The Very Public Humiliation of Bernard Drainville

Who me? ....NO! NO! NO!,..It's not my fault!!

If there's anything the public loves, it's to watch a self-important, arrogant or pompous public figure, a movie or television star, politician or a mega wealthy person suffer a humiliating fall from grace.

I never thought I'd get back to the subject of schadenfreude so quickly, but Bernard Drainville has shown us once more how we much we enjoy the suffering of those we either dislike or disrespect, especially when they are among the high and mighty.

There's a subtle difference between those whose pain and humiliation we relish, as opposed to a fellow like Rob Ford, an example of a demon-stricken politician who most of us are actually pulling for, a likeable fellow whose problems are amusing, but not in a schadenfreude type of way. Most of us are hoping that he licks his substance abuse problem and that he makes a successful comeback, he's much too much fun putting the stodgy, holier-than-thou Toronto city council members to shame.
There may be those in Toronto who are humiliated and angered by his actions, but for the many, he is the best thing that hit Toronto in many a decade. It may not be politically correct to say, but his antics have elevated Toronto from its stodgy Kraft Dinner reputation to something a bit more risqué and exciting. (Hmmm.... I can't wait for the comments) 

But then there is that detestable owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, whose fall from grace over some disgusting racist remarks qualifies him quite justifiably for our scorn and delight in his very public humiliation and downfall.
Who can forget Mel Gibson, who became a pariah in Hollywood overnight for a drunken antisemitic rant and Anthony Weiner, a New York congressman forced to resign over a lingering sexting scandal that lasted for months, playing out salaciously across the New York tabloids much to our prurient delight. 

Of course we cannot forget the religiously fallen preachers, televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson, all who suffered a very public and humiliating comeuppance.
Visit the: The Televangelists' Hall of Shame!

Not many survive the humiliation to make a comeback, with perhaps Tiger Woods the exception that proves the rule.
Although Woods went through a couple of tough years over disclosures of his philandering and humiliation of his wife and family that saw him lose sponsors left and right, he has climbed back somewhat into the golf world's good graces, perhaps his talent just too much to ignore.
But for others like Alex Rodriguez, Lance Edwards and various Olympic cheaters, including Canada's very own Ben Johnson, there's no coming back from cheating and lying scandals.  See slideshow of dopers.

Which brings us back to our own Bernard Drainville, whose very personal public disgrace is all the more delicious because with his re-election, he will be around for quite a while to entertain us, despite calls for his resignation, which isn't likely.

For those who don't know, Drainville has been pilloried in the media for lying and misleading Quebecers over the Charter of Values, claiming or intimating that he and the PQ had legal opinions backing the constitutionality of the proposed law.
That turned out to be a lie and a deception of monumental proportions and when the new Quebec government revealed that the Justice department had never even been asked by the PQ to provide an opinion, the you-know-what, hit the you-know-what.

Drainville's sad attempts to deflect blame are as delicious and amusing as Anthony Weiner's defence of his depraved behaviour in his sexting scandal. Drainville has the audacity to tell reporters that he did have legal opinions, just not on the whole Charter, but parts of it. Ha!
In fact, the constitutional jurist that the PQ most cited as having provided an opinion, Henri Brun, denied the whole thing!

"Bernard Drainville says essentially to have had legal advice on parts of the bill, but not the entire project. The MP said he had received notices from a dozen lawyers. He said he had obtained an external legal opinion, one written by Henri Brun, a constitutionalist. But Mr. Brun  published a letter in Le Devoir, in which he claims not to have produced any reviews on the draft charter. In respect to this confusion about the contribution of Mr. Brown, Bernard Drainville offered by way of explanation, that Henri Brun ruled on the guidelines, not the entire project. Link{fr}

Drainville defended his handling of the file Tuesday morning amid mounting pressure to resign his seat in the National Assembly.
In September, Drainville said the proposed charter was on a solid legal footing based on judicial advice that the PQ government had received. . Read a sad defence by Drainville

Drainville reminds me of a gifted and experienced con artist, who once exposed by his target as a cheat, attempts to brazen it out and further defraud the poor sap once again.

And so it has become evident that the Charter of Values was never an attempt to 'regularize' Quebec society, it was a law designed to goad the Supreme Court into declaring it illegal, all in a naked and cynical attempt to enrage and humiliate Quebecers into supporting a sovereignty referendum.
Drainville's unwavering refusal to compromise with the CAQ over the harsher aspects of the law was puzzling at the time, Franocis Legault actually begging for a compromise, bit is easily understandable now that the true motive is exposed.

As one of the Charter's biggest supporters in the media, Richard Martineau  wrote dozens of article over the months in a passionate defence of the proposed law. After events played out, he sadly noted that had Drainville compromised, 80% of the Charter would have passed, but the PQ's steadfast refusal to budge an inch, led us to where we are today. 

"Thus, no legal opinion was requested by the government Marois on the constitutionality and legality of the entire Charter  bill...
Amazing ...Basically, they did not care that if Charter passed the Constitutional test or not ...
If it did, the better. And if it did not, they could say, "Look, this is proof that we must separate ..."
Finally, it was all a farce. We used the Charter as an excuse, it was exploited ... To win votes and boost support for the sovereignty Option" ...  Link{fr}

What is making this so enjoyable is that Drainville remains in a fantasy bubble, thinking that he can somehow recover from the fiasco, oblivious to the situation, while every one else is enjoying the joke on him, pointing and snickering at him like we would at a chic and haughty restaurant patron who leaves the bathroom with his nose in the air and toilet paper trailing after him.

Now the fact that federalists and other assorted enemies are mocking Drainville unceasingly doesn't really matter, that is par for the course and politicians are immune to criticism from them, but the fact that his erstwhile friends and colleagues as well as hitherto supportive journalists have washed their hands of him is the real story. 

That Lise Ravary, one of the few federalists at the Journal de Montreal has called for his resignation is of no matter, but the pointed rebukes and denunciations from those on the sovereigntist side is, as they say, that's the whole enchilada.

Nothing stings as bad as this denunciation from  Gerald Bouchard;

Of all the examples we could mention here, the bill on the charter and the way it was promoted attracts attention. We know the rather sinister part that was played by the Marois-Drainville duo. It has been widely commented on and strongly condemned, with good reason. We must go further. There is a major cleanup to be done within the party. All those who guided it along the path of intolerance, hypocrisy and amateurism must go. As for those who completely poured out the most shameless demagogy, either by multiplying their lies to the public, or by encouraging the practice by their complacent silence, one wonders if they still suited to occupy political office or even a public position. Beyond the harm that was done to the Parti Quebecois , these Duplessis-esque maneuvers have disappointed many honest people. In their eyes, they discredited the entire political class.

....Two members of the party, more than the others, embody its disgrace. First, it’s Marois ; she had the decency to resign. Then, it’s Bernard Drainville ; we’re waiting for him to do as much. For nearly a year , he propagated inflammatory and misleading statements in order to build up the Quebec majority against minorities and immigrants. He led a primary role on the subject of the false legal opinions. As long as this person remains associated with the PQ , a shadow will continue to be cast over it. CJAD    Original letter in French

Ester Begin 
A question arises.... Does Mister Drainville really believe that he still has the required qualites to one day become the leader of the PQ or any any other political party? Link{fr

But Drainville is still furiously trying to bail water out of a sinking boat, claiming innocence in the face of total public repudiation;

"It's been two or three days that I'm been pegged as a liar , with some saying "Drainville told us that there were legal opinions and the new Minister of Justice said there were none." There were, I would like to confirm, "said PQ MNA Tuesday morning, in an interview with Radio-Canada HERE First and RDI. "But I did not want to comment on those legal advices because I think it is irresponsible to do that. From the moment you reveal  that they exist, you give ammunition to those who would challenge the law in the future. I did not want to agree with the liberals, "added MNA Marie-Victorin. Link{fr}

Ha! Ha!
He's been making the rounds of all the TV and radio stations, trying desperately to repair his reputation, but the the verdict is in.
Drainville can tap dance all he wants, the stink won't rub off, once branded a liar in the court of public opinion, a politician can never come back.
He can't even go to rehab like Rob Ford and perhaps make a comeback, there is no forgiveness for being caught deceiving the public so cynically.

When they start laughing at you in politics, it's just about all over.

(Headline) LIAR! LIAR!...... (Caption) Have confidence in me

Those left in the PQ are no dummies, they understand the toxicity of those closely associated with the Charter and while it will take while for Drainville to realize what everyone knows already, the painful delay is what schadenfreude is all about.
 In the meantime, let's sit back and enjoy his pain. When the penny finally drops on him that he is toast it remains to be seen if he will resign or play out the string. (Sorry readers, I'm running out of idioms......)

I'm hoping he stays.
At any rate, as they say in the McDonald's commercial... I'm loving it!

Blame the Liar's Club For PQ Election Debacle

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!"

"The pessimistic French expression plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose is very often cut down to just the first clause: plus ça change... / "the more things change..." The shortened French expression is often used in English too, particularly British English.
In either language, plus ça change indicates a certain disillusionment or resignation regarding whatever is being talked about. A company makes all kinds of policy changes, for example, but the personnel issues are unaffected. A couple go to marriage counseling, but continue fighting about everything. A new sheriff comes to town, but there is no noticeable impact on crime. New people, new promises, but the same old problems - plus ça change...." Link

In 2008 Jean Charest called a snap election after just twenty months in office, much to the surprise of pundits and in fact his political opposition. The Liberal government was at risk, as are all minority governments, but clearly the CAQ and the PQ were of no mind to bring down the government and so Charest's motives were suspect.

But his sweeping victory leading to a majority government made those questions moot and Charest's keen political sense of timing was feted by friends and grudgingly admired by foes.

But the reality behind the election call was far more sinister than anyone would suspect. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ( CDPQ,) the province's national pension plan fund had suffered a hitherto undisclosed financial meltdown, losing a fifth of its values in the Wall street collapse of 2008, having heavily invested in worthless sub-prime mortgages.
The $40 billion dollar loss was still secret in the Fall of 2008 and was scheduled to be revealed a few months later, in the Spring of 2009, when the fund would be required to deposit its annual report.
That revelation was bound to rock the province and would likely lead to the fall  of the Liberal government, brought down by an emboldened opposition, with the Liberals likely to face the wrath of furious voters.
And so for Charest, calling the election early wasn't a case of brilliant insight, it was a case of now or never, a cynical decision to roll the dice while conditions were optimal.

Although Charest's gamble paid off, he was never forgiven by Quebecers for his dishonest failure to disclose and although he won a new term, the writing was on the wall for his political career.
As revelations and accusations of corruption emerged during that term, a cynical public chose to believe the worst and Charest's proclamations of innocence fell upon deaf ears.

In 2012, with over a year left on his mandate, Charest went back to his successful playbook, calling another early election, this time in the face of the upcoming Charbonneau Commission inquiry (looking into corruption in the construction industry) that he was forced to call because of mounting public pressure. Fearing that the revelations over the next year would so damage the party, Charest felt it precipitous  to roll the dice again.
This time the public wasn't buying what he was selling.
Fool me once......

Pauline Marois and the PQ rode into power on a white horse, claiming an innocent reputation and promising an honest and  corruption free government, something enough voters bought despite the independence baggage that the party lugged around like a ball and chain.
But the PQ was no different than the Liberals when it came to self-interest and set out to govern not for the benefit of the people, but rather with but one single and unique goal, to propel themselves into a majority government as soon as possible.

And so it would seem that in dumping Jean Charest and the Liberals in favour of Pauline Marois and the Parti Quebecois, Quebecers had in effect swapped four quarters for a Looney, with the added catch of a separatist agenda.

At first the PQ planned on the Charbonneau Commission doing the dirty work for it, that is, to destroy the credibility of the Liberal party, with revelations of corruption and malfeasance. But surprisingly, over the next months, the expected fallout over purported Liberal Party misdeeds just never materialized.
In fact the very opposite occurred with revelations at the inquiry impugning the honesty of Pauline's husband with allegations that he was paid off by Quebec's biggest union to influence her on its behalf.

This uncomfortable turn of events was exacerbated by a deteriorating financial situation, with the provincial deficit building higher and higher.
And so a desperate PQ decided to call an audible, launching the Charter of Values, the us versus them proposition limiting certain religious freedom of minorities in Quebec.The Charter of Values would divide Quebecers, forcing them to choose one camp or another, with the PQ hoping that the province's francophone majority, imbued with a collective persecution complex, would range on their side in enough numbers to carry an election based on the issue.

In the afterglow of some positive opinion poll numbers placing the PQ ahead of the Liberals and the seemingly majority support for the Charter, the PQ, like Charest, decided to roll the dice, calling a snap election, with no compelling reason, other than to secure a majority government.

It didn't quite work out, for reasons we all know.
The Liberal party artfully played up the referendum fear and the PQ swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.
The rest is history, the PQ suffering a humiliating defeat and the reborn Liberals under Philippe Couillard marching back into office with a majority mandate.

But here is not where the story ends, it is where it begins, with revelations that the PQ lied about certain aspects of the Charter of Values and its contention that it was based on solid constitutional advice.

It turns out that the PQ never sought a solid legal opinion over the Charter's constitutionality from it's own Justice department, something that Bernard Drainville (the cabinet minister that godfathered the bill) and Marois hinted obliquely that they had.
Now defenders of the PQ tell us that the party did seek some informal opinions from an ex-Supreme Court justice and a constitutional professor, but the public wasn't buying the story with howls of rage and betrayal echoing across the media and accusations of dishonesty and outright lying leveled at the PQ across the board.

Lost in all this is how Philippe Couillard knew this truth. Let's go back a bit and refresh our memories over Couillard's announcement in the middle of the campaign that should he be elected, he would ask that any official legal opinions over the Charter be revealed. It turned out to be a brilliant political move.
The Liberal party must have received its own legal advice that overwhelmingly concluded that the proposed law was unconstitutional, meaning that there was no way that the PQ could have any legitimate legal opinion in hand backing the Charter, it just wasn't possible.
Caught in the lie, Pauline changed her tune in mid campaign, now advising us that she'd invoke the Notwithstanding Clause to force the Charter through in the face of a constitutional challenge, something which the justice minister Bernard St. Arnaud and Bernard Drainville,  told us previously would be unnecessary.

In the aftermath of all this, it has become clear that the Charter was but a ploy, meant to be passed in an unconstitutional form with the expectation that the Supreme Court would disallow it, providing the PQ with ammunition to trigger a nasty philosophical dispute with Ottawa that would hopefully enrage Quebecers and launch the province towards sovereignty.

It was a Machiavellian plot that totally betrayed those loyalists in the media and the public who supported the Charter in good faith based on the PQ's assurance that the bill was a necessary element for Quebec society and the promise that the law would pass the constitutional test.
It was a particularly cruel trick, a deception not easily digested and for the PQ, being tossed out of office is only the beginning, with recriminations to hound the party for years, like the federal Liberals in relation to the Sponsorship Scandal.

As far as Pauline's reputation goes, it is in tatters and as for Bernard Drainville, who managed to survive the election debacle and retain his seat, it's a case of playing out the string, he is totally discredited and finished politically.
Asked to answer to the media for his acts of deception over the Charter, he has told reporters that he'll no longer answer questions over the issue, because he's no longer in charge of the file.
Try as he might to distance himself from the fiasco, he can run, but he cannot hide. Drainville's name shall forever be linked to the Charter and the stink of dirty politics.
His dream of winning the PQ leadership is also in ruins, his reputation destroyed for lying and crass manipulation of the Charter as an election ploy. His uncompromising attitude and hardline defense of the Charter seen by the PQ membership as a key element in their defeat.

All that said, Philippe Couillard has promised to do politics differently, but it remains to be seen if he is just paying lip service or is really committed to acting for the people in an honest and forthright manner instead of for himself and his political party as is the history of all Quebec provincial governments.

As for being afforded the benefit of the doubt by those who elected him and the Liberals, Couillard should count on none. Quebecers are fed up with betrayal and are no longer interested in assuming that their leaders are honest.

In the eyes of the public, he is guilty until proven innocent and that readers is probably a good thing.

Mario Beaulieu for Leader of the BQ..Don Cherry for PM!

Just when you'd think it'd get boring after the election,  Quebec's reigning embarrassment to the sovereignty movement, Mario Beaulieu pops up to proclaim his intention to run for leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

As they say on the MasterCard commercial ....'Priceless'

While the mainstream media dutifully reported on the story that he was throwing his hat in the ring, nary a one dared address the elephant in the room, the fact that Beaulieu is an idiot and a racist and an embarrassment to the legitimate sovereignty movement.

Now readers, most sovereigntists that I know are not stupid and dull, and those who are, are likely in the same proportion as federalists who are stupid.
Just because they believe in Quebec independence, doesn't mean they are racists, English haters or xenophobes, all of which describes Mario Beaulieu to a tee.

The kinds of divisive anti-English/ethnic sentiments preached by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste were roundly rejected in the last election and you'd think that putting a radical Franco-supremacist at the head of the Bloc Quebecois would be the last thing that a party searching for a reason to survive would do.
And so gentle readers, it is the last thing the Bloc Quebecois will do, Mario Beaulieu will not become the next leader of the Bloc Quebecois and if he does on the off-chance, he will be the last leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

Mr. Beaulieu is quite simply a fantasist, leading a diminishing corps of grey-haired like-minded fanatics, who wish to rewind the clock, to  a whiter, more Catholic, French Quebec.

Those days have passed and like it or not, modern Quebec has to face the reality of a multi ethnic, multi-language society, or for a least half the province where such is the case.
For Beaulieu and his followers, the attempt to force Montreal and environs to adopt the language and culture of Herouxville  is well-nigh impossible,
For too long, Beaulieu has lived in a make-believe world where he and his coterie of zealots believed that they are somehow relevant, they are not.
While the press amuses itself with coverage of his chicken-little predictions of doom and gloom, nobody really takes him seriously, because quite frankly, he is a caricature.

I remember watching him interviewed by Mario Dumont on television where Dumont could hardly hide his utter disdain and contempt. The same for an interview with Benoit Dutrizac on the radio, both men sovereigntists, but far from unintelligent and definitely smart enough to recognize a buffoon when they see one.

He is interviewed repeatedly to fill the airways, a story much like the dog who bites the man, a curiosity that has viewers interested, not to support him, but rather to marvel at his unbridled zeal and commitment.

How much support does Beaulieu and his movement have?
Not much.
With all the publicity he gets on the news channels he can hardly raise a crowd for a demonstration. His famous protest at the Bell Centre over an English speaking coach garnered no more than 150 followers, this after weeks of free publicity on television.

His other protests usually top off at 200-300 people, a sad commentary of the state of his real support.
I remember reading about one tedious protest where he led about 200 followers on a march over some dreary done-me-wrong issue in Montreal.
200 hundred protesters in all of Montreal!
The next day I read about a small town in the Laurentians which was losing its ATM machine to the outrage of locals, sparking a protest of 250 people, in a town of 1000.

Mario Beaulieu is a curiosity, an amusing jester which the French press is shy to call out because he is such good fun.
His latest effort is to mount public outrage over perceived Quebec-bashing by Anglo-Canadians and turncoat Francophones.
The campaign is given tons and tons of press but enjoys almost zero support in the public.
A well-publicized on-line petition protesting this 'Quebec-bashing' has garnered a mere 5,000 signatures over the last couple of months, compared to a petition demanding that Kijiji stop advertising pets for sale in Quebec, topped 50,000 signatures in a few short days.

As for what Mario Beaulieu is saying, not many are willing to call him out, as I said, he is just too much fun.
But on the dark side, Mario Beaulieu has a long documented track record of hate. His racism is based on language, the technical term, 'linguicism' (not to be confused with a linguist.)

Mario Beaulieu will be the first to tell everyone that he loves Anglos, but as long as they don't speak English in public. He is the first to embrace ethnics, but not if they wear turbans, kippas or hijabs.

But there's no hiding from the past, Beaulieu has demonstrated a visceral hatred of all things not French and there's a wealth of documented evidence, such is the internet age.

He has complained about English churches announcing their services in English.
He has told followers not to shop in 'English' stores like Birks or Jewish stores like 'Reitmans'
He has refused to allow artists to perform in English at the Fete National because the language would polute the French dominance in Quebec.
All the time, reminding us that he is inclusive and open-minded.

He makes up statistics and misinterprets them to suit his fancy.
He makes simple math mistakes and employs the faultiest of logic to get where he wants to go.
He makes linguicist assumptions to jump to racist conclusions, all in an effort to panic Quebecers into supporting his real agenda, sovereignty.

Most of you have seen the two videos below, but for those of you who haven't, watch Mario in action, he is admittedly, quite entertaining, like watching an Rob Ford making a fool of himself.

 Beaulieu started off his leadership campaign with this hilarious offering;

"Bloc Québécois MPs should turn over $50,000 of their yearly base salary to support the sovereignty movement, a new Bloc leadership candidate says.

If 20 Bloc MPs agreed to such a move, the sovereignty movement would bag $1 million a year to promote the cause and counter much richer and influential federalist lobbies, Mario Beaulieu said.

"I propose taking this money to reinforce independence organizations, to assist in research and developing content, a little like Heritage Canada does and the Canadian Unity Council," Beaulieu said."

I don't know which part is more unlikely, that the BQ will elect 20 members next election or that they'd actually contribute $50,000 of their own money to a lost cause!

Actually, the $50,000 donation is more unlikely, let's just say that separatists are not the most generous of donors to the cause, just look at vigile.net, where the entire fundraising campaign for 2014 has raised a paltry $7,000 from the entire separatist movement.
I remember reading a story that the Laval branch of Beaulieu's SSJB, couldn't even raise $250 for a pamphlet campaign, so good luck with that!

In order to run for leader of the Bloc, Beaulieu has to get 1000 signatures of Bloc québécois  members in a least 25 ridings, and raise $15,000 .
Unless Beaulieu is willing to write a cheque from his own pocket, it will never happen.

At any rate readers, you read it here first. Much as I would love to see it happen, the Bloc Quebecois is not that stupid or suicidal to have anything to do with him. Mario Beaulieu shouldn't have quit his day job at the SSJB, there's not much call for an out of work language fanatic.
Most amusing in all this is Beaulieu's unbelievable naivete in believing that other than those few zealots in his organizations, that he has any support in the mainstream.

Believe it or not, I have much too much respect for the sovereigntist movement to believe for a moment that they'd embrace the toxic Mario Beaulieu. It's like the Conservative party putting up Don Cherry to replace Stephen Harper.

Lastly a challenge.....

To Mario Dumont, Benoit Dutrizac, Richard Martineau or anyone in the mainstream media, I challenge you all to allow me to debate Mr. Beaulieu on behalf of those who believe him to be a dangerous fool and racist.
....On any subject, in French and on the date of your choosing, in any forum... my email is above!

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

....By the way, readers, for weekend discussion, what did you think of the revelations that defeated PQ members including Pauline Marois the sourpuss Fatima-Houda Pepin destroyed files before turning over their constituency office to their opponents?
For me it is is just another delicious helping of shadenfreude, the  manifest rage and pain that these losers demonstrated by stripping the office of files, absolutely delightful!

And how about the bombshell that the PQ lied about having obtained legal opinions over the Charter of Values?
Jean Lapierre, Quebec's premier political journalist didn't mince words, saying that the 'PQ lied through it's teeth"
When asked to explain the lie, every Peekist ran for cover, with my favourite quote belonging to Bernard Drainville who told reporters that he couldn't remember! Ha!!!!!
For the rest of the liars, it turned into a circle jerk, with each Pekist referring the matter to the next, in the classic game of 'pass the buck' or perhaps 'musical chairs!'

Montreal Gazette Gets it Wrong on Descriptors.

As you may well know, the Office québécois de la langue française(OQLF) lost rather badly in court over the use of descriptors, the proposed regulation whereby stores with English names would be forced to add French modifiers in order to satisfy the OQLF's desire to lower the English language's 'pollution' of the French linguistic landscape of Quebec.

For those who aren't familiar with the legal term, a declaratory judgment is one that resolves legal uncertainty where the plaintiff is in doubt as to his or her legal rights. The regulation that the OQLF tried to enforce had zero basis in law, the OQLF knew it and the companies that pushed back knew it as well. The judgment surprised nobody, but disappointed many in the French language militancy movement.

So why did the OQLF go where it knew it had no legal right to go?

For every major gaffe that comes to light, like Pastagate or Spoongate, there are hundreds and hundreds of victories over business' that decide that for financial reasons, or out of fear, not to fight, businesses that cave to OQLF pressure even when they are not breaking the law.
It's a cynical plan, one in which the OQLF calculates that the few setbacks it suffers by its ultra-vires action are worth the effort and that intimidating businesses without the force of the law on its side, a paying proposition in the long run.
It's the same rationale that scofflaws use when they exceed the speed limit or park illegally on an ongoing basis with the full understanding that the few times they get caught make the effort a paying proposition.

The real conclusion that the Montreal Gazette should have reached from the story is that the OQLF is an untrustworthy organization, one which enforces its mandate with reckless abandon and cynical disregard for the law and the rights of those they harass.
And so it was more in sadness than in anger that I read the shameful editorial by the Montreal Gazette encouraging the English community to give up in the face of this intimidation, because the issue of descriptors is not a 'big deal' and not 'worth' the fight.

"In a ruling earlier this month, the Office québécois de la langue française was reminded by the province’s Superior Court that the law is the law, and it is not incumbent on the language-watchdog agency to make it up as it goes along.
The ruling by Justice Michel Yergeau was in response to arguments from a group of large retail companies with English corporate names that the Office was overstepping its powers with a campaign to have them add some French generic words to the unilingual-English outdoor signs. The group included such firms as Best Buy, Costco, Gap, Old Navy and Walmart.
The Office was acting on complaints that reflect a growing feeling among many francophones that the proliferation of big-box stores and multinational franchise outlets with English brand names has become detrimental to the predominantly French face that Quebec should be putting forward.
At first, the Office launched a public-relations campaign aimed at persuading the targeted businesses to comply; then it followed up with warnings, threatening sanctions. It was then that the retailers went to court seeking clarification of their rights.
The court correctly noted that under the province’s language law, Bill 101, corporate trademarks are exempt from the rule obliging all commercial signage to be predominately in French. The exemption was written into the original bill when it was passed in 1977, and no government of any stripe has been moved to change it since.
Therefore, as the judge reminded it, the Office should have gone not after the stores, but to the government — to seek a change in the law that would sanction its initiative. There was no evidence that it did so, at least not while the former Marois government was in power, for nothing concerning trademarks was included in the former government’s Bill 14, an act to amend Bill 101 that it ultimately shelved (and then later promised to revive if elected April 7).
The retailers have a point, in that they are known the world over by their famous corporate names. On the other hand, they do protest a bit much with their claim that adding a generic French term that describes what they are selling would dilute the force of their brands.
Some have done so voluntarily with no evidence that it has hurt their business. Examples include Second Cup coffee shops in the province that have added a discreet “les cafés” to their logo, with the trademark otherwise predominant, or the New Look eyewear chain that has added “lunetterie” to their store signs. Some chains have gone so far as to translate their names entirely, such as Chalet Suisse restaurants, which are Swiss Chalets elsewhere, and Village des Valeurs stores, which are Value Village shops outside the province.
It is hard to see what harm it would do to the holdouts to follow suit, especially as the former Charest government had offered to help underwrite the cost of amending signage to add French generics. It would surely be the courteous thing to do in Quebec, and it would help relieve growing tensions in Quebec on the language front — which in turn might help prevent frustrations from being taken out on language issues that would directly harm the English-speaking community, notably with respect to recognition of municipalities’ bilingual status.
This is one language measure where anglophones should comfortably stand in unity with the Office, and help persuade these large mostly U.S.-controlled retailers that they should show a little more market sensitivity.

This editorial could have been written by someone suffering from 'battered person syndrome,' where after years of physical and mental abuse, the abused believes that he or she is indeed the guilty party and that he or she well deserved the punishment meted out by the abuser.

Battered person syndrome is highlighted by the following beliefs and attitudes;

• The abused thinks that the violence was his or her fault.
• The abused has an inability to place the responsibility for the violence elsewhere.
• The abused fears for their life and/or the lives of their children
• The abused has an irrational belief that the abuser is omnipresent and omniscient. Link

Yup, that pretty much sums up the Montreal Gazette editorial.

• The Gazette thinks that having an English name is shameful and dirty.
• The Gazette thinks that it isn't the OQLF that is at fault, but the English name holders
• The Gazette fears that the OQLF will punish us if we don't give in.
• The Gazette fears that the OQLF is omnipresent and omniscient.

 Let's deconstruct the editorial and hold the Gazette accountable for what it is peddling.

"a growing feeling among many francophones"
I defy the Gazette to provide statistics proving that this is true.
The simple truth is that the issue is contrived, whipped up by sovereigntist language militants and the OQLF to stir up linguistic trouble. The only  'growing feeling'  is the one at the OQLF, Société Saint-Jean Baptiste and Imperatif-francais, There isn't a poll or a survey that indicates that this assertion is true and I'll bet dollars to doughnut that the majority of francophones, if asked, would consider descriptors a non-issue.
I can't say for certain that I'm right, but then neither can the Gazette say that it is right.

Even if it were true, is that a reason to cave in?
Who can deny that there's "a growing feeling among many francophones" that the burgeoning Muslim community is a threat and that they should be controlled. Will the Gazette write an editorial supporting that?

At first, the Office launched a public-relations campaign 
The Gazette editorial makes it seem as if the OQLF was acting in a conciliatory fashion, which it wasn't. The campaign was an illegal fantasy, a softening up effort, meant to get companies used to the idea of descriptors.
It's no different than a bully who spends all week reminding those in the schoolyard to prepare to pay protection money next week.
Politeness doesn't change anything. 

"The exemption was written into the original bill...and no government of any stripe has been moved to change it since. Therefore, as the judge reminded it, the Office should have gone not after the stores, but to the government — to seek a change in the law that would sanction its initiative."
Back in 1977, the original framer of Bill 101 was the rabidly anti-English Camille Laurin, who included clause after clause of clearly unconstitutional regulations, all of which were thrown out by the Supreme Court. He actually admitted to Réne Levesque that he did so on purpose, hopeful that when the Supreme Court ruled against those clauses, the political humiliation would propel Quebec towards sovereignty.

So why he didn't include a clause demanding descriptors wasn't a case of benevolence, it was probably because he didn't think of it. At the time there were but a handful of stores with English names, the most important being Canadian Tire. Both Eaton's and Steinberg's had already dropped the apostrophe " 's " from their respective names and American retailers hadn't yet decamped.

But when later governments looked at the 'problem' of English store names, as more 'foreign' retailers joined the Quebec market, they were probably given legal advice that they couldn't change the law because of NAFTA, the trade agreement with the United States that forbade such a practice.

Article 1708: Trademarks Link
10. No Party may encumber the use of a trademark in commerce by special requirements, such as a use that reduces the trademark's function as an indication of source or a use with another trademark.

By the way, had the government changed the law introducing descriptors and had the court ruled in favour of those descriptors, a complaint could very easily have been launched by any company affected under NAFTA rules. Governments may enact laws that contravene NAFTA, but they can be sued under the terms of the agreement.
This has happened before and it can be expensive. In 2010 a NAFTA arbitration panel ruled that Newfoundland had violated the NAFTA agreement in  expropriating of the assets AbitibiBowater and it cost the government $130 million dollars in compensation. Link
NAFTA's provisions allow foreign companies to file claims when their investments are adversely affected because of government action that contravenes the agreement, be it regulation, legislation or expropriation.

At any rate, the PQ government under Lucien Bouchard did consider changing the law in 2000 and sought advice from the Conseil supérieur de la langue française, a pro-French language body formed by the government to advise it on language matters.
Judge Michel Yergeau, who ruled against the OQLF in the anti-descriptor judgment, actually quoted from that report, in which the Conseil argued AGAINST adding descriptors for legal reasons.
The Conseil concluded that international law precluded the imposition of descriptors.  Read the Judgment in French


 ...their claim that adding a generic French term that describes what they are selling would dilute the force of their brands
I've never heard any company make any such claim.
In fact the eight companies involved in the litigation have refused to discuss the matter and have placed a complete news blackout and embargo on the subject.
I'm sure the Gazette begged every single one of these companies for an interview or statement, but to no avail and to put words into these companies mouth is to impugn their motives.

I somehow suspect that the answer is a lot simpler. The companies don't want to add descriptors because the law doesn't provide for it and they like their trademarks just the way they are.

 Some have done so voluntarily with no evidence that it has hurt their business
Because some companies make the business decision to change their name, does it mean that everyone has to?
Some women object to changing their name when they marry, some don't. (In fact, in Quebec, you must actually keep your maiden name.)
But because some women choose to take their husband's name without ill effect, does it mean that those who choose to remain faithful to their maiden name are somehow disrespectful and wrong?

Is it any argument to tell women that they should be obligated to change their name, because they won't suffer any prejudice and so should do so out of respect to their husband?

surely be the courteous thing to do
Hmmm...  Opening the door for someone, giving up your seat on the Metro, allowing someone to take the last piece of pie, these are courteous things to do.
Changing your name because someone else is offended because it is English, is not a courteous thing to do, it is sadly indulgent.

comfortably stand in unity with the Office
The office québécois de la langue française is an enemy of Quebec Anglos and ethnics, something that should be manifestly clear to an English newspaper like the Gazette.
The Oh-feece has used as standard operating procedures, intimidation and threats. It has enforced rules that don't exist and terrorized merchants by marching in their places of business like storm troopers. There is nothing under the sun that the Oh-feece can do that Anglos should support, except should it ever announce its demise.
To make common cause with your abuser is as sad as a battered woman defending her abusive husband.
It's pathetic.

mostly U.S.-controlled retailers
Another sad and pathetic argument made by the Gazette, is intimating that since it would mostly be American-owned stores that would suffer, we should somehow let it go.
Really?

might help prevent frustrations
I have three grandchildren who I adore and by whom I readily admit to spoiling as much as I can.
I feed them too many sweets, let them stay up past their bedtime and let them play on their IPads much too long. I know I shouldn't, but invoke the grandparents version of the 'notwithstanding clause.'

But kids will be kids, they ask for the moon and always want more...just one more chocolate.. another hour before bed, just one more video game.

And so there comes a line I daren't cross.
They can't eat sweets to the exclusion of all else, they can't stay up forever and there comes a time when I have to forcibly remove the IPad from the vise-like grip they maintain on their precious screen.
My four-year old grandson is quite the negotiator and can perfectly justify why that fourth cookie is not only fair, but reasonable and failing a positive response sometimes (not often) resorts to a tantrum or the dreaded waterworks option.
Alas I admire his efforts, but try to remain stoic and firm. There's a limit to indulgence that good parents and grandparents must abide by, even in the face of such pressure. (believe me, it's hard to say no!)
And so I understand why the Montreal Gazette would want to indulge French language militants over their demand that stores in Quebec add descriptors, but it is a case of bad parenting, allowing good intentions to be manipulated beyond what is normal and healthy.
We've all witnessed those parents who give into their children, no matter what, and it usually makes us cringe when we witness such a public humiliation.

Such is the Montreal Gazette, an indulgent parent to a fault.
Just because the separatist language militants want a fourth cookie, doesn't mean we should give in.
Language militants are fanatics, nothing will satisfy them until the last Anglo quits Quebec. If the Gazette thinks that giving in on descriptors will be the end of the battle, they should read on.

This from Imperatif-francais website;

"In Gatineau, several angry citizens held protests against the offensive and polluting name; "Bulk Barn", which attacks Quebec's cultural environment.
Bulk Barn," a name that doesn't fit in with our Quebec character! Just seeing and saying the name "Bulk Barn" and looking at the company colours, one can understand that it has a rather anglicized profile...
...This visual pollution is spreading all over Quebec Link

Readers will note that the sign is complete with a descriptor, even if the law says it doesn't need one, but for radicals, that Maple Leaf, perhaps more than the name itself, is just unbearable.

Radical groups like IM, are hysterical in their denunciation of Canada and complain about just about everything, including chastising companies for having the audacity to defend their rights before the courts.
Jean-Paul Perreault, president of this language-defence group slammed those contesting 'descriptors,' urging shoppers to boycott stores which he claimed “lead a costly and merciless legal battle against Quebecers”.

Over at the Société Saint-Jean Baptiste website, they are expressing outrage that certain members of the Liberal party took the oath of office in English.

"April 17, 2014, several members of the PLQ took the oath of office in English at the National Assembly. Liberals do not seem to understand the distinction between individual and institutional bilingualism.

Knowledge of several languages ​​is a personal enrichment. But the English-French bilingualism in public institutions creates a divide that hinders integration. Link

This is the type of people and organizations that the Gazette thinks they can satisfy by giving in on descriptors. Sorry...it ain't gonna happen!

Now back when the descriptor controversy first hit the media, the SSJB defended their use as something normal and acceptable and in common use all over the world.

"If you're in Norway, it is normal to display in Norwegian, likewise in Japan. Why would it be different here? Because we are only eight million? "Asks Mr. Rousseau. Link

Toy R Us in Norway (above) and in Japan (below.)

Not one mainstream media outlet challenged the SSJB on the facts, which were false and easily verifiable.
I'm proud to say that I wrote a post that completely destroyed that fantasy, taking readers on a visual tour of the world, where the exact opposite of what the SSJB contended was true.
Read that post: OQLF Demands Descriptors, the World Laughs 

I sent that post to all the media outlets, both English and French, as well as the SSJB and Imperatif-francais. I received nary a response.

But from that day on, neither separatist/lobby group ever repeated the lie that the rest of the world uses descriptors.

When the Gazette editorial board climbs down from its ivory tower, they might realize that giving in to these language fanatics over descriptors will never buy any peace.
I'll bet if these zealots had their way, the Gazette would be forced to publish its advertisements in French only.  I'll bet some of them will argue that the Gazette shouldn't be allowed to publish in English at all or should be sold from under the counter, so as not to despoil the linguistic atmosphere.
  
As for normal francophone Quebecers being all steamed up over English names, don't believe a word of it. 
 
'William' is the most popular name among francophone new born babies. Yup, William, not its French equivalent of 'Guillaume.'
There were 823 babies named 'William' born last year, while only four were named 'Gilles' and eight 'Guys'
It's funny how facts on the ground don't match up with separatist hype. The SSJB tells us that Quebecers hate our monarchy and want nothing to do with royals, yet the most popular name remains William.
In Quebec lat year, 625 babies were named 'Lea' and only four were named 'Josée'. 

In fact, it seems that Quebecers are obsessed with Jewish biblical names for boys, including Nathan, Samuel,  Jacob and Gabriel, all in the top ten. Link
Go figure.

Lastly readers, to the editorial board of the Gazette, a question.
Why doesn't the Montreal Gazette put its money where its mouth is and also adopt a descriptor, after all, everything they say in the editorial applies to itself. Even though it isn't the law, isn't the name of the newspaper as big an affront as is Canadian Tire to the French linguistic atmosphere of Quebec?

Further reading:
OQLF Sign Directive Not Necessarily Legal 
OQLF Serves Up a Hearty Dish of Statistical Lies and Nonsense

OQLF versus Wal-Mart ..Language Militants Lose Either Way

Election Recap....Shadenfereude Edition

This will be the final post on the last election, it's time to consign it to the history books and turn our attention to matters at hand.

But before we do, I'd like to offer a little bit of delicious shadenfreude, that special sinful delight in
enjoying other people's pain.

The loss for separatists was all the harder to bear because it was in fact a self-inflicted wound, the election triggered by greed, the PQ not satisfied with ruling as a minority, seeking a majority and shockingly receiving an exit pass from voters.

What really made the loss so hard to take is that the PQ leadership believed that the worst they could do was to be returned as a minority government, not bad for Plan B, which would buy the PQ another year or two of government.
Getting the boot was just not on the radar and the separatists in the PQ and in the media wore the shock and deception very publicly.
So why don't we enjoy a little of it?

If you're a kind and gentle soul, you can skip this post.
But if you're a mere mortal, I think you might get a kick out it,
So let's have a little fun and savour some of those woe-is-me missives, a little treat of schadenfreude, the guiltiest of pleasure, even lower than rank gossip.

Let me start with a delicious bit of painful whining from our good friend Gilles Proulx, who is at his sarcastic best when reminding the Quebecois how stupid they are. If you try just a little, you can see the acid dripping from his words, his obvious rage and pain a most delicious treat.

"And so happiness is upon us with Philippe Couillard in power in Quebec, because soon we will enjoy  the great Eldorado, where everyone will have a Cadillac and palm trees will sprout from earth and so Quebecers, emotionally illiterate, should now demand the abolition of the Charbonneau commission.

Because these stories of fraudsters, are beyond their comprehension, why would Quebecers continue to fund this  paralegal reality show?

Quebecers, one of the stupidest people on Earth,  drove out their world of Catholicism which inspired their collective life to accommodate without discrimination, a multitude of other religions.

For Easter, the New Testament relates an ancient custom of Pontius Pilate who commutes a death sentence. To celebrate the Liberal Easter, I say commute all the fraudsters, all mafiosi to free up room in our prisons..

Quebecers should also demand the immediate abolition of the Office québécois de la langue française, because they couldn't care less for the development of their language.

We should also require  freedom, freedom and nothing else on behalf of the latter, allowing any bare-foot peasant  from dolling themselves up in a uniform like a clown,  wearing a "religious symbol" in the police, for example, or in a court of justice.. Link{fr}

 Ahh, the poet......

Then there's our old friend Louise Beaudoin, a woman who put the 'hard' in the PQ hardliners;

"I didn't expect the magnitude of this defeat. And so is the idea of ​​independence that of a single generation?  Have we failed to instill the idea of country in our young? The answer lies in the new generation. For me, this [result] gives me leave to throw in the towel and pass the baton to others, "she posited. - Link{fr}

It is becoming increasingly clear that its first article the option on sovereignty, has gone over like a lead balloon and this for some time.-Gerard Bouchard (bouchard -taylor)  Link{fr}

Defeated in his own constituency, the outgoing Minister, Yves-François Blanchet admits that they  committed strategic errors during the election campaign.

I think his quote is my favourite after-election comment; 

"Opponents have handed us a trap on the referendum. The trap shouted: I am a trap! I'm a trap! I'm a trap!.... And we fell right into it, anyways. Link

Ruminating in Le Journal de Montreal,  Richard Martineau comments reminded me of the shakespearean phrase;
"A countenance more in sorrow than in anger"

But it is precisely this that hurts Pauline Marois' party the most. Despite scandals, rumours and allegations; despite the post-its, envelopes and UPAC searches, Quebecers preferred to vote for the Liberals instead of the PQ! Holding their nose, they actually preferred to vote for the Liberals rather than return the Parti Quebecois to power! Link{fr}

Not all the pain was excluseivly the domain of the Pq, ex-Liberal MNA Fatima Houda-Pepin had one of the safest seats in Quebec.
She objected to the Liberal party's renunciation of the Charter of Values and chastised the party its stand in public.

She paid the price of her convictions by being fired by Philippe Couillard, which would have been admirable if she left in a dignified manner.

But she decided to either punish or embarrass the Liberals by running as an independent, I cannot for the life of me believe that she was dumb enough to believe that she could win the riding.

Lapiniere is a Liberal stronghold where the large Chinese community would vote for an Al Quaida terrorist if he ran as a Liberal.

Th irony of it all is that the Charter of Values is dead and she is out of a job, essentially for no reason.

Do I feel bad for her?...Read the title of this post!

Alexis Deschênes, the defeated candidate in Trois-Rivières, told reporters that "the ambiguity of the referendum" was one of the causes of the defeat PQ. "Should we? Should we not? I think in the future we need to clearly answer that," said Mr. Deschênes.
"On the ground, people wanted to know, I would have accepted the idea that there would be no referendum in the first term; But on the other hand, I wanted to speak of benefits associated with the independence of Quebec, "he added.   Link{fr}

Sheesh! Somebody ought to tell this guy to make up his mind!

Bernard Drainville was caught breaking the election law by campaigning in a cegep which doubled as a polling station. It is against the law to campaign or distribute campaign material in a polling station.

But the hilarious pat of the story is the reaction of his aide;

Bernard Drainville is currently being audited by the Chief  Electoral Officer because he visited colleges during polling day .
The PQ candidate wasn't embarrassed to post pictures of his meetings with students at CEGEP Lionel-Groulx and Ahuntsic and the Lanaudière in L'Assomption  on Twitter , Tuessday.

The  Marie-Victorin incumbent was accompanied by the candidate in Groulx, Martine Desjardins, and one in Acadie , Evelyne Abitbol .
A clear law

However, the Election Act states that " on the premises of a polling place , no person may use a sign to identify their political affiliation or expressing support for or opposition to a political party or a candidate or engage in any other form of partisan advertising. "

Reached by telephone , the communications director for Bernard Drainville , Manuel Dionne, denied having violated the Elections Act. He first confirmed that the candidate had indeed distributed flyers in the college, but said he had complied with the law.
However, he went back on his words during a second call. "To my knowledge, nobody distributed leaflets. We were present, but did not partake in partisan activity. You do have the right to be there and talk with people ," said Manuel Dionne, while adding that he consulted about it with the Office of Elections.

Now if you're going to tell a blatant lie, it's important to destroy any evidence, especially when it comes from the candidates own Twitter account;

 Here is a picture of Drainville, (taken from his Twitter account) not distributing campaign material in a cegep. Ha! Ha! Link{fr}


Dominique Payette defeated PQ candidate in Quebec city blamed the media for it all, particularly Quebec City radio stations known derisively as 'Radio Poubelle' (Trash) which treated the PQ rather harshly.
Talking directly to reporters she said;
"I think that you were manipulated by the Liberal party."

Daniel Breton,  another defeated PQ candiadte chimed in on that very subject;
"and in social media as well. I've been harrassed, I've been insulted and I've been threatened in the social media"

Émilien Pelletier,  yet another defeated PQ candidate  was visibly furious when she aked this of reporters; media
"First of all, are you going to tell me what deal you made with Mr. Couillard?"
You were negative on  everything about Madame Marois !"

 Here's a comment taken from a newspaper online story that I just couldn't resist.

 Translation: This morning I'm asking myself what I'm going to do for the rest off my life. I refuse to work in English, nor serve anyone in that language.
I just modified my C/V: I am no  longer bilingual.
There's too much time to live. I am unfortunately in good shape and I think that I haven't yet lived half my life!
Enough time to see my people completely assimilated.
What torture!
My last hope resides in the outbreak of a third world war.
If there are some who rejoice in the disappearance of the Quebec nation, why shouldn't I rejoice in the disappearance of humanity?

Some notable quotes

Francoise David, leader of Quebec Solidaire.
"We know that on the ground and in the regions, particularly in the regional cities we are expecting significant gains tomorrow night."

Pauline Marois
"My little finger is telling me that on Monday night, we'll be very happy. And another thing my little finger is telling me : I am in possession of certain information that tells me we're going to elect a PQ  government"

comments from vigile.net

No whine-a-thon would be complete without a few delicious comments from Quebec's premier separatist website;

"The Liberals are the local elite who have enriched themselves by aggressive control of the colonized people of Quebec, by maintaining a status quo favorable to the colonizer. Because Quebec is still locked in a colonial structure which weakens it on an ongoing basis, the Liberals, stealing elections with the active complicity of the media and the Orangemen of Canada, will always be protected for its major crimes, as Israel is by the USA. Conclusion: do not get distracted by the possible arrests of Liberals, because this party allows Canada to continue its work of undermining Quebec (economic exploitation, etc..,) in a province of cowards easy to screw."

"It seems that Quebecers now elect their government the Italian way, or if you prefer, à la Berlusconi.  
On April 7 we witnessed a travesty of democracy. This government is illegitimate, it is mafia-like and Anglo-Islamic.
Journalists behaved like lap dogs to the system and did the job of manipulating the people through phoney public opinion polls.
Rotten Liberal  lawyers, through their injunction prevented the citizens of Quebec from exercising their right to vote in a fair and enlightened manner.
As a citizen and patriot, I do not recognize this government!
Quebecers elected as the head of their state, an agent of  denationalization, someone who had previously been schooled in two important experiences including one in Saudi Arabia and other CSIS. Couillard is acting with the sole purpose of the destruction of the state of Quebec."

"The Quebec Liberal Party has become an organization that aims to enrich its friends and nothing else, except to trivialize Quebec and make it fit in within the Canadian order. Never before has an elected Prime Minister been suspected of so much, even before being sworn in. Never have so many doubts existed over potential cabinet ministers. All this for not willing to consider a possible referendum. Thank you God, the forces of the nation are on guard, and maybe we can relive the feverish era experienced by baby boomers, our forefathers who took to the streets to denounce the villains. The profound insignificance of Hamad, of Tomassi, to name just a few, takes on a special signifigance when we recognize the role they played in the Charest team, the most harmful of all Quebec prime ministers except perhaps Mousseau in the nineteenth century."

"Early on, anger reigned in my heart, then the sadness and now a big smile.
Because the Liberals will be pursued by police and encircled by journalists, one can only laugh. Over the weeks and months to come, we will have the pleasure of seeing them wither slowly but surely because journalists will not let go.
The PQ needs to hammer home the subject of sovereignty, its economic viability and the pride of our founding roots. PKP would be a good leader but he needs to take  speaker's courses in order to be able to inspire crowds."

"Throughout the West, we currently live the narrative of the mainstream media which preaches for the maintenance of the current political, social and economic status quo.This is highlighted by the realism of young Quebec-born families who did not vote for the PQ in the last election .It is held in most of the media that it isn't realistic to believe in the Quebec sovereignty and young Quebec families who are more realistic than the generations that preceded them, are manipulated by these media stories of what is and isn't realistic.
All that to say that the new "realism" is not absolute and objective but rather subjective and totally adapted.The new realism is simply one meant to protect at all costs, our personal situation, that which we consider satisfactory and enviable.Faced with such an evolution of Québec society, an evolution, it must be said, which affects all the of the West, we can wonder if those who over the centuries, from Nostradamus to Machiavelli who predicted the end of our time, were actually right."

To counter these false eulogies, it would useful if  Vigile established a section devoted to the Order of useful idiots, in continuation of the work that Pierre Vadeboncoeur inaugurated in relation to our Quebec politicians, in his book 'The great fools,' and which would give a nuanced portrait of the spinelessness, demagoguery and compromises of those who betray their country, their fellow citizens and our project of national emancipation. Firstly, I would see the name of Denis Coderre added, our faux-mayor, federalist, liberal and body and soul sell-out, all to our detriment. 

It is rather disturbing to see the Liberals returned to power, but it highlighted the weakness of leadership or charisma of Ms. Marois. Not to mention, the obvious lack of renewal and updating the vision of the PQ.

I feel bruised by this victory of unscrupulous people. 
 

comments from Le Journal de Montreal

The people do not want a referendum, for the moment, so thank you to the liberal campaign of fear and the spineless ... we'll see. We have time. Federalists said the same thing in 1994, and a year later plus, they were scared of out of their lives. The sovereignty project is the best thing that we can achieve ... this is not a defeat that will stop this project, and it is certainly not Goldinocks (sic) that will do  it.

Natives or the naive, it isn't the Anglos who lost the elections for the PQ, but the ambiguity and the reality of the PQ changing positions at the discretion of the electorate. A country is not built on improvisation and ambiguity, this legitimate  project deserves better.

Maybe I'm dreaming, but when you have a noble ideal that makes a country and ensures the future of our children, it is very rewarding and perfectly acceptable to do so. I'd rather dream than continue to let myself be fleeced by Canadians who continue to rob us (examples are of which there are so many,) continue to see the French language scorned to Montreal , Laval ... . ; the future belongs to those who stand, not to those who are crushed.

Ah the egocentrics! a virtual black hole, an ogre with a gargantuan appetite, which leaves nothing over for the collective, the community, the nation and what distinguishes it from others: its identity, language, culture.  
"What's in it for me?" The new credo of a generation. Everything is measured in terms of the dollar, the yardstick of modern success. ....The future will tell us if we were wrong. Why think about the future when the present moment is glorified.  
The grasshopper having sung all summer, was greatly at risk with the coming of winter ...

It is not because an election was conducted by a bunch of idiots that the freedom of a people is put into question. And so all the money and media support for the Liberals means that every election for the PQ becomes a referendum. Sovereigntists must unite and continue the work.

The old always complain on the young. It's always been like that. Older Baby Boomers such as Marois and Martineau have trouble understanding and accepting that they are old and outdated. Life changes. Tastes change. Society changes. The world is changing. Accept and appreciate it instead of spitting upon it. If not, you will become, if you're not already, old whiners who continually talk about the good old days .... yuck! 
 

AND THE KNIVES COME OUT

...A major cleanup is about to take place within the PQ after its crushing defeat April 7^th.
The party’s President Raymond Archambault; director general Sylvain Tanguay and director of communications Jean Bouchard are no longer welcome in the organization, according to members of the PQ. LINK

Caption this-

How about readers offering some appropriate captions for these photos?

and in conclusion, some humour.. Quebec style;

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de semaine!