French versus English Volume 69

PQ minster drummed out of office, humiliating Pauline in the process.

Bon débarras!

Back in September, when Pauline Marois first named her cabinet, I told you that Daniel Breton, the new environment minister was lying to the public in claiming that he had no association with a certain environmental group.

"In another case of skeletons in the closet, Minister of the Environment Daniel Breton denied being a member of the lobby group 'Sortons le Québec du nucléaire' despite his name being listed as being a member of the advisory board on the group's website.

Within hours of the controversy, his name was removed from the website, but not before I grabbed a Before/After screen shot." Read the post

At any rate, it seems that the little tidbit above, isn't the only thing Mr. Breton lied about, his past indiscretions were exposed by the media who did a little checking on their own, discovering a litany of past offences.

"According to newspaper reports Breton has a string of criminal convictions dating to 1988 for defrauding the unemployment insurance system, and as recently as 2007 was fined $400 by Revenue Quebec. La Presse also reported that Breton was convicted in 1997 for driving without a license.
Meanwhile TVA reported that Breton was evicted from his apartments in 2005 and 2009 for non-payment of rent. Photographs from his landlord show hundreds of empty bottles of wine left in the apartment Breton was forced to leave." Read the rest of the story

One of his speeding tickets was for driving 275 kph on Highway 401 in a Porsche, which is a bit strange for an environmentalist.
What I'd like to know, is what kind of person who can get his hands on a Porsche, lives in a $450 apartment and gets evicted for non-payment of rent?
By the way, he was also convicted of driving with a suspended license after losing it because of numerous driving infractions.
And lastly, what does it say about an Environment Minister who doesn't recycle 500 beer and wine bottles, leaving them to the landlord to deal with upon his eviction.
Come to think of it, what kind of pig accumulates 500 empty booze bottles in an apartment?

It didn't take long for Breton to become the butt of many a joke.

Ygrek.com

Mr. Breton's resignation sparked opposition charges of incompetence, after Pauline first defended Mr. Breton, her communications director assuring reporters that she was well aware of his past.

That changed the next day when Marois threw him under the bus, claiming that she really didn't know about his past.
When reporters asked about the contradiction between her statement and that of her communication director, Marois brushed it aside saying that her aide 'thought' Marois knew about the past. Ha!
Perhaps it was all a dream, like the reappearance of Bobby Ewing on 'Dallas'

Now questions are being raised over the vetting process, after all, candidates are supposed to be screened by the party before they are even allowed to run for office. Also on the hot seat is the provincial police, the SQ who are also supposed to vet potential cabinet ministers, lest they embarrass the government with past foibles.

One thing I can tell you, this could never happen in the Liberal party where potential candidates are given a thorough vetting, which includes voluntary disclosure about criminal convictions, lawsuits past and pending, unpaid debts, alimony payments, investments, etc. etc. The courts are also consulted for convictions and lawsuits and a credit check is performed.

As for Mr. Breton, the most cursory of investigations would indicate that he is defiantly R9 material, so don't be surprised if other stories emerge about other unpaid debts or obligations in the near future.
It's my experience that deadbeats cast a wide shadow. 

Quebec Crime Commission embarrasses itself

Joël Gauthier, reputation besmirched by crime commission

It seems that the Charbonneau Commission, charged with exposing crime in Quebec's construction industry has run up against a brick wall, out of witnesses and plagued by a spate of key resignations.

And so France Charbonneau put the commission on hiatus until the end of January in order to develop witnesses and lines of attack.

That being said, the last witness heard was a doozy, an investigator for the commission itself, whose testimony has brought down a  firestorm of criticism because it may have besmirched the reputation of some innocent people.

The commission investigator read into the record a bunch of names, people who had met at the hitherto hoity-toity and very private Club 357c in Montreal. The list of names was developed from the log book of the club, which notes the time, date and participants of anyone meeting or dining at the club.
Some of those meetings interested investigators, who suspected that the participants weren't discussing the Beef Wellington, but rather matters of corruption.
Certainly the majority of meetings, like that between city of Montreal employees and indicted construction magnate Frank Catania were suspect, but others not so much.

The main criterion for having a meeting flagged by investigators is that one of the participants be someone that the commission has strong feelings about and that the other be related to the construction industry or government.

Now this investigative method is a valid tool, but should never be entered as testimony unless the corruption link is confirmed with other evidence.

This was not the case and the commission in effect, read names into the record without having any other evidence as to the nature of those meetings.

Club 357c

Now one person so-named, Joël Gauthier, the ex-president of the AMT, a regional transportation agency was livid at the cavalier manner in which he was outed for his meeting with the infamous Frank Catania. Link{Fr}
Mr. Gauthier went on the offensive appearing on all the news channels to defend his good name and offer his side of the story.
Mr. Gauthier claimed that the meetings were 100% kosher, an effort to settle out of court, a case where Catania was suing the AMT, the agency he ran, over a piece of land.
The fact that no settlement was achieved and that the case proceeded, more or else proves Mr. Gauthier's contention that he wasn't being paid off.

An ex-minister in the Charest government,  Line Beauchamp, was so upset with being named by the commission that she was brought to tears in a radio interview, defending her honour.

    If you don't speak French scroll to the last 30 seconds of the interview where she breaks down and cries.   Read the story

After the list of names was read into the record, a bunch of politicians, from all parties, including Pauline Marois were quick to go public with the information that they too had meetings in the club.

It seems that the good will the commission fostered is gone with the media treating the Commission harshly for it's McCarthy-like 'guilt by association' tactics.

As for the exclusive 357c club itself, it's likely to become a lot more exclusive in the future, after all, what public figure or businessperson of good reputation, would want to be caught dead in it.
Perhaps Mr Catania will resign his membership, advising the club of his decision using the old Groucho Marx quotation;

“ "PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.” 

At any rate, what is glaringly obvious is that the Commission has not made any headway in linking the former Premier Charest's government with corruption.
Perhaps there is no headway to be had.

It isn't a case of saving the best for last, the commission has admitted that its cupboard is bare.
Perhaps it's time to pack it in?

PQ backs off election promises

Fearing a parliamentary debacle, the PQ is backing off almost every election promise it made.
First it was the Health tax that was off and then back on again and now we are hearing that the PQ will shelve plans to increase mining royalties.

As for applying Bill 101 to cegeps and daycare, thus barring allophones from attending, both those projects are off the table.

Concerning Pauline's plan to use the Caisse de dépôt  (Quebec's public  pension fund manager) for political purposes;

"As Premier Pauline Marois was setting out an ambitious blueprint for Quebec's economy Friday, two major bond-rating agencies issued a warning over one of her election promises.

 As outlined in its election platform, the newly-elected Parti Quebecois government may seek to broaden the Caisse's mandate to further contribute to the development of Quebec's economy and enterprises, which could test the independence of the Caisse."
Link 

I guess that plan is also out the window.

The PQ government has also backtracked on the proposal to withdraw funding for private schools if they fail to accept an increased amount of students with learning difficulties.

And of course its plan to remove the Canadian flag from Parliament also fell by the wayside.

So far the PQ has actually achieved nothing, except bringing in a budget that raised taxes. Well-done!

The company you keep

Another contest eligibility rules for "The BARE The Adventure Contest"
Take a look at the company we keep... sheesh!

"ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals who are eighteen (18) years or older at time of entry and scuba certified (must provide copy of certification card). Excluding residents of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the province of Quebec, Sudan, Syria, and any other jurisdiction where this contest is prohibited.  Employees of Bonnier Corporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents) and those domiciled with any of the foregoing are not eligible." Link   (thanks to David for the link)

French dominates at small companies

"New studies on the language of work in Quebec suggest a Parti Québécois proposal to extend francisation rules to businesses with less than 50 employees, to protect Quebec’s official language, might be unnecessary.
A study based on polling of 4,357 Quebec residents from January to May 2010 by Léger Marketing found that companies with less than 50 employees “generally operate exclusively in French.”
The study found that for companies with 50 employees or more, which are required to have a francisation certificate attesting they operate in French, 86 per cent used French most of the time; while at companies with fewer than 50 employees, not regulated by Bill 101, 88 per cent spoke French most of the time." Link

Bits'n Pieces

The OQLF doesn't like the term"Vélo boulevard" because it is a direct translation of "Bicycle Boulevard" used widely in the USA.
It wants a new Quebec-made French term... Link{Fr}

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"Adam van Koeverden found himself up a creek without a paddle after overreacting to his McMaster Marauders getting spanked on the football field.
Everyone who uses social media has posted, Tweeted something regrettable. Like a lot of people in Southern Ontario, the four-time Olympic kayak medallist got swept up in cheering for McMaster, his alma mater, to defend its Vanier Cup title against the colossus Laval Rouge et Or. " Link

Here's another picture, shot at that same football championship game.

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Gilles Duceppe was cleared of any legal responsibility by the House of Commons after an investigation was launched over paying his Bloc  Quebecois political staff out of his office budget.

While the committee found his behaviour unethical, there was nothing in the rules against the practice, which will henceforth be banned.

 

A beaming Duceppe told a reporter in an interview that "everything that is not illegal, is legal!"
Talk about "Two Solitudes," look how the French media and the English media covered the story

"Former Bloc leader misused House resources, secretive Commons board says"  Globe and Mail

"Gilles Duceppe blanchi"  Journal de Quebec

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Here is what a Quebec 'Subway" shop claims, (as the sign says)  is a "HEALTHY BREAKFAST" 

FailQc.com

"Un poutine avec ça, Madame?" 

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IT seems that TVA, Quebec's most popular TV network has climbed on the bandwagon in claiming that proper names that sound English, are illegal without descriptors. For Shame!

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Talk about irony,  Eric Lindros married a francophone Quebecer and had the wedding ceremony in Montreal.

"Lindros is probably the most hated athlete in Quebec City after refusing to play for the Nordiques after they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick at the 1991 NHL entry draft."  Link .

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SCOOP!

You heard it here first.

Remember the story of Officer 728, who was suspended after a video was released showing her abusing a couple of musicians in the Plateau neighbourhood in Montreal,  a short while back?  Link

Well, the police never dropped the phoney-baloney charges against them, no doubt to hold it over them in exchange for not suing the heck out of the Montreal police.

The intimidation didn't work and the four have secured the services of one of Montreal's best and most expensive criminal lawyers, who is none too amused by the police shenanigans.

He is planning a major attack against the police case next week, I was promised a blockbuster announcement.

Have a very good weekend !
Bon fin de semaine!

Quebec Propagandists Get a Dose of Reality

Separatist lies meant to confuse Quebecers

In the dizzying battle of facts, statistics and disinformation, Quebec separatists are making a valiant attempt to confuse Quebecers into believing what clearly is not true, that is, the fantasy that Quebec contributes more to Canada than it gets out.

It is an interesting propaganda battle, led by its champion confusionist, Jean-François Lisée, a man who has made a career out of trying to convince Quebecers that they have no debt problem, that their finances are in order and would be in even better shape, should Quebec achieve independence.

But convincing Quebecers of this has been an uphill slog, partly because what these confusionists are selling is not true, but mostly because the facts and figures bandied about, are hard to understand, especially by a public that is largely challenged when it comes to understanding the complicated details of GDP, Money supply, debt versus GDP, deficit spending, transfer payments, etc.etc.

Considering that most Canadians can't balance their chequebooks and that about one-third of us are counting on a lotto jackpot or big inheritance as part of the long-term plan for financial success, it's no wonder that we have a problem with these complicated financial concepts.

And so the issue of whether Quebec gets a good or bad financial deal out of Canada seems to boil down to a simple argument, which is of course the famous 'equalization payment," an annual cash transfer from Ottawa to Quebec, which stands today  at almost $8 billion.

Let me first illustrate how two different sides can view the same situation, both perfectly valid. 

Credit to Michel Patrice; Equalization payment per capita and population

Both these graphs are statistically valid, but offer different views of the equalization payment, the first one represents the argument that federalists like to use, while the second, more sophisticated view, is one that paints Quebec in a better light.

Such is the stuff that propaganda wars are about.

For the last couple of years, federalists have been successfully lording the equalization payment over the heads of Quebecers as proof that Quebec gets more out of Canada than it puts in.

Simple and direct, it may not tell the whole story but it's something the public can understand and as long as federalists keep hammering home the idea that Quebec is a loser province that must take charity from the rest of the provinces, the issue is largely settled and is likely the chief reason sovereignty support has sunk to historic lows.

Here's a cartoon by YGRECK, Quebec's best editorial cartoonist, that reminds us how entrenched this feeling of beholden to Canada is in the Quebec psyche.

The Maple Leaf to remain at the National Assembly --- "This one, anyways!"

Recently, separatists have made a valiant effort to disparage the idea of Quebec as a have-not province by characterizing the equalization payment as irrelevant, considering that Quebec sends more taxes to Ottawa than it receives back, including the equalization payment.

It's an argument that is gaining traction among sovereigntists because it is simple enough that those inclined to do so, can latch onto the concept.

It has become a favourite talking point of Pauline Marois, the fact that Quebec sends a surplus of taxes to Ottawa and so is forced to pay for the oil sands development in Alberta, F-35 warplanes, shipbuilding programs outside Quebec, etc. etc., expenditures that she contends Quebecers don't need, want or benefit from.

But finally, someone has attacked this argument and has produced a decent study debunking this myth.

In an article entitled Financially, Quebec depends more and more on Ottawa, written by Editor in Chief of the French language magazine "Les Affaires, Jean-Paul Gagné puts paid to Pauline's fantasy that Quebec is shortchanged,

Here are a few extracts, but you can read the whole fascinating article, which goes into some detail,  HERE{Fr}

"Pauline Marois tells Quebecers that Ottawa draws $50 billion per year out of the pockets of Quebecers and Quebec would be much better off if it kept the money. Don't believe these claims because they are false. According to the Economic Accounts Income and Expenditure Quebec Edition 2011 (Table 5.2, pp. 84-85), published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, in 2010, Ottawa collected  $40 billion from Quebec. This is 10 billion less than the figure spread as truth by the separatists to advance their cause. And as no one contradicted the number,  many probably believe they are telling the truth...." 

To darken the portrait, the separatists argue that Ottawa uses "our money" to subsidize oil sands, subsidize Ontario's auto industry, etc.. Is it necessary to recall that the taxes paid by these industries and their employees allow Ottawa to fund its programs, such as equalization, which Québec is a major beneficiary.... 


"... separatists are careful to ignore programs administered by Ottawa for the benefit of all Canadians, and especially ignore the fact that individuals from Quebec, companies, the government and through various federal agencies have received payments in 2010 totalling $58 billion or $18 billion more than it sent to Ottawa."

 There it is, a clear and concise statement from someone who seems to know what he is talking about, the fact that Quebec pulls out a lot more from Canada than it puts in, something we all believed intuitively.

And so, for every dollar Quebec sends to Ottawa it receives back $1.45
  
Readers are always asking, "What can I do to counter sovereigntist propaganda?"
Spread the word.   
Whenever discussing Quebec, remind others about this disparity.

Things go viral quickly and a message such as this, is powerful and simple, something easily remembered. 

Again, For every dollar Quebec sends to Ottawa, it receives back  $1.45  

Spread the word!

OQLF versus Wal-Mart ..Language Militants Lose Either Way

ATTENTION READERS!
BLOGGER is acting up and for some reason may be placing a blank text box in the middle of the piece making the blog piece unintelligible...
If that happens to you, there's a simple fix. Before reading this post, scroll to the bottom and click on the comments.
Somehow this fixes everything... Go figger?

Last week it was determined that the court case pitting Walmart and five other American chain stores against the OQLF, will be heard sometime next Spring.
The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) is the government agency that is charged with protecting and promoting the French language in the province and which has demanded that these store must change their masthead to include a French descriptor.

Until the disposition of the case, the threat by the OQLF to revoke the famous francization certificate from these companies has been put on hold.

Here's an article that explains the situation somewhat sarcastically, tearing a bit of a strip off the OQLF.
If you are familiar with the particulars, you can skip it and go on to the rest of the post;

"The Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise, perhaps detecting that Quebecers have been burdened for too long with debates over such serious matters as corruption, tuition fees and the choice of government, has stepped in to offer its own unique brand of foolishness. The OQLF are the language police, those people who skulk around the streets of the province searching for threats to the French language, and inventing them where they don’t exist. It sometimes seems that whenever the rest of the country is in danger of taking Quebec seriously, the language police appear to remind us of the essential absurdity of identity politics.
In this latest instance, the language apparatchiks are being taken to court by a group of internationally-known retail giants, including Walmart, Costco, the Gap, Best Buy, Old Navy and Guess. The companies have all been careful to comply with the province’s laws on language, but are upset that the office, without changing the law, has changed the way it interprets the law, and wants changes from them, pronto" Read the rest of a very good article.

The issue is rather simple, the OQLF has re-interpreted the law that regulates language in Quebec (Bill 101,) telling businesses with English-phrased names (e.g. 'Foot Locker') that they now must add a describing French phrase (descriptor)  before or after the name to pay some sort of homage to the French fact in Quebec. The OQLF tells us that with the recent invasion of American retailers, the agency can no longer turn a blind eye to violations of the law, in order to preserve the French face of Quebec.
The retailers involved in the lawsuit disagree and affirm that a law that hasn't been changed, cannot or should not be interpreted differently after thirty-five years.

There is a legal question as to whether companies can be required to modify international trademarks and therein lies the crux of the matter, but in many cases, CANADIAN TIRE for example, which has been operating for 85 years in Quebec and for the entire life of Bill 101, an acquired right has clearly been established.

It is actually no different from the case of a fence separating two residential properties, which is determined to be incorrectly placed, infringing by a couple of feet on one of the neighbour's property. If the fence has stood for a certain number of years (I believe that number is 15,) the offending neighbour cannot be compelled to move it and has in fact, acquired the right to infringe upon the property of another.

I'm not a legal expert, perhaps a knowledgeable lawyer like Brent Tyler can wade in on the subject as to whether certain businesses have in fact acquired a de facto right.

Quebec linguiscists heading for a Humpty-Dumpty fall.

But in the cases of businesses that haven't operated in Quebec for decades and who cannot claim an acquired right, it seems to me that the OQLF can quickly shoot down the argument that they are making, that a re-interpretation of a standing law is unfair.

The PQ government can quickly put an end to this argument by passing a simple and short amendment to Bill 101 that would make descriptors necessary.
Such an amendment would actually pass, even in the minority position that the PQ finds itself in the legislature.
I cannot envisage the opposition voting against such a limited proposal, supporting English over French.
T'aint gonna happen.....

That would leave the companies with only one defence, that of trademark law and I haven't the expertise to say who will win or lose. If it goes to the Supreme Court, I would venture an educated guess that the court will rule on the OQLF side, as it has in the past over the question of French signage.

But in the end, win or lose it hardly matters, the OQLF, by initiating this action has in fact set itself and language militants up for a mighty fall, Humpty-Dumpty style.

Should the OQLF lose, language militants will go ballistic, bitching and moaning for years to come over the fact that in their estimation, Canadian courts, be they in Quebec or Ottawa are an instrument of federalism and can never fully protect Quebec culture and the French language.
It will be a whinger's paradise, with the victim card played to the hilt and frankly I don't look forward to that scenario at all but must admit that the silver lining will be the insufferable pain and angst they suffer as a result.

But should the OQLF actually triumph in court, it will be a Pyrrhic victory and French language militants who will rejoice should be mindful of the old say that reminds us to... "Be careful of what you wish for, you might get it"

Let us consider this scenario, where these companies are forced to add these pathetic descriptors to their masthead.
Of course they will comply, passing off the considerable costs of the name change to consumers across Canada, (yes across the country) who will be asked to pay a little extra to cover the added expense.

But readers, take a look a the Walmart sign at the top of the page which includes an acceptable descriptor.
Does the OQLF really believe that francophones will start using the term 'Supercentre Walmart" over just plain old "Walmart."

The entire issue is flummery, a useless pissing contest over something that is inconsequential, something that hardly affect our lives as Anglophones, nor does it make the slightest of difference to Francophones.

I have to say, that I would entirely support the use of descriptors as some sort of a language compromise. If descriptors somehow validate Francophone Quebecers and the way that they look at themselves, I certainly wouldn't want to stand in the way, it's really no skin off my nose.

But I honestly don't believe a word from linguicists who tell us that something so trivial can actually validate francophone society.

Nope, there is something else going on here.

I will refer readers to another old bit of wisdom, the proverbial story of the dog chasing the truck... the truck stops and the dog thinks to itself..."What do I do now?"

With the issue of descriptors resolved, language militants give up the defining issue of the signage debate, and like the dog who enjoys pursuing the truck, catching it is an abrupt and unsatisfactory end to the game, because it was always really about the chase.
The very worst thing that language militants want is to win, because it is the fight that they relish, just like the dog.

All across Quebec there are committees formed to defend the French language in regions that are devoid of anglophones. All the stores post signs exclusively in French and the only bone to pick is the English store name that lacks this famous descriptor.
Just recently a new Committe for the defence of the Revolution comité de surveillance pour l'application de la Charte de la langue française was formed in Quebec city, the spokesman unable to come up with any violation other than English store names.

The OQLF tells us that 80% of stores province-wide are in compliance with the signage law and that 16% of stores violate the law based solely on the lack of descriptors.

Let's do the math.
If stores comply, it will leave just 4% of stores in non-compliance and of these you're talking about Mom and Pop operations where a "Dishwasher wanted" sign is the bone of contention, hardly something to embolden the minions to man the barricades.

Now here is the delicious part, let us pretend that the Walmarts and the Foot Lockers comply with the law and add descriptors, the OQLF will then have to face the very thorny issue of enforcement, when language militants target stores with proper names that sound English.

Somebody, either the OQLF or the courts, is going to have to lower the boom on these linguicists who will be demanding that chain stores like Bentley, Simon or Quiznos add descriptors.

Readers should note that this is exactly what the Societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Quebec's largest French language pressure group, is demanding today.

There isn't a judge in the province who would uphold a demand by the OQLF that a company like Reitmans be forced to add a descriptor because the origin of the family name is not French Canadian.

The idea is revolting, but that is what linguicists want.
That being said I read something that did disturb me, in an article in the New York Times that discussed the Quebec sign issue;

“This is not against any language,” Mr. Bergeron said. “English, Italian or Chinese, it’s all the same.” He added that the agency will even investigate signs containing names that are not related to any known language. ” Read the NYT article

WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT LAST SENTENCE MEAN!!!

At any rate, can it be that the OQLF will cave into radical demands that proper names that aren't French rooted, add descriptors?
It is too delicious to contemplate!

Friends, this is one English rights defender who wants to see the descriptor issue end, even if it means the OQLF winning.

Regardless of the judicial outcome, the OQLF and language militants will be the big losers and for that, I can hardly wait.

French versus English Volume 68

Vapid PQ budget exposes ineptitude

I promised a piece on the Quebec budget handed down by the PQ earlier this week, but honestly I couldn't find 1500 words that would keep readers interested.
The 'balanced' budget is achieved by reducing spending on infrastructure, the PQ confident that fixing Quebec's dilapidated roads and bridges is something that is can be put off until they are safely out of power.
It's like balancing your personal finances by putting off paying your home mortgage for a couple of years. How's that going to work?

Not wishing to offend anybody and risk the wrath of opposition parties, the PQ decided to tweak a couple of tax programs here and there, raising consumption taxes on booze and of course the most hapless of all taxpayers, the smokers, who will be driven, no doubt, in greater numbers to native smoke shacks, where taxes are but a figment of the Quebec government's imagination.
Forgotten in the budget was the ill-conceived idea of reducing the capital gains exemption by 50% or getting rid of the 'Health Tax" as promised in the PQ election campaign.
Most interesting in the budget is the proposal to get rid of  2,000 workers at Hydro-Quebec, some 10% of its workforce.
Layoffs of this magnitude in the private sector are normal, a reaction to changing market conditions or demand, but in a monopoly that produces and sells electricity, where the market doesn't really change, it is a frank admission of gross incompetence. Among the large utility companies in North America, Hydro-Quebec retains its position as the most bloated and inefficient.
 Of course the PQ made sure to continue the freeze on student tuition fees, the last thing that they need is to alienate their base.
All in all, it was a budget that remains true to the tax and spend, big government reputation that all Quebec governments for the last forty years maintained.
For taxpayers, there was nothing so drastic as to get people marching in the streets, but the budget and those budgets presented by governments before, are the very definition of a 'death by a thousand cuts.'

The only problem with this whole budget charade is that the proposed tax increases won't produce the predicted revenues and that the slowdown in growth will automatically reduce government receipts over the course of the budget.
The promise of a balanced budget in 2014 is about as likely as a the PQ holding a winning referendum.
Smoke and mirrors, or as the French are fond of saying. 'de la poudre aux yeux'

Antisemitic radio rant

Here is one antisemitic rant that should never have been allowed to be aired on the radio and the fact that the interviewer allowed a caller to proceed was just plain disgusting.

In a radio interview on 98.5 FM, home of anglo-basher Benoit Dutrizac, another radio host Jacques Fabi, allowed a listener to present a four and a half minute screed, refusing to cut her off, even after this exchange, right at the beginning of the interview .

Caller: "Do you know Hitler?
Fabi:     "Not personally"
Caller: "Do you know of the Holocaust?
Fabi:     "A little"
Caller: "It was the massacre of the Jews"
Fabi:     "Yes, exactly"
Caller: "For me it was the most beautiful thing that ever happened in history."

Mr. Fabi reminded the listener it was dangerous to say these thing on the air because of the powerful Jewish lobby, which he himself found bothersome.
If you speak French give a listen  Link{fr}
(Sorry readers, the station has wisely decided to remove the interview from its website
But you can hear it below;

*

The interview was also later denounced on another radio station by Dominic Maurais. Link{Fr}

Now before readers denounce this as another example of Quebec antisemitism, I will stand up and remind them that the offensive interview was roundly denounced in the French media before the English or Jewish population was even aware of what happened.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that this blog is the first English outlet to report the story, but I'm confident that the incident will now grow legs. 

This story won't end here and I'm sure that Mr. Fabi is in for a rough ride.......

New French-language coalition demands Bill 101 boost

"A new coalition of French-language groups is calling on the Quebec government to strengthen the province’s language law, Bill 101.
Partenaires pour un Québec Français (PQF) said it wants the province’s language watchdog, the Office Québécois de la Langue Française (OQLF), to have more power and resources to protect French.
Mario Beaulieu, spokesman for the coalition, said Bill 101 was weakened to respect the presence of the "historic anglophone community."
"Gradually, with the weakening of Bill 101, we came back to full bilingualism. This means someone can live in English in Montreal without having to use French," said Beaulieu.
He added that with weak language laws, the province would not be able to force people to learn French.
Louise Mercier, spokeswoman for the Quebec Labour Federation, said encouraging new Quebeckers to speak French at work is crucial in fighting assimilation.
“One day, we will lose our language,” said Mercier." Read the rest of the story

Rinse, repeat....

Retailers make first court appearance in fight with Quebec language police

Several multi-national companies willing to take the Quebec government to court may not have to go that far to keep their names the same.
Lawyers representing some of North America's biggest brands, including Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco, are negotiating with the Office Quebecoise de la Langue Francaise. The OQLF wants the companies to alter their names to include some indication in French of what they sell.
The changes are outlined on a website run by the language agency that gives businesses options on how to change their names. For example, Walmart, a household name on the retail scene that doesn't really have a French equivalent, could change its signs to "Le Magasin Walmart."
But retailers say the language laws have not formally been changed and they will ask the courts to decide whether the language office has the right to make new demands.
Lawyers representing the coalition of retailers said negotiations to work out an agreement were going well, but they still planned to file their lawsuit on Thursday in Quebec Superior Court.
They expect the case will go before a judge -- if needed -- in the spring. Read the rest of the story

 Readers, I think you'll find Monday's blog concerning this issue rather interesting.
In that piece I will tell you why, in my opinion, regardless whether the retailers win or lose, Quebec militants will come out on the decidedly short end of the stick.

Several multi-national companies willing to take the Quebec government to court may not have to go that far to keep their names the same.
Lawyers representing some of North America's biggest brands, inluding Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco, are negotiating with the Office Quebecoise de la Langue Francaise. The OQLF wants the companies to alter their names to include some indication in French of what they sell.
The changes are outlined on a website run by the language agency that gives businesses options on how to change their names. For example, Walmart, a household name on the retail scene that doesn't really have a French equivalent, could change its signs to "Le Magasin Walmart."

Photos

Walmart, Old Navy, The Gap and other companies are fighting to keep their logos unchanged.

Related Stories

• Marois confirms revamped Bill 101 by Christmas
• Fewer one-language families in Quebec: Census
• Postscript: Strangers in our own land
• PQ ministers collide, confusion over Bill 101 in daycare

But retailers say the language laws have not formally been changed and they will ask the courts to decide whether the language office


Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/walmart-old-navy-and-others-taking-quebec-government-to-court-over-language-laws-1.1049032#ixzz2CxvrldcI

Pathetic Flag debate demonstrates PQ pettiness

".....Yves-Francois Blanchet, the PQ MLA who first asked the legislative Speaker to remove the flag, told QMI Agency Wednesday that the Maple Leaf shouldn't be in the legislature as a question of jurisdiction and history.
He said the flag was introduced to Quebec's parliament in 1985 - the Maple Leaf only dates back to 1965 - and was removed for the first time by former PQ leader Jacques Parizeau in 1994, only to be reinstated in 2003 when the Liberals regained power.
"The principle is that the only people who have jurisdiction in Quebec's legislature are those who are elected," Blanchet said. "It's about the exclusivity of the Quebec flag."
Liberal MLA Laurent Lessard wrote to the Speaker of Quebec's legislature last week and argued that the Canadian flag "is not an accessory."
"It's a symbol of belonging to our federation and a symbol of Canadian identity," he wrote. "As long as Quebec is part of the Canadian federation, it would be unacceptable to remove it from the legislative chamber."
The PQ caused controversy when it removed the Canadian flag in September from the legislature's upper chamber, also known as the "red room." The upper chamber most often serves as a backdrop for ceremonies.
The lower chamber, or "blue room," is the legislative assembly......

But the Canadian flag will stay in Quebec's legislature.
The leader of Quebec's third party announced Wednesday afternoon that his MLAs will vote with the Liberals to keep the flag where it is.
The separatist Parti Quebecois had asked the Speaker of the legislature last week to remove the flag.
The Liberals were steadfast against it.
The motion to remove the flag was set to be voted on in a week's time. The vote would have been the first of its kind in Quebec history.
On Wednesday, Coalition Avenir Quebec Leader Francois Legault - who himself once championed sovereignty - told QMI Agency that his 19 MLAs will vote with the Liberals next week.
The PQ's minority government doesn't have enough votes by itself to remove the Maple Leaf." Link .

Anglos' accented French an outrage to French linguicists

Last week, popular Montreal radio host Benoît Dutrizac mocked Mr. Rotrand and another anglophone councillor, Michael Applebaum, after deciding their French was unacceptable. He ran a spoof ad suggesting the pair need a miracle “Instant French” product for people who get flustered when they have to speak French. On Twitter, he complained that the two councillors spoke “gibberish” French and were an insult to francophone Montrealers.
By Mr. Dutrizac’s standards of linguistic purity, it is not enough to speak French — it must be free of an accent that betrays one’s origins. He is not alone. Writing in the Journal de Montréal on the weekend, Université du Québec à Montréal sociologist Mathieu Bock-Côté complained about being greeted with an accented “buuuunjourr” when he goes into a shop in Montreal.  Read the rest of the story .

The complaints about accent, particularly that of new Montreal mayor Michael Applebaum, an anglophone with decent but heavily accented French, belies the true motives behind the attacks.

For many French language militants, Anglophones or Ethnics participating as elected officials in any capacity where they can influence public policy is dangerous.
For these linguicists, English or Ethnics in high places is a threat.

Quebec sait faire

One of my favourite time-wasting web sites is Fail.Qc.com a lighthearted, tongue in cheek look at the errors, gaffes and generally stupid things that are captured by the public, a testament to participatory journalism.
Every single province should have its own website of a similar nature, where, no doubt, there is a wealth of material.
If you know of a similar site, please let us know in the comments section.

I don't know if the story about this particular utility pole went viral because of the appearance of this picture on the failqc.com website, but I suspect it did.

Once the picture went mainstream (read: out of province), reaction by authorities was lightning quick and whatever department that was responsible, reacted with uncharacteristic haste to correct the embarrassment.

Here's another ill-placed utility pole, which doesn't seem to bother anyone in Valleyfield.

Read the story about it  in French. Link{Fr}

Here's another from that website;

For those outside Quebec, an orange speed limit sign is added to reduce speed during construction...ahem!

Don't forget to visit the website!

By the way, here's another photo which I received over Twitter from Mathieu Boivin, a street in Quebec City. Yikes!!

In another story of dubious planning and achievement, the new ambulances put into service recently by Urgences-santé in Montreal and Laval offer unlucky patients a decidedly rough ride.

It seems that the suspension of the new vehicles are so stiff that patients and their litter are regularly tossed into the air when the vehicle hits a bump.
Oh well... Link{FR}

Reaction to Gaza War

I told you that I wouldn't write about the recent Gaza blowup other than to comment as to how it pertains to Quebec, where last week, there was a demonstration in support of Gazans held in Montreal.
The demonstration wasn't particularly big, but was still the largest in Canada, where support for the Palestinian side was somewhat muted.

I have absolutely no objection to people demonstrating peacefully in favour of their constituency, be it Jews in support of Israel or Muslims in support of Palestine/Gaza, regardless who is right or wrong.

But this being Quebec, it wasn't much of a surprise to see the various left-wing groups, led by Quebec solidaire and Amir Khadir come out to give Israel another public bashing, again something that is their absolute right.
Amir Khadir and company are quick to point out that criticism of Israel is not antisemitism, but it is a little hard to believe given that the only two countries in the world that these people regularly march against, is Israel and the United States.

Over the course of the battle that raged between the potent Israeli military machine and the crude but highly effective missile brigade of Hamas, about 160 people died tragically over the course of the eight days, an average of about twenty sad deaths per day.
But let us consider that on every single day over the last 22 months of fighting in Syria, an average of  about 65 people died (a ghastly 40,000 deaths) with this carnage continuing unabated.
Somehow the media, Amir Khadir and assorted lefties are obsessed with dead babies in Gaza, but not in Aleppo....
Without supporting Israel, I can only say that the hypocrisy is galling and I defy anyone to explain why Jews killing Arabs is more newsworthy than Arabs killing Arabs.
Today, tomorrow, another 50-60 people will be killed in Syria. Where will Radio-Canada, Anderson Cooper and all the European networks be reporting from?
I wish readers to understand that the above comment is in no way a commentary about who is right or who is wrong between Israelis and Palestinians, it is only about fair reporting which is admittedly, a subjective matter.
 
While the Canadian press (as well as the Canadian government ) were largely pro-Israel in their coverage, in Quebec, Radio-Canada took the opposite tack, reporting rather favourably on the Gazan side of things.
A Journal de Montreal journalist took Radio-Canada and its reporter Agnes Gruda to task over what she perceived as shamefully biased reporting. Link{Fr}

So I guess it comes as no surprise that a Jewish professor had his office vandalized over at UQAM, a hotbed of leftist and anti-Israel support (along with Concordia university.)
I suppose it serves the good professor right, who showed more guts than good sense in publicly supporting Israel on the campus of UQAM!  Link

Bits'n pieces

Now since this is Friday, I will allow myself to go off topic to present a video related to the Gaza conflict that is mind-blowing.

First a little background;
In some cases, before bombing the residence of Hamas leaders, the Israeli military phone or text those at home, warning them to get out of the building, which seems a bit counter-productive if the goal is to kill the militant. Obviously the bombing of the home is meant to render the lives of Hamas leaders and their families miserable.

Now we are all familiar with those grainy black and white videos shot from the cockpit of warplanes delivering a devastating payload upon a target, culminating with a big puff of smoke. Truthfully, if you've seen one, you've seen them all.

Here's what it looks like from the ground, an incredible sight.
It seems that after receiving the call from the IDF to get out of the house, someone got the idea to set up a camera and film the whole thing up close.
I don't know if it goes to the confidence that the filmmaker had in the marksmanship of the Israeli air force pilot, or whether it was a case of foolhardiness or sang-froid, but to set up a camera and remain on-site, no farther than a hundred or so metres from the target, is rather amazing.
I'll bet you've never seen this, up close and personal!

**************

Back on topic, here's a video, a Western Canada rant against Quebec that many readers may or may not agree with.

I look forward to your comments, don't be shy.

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Now that students have successfully had their tuition fees frozen, some of the more radical are launching a new initiative, demanding free tuition.
According to the most radical student association, ASSE,  60,000 students stayed away from classes on Thursday to protest.

Whatever is Pauline to do? Link

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Here's an interesting article by Alberta conservative and Sun TV personality Ezra Levant;

English-speaking oil: Separatists get it entirely wrong in pipeline protest 

It’s tough being the newly elected separatist government in Quebec.
They only won 31.95% of the vote, compared to 31.20% for the Liberals and 27.05% for the CAQ. And with just 54 out of 125 seats in the legislature, it’s a minority government that is doomed to accomplish very little.
But solving real problems — like unemployment and corruption — has never been a forte of the Parti Quebecois.
So the new government is doing what it does best — showboating, trying to pick symbolic fights with anglos.
This time the PQ has done something really weird. They have decided to demonize — get this — English-speaking oil. Read the rest of the story

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 Here's another opinion piece that you may find interesting;

Opinion: What happened to my city?
Returning to Montreal after 37 years in Toronto, I found that much had changed — not for the better

Marlene and I were both born and raised in Montreal, but we moved to Toronto to pursue business opportunities in 1975. It was a successful experience, but after 37 years it was time to come home. It was time to reconnect with our families and friends and our grown-up nieces and nephews. Time to reacquaint ourselves with “steamies” and smoked-meat sandwiches and all the other delicacies that Montreal was famous for. It was time to relive and enjoy the bilingual culture of the great city of Montreal.
Wow — what a glorious time it promised to be, going back home. We shed a few tears as we got into the car and headed east on the 401, full of anticipation and excitement.
Oh my goodness — what happened to Montreal? Are we in the right city? Are you sure this is Montreal?  Read the rest of the story: Link    Alternate Link

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What's up with these new stealthy Montreal  police cars?; Link

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
BONNE FIN DE SEMAINE!

Understanding Quebec's Finances and the new PQ Budget

The tabling of Quebec's new budget yesterday afternoon, hasn't afforded me the time necessary to study and comment upon it in so short a time.

These documents are complicated and what appears obvious upon first glance, isn't always borne out when the full document is analyzed, which takes time.

There's always a danger that the mainstream media, in an effort to offer instant analysis,  gets the immediate interpretation wrong, the very best example that I can think of is the wholesale misreporting of the US Supreme Court Decision on Obamacare, where many media outlets, including CNN, falsely reported that the court had knocked down the statute when in fact it had done the opposite and upheld the law. Read a story about the blown coverage

I'll look over the budget today and offer an opinion either Friday or Monday, but I thought that it would be very useful to understand what exactly Quebec's budget is, how much the government takes in terms of revenue and how and where it spends the money.
Perhaps with a little better understanding, we can all make better sense of what the current budget changed, for better or for worse.

Here is a high resolution illustration, representing last year's budget, one that clearly shows how much money the governments take in and where the money is spent. Unfortunately, it is available in French only, but it's not so hard to understand.

You can click the picture to enlarge it then drag it to your desktop where you can use a picture viewing software (MAC="Preview") to enlarge it. Because the illustration is such high resolution, even the little, little writing is clear when enlarged.

Before we start analyzing how the Quebec government spends this money, we should have a general idea about how it raises this money.
I'm only going to provide a rough sketch, not wishing to impose information overload, this post is actually meant to give readers some understanding and background on last year's budget spending, so we can better understand the provisions and changes in the new PQ budget tabled yesterday.

The government actually takes in more money than the 73 billion spent, but that difference is placed into special funds, meant to cover specific long term projects, not covered here. We won't discuss those elements here.

Where the Quebec government gets the 73 billion dollars it spends;  

34%.............. personal income taxes and payroll tax levies
17%.............. transfers from Ottawa (equalization and other transfers, etc.)
15%............. provincial sales tax, gas tax, tobacco, licensing etc.
6%.............. dividends from SAQ, Hydro-Quebec, Loto-Quebec
4.5%...........  corporate taxes
7%.............. premium collected (social security, drug plans, etc.)
8%.............. investment income
9%.............. other income
3%.............. deficit
Link to StatsCan

Readers, the numbers above are very approximate....

Now to understand the chart above and how the government spends the 73 billion dollars, follow the spokes radiating out to the various coloured balloons representing a major area of spending. Around that balloon written in the same colour are sub balloons and smaller details describing spending within that sphere.

Let us consider one of the smaller and easy to understand sections, that of "Famille et Aines" (Family and Seniors) the green spoke, radiating out from the center at about the 6:30 position at the bottom.

That green spoke brings us to a bubble that represents $2.4 billion in spending and as you can see from the satellite comments, $2.1 billion of this money is earmarked for daycare and other family care facilities.

Following the same method you can follow all the spending of each major sphere of government expenditures, it's quite interesting.

Health and social services = $29    billion
Education                          = $16     billion
Debt service                       = $8      billion
Municipal affairs               = $3.7    billion 
Employment                      = $4.2    billion

For your information, the royalties on natural resources, something the PQ has announced with great fanfare that it is increasing, is hardly the windfall promised.  Even if Quebec were to charge 50% more, it would raise an additional $600 million at best, not a drop in the bucket, but not a game changer.

And by the way, in my last post I told you that Quebec gives away an amazing $6 billion in subsidies to Quebec business each year, three times more than Ontario does, despite Ontario raising considerably more taxes than Quebec.

You won't find a direct reference to it in the chart above, the subsidy is done through tax credits, whereby taxes to be collected are forgiven. This leads to Quebec corporations to contribute a paltry 4.5% of the 73 billion Quebec budget through corporate taxes.

As for me, I think I pulled away some interesting facts from the chart, the first and most important, the fact that almost half the budget goes to pay for government and quasi-government salaries which go up each year by a couple of percentage points adding a billion or two to the budget each year. The only way to change this is to cut down on the size of the civil service.

This reminds me of the best advice my late father ever gave me, which was that it is more important to watch what you spend rather than what you make.
Living within your means, and putting a little aside is a sure road map to prosperity.  In tough times, spend less.
It makes sense, even for a government.

As for services like subsidized day care, reduced tuition fees, I am not against these programs on principle, but object that they are universal, meaning everyone rich or poor gets the same benefit.

The idea that a lawyer in a BMW can pull up to a public subsidized daycare (an urban myth?) and drop off her child there for $7 a day is galling.

As for tuition, let me tell you my personal story.
My son was accepted to a medical school in the USA which informed us in the acceptance letter that tuition was $40,000 per year, to be paid up front.

When he was finally accepted to medical school in Montreal, I almost choked at the low tuition of about $5,000 per year, what a bargain!
As a successful businessman I certainly could have paid a lot more than that and I would have done so  gladly, without begrudging students from less fortunate circumstances paying a much reduced rate.

I'm not against enhanced government services, I'm against universality.

A solid tweak to these programs can make them socially and financially responsible, but hey, that's just one man's opinion.
What is yours?