French versus English volume 72

Montreal Bus company fart-catcher defends slighting English

Anglo community's very own Kapo, Marvin Rotrand

Montreal bus company spokesman, Marvin Rotrand, the token anglo fart-catcher, has once again defended the company from offering English services, claiming that the company's hands are tied by the law, a misrepresentation according to constitutional lawyer Julius Grey.

"Basically, we have to operate in French unless we can prove an absolute necessity in certain categories," said Rotrand.

"At the STM, we do have categories where that is necessary. For example, the people operating the [phones] have to be able to answer questions in English."

However, he said bus drivers or those who work at ticket kiosks don't fall under that category.
Rotrand said the corporation consulted with its legal department and agreed that the language laws apply directly to the transit authority.
"We have a huge volume of jurisprudence as to what our obligations are under Bill 101," he said.

Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey says Quebec's language laws do not prevent the STM from serving customers in English. Read the whole story at CBC

Here's another article on the story;

"It was a simple, straightforward request that Gazette transportation reporter Andy Riga put to the Société de transport de Montréal.
Using Quebec’s access-to-information law, Riga asked the transit authority what legal opinion it had, either from in-house counsel or outside lawyers, on how Bill 101’s language requirements apply to the agency’s employees — notably those whose jobs involve dealing with the public.
Yet getting a straightforward answer turned out to be no simple thing.
The initial response, from the STM’s director of legal affairs, Sylvie Tremblay, was that no such legal opinion exists. After that was reported, STM vice-chair Marvin Rotrand piped up to contradict her, saying that the STM does in fact have written opinions from its legal department about the matter.
However, not only was Rotrand at a loss to explain the discrepancy between their responses, he maintained that while he does have such opinions in hand, these cannot be shared with the public. Why not? Because, said Rotrand, it is STM policy to keep internal legal opinions confidential. Read the whole story at the Montreal Gazette

Arghh!!!....
Kudos to Andy Riga for getting the story.

Ripleys Nodogs Believe it or Not ....

This landed on my Facebook page and I will let the poster speak for himself;

"Hello. If there is anybody out there who can help me, I need it! I have lived in Québec since 2010. My partner (a francophone) and I have a lovely baby boy born here in Montréal. I have made great strides in learning French, and my son will be fluently bilingual. I am having a problem with my family name, however. Ever since I got my RAMQ card, the province has my surname listed in all lowercase letter. This is because the Nova Scotia birth certificate is printed in all capitals - so somewhere some fontionnaire without knowledge (or perhaps ulterior motive) listed me in all lowercase. I CANNOT seem to get my second c capitalized again. I have made numerous phone calls but all I hear is that they need to see my NS birth certificate - you know, the one written in all capitals so that you can't tell... So apparently after nearly 4 centuries on this continent, I will be the first "Maccall" - nice, eh? Government imposed!

Of course, they are now doing the same thing to my son as we have recently requested HIS birth certificate. I am awaiting word from Vital Statistics in Halifax on whether they can provide me with a letter of attestation or something, but other than that I really don't know what to do. It's breaking my heart and it's really frustrating. Is there anyone else out there from out of province with a Scottish last name who has successfully protected their name? Why isn't McGill know as "Mcgill" if there is such an issue with our names?

Will my MNA be sympathetic? ANY help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!"  Link

 Readers, I challenge you to describe the above situation with one well-chosen word....

Rich versus Poor...

The lynching of Daniel Breton

Let me preface this piece by saying that there isn't a Quebec politician that I dislike more than Daniel Breton, not on a personal level, (I do not know the man,) but rather for the politics that he practices, an insane and unrealistic environmental fundamentalism that would have the effect of paralyzing and impoverishing Quebecers by bringing economic development in the resource field to a virtual standstill.
But I want to comment upon the way he was driven from cabinet, something that I really can't abide by as a democrat.
One of the very first rules that we learn in a democratic society is that our government is chosen by the majority and that those of us who 'lose' our election can grumble all we want, but in the end, must accept the choice of the people.

In highly developed democracies like Canada, this rule has been honoured ever since confederation. There's hardly one among us who hasn't been enraged by the outcome of a local, provincial or federal election, but we've all learned to grin and bear it.
This rule of the majority is particularly tested in Quebec, where the government switches every few years between two diametrically opposed sides with two very different optics as to how the province should be governed and where its future should lie.
The differences are fundamental, but just the same we all accept that the elected government has the right to govern as it sees fit (within the confines of the law.)

Daniel Breton is certainly no saint, but his transgressions were those of a poor man, that is, stiffing a landlord for a few thousand bucks and overstaying his welcome on employment insurance.
I'm not condoning his actions, but the Press made him out to be a degenerate thief and seemed to delight in 'taking him down.'
I can only think of all the rich businessmen who lie and cheat and when caught employ an army of lawyers to spend their way out of trouble and I can't help but feeling had Breton also been a rich businessman who pulled some dubious and illegal moves in his past, he would not have suffered a similar fate.

I am reminded of cads like Donald Trump who roll the dice with other people's money and when successful reap the rewards, when unsuccessful, stiff investors and hide behind bankruptcy laws, all the while sipping champagne and eating caviar.
It is without a doubt an unconscionable double standard.

The poor can't hide. They can't use high priced legal talent to shield themselves from justice.  People like Breton are at the mercy of the Press, from which they do not have the means to defend themselves like the richniks.
For those readers who believe that Breton's actions were unacceptable and his resignation was justified, I can only tell you how poorly you know our politicians.
I know too many who have done and continue to do much worse. Much, much worse, but they are never held to account because they are rich or powerful.

Why is it then when somebody tweeted salacious details of  Conservative cabinet Minister Vic Toews personal life, the Press was up in arms  over the invasion of privacy, the fact that he fathered an out-of-wedlock love-child with a much younger woman while married. Is it not  a matter that voters who place their trust in his good judgment, be apprised of? Link
Some readers may defend him by saying that his behaviour may be reprehensible but not illegal, so how about the fact that he was CONVICTED and fined after pleading guilty to breaking campaign finance laws.
How is it that the media went so easy on him and why is it that he remains in the Harper cabinet while Daniel Breton is relegated to the back benches?
I can repeat similar stories over and over again.

Mr. Breton's real crime was being a member of the hoi-polloi, getting caught on piss-ant transgressions and not having the wherewithal to defend himself.
Had he been rich or powerful or both, the media would have laid off and Pauline Marois would not have thrown him under the bus so quickly.

...just my opinion

Descriptors? 

We don't need no stinkin' descriptors!

In an article posted in a Trois-Rivieres newspaper the local head honcho of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de la Mauricie (SSJB), Guy Rousseau,  complains about stores in the local mall that have English names. LINK{FR}

"The OQLF requires merchants whose image is English, add a generic term or slogan in French.  
For example,  'Toys 'R' Us' could become 'Toys 'R' Us Magasin pour enfants' (store for children..ed)
"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. "We must stop denying our roots and show a little pride," he adds.

Mr. Rousseau should have gotten his facts straight before shooting off his mouth, because in both Norway and Japan, Toys 'R' Us uses it's original English doesn't use descriptors of ant sort. In fact a quick peek on Google streetview across Europe and Asia reveals that Toys 'R' Us doesn't use descriptors or a local version anywhere.
But hey, as long as nobody is checking....

 "Toys 'R' Us Magasin pour enfants"... Catchy, isn't it?

By the way, if you are too young to get the heading reference, it is a take on a scene in the classic Treasure of the Sierra Madre, starring Humphrey Bogart, where bandits impersonate law officers, which mimics my feeling about French language militant frauds like the above Guy Rousseau.
Watch the short scene over at Youtube.

French +English versus the NHL

I thought it would be appropriate for a small piece about the end of the NHL lockout, as hockey in the dark, cold days of mid-January to end-March is important to many Canadians across the country and where cheering for whatever team they choose is an important part of life.
Let us not forget that the vast majority of hockey fans are not wealthy, they follow the game on television, listen to talk shows on the radio and read stories about their team and the NHL on the internet, all virtually for a pittance.
For these not so well-moneyed fans, hockey is a wonderful distraction, where being a fan is something that even the poorest can afford.

For the rich fans who can afford the ticket prices, well that is their choice, it seems there is enough of these who can afford the ridiculously high prices and so the market dictates what people are willing to pay.

I've attended NHL hockey games across North America and remain amazed at the price differential between what American teams charge versus what Canadian teams charge.

Here's a chart of average ticket prices in the NHL, which you may or may not find interesting;
Check out this link from ESPN that details paid attendance by team, although those at the bottom end of the scale, I believe that the numbers are fictitious as tens of thousands of tickets are given away or dumped at a fraction of list price.

At any rate, at the top end of the scale, the Toronto Maple Leafs rake in over $106 million, just on ticket sales, exactly double the $53 million that the New York Rangers take in.

As for gate revenue for other Canadian teams are:
Montreal....... $83 million
Calgary......... $58 million
Vancouver..... $57 million
Edmonton..... $52 million
Ottawa.......... $47 million

At the bottom of the NHL is the Phoenix Coyotes, the NHL's basket case, which officially takes in just $19 million dollars, which is probably inflated anyways.
YIKES!!!

Here's another useless set of statistics that only a dedicated fan could find interesting, that is the average price of beer in an NHL arena, per average 16 oz. serving;

Canadiens..............$9.94
Rangers.................$7.50
M.Leafs.................$7.21
Capitals/Sabres.....$4.96
See the entire list


Do you think attending a Maple Leaf home game is a little expensive at say, $400 for the evening?
Check out this offer I received from COSTCO  to attend Super XLVII in New Orleans....YIKES!!!

By the way Cosmopolitan magazine has come out with a list of its thirty hottest NHL players, if by chance, you are interested.
By the way, Carey Price is rated number 7. See the list

Further reading;

Case not being taken seriously says Montreal man after tomato sandwich attack

PQ 'liberates' Lachine Hospital from English clutches

National Post editorial board: English is a right, not a privilege

Ottawa paramedics no longer responding to West Quebec calls

Bilinguals Have Faster, More Adaptive Brains When They Get Older


Pardon My French, Quebec, But Your Language Laws Are Ridiculous

Nutbar Richard Bain gives an interview in French to crime reporter- Listen

After links to drug bust, two Quebec judges not given new cases

Quebec City mayor ranks 4th in world's best mayors list

The last laugh

Oh Sh!t Moments!!!   Click here for more  ....I promise you're gonna chuckle!

Have a good weekend!
Bonne fin de Semaine!