Letter to Quebec's Language Police

Dear OQLF,

You are my last hope, business is down and I'm not sure I can make it through the summer.

My store sells sports equipment and clothing and it is harder and harder to compete with the big box American retailers, unfair competitors who have set out to overwhelm and conquer Quebec merchants like myself, using their massive buying power to undersell and by offering an unfair selection that in no way can I duplicate.

I've written to the department of Industry in the hope that they could limit competition or fix prices as they do in the dairy industry.
When I suggested that minimum prices be enforced on important items like running shoes or hockey sticks, they told me that they couldn't or wouldn't do anything because these products aren't manufactured in Quebec,
They did say that in order to qualify for any 'price protection' like the proposed minimum price for French books, it would have to be a question of 'national importance', whatever that means.

I also asked why no law is being proposed to keep all these damn foreign retailers out of our province as they are gobbling up our Quebecois business at an alarming rate, sucking out profits that should deservedly stay here.

The agriculture minister has bravely proposed a new law limiting those creepy Chinese from buying up our farmland, so why not sports retailers too?

How come the government acts selectively,  as in the case of 'Rona Hardware,' where it wisely interfered to keep 'Lowes' from snatching this Quebecois pearl, but it does nothing for the little guys like me.

Are we chopped liver?

I asked for relief from the tax department, help from the economic development department, etc.etc. All to no avail, so you are my last hope.

I read with interest those media stories about the OQLF forbidding certain products in certain stores which caused quite the media storm, like in the case of 'pastagate,' and now 'spoongate.'
What a fantastic boon to these businesses as the outpouring of support translated to big bucks in new business .

So I'm begging you, esteemed OQLF, please raid my establishment and find me guilty of some offenses and if it isn't too much trouble, can you lay a complaint over something ridiculous or trivial, something that can capture the imagination of journalists.

I've gone out of the way to provide you ample reason to raid visit my premises and I've even gone so far as to submit my own complaints.

I hope they violate your sense of justice and that you make the right decision to put an end to my tomfoolery in presenting stuff in my store that is clearly offensive to sensibilities of all good francophones.

If it isn't too much to ask, could you provide me with one of your nastier inspectors so that the effect of the raid will be amplified.

And one last thing, a request that I understand will be very hard to fulfill.

Could you come this week?

Yours truly,
John Q. Merchant

French versus English Volume 87

This week in Quebec corruption

It was of course a monumental week with the police arresting the interim mayor of Montreal Michael Applebaum and ex-city councilor Sollie Zajdel (who actually ran under the Conservative banner in the last federal election) for allegedly accepting bribes to effect zoning changes.
Both men have professed their innocence, but alas, it doesn't look good as the police seem to have a squealer in hand.
The story has gone viral and has again put Montreal and Quebec on the world map for all the wrong reasons;

New York Times
Wall Street Journal
CBS News -Montreal's interim mayor Michael Applebaum arrested on fraud charges
CNN -Montreal's interim mayor arrested on fraud charges
Le Monde -Au Québec, un vaste système de corruption mis au jour
From Denmar -Borgmester anholdt i sag om korruption
From Russia -Как мэр Монреаля стал мафией
From Israel -  מונטריאול: ראש העיר היהודי נעצר בחשד לשחיתות - חדשות - בחדרי חרדים
From Mexico - El alcalde de Montreal es detenido por corrupción el primer año de mandato
From Italy - Il sindaco di Montreal è stato arrestato

You get the idea.....

Overshadowed is the news that three Montreal police officers were suspended in relation to a possible fraud over a security contract for the Montreal Police HQ, where a company with dubious provenance was awarded the contract under less than kosher circumstances.

"Montreal La Presse reported that the investigation is related to a contract handed to the now-defunct BCIA firm for surveillance at police headquarters. That contract was handed out by the force's former administration.
Ex-chief Yvan Delorme, who unexpectedly resigned in 2010, has said there might have been "administrative errors" in the awarding of the contract but that they were committed in good faith." Link

In the meantime, the federal Competition Bureau is investigating whether price-fixing has been going on by Quebec companies involved with the production, of all things, lampposts. Link

Shout out to Tim C for the pic

And in what only can be termed 'hilarious' testimony at the Charbonneau Commission, ex-Laval City manager, Claude Asselin pulled a Sgt. Shultz;

"He said it was common knowledge that there was collusion but he didn't do anything to stop it. Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt decided which construction company got contracts with the city and Asselin respected his authority, he said.
But commission chair France Charbonneau didn't seem to buy his explanations.
"It's hard to understand how a general manager who was in charge can say there was collusion yet didn't do anything about it," she said. Link

In negotiation for amnesty for himself, a corrupt fundraiser, Pierre Lambert turned over more than $700,000 in cash to police. The cash, a slush fund that belonged to the crooks that ran the city of Laval was stored in a mini-warehouse.

The part I found interesting was the $1,000 bills found in the plastic bag in the top left position.
The 'Pinkie' as it was then affectionately known as, actually went out of circulation back in 1990, replaced by a newer bill which also went out of circulation in 2001, the government rightly concluding that the bills served the interests of crime.
These bills were used widely in the construction industry to settle large debts and to transfer wealth abroad to tax-haven banks. The above picture is proof that they continue to be used to this day.
As for drug dealers and other criminals, the bills were never that popular because they couldn't be easily spent or readily deposited in local banks without raising questions.

All this to say, that twenty-three years after the bills were removed from circulation, they are still being used to crookedly transfer wealth.
By the way, there remains in circulation over one billion dollars worth of these bills, most in the employ of tax dodgers and crooks.
I'm pretty sure that Fintrac, the agency tracking loose money has the banks on the lookout for these bills, with reporting mandatory for anyone trying to deposit one.
It makes for an interesting scenario, where the bills cannot be easily cashed, yet remain common currency in the underground and illegal market.

Pq hits a new popularity low

"There is not a single positive element for the PQ government to take away from the latest CROP poll.

Published in this morning's La Presse, 70% of respondents say they are not satisfied with the government's performance to date.
Part of the problem may be the leader.
Only 11% of respondents see Pauline Marois as the best candidate for  Premier, compared to 26% per cent for Liberal leader Philippe Couillard and 17% for Francois Legault of the CAQ. Read more

According to the La Presse story;

"A problem of leadership or leader? The question remains.  
Only 11% of people see Pauline Marois the best candidate for the post of Premier, slipping five points in a month - and a steady decline since the beginning of the year. Only 51% of PQ voters see Marois as the best person for the post of prime minister. "

Philippe Couillard, who arrived this spring, is down by two points - 28 to 26%. François Legault, more present in the media in recent weeks, gaining three points to 17%. Françoise David made a good showing, her personal support rising from 6 to 9%.

Voting intentions in June did move much from the previous month. The Parti Quebecois (PQ) remains at 25%, the Liberal Party (PLQ) and the Coalition Future (CAQ) are treading water with, respectively, 38% and 22% of voting intentions. Québec solidaire is up one point to 11%.

According to the pollster, these results predict a comfortable victory for the Liberal Party of Quebec, "probably the majority." Link{fr}

Jean-Martin Aussant steps down as head of Option Nationale

The Editor calls "BULLSHIT"

"The founder and leader of Quebec's pro-sovereignty party Option Nationale is quitting politics.
Jean-Martin Aussant made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying the struggle to run a fledgling party and raise twin two-year-olds is just too much.
He clearly found the decision heartbreaking, and as he read his statement broke into tears, thanking the 80,000 people -- 2 per cent of the vote -- who voted for Option Nationale and thanked his wife for her support.
"It's more sadness than frustration. Polls still show that about 40 per cent of Quebecers are in favour of sovereignty and the largest party doesn't really talk about it," said Aussant. Link

Readers, I haven't heard such a bullshit excuse since Frank Zampino called a news conference to resign his position as deputy mayor of Montreal, in the middle of his mandate. He told reporters this cockamamie story;
"My intentions are to take a step back, and spend the next few months to consider the opportunities that could emerge in the private sector," Zampino told reporters at a news conference at city hall."

Not one reporter called Zampino out on what his real motives were.
The same for Jean-Martin Aussant, who claims he is leaving his job as leader for family reasons.
Another crock.
I don't know why Jean-Martin Aussant, is leaving, I've got no contacts on the separatist side to spill the beans, but he is either;

• Burnt out and dejected.
• Facing a health or scandal issue.
• Already committed to a new job.

Or perhaps, it may be that Pauline Marois has promised him a secure job, to get him out of the way, just like Gilles Duceppe.
Does a committed father of twins really leave a secure job just like that without having something lined up?
Look for a well deserved summer vacation for a month or two, followed by the announcement that to nobody's surprise, Aussant has 'found' a new position.
Care to bet a two/four?

 Turban war leaves bitter taste for losers

I must say that even I was a bit surprised at the rage expressed by certain francophone journalists over the  turbangate affair where the most extreme anti-religion sentiments were expressed in response to a humiliating defeat for Quebec public secularism.

Réjean Tremblay -Journal de Montreal- "It's evident that English Canada is taking advantage of another occasion to vomit on Quebec" Link{fr}

Richard Martineau  -Journal de Montreal- "Extremists Win"  Link{fr}

Joseph Facal  -Journal de Montreal- "FIFA -Incoherent and afraid"  Link{fr}

The level of anti-religion venom spouted was surprising and leaves one to wonder exactly who the real fundamentalists are.
By the way, detractors of this blog often point out the comments section as a hotbed of anti- Quebec hate.
Check out the comments under the Martineau article, this in a mainstream newspaper.

And according to Don Don Macpherson of the Montreal Gazette; 

The soccer turban controversy: It started with a lie.
When the Fédération de soccer du Québec announced on Saturday that it was lifting its ban on players wearing the turban, it said it was because the sport’s international governing body, FIFA, had decided only the day before to allow the Sikh religious head covering.
That’s not true.
A Radio-Canada television report on Saturday evening showed documents proving that the Quebec soccer federation knew as early as last September that FIFA allowed the turban.
That’s when the Canadian Soccer Association sent the FSQ and other provincial  associations a letter informing them that the international governing body had decided to allow the turban.
So FIFA’s statement of Friday simply reiterated a position it had already taken nine months earlier.
And in the Radio-Canada report, the Quebec federation’s director-general, Brigitte Frot, made a damning admission.
She said the federation’s board of directors “heard of” FIFA’s position in the letter from the CSA, the sport’s governing body in Canada, in which it ordered the provincial associations to allow the turban.  Read the rest of the story

Thanks to many readers for the story.

PQ proposes law to battle imaginary urban myth

Well perhaps it isn't an urban myth, but rather a rural myth, the one that is circulating around Quebec that says that foreigners, especially the fearful Chinese, are buying up Quebec farmland for speculative purposes.

The xenophobic PQ minister of Agriculture, François Gendron, is so concerned that he's proposing a law to block the sales, EVEN THOUGH HE ADMITS THAT THE PRACTICE ISN'T TRUE, the whole story, nothing but a myth.
He told TV interviewer Mario Dumont, that even though it isn't true that foreigners are buying up farmland in any significant amount, the fear that they are, must be addressed.
I kid you not.
This idiot is actually proposing a law to ban something that is not happening, because some fools believe it is.

"(translation) "Mr. Gendron acknowledged that the phenomenon is relatively marginal, but his goal is to ensure that agriculture remains in the hands of Quebec."

"One thing that's for sure, I'd rather take preventative action than propose a cure later on," he said during a press briefing at the National Assembly, after the filing of the bill. Link{fr}

The amount of hectares of farmland that is actually bought each year by foreigners is about 2,000, which may sound like a lot but is actually insignificant considering that Quebec has 3,500,000 hectares of farmland with about 1,000,000 unused anyways.
And so the yearly foreign purchases represent about .02% of farmland not in use.

Let me summarize this story as follows;
(Paranoia + Xenophobia) x Idiocy = PQ

What's next?...An anti-Zombie law?

French in Burlington, Vt.=Good

English in Montreal, Qc=Bad

The Journal de Montreal ran a gushing article on the City of Burlington, Vermont, which is making an effort to make Quebecers welcome by adding French to signage.

"Vermont wants to say "Hello" to more Quebec tourists by displaying more French in one of its busiest border towns.
Following the adoption of a motion of "French friendship" by the Burlington City Council, the French Alliance has installed about 700 stickers on parking meters downtown during the weekend explaining their operation in French and English, reported television station WCAX. 

It is a way to welcome visitors arriving from Quebec, just across the border. Link{fr}

Hmmm. I wonder what the reaction of the newspaper would be if the story would be reversed?
"Quebec wants to say "Hello" to more Vermont tourists by displaying more English"

Weekend reading;

"But it seems we've ignored a silent threat tucked into the bill for too long: an extra two months a year for Canadian snowbirds to hang out in South Florida.
That's right, America. If the Senate has its way, those Quebecois bikers flooding your favorite beachside tiki bar with their poutine and their Fin Du Monde will be allowed to stay up to eight months at a time in the U.S.
 Read more  - The Silent Threat: Canadian Snowbirds 


"Angry Ontario truckers will block part of the Champlain Bridge on Thursday morning to highlight their frustration over the presence of Quebec construction workers on this side of the provincial border. Link

McGill University obliterated its goal of a $750-million fundraising campaign and succeeded in raising more than $1 billion over the last nine years to boost support to students and research — a historic achievement for the university and the most raised by a Canadian university in that amount of time. Link

Have a laugh...

Many readers of this blog are polyglots (like me), able to speak three or more languages.
I bet we're all proud of our abilities, that is until we compare ourselves to this guy;

... Count the traffic violations

By the way, since Quebec has decided to exclude anything non-French from the provincial celebratory day, I shall roundly ignore the holiday.

Read: St. Jean Baptiste Day, Time To Get Out Of Town 

Have a great weekend.

Bonne fin de Semaine

UPAC Leads Quebec Out of Corruption Wilderness

I wasn't surprised at the reaction to Monday's blog piece where I told readers that Quebec was well on the road to becoming the least corrupt province in the country.
Admittedly, it was a bold prediction that few are willing to entertain in these dark days of humiliating revelations and arrests of politicians in high places.

It's understandable that going from the most corrupt to the least corrupt province is a concept hard to wrap one's head around, but like the Montreal Canadiens who went from last place to first place in their NHL division, sometimes change happens virtually overnight.

There isn't any doubt that Quebecers have lived under the jackboot of systemic corruption ever since the Duplessis years and so it's hard to fathom that we can make such a fundamental shift so quickly, but we can, and sometimes change can only occur through a sudden and profound paradigm shift.

For those who believe that Quebecers are too complacent to demand an end to corruption I can only say that it is no longer the case.
Premier Jean Charest was forced into calling the Charbonneau Commission not because of pressure from the opposition parties but by regular voters and most importantly, members of his own constituency.

The public clamored for action and the government had absolutely no option but to acquiesce. When revelations about corruption surfaced in the Montreal suburb of Mascouche implicating the mayor, regular citizens invaded city hall and forced out of office what was a recalcitrant and stubborn mayor Richard Marcotte.
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay was drummed out of office by public pressure as was the Mayor of Laval.
Every single mayor and town council in the province is under the strictest scrutiny by an energized public which has discovered that they can demand transparency and effect change.

Leading the charge is UPAC(Unité permanente anticorruption), the special police unit formed by the Charest government to root out  corruption on any level. Styled after the New York City anti-corruption unit, the Department of Investigation, UPAC employs 200 people and enjoys a budget of 30 million dollars a year.
After just two years, the unit has already taken down over 100 crooks, from politicians to construction magnates to professionals, politicians and public servants.
These results have been nothing less than spectacular and like shooting fish in a barrel, the unit has arrested and charged so many that heads are spinning.
It seems that these thieves were so blasé about stealing that they didn't even bother hiding their tracks effectively.
And so they fall like dominoes, bewildered and befuddled that their house of corruption has finally been brought down.

The  utter contempt that UPAC displays for those they catch was manifestly displayed at the humiliating arrest accorded to Quebec's most powerful mayor, Michael Applebaum. It speaks to the confidence that UPAC has in itself and speaks to the support that the public has for the work it is conducting.
In fact UPAC toyed with Applebaum, privately letting  him know that an arrest was imminent. He was clearly out of sorts in the days leading up to his arrest, in fact giving a disjointed and convoluted speech days ahead of his arrest.

It has sent a frightening signal to those not yet caught, underlining clearly that their time is soon up and that justice is coming for them in the not too distant future in the form of a humiliating knock on the door at six in the morning.
I can imagine that a lot of crooks are sleeping rather poorly these days.

I am reliably informed that there is a parade of confessors lining up before UPAC to cut a deal by ratting out  co-conspirators.
Plainly this has happened with Applebaum because while he was charged with corruption, his alleged partners in crime were not, even though their names have been publicly revealed.

I have also been reliably informed that government departments are sharpening their defenses and now independent department proctors are sitting in on planning meetings where details are discussed between construction companies and government officials.

We are going to witness many more arrests before this is over, but the tide has turned.

I don't believe that the most seasoned and cynical journalists understand what is happening, their experiences of the past, colouring their reading of the situation today.

The forces unleashed are unstoppable, politicians couldn't call off the dogs even if they wanted to, lest they become a target of UPAC themselves.

For we the public, it is a spectacle that we should sit back and enjoy, because short of sending the crooks into the coliseum to do battle with the lions, it's the best serving of revenge that we can expect.

Let's not feel bad or humiliated, let's feel empowered and brave.
While the rest of Canada may tut-tut, the truth is they have plenty of their own crooks to deal with and no political will or UPAC to do battle for them.

I know of a couple of Ontarto mayors that well deserve the UPAC treatment, including Mister Sauga's favorite mayor Hazel McCallion.

As one commenter in the New York Times wrote under a story describing Applebaum's arrest;
"At least they arrest their crooks"

Quebec Cleaning Up Corruption Mess

Applebaum arrest pictures

The old maxim tells us that it's always darkest before the dawn and with Monday's arrest of the interim mayor of Montreal Michael Applebaum, it doesn't seem that it can get much darker.

What surprised me about the arrest was not that it happened, but rather how it happened.
The mayor was woken early this morning, arrested and driven down to the police headquarters with reporters tipped off and the car hauling him in conveniently stopping before going into the police garage, providing a photo-op that is the modern version of the perp-walk.

That disrespectful treatment is reserved for those arrests that police are most proud of and so without knowing any of the details, I can only conclude that the police have Applebaum dead to rights.

That Quebec is the most corrupt province in Canada is certainly proven beyond any reasonable doubt but the logical conclusion that Quebecers are the most dishonest people in Canada doesn't follow.

I know that I'll be offering an unpopular view today, but I cannot in good conscious listen to the ROC gleefully gloat without defending the good people of Quebec who are by and large humiliated and furious at those that betrayed the public trust.

If guillotining was permitted, there would no doubt be an enraged mob marching on city hall, shouting "Off with their heads!"
I wouldn't recommend that any of the crooks who will face corruption trials choose to be tried before a jury. Quebecers are just itching to get revenge and no defense, no matter how robust, will save any of these bums from being convicted.

And so I am going to say that Quebec is well on its way to rehabilitation and I daresay that within a few short years it will be one of the least corrupt places in North America.
Yup....I mean it.

Like a drug addict who has to fall to the lowest point before seeking help, Quebec has certainly hit rock bottom and it is here where we can collectively decide to wallow in our own mess or clean up our act for good.

Quebec and Quebecers have chosen. Corruption will soon end, believe me.

Now regular readers know I spend a fair amount of time in New York City and hardly a visit goes by where I don't read a news story of some new public official arrested for corruption in a state where dishonest politicians are legend and where corruption has been part and parcel of the political process forever.
The corruption is so pervasive that dozens of members of the State legislature, both Democrat and Republican have been arrested over the last decade.
Things never seem to change and currently there is a new crop of  legislators facing indictment;

"The state of New York's legislature, whose dysfunction has long proved a spectator sport, added a new chapter Wednesday as public-corruption investigations that have touched five officials in the past month brought seven more elected officials into public scrutiny" Link

"The latest, former Democratic state Sen. Shirley Huntley, was sentenced Thursday to spend a year and a day in prison for stealing $88,000 from a charity she controlled. A day earlier, a federal judge had unsealed records showing that Huntley last year secretly recorded conversations with seven other elected officials she suspected of corruption.
Among them were Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, both former Democratic leaders of the Senate who have already been indicted.
"It's a culture of corruption, there's no question about it," said Seymour Lachman, a former Democratic state senator. "It's very sad that you have at this point in New York state, the Empire State, more corrupt officials than any other state."
Read:  How New York Became One Of The Most Corrupt States

By the way, if Shirley Huntley got one year in jail for stealing $88,000, I can only imagine what our Quebec crooks would get for stealing millions....but I digress.

At any rate, I bring up the New York State corruption situation because quite frankly there really hasn't been enough public outrage to force politicians to clean up their act and so as you can imagine, corruption persists.
I imagine that I'll be reading about more crooked New York politicians for the foreseeable future because nothing will change with the apathetic attitude demonstrated by the public. They don't really seem to care and in fact regularly re-elect politicians that have less than clean hands.
Today the name of ex-mayor Rudolph Giuliani is being bandied about for a possible presidential run, yet serious accusations about his judgement in his personal and professional life don't seem to bother voters. Read a damning piece about his honesty.

But this lack of interest by the public is most certainly not the case here in Quebec. The public and voters in particular, are royally pissed.
There isn't a chance in Hell of  forgiving those who cheated and stole, the public is in no mood to be charitable.
The demand to root out, arrest and prosecute those who cheated taxpayers remains the number one issue of all Quebecers, transcending all political, religious, race and language lines.
If Applebaum and Saulie Zajdel (a counselor arrested along with Applebaum) are eventually convicted of corruption, there won't be an ounce of support for them in the Jewish community. Already waves of humiliation are rocking the community over the arrests.
The same goes for the Italian community, the Francophone and Anglophone community as well as the Black community, all deeply hurt and humiliated at the dishonor brought upon them by the alleged crooks.

In this province, unlike New York, those convicted or even accused of corruption become toxic and untouchable.
Already many of those who testified at the Charbonneau commission and who received immunity for candidly describing their illegal involvement in corruption are feeling the wrath of an unsympathetic public. One by one, they are being pushed out by their employers who no longer want to be associated with them. And good luck finding a new job, because for potential employers, these people are radioactive.

In 2009 a reluctant Premier Charest did in fact set Quebec on the road to redemption.
The creation of the Charbonneau Commission and more importantly UPAC (Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit) whose raison d'etre is described by its commander;

"Our job is to prevent, investigate and verify in the fight against crimes related to corruption, collusion and fraud in the awarding and execution of public contracts. "-Robert Lafrenière

The key in all this is the word 'permanent' where Quebec is the only province to have such a high-powered full-time anti-corruption unit in force.
During the Charbonneau hearings, one theme that was oft repeated by many of the slimy crooks who testified, was that corruption virtually ceased with the creation of the UPAC unit back in 2009.

With corruption on everybody's mind, Quebecers will be monitoring how their money is being spent very closely.
Concerned citizens , along with UPAC will be placing the fear of God in those tempted to graft.

Unlike the drug trade, corruption is not a zero-sum game.
When one drug dealer is arrested, another promptly takes his place, but when someone is arrested for corruption, it is like shaving your legs, where the next batch of hair grows back finer and more slowly.

Next year will see the beginning of the many trials of the alleged thieves and I can only hope that if and when they are found guilty, that the judge throws the book at them.

In the meantime the hardest part is over, admitting to a problem and embarking on the cure. It is manifestly apparent that Quebecers want to be corruption free and ordinary citizens themselves are showing those in power that they mean business.
No longer will town council meetings be sterile affairs, sparsely attended by a complacent public. People will ask questions and demand transparency, which is of course, the key to eliminating corruption.

If you are one of those who believe that Quebecers are inherently more dishonest than Canadians, you are probably one that believes in other negative stereotypes.
Calling Quebecers a gang of thieves is no different than saying the same about Blacks, Jews or Italians, where not many would dare say so out loud.

This dark period of arrests is the beginning of the end of systemic corruption in Quebec, because honest Quebecers will tolerate nothing less.

FIFA Deals PQ & FSQ Stunning Humiliation

It's not often that a prediction is borne out so quickly, (in fact the next day) but in yesterday's post I told you that the issue of the turban on Quebec soccer pitches would have to be dealt with by FIFA itself as the diametrically opposed positions of the Canadian and Quebec soccer associations was leading to a dangerous situation where all players and teams were being dragged into a world of hurt.
When Ontario teams cancelled appearances at a weekend tournament in Quebec because of the suspension, FIFA had no choice but to act.

"In the end this issue will not be resolved in Quebec or even in Canada." Link

Here's what the international body said in an email;

BY EMAIL
13 June 2013
Presidents and Executive Directors
Provincial/Territorial Soccer Associations

Dear Presidents and Executive Directors,
In accordance with the directive of the Canadian Soccer Association as outlined in its 11 April 2013 memo permitting the wearing of turbans/patkas/keski (male head covers), we wish to inform you that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA have authorized the wearing of male head covers in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community.

The following conditions must be met:
Be of the same colour as the jersey
Be in keeping with the professional appearance of the player’s equipment
Not be attached to the jersey
Not pose any danger to the player wearing it or any other player

For clarity, please find examples of the IFAB permitted head covers enclosed.
Thank you for your implementation of this policy and your assistance in ensuring the long term growth and development of the sport of soccer in Canada.

Warm regards,

Peter Montopoli
General Secretary

 Prompting the CSA to issue this:

The affirmation by FIFA is a stunning setback not only to the Quebec Soccer Association, but the PQ as well, which hitched its sovereigntist governance star to the issue and which encouraged the FSQ to maintain their position in the face of the Canadian Soccer Association's suspension.

It would have been the perfect political gambit, the Quebec public and the Quebec press lined up massively in support of the anti-turban ban.

Just yesterday, Richard Martineau of Le Journal de Montreal said this, which is pretty representative of views the French press had on the issue;

"How do you arrive at a solution to satisfy everyone in such a case? You have two parties who do not speak the same language! Two clans who do not live on the same planet! So at a certain moment, somebody  must decide.

Canada sees things one way, we another. Every people draws the lines according to its values.The Canadian solution is neither worse nor better than ours.And ours, neither better nor worse than their own." Link

I can only comment  that Mr. Martineau should rework his article and exchange this line;
"Canada sees things one way, we another."
for this line;
"The world sees things one way, we another."

For the PQ, it will be hard to explain that their position is utterly rejected by the world body and most importantly, it will be hard to explain to its own constituency how the world sees things one way and they the other.

The worst of it all is that the Canadian Soccer Association triumphed and the Quebec Soccer federation whipped rather painfully.

It is a cold and distasteful dish of humble pie.....

Look for a quiet and subdued reaction by the losers, with the PQ downplaying the disaster as a 'soccer issue' and nothing else.
Remember, yesterday it was an issue to sovereigntist governance, with the PQ pushing the FSQ to maintain its position even in the face of the suspension.
Today, for the PQ its time to move on to the next chicane.

In a hilarious and galling example of Quebec spin and effrontery, the FSQ greeted the news by saying it was happy that FIFA had finally settled the issue.

And by the way, since the French media was also invested in the anti-turban position, look for a united effort to sweep this humiliating affair under the 'carpette.'