Reader Chronicles....Volume One

 Today we start what I hope will become a regular feature of this blog, stories written by our contributors detailing their personal experiences as an anglo or ethnic from Quebec.

These stories may include a description of growing up in Quebec, moving away, moving here, what it is like to be an ex-patriot, your early, medium or late childhood as an anglo, comparisons between life here and elsewhere, school life, work environment and community life, not in the least;
You don't have to give your name and can leave out specific details in order to protect your anonymity
Here is our first contribution;

A Brief Chronicle of my Youth
BY ED BROWN

 I was born in 1936.  Hitler and Mussolini were sabre rattling across Europe. My father taught me to read at four years of age using the comics in the Montreal Star which came out in mid afternoon with a later version at 6 pm.
My  grandfather had been Mayor in Moncton, New  Brunswick  for many years in the 30's and 40's so my father was indoctrinated in politics. He would sit me on his knee and after we had read the comics together, he would read me some of the articles that he felt  I could understand. At the supper table he would discuss the world situation with my mother. I noticed that while he did this, my sisters would gab to each other. As an ardent eavesdropper, I couldn't understand how they would not want to know what was going on around them. I  listened and learned.

    At age six  I fully felt the fear of war as my two uncles were in the Dieppe raid. One of whom was close to us and I loved him very much. He survived but was killed in France a few years later. I could not understand why he died protecting a country that Frenchmen here refused to defend. My close friend  Marcel Bedard spoke English well with a heavy accent and could not understand why my uncles were allowed to go and his weren't. He said they were told in Church that war is a sin.
    After the war there were tears and jubilation. Men who had been away for six years  ('38 to '45 many went before the war started, to bolster England's defences) finally arrived home among us. Some to find out that women they loved had tired of waiting and found someone else. Others to find that children had been mysteriously born in their absence. These children were passed off  as war orphans of which there were many and life went on.

     There was no lack of jobs on the English side but by 1950 companies like Bell and CNR were demanding grade nine (second high) for  menial jobs and full high school for office or executive positions. This made it difficult for francophones to get hired as many had not gone to high school at all.  Claiming a grade nine education, I became a teller at the Dominion Bank on Rachel street. Each of the four tellers balanced off fifty thousand in cash every day. We were right in the Jewish business district and most payrolls were paid in cash. We each had a forty five hand gun in our cage which we  kept under the counter out of sight. The police came once for an accidental alarm and they were angry because they only had thirty eight revolvers.

Most of Verdun at that time was forested. From Woodland avenue out toward LaSalle, it  was all bush. We had apple and pear trees in our yard. Watching ships go through the canal was interesting. Squeezing through the bridges and the locks, men from all over the world could reach out and touch your hand. The canal and rail lines were an anathema to bus drivers. Sometimes after waiting for a hundred car freight train to pass on the tracks that ran between St. James and Notre Dame, a boat would be coming through the canal and the bridge started turning to signify another long wait. The Seaway cleared up the boat problem and the tracks have been rerouted and removed.

    The Laurentian mountains area was the holiday camps for poor people. Both C.N. And C.P. had lines running through them. It enabled cheap transport to children's summer camps, family cottages and rentals for short or whole summer periods. In 1942  my grandmother came over from Ireland. My mother had rented a cottage in Weir, between Lac des Seize Iles and Huberdeau. Since my father worked for C.N. (auditor of passenger accounts) his long service gave us passes to travel. He  had been exempted from the war because his work in the railway was considered essential. At that time rail was the only link completely connecting Canada. Movement of  POWs (Prisoner Of War) was under his responsibility.

    My grandmother felt Verdun was too bustling for her. The telephone and doorbell annoyed her. “I've no idea why anyone would want one of the damn things. The door is open why do they have to ring the bloody bell.” My grandmother was born and raised and worked on the docks of Dublin and she could out-swear any sailor. The only time she went to mass was Christmas eve.

    My father arranged with our neighbour who was a warden at the Catholic Church to pay for the seats. They charged fifty cents to discourage people who only came at Christmas and took the place of regulars. It was 1950. I was fourteen and being the only regular church goer in the family I was elected to take her. My father gave me the one dollar for both seats and we left. Arriving at the Church our neighbour stated “That will be a dollar for the seats.”  Grandma perked up and said, loudly  “Jesus, Mary and Holy St. Anthony, what do ya mean a dollar. for the seats? Sure we don't want to buy them, we only want to park our arse on them.” People in the pews were looking back to see what the commotion was. Our neighbour glared at me with a look that said get her under control. I don't remember how I did it, but I did. Most of that evening is a blur, thankfully.  The upshot is that my grandmother took over the cottage at Weir and we rented it year round. 

    My father bought a two room house in the forties and it was decided that until he built another room I would live with my grandmother in the country. It was wonderful. Gram didn't care where I was or what I did, I was free to roam the wilderness. I slept under a great fir tree near Pike lake on the Log Road, swam in the lake and the creek, ate berries and went home when I was really hungry.

 School was the Anglican Church. In winter, each of the six  boys in the village school had to bring a log for the pot belly stove which was in the center of the  room. The two girls were exempt. My grandmother gave me the smallest log she could find. The Schoolmaster said I would be strapped if I didn't bring bigger logs. Gram said “To hell with him, it's not him that chops them it's me.  I need them here.” I was thinking, “wait a minute it's me that chops them,”  but I knew it was no use, so I found a solution. We usually dropped our logs in the snow and played outside the school. When I saw the school master appear I would grab someone else's log and dash inside. I made sure to grab a different boys log each day so no one noticed.

    I spent two years with her and went home to hard labour. My father had added two more rooms to the house and decided to dig out the basement. Since the house came with three lots, I was given the job of running the wheelbarrows that my father and uncle filled with earth up a ramp and into the empty lots beside. The wet mud was heavy. To get the  barrow moving I had to make my skinny twelve year old body stiff and lean over until my nose was almost touching the mud. At the end of the summer I had a pair of shoulders like Gordie Howe  It was 1948, I was going to high school and felt ready to take on the world.  

    By 1952 all was right with the world. Mayor Camille Houde, having been let out of prison was back in form in Montreal and Maurice  'Le Chef'  Duplessis was at the helm in Quebec. Duplessis was against the separatists. He wanted stability and order and we got it. Montreal on the other hand was still Houdeville. Clubs and gambling were wide open much to the joy of the young  men, twenty four hours a day. The cops were bribeable and tough. They only arrested you if you gave them a hard time. First they would beat the hell out of you. On Friday and Saturday night there was two cops on each of the four corners at St. Laurent and St.Catherine, each with a truncheon in his hand.
   
 Night life on the lower main was grand. In the many western clubs where live bands played Hank Williams type music the beer was forty cents per quart. A dime tip to the waiter was considered good. Inside the clubs you were protected by the pegre. It stayed that way until Mayor Drapeau decided to lean on the clubs and gambling houses, The gangsters needed money, so we started to have a bank robbery per day in the city.

    Peace reigned until the election of Jean Lesage and a Liberal government . They took control of education and the welfare system and made it a provincial responsibility. They pumped millions into education. The quiet revolution began to form in the mind of the education minister, a man called Rene Levesque. 
                                                                          Ed Brown.

                  
If you'd like to contribute a piece, please contact me via email.

Remember, reader contributions are vital to this blog,

Why Anglos Hate Pauline.

Most of we Anglos and Ethnics who have chosen to remain in Quebec all these years, are a hardy and resilient lot.
Depending on our age, we have survived various Parti Quebecois governments and separatist premiers starting with  René Lévesque through those who came after,  Pierre-Marc Johnson,  Jacques Parizeau,  Lucien Bouchard,  and Bernard Landry.

I don't think that I'm talking out of turn in saying that few of us were thrilled with the previous PQ governments and the Premiers that led them, but it seems to me that Pauline Marois, who hasn't even started her turn as Premier, is by far the most disliked despised, feared and unpopular among the lot.

That's my opinion but I daresay that in talking with those around me, it accurately reflects the sentiment of our community.

Our ultimate disdain is certainly not based on the fact that she is a woman, the question of gender is certainly beside the point. While chauvinists would argue that women aren't forceful enough to be leaders, nobody would argue that Pauline hasn't got the intestinal fortitude to lead, she may not be a Margret Thatcher but she certainly is no Elizabeth May.

So what is the difference between Pauline and almost all of her above-mentioned predecessors?
Actually, quite a lot.

"With Jacques Parizeau, it was like an army behind a general, says former PQ minister Louise Beaudoin. René Lévesque was charismatic, emotional and passionate. Lucien Bouchard, was theatrical, it was inspiring. Pauline Marois?

While none of these sovereigntist leaders were perfect, far from it, none were particularly 'scary' and none went out of the way to antagonize Anglos, at least not to the extent that Pauline does.

The first and foremost difference between Pauline and them, is the fact that they all were fluent in English, she sounds like she has never heard the language spoken in her life and perhaps she hasn't.

On the rarest of occasions when she offers a short comment in English, she speaks as if she is trying to repeat phonetically something that was prepared for her beforehand. At best, the effort is sadly amusing, at its worst, shockingly embarrassing .
When she speaks English, her handlers stand beside her anxiously, like a mother attending a kindergarten recital, hoping upon hope that little Paulina will not embarrass herself by botching the three lines she has memorized by rote!
One of the basic rules of politics is not to speak in a language where you are handicapped, even if you can manage a few words. Speaking English so poorly, she looks weak and confused, not a particularly good look for someone running a province.
But the real problem relating to her lack of English is not communication, the problem has to do with the optic that unilingualism imposes, which is a complete and utter lack of understanding of another culture.
Her lack of English indicates a narrow and cloistered life and quite honestly, a closed and restricted mind.
While it may be perfectly acceptable for many Quebecers to remain unilingual, their circumstances allow for it, it remains unacceptable for the Premier of Quebec, a province that is surrounded (as we are so often reminded by sovereigntists) by a sea of English.

All that  being said, the overwhelming  reason we hate Pauline so much is the fact that she went out of the way to antagonize us during the election campaign.
She deliberately beat us up in order to appeal to the hardliners she was trying to win away from the two other more militant sovereigntist parties.
Because of the emergence of a third party, the CAQ, Pauline strategized that she could win the election by appealing to the hardliners, hoping the majority in the middle would split the vote.

It was a cruel, cold and cutthroat move, throwing a whole community under the bus for crass political gain.

During the campaign, she put forward the most ridiculous hardline and repressive policies, none of which could possibly work and most quite illegal, all in an effort to woe away Quebec solidaire and Option Nationale voters. 
In the end, her strategy worked... somewhat.
She may have won the election with 32% of the vote, but even her supporters are loath to admit that it was largely a Pyrrhic victory.
Pauline alienated more than she won over and all the election proved is that if the Liberals had anyone else at the helm except Jean Charest, Pauline would have lost the entire election to a Liberal majority and would today find herself pulling the knives out of her back in the finest tradition of the Parti Quebecois.

In assessing Pauline's character, the only tool that I can think of,  takes me back to college where I recall studying the code of Roman Personal Virtues, which remains surprisingly useful today;

"These are the qualities of life to which every citizen (and, ideally, everyone else) should aspire. They are the heart of the Via Romana — the Roman Way — and are thought to be those qualities which gave the Roman Republic the moral strength to conquer and civilize the world. Today, they are the rods against which we can measure our own behavior and character, and we can strive to better understand and practice them in our everyday lives." Wikipedia

Here is a sampling of these virtues and how Pauline stacks up;

'Comitas'..."Humour" Ease of manner, courtesy, openness, and friendliness.
Nobody, not even her closet allies and friends could ever define Pauline as such.

'Clementia'..."Mercy" Mildness and gentleness.
FAIL...

'Dignitas' "Dignity" A sense of self-worth, personal pride.
FAIL...

'Firmitas'..."Tenacity" Strength of mind, the ability to stick to one's purpose.
When it comes to the political issues of the day, Pauline has flipped-flopped more times than a trained seal at Marineland.
In the election campaign, Marois did a 180 degree turn on at least three occasion, after public reaction to her announced policies went south.

'Gravitas'..."Gravity" A sense of the importance of the matter at hand, responsibility and earnestness.
FAIL...

'Honestas' "Respectibility" The image that one presents as a respectable member of society.
FAIL....

'Humanitas'..."Humanity" Refinement, civilization, learning, and being cultured.
FAIL...

'Industria' "Industriousness" Hard work.
I give her this one, she's definitely a keener...

'Pietas' ..."Dutifulness" a respect for the natural order socially, politically, and religiously. 
FAIL...

'Prudentia'..."Prudence" Foresight, wisdom, and personal discretion.
Big fat FAIL...

'Severitas'..."Sternness" Gravity, self-control.
FAIL...

'Veritas'...Truthfulness" Honesty in dealing with others.
Big fat FAIL...

Think I was too hard on her?......Please tell me where?
Can somebody please describe her positive attributes. Scouring vigile.net you'd be hard-pressed to find too many articles describing Pauline in a flattering manner, this from militant sovereigntists.

Here is another point that separates her from the other Premiers, who were all stabbed in back by those in the PQ seeking new leadership.
Pauline would actually fall into the category of the backstabber. Remember Gilles Duceppe?

Then there is one last reason to despise her, her husband the utterly detestable Claude Blanchet, who will happily embrace the title of First Lady Husband of the Province.
With his record, he will somehow turn the unpaid position into a cash cow.

But hold on.
Interestingly, there is another reason we are taking such a hard and aggressive position towards Marois.

Can it be, (shudder!) that the nutbar who tried to kill Pauline actually touched on a truth when he shouted his warning?

"Les Anglais se réveillent!"..."The English are Rising!" 

Is nobody in the mainstream Press, the media or the blog community willing to entertain the possibility that what he said might might have some truth to it, or is it too frightening to even contemplate?

Many francophones I've talked expressed a fear that things will escalate and that the warning was serious.

I get a sense that our community is getting close to drawing a line in the sand and we are now subconsciously testing the boundaries.

All these hateful manifestations towards Marois and the PQ, the Facebook messages of hate is nothing compared to the water cooler talk in the office and dinner conversations around the kitchen table in English homes.
I am starting to believe that the English and Ethnic community is ready to push back, taking our cue from the students who showed how easily and effectively it is to descend society into chaos.

While Marois is talking about doubling or tripling the amount of language inspectors, she should be aware of the seriously destructive pushback on the way and like Charest who underestimated the damage the students could inflict, Marois would be best advised to mind her P's and Q's.

French versus English Volume 61

SPEAK FRENCH!

Here's another story of a stranger interceding to demand that Anglophones speak French in public, this time, believe it or not, at the officially bilingual Jewish General Hospital in Montreal!
I'm sure you've heard this story already, but just in case; 

Montreal man recovering after tomato sandwich attack

MONTREAL – Police are investigating an assault at a Montreal hospital involving a tomato sandwich. 
Forty-eight-year-old Alex Montreuil was at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal for a CT scan, the day after the Quebec election-night shooting, when he alleges he was attacked with a tuna and tomato sandwich.

Montreuil suffers violent allergic reactions to salicylates – a substance found naturally in several common foods. 
He had his first nearly fatal reaction to tomatoes a few years ago and was rushed to hospital.

"Tomatoes have a form of aspirin in them, which is deadly to me," he told Global News. "I was literally purple." 

He is very careful when eating. So, it's no surprise that when he placed his order at the Café de l'Atrium in the Jewish General Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Montreuil took precautions. 
He asked the person working behind the sandwich counter, in English, to change the gloves she was wearing, in case they had come in contact with tomatoes.
After reluctantly agreeing to change her gloves, Montreuil was served and went to sit in the café with a friend.
As they were chatting and eating their bagels and cream cheese, an angry woman approached their table.

"Suddenly, out of the blue, this person comes up to us and starts screaming in French," Montreuil described.
She said, "Here in Quebec, we speak French, not English."
Montreuil says he replied, "In my city, in my country, I can speak the language of my choice."
After defending his right to speak English in the hospital, their conversation escalated. The woman then furiously stormed off – only to return minutes later. Read the rest of the story: Global Montreal; Montreal man recovering after tomato sandwich attack

By the way, the video I posted last week showing another language altercation where passerbys were chastised for speaking English has gone viral, approaching 300,000 views on YouTube
 The video is making headlines around the world, even piquing interest as far away as Lebanon, a society well-known for racial and religious tolerance and harmony! Link{Fr}

Students want bail conditions changed

From Clique du Plateau Original story in French

 

"Arrested when they were caught disrupting classes at the University of Montreal last week, a dozen students showed up at the courthouse this morning, hoping to drop the bail conditions that prohibits them from going near the University of Montreal.  

They complained that this condition prevents them from attending classes.

Montreal Style Deli conquers New York

Read a Globe & Mail article on a couple of Montrealers who have opened a Montreal style deli in Brooklyn and a sandwich shop in lower Manhattan, to some pretty good revues.
Gotta love the name, "Mile End Delicatessen."

"Is there a difference between Montreal deli and New York’s version?
I was longing for a certain experience of going to the deli that doesn’t exist in New York. I grew up going to Schwartz’s. I grew up knowing that feeling of walking in and it just being this shrine to this one product. It’s this one little room and everyone is seated together really tight and the place reeks of smoked meat. New York doesn’t have that community." Read the whole story

 "Mile End is a Montreal inspired Jewish Deli in New York City that specializes in traditional Jewish comfort food made from scratch.  Founded on the time tested methods of curing, smoking, pickling and baking the Mile End menus include beloved sandwiches like smoked meat on house-baked rye bread.  The New York Times dubbed it “a loving tribute to the deli tradition” and Zagat and New York Magazine voted it best deli in New York." Mile End Website

The menu is a tribute to Montreal's finest and most traditional delis, with menu items named after Beauty's, Wilensky's, etc.
Everything is Montreal, except the prices, a poutine goes for a whopping $10!

Montreal, ticket capital of Canada!

"The City of Montreal issues more fines than any other city in Canada, according to a report released Thursday. Last year, fines brought $186 million in revenue to the city, representing an average of $111 for every Montrealer.
Results in Laval show an average of $43 per person, whereas Quebec City stands at $32 for every citizen.
The average price per ticket is also higher in Montreal. Parking tickets, for example, cost $52 in Montreal, compared to $39 in Quebec City and $30 in Toronto." Read the rest of the story

Media giants square off at CRTC

Control of French TV before Bell/Astral merger

Watching Bell Media square off against Pierre Karl Péladeau's Quebecor and company reminds me a bit of the Iran/Iraq war that pitted Saddam Hussein against the Ayatollah Khomeini, a case where I just wanted both sides to lose.

I have no love loss for BELL, which raised my cable bill last year to over $150 a month, until I put a halt to the excess and cancelled half the channels.

The same thing goes for Internet when one day they sent me an additional bill for 'overuse' which promoted me to go to a much cheaper and faster small provider.
Last year they tried to squeeze out these little providers and luckily for us, the CRTC after a public outcry said no.

I certainly don't think that letting Bell acquire Astral is a good idea, but the sanctimonious objections by PKP reminds me of the pot calling the kettle black.

Mr. Péladeau believes that monopolies are bad, unless it is him owning the monopoly. Excellent Quebec logic!

Mr. Péladeau has been running a full-blown and expensive media campaign to convince the CRTC not to approve the sale of Astral to Bell and in the latest attack, he enlisted the helped of 50 of Quebec 'zartistes' who wrote an open letter opposing the Bell takeover.
Oh, spare me!
If Bell wins its fight, I hope they blackball all these sanctimonious idiots.

Ex-MNA's exit renumeration questioned

You know, I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon and complain about exit payments made to those defeated members of the National assembly or those who chose not to run.

As it is, I think they are woefully underpaid and politics being a brutal game, defeat is always staring these politicians in the face, there isn't much job security in the National Assembly.

For many, the transition out of politics is painful and sometimes followed by a period of incertitude and unemployment.

That's just my opinion, I'm sure many will disagree.

Here's a graphic prepared by the Journal de Montreal showing what each will pocket as a transition payment.

The first illustration describes those who were defeated in the last election., the second,  politicians who chose not to run in the last election.

Everything is in French but all you need to understand is the $$$ amount, plus "années de service' = years of service, the amount of time spent in the National Assembly. Read the original story in Le Journal de Montreal 

Transition payments to those members of the National Assembly who were defeated;

Transition payments to those members of the National Assembly who chose not to run again;

Canadian Universities crack Top 20

Congratulations to McGill University and the University of Toronto for their extraordinary showing, placing 18th and 19th in ranking as the best universities in the world.
It is quite an accomplishment for both schools, two great Anglo institutions. Read the story

French on the rise in west Quebec?

"Quebec's premier-designate Pauline Marois says one of her priorities is to halt a perceived decline of French in the Outaouais, but the most recent numbers from west Quebec suggest more people in the region — not fewer — are speaking French.....
The language numbers for 2011 will not be known until October. But records from the Institut de la Statistique of the Quebec government, which include statistics up to the last census in 2006, show French has actually become more prevalent in the region between 1986 to 2006.
In 1986, 76 per cent of Outaouais residents said they spoke only French at home. By the mid-2000s, that number was up to 83 per cent."  Read the rest of the story

More persecution of Blacks by Montreal police

Montreal police vs. Blacks

I've written before about Canada's most racist police force and here is just the latest sad assault by the Montreal police on the Black community.
It is hard to believe that it remains Montreal police policy to roust ⁽⁴⁾ a whole community in 2012.
The real reason the police are so out of tune with modern North American societal values is because of  the Quebec public's lack of concern for the treatment of minorities. It is sad to  say, but it is true.
From yesterday's Montreal Gazette;

Jaywalking while Black is apparently a serious offence

By Elizabeth Stronach, Special to The Gazette
On Sunday, about 9:05 p.m., I exited my house on the east side of Rosedale Ave. in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and walked across the street to where my car was parked. This was just 10 seconds after three black men in their 20s had crossed the street in the same area, which was not near an intersection.
I moved my car into my driveway and walked back up to my front door, by which time a police cruiser had pulled up opposite my house. Two officers exited the vehicle and detained the three men “for jaywalking” and demanded identification.
The three men began to loudly question the officers’ motives for detaining them.
Very soon, three additional police vehicles appeared, one of which was a supervisor’s van.
A total of eight officers questioned the three men, who were joined shortly afterward by two friends of theirs who had been attracted by the commotion. Read the rest of the story

Listen to a radio interview with the author and Tommy Schnurmacher, of Montreal's CJAD.  Link
 
Read two previous posts I wrote about the racist and incompetent Montreal police.
Montreal Police Harass Entire Black Community
Montreal Police Go Beyond Racial Profiling
 

Blowhards complain about signage

I have to say that Gilles Proulx has become one of my favourite French language blowhards, sputtering and raging over English signage with the passion and conviction of a televangelist.

When he goes into one of his sanctimonious and sarcastic rants on TV, it cracks me up!

Here he is with none other than Quebec's most notorious language whiner, Mario Beaulieu, complaining about English non-French signs (notice the sign on the video behind the desk featuring a dastardly insulting sign "IL VICINO")
Link{Fr} 

Crowing that militants had prepared a 1,000 language complaints for the OQLF, the lobby group Mouvement Montérégie Français, intimated that a crisis was upon the region and that the sky was in imminent danger of falling in on the French language.
Unsaid in all this, is that in finding these 1,000 so-called infractions, the group must have reviewed HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SIGNS!!!!!
It's like saying that a doctor found a 1,000 cold germs in a body.
How about some context, please....

Now for an interesting tidbit that I found in only one newspaper story about  these 1,000 complaints.
Almost all the complaints were about the name on the door, we know what that is all about. Canadian Tire, Best Buy etc.etc.,
But here is something new. Complaints were made over every English Church in the surveyed area because the notice boards in front of the Church had English on them!!!!!

"However, in the case of religious organizations, they have always been exempted, as is the case,  for example, signs identifying the location of a "United Church" or any other denomination of a church frequented by English parishioners.

Mr. Beaulieu  continued on this slippery slope. "I do not see why the churches fail to comply with Bill 101. There may be English on the sign, but there must also be French, "he said. Link{FR}

CHURCHES, for God's sake!!!!!! (pardon, the pun)

Maybe they expect our clergy in English language churches, temples and mosques to give the weekly sermons in French.
In English Catholic churches,  I imagine that these kooks will demand that Confession between an English priest and an Anglo be in French as well.

To Hell heck with Greek or Russian in Orthodox churches and let us eliminate Hebrew in synagogues and Arabic in Mosques.
Let us tell the Korean Church to pray in French and the same for the Buddhists and the Sikhs.

Here's an idea for MQF, if they want to find  more violations; Visit all the English  and ethnic cemeteries and write out a complaint for every tombstone that doesn't have French on it.
I'm sure they could come up with hundreds of thousands of complaints that the OQLF could investigate until the end of time.

Readers this type of language extremism is not typical of Francophone society in Quebec, it is just the opinion of a few crazed militants in the MQF who get all together too much media exposure.

But more on all this in a future post..

At any rate, back to Mr. Proulx who over the years, has pissed and moaned against his nemesis, "BT AUTO REPAIR LTD." in Greenfield Park. He's ranted about the company name on so many occasions, I truly lost count.
After making numerous complaints to the OQLF over the name on the masthead, Mr. Proulx can finally claim sweet victory as the offending portion of the name has finally been covered up.
Congratulations and hooray! Quebec is saved and victory is sweet!

By the way, can anybody tell me what the heck is "VO/OLKSWAGEN"

Anglo arrested for hate

It finally happened, the SQ reacting to a spate of tips from an inflamed public and arrested a man for making a threat.

You can read the story here, but the man, Steve Karmazenuk got in trouble for making a direct threat;

 “Marois has stated her intent to destroy my country and gut my language rights. 

My intent is to see her government destroyed and Marois gutted.”

That second line readers is a direct threat, something I talked about in my last post .
You can hope someone comes to harm, but you cannot threaten to harm someone.

Someone created this Photoshopped insult of Pauline Marois, depicted as a Nazi. Link{Fr}

Again not hate, but pretty demeaning.

Before militants get their panties in a bunch, demanding arrests, Premier Charest was subject to the same rough treatment throughout his premiership.
Here is one from this past election which did not make the newspapers. Why is that?

Now if you really want to talk about hate, nothing beats this story of a plan to re-publish some of the worst antisemitic writing by French author Louis-Ferdinand Céline, by a small Quebec publisher.
The works are so virulently hateful, they remain banned in France to this day. Read the story

By the way, yesterday in the comments section, SQ  pointed to a video on YouTube that so clearly passes into the realm of threat that even I was shocked.
I do not understand how the video is up on YouTube for five months.
The author of the video sings a little ditty while brandishing a sword, describing how he is going to kill Jean Charest.
 

Hello, SQ? (the police, not the commenter.)  Are you going to take action here, or is it only hate against Francophones that concerns you?

Language tensions are clearly going up since the last election and it will be subject of Monday's post.


Let's end on the lighter side of the language dispute over store names.

A Montreal sushi restaurant was ordered by court to cover up its sign within 24 hours.

Why?
This is the original name to which the landlord objected too;

Please have a good weekend.

A Case of Bad Taste All Around

Spare me the sanctimonious outrage at the funny remark made by one unlucky sap on Facebook named Blake Marsh, a now-former tester at Eidos Montreal who posted this on his Facebook page;

"You just can't find good assassins these days!" 

Actually it's quite a funny line, I don't care what anyone says.

Telling jokes about dark and tragic situations is a time honoured tradition called gallows humor
in French, rire jaune, and in German Galgenhumor.

"It is argued that gallows humor often occurs in societies whose inhabitants have limited means of expressing discontent, yet in which significant discontent is experienced. In these instances gallows humor can provide an outlet for airing subjects which people may feel is safer than open dialogue." 

Pauline Marois is utterly detested in the English community, an enmity that is profound and deep and there is nothing strange or outlandish about the statement or the joke, it may not be your cup of tea, but the righteous moral indignation is just as bad.

Those who don't like it, don't have to listen.

"I give this bitch a month before someone with better aim comes forth and does what must be done."

Substitute the words 'this bitch' with a name like 'Bashir Assad' and I doubt anybody would consider it hate speech at all.
And, no, I'm not comparing Marois to Assad at all, I'm just making the point that changing the name of the target of a barb, doesn't turn hate speech into justifiable commentary and if one isn't hate, neither is the other.

So everybody climb down from your high horse, we still have freedom of speech and wishing someone would kill Bashir Assad is not an incitement for anyone to do so.
Same goes for Pauline Marois.

If everybody on Facebook who wished someone dead were prosecuted, our courts would be overflowing. What Blake Marsh said falls well within the parameters of free speech.

If and when Blake Marsh publishes a want ad for a hit man to undertake a contract to kill Marois on his behalf, the police would be rightfully justified in arresting him, that is the  difference.

Until then, all you complainers need a lesson in civics.

I don't usually quote from the comments section, I was going to use this quote from Julius Grey, one of Quebec's most renowned advocates for free speech, but Ed Brown beat me to it, so the credit for the 
re-quote goes to him ;

"FROM ED BROWN The words of Julius Grey who specializes in Human rights. “The freedom of speech normally means freedom to say unpleasant terrible, tasteless, idiotic things, as well as freedom to say wise and pondered and well thought-out things,” he said. Ed game-tester-loses-job-over-hate-speech-against-"

The same goes for  the notorious web site ParkAvenueGazette.com where  Colonel James Angus Brown calls on Canadian society to change its laws and make sedition a hanging offence, making Pauline Marois and her ilk prime candidates for the noose. It's his opinion.

If the police couldn't press charges then (and rightfully so) this case pales by comparison.

As a former boss, I know how hard it is to fire an employee with three years on the job and I have no doubt that the company over-reacted.
I think Mr. Blake has a legitimate case for wrongful termination and/or reinstatement and I hope he doesn't take his abrupt termination lying down.

Making politcal hay

Speaking of bad taste, I was thoroughly disgusted at the politicization of the funeral of the poor fellow killed at the Metropolis, Denis Blanchette.

It was a political event extrodinaire, where the PQ undertone and presence was all meant to dress up Mr. Blanchette as the victim of Anglo hate.

Pauline insisted on elevating a senseless murder into a political event as she assiduously worked the crowd outside the church, shaking hands with the hoi-polloi with a great big smile, like the seasoned politician that she is.

Pauline glad-handing outside funeral. Always time for politics!

Once she elevated the affair to a 'civic' funeral, federal politicians scurried to attend, not wanting to be left out, the whole proving that politicians are whores, regardless of affiliation.

They reminded me of the insufferable Brian Mulroney who at the funeral of Jean Charest's father which I attended, spent the entire time shaking hands with a wide grin on his mug, as if the whole affair was a personal photo-op.

Inside the Montreal church, the sad spectacle of $3,000 suits worn by the politicos contrasted sharply with the bereaved family, most of whom who could not afford a simple sports coat, some wearing t-shirts.

The real mourners

There they were in all their splendour, the PQ leadership, milking the death of this poor unfortunate  for all the political capital they could muster.
I actually saw PQ wunderkind  Léo Bureau-Blouin on TV sharing a big smile with someone inside the church. I guess he was really shook up.

How broken up was Pauline Marois over the death of Denis Blanchette?
She couldn't even remember his name, pronouncing his name as Denis "Blan-chay" in an interview on TVA. Link{Fr}

What a sick and sad spectacle.

The 'civic' funeral was nothing more than a PQ rally, a reminder to the faithful that the evil Anglos are always out to harm the faithful.

Think I'm exaggerating?

Where was the state funeral for the murdered children of nut bar Guy Turcotte and where were the state funerals for the multitude of others murdered at the hands of the deranged?

What made this death so special? I'll let readers mull over that.

Do you remember these names, Joëlle Laliberté, Marc-Ange Laliberté and Louis-Philippe Laliberté, the children killed in a bizarre murder/suicide pact made by their parents, all because they were broke.
State funeral there?
Nope, in fact the mother Cathy Gauthier Lachance, who survived her suicide attempt spent just four months in a psych ward before being freed. (but that is another Quebec story).

I somehow don't think that Richard Bain will be that lucky, do you?

How about a state funeral for another wrong-place/wrong-time innocent victim. Where was the state funeral for the poor fellow killed by an errant shot by the Montreal police who were so intent on confronting a homeless wacko with a knife that they opened fire wildly on the street with deadly consequeneces.

No state funeral or big crowd at the funeral of Patrick Limoges

Does anyone even remember the name of that poor soul? His name was Patrick Limoges and not too many officials showed up to his funeral, as if it was his own fault for embarrassing the police and the state. Link

At least Mario Bealieu, the blowhard head of the SSJB had the decency to say what Pauline and the civic funeral intimated, that the English media was responsible for creating a climate of hate towards the poor francophone majority and are responsible for what happened. Link{Fr}

According to the narrative, Quebecers are the victims, not the oppressors.

I have no problem with Quebecers promoting their language and culture, it is when they rob others of their culture, to satisfy their own selfish needs that it becomes problematic.

Mr. Beaulieu and his ilk are nothing more than linguistic vampires, sucking out the lifeblood from our community to satisfy their bloodlust.
There is nothing noble or normal about that.
 
Too bad that they are offended when we call them out for what they are. Xenophobes and thieves.

As for Pauline, what can I say about a women who exploits the unfortunate death of a wrong-place, wrong-time innocent for crass political gain.
I suppose in all honesty every other politician would have done the same, somehow we expect better from women, which admittedly is a sexist notion, beyond belief.

What we view as neccessary qualities in male political leaders - cunning, ruthlessness and ambition we somehow view as unseemly for female politicians.

Give Pauline her due, she got to where she is on her own guile and determination, she didn't have much help from the insipid and disloyal PQ caucus.

She is a force unto herself and truthfully, that's what makes her so damn scary.

Liberal Party Needs New Leader Fast

Pauline Marois is fast making good on her threats to place further limits on English in stating that she will introduce legislation beefing up Bill 101 and barring English cegep for Allophones and Francophones as her first order of business.

Likely she is counting on a Liberal party in disarray to pass her most contentious legislation and unless the Liberals hop to it, she just might get her way.

It is imperative that the Liberal choose a new leader immediately, that is with one or two months to be able to meet the Peekists in the house, united and willing and able to bring down the government over this specific issue.

In spite of the election loss the Liberal party escaped practically intact, except for their leader Jean Charest, who was actually a liability, the one person directly responsible for his governments fall from grace.

A new leader would probably wipe the floor with Madame Marois and could even steal power by offering a coalition with the CAQ whereby several cabinet seats would be given to the CAQ in a Liberal led coalition.
Let's be honest, how far apart is the CAQ and the Liberals, platform wise?

This would allow both the Liberal and the CAQ to slowly rebuild, while keeping the PQ in the opposition benches.

Think it impossible?

Pauline is huffing and puffing as if she owns a majority government and that might just be her downfall.
Perhaps she should recall the fate of Joe Clark who as the Prime Minister of a minority Conservative government acted as a he held a majority and was booted from office in nine short months, never to return.

As for a leader, there's not much talent within the Liberal Party itself, most of the veterans are too boring and lack leadership and have poor English skills.

Perhaps the only exception is Pierre Paradis, Jean Charest's sworn enemy in caucus.
Paradis and Charest haven't talked since Charest iced him out of cabinet and Paradis went into a self-imposed exile within the caucus, saying nothing and contributing nothing but silence.
It's too bad because Paradis, a capable bilingual federalist would have been an excellent addition to Charest's team, but it was not to be, over a personal feud.

It is possible that time has run out on him, but he is the most capable of all leadership candidates within the party, an excellent and fiery orator who emanates gravitas.
Once as Minster, he ordered inspectors into the homes of welfare recipients to see if they were rightfully qualified, so that tells what type of fellow he is.

If the Liberal Party goes outside to fetch a Denis Coderre they wouldn't do badly. If they lured Justin Trudeau into the fold, he'd be Premier within a year.

Whatever it is, something needs to happen, otherwise Pauline will run roughshod over our rights.

This isn't a time for licking Liberal wounds, it is a time for action and I sure hope the party is up for it.

In a poll released by Le Devoir, half the respondants hoped for a new election soon and 31% wanted a Liberlal/CAQ coalition.
All this is predicated on the Liberals choosing a new leader...and fast.

I'm afraid if things are allowed to fester and Marois starts passing her anti/anti/anti legislation the semi-social peace we have enjoyed for the forty years of PQ/Liberal rivalry will disappear.

We've already witnessed what happens when a determined minority like the students decide to perturb society and we've also seen how feeble the state is in combating widespread social unrest.

I firmly believe that the next attack on Anglo rights will trigger a social reaction not unlike the student tuition protest.

Quebec sovereigntists are fond of reminding everyone that they are surrounded by 300 million anglophones, perhaps they themselves should pay heed to that fact.

Starting a war with Quebec Anglos will have repercussions beyond Quebec's borders and when it comes to choosing sides, on whose side do you think those 300 million will stand?

If Quebec's Anglos, Ethnics and religiously observant decide to organize a North American boycott of Quebec, even the tiniest of compliance will be devastating.

If you are a separatist reading this and thinking that it is a great big hollow threat, consider this one item.

It takes 23 votes out of 30 on the NHL board of Govenors to approve a NHL team for Quebec City.
In other words seven NO votes and say goodbye to the Nordiques.

Who is on the NHL board of governors?
Not one Francophone.
But four Jews, two Greeks, One Italian two religious Christians and a bunch of wildly conservative Republicans.
And of course the leader of the rat pack is none other Gary Bettman, a New York Jew.

If you think that these people will vote with their wallet think again, there are twelve billionaires in the group and nine Canadians from outside Quebec.
It takes only seven NO votes and the Quebec Remparts will be the only team playing in what will become Quebec's version of the Montreal's white elephant, the Olympic stadium. 

Watch a video of PKP's better half stumping for sovereignty.

Made aware of the situation here in Quebec, I'm not so sure the governors of the NHL would want the likes of Pierre-Karl Peleadeau and his Pauline Marois ass-kissing wife, Julie Snyder among them.

I don't think the NHL governors would be comfortable placing a franchise in a province run by a government seeking to break away from Canada, where English is humiliated, Ethnics abused and religion values trounced.
Need I remind readers that Jim Basillie was blackballed for less?

Maybe the governors need to be reminded of all this, and so readers, are you ready to start writing letters?

Not yet, I'm holding out for a bit before declaring war on Marois, but if she goes ahead with her anti-English/Allo campaign all bets are off. That is a promise.

Let the above stand as a warning that we are not going to take any more language, religious and xenophobia without a fight.

And to separatists who tell us that Quebec is a welcoming society to immigrants, why is it that immigrants in Quebec are unemployed at a rate twice that of the regular workforce, the worst record of any Canadian province.
Read a sad commentary by Lysiane Gagnon on why Quebec bosses refuse to hire immigrants Link{Fr}
Oh yes, Madame Separatis, Quebec is really welcoming!

This is the road Pauline wants to take us down even further, where division, hate and xenophobia are the driving forces.
Poutine and Maple Syrup for all!

Almost 70% of Quebecers voted against Marois and her rabble. 
These 70% should understand that Pauline is bringing us closer and closer to a language war, a war that Marois actually wants in order to create chaos and thus momentum for sovereignty.

Unfortunately, if it's war that she wants, she will get it, too many Anglos have decided to stay and fight.

In the end Quebec will be destroyed or partitioned, that is why she must be stopped now.

As Anglos/Allos find themselves without any representation, where in fact all four parties all believe we Anglos/Allos are a threat to Quebec society, there are not many avenues left to our disposal.

We can run or we can fight, the political game is over.

To paraphrase Glen Close raging at Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction, "We will not be ignored!"

If Pauline Marois wants to make life miserable for us we will return the favour, that's is my warning and promise to her.