Quebec Summer Festival Stands Firm - English Stays

You've got to give credit to the head honchos of the Quebec Summer Festival, Daniel Gélinas and his PDG Dominique Goulet, who are shrugging off as insignificant complaints that the festival is a betrayal of French music and artists.

As you may have read in a previous post, the summer festival is a monstrous success, which follows a Woodstock like formula, where a pass allows you to see all the performances, held outdoors on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City during the summer. Quebec Music Festival Hits the Right Note

The two week festival has been growing each year, bursting out from a 'local' affair, to become a national and international event that attracts tourists from across Canada and the United States.

The formula used by the festival is to bring world class talent, such as the Black-Eyed Peas, Santana Ramstein, Iron Maiden, etc, etc. which drives attendance, subsidizing the less popular shows, mostly local francophone acts.

Last years event played before 1.5 million concert-goers, 75% more than in 2006, a remarkable achievement for a city of 400,000 people.

French nationalists have been squealing for years that the event should restrict itself to Quebec talent only, in order to promote culture and offer support financially to local artists.
The case has been made, that since the festival receives a government subsidy, French language restrictions should apply.

Festival directors deflected these arguments by pointing out that without the international English artists, the deficit would skyrocket. The jam packed audiences for name acts, contrasts sharply with the more restrained crowds that greet Francophone headliners.

The people have spoken.

Recently windbag Louis Plamondon has called for the firing of Dominique Goulet for her unwavering support of excellence over language. For Prefontaine, ramming francophone artists down the throat of an unwilling public is more about a language crusade, than entertainment.

Ms. Goulet shocked language sensibilities by making some provocative statements which disparaged Quebec talent, sending militants into  a letter-writing frenzy.
She had stated in the past that there is not one Francophone artist who could fill the massive outside venue at the Plains of Abraham. She further shocked the francophone artistic world by opining that modern groups, regardless of their native tongue need to sing in English if they want to achieve international success.
Quebec's hottest artist is Bobby Bazini, a francophone who sings exclusively in English and who is building an international reputation and is typical of this phenomenon. Barzini was excluded from running for an industry prize for best Quebec artist because he sings in English.
So groups like Arcade Fire are also banned, leaving the floor to mediocre groups like Loco Locass

That's what militants want. French at any cost. Too bad for them the public is of another mind.

The latest flap comes from the over-the-hill and decidedly passé, singer MARJO who demanded that festival organizers give her a firm commitment and date for next summer's show. When the festival demurred, claiming it was too early in the game, her agent hit the roof and accused the organizers of firming up the English talent before they would make commitments to the francophones.

Very likely true.....

Nathalie Petrowski, writing La Presse, tells the story of how she dragged her offspring to see Marjo perform at the Bell Centre, in order to expose her son to a little Quebec culture. In a venue where he had seen Lady Gaga and Madonna, it was no contest. He left at intermission.....

Now before everyone jumps on me, telling me I'm a racist, let me say that there's some very good talent coming out of Quebec.

Trouble is,  there's not enough to fill a first class festival. It's just a question of numbers. Quebec's eight million in population cannot hope to compete against the world, but fans who shell out hard-earned money aren't expecting, nor will they pay for second class acts. They can get that for free at any St.Jean Baptiste concert!

Many Quebec artists enjoy more success than they deserve and it's based solely on language.

If you need convincing try watching this dreadful rap song by Loco Locass celebrating the Montreal Canadiens. It's a hit! No way can you finish watching it to the end, it really sucks! YouTube

Compare that to this bunch of Anglo amateur nobodies. Link.

The stink put up by the Montreal artistic community is strange, given that the Montreal Jazz festival is not targeted in the same way. Many are calling it a Montreal/Quebec thing, but it just comes down to money, not language.
Quebec artists have had their hands out for years, blackmailing authorities to pay up in order to protect Quebec culture. They don't want to, nor can they compete on a talent level with the world, so they  play the culture card.
This time it didn't work.

Quebeckers have voted with their wallets, so bring on the Black-Eyed Peas!!

Amir Khadir Has Jumped the Shark!

"It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favourite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it 'Jumping the Shark." -Jon Hein

Click to watch the Fonz "Jump the Shark"

Ever since the 'Fonz' jumped over a shark on water skis, in a television episode of 'Happy Days', the term has come to describe a moment when something or someone that was once great has reached a point where it stops getting better and starts getting worse.

And so Quebec's most popular politician, Amir Khadir, has found his very own shark in the the name of a shoe store called 'Le Marcheur.' Read Story

A week after a survey declared him the most popular politician in Quebec, his boycott actions on one cold December afternoon has set all of that good will asunder.

He should have known better than to participate in a boycott of a honest, hard-working Quebecois, but obviously, he couldn't resist.

You see, protest is in Amir's blood.
Ever since he was a boy, his communist/activist father dragged him from one demonstration to another. While most families went to Church  or to visit grandma on Sunday, Amir was off to protest. Flogging Israel, America, Canada, capitalists and the bourgeoisies was a family tradition. Old habits are hard to change and so it seems that while you can take the boy out of the communist party, apparently you can't take the communist party out of the boy.
....TO THE BARRICADES!

When the negative reaction to his boycott support became overwhelming, Khadir was confident that he could charm his way out of the situation, after all, he's a master bullshitter.

Had he sized up the situation accurately, he would have realized that a quick apology for his actions was the politic thing to do. It probably would have been forgiven.

Instead, he tried to weasel his way out by the tried and true political strategy of lying and spinnng.

When he told reporters that what happened was just a simple misunderstanding and that he never  called for a boycott of the store, just the the Israeli products, he was contradicted rather publicly by the store owner who said in no uncertain terms that Khadir had been encouraging shoppers not to go into the store.

Frustrated that he was losing the argument, he then foolishly asserted his right as a private citizen to demonstrate as he sees fit.
That is when, as we say in politics, 'he lost the room.'

And that bell, cannot be unrung.

No amount of spinning, would help Khadir change the public perception that he was terrorizing an innocent 'Quebecois.' Had the merchant involved, been an Anglo or Ethnic, perhaps the story would never have achieved the media attention it did, but the David and Goliath tussle pushed a decidedly hot button and the story resonated throughout the province.

Not even his friends in the 'Clique du Plateau,' could save Khadir from the thrashing he took in the media. While most on the left, sensing the  mood of the public, wisely kept quiet, a notable exception was Radio Canada's Michel Labrecque whose interview of Khadir was more like a socialist conclave. During the interview Labreque offered this gentle rebuttal to Khadir's boycott "It's not the principle, but the method" arrgggh.......
When Khadir compared the shoe salesman to a merchant of land mines, the host remained respectfully silent.   
VIVE LA CLIQUE DU PLATEAU!     Listen to the interview

It was quite a different story when Khadir tried to defend himself in front of conservatives like Mario Dumont. His charm was lost on the hard-nosed conservative, who wouldn't allow Khadir to skate.
Khadir begged the audience to believe him that it was all a misunderstanding and it would be all put right after Khadir talked to the merchant, to convince him of the error of his ways.
Dumont was having none of it and attacked Khadir viciously by asking about his and his father's communist connection, to which Khadir, off guard,  answered rather clumsily, telling the whopper that his father, only joined the communist party because of pressure from the right.

The bashing continued when Khadir tried to defend himself on Benoît Dutrizac's radio show.
If you understand French, listen to the interview and hear Dutrizac, like Dumont, sneer  at Khadir, condescendingly, advising him to lay off a simple merchant and then asking why he can't criticize any  country, other than Israel. 
Khadir repeated the lie that he never meant to chase customers from the shoe store, a fact repudiated by those on the scene. He then repeated his shop-worn mantra that the boycott was justified because Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter are supporters. LISTEN HERE

What is most interesting is the tone of the interviews.
Both Dumont and Dutrizac made no bones about their distaste of Khadir. They sneered and mocked him rather rudely.
This is a game-changer. Journalists on the right sense a vulnerability that wasn't there before and are determined to press ahead with the attacks.

Up until now, Khadir was the Teflon man. As long as he attacked the old guard of Quebec politics and the rich, his radical socialist agenda was ignored.

No more.

Khadir himself has done what Eric Duhaime and Jeff Fillion could not, that is, to get the public to confront his deep communist radicalism and his hidden socialist agenda.

As Khadir tries to put this episode behind him, his communist friends will make sure that it remains squarely in the public limelight.

Unfortunately for Khadir, PAJU is likely to continue their boycott of 'Le Marcheur,' despite the ongoing fiasco. Those involved are lifelong masochists who embrace failure. Being a communist today, appeals only to those who adore punishment.

And so, for opponents of Khadir, the boycott is the gift that keeps giving.

How will all this affect Khadir politically?

There's little chance that his re-election is in jeopardy.
The socialist, granolas, separatists and eco-warriors of the Clique du Plateau will re-elect him, no matter what.

But the party is over for Khadir and Quebec solidaire in the rest of Quebec. They have been exposed for what they are....finally.

They both have jumped the shark

2010 Dubious Distinction Awards -

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French versus English Volume 19

Dear Friends,

I shall be off for a few days and will return next  Friday, New Years Eve with a year-end "Dubious Distinctions of 2010" post, something you can read in bed while nursing the traditional hangover.

Until then, feel free to comment on this piece or any other. I shall continue to read what you have to say.

To all my  friends and readers, please have a very  Merry Christmas.

To my Jewish friends, I know Christmas is particularly boring with just about everything closed. If you are young enough and are in a clubbing mood, you might want to Check out the Annual MatzoBall party being held tonight in Montreal (and other cities) at Club UN. For the older crowd, I guess you'll just have to order Chinese.....

Bilingual Quebec hospitals decline
In a blog piece last week I recounted how the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and its president Mario Beaulieu were agitating to stop the Institut de readaptation Gingras-Lindsay de Montreal, a Montreal rehab center, from achieving bilingual status. LINK
The factually-challenged Beaulieu charged that;

"....there has been "an explosion" of bilingual institutions in Quebec, and the net result is an increase in English in the workplace -from announcements on public address systems to signage and hiring practices. LINK

Once again Mr. Beaulieu's command of realty leaves much to be desired as he seemingly invents statistics and facts on a whim.

Perhaps he should read this article in the Montreal Gazette written by PHILIP AUTHIER, 

"Marjorie Goodfellow, who heads the provincial committee for the delivery of health and social services in English that advises the government, said it's true the number of centers recognized as bilingual under the Charter of the French Language has slipped..... 

....In the 1980s, there were 82 bilingual centers scattered across Quebec. Today, the number is down to 38....."  LINK      

Team Quebec suffers a setback

Quebec nationalists have long dreamt of having a hockey team made up exclusively of Quebec players that would compete at the Olympics or the World Hockey Championship. That isn't likely to happen, but the Canadian Amateur hockey Association did give Hockey Québec permission to hold a tournament pitting 'Francophone' nations against each other. The Quebec team would play under the guise of Hockey Canada, but just the same it is a thrilling concept for many.
The only problem is the competition, there isn't any except perhaps for Switzerland, the other teams from France and Italy are strictly third rate.
Now word has come from the Swiss that they won't participate, sending organizers into a tailspin.
It remains to be seen which NHLers will play a tournament in the middle of summer against what amounts to sub-AHL talent.
This whole thing could possibly melt down.
LINK

Olympics not French enough

"Canada’s Official Languages Commissioner blamed the Vancouver Olympic committee for mismanaging bilingualism at the 2010 Winter Olympics. “Most of the difficulties encountered were due to VANOC officials having insufficient knowledge or a misunderstanding of the official languages requirements, to which they were bound by the multiparty agreement," said Graham Fraser"  LINK

Hotel becomes"francoresponsible" & patents term

A Quebec City hotel, the prestigious Château Laurier is going 'francoresponsable' a word the hotel made up (and patented) to reflect its commitment to the French language.
The hotel is committed to providing service in at least four other languages including English, but hopes to offer clients a francophone experience.
What does this mean?
From now on, elevator music will be 100% French.
LINK

Language police gets new 'tougher' boss

 French language militants applauded the sacking transfer of l'Office de la langue française (OQLF) boss, France Boucher, seen as soft on crime English. Pauline Marois had been openly calling for her to be axed due to her 'laxisme'. (the go-to derogatory term used to describe anyone who doesn't rigorously defend the French language. )
Insiders say the government had difficulty in finding a replacement as not many wanted the job. Louise Marchand, was finally appointed to the job and she comes with good credentials. She was the president of the Pay Equity Commission, another government boondoggle.
LINK fr

Government launches 'offensive' to francize small business

 In an effort to get Chinese depanneurs and Tamil greengrocers to speak more French, the government has launched a new website to carrefourfrancisation.com. 
In addition to this helpful website the government Will send a team of canvassers into the field to 'help' small merchants understand the importance in francizing their businesses. Can't wait......
LINK

Quebec's biggest complainer rewarded with a prize 

Quebec's biggest language complainer, Marie-Thérèse Rioux, is being feted by nationalists groups for making over 200 complaints to the OQLF in regards to 'illegal' use of other languages in public signage. She was awarded a set of books by the Mouvement Montréal français for her industrious defence of the French language.
How did she find so many infractions? In a word.....Pettiness.
Even the OQLF wrote her back on several occasions that her complaints were too minor to be dealt with. LINK fr 

French radio stations play too much English music

Accusing Quebec radio stations of fiddling the books in regard to the amount of English music being played on air, ADISQ (francophone artists association) has gone to the CRTC to get the stations to play more French music. The stations are accused of using all sorts of tricks to contravene rules dictating the minimum amount of French musical content allowed. Stations are accused of making English 'mixes,' nothing more than stringing a bunch of English songs  together and calling it one song for accounting purposes. The radio stations complain that English stations and satellite services have an unfair advantage, being allowed to play as much English music as they want, something that francophone consumers want.
A clear case of the heart wanting, what the heart wants.

French radio station fights back- plays English Christmas music

A Quebec city radio station has pushed back against  an assault by francophone musical artists from Montreal who are demanding that the Quebec Summer Festival use more Francophone artists instead of highlighting English headliners. Radio morning man Sylvain 'Butch' Bouchard, of FM 93, launched 'Opération Merry Christmas' and has played only English Christmas songs on his radio show, much to the chagrin of language purists.

Surprise! 'Plat-Oh' hates Mordechai Richler 

Mile-end city councillor Alex Norris, the infernal apologist and lap dog of Plateau Mont-Royal, potty-mouthed borough mayor Luc "de sexto" Fernandez, told reporters that not one person in the whole borough is interested in honouring author Mordechai Richler.
While I wouldn't go so far as to believe that not one solitary person is so inclined, I do agree with the Projet Montreal hack that the separatists, granolas and antisemites Israel-bashers that populate his constituency are thoroughly offended at a writer who, would he be alive today, skewer the entire lot of them as pompous asses. Oh, the fun Richler would have with the likes of them!
If Mr. Norris left bad-enough alone, his remarks would be acceptable as a fair representation of the local 'gogauche' mindset. However, he went on to say that naming streets after people was reminiscent of a “Soviet mindset…to be renaming streets after figures,” Huh?  Link
Perhaps we should name streets after pets? What say you Mr. Councillor?
Norris then went on to blame 'outside influences' (read: Jewish supporters of Richler?) for causing the kerfuffle.

Meanwhile, his partner in social engineering, the insufferable Fernandez sent a letter to Loto-
Quebec, demanding in no uncertain terms that any plans to increase the amount of VLTs in the Republique du Plateau be cancelled, based on the unhealthy effect the machines have on the poor.
An enraged spokesperson for the Loto-Quebec accused the 'dear leader' of tilting at windmills, since there are no plans to add machines and in fact the agency has reduced the number of machines in the Republique by 38% since 2009!
What's the next thing to be banned in the Plat-oh?
Hamburgers? Poutine? Journal du Montreal? Coca-Cola? Hudson's Bay blankets, Smoked meat, Fur coats? Leather Gloves? The Montreal Gazette?
Perhaps local bookstores will be enjoined from selling  Barney's Version or worse still, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
To the Barricades!

To read more;

French versus English Volume 18

When it Comes to Donations, Quebec Remains Canada's Scrooge

Of all the blog pieces that I've written, this is perhaps the one that I've actually been avoiding.

The story is significant and bears discussion, but I'm afraid I'm going to take a lot of heat for it, as it's sure to paint an unflattering view of the generosity of Quebeckers, and yes, more specifically, francophone Quebeckers.

It has to do with the stunning difference in the level of generosity between Quebeckers and Canadians as well as the exaggerated difference between Anglophone Quebeckers and Francophone Quebeckers in relation to charitable donations.

The decision to finally embark on this rather sensitive subject was triggered by some recently published statistics, an email from a reader who made some very salient points in regard to the subject, as well as a newspaper article about Cirque de Soleil's Guy Laliberté and his charitable foundation 'One Drop."

Let's start with the numbers. The Fraser Institute recently issued a report which clearly showed a magnitude difference in the level of charity between Quebec and other provinces;

You can download a copy of the report via PDF file here.

As you can see the numbers are pretty depressing, Quebec comes in dead last in terms how much is donated by taxpayers to charity at $609. Compare this to British Columbians who donate an average of $1802, one can sadly surmise that Quebeckers are only one third as generous. 

In fact the numbers are even more depressing, with Quebec standing 60th out of the 64 North Americans states and provinces surveyed.

Consider that the Quebec figures don't break down the numbers to Anglophones/Ethnics versus Francophones, otherwise the $609 dollar figure might suffer a precipitous drop.

While evidence that anglo Quebeckers give more than their francophone brethren is hard to come by, one only has to look to the level of generosity towards anglophone institutions to draw fair conclusions.

McGill University's endowment fund, while not quite up to the University of Toronto standards, dwarfs any other institution in Quebec. In fact, it surpasses all the francophones universities in the province COMBINED!
Only 1.3% of Quebec university revenues come from private donations, compared to 2.8% in the ROC. Take McGill out of the equation and I shudder to think what that number would be.

The Jewish General hospital is in a similar situation, benefiting from the Montreal's Jewish community's particular largess, it's foundation dwarfs all other Francophone hospital foundations.

Other Anglo institutions, including the Children's Hospital and the Lakeshore Hospital all benefit from a robust financing campaign that badly overshadows fund raising efforts on the francophone side of the ledger.
 A reader MURRAY, sent in a disturbing email;

"To illustrate exactly just how bad things are; This year the 7^th annual radiothons of the Montreal Children’s and Ste Justine’s hospitals were held. The MCH radiothon was heard in the greater Montreal area and $1.6 million was raised. The radiothon of the Ste Justine’s was heard throughout Quebec and only $753,000 was raised.

With a community over six times the size of the Montreal Children’s, the Ste-Justine’s Foundation raised only 10% more in total than the Montreal Children’s."

.....Two years ago I spent four weeks in Laval’s rehab hospital, the largest rehab hospital in the Greater Montreal area. As I looked at the names of the major donors on the wall I noticed that only 2% of the names upon the plaques, were Quebecois."

The culture of non-giving can be best highlighted by Quebec's francophone ultra rich who have displayed an alarming inability to get their wallets out of their purse or pants.
Those who have made it big in the world seem to have forgotten their roots and any obligation to make the community where they grew up, a better place.

Let's start with self-promoter Luc Plamondon who left Quebec to take up residence in the tax-havens of Ireland and Switzerland, where he conveniently and uncharitably shielded his millions from Revenue Quebec.
He recently objected that Montreal's big charity soirées are decidedly bilingual affairs, an affront to Quebec francophones.  Perhaps the blowhard should take heed to what bank robber Willie Sutton said in response to a reporters question as to why he robbed banks;

"because that's where the money is."

Yes Mr. Plamondon, these charities depend on the generosity of anglophones because of cheapskates like you!

Next there's billionaire Guy Laliberté whose charity "One Drop" is a decidedly modest affair considering his billionaire status.
Over the last three years it has raised a paltry $40 million of which Mr. Laliberté donated about $17 million himself. Reviewing the 2009 financials, One Drop isn't a very impressive organization, raising just over 3 million from outside sources, while spending over a million to raise the money.
Mr. Laliberté has committed $100 million to the project, but over twenty-five years, a pitiful average of $4 million a year for his signature project, a yearly donation that represents no more than one-third of one percent of his net worth.

As to returning money to his native Quebec?....not so fast...

Compare that to the Alvin Segal family of Montreal who are wealthy, but by no means, in Guy Laliberté territory. Their $24 million donation helped build the Segal Cancer Centre at the Jewish General Hospital and has helped reduce waiting times for cancer patients of all stripes, be they Anglo, Ethnic or Francophone. (80% of patients at the JGH are not Jewish.) This donation is in addition to many other projects that the family supports.

What about Celene Dion?  Has she completely forgotten her roots?.

Before I get a deluge of letters, let me say that there are many francophones who do  give, with the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation taking the lead.

The problem of course, is that it isn't enough.

Why are Quebec francophones less generous?

There can be no definitive answer to this question, but certainly it goes to a diminished culture of giving.

It's important to note that 32% of Canadian donations are directed towards religious institutions. Quebec francophone's wholesale rejection of the Catholic Church may explain, in part, why donation numbers are so much lower.
A generation ago, francophones were literally forced by the Catholic Church to donate money, with parish priests visiting homes and extorting money from willing and unwilling congregants. There are few of this generation who don't resent the arm-twisting.

Aside from that, Quebecker's capacity to give is diminished by the elevated tax burden and the inferior family income. This argument however, is weakened when one considers that even Newfoundlanders, poorer than Quebeckers, give more.

Perhaps the real reason for the diminished culture of philanthropy is the effects of the nanny state.

The government has taken over just about all the financial responsibility in regards to raising a family.
Daycare, Medicare, parental leave, pensions,  workman's comp, low tuition fees, welfare, unemployment insurance programs all have combined to convince Quebeckers that the government will do it all.

Why not charity?

This attitude is underscored by the reduced personal savings and contributions to RSP and RHESP savings plans demonstrated by francophone Quebeckers as opposed to those in the ROC.

This sense of letting someone else take responsibility goes past charitable contributions. People who depend on others are always less productive and it's no surprise that Quebec also stands just about at the bottom of the North American productivity list.