Charter Gong Show Opens in Quebec

Drainville: 'Really, my dear....You don't say.....'

This dear readers will be my first and hopefully last post concerning the public hearings into the proposed Charter of Values which opened today in Quebec City, before a Parliamentary committee.

I hope I have the discipline to ignore the whole sad affair completely, because participating in the farce is as dangerous as offering evidence for the defence in the Salem witch trials, when the fix is in and the outcome pre-ordained.

No doubt the media, both French and English, will breathlessly follow each submission and dutifully report on the the give and take of the debate each day as if it somehow matters....

It doesn't.

Bernard Drainville has already announced that he isn't going to make any real changes and perhaps we should take him at his word.
You don't have to be a soothsayer to predict a Spring election with the Charter as the only issue the PQ dares proffer. It's a decent strategy, perhaps the only separatist option left as the province tanks under the relentless incompetence of the PQ amateurs and fools.

And so taking the  hearings seriously and debating the merits of each submission with the chance of it affecting the outcome is about as useful as discussing what strategy the Washington Generals should employ in order to beat the Harlem Globetrotters.

For those who haven't had the pleasure of watching the Generals get humiliated each and every time they faceoff against the Globetrotters, watch this video to understand what it means when the fix is in and the outcome set.

This sordid theatre of the absurd reminds me of those action movie scenes where an innocent victim futilely pleads for his life on bended knee before a Mafia hit man.

The entire movie audience could tell the sucker not to bother begging, because we all know what is coming, a cold bullet between the eyes, followed by a witty and sarcastic rejoinder by a heartless fiend who couldn't care less.

Sorry, I won't beg, nor play the role of the dupe, that Drainville and company has assigned us.

To Drainville I say.....

Do your worst and let us get on with it. The battle is ahead and that is the one we need to gear up for.

If every witness who was scheduled, looked at the inquisitors in stony silence instead of pleading like a baby, just plain staring in defiance, we would at least preserve our pride.

But it ain't gonna happen because when it comes down to it, we're suckers who just cannot resist a podium.

To all those who appear and think they will make a difference, they are probably right, but not in the way they expect.

They will in fact be aiding and abetting Drainville in his clever charade, empowering and legitimizing a travesty.

Innocent dupes, fulfilling a role.... Sorry, count me out.

What to Expect if the Charter Passes

It's hard to look into the future with any element of certainty, but in consideration of the Quebec Charter of Values passing into law in its present form (which is not a given), it isn't a stretch to make some predictions as to the ramifications.

To all of those who fervently hope the Charter passes into law, I will open this piece with a familiar Chinese bromide that warns us to be careful what we wish for, because we very well just might get it.

There is an innocent and dangerous fantasy being peddled by Bernard Drainville and company that the Charter of Values will somehow be a uniting force, bringing Quebecers from all backgrounds closer together, making for more harmonious social cohesion.

How do you get to that?
How will forcing certain citizens of faith to give up their religion or their job, in any way shape or form, lead to social harmony?
The law has about as much chance of increasing solidarity as one that would force Quebecers to cheer for the Maple Leafs.

But first, let us not accept on faith the contention by the PQ that the Charter is necessary because there is a serious societal problem in regards to religious fanaticism. Just because Drainville tells that it is so, without a shred of evidence, doesn't make it true.
In fact all evidence is to the contrary. The Quebec Human Rights Tribunal (which has come out strongly against the Charter) has indicated that cases over religious accommodations represent a fraction of its caseload and in fact, the vast majority of cases that hit the tribunal over religion, are about intolerance and outright discrimination.

The Association québécoise d’établissements de santé et de services sociaux, has also said that on the  there have been but a handful of complaints over accommodations, with most managers responding to a survey conducted to measure the seriousness of a so-called 'accommodation' problem indicating that they've never had a complaint. Link
Over and over again, Drainville has alluded to imaginary problems and sadly, has never been called out in the Press over his fantasies.
Just yesterday the Journal de Montreal happily trumpeted a case in Ontario where some idiot demanded not to work with co-student because of she was a female. Link{fr}
It is a measure of how few problems there really are, when a completely isolated case, NOT EVEN IN QUEBEC, is cited as a reference point. 

Despite the absence of empirical evidence that there is a religious problem in Quebec, Charter defenders bravely remind us that the proposed Charter is really a preventative measure, meant to insure that future problems are avoided.
How very convenient a point of view and how naked an admission that there isn't really a discernible problem.

Now you see it...Now you don't!

Oh, if the government only displayed such brilliant forethought and good planning in relation to the health care system, the deficit and the debt problem, all of which are manifestly real.
And so tilting at imaginary windmills makes eminent sense, when the real problems of today are unsolvable by a clueless and hapless government which in a desperate attempt to distract, adopts the shifty and moral integrity of a cheap con artist who uses sleight of hand to deceive some poor dufus in a game of three-card Monte.

I am reminded of the referendum campaign wherein the YES side erected posters that attempted to allay fears that voting for Quebec sovereignty would affect the new country's economic situation by assuring voters that the Canadian currency would be retained, a promise that could not be made realistically, without the consent of Ottawa.
The absurdity of showing a Canadian Loonie on a poster exhorting citizens to reject Canada should not be ignored and demonstrates the utter contempt that the PQ bears for the electorate.
Most governments go through the motions of pretending that voters are imbued with half a sense, even if patently untrue, but the PQ makes no pretense, successfully passing off one ridiculous and moronic idea after another, proving the old political axiom that there can be no overestimating the gullibility or stupidity of the public.

So according to the Drainville narrative, when the Charter passes, people of faith will throw off the articles of their religious faith like the slaves of Egypt discarding the yoke of oppression and the symbols of their domination, setting off on a new course of freedom and Godless liberation.

Muslim, Jewish and Sikh doctors, nurses, teachers and assorted health workers will willingly shed their hijabs, kippahs, turbans and crosses because the law demands it, a fantasy as idiotic and dangerous as believing that the cafeteria in the Jewish General hospital will celebrate its liberation from Kosher restraints by putting pulled pork sandwiches and lobster bisque on the menu.

I would remind those who believe in this fantasy that governments rule with the consent of the people and when that consent is withheld by a significant portion of citizens, all Hell usually breaks loose.

Remember the student revolt against tuition hikes and how it almost brought this province to its knees?
Well,  that is nothing compared to the bucket of hurt that can be expected when the devout are told to give up their job or their religion.

I'll remind readers again that the student demonstrations, despite the mayhem, remained rather peaceful and pacifistic, with a couple of rare exceptions (like the metro smoke bomb attack).
What would have happened had those students really taken on the government, I shudder to think!

Telling people of faith that they should check their religious beliefs at the door, is as absurd as telling a pregnant women to not be pregnant during working hours.
Those of  little or no faith cannot fathom the absurdity of the demand not to eat kosher or Halal for a couple of hours a day or not to wear a hijab, kippah or turban at work.
This misjudgment of the PQ government and Charter supporters is so blaring that when the coming repercussions manifest, they will be blindsided by the devastating push back.

I'm not going to make dire predictions of anarchy and chaos, what will be will be, but if Charter supporters honestly believe that all will work out just fine, they are in for the shock of their lives.

What will happen when whole institutions and their staff become scofflaws, utterly rejecting the government edict to comply with the religious ban?
What inspector will dare walk into the lion's den (excuse the biblical reference) to impose the government's will, when the entire hospital staff is ready for a confrontation?

Fines?
Who is the government going to fine or punish, when it is the government itself that pays the bills?

Suspensions?
What will be when they tell essential doctors, nurses and support staff that they are suspended in critical care scenarios with no substitutes available?

What happens when resisters file thousand and thousands of lawsuits against the government, all with a better than average chance of succeeding, putting the government in jeopardy of having to pay out billions in damages?

So the question remains....who will cave first, the government or the resistors?
I know who I'm betting on.

I want to remind those in favour of the Charter who believe that the will of the religiously devout will be broken by a simple act of law and that compliance will be the order of the day, that as they say down south....
...T'aint gonna happen.

Remember the obstinacy of the Christians in Roman times, fed to the lions in a test of faith. When it comes to religion commitment, not much has changed for those who believe.

In a test of will and nerve, between the minority of devout Muslim women in hijabs, kippah wearing Jews turban clad Sikhs and their secular supporters, I'll bet on the meek... It won't even be close.

As the Economy Tanks, Sovereignty Creeps Closer to Reality

The Chinese have an old dictum that tells us that "In Danger, There is Opportunity' which doesn't need much explanation, the evident truth that in turbulent times where the social and economic order is turned over, the public can become convinced to embark on a course of action that they never before would have considered.

Now I don't want to be accused of invoking Godwin's Law in comparing our situation here in Quebec to that of pre-war Nazi Germany or present-day Greece but it is important to understand that deteriorating economic conditions that Germany suffered in the thirties sent a sensible and hitherto educated, mature and democratic nation off the rails, where the evils of National Socialism took root and the blaming of Jews for the nation's woes took off like a wildfire, much to the surprise of learned observers.
The underlying lesson is obvious, there is no country, no matter how stable or democratic that is immune from the effect of a perfect storm of negative economic and political forces which can  lead to a devastating change in direction and a walk down the dark side.

The fundamental politics of a nation do change, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly, who would have predicted that communism could collapse almost instantaneously in the 1980s and that the United States in this century would betray its proud heritage and leadership in the promotion of law and order and respect for fundamental human rights, morphing into a government of law-breakers, torturers, kidnappers and human rights abusers extraordinaire,
One horrific act of terrorism sent the United States down a course which betrayed every thing America stood for previously, becoming a nation which would break just about every right to privacy law on the books, not just against foes or enemies. but friends and common citizens as well, becoming an Orwellian state of thought police, where the right to a private conversation no longer recognized by the state.
Yup..things change.

Let us be honest for a moment.
How many of us were truly flabbergasted by the Quebec student riots over tuition and the level of disruption and chaos the demonstrations imposed on society over what is in essence a trivial issue.
Let us remember that the issue at hand wasn't language or culture, but rather money, the only true motivator in our modern Quebec society, or so it seems.

Sovereignty is well nigh impossible in Quebec as long as the province remains relatively prosperous and as long wealth distribution is reasonable, with no underclass to take to the barricades as during the French revolution.
The language or identity issue can't seem to do it, that is raise enough hackles to send Quebecers off to the polls voting themselves out of Canada in a pique or in a rage.
This is the situation we have lived for the last forty years of the sovereignty movement, a no-go due to the relative economic well-being of the province.

While Mario Beaulieu seeks to inflame emotions and engender conflict, his latest campaign in blasting the English press for over called "Quebec-bashing" is in reality, a resounding failure.
After much hoopla and publicity, the petition that he launched with much fanfare has garnered a paltry 3,000 signature, this a month later.
I'll remind readers that a petition to stop Kijiji from allowing advertising for Quebec puppy mills attracted over 60,000 signature, this without the mountains of free publicity that Mario Beaulieu and his anti-Quebec-bashing petition received from the media.
You'd think that every member of the Societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the Mouvement Quebec Francais, Imperatif-francais and other like-minded groups would rush out to sign the petition, so it is pretty clear that combined, these groups have very few supporters, at least less than 3,000 across the province, I'd assume.

So if the language and cultural issues just don't have the traction to push francophone voters over the top, does it mean that the likelihood of sovereignty is dead?

Unfortunately it does not..
We are facing a very real threat of sovereignty based on economic conditions and as Quebec slides further down the economic scale as compared with the rest of Canada, it is only a matter of time before things degenerate to a point where Quebecers will embrace sovereignty as a potential economic saviour.

For the last thirty years, the rest of Canada has been shovelling billions of dollars into Quebec each year, in order to shore up its prosperity and maintain a semblance of wealth parity with Canada.

But that system is unsustainable, because Quebec has spent the money foolishly on social entitlement programs, which are in most cases, too rich for the blood of those in the rest of the provinces who actually pay for them.
Despite the largess of the other provinces, Quebec still cannot balance its budget and is falling farther and farther into debt, with the ultimate day of reckoning a few short years away.

Very soon, Quebec will face the problem of having to increase taxes massively coupled with the necessity of decreasing the overly generous services and entitlements and that dear readers will be the start of the real push for sovereignty.

In danger there is opportunity.

Language and culture aside, money or the lack thereof will push Quebecers to seek out of Canada in the misguided belief that things could be better economically outside the union.

Look at the Greek public's reaction to their economic misfortunes, whereby everybody else is blamed, the Greek government, the rich, the European union and particularly Germany which had the temerity to lend Greece money it could not pay back.
Accepting the reality of an imposed downgrade in the standard of living is the one consequence Greeks seem to be unable to accept.
Why should we be different?

The student uprising was the first rumbling of this effect, reminding the government forcefully that entitlements are sacrosanct and that any government that trifles with them will face the wrath of the Quebec people.
It doesn't augur well.

So is it fair to ask if the Parti Quebecois is running down the Quebec economy on purpose, in order to create conditions conducive to sovereignty?.. I think not.

They are not that bright, nor so cynical.

But the reality is that they are doing so just the same, that is, running down the economic well-being of the province, piling up more debt, spending more, seemingly unconcerned wealth creation.

A couple more years of economic disaster and the very real consequence of reduced benefits and higher taxes will energize the sovereignty movement.
If things get bad enough, all bets are off, a sad scenario perhaps, but realistic.

Look around you.
Do you see a government working feverishly to create wealth and prosperity or do you see a government with priorities elsewhere.

The worse off Quebec become economically, the more realistic the sovereignty option becomes.

If you think I'm exaggerating about the economic situation, read this chilling account by Kelly McParland for Maclean's;

"A more likely driver than the political climate is the relatively decrepit state of the Quebec economy coupled with the highest income taxes of any Canadian jurisdiction,” the paper says.
Compared to Ontario, Alberta and B.C., “Quebec has a 25-per-cent-lower gross domestic product on a per capita basis; a 16-per-cent-lower average salary, a four-percentage-point lower rate of employment; and a 17-per-cent-lower rate of productivity growth.”" Read more

Sovereignty in modern Quebec is about economics, not language, not culture.

Should Politics and Demographics Influence Team Canada Olympic Hockey Selections?

Steve Yzerman and Martin St. Louis. Confidence destroyed?

Okay... a hockey post.
I don't do it often, but once a year is not an indulgence.

On Tuesday we were treated to the final list of players selected to represent Canada at next month's Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
I've no doubt that the group put forward by those charged with making the difficult decision is eminently capable of delivering the goods, but....

Last week, Don Cherry ripped into Hockey Canada for choosing too many junior players based on provenience, (read ..Quebec) rather than taking the best players available for the World Junior Championships in Sweden where Canada came away with air, not even a bronze medal.
I don't know if it's true that there were too many players from the Quebec league, perhaps it was just a case of sour 'Grapes.'

But nobody can accuse Steve Yzerman and the rest of Team Canada managers of playing favourites or basing selections on demographics, politics or language, the team is clearly missing francophones and Quebecers, if one was to consider pure demographics.

Quebec placed just three players, where the math would say they should have placed almost 6, while the western provinces placed eleven, when demographics indicated that they should have 9 and Ontario placed eleven, against the 9.5 that demographics would indicate.
Worse still is the francophone contribution to the team, placing just two members against the six that demographics would indicate.

So there's no rumbling to be made over Quebec or Francophone favouritism here, in fact the opposite argument might be made by Francophones, that they were somehow shafted.
Now the only bone of contention is the omission of Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning from the roster, who in my opinion should have made the team and could easily have replaced Rick Nash or Jeff Carter, his numbers are way better.
Just yesterday, the day Team Canada snubbed St. Louis, he potted another two goals in Winnipeg.

Now St. Louis may be small, but in an over-sized Olympic rink, his attributes, speed and finesse would blossom and the emphasis on big and rugged players that seems to be the NHL formula doesn't match up as importantly on big ice surfaces.

Clearly St. Louis was a bubble player, but the negative effect of leaving him off the team, should have persuaded Yzerman et al to include him.
If Canada comes away with anything but a gold medal you can be sure that Yzerman will be scapegoated for the St.Louis snub and will never again be involved with Team Canada.
If one of the three players that St. Louis might have placed before, Rick Nash, Jeff Carter or Chris Kunitz fails to produce, the naysayers will emerge in force, especially if Canada fails to defend its gold medal.

So far, reaction in the French media has been surprisingly mild, nothing more vociferous than the complaints in the English press about the St. Louis omission.

The one exception was a stinging rebuke, written by Tom Jones for the Tampa Bay Times, which warned Steve Yzerman that his decision to snub St. Louis will come back to haunt him and hurt the Lightning, the team St. Louis plays for and for which Yzerman is the GM.
 Read the article, it's pretty good. Link

At any rate, I'm going to take the very unpopular position that when faced with a choice of bubble players who are six of one or half a dozen of the other, a toss up, so to speak, consideration should be given to evening up the team demographically.
Let us remember that this is a national team. 

Moving along and in anticipation of many negative comments in relation to the above position, I want to congratulate the Montreal Canadiens for sending an amazing eight players to the Olympics, the most of any Canadian team. I could not have been happier for the selection of Canadiens backup goalie Peter Budaj, who is joining the Slovakian team, probably to play his familiar role, this time behind Jaroslac Halak.
Budaj is the very model of a team player and has enthusiastically fulfilled his role with dedication, talent and an abundance of good cheer.

At any rate, the omission of Martin St. Louis on Team Canada and in fact the omission of Bobby Ryan by Team USA, may be a mistake based only on the fact that it has injected some serious second-guessing which may come into play and hurt confidence should the teams have some difficulty early.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.....

My prediction:
Gold:     Russia
Silver:   Sweden
Bronze: Canada

I really have no faith in Roberto Luongo as number one, who never was a clutch player.
Yes he won the game where Canada won the gold metal in overtime in 2010, but let in a softie just the same.

As for softies, I cannot believe the performance of Toronto netminder Jonathan Bernier last night against the Islanders.
Bernier allowed two horrific softies and a slap shot from outside the blue line, as well as a wrister from the blue line.
When asked if he was grateful that he wasn't pulled in an interview after the game, Bernier asked the reporter to explain exactly why the reporter believed he should have been pulled. It was really surreal.

You can't win with that type of goaltending in the NHL and the Leafs should have paid the big bucks to Luongo when they had a chance.
While Luongo is not, in my opinion, a great playoff goalie, he is as solid as they come during the regular season and that is what the Leafs are in desperate need of.

Bernier is the king of the softies....Watch and wince..... Link 1 Link 2

And that readers, is it for hockey for a good long time.....

Mario Beaulieu...The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Watching Mario Beaulieu rail on about how the English media bashes Quebec has me a bit annoyed at our English journalists for engaging Mr. Beaulieu in useless debate which has the effect of increasing his exposure.

Mr. Beaulieu has devilishly opened a  conversation by trapping the media into defending itself, where the effect of the debate, regardless where it goes, is to legitimize Mr. Beaulieu and his ilk of linguicistic haters.

I am reminded of one of my favourite movie scenes from 'The Exorcist' where the experienced Father Merrin tells a young priest exactly how to deal with the devil;

 "Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is relevant but anything beyond that is dangerous. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen."

I cannot think of better advice in dealing with Mario Beaulieu.
The effrontery of Quebec's most important Anglophobic hater in calling out the English media over Quebec-bashing is galling to say the least.

Pot calling the kettle black 
 This is a phrase that states that the person you are talking to is calling you something that they themselves are (and generally in abundance).  

This comes from old times when pots and pans were generally black and kettles were generally metallic and reflective. Therefore the pot sees its black reflection in the kettle and thinks that the kettle is black.

Mario Beaulieu is a consummate spinner, fact inventer, con artist, linguicist and Anglophobe extraordinaire. But like the Devil as described above, he hides his true feelings and motives well in the media, playing the part of a poor injured and downtrodden victim of evil Anglo oppression.

Mr. Beaulieu has made the assertion often enough, that the so-called 'Quebec-bashing' by the English media has contributed to a climate conducive to Richard Bain's actions.
Really?
I wonder if Beaulieu would then concede that it was the French media's bashing of the English that contributed to the atmosphere that led FLQ extremists to the 160 acts of violence that killed eight people and maimed many more.
I doubt it...
Mr. Beaulieu has championed the idea that Anglophones and ethnics owe respect to the French language and Quebec Francophones by virtue of the fact that French is in the majority in Quebec.
....So I wonder if he would then concede that francophones, as a minority in Canada, owe a commensurate measure of respect to the English and its dominant culture.
Hmmm....
Nobody ever seems to challenge Mr. Beaulieu on his assertions, because we are so busy defending ourselves over his brazen and moronic attacks on our good name.

Mr. Beaulieu has been treated with kid gloves by the French media, as if it is somehow disloyal to call him out on his hatred for all things English and his disdain for all things not French.
Separatists who are not racists, generally wince at his antics, but remain silent because it wouldn't be right to attack one of their own, like a hockey goon whose teammates feel obligated to support him.

At any rate, I've taken a video shot by supporters of Beaulieu from a while back in which he paraded downtown complaining about the Anglicization of Montreal, a nonsensical and completely absurd contention.
In these video highlights, to which I added subtitles so that everyone can understand the depth of his hatred of the English, Beaulieu, in a jovial mood amongst friends, cannot help himself and thus,  his true nature emerges... that of a hater, but hey....you be the judge.
I've also added some historical photos at the end, to rebut his nonsensical assertion that Montreal is getting 'more' English. 

Safely surrounded among supporters, Beaulieu cannot help but let his true personality emerge.
He calls on loyalists to avoid shopping in stores with English names, like STYLEXCHANGE and even encourages them to boycott stores that have the audacity to use the founders  English family names on the masthead, like 'BIRKS.'
He even demands French pronunciation of English names, no matter how ridiculous, like LEE-VEE instead of LEVIS.

For those who think that Beaulieu is a ridiculous and harmless twit heading a clownish organization, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Mr. Beaulieu should be taken seriously despite his well deserved image as a buffoon because of the massive media attention he is afforded.

His plan is simple, spreading hatred in order to sow the seeds of discord between Francophones and minorities in order to pave the way to sovereignty and his agenda couldn't be less opaque.

At the end of the demonstration Beaulieu calls for Quebec independence, his true goal, where demonizing the English and Canada while proclaiming an imaginary Anglo-Saxon invasion, just part of a malicious deception.