French versus English Volume 101

Quebec Bar Assoc.: Charter of Values Illegal

In a paper prepared for the government, the Quebec Bar Association has said flatly that the proposed Charter of Values in its present form, will not withstand a legal challenge.
"The Quebec Bar Association says the Charter of Values proposed by the Parti Quebecois government would not hold up to even the mildest of legal challenges in a courtroom. 

"The Bar prepared a brief on Bill 60 for the parliamentary hearings currently taking place in Quebec City.In the brief the combined minds of Quebec's legal community tear the Charter of Values to shreds, saying the Charter is an unjustified and inapplicable law that would trample individual rights in order to promote an ill-conceived notion of "values."The lawyers also say the Charter would violate not only the Canadian Constitution and the pre-existing Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but international treaties regarding civil liberties. 
Bernard Drainville, the minister in charge of the Charter of Values, said regardless of what the Bar Association thinks, the Charter of Values is necessary."The status quo is not acceptable in our view. We do not have the same reading as the Bar of Quebec's reality," said Drainville."There is a strong consensus the religious accommodations should be set within a clear framework of rules."The Bar Association was harshly critical of the PQ government for pushing forward with its divisive bill in the lack of any concrete evidence that it is necessary." Read more at CTV

Related Stories 
Charter of Values: Public hearings begin
Charter supporters want some modifications
Quebec values charter could be key in snap election campaign in 2014 

Related Links
Full text of Bill 60 [pdf]
List of speakers in first round of public hearings
Briefs tabled with National Assembly
How to comment on Bill 60 

More collapsing infrastructure. Two women get the scare of a lifetime!

Since 2010, on average, a dangerous chunk of concrete falls off a Quebec overpass about every six months.
This is in addition to bridges and overpasses that are already known to have serious and dangerous deficiencies including the Champlain and Mercier bridges and a bunch of overpasses leading to the airport which have each had a lane restricted in order to relieve the weight these structures must carry.

The latest tale of falling concrete was a doozy, because it missed falling on the heads of the two occupants of an SUV by about four feet, landing on the front hood. Judging by the damage it did cause, had the concrete fallen four feet farther back, the ladies would surely be goners.

How lucky were they?

Well if we assume they were driving at 80kph, had they arrived at their rendezvous with destiny about 1/5 of a second sooner, they would have been nailed right on the head.

Alternately, whatever speed they were actually travelling at, had they been driving a mere 3KPH faster, the result would not be a headline in Le Journal de Montreal, but rather worldwide coverage of another fatal Montreal infrastructure humiliation.

By the way, the bridge was inspected in 2012 and was approved with the caveat that some routine maintenance be done.
But take a look at the picture below of the bridge in its present condition.

This is the condition of the concrete base to which the guardrail on top of the overpass is secured to.
You don't really need an engineering degree to conclude that it isn't particularly secure.

I wonder if the inspector who deemed the work non-critical would lean on that railing himself? Would you?
So this is what goes for a 'PASS' under Quebec inspection protocols, because the railing isn't essential and because it doesn't hold up the bridge.
And so inspectors decided that repairs could wait a couple of years. Yup, a couple of years.

Are Quebecers concerned about falling concrete? Here's a survey from La Presse 

A lot......Sometimes....Never

Poll shows Bill 101 divides province decades after passage.

The Parti Québécois government says the proposed Quebec Charter of Values will lead to greater social cohesion.
Not necessarily, if any lessons can be drawn from lingering resentments toward another controversial Quebec charter decades after it became law.
As hearings open Tuesday into the proposed charter restricting religious symbols in public-service jobs, a poll conducted by Léger Marketing for The Gazette and the Canadian Institute for Identities and Migration suggests Quebec’s French-language charter remains a lightning rod and potential source of division among Quebecers. Read More

There's no fool, like an old fool

For almost fifteen years Quebec politician and activist Yves Michaud has been on a quest worthy of Don Quixote, an impossible dream to re-establish his good name in relation to a motion of condemnation issued against him unanimously by Quebec's National Assembly in 2000.

"That the National Assembly condemns, without nuances, clearly and unanimously, the unacceptable remarks made with regard to ethnic communities, particularly in respect of the Jewish community maintained by Yves Michaud at hearings of the Estates General on French in Montreal, December 13, 2000" LINK

Michaud was furious at the rebuke which he believed tarnished his reputation and has worked tirelessly over the years to have that motion annulled.

There's not much chance of that happening, too many Liberals take perverse pleasure in seeing an old enemy in such delicious and prolonged agony.

The reason that the PQ consented to the motion was because Lucien Bouchard, the then leader of the PQ wanted the pesky and militant Michaud out of his hair and out of the Party. Michaud had already promised that should he be elected as a PQ member of the National Assembly, he would continue to speak his mind openly, without consideration of party solidarity, something no leader could allow.
So Bouchard directed PQ members to support the motion, many of who came to regret their decision years later.

I wrote a piece about what led up to the motion and readers might want to go back and re-read the description of events leading up to the censure. Read :  Is Yves Michaud a Racist?

For 14 odd years Michaud has dragged around the censure motion like a ball and chain attached firmly to his leg, pretending to be an innocent victim of federalist enemies and like the Canterville Ghost, a pathetic whiner, condemned to an eternity of shame.

I've written before that Michaud got what he deserved, he is without a doubt someone who believes that Jews and other ethnics owe the French majority a certain respect, while the opposite obligation doesn't exist. In other words, Jews and Ethnics are a different class of citizens, who should be mindful of their place in Quebec. 

Now Mr. Michaud is at it again.

In his latest missive, Michaud proves Brian Mulroney's famous point that there's no whore like an old whore.

First he scuttled any support he had among sovereigntists by proclaiming that the Bloc Quebecois should disband and panned his enemy Lucien Bouchard and other ex-Bloc members for accepting a federal parliamentary pension.

But the real doozy were these statements which went largely unreported in the English press

"Believers of all confessions who are outraged by the Charter of Values can just pack their bags and find refuge elsewhere."
("Les croyants de toutes confessions qui sont outrés par la charte des valeurs n’ont qu’à plier bagage et à trouver refuge ailleurs, estime le militant indépendantiste Yves Michaud. ")

They'll lose their jobs or they'll lose their kippas, what do you expect? And they can go to a country where it's tolerated. If they want to go to a religious state, they shouldn't come to  a secular state, what can I tell you.
("Ils perdront (leur travail) ou ils l'enlèveront (leur kippa), qu'est-ce que vous voulez. Et ils iront dans un pays où c'est toléré. S'ils veulent aller dans un État religieux, qu'ils ne viennent pas dans un État laïque, que voulez-vous que je vous dise."}  Link{fr}

Mr. Michaud was also quoted as saying that the Charter doesn't go far enough. Link{fr}
So if according to Michaud, the Charter doesn't go far enough, what other measures do you think  he meant should have been included?
Readers any ideas?

vigile.nonsense

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Here's my favourite nonsense from vigile.net  this week.
Another moronic post that proves the point that just about any idiot can say just about anything.
François Ricard - essayiste  who dotes himself with the title of 'Essayist,' has this hilarious take on Radio-Canada, who he finds deficient for not promoting separatism.

{translation} "Radio- Canada has an annual budget of several hundred million dollars. These funds are derived from the pockets of taxpayers, federalists as well as separatists. Quebec as a whole, contributes 23% to the budget. And the share of sovereigntists, possibly 10% of the grand total. Yet, in its public affairs programming, the CBC airs only pro- federalist shows. Hence, it follows, that this represents a grave injustice to separatists. This blatant bias on the part of the public broadcaster would be, according to me, very easy to prove. And so, for years, a large percentage of the population of Quebec is cheated by Radio- Canada. It would be fair for the people involved to receive compensation for sums unduly paid but for which they received nothing in return and that in future, the CBC be obliged to give  proportional air time to the injured party. Is a class action lawsuit possible?" Link{fr}

 I'll only make two three points and then turn over comments to readers.

Quebec doesn't contribute 23% to the federal coffers, (that is the percentage of Quebec's population in relation to the total of Canada.) The 23% of Canadians that live in Quebec, contribute only 18% of federal revenues.
Secondly, Radio Canada, the French arm of the CBC receives double the funding as the English CBC, when demographics are considered.
And no separatists in Radio-Canada? Are you kidding me?
.....Just sayin..

Quebec billionaires fall short

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According to Canadian Business magazine 17 out of the 100 richest Canadians hail from Quebec, a statistically weaker representation than the 23 one would expect in the distribution that is proportional to the population.

Here is a table culled from that report prepared by l'Actualite magazine showing Quebec's richest individuals and families.

The above chart is missing the name of Charles Bronfman, who according to the original list in Canadian Business report, is ranked as the 25th richest Canadian.
Now Bronfman hasn't lived in Quebec for quite a while, but if his name is on the list of the 100 richest Canadians, his designation should be that of a Quebecer and should have been placed on the above list.

At any rate, of the 17 Quebec billionaires the majority (9) are Ethnics and Anglo Quebecers and amazingly (but perhaps not surprisingly) of those 17 Quebec billionaires, six are Jewish.

It means that Anglos and Ethnics are over-represented by a factor of 2.5 and that Jews are over-represented by a factor of 35.
The Quebec Jewish community produces one billionaire for every 15,000 Quebec Jews, while one out of every 800,000 Quebec francophones is a billionaire.

Billionaire Aldo Bensadouin snags a delicious PQ free lunch

By the way, on Friday Pauline Marois was at the offices of Aldo Shoes, to proudly announce a forty million dollar loan and a $10 million gift to billionaire Aldo Bensadouin, in order to create jobs. Link

I've told you before, the PQ is so desperate to buy jobs it has now earned a reputation as an easy mark.
Any company considering expansion in Quebec on merit alone is now wise to the fact that it can shake down a the PQ for $$$$$.

Further reading

Earth to anglos: This is Quebec. Bus drivers speak French   Alternate link

Values charter endorses bullying      Alternate link

Number of Quebecers leaving province is on the rise      Alternate link

French language suffering in Canadian Airports

The most depressing article about Quebec that I've read in a long lime 

Letter to NY Times by Jean-François Lisée and  An interesting reply 

Man says he was verbally abused and kicked out of Verdun Hospital for asking for service in English

The Back end

 I was watching a trailer for a movie about student life in a French high school and couldn't resist posting a screen shot of this student who came up with this ironic pearl.; Link{fr}

"Sometimes 'Reasonable Accommodations' go too far!



Why  do you think these people from St. Adolphe d'Howard are standing outside, freezing their butts off ?

Give yourself a star if you answered .... 'WAITING AROUND FOR A UFO'.....Yup, not joking, that's exactly what they are doing  Link{fr}

Son: "Dad, I have to write a special report for school, but I don't know what Politics is."

Father: "Well, let's take our home as an example. I am the bread-winner, so let's call me Capitalism. Your Mum is the administrator of money, so we'll call her Government. We take care of your needs, so let's call you The People. We'll call the maid the Working Class and your brother we can call The Future. Do you understand son?"

Son: "I'm not really sure, Dad. I'll have to think about it."

That night awakened by his brother's crying, the boy went to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had seriously soiled his diaper, the boy went to his parents' room and found his mother sound asleep. He went to the maid's room, where, peeking through the keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy's knocking went totally unheeded by his father and the maid, so the boy returned to his room and went back to sleep.The next morning he reported to his father.

Son: "Dad, now I think I understand what Politics is."

Father: "Good son! Can you explain it to me in your own words?"

Son: "Well Dad, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, Government is sound asleep, the People are being completely ignored and the Future is full of Shit."

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de semaine!

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.....