20 Years of Giving the Finger to Ottawa Finally Catches up with Quebec

Quebeckers have always been emotional voters and the results of the last federal election confirm once again, that they don't always vote in their best interest. 

Not overly concerned with issues, they vote for 'personality,' leaders who they perceive are on their side, or as they say in French 'sympathique', rather than those who can deliver tangible benefits.

But if Quebeckers don't understand the axiom that political power is proportional with representation in government, perhaps they should consider an old hockey analogy, something they do understand well enough.
That is, that you can't score goals sitting on the bench, even worse sitting in the stands.

For twenty years Quebec got away with this under-representation because the government of the day  believed that Quebec was essential to majority government and that pandering to its interest would somehow translate into future electoral support.

The last two elections destroyed that myth and the present government has no illusions about future considerations (another hockey analogy.)

Quebeckers, are coming to the very slow realization that the Earth has shifted under their feet. All of a sudden, the Harper government is no longer playing the game by the rules that Quebec defined.
This reality is slow to sink in.
Because of history, Quebec naively believed that there'd be no consequences to rejecting the Conservatives again and the old game would be continued to be played by the old rules.

But sometimes, things change.
A guy can only ask a girl out so many times before giving up in frustration.
And so Harper gave up on Quebec, looked for a new beau in English Canada and surprisingly found her in southern Ontario.
For Quebec, it's quite a shock, because the flowers and candy are no longer flowing its way. The slow realization that the province is the odd girl out is hard to swallow, but true nevertheless. And now as Harper struts down Main Street, arm in arm with his new girlfriend, Quebec looks on in disbelief, starting to worry that it's just not a fling.

Typical of those who can't read the writing on the wall is Richard Martineau of  Le Journal de Montreal who complains that too many royalist terms are creeping into the Conservative lexicon.

"When the federal government announced that Jack Layton would have a state funeral, the press release said that Jack Layton was "head of  Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada '. My God !!!!! Harper is really attached to the Queen ..."

In response, a reader in the comments section set Mr. Martineau straight, rather succinctly. 
"Get used to it, he's got a majority" LINK

Another slow to realize that Quebec has no IOU's to cash in Ottawa is Pauline Marois who suggested last week that she and Jean Charest form a common front and go to Ottawa to demand that Harper pay for a new Champlain bridge. Link
This is the same Marois who promised to make Harper's life Hell, if elected as Quebec premier and so teaming up with Jean Charest who humiliated Harper at an enviornmental conference last year in Copenhagen, to demand anything, is a bit presumptuous.
Good luck, with that!

I'm not suggesting that Harper is deliberately hurting Quebec, it's just that without proportional representation in cabinet, Quebec's point of view is shortchanged.

A good example of this is the re-application of the 'Royal' appellation to the Canadian Air Force and Navy, a decision wildly detested in Quebec.
Had there been four or five more strong Quebec members in cabinet, it would never have happened.

Having treaded lightly during the years of minority government, the Conservatives, now that they have a free hand, are bound and determined to re-shape the country. Make no mistake, those changes will be profound.
With little or no influence on those decisions, Quebec is badly served.

Already cabinet Ministers are taking an arrogant in-your-face attitude against those who complain about their agenda, whether they be in the civil service or the private sector. Even sadder is the fact, that when Quebec politicians and media complain about policy, they are roundly ignored, not even given the courtesy of a response.
That's how important Quebec is to the Conservatives. What a change!

Recently, Jason Kenney ripped Amnesty International a new one, for it's criticism of the government's publication of a most-wanted list of immigration fugitives. His open letter condescendingly mocked the organization and set a tone that this government wasn't going to listen to those who don't share its philosophy. LINK.
This follows a letter he wrote last year blasting Catholic bishops for opposing his anti-human smuggling bill. LINK
This isn't the first time Kenney ran afoul of the Church. Last year he was also chastised for cutting $7 million in funding to KAIROS, a Canadian church organization which supports overseas development in Third World countries. Kenny accused the organization of being antisemitic.

Then Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, blasted the public broadcaster for refusing to publish that same most-wanted list of fugitives that Ottawa is keen on deporting. Realizing from which direction the wind is blowing, the CBC caved, as did Radio-Canada in reversing its decision to hire Gilles Duceppe. LINK   Watch a Interview

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson told the Canadian Bar association to take a hike when it opposed the Conservatives new sentencing guidelines for criminals.  LINK

And then there's Heritage Minister James Moore who didn't agree with the federal language watchdog's decision to spy on Ottawa businesses, publicly mocking the official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser for proposing that mystery shoppers check whether Ottawa merchants are serving customers in French. LINK

All of these ministers are sending the clearest of signals.-
Tow the Tory line or face the consequences. Their motto- "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE"

Let's not forget the elimination of the gun registry and the elimination of the voter subsidy for political parties, all hotly opposed by Quebec.

But perhaps most galling is Ottawa's decision to provide a loan guarantee to Newfoundland for a project that would build a distribution network for electricity that would bypass Quebec, infuriating Quebec politicians who view the affair as unfair competition. Ottawa's response- icy silence.

ALL THIS WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF BEING ELECTED!

Let's not forget, that over the next four years, Harper will completely re-shape the Supreme Court, with a least four, maybe five of the judges scheduled to be changed.  

And so the pendulum has swung away from Quebec, and even though many in the province haven't realized it yet, with four more years of Conservative rule, the penny will inevitably drop that Quebec is the odd province out.
With so few Conservative seats in Quebec to protect and the threat of a referendum and Independence no longer viable, Quebec has lost all leverage in Ottawa.

How will Quebeckers react?
Petulance? Arrogance? Rage? Frustration? Defiance?

I'm getting a different sense.
It comes from a shift in opinion in those comment sections under all those stories of the big bad Conservatives that fill Quebec newspapers and websites. Readers are starting to advocate cooperation and in many instances are defending the Conservatives.

Something is happening in Quebec.
Realizing that blackmail doesn't work and that threats of independance are no longer scarey, voices are being raised to compromise and get with the program.

I know that this is something that nobody would dare allude to, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that this attitude will grow as time goes by.

Just like the girl who arrogantly brushes off an enthusiastic suitor, when those affections are directed elsewhere, interest, is re-kindled.

Parents know the spiel. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Let's face it, Quebec was one spoilt child!

Like a recalcitrant youth subjected to a serious dose of tough love, Quebec is starting to come around, proving that decades of coddling wasn't the answer.

Can this attitude change really be happening?
Maybe....just maybe!

Friday's Post;
OQLF Sign Controversy- It's Deja Vu, All Over Again!

Ndp Guilty of Fraud over Layton Illness

The continued silence over the circumstances of Jack Layton illness confirms that what we were told at the news conference announcing his departure was not exactly the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, actually far from it.

When Jack told us he was taking time off to combat his illness and would be returning in September, he was misleading us. The truth was that he was going off to die. Very sad, but true.
Talk of returning was utter balderdash, a complete misrepresentation.

To all you Laytonites who have deified Jack in death, I don't care how many outraged comments I get.
Call me insensitive, a rat, a miserable SOB, it won't stop me from telling the truth, Layton lied and the Ndp deceived Canadians, from coast to coast.

This post is not intended to denigrate Jack Layton's memory.
Not many people facing a terminal illness decide to take a round the world cruise, embark on a journey of discovery or a quest to complete a bucket list.
Most just want to continue their lives as is, go to work and hope for a miracle. 
That Jack Layton deceived Canada about his illness is understandable and forgivable, he did what you or I would probably do in the circumstances. It is human nature.

But Jack's illness and prognosis was  known by the powers that be in the Ndp party and they should be held accountable for not disclosing the truth. Even if Jack wanted to continue as if he wasn't gravely ill, the party had an obligation to tell the truth.
His former top aide, Anne McGrath, let part of the deception slip;

"From the moment he received the bad news from cancer tests in mid-July, McGrath says, Layton began scripting in intricate detail how his death and funeral should play out, planning how he could cushion the blow to his beloved party and motivate New Democrats to carry on his work." LINK

And so, at the same time that Ndp media types were ghost-writing helping Jack craft his 'Letter to Canadians' to be published posthumously, the Ndp web site was promoting the fiction that Jack would be back.

I pulled this screen-shot off that website, because I knew then, that I'd be writing this column now, and would be calling them out for their callous and insensitive exploitation of Jack's illness.

Exploitation at its worst.

It's amazing what you can get away with, when the Press refuses to do its job.

After Jack's death, journalist after journalist wrote that looking at Jack during the news conference, they were convinced that he was dying, yet not one dared to put pen to paper at the time, or even ask for details or a clarification.
Why?
Since when is politeness, fawning and deferential treatment part of the Press' mandate in covering our politicians?

While I was one of the very few to say what everyone thought, I was lambasted as being insensitive and cruel.
It was a case of political correctness gone wild, to the point that the country collectively decided to allow Mr. Layton and more importantly the Ndp to live out a fantasy in public, with nobody brave enough to call out the liars.

Last week Apple Computer announced the departure of Steve Jobs, who as most know has been suffering from cancer for quite a while now. There was no talk of him returning to work at a later date, the implication not lost on anyone.
The stock price fell by 7% in response. Had Apple intimated that he might be  back, perhaps the stock wouldn't have fallen, but the company dared not tell the lie, there would have been legal implications.

Last week there was also speculation that Sydney Crosby wasn't doing as well as expected in his recovery from a concussion and perhaps he won't be ready to start the season. Speculation was also made that his team wasn't disclosing that fact in order not to hurt ticket sales.
I have no idea if that is true, (I hope not) but if so, I'm sure you'll agree that it is patently dishonest of the team to misrepresent the facts.

The Ndp needs to come clean. Stonewalling is unacceptable. Now that Jack is gone, there is no more issues of privacy and not disclosing the nature of his illness only confirms our worst assumptions.

The Ndp is perpetrating a massive cover up and fraud over the circumstances of Jack Layton's illness.

From the beginning, the party mapped out a strategy that can best be described as making lemonade when presented with lemons, the lemons being Layton's unfortunate medical situation.

When things calm down, demands will be made for full disclosure. Questions are already being asked in the French press. Accusations are flying in vigile.net and the Ndp will have to face the music sooner or later

Many Layton supporters will say that all this doesn't matter, that the circumstances as to who knew what and when they knew it, are irrelevant and if the Ndp and Layton did indeed misrepresent his illness, it isn't a big deal.

Sorry, it is a big deal.

If Jack had been diagnosed with a serious second cancer before last May, 2nd's election, he and the Ndp are guilty of perpetrating an unpardonable fraud on Canadians. Given what we can piece together, it is likely he and the party did exactly that.

Had Jack not led the last election campaign for the Ndp, there would be many more Bloc and Liberal members in the current Parliament.
If you're a supporter of the Ndp perhaps you don't see the harm, but if you are a Liberal or a Bloc supporter, the  deception is galling.

For all those of you staring angrily at the screen, muttering about how evil I am to write this post, remember that it is me calling for the truth to come out, whatever it is, and it is you advocating  a continued cover up.

When I wrote my post after the famous Jack Layton news conference entitled  Did Jack Layton Lie?
I was subjected to scores of nasty comments and emails, yet that post became the all-time most read piece that I ever wrote and continues to get hundreds of hits every single day.

Canadians want the truth.
Canadians deserve the truth, whatever it is, whatever the fallout.

Weekend Update volume 34

Gilles Proulx's Adventures in Fantasyland

Once again, Quebec's resident anglo basher Gilles Proulx has passed off as fact what is not, in his continuing battle to cast Quebec's English community as unilingual and arrogant.

Brian Mulroney's famous grouse against Bryce Mackasey, that "There's no whore like an old whore, can be aptly paraphrased to describe Gilles Proulx-,  'There's no bigot like an old bigot.

In another one of his tedious screeds that he penned in the Journal de Montreal he outlined a series of measures that he believes that Jean Charest needs to address. One of these issues is;

"The need to teach French in English schools starting in Grade One"
("La nécessité d'enseigner le français chez les Anglos dès la première année du primaire ") LINK

Readers, is there an English school in Quebec that doesn't teach French from grade one?

Clearly Mr. Proulx is out of touch with reality and its a bit sad that idiots like him are given a forum to misinform the public with outright nonsense, in an attempt to besmirch the reputation of an entire community and to foster discord.

Perhaps Mr. Proulx should have read this letter sent to Le Devoir by a French teacher in an English school, before mindlessly shooting his bigoted mouth off.

"I am writing to help demystify what English school in Quebec is .
Did you know that most schools of the English Montreal School board offer a bilingual education program (50% of the courses are in French and 50% are in English)? In addition, other English schools offer a more extensive program (immersion): Kindergarten to Grade 2, instruction exclusively in French, and in the third to sixth years, a bilingual education.

I am a French teacher in Grade 6 at  Gardenview, an English school with a French immersion program. I teach the following subjects: French, social studies, art and religious ethics to a class, while my partner teaches English (first language) and mathematics. So I teach 50% of the curriculum in French with two classes and my partner 50% of the curriculum in English.

Believe it or not, my English students follow the same curriculum as the French school (we use the grammar book Guillemet 6). They converse, read and write without problems in both languages​​. Many of my students were accepted to private French schools. In addition, the immersion program continues in Lauren Hill high school, but that immersion will be 70% to 30% French and English.

My question is: why is it that this aspect is never addressed by the Quebec media?"
Jean-Michel Brunet - June 3, 2010 LINK{FR}

Quebec government looking to muzzle free press
With most of the francophone media (87%) in favour of government regulation of the press and the creation of a 'professional' status bestowed by the government oversight agency, the group that represents mostly English and ethnic media is aghast at the idea.

An Affront to Free Expression ... by Beryl Wasjman for the Suburban 

"Over a year ago Dominique Payette, a former journalist and now professor at the Universite de Montreal, was mandated by Culture Minister Christine St-Pierre to study ways in which media in the regions of Quebec and independent presses in the cities could be helped in light of new technologies. Her final report, presented last week, went far beyond her mandate. In fact, it is the greatest affront to free expression since the language laws. It deserves a resounding rejection. Among her fifty-one recommendations are the following: mandatory membership by all news organizations in the Quebec Press Council; use of the state's money power to coerce membership by withdrawing provincial advertising to all those who will not submit; giving the council - now a voluntary organization with only moral suasion - sanction power; controlling who is called a journalist by organizing a professional corporation  to control admission and demanding language testing for all those seeking professional accreditation. "Accredited" journalists would be given preference for matters ranging from government information flow to protection of sources."

Read the rest of this article in the Suburban 

McGill 'modifies' MBA program to defend tuition hike 

With a wink and a nod McGill has been given permission to continue charging  $32,500 for it's MBA program.
The education department accepted a 'modified' plan and will no longer impose a 2 million dollar fine on the university for charging more than allowed.  LINK

Unionized Hydro Quebec workers to spend $2 million to fight progress

Union- Don't replace the tried and true!

The unionized workers of Hydro-Quebec are raising money by taxing members in order to raise a war-chest to fight the monopoly's decision to install automated electricity meters in homes and business', which would mean the loss of about 800 jobs among meter-readers. LINK
Said a union spokesman;
"If we lose this battle they'll be coming after our adding machines and fountain pens, carbon paper and fax machines. We'll be forced to give up our IBM Selectrics in favour if these newfangled computers which are completely unreliable"
WE'VE GOT TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND!"

Royal Bank embraces Bill 101- in New Brunswick!

It seems that the Royal Bank of Canada remains fully committed to French language rights and Bill 101, applying its rules to signs in of all places- a New Brunswick branch of the bank.
Activist Buddie Miller wrote to the bank seeking clarification of its policy. Here is the response;

Dear Buddie:
Your email message requesting clarification on RBC’s signage at our Dieppe, N.B. branch has been forwarded to my attention.
We recognize that New Brunswick is Canada's only official bilingual province and we work hard to ensure we are incorporating bilingualism into our business activities. Wherever there is a need for bilingual services, we have signs, information and advertising in both English and French, as well as staff who speak both languages.
When we make decisions regarding signage, we consider our merchandising rules, the size of our information material, available space and the configuration of the premises. We also want to be sensitive to the cultural and community environment in which we operate. In Dieppe, where the population is considered 75 per cent Francophone (according to the Town of Dieppe website), we elected to use a bilingual sign for the entrance of our branch which displays the French language first.
Through our investigation we determined that the signage you refer to was in fact developed by our national office to comply with Quebec language laws, as you reference in your email. Recognizing that this type of signage is not required in New Brunswick, we have begun taking steps to have this sign replaced to reflect French and English equally.
Thank you for highlighting your concerns to us.
Kind regards,

Hmmmm. Do you think the RBC would apply this noble policy to branches in Quebec towns that have a majority of English residents and make English the priority language?

How about making English the priority language at the RBC branch at branch at Cavendish/Kildaire  branch in Cote St. Luc where English residents outnumber Francophones by 3 to 1.

Ha!
Readers, say it with me--- "NOT A FRIGGING CHANCE!"

Montreal opposition leader proposes a "Diversity Office" to get rid of diversity
You'd think that the function of a "Diversity Office" would be to promote diversity, but not according to opposition leader Louise Harel.  She wants to create this office to hire ethnics minorities for city jobs, not to reflect Montreal's ethnic reality, but rather to assimilate them into Francophone culture and in order to promote the French language.
Very clever!     LINK

Note to Readers;
Last Monday I wrote  a piece entitled "Early Quebec Election? Don't Count on It,"
in which I predicted that, in spite of speculation, Premier Charest would not call an early election. On Wednesday, the Premier did in fact announce that such was the case. Link
No, I had no prior information as some readers emailed to inquire.

_________________________________________

Best line heard immediately after Tuesday's earthquake felt in Montreal'

"Oh, Oh! You think the Champlain bridge is still standing!"

Best line heard immediately after the Montreal mayor announced funding for a plan to knock down the Bonaventure Expressway

"Just give it time, It'll fall down by itself!"

 _________________________________________

Further reading:Weekend Review Volume 33

Have a good weekend!

Suprise! Pauline Marois is Right!

As the feeding frenzy progresses, with militants seeking to undermine or outright destroy the Parti Quebecois, I can only sit back in utter amazement at a spectacle that reminds me of an unstable and desperate mental patient inflicting tiny cuts on his body by way of multiple stab wounds, leading to that proverbial 'death of a thousand cuts.'


Ever since May 2, sovereigntists have been looking for someone to blame for the election debacle, but since Gilles Duceppe has slinked off the stage, it appears that Pauline Marois has been drafted as the sacrificial lamb, destined to become the fresh kill, necessary to feed the blood lust of those separatists furious with the negative turn of events, a wild mob determined to wreak vengeance on someone, anyone.

And so poor Pauline is being treated no better than a piñata,  bashed around joyfully by blindfolded, directionless children, intent on destruction in the hopes of winning the candy.

So what is Pauline's great crime?
Why did her popularity collapse taking her from hero to zero in a matter of months?

Obviously it was the disaster of May 2, that triggered a stampede, led by the vigile.net rabble who exploded in utter frustration, watching the foundation of their forty years of sovereigntist militancy go up in smoke or down the drain, both metaphors, equally appropriate.

And so they have come to the startling conclusion that sovereignty can only be achieved by.... well..er.....hmmmm..... they haven't really said.

What they have said is that the PQ and Marois' go-slow approach is the wrong path to follow. Given the pragmatic point of view of the current PQ leadership that a referendum would be a disaster, the Marois approach is to take over government and rule with a sovereigntist optic until those mythical winning conditions materialize.

Not a great plan, but readers, what else can Marois and the PQ do?

Obviously the people are not in favour of a referendum or sovereignty, with  a new poll indicating that only 32% of voters would vote YES. On top of it, many of those who would vote YES, don't want a referendum either, believing realistically, that the inevitable loss would cripple Quebec even more in relation to the RoC.

Now the 'go-fast' sovereigntists, including a bunch of hardliner MP's who quit the PQ caucus to sit as independents took part in a weekend seminar to launch yet one more sovereigntist group, the "Nouveau Mouvement pour le Québec" dedicated to support a more aggressive approach, which turns out to be nothing more than organizing province-wide coffee klatches to talk up the separatist option.
In response Marois announced that she too will organize some meetings.
I  can't wait!

Frankly, it's pitiful.

The weekend rally which attracted about 400, was a rag-tag collection of disaffected PQ faithful combined with more radical elements including some ex-FLQ terrorists and present day wannabes from the RRQ, splitting off into a radical camp whose denunciation of the PQ has hurt the party to the point that support has plunged to just 24%, ten points behind Jean Charest's Liberals.

Readers, I have read dozens and dozens of these PQ and Marois denunciations in the mainstream press, as well as on the pages of vigile.net.
It was a colossal waste of time.
After bashing Marois and the PQ for a go-slow approach, nobody has a better solution, probably because there isn't any.

For an incredibly simple and straight forward analysis, read this magnificent article in the Toronto Star by Pierre Martin, a professor of political science at the Université de Montréal.

"Like many other idealistic political movements, the Quebec sovereignty movement suffers from a chronic incapacity to find the proper balance between idealism and realism; conviction and pragmatism; rationality and emotion. 

In all mass movements for change, true believers provide vital energy, but they often are viscerally incapable of understanding the hesitations of those they wish to rally to their cause. This is why many rock-solid sovereignists always distrusted the professional politicians who stepped forward in their name to run a “mere province” or to fill seats in a “foreign” parliament.

Read the entire article, you won't regret it.   Sovereignty and its discontents 

Watching the war between separatists reminds me of the war between Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini where I cheered for neither one side or the other, just that the war would go on forever......

Yes, I know I'll get mail for that comment......

Jack Layton RIP

'Smilin' Jack'-A well-deserved nickname of affection

I wasn't one of those who voted for Jack Layton and I certainly didn't share his ideals and policies.

But many, many Canadians did.

The success of the Ndp in the last federal election can be squarely attributed to his tremendous popularity and personal charisma, especially in Quebec, where almost everyone voting for the Ndp, voted for Jack and not the local candidate or even the party platform.

Not since Pierre Elliott Trudeau did a Canadian politician capture the hearts and minds of so many Canadians, transcending politics and party affiliation.

It's somewhat two-faced to praise someone in death who you didn't like or support in real life, but  I can say with honesty that I felt remorse at the passing of someone who meant so much to so many people.

If Moammar Khadafy or Bashar al-Assad dropped dead tomorrow of a heart attack I would probably raise a glass in celebration.
But even though I disliked Jack's politics and that of the Ndp, I cannot help but feeling badly for his family and for the loss that so many Canadians feel.

The Ndp has been blessed with worthy and principled leaders, more than any other federal party. Although in my estimation Jack Layton doesn't hold a candle to Tommy Douglas, Ed Broadbent, or David Lewis, he did deliver what all of them could not -opposition status.
That was no mean feat, attributed to one thing and one thing alone- the popularity and the connection that Jack made with so many Canadians.
For that, Jack should go down in  history as one of the most beloved politicians in Canadian history, much as it pains me to say so.

He was a card, a bullshitter, a button pusher, a politician extraordinaire, but he inspired people to believe in something better.
How many Canadian politicians can say the same?

Our Parliamentary democracy functions best when there is a strong, vibrant opposition, one that presents an alternate view of the universe and attacks the government over base principles.
In it's brief tenure in the last Parliament, the Ndp put up a feisty defence of the Post Office back-to-work legislation, that set a tone for what was to come over the next years of a majority government.
I was truly looking forward to years of strident and effective opposition. Without Jack, the Ndp is diminished and so too, effective opposition.

His loss will be felt by all of us who support democracy.

Heaven help us if Thomas Mulcair wrests the laurel of power from the Ndp.
He is everything that Jack was not- cynical, cruel, phony and a shameless self-promoter.

You don't have to be a supporter to acknowledge the contribution that Jack made to the Canadian political scene.
His  tragic passing, in the prime of his political life is cruelly unfair on a personal level and reminds us all to live in the moment.

Jack Layton - July 18, 1950 - August 22, 2011, RIP