 Years Later-It's Still about Anglos and Ethnics

Its been 14 years ago, almost to the day that Jacques Parizeau, in the aftermath of the razor-thin referendum defeat, uttered those fateful words that cast the blame for the crushing defeat.
"Money and the ethnic vote"

Once again we're hearing complaints in the nationalist camp that the Anglos and Ethnics caused Louise Harel to lose the Montreal mayoral election.

The Montreal daily Le Devoir went so far as to hire two experts to analysis the Anglo and ethnic vote to in order to determine if this was true.

I could have saved them the money. Of course it's true.
Back in March I wrote a piece explaining why Louise Harel couldn't win the race to become Montreal's next mayor. It's the perception that she's anti-English and anti-immigrant.

Ever since the merger that fused several Montreal suburbs with Montreal, the city shifted to a non-francophone majority and became manifestly federalist. It's ironic that it was Harel herself who masterminded this merger while serving in the PQ government.

One of the major complaints by nationalists is that ethnics and Anglos tend to vote as a block, which they  somehow perceive as unfair.

This subtle racism was best evinced by blow-hard Yves Michaud, who complained many years ago that ethnics voted 'No' in the referendum as a block, while Francophones split their vote.
He viewed this as inherently undemocratic.

While everyone is free to vote as they wish, it seems that democracy must rest on a balance of forces and opinions that underpin the public debate. Districts where there was French-speaking majority showed a balance by voting 60% for "Yes" and 40% for "No".....

In some voting stations in the cities of Hampstead, Montreal West, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, it's the same thing, where with over two hundred votes cast, there wasn't a single vote in favour of  "Yes".....

......This is not the best example of democracy.

So ethnics and Anglos must vote as Francophones do.
This opinion has become a nationalist talking point. Here's a fresh take on the subject by Sylvain Maréchal writing in Tribune libre de Vigile

We can indeed take comfort in that we voted "normally." The francophone vote, unlike the English vote, was widely distributed among the three candidates, so we escape with dignity, escaping the "ethnic vote" At the end of it, what do we take out of this election- that we grew.

It seems that the idea that people vote their conscious and in their own best interest doesn't apply to Anglos and Ethnics. Voting as a block is 'undemocratic.'
That is the racist under-tone of those who complain about block voting.

Francophones are used to having split opinions about sovereignty. In most families there are members both for and against, it's no big deal. On many occasions, especially in local elections sovereignist vote for federalists and vice versa.

In Anglo and Ethnic families, it's pretty much the opposite. Everyone is a federalist and here, sovereignty is the only issue that counts in an election. Every other issue pales by comparison and it's likely that if Angel Gabriel came down from Heaven and ran for mayor as a sovereignists, he'd lose as well.

For these nationalists it's just another example of Anglos and ethnics frustrating the will of the legitimate majority.
For them, nothing has changed.

Video Friday- A Classic from Rock & Belles Oreilles

I added subtitles to this classic comedy piece from Rock et Belles Oreilles, a Quebec comedy troupe popular in the 80's.

Construction Industry Inquiry - D.O.A

Reporters and opposition politicians are clamouring for an inquiry into the construction industry, which has been accused of inflating government construction contracts through collusion and for paying off politicians to turn a blind eye. They show a painfully naive understanding of our Premier, Jean Charest.

I'll say it now, loud and clear.

THERE WILL BE NO INQUIRY. Not as long a Jean Charest is in charge.

He's an interesting character, different from most politicians. He's extremely intelligent and has a rapier mind and a fantastic memory. I witnessed this trait first hand sitting with him in the members' observation gallery, over-looking the House of Commons in Ottawa. As MPs spoke, Charest commented on the ongoing debate, displaying a deep grasp of the issues as well as an instant recall of mundane facts and quotes.
If you're a hockey fan, you'll understand what I mean when I compare him to TSN's Pierre McGuire.

But what sets Charest apart, is his ability to remain calm in the face of disaster and the sang froid that allows him the calmness to do nothing, when to do something is an inferior option.

There aren't that many politicians who possess this trait. Perhaps Jean Chretien was the last great politician that was able to rise above the panic and follow the expedient course of battening down the hatches.

Ex-Prime Minister Paul Martin paid the price of not understanding the concept. Faced with unrelenting criticism in regard to the sponsorship scandal, he called an inquiry to clear the air. Having nothing to do with the scandal, he naively believed that he would be perceived as a white knight.

Ultimately, the public punished him and his party in the next election, the only recourse they had to reek revenge.
As Jean Chretien was quoted as saying.
"Better to sweep the affair under the rug, even if it makes a big bump!"

Charest is a planner, a plodder and someone who has had success controlling events around him. Surprises are not things that he likes.
A few months ago, he was freaked out by a request by the Oliphant inquiry over a request that he testify in regards to payments made to him by our good friend, Karl-Heinz Schreiber. Luckily for him it never came to pass (I don't know why.)

Mr. Charest is honest. To my knowledge he has never taken money in exchange of a benefit or favour, but he has accepted contributions, lots, as do all politicians.

Mr. Charest may be chubby, but he's not stupid. He is wise enough to understand that any inquiry is dangerous and un-controllable. The circus atmosphere that surrounded the Gomery Inquiry is not something that he'd like to see repeated.

Better to take a little heat now, stay calm and let things calm down.
It's worked before. Remember the scandal at the Caisse?

Montreal Police Embarass Themselves

On balance it's been a good year for the Montreal police. The force's numerous investigations successfully scored a record amount of arrests in relation to organized crime. At one point, this summer, jails were literally overflowing with newly arrested prisoners.

The year also saw a record low number of police-related deaths and almost no controversies as compared to last year's fiasco crowned by the death of Fredy Villanueva .

The only glaring weakness remains the riot squad, which continues to be an embarrassment for the force and the city itself. Time after time, small disturbances turn into ugly riots because of the lack of planning and execution on the part of the police.

It seems that they've learned nothing from the earlier failures in Montreal North and the Hockey riots that occur on what seems like an annual basis.

On Tuesday they once again demonstrated poor planning by allowing demonstrators to disrupt the arrival of Prince Charles to a downtown armoury where he was scheduled to attend a ceremony to present new colours to the the Black watch Regiment.

The armoury is located on Bleury Street which leads to the downtown core. It's a busy and accessible street, but the block on which the Black Watch building sits is rather compact. It would have been incredibly easy to set up barriers at each end of the street and keep demonstrators away at a safe distance. Had police blocked access to the street a couple of hours in advance the whole affair would have unfolded differently.
It would have required just two or three police cars as well as some DO NOT CROSS barriers. It's not as if they can't do it or lack experience. At the conclusion of events at the Bell Centre all the streets adjacent to the arena are blocked by police to allow the building to be evacuated quickly. The same should have been done for the tiny block where the Black Watch building sits.


Instead the police stupidly allowed demonstrators to congregate directly in front of the doors of the building and when the police finally decided to clear the immediate area, the protesters held a sit-in which made things more difficult.
I'm not saying protesters shouldn't have the right to demonstrate, they should. But allowing them to butt right up to the building isn't wise.

A little planning would have averted all this. It's not as if the police were surprised, the demonstrators announced their intentions well in advance. The riot squad would never have had to be brought in had police engaged in a little preventative action.

The only reason that things didn't get ugly was the fact that the demonstrators were true to their word and other than tossing a few eggs, never became really violent or aggressive.

Much as I dislike the demonstrator's politics, they are to be commended for their conduct.

Road To Conservative Majority is a Highway to New Brunswick

Monday's surprise Conservative victory in the riding of Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup is likely sending shock waves in the Bloc Quebecois camp. It's a signal that Quebeckers are coming to the realization that having little or no representation in the government may not be such a good thing.

Mr. Harper's hardball message to Quebec may have finally gotten through. The Bloc's aborted coalition with the Liberals and the NDP and it's failure to have any meaningful impact of government decisions is starting to grate on those voters in Quebec who believe that they are being short-changed.

What is troubling to the Bloc, is that the riding is very typical and representative of a least fifteen others. If Montmagny can go conservative, so many other previously 'safe' Bloc seats are now in play.

The towns Montmagny and Rivière-du-Loup are located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river and even though they are just an hour up the road from Quebec City, they exist in another world.

Here, the people are closely knit, and the cooperative movement is strong. It's a place of traditional Quebec values and the birthplace of Mario Dumont's ultra-conservative ADQ. It's not the type of place where people are open to 'reasonable accommodations' and at any rate, there's not much call for them, as the population is as homogeneous as a bottle of milk. It's a place where nary a word of English is spoken, yet the population is open and welcoming to tourists.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the area is it's fall festival celebrating the migratory path of Canada's famous snow geese. Every October, the town of Montmagny is a rest stop for the birds on their return trip down south. It's actually quite a sight, tens of thousands birds birds crammed closely together, turning selected farmers fields into a sea of white, while amazingly, adjacent some fields remain empty. When I asked a local about the phenomenon, he told me that the fields where the birds rested were off limits to hunters and that over the years, the birds had learned to adapt. Quite amazing!
The festival which is the highlight of the year, is a traditional Quebec celebration with much boozing and revelry. It's definitely another world.

The most important issue in this election wasn't sovereignty or federalism, not the gun registry or Afghanistan, it is the more mundane issue of double tracking the rural highway (85) from Rivière-du-Loup to the New Brunswick border.

The road is an important economic link, as many northern New Brunswickers travel to Quebec for shopping, especially around Christmas time. It's also a vital transportation link that brings goods from Quebec out to the Maritimes.

The half a billion dollar project is slated to go ahead next year, with the federal government picking up a large portion of the costs.
Perhaps voters were fearful of invoking the wrath of Harper and decided to vote their pocketbooks rather than their hearts.

If the project is completed, or even undertaken as scheduled, it will be a clear sign of what is known in Quebec as "Federalism rentable" (federalism that pays.)

The Conservatives will use the project to show Quebeckers what supporting the government can mean and for many Quebeckers, tired of the Bloc's utter ineffectiveness, the message will resonate.