Quebec's Hoity-Toity, Self-Righteous Delusion of Superiority

One of the most annoying arguments that sovereigntists truck in order to hype the independence option is the notion that Quebec values are different from Canadian values and that as long as Quebec is a prisoner of the Canadian federation, Quebec francophones remain stifled, forced to adhere and respect policies 'made in Ontario' that are ill-suited to the more open, socially responsible and liberal-minded Quebec.

It is a neat and glib campaign, peddled by the separatist hoity-toity, whose stock-in-trade is misrepresentation and sleight of hand.
The fact is, the whole idea that Quebec is somehow morally superior to the ROC, is rooted in fantasy, wishful thinking and outright hypocrisy.

And so we suffer through the haughty and self-righteous nonsense offered by a condescending rabble of self-important idiots, who actually believe that Quebec society is superior to that of any other province, because according to them, Quebecers are more 'socially conscious' and 'caring.'

Oooh, in Quebec we are more concerned with the environment!....
Oooh, in Quebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!
Oooh, in Quebec we believe in rehabilitation, not punishment of criminals!
Oooh, in Quebec we willingly pay more taxes to pay for social programs!
Oooh, in Quebec we have a distinctly more vibrant culture!
Oooh, in Quebec we are an open and welcoming society!

Arggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every time I hear a blowhard make these delusional assertions I want to throw a shoe.
Its maddening enough to send me off on a rant and I'm afeared, dear readers, that's exactly where I'm headed!!!!

In Quebec we are more concerned with the environment!....

What an utter load of crap.

 When Premier Charest chastised Prime Minister Harper and his government for tearing up the unrealistic Kyoto accord, one would assume that Quebec was prepared to do what the rest of Canada was not, that is make significant cuts in greenhouse emissions, but Quebec was also on track to miss those Kyoto goals as well.
Should Canada not have torn up the agreement, the country would have been on the hook for $14 billion dollars in penalties and if that came to pass, I'm sure Quebec would bitch and moan over its portion of the fine.
 Now some will point out that the increase in emissions from Quebec has slowed much faster than in the rest of Canada, but really it is mostly a result of the pulp and paper industry almost completely shutting down in the province, not exactly a good example of how to successfully tame those nasty greenhouse gases.


The truth is that Quebecers are no more or less environmentally committed than any other Canadians, much has to do with an accident of geography and circumstances. In Alberta there is the oil sands and in Quebec hydro-electricity, if the opposite was the case, Quebec would be Alberta and Alberta would be Quebec.

When consumers are actually empowered to make green changes by embracing things like public transport or eschewing the big bad automobile, the true colours of Quebec environmentalism is really  put to the test.
Quebec car ownership remains the highest in the nation, in our province of 8 million people, there are over seven million vehicles on the road, averaging 12% more vehicles than Ontatrio.
By the way, considering that there are only 5 million licensed drivers in Quebec, it means that there are more vehicles than drivers to drive them!
Between 2006 and 2011, the number of vehicles in the Quebec city area increased at a rate twice as fast as the population increase!

As for doing the easy stuff, like converting ancient polluting wood burning stoves, the province has no viable program or regulation to force the environmental dinosaurs that actually heat their homes with old technology wood stoves to buy a new devices or use fuel that can cut pollution by 80%.

Actually, I'm not quite right, Quebec does seem to have a plan that targets the replacement of up to 4,000 dirty stoves per year. But in a province where there are close to 170,000 wood burning stoves in use...well you do the math.

With 23% of Canada's population, Quebec is responsible for 50% of Canada wood and wood pellet use for home heating. StatsCan

By the way, in just nine hours of use, these old stoves spew out as many fine particles into the air as does an average automobile in a year.

So what is Quebec's answer?
Demand that car manufacturers lower emissions, a popular policy that completely ignores the bigger problem of wood stoves, because that would entail individual families actually doing something about pollution themselves, something that they are apparently not prepared to do!.
And sadly, the use of wood-burning stoves is INCREASING in the province. Between 1987 and 2000, the number of wood burning stoves in use in Quebec almost doubled, this according to the government. Link

With all the buzz surrounding the  greening of public transport you'd think Quebecers would be the leader among the provinces in overall use and access. If you thought that, you would of course be wrong. In fact, when it comes to access, the province lags behind the national average. The 64% of Quebecers who have public transport available, compares poorly to 78% in B.C and 74% in Ontario.
As for the number of citizens that actually use public transport Quebec actually lags behind Ontario, Manitoba and BC. Link
So much for leadership!


The environment as a fad, seems to be waning in Quebec, Bruno Massé, coordinator of the Réseau québécois des groupes écologistes, complains that in 2005, there were 500 community ecology groups in Quebec and today there remains less than 50. Link{fr}
Now I don't particularly label Quebec as a laggard in the environmental Olympics, it's just that the province is no better or worse and certainly no more committed to the environment than any one else. Saying that it is, doesn't make it so.

But in the finest tradition of Quebec whining, we hear complaints about the big bad Albertans and their horrific Oil Sands. Take for example the thoroughly brilliant UQAM professor of sociology, Éric Pineault who suggests in Le Devoir that Quebec re-orient its investments away from carbon and the Alberta Tar Sands but conveniently forgets to call on Quebec to forgo the financial benefits passed on by Alberta to Quebec via transfer payments. Link{fr}
Hypocrisy, thy name is Quebec!

In Quebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!

Quebecers are quick to point out that they are open to paying higher taxes in order to fund socially progressive programs, like $7 a day public childcare, cheap university tuition, generous parental and maternity leave, prescription medicine programs, etc. etc.
Of course Quebecers are fine with these programs because they are such a bargain. In fact the higher taxes don't come close to paying for these luxuries at all.
In fact, add up all the extravagances and you will find, the cost matches up closely with the equalization payment  Canada doles out to Quebec each year;
Parental leave      $1.6 billion
Public Daycare    $2.1 billion
Reduced tuition   $1.1 billion
IVF,
foreign students
subsidy,
prescription drug
etc., etc,                $1 billion ??

The pretense by defenders that it is in fact the higher taxes that Quebecers pay that funds these programs is really a question of semantic manipulation and delusion. I hope I don't have to explain why.

While Quebecers intimate that they are kinder and more generous than Canadians, the facts tell an opposite story.
When it comes to donating money, Quebecers are the biggest cheapskates in Canada, rating 13th out of the thirteen provinces and territories in Quebec.

In arriving in thirteenth place one also has to consider that Anglophone and ethnic Quebecers are among the country's most generous donors. Take them out of the equation, counting only Francophone contributors and they'd have to invent a different chart.   Read:  Quebec Remains Canada's Scrooge

For a direct Anglophone/francophone comparison look at the endowment funds of McGill University versus University of Montreal, Quebec's two top schools.
McGill University's fund at  $920 million, represents about $27,000 for each enrolled student, while the U of M's fund of $189 million represents just $3,700 per student.
The same goes for hospitals foundations where the Jewish General hospital gets more private donations than all the French hospitals in Montreal combined.

When it comes to hospital endowments, university endowments, religious donations or gifts to charities of any kind, the record of Quebec francophones can only be recognized as pitiful.

As for volunteering, Quebecers are also the 'biggest losers' when it comes to donating time.

So it isn't even a case of money, Quebecers volunteer at a rate of 36%, while those in the rest of Canada at a rate of 50%, a difference of 33%.
When Quebecers do volunteer, they spend less time doing so, an average of 128 hours per year compared to 165 hours in the Rest of Canada, about 25% less. Link

I offer all these facts and figures not to humiliate, but to counter the arguments made by French language militants that peddle the fiction that Quebec society is kinder, gentler and more generous than society in the ROC.
It is clearly a notion conceived in fantasy by those desperate to make a case for independence.

Quebecers more socially responsible? I think not.

In Quebec we believe in rehabilitation, not punishment of criminals!

It is true that Quebec politicians and liberal media largely oppose the law and order program of Stephen Harper's Conservative government.
Ex-justice minister Marc Bellemare said publicly that the Quebec government is out of touch with what Quebecers want, that is more severe sentences for criminals, especially violent ones. Link

I don't think many Quebecers would agree that white collar criminals like Vincent Lacroix who swindled middle income Quebecers to the tune of $115, should be out on parole after fifteen months or that one of the under age teens guilty of a violent murder of an elderly Vietnamese woman should be subject to less than three years in jail.
Read some reader reactions to that crime and then tell me that Quebecers are so different form Canadians in demanding a punishment that fits the crime. Link

In Quebec we have a distinctly more vibrant culture!

I often hear separatists tell me that Canadian English culture is just a pale imitation of its American big brother.
This usually comes from someone who couldn't discern between a Texas twang and the nasal dialect of Brooklyn or Jersey.
Discussing whose culture is better, is like comparing your children to my children, where beauty is decidedly in the eyes of beholder.
But one thing is sure, there's nothing innovative or different in Quebecois culture where the top television shows are low rent French versions of the Dragons Den or the Price is Right and the top show an insipidly boring and dreary version of  THE VIEW on Sunday night with stars and personalities that are most generously described as 'local.'

The heavily subsidized movie industry, is lucky to crack out just two or three decent movies a year.
As for music, dance, theater, and literature, well, I'll remain polite and say it isn't any worse than Canadian.
Nothing to see here, move along.....

In Quebec we are an open and welcoming society!

You can almost choke listening to the above words, which probably were spoken by someone deep in the lily-white, Francophone hinterland of Quebec, where talk of ethnic diversity is limited to discussions of German Shepherds, Black labs and Siamese cats.
Quebec is by any measure the most xenophobic, anti-immigrant province in Canada, where language is an excuse for cultural and ethnic bashing.
While Quebec boasts that it is open and welcoming, the unemployment rate for immigrants towers above anything else in Canada.
Try applying for a job with an 'ethnic' name in Quebec and you have a 50% less chance of getting an interview. Link
One only has to read the very open denunciations on vigile.net to understand the utter disdain and hate that pervades much of the province that sees immigrants as pollutants, a clear and present danger to Quebec cultural purity. 

And there it is, a rant some might describe as a hurtful and hateful, but necessary because nobody in the mainstream press is willing to put the bell on the cat of the distasteful and false myth of Quebec 'superiority'.

Quebecers are what they are, no better or no worse than Canadians, certainly not culturally socially or politically superior to their Canadian cousins and not inferior, just ever so slightly different.
While Quebec claims that they are big differences, there is not that much that distinguishes them from the other Canadians and the reality is that what we have in common is much important than what  differentiates us.

PQ Letter to Anglo Community a Desperate Attempt to Stifle Resistence

Lisée and De Courcy an attempt to  "sauver les meubles"

If you think Diane De Courcy gives a rat's ass for the rights of the English community, I'd like to offer you an interesting parcel of property in the hinterland of Florida's Everglades.
The reality is that the letter sent and published to the Anglo community in the Montreal Gazette, is nothing more than an effort to co-opt resistance to Bill 14 and it has about as much credibility as a heartfelt request by a Nigerian Prince in seeking your financial aid in helping him liberate his fortune.

It probably goes to the political acumen of Jean-François Lisée who alone in cabinet has the English language skills and the sense of the Anglo community to understand that resistance to Bill 14 is building to a dangerous point, where the political fight is poised to spill over Quebec's borders, into the United States and the rest of Canada, an unfriendly arena where Quebec can only be the loser and where the penalty attached to being perceived as anti-English and discriminatory can be considerable.

It must have taken some discussion to get De Courcy to agree to the letter, Lisée explaining the dire consequeneces of letting the issue spiral out of control.

Most separatists like De Courcy who have had little or no contact outside the French milieu, disdain and ignore Anglos, considering them pests, like ants at a picnic.
For Jean-François Lisée, someone who has dealt with the community and has been exposed to a world outside Quebec, the danger of riling up the rest of the English continent, is a danger he recognizes as real and perhaps his more cautious approach convinced De Courcy, that something had to be done to diffuse the building situation.

The letter wasn't sent in order to offer concessions (none were offered) it was simply meant to mollify and co-opt, to somehow put a damper on protest.
The realization that the anti-Bill 14 lobby groups, led by CRITIQ, (the largest,) but also including The Unity Group, Put Canadian Flag Back In Quebec Assembly and others, are continuing to grow and gather strength, is a frightening scenario to the PQ, especially if these groups take the logical next step and re-locate the fight internationally.

This is the danger that the PQ faces, if ever the Americans become convinced that Quebec is anti-English and by logical extension, Anti-American, the economic impact to the province will be devastating.
Quebec has already thrown the first rock across the border, telling American retailing giants that their names must be altered to operate in Quebec.

If lobby groups take their fight across the border, they will receive an attentive audience, as French is the language and the people that Americans love to hate.
Sorry if the truth hurts.....

It doesn't take much to set the Americans off on an anti-French crusade, as we saw it 2003, when France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq led to a boycott of French products and the silly creation of the 'Freedom Fries' meant to erase the very word 'French' from the common American lexicon.

"The calls for a boycott did raise some concerns among businesses. For instance, it prompted French's Mustard to make a press release stating "the only thing French about French's Mustard is the name." Link

As for the letter itself, I recognize Mr. Lisee's slick hand and the 'Golly gee, Aw shucks!" writing style of a country slicker.
Nowhere in the letter do the writers offer anything new, except to promise that at a later date the PQ 'might' entertain changes and so entreat Anglos to 'lay off' in the meantime.

When discussing the proposed prohibition for French military families to receive an exemption for English school, the letter assures us that it will no longer be part of the legislation.

"Children of the military: The section of Bill 14 that deals with the children of French-speaking military parents will be examined and discussed at a later date, with the introduction of a new and apposite bill" The Letter

By the way, 'apposite' is a fancy word for appropriate.

But De Courcy is already on record as saying that she'd take the military clause out of Bill 14 only as a compromise to assure its passage, BUT, foolishly admits she would re-introduce the restriction at a later date.

"De Courcy says she's ready to drop the section on military exemptions in Bill 14. Though, she says she'll re-introduce it in a different bill." Link

Talk about rank dishonesty!
De Courcy and Lisée must really take us for idiots, do they really think we can't read and that we can't recognize a cheap trick when we see it?

The truth is that their promises of 'future considerations' plus 25¢ won't buy a call in a phone booth!"

Cloyingly patronizing, the letter reminds me of a used car salesman who puts his arm around your shoulder and swears up and down that you're getting a great deal. "Trust me, would I cheat you?"
It's nothing short of sickening and I hope nobody in the Anglo and Ethnic community falls for the phony concern!

Quebec's best political journalist, Jean Lapierre, confronted Lisée over the letter asking him why it had not been published in the French media. He pointedly asked the minister if it was a case of saying different things to the different communites, to which Lisee was ill at ease answering.

Later in the day,  I caught Lisée giving an interview to one of the French language television news stations where an interviewer asked if the letter represented a change in direction.
Lisée responded that it was nothing of the sort and that the PQ remained firmly committed to the basic platform of Bill 14.
So much for rapprochement and an honest attempt at compromise,

If anything, the letter shows weakness and fear, something most commentators haven't picked up on. Now is the time for anti-Bill 14 forces to put the metal to the pedal and go full speed ahead in relation to  protest.

Lobby groups need to expand their efforts to the United States and the rest of Canada in order to force the PQ into meaningful compromise, it is the logical next step.
Marching on Quebec City and militating here in the Quebec serves no more useful purpose, it is a battleground where no satisfaction is to be had.
Although those protest did indeed serve to put the PQ and language hawks on notice, it is time to move on strategically.

An attentive audience awaits anti-Bill 14 activists south of the border, where conservatives are occupied with the 'Spanish' invasion which they fear will lead to a two-language state and the attendant language mess like in Canada.
It is the hook that will enable our story to be heard.

When Marois or her finance minister next go grovelling to New York City to placate nervous bankers, or give a speech entreating Americans to invest in Quebec, they should be met by placard weilding anti-Bill 14 protesters, where just five such activists would have more impact than 200 in Quebec City.

This is the type of protest that will hit home with the large unspoken pool of Quebec francophones who remain generally opposed to PQ language policies but are uninterested in active opposition because they perceive themselves as having 'no dog in the fight.'

Having Quebec's reputation attacked abroad is something that will draw them into the debate and the possible repercussions, the attendant economic risk, is something that will definitely get their interest.

In Quebec we often talk about linguistic peace, if not harmony.
It is comparable to warring parties agreeing to a ceasefire where battle lines are frozen in place and where nobody advances or retreats.
The PQs Bill 14 initiative is a breech of that ceasefire and a invitation to renewed hostilities.

It is our reaction to that provocation that is the measure of our resolve.
It is incumbent upon us to show the PQ and indeed the rest of the province that Bill 14 is a ticket to renewed hostilities, a new language war where the cost of the conflagration is not worth the price.

Think about it, that is why it's time to take the fight to the next level.

French versus English volume 84

This week in Quebec Corruption

Jean Roberge...."I'm a crook too"

While the province reels from the mass arrests made by the police last week in relation to corruption in Laval, (Quebec's third largest city) two actors were conspicuous by their absence from the list of the arrested. Both city manager Gaétan Turbide and assistant city manager Jean Roberge and were assumed to be in cahoots with police and were both scheduled to testify before the Charbonneau Commission this week. Strangely, they were both suspended from their jobs in anticipation of their giving evidence.
Here's the kicker.
On the very morning that Turbide was to testify, a Commission lawyer rose and announced that the witness was not to be heard because evidence had just been received putting his credibility in question.
What does that mean? ....they wouldn't say.

Anyways the second witness, Mr. Roberge was rushed to the stand and testified that Laval city hall was indeed one heck of a corrupt place.
How does he know all this for sure? According to him, he was one of the crooks! Read the story

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

Here are the names and a description of the 37 people arrested in the operation by police targeting Laval corruption Link{fr}

 ****************

More bad news for SNC-Lavalin

"A division of Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has for years used a secret internal accounting code that former employees say was for bribes on projects across Africa and Asia, a joint investigation by CBC News and the Globe and Mail has found.
Former employees say some of the money was earmarked to help the company win contracts funded by international development agencies such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
CBC News and the Globe and Mail have discovered that a division called SNC-Lavalin International Inc. (SLII) that focuses on smaller contracts to design and supervise megaprojects has for years used the code words “PCC” or “CC” interchangeably to describe hidden so-called "project consultancy costs."
“PCC, they interchangeably used the word," said former SNC-Lavalin International engineer Mohammad Ismail. "Sometimes it was 'project consultancy cost,' sometimes 'project commercial cost,' but [the] real fact is the intention is [a] bribe." Read the rest of the story

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

Disgraced municipal party Union Montréal dissolves

"The remaining members in former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay's party, Union Montréal, have decided to abandon the party.

Interim party leader Richard Deschamps announced the dissolution of the party this afternoon. In his 20-minute speech, Deschamps detailed successes from Union Montréal's 12-year reign including the introduction of Bixi, Montreal's bike-sharing system.
Deschamps says members decided to disband because of the public perception of the party in the wake of damning testimony before the province's corruption inquiry." Read more

PQ Minister fans the flames of religious intolerance racism

Drainvile..."CALLING ALL RACISTS!"

Here's another episode of the Parti Quebecois fanning the flames of religious intolerance in order to play to their base of xenophobic racists and hardliners, who see any rapprochement with Montreal minorities as a sellout to the separatist idealism, where everyone must conform to a world of poutine, maple syrup, and atheism.

It seems that from the ivory tower in Quebec city a PQ minister Bernard Drainville has complained about the fact that a local borough in Montreal modified parking rules for a couple of days to give a break to the Hasidic community during one of its holidays, where they were bound not to move their cars.

"A PQ minister stirred up the reasonable accommodation debate Wednesday by criticizing a Montreal borough's practice of delaying street cleaning in front of a synagogue on religious holidays.

On the Jewish holiday Shavuot, which fell on Wednesday, observant Jews were not supposed to operate a vehicle. As such, some parking signs in a limited area around a school and synagogue in Cote-des-Neiges/NDG were altered temporarily. Drivers were not required to move their car for street cleaning.
“There's no necessity to do street sweeping in front of a synagogue on one of the Jewish High Holidays,” explained CDN-NDG city councillor Marvin Rotrand. “In fact, it doesn't cost anything not to do it and it doesn't inconvenience citizens if that particular day is skipped.
Bernard Drainville, however, disagrees. Quebec's minister for democratic institutions and active citizenship said he was outraged when he heard.

“There's no discrimination. Everyone must respect the same regulations, the same parking regulations. You can't start having parking regulations that are different according to your religion, because there will be no end to it,” he said." Read the rest of the story

Mr. Drainville was quick to point out that once accommodations are made for one religious group, there will be no end to demands.

I wonder if Mr. Drainville is opening up a new battlefield which will include objections to Greeks marching down Park Avenue, forcing the closure of that important artery, or the closure of the entire downtown core on St. Patrick's Day, not to mention the infernal Santa Claus parade that forces street closures and parking restrictions all over the downtown core.

If religions are not to be afforded special consideration, because according to the minister, everyone must conform, how about special interest groups that appeal to a minority and are generally exclusionary.

How about the infernal separatist parade that closes down Sherbrooke street each year, another horrific accommodation to separatists, not to mention cyclists who collectively hold the city to ransom once a year for the Tour de l'Isle. Let's not forget those selfish twins, whose exclusionary parade is restricted to those who are beneficiaries of an accident of birth.
How about street closure to support those elitist rich bastards who attend the Grand Prix or aficionados of Jazz who force their music on neighborhoods without any consideration for others.

Evidently to Drainville, accommodating some minorities is a good idea, accommodating some other minorities is a bad idea.

According to Mr. Drainville, accommodations are only unreasonable when they implicate Jews or Muslims, or other minority religions, prime targets of the French language purists who see a Yarmulke, hijab or turban as a direct threat to their nationhood.

The sad part of this all, is that nobody complained about the accommodation that Mr. Drainville was so angry about, it has been in place for over thirty years without controversy.

Piling on this non-issue was Journal de Montreal columnist Richard Martineau who actually complained the Montreal's lazy-ass blue collar workers were badly inconvenienced (what a joke!)

He then goes on to say that as accommodations go, this one is not a big deal, not like an imam apologizing for stoning. Hmmm.....

"Pas de quoi déchirer sa chemise ou se taper la tête contre les murs.
Rayon accommodements, on a vu pire.
Les heures de piscine, les fenêtres du YMCA, un imam qui fait l’apologie de la lapidation et du fouet dans un haut lieu du savoir…" Link{fr}

Then Martineau  goes on to complain that "People will say the PQ is racist, xenophobic, allergic to religion, hostile to minorities...…

Correctamundo! 

They certainly will, because in the rest of the civilized world, that is exactly what the PQ presents as. 

Separatists just don't get it.
Not everyone wants to eat poutine and bacon, live out of wedlock, revere hockey, disdain religion and listen to Marie-Mai or even speak French at home.

If that is the obligatory price of remaining a citizen of Quebec, then it's time to hold a Quebec version of the Wannsee conference followed by breaking out the cattle cars.

Quebec's National Assembly & Montreal city Council

Let us remember that the PQ and Quebec language militants promote a society that is officially neutral when it comes to religion, but firmly attached to its Christianity by virtue of its 'heritage.'
That is why in a religiously neutral state, Christian holidays are state holidays, public institutions and streets are named after Christian saints and biblical personalities and that crucifixes are honorably presented in the National Assembly and throughout municipal councils across Quebec, even MONTREAL.

Don't get me, wrong, I have no problem with public manifestations in Quebec of the overwhelming dominant religion, but let's not pretend and call a spade, a spade.
Separatists want all religion removed in public life, except theirs....

(Thanks for the story to many readers including RWB.)

Sugar Sammy Award panned by separatist

The insufferable pseudo-intellectual separatist Mathieu Bock-Côté unleashed a snarly and vindictive screed in Le Journal de Montreal in reaction to comedian Sugar Sammy winning some sort of Francophone comedy award,

"I'm telly you. English is the DEVIL!!!!"

"Sugar Sammy has won this year’s Olivier Award. Obviously, he’s funny. No one is questioning his comedic talent. He has an exceptionally lively mind. But short of him telling us that his jokes are completely devoid of content, you have to take his words at least somewhat seriously. On stage, Sugar Sammy is an activist comedian. His humour is political.
Sammy was a Liberal activist during the 1995 referendum, and makes no secret of his federalism or commitment to multiculturalism. But, as he has previously observed, humour is infinitely more effective than putting up posters to "get the message across." He’s certainly not wrong. In a "just for laughs" society, whoever makes people laugh has a great deal of power, as he gets to define what is hip and what isn’t.
HIS VISION OF QUEBEC
Through his humour, Sugar Sammy puts forward his vision of Quebec. His trademark is ridiculing Quebec francophones, more specifically, those in favour of a French and sovereign Quebec. In his shows, he paints a portrait of these Quebecers as a collection of nasty, mean-spirited and uneducated xenophobes.
We’re all familiar with his "classic" joke. There are two types of Québécois. Those who are educated, sophisticated, modern, civilized, friendly and accommodating. And there are those who voted Yes in 1995. Hilarious, isn’t it? What’s more, in an interview, he once equated independence to "turning in on ourselves" without a trace of irony.
What never ceases to amaze me is the enthusiasm of some Quebec francophones, who trip over each other in their rush to praise him. I read a few days ago that Sugar Sammy "tells it like it is." But what is he saying? That we’re a bunch of inward looking bumpkins? That defending a French Quebec is being culturally paranoid?
By idealizing Sugar Sammy, they’re saying: Look at how open and modern we are. We want Sugar Sammy’s version of Quebec. We want a Canadianized Quebec, where bilingualism is the norm and reasonable accommodations come one after the other. We want a Quebec that agrees to fade away into Canadian multiculturalism.
This is a Quebec where many citizens are now "Montrealers first," rather than Quebecers first. Just think back to his show You’re gonna rire. A "bilingual" show, just like his vision of an ideal Montreal. A Montreal where people naturally mix English and French within the same sentence. A Montreal where Québécois should stop fighting to be served in French.
Some Québécois are psychologically flawed. They feel trapped in a francophone society because they’ve been told that being open to the world involves English. They’ve been convinced that by showing just a bit of contempt for Quebec, they’d finally be considered citizens of the world. They’re afraid of not looking "modern," of being "ceintures fléchées." So they like Sugar Sammy.
As long as we remain convinced that there's something intolerant about living in our home in French, as long as we believe that wanting a country is closing ourselves off from the world, we will remain convinced that it is admirable to sing the praises of a political comedian who insults us. If Sugar Sammy represents the future of Quebec, then Quebec has no future.

Thanks for a great translation from PlateauAnglo.

Please read the original article in French ICI

Evidently Mr. Bock-Côté  doesn't understand the humor of Sugar Sammy, who in the great tradition of Don Rickles insults and mocks his audience.

I hope he has a listen to some of Sugar Sammy's routines in English where he slays his own community, as well as other ethnicities like Montreal's Haitians.

Mathieu Bock-Côté is nothing more than a frustrated Grinch.

Watch a bit of Sugar Sammy;

Ethnical Difficulties Q&A  

Suspicious Middle Eastern Guys
Sugar Sammy - Trop Drole{fr}

When Sugar Sammy received his award at the French gala, he couldn't resist, telling the audience that they shouldn't blame his victory on the 'ethnic vote'  HaHa!

By the way,  in response to Mr. Bock-Côté's screed, a fellow columnist at the Journal de Montreal, Lise Ravary, wrote a scathing rebuke.

"When Yvon Deschamps applied his shock therapy Quebecers, we applauded wildly. When Sugar Sammy does the same thing, we feel ridiculed.  

Why? He was born here, grew up here. He lives here. Sugar Sammy is Quebec. Why doesn't he have the right to join the discussion?
If Sugar Sammy, is the future of Quebec, that Quebec will be part of my future. The future under the banner of ethnic nationalism is a lot less interesting. Link{fr}

Great video protesting OQLF nonsense

Letter to the Editor: The language police visit a bank.

"While this Orwellian event may appear to most as an article taken from the Onion, I firmly place my hand on my Montreal Canadiens jersey and swear the truth to the gods of our city.
The event began on May 14, when a local federal bank that shall not be named was visited by Quebec’s language police. As a starting point, English-only pamphlets, which were skilfully placed next to French-only pamphlets, had to be removed from the customers’ area. Employees were told that they did not belong in the front; what if a francophone were to accidentally select the wrong pamphlet? The strain of placing the pamphlet back and appropriately selecting another is an injustice that the language police in Quebec luckily are here to protect us from.
Next up: a microwave. This seemingly innocent machine hides its evil by presenting the employees with hot Pizza Pockets and mom’s leftovers. Within this evil lie several words, written only in English. No, not even their own, private microwave is safe from the hands of the language police. Among these forbidden words: open and time. These frighteningly English words carry with them the desire to eradicate the French-speaking population of Quebec. With a few adjustments, employees will soon be able to safely heat up their favourite dishes in French."  Read the rest of the letter

PQ launches yet another commission... with notable boycotters

Both the Montreal police union and the Quebec Liberals announced that they would boycott the affair, claiming the whole thing is a put-up affair to cast blame on them.

The Parti Québécois government's special commission looking into last year's student protests is coming under attack from all sides.
Opposition politicians are questioning the PQ's motives.
Student leaders say the mandate is too broad, and the police will evade close scrutiny of their role in the student protests.

Police officers fear a witch hunt.

Public Security Minister Stéphane Bergeron says being attacked by people from opposite sides of the issue is a sign the government made the right decision by creating the commission and appointing Serge Ménard, Claudette Carbonneau and Bernard Grenier to sit on it.
But the Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Québec say the makeup of the commission is biased.
Ménard is a former PQ public security and justice minister. He also served as a Bloc MP in Ottawa and is clearly identified as a sovereigntist.
Claudette Carbonneau is a former head of the CSN trade union. The CSN, along with other big unions, helped finance the student protests last year." Read more

Bixi, Bixi, Bixi

Trouble in Bixiland 
"It is as Montreal as a two-cheek kiss, a made-in-Quebec success story that has garnered both awards and lucrative contracts around the world. Yet the Bixi bike-sharing system, best known for its sleek two-wheelers of the same name, is plagued by lack of administrative oversight, questionable management and a business plan that has it teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, with a whopping $37-million debt after only two years of operation."  Read More

Bixi Toronto: City urged to take over financially struggling bike-share program
"City staff want Toronto to take over the embattled Bixi bike-sharing program, according to a confidential report obtained by the Star.
The seven-page document, which was distributed at a behind-closed-doors meeting of Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee last week, outlines three scenarios for dealing with the financially troubled company.
According to the report, Bixi Toronto informed city staff in November that it was not able to make its loan payments “over the next few months.”
If the company defaults, Toronto is on the hook for an outstanding loan of $3.9 million. Read more

"Citibike (Bixi): I Don't Care What They Do In Paris, I Live In New York City,"
"When I drive into the Village it's going to be harder to park. I would rather not have them at all," he said. "It takes parking spots away from people like me. I just don't like it."
But perhaps the most telling line of the evening came before the meeting even began. "Can't we all just get along?" one Citi Bike supporter asked another. She shook her head. "We wouldn't be in New York." Read more

.....and just for good measure:
"No evidence cycle helmet laws reduce head injuries: study"

Quebec anglos continue generous tradition of giving

"A Montreal family is making a hefty donation to cancer care that is being matched by other philanthropic foundations.
The Rossy Family Foundation (owners of Dollarama-ed.) is giving $30 million, while $28 million will come from the cancer foundations of the McGill University Health Centre, the Jewish General Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital to create an initiative called the Rossy Cancer Network.
The money will help the hospitals and the Rossy Foundation share research, pool resources and build on their individual strengths by working together as four significant cancer centres." Read more

The Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) is delighted to announce one of the greatest gifts in its entire history. This outstanding show of support in the capital fundraising campaign Giving Ourselves the Best in Health Care comes from generosity on the part of the Molson Foundation which makes public today a contribution of 5 million dollars." Read more

Odds'n Ends

Conrad Black: Quebec Independence No Longer A Threat 
 "There is no longer a threat of Quebec independence because Quebecers have become "addicted" to transfer payments from other provinces, former media baron Conrad Black said Friday." Read more

Quebec firm tops off  New york Tradecenter skyscraper
The installation of the spire was completed Friday morning after pieces of it had been transported to the roof of the building last week. The 408-foot (124.36-meter) spire, weighing 758 tons, is a joint venture between the Montreal-based ADF Group Inc. engineering firm and New York-based DCM Erectors Inc., a steel contractor. Link

French academia in war of words over plan to teach in English
 The global spread of the English language has long been a sore point in Paris politics. Now a new battleground has appeared in the linguistic war as the Socialist government wants to allow English to be used as a teaching language in French universities, sparking a rift in academia. Link

Here's the same story from Le Devoir Link{fr}

 'Bowling' versus 'Quilles'
 Last week in the comments section we had a lively, if not infantile discussion about borrowed words, that is English words commonly used in French and vice-versa.
But the discussion also touched on the subject of whether Parisiaenne French is more prone than Quebec French to poach words.
It's a pretty ridiculous argument considering.

Quebec: parquer dans stationnement
France: stationner dans parking

At any rate.....
It seems that a French (France) movie that came out annoyed a Quebec reviewer because of the differences in the Quebec version of certain words versus the French version of certain words.

In fact the very name of the movie was deemed offensive.
As you can see, in France the sport is known by its English name of 'Bowling' while in Quebec it is ' Quilles' 

According to reviewer  Jean-François Chartrand-Delorme

"From a Quebec perspective, the presence of English in a French film is still disturbing, beginning with the title. In Quebec, we play "Quilles' where we make 'abats' while in France it's  'bowling' and  a 'strike' (pronounced "bouligne" and "straïque" ). The same goes for the soundtrack. Aside from some typical Celtic music of Brittany, it is "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls and "Shake It Out" Florence + the Machine. These songs are integrated into the soundtrack where we see women train for the championship final. It's all uncomfortable and rings false because it's like watching an American B-movie...

....For Quebecers, watching a French film,represents not only a desire to travel to another country, but also to  enjoy another narrative, which is not the case here." Complete Original story in French 

  France Will Tax Smartphones to Fund Exceptional French Culture'
"France is planning a tax on smartphones, tablets, and a bevy of other internet-linked devices in order to fund the production of French art, film, and music. This tax could charge up to four percent on the sale of these devices, starting as soon as next year."  Link

Can Quebec be far behind?

Parents’ group worries about cuts to U of A French programs
 "The University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean will suspend a first-year, college-level course in business administration, prompting a parents’ group to express concern that French language education will be reduced further this spring.
Parents were shocked to read  that enrolment for this fall was suspended on a blog by Martin Ferguson-Pell, acting provost at the University of Alberta a few days ago, said Michael Tyron, executive director of Canadian Parents for French, Alberta Branch. Link


Pauline the audacious....
I came across this paragraph in a piece by Kristian Gravenor on Coolopolis entitled; 'Will Anticosti Island make Quebec rich'

"Premier Pauline Marois recently gave a speech in which she gleefully attempted to mobilize this news into support for separation, as she pointed out ruefully that under the current Canadian structure, a share of the future

Huh? I wasn't aware that the Premier could actually say something so juvenile idiotic  moronic (fill in your own adjective), so I tried to track down the source.
After a lengthy search, I can confirm she did indeed tell Quebecers exactly that in a YouTube ad (in French)  promoting sovereignty, where she said that if and when Quebec discovers oil on Anticosti Island, the province would alas have to share the wealth with the rest of Canada.
Are you listening Alberta? What unmitigated Chutzpah!

By the way, read the rather interesting article on the history of island. Link

Let's finish with a smile......

Saw this in a Montreal Loblaws, but I won't mention the location, lest the language police pounce.

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de Semaine!

PQ Report Card a Sad Indictment of Dismal Failure...Part one

The PQ Ship of Fools

With the election of a new Liberal party leader Philippe Couillard  and an uptick in the polls, it's not unreasonable to look forward to the demise of this PQ government, if not in the short term, perhaps in the medium term.

New leaders of any political party enjoy a brief honeymoon that only the smartest take advantage of.

If the Liberals are adept, they'd quickly work to dump the PQ government  and plunge the province into a quicky type election, but it's unlikely as the CAQ fearing a Liberal majority will be compelled to support the moribund PQ government.

Since nobody can really predict what will happen, we may or may not be stuck with a PQ government that can best be described as not quite up to snuff.

When the PQ was first elected I wrote a piece describing the utter lack of potential cabinet talent within the PQ ranks and the unmitigated disaster that awaited us as a bunch of incompetent fools were handed the reins of power.  Read: Pauline Steers a PQ Ship of Fools
I think it's fair to say that time has borne me out and that this opinion wasn't just a partisan shot.

While I generally disdain all pequists, past and present, I  am the first to say that many PQ governments of the past were made up of men and women with a certain level of competence, responsibility and yes, honour, all of which is sadly lacking in Pauline's motley crew.

Let me provide a report card on the ministers of this government, cognizant of the fact that I am not  a fan, something like a Montreal Canadiens fan rating the Boston Bruins, player by player.

Nicolas Marceau- C
Minister of Finance. 

Of all the PQ ministers, Nicolas Marceau came with perhaps the highest credentials with a solid academic background. However it turns out that being book-smart is no replacement for experience, something he apparently sorely lacks.
His first move as finance minister was utterly disastrous, not only raising taxes, but doing it retroactively.

What is wrong with retro-activity?
Well, it is like Loblaws raising the price of the groceries you bought last year and sending you an additional bill now.  Not many people would be fine with that.

The outcry in the press was more than he and the government could stand as he sheepishly reversed his position, a harbinger of a string of about-faces that would plague the Marois government in the future months.
Marceau's gaffe didn't just surprise me because he should have known better, what really amazed  me was that his deputy-minister and professional staff didn't  steer him away from the disaster, after all, they are professionals and could not have been blind to the impending disaster.
Either Marceau over-rode their advice or they let him commit hari-kiri in public, neither scenario, very encouraging.
Marceau has never recovered and has kept his head down, his reputation in tatters, something that no minister of finance can afford.

Martine Ouellet- F
Minister of Natural Resources. 

There's no polite way of saying it, the Minister of Natural Resources, Martine Ouellet is an idiot, a dangerous fool who doesn't even understand the difference between money spent and money saved.

In complaining about Ottawa's loan guarantee to Newfoundland's potential underwater electricity transmission line, she told Quebec taxpayers a bold-faced lie in intimating that it is costing Canadian taxpayers $900 million dollars, when in fact it is costing next to nothing.
I've told you this before, it is akin to counter-signing a car loan at the bank for your brother, because his credit is not as good as yours. Because of your guarantee, the bank will charge a lower interest rate, saving a couple of thousand dollars in interest.
If the loan is repaid, the guarantor is not out of pocket a dime, a concept the minister has trouble understanding.
In this interview, Martine Ouellet is explained as such by an incredulous Radio-Canada interviewer, who is hard-placed to mask her disdain for the sad-sack minister.
There's no doubt in my mind that the young interviewer would make a better Minister than Ouellet!

Watch the video and laugh or cry. Ouellet is truly an idiot par excellence.

But that's not all, Ouellet who has previously voiced her opinion that shale gas can never be safely exploited, has sent the file for study to the BAPE, an environmental agency for study, without understanding that any conclusions that agency draws further down the road are actually moot.
Because of the vast amount of shale gas already brought to market in North America, the price has collapsed, making new development uneconomic.
And so it doesn't really matter what conclusions are reached, NOBODY IS INTERESTED IN DRILLING anymore and as we say in English, That ship has sailed.
If the politically-challenged minister doesn't understand that metaphor, here's another.
"YOU'VE MISSED THE BOAT!"
Sending the shale gas file for environmental assessment now is like asking the agency to study the efficacy and safety of the production of typewriters. 

Then there is the fiasco of the new plan to raise mining royalties, a cornerstone of Ouellet's election campaign, where she promised to up royalties by $350 million. Ouellet reminds me of the little girl selling lemonade in front of her house for $100 a glass, believing that she only need sell one to be successful.
The Marois government backed off that commitment as if it were radioactive, citing changing circumstances, infuriating the Minister to the point that she almost resigned.
Nah.....just kidding, a ministerial limousine is nothing to trifle with!

Clearly in over her head, Ouellet is plainly an embarrassment to herself, the government and all Quebecers.

Agnes Maltais- D
Minister of Unemployment and Welfare  Minister of Labour, Employment and Social solidarity. 
Madame Maltais reminds me of one of those stereotypical characters in the movies of old, a stern matron, running an orphanage with an iron fist.... grim, bossy, regimented and eternally angry.

She ran into a monster problem right off the bat as the Conservative government imposed changes to the Employment Insurance program designed to penalize frequent benefits claimants, a large proportion found in Quebec's boonies.
Her position in demanding Ottawa reconsider the program and the disastrous consequences (Quebec would be liable for welfare payments wherein claimants lost their Employment benefits) and her tantrum in the press where she demanded that Ottawa undertake economic impact studies before proceeding, fell on deaf ears. Diane Findlay, the conservative minister in charge of the program in Ottawa, gave Maltais a ten-minute meeting before politely showing her the door.
Maltais was also forced to drop the election promise made by the PQ whereby the province would seek repatriation of the Employment Insurance program to provincial jurisdiction.
It seems that Madame Maltais and the PQ failed to do their own economic impact study, because as it turns out, such a move would cost Quebec over $700 million, the difference between what Quebecers contribute and take out of the EI program.

Then Madame Maltais announced cuts to welfare payments to some claimants in order to encourage them to get back into the workforce.
There's nothing like taking the food out of the mouths of welfare bums to start an uproar. Those affected by the new measure showed a surprising level of industry in organizing a spirited defense of their entitlement, marching and occupying the constituency offices of many members of the PQ.

"...Labour Minister Agnès Maltais, is being bombarded with criticism for her decision to cut $20 million from the welfare budget.
"I think it's double-talk," said Françoise David, Québec Solidaire MNA for Gouin.
"On one hand you pretend to give support to vulnerable people and on the other hand, you allow cuts that affect those who are the poorest in our society..." 

...Maltais surreptitiously cut funds this week to welfare recipients between the ages of 55 and 58 and those living with pre-school children. She also made budget cuts to a program that helps recovering addicts. Link

Opposition parties then dug up a video of Maltais arguing against exactly such a move, when she was in opposition and after an unfortunate answer in the National Assembly, she was accused in Le Devoir of making convoluted statements (alambiquée) while another commentator on the story used the word 'charabia' (gibberish) to describe her response. Video plus story {fr}
It's never good when the press and the public start to mock you.

Now the welfare cutbacks actually made sense, but when the welfare lobby rose in righteous indignation and started demonstrating across the province against the cutbacks, Maltais did an about face and reversed her decision, reflecting the PQ's lack of confidence and its propensity for improvisation.

Maka Kotto- F

Minister of Culture
An unsuccessful actor/idiot who only made it to the cabinet because of his minority status.
You'd think that in his capacity of Minister of Culture, he wouldn't be able to cause much damage, flitting from award ceremony to theater openings adding a little 'colour' to the mix. But alas the stumblebum, proved everyone wrong in his first weeks on the job, calling the cultural attachés serving around the world back to Quebec on an expensive mission, just to tell them that their budgets would be cut.

"Minister Maka Kotto was called to order by the Deputy Prime Minister, François Gendron, Wednesday. Dean of the National Assembly, Mr. Gendron reminded his colleague, Minister of Culture the importance  for the members of the cabinet, while managing public funds.
This public snub occurred in the aftermath of the broadcast of a dispatch of the Canadian press indicating Mr. Kotto had convened in Montreal  22 Québec foreign delegates in times of budget cuts and against the advice of its staff members who felt it an  unnecessary expense." Link

Daniel Breton- F
Minister of Nothing anymore

The rookie minister never had a chance and was dumped from the cabinet after revelations about his deadbeat past came out.

"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." Link

But before he left the radical environmentalist raised the ire of opposition parties when it was revealed that he exceeded his authority;

 "In Quebec City, a special committee is hearing from commissioners who claim to have been bullied by former Environment Minister Daniel Breton. The commissioners work at the BAPE, Quebec's independent environmental review board.

Pierre Fortin testified Breton paid commissioners a highly unusual visit last October, during which he asked for their cell phone numbers and threatened he would be watching their decisions. Fortin says the visit left him feeling very uncomfortable.

"He said if he was unhappy with the BAPE's work, he would let us know about it," explains Fortin. "It made everyone feel nervous and uncomfortable." "Link

Nicole Léger- D
Minister of Family

A staunch defender of the public daycare system she cut millions from the private network while telling the operators that they should be happy because it could have been much worse.
After a demonstration in Quebec to protest the cuts the minister invited the leaders to a meeting where she promised that she would listen to their grievances even if she wasn't going to change her mind.

The Minister had previously told reporters that daycares would henceforth be subject to language requirements of Bill 101, then recanted after a firestorm of protest..

She's another big fat bust....er sorry!

Jean-François Lisée- B

Minister of lots of things but most importantly Anglophone relations
Of the entire Marois cabinet, there are only two ministers whom I give a passing grade and Jean-François Lisée rates the highest.
Mr Lisée presents in the finest tradition of Quebec sovereigntists and PQ ministers who genuinely have affection and respect for the English community.

In a cabinet rife with rabid anglophobes, Lisée is perhaps the one moderating influence and is in fact the only one who has reached out to the community with a level of honest respect.

Mr. Lisée is actually a better politician than journalist or educator, his wacky ideas about the economy and francophone/anglophone relations, a witch's brew of cherry-picked facts and illogical conclusions, non sequiturs that convince only the committed.

But as a minister, he is a credit to the position.  He has a confident smile and a respectful tone, a quick wit and a positive attitude, something sorely lacking in Pauline's grim coterie of dismal hacks.
He is the one and the very few who actually carries himself in a ministerial manner.


Readers may not like his separatist politics, but when rating an opponent, one cannot take away points for success.  One of the very few in the Marois cabinet who is as they say in French 'parlable,' the PQ cabinet would be well served to take his example.
That being said, manners and polish aside, what has he really accomplished?


Next week I'll review other members of the cabinet and take a shot a Pauline Marois herself...

 ***************

 Just in passing.....
To Toronto Maple Leaf fans, I can only say how badly I feel over the worst playoff collapse I have ever seen in my lifetime.

At least you'll have something to tell your grandchildren.
Like those of us old enough to remember the assassination of John Kennedy or the news of the destruction of the Challenger space shuttle, you'll always remember where and under what circumstances you witnessed the infamous Toronto Maple Fail.

At any rate, I've put up a Senators logo and as the last Canadian team left standing, let's all wish them good luck!