My Very Own Personal Irwin Cotler Calender

Recently, Mount-Royal MP Irwin Cotler has been railing against the Tories for sending an incendiary pamphlet into his riding accusing him and the Liberal party of being soft on support for Israel. That Mr. Cotler's largely Jewish riding was targeted by Tory spin-meisters was particularly galling to him because of his unwavering support for Israel and for the fact that his Israeli wife was none too pleased.
The whole idea of using Parliamentary resources to send such partisan political messages has become an open issue.


All this however hasn't stopped Mr. Cotler from continuing the fine tradition of sending junk mail to constituents. This week I received an advertisement hyping Mr. Cotler good deeds, disguised as a 2010 calender, compliments of course, of Canadian taxpayers.
In addition to the standard holidays most calenders include, I was a bit surprised at the number politically correct 'special' days that he chose to honour;

• January 17th is Raoul Wallenberg Day (pandering to his Jewish constituents)
• March 8th is International Women's Day (fair enough if he would have included International Men's Day on November 19th. Of course, he did not....)
  
• March 8th Commonwealth Day (celebrating our association with various banana republics such as Uganda and Rhodesia)
  
• March 21th is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Do not use the 'N' word today, please)
  
• April 14th is Holocaust Memorial Day (more pandering to Jewish constituents)
• April 19th is Israel Independence Day (more pandering to Jewish constituents)
• April 22th is Earth Day ( Highlights special potting soil promotion day at RONA ..)
  
• May 1st May Day (Isn't this a old Communist holiday?)
• May 3rd is Press Freedom Day (free newspapers today- thank you!)
  
• May 8th is Red Cross Day (will soon be changed to 'Red Thingie Day' in Quebec, due to political correctness.)
  
• May 15th is International Family Day (celebrating your overseas relatives)
  
• May 24th is Victoira Day, Journée des Patriotes (celebrating Quebec separatists)
  
• May 28th is Peacekeepers Day (celebrating Mohawk Kanawake reserve Police officers)
  
• June 5th is World Environment Day (another two for one holiday- see Earth Day.)
  
• June 12th is Father's Day and is shared with World Refugee Day (fathers always have to share)
• June 21th is National Aboriginal Day (another two for one holiday- see August 9)
  
• June 27th is Canadian Multiculturalism Day (probably not celebrated in Quebec)
• August 9th International Day of Indigenous People (The dictionary defines 'aboriginal' as 'indigenous' and 'indigenous' as 'aboriginal.' The Indians already have a day on June 21, let's call it Indigenous Aboringinals Day or better still "Indian Day".
  
• June 26th is UN Charter Day (one of just 72 'special' days declared by the United Nations)
• September 8th International Literacy Day (must be able to read to know what this is.)
  
• September 21th International Day of Peace (Bosses can't yell at you and you can't fight with your spouse - fair enough!)
  
• October 1st is the International Day of Older People (stop stealing money from your senile parents day)
• October 5th is World Teacher's Day (shamelessly promoted by apple producers)
  
• October 18th is Persons Day (celebrating everybody!)
• October 24th is United Nations Day (arrrghhh!!!!)
• November 16th is International Day for Tolerance (thank you officer, for giving me a warning instead of a fine!)
• November 20th is National Child Day (buy your kid a present, because one birthday a year is not enough!)
• December 6th is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (also known as Marc Lépine Day)
• December 10th Human Rights Day (also known as Irwin Cotler Day in Canada.)
  

Buzz Lightyear -Parlez-vous Francais?

Désolé, je ne parle pas français

Yesterday, Mitch in the comments section noted that toys that have English components (voice) or that do not have French equivalents are not being sold in Quebec. I knew of this, but because I haven't had any kids of toy age for many years, wasn't aware that the interdiction also applied to online sales.

"Try ordering something, say, 'LeapFrog's Leapster' from Toy's R Us website. Apparently it's not just shipping that's banned, they won't carry them in stores either."

So I tried a variety of products including "Toy Story Doodler' over at amazon.com, who apparently also enforces the embargo.

"We're Sorry. Due to shipping restrictions, the following item(s) cannot be shipped to the shipping address you have selected. Toy Story - Kid Tough Doodler - English Edition"

While I can make some allowances for not allowing products to be sold in Quebec stores without a French equivalent, why online sales are also banned makes no sense at all. It is arbitrarily punitive and smacks of sour grapes.

Clever me, I decided to try to buy the product from amazon.com. in the USA.
alas....ALSO SUBJECT TO AN EMBARGO!!!!!


I tried a few other US retailers and was pleased to find that Fischer Price itself would ship the product to Quebec. It seems we Anglos can run the blockade if we are creative.

Perhaps we should dig a smuggling tunnel under the border like the Palestinians do. What do you think?

The whole idea of disallowing English products into the Province is based on jealousy.
"If we can't get it in French, you can't get it in English, even if you are English!"

The same embargo applies to films, videos and soon video games. For a people who want to promote their vaunted French culture, it seems that they can't get enough of English. I don't really understand how a French version of Hannah Montana promotes French culture, other than to reduce it to a pale imitation of what's cool in English.

Why doesn't this English prohibition apply to books as well?
Probably because banning books is a verboten and is the hallmark of an intolerable government. It would lead to international humiliation. Besides who really reads!!

As one of my employees once asked me.
"Have you seen this new French TV show called "LE BANQUIER?"
"Dunno" I answered, "What's it about?

"Well, there's a bunch of super hot models on a stage who hold briefcases that when opened, reveal a dollar amount the contestant can win..."

Arrrgggghhhh............

Thank you to Mitch for the inspiration for this post!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is about ordering that very special individualized gift.....

travelling home for the holiday....

and bringing home that perfect tree....

and putting up those perfect decorations....

and that endearing Santa portrait....
bad lawn decorations..

very bad house decorations.....


doing the best you can....

after Christmas glow......

French vs. English Volume 7

Lack of Bilingualism Irks French Language radical
The president of Impératif français, Jean-Paul Perreault complained that the city of Ottawa's English only ceremony welcoming the Olympic flame was contemptible. He somehow inferred that it was a federal government affair rather than one organized by the city.
For Mr.Perreault, arguing for exclusion of English in Quebec goes hand in hand with demanding French inclusion outside of Quebec. Two for me, one for you.

Even Catholic Church opposes English
When it comes to opposing English, even the Catholic Church is demanding that curbs be put on the use of English.

Four priests and a pastoral agent sent a letter to Cardinal Turcotte last October complaining that there was too much English in church.

"As a public institution, isn't it natural that the Church follow the path of French majority? Systematic bilingualism is discriminatory towards the Francophone population."

The letter writers, claim that they speak for dozens of other members of the diocese.

By the way since when is the Catholic church a "public institution."

The Brick - Calls for Boycott over English Flyer
A French language militant André Taillon is calling for a boycott of The Brick furniture store over an all-English flyer purportedly sent to his house. I doubt that the company would send an English flyer anywhere in Quebec and if it did go out, I'm sure it was an error.

Before calling for a boycott, wouldn't it be reasonable to get the company's view on the incident and get the facts straight.

It's hard to  take a facts-challenged idiot like M.Taillon too seriously when he can't even get the company's name right, calling it the "BRICKS" and referring to the Canadian company as American. In the comments section, a reader complains that he also wants a boycott because there were French mistakes in the Flyer. What is it then, an English-only flyer or a French flyer with mistakes? Arghh....

A check of the company web-site shows that it has a French side and that all the flyers are available in French. In fact, in an effort to be more palatable to the French market, the company has dropped the "THE" from "THE BRICK" and is known as the "BRICK" in Quebec.

Bilingual ATM under Fire
A letter writer in Le Devoir complains bitterly that the welcome screen on the Caisse Populaire's ATM machine in Montreal offers users the choice of either English or French. He goes on to say, through some faulty logic, that by offering a choice of English or French, it somehow makes French subservient to English (asservissement.) He' so steamed that he's ready to start a boycott (boycott seems to have become a recurring theme.)

School board to close another English School
As French language militants wring their hands over the fantasy that English is taking over the Island of Montreal, the Lester B. Pearson School Board has decided to shutter another English school.

"Since the board’s last such consultation in 2005, it has lost 2,300 students – a number that board chairperson Marcus Tabachnick said is the equivalent of six elementary schools."- Montreal Gazette Article

Price-Fixing at the Pump- Government style

A Quebec City judge has allowed a class action lawsuit to go forward against 11 oil retailers who are accused of price-fixing. It is alleged that prices were set through a series of phone calls made between the retailers. -CSP Link to read the entire article 

The mistake the gas retailers made was to undertake the scheme themselves instead of getting the government to help them fix prices.
They should have formed an association and lobbied the government to set prices at a level at which they could make more money.

Sound ridiculous?
That's exactly what the gas retailers in St. Jerome did when COSTCO moved in and started undercutting their price.

Here's a notice attached to the gas pumps at a Costco in St. Jerome;

Dear, Costco members,

The Regie d'energie of Quebec has recently imposed a 3¢ per litre increase on gasoline sold in St.Jerome.

We disagree with this artificial increase imposed on the citizens of St. Jerome for the benefit of gasoline retailers.

For this reason, we will be donating 3¢ per litre sold, to the Fondation de l'hopital regional de St. Jerome.

Costco Wholesale will continue to supply members the very best quality/price value for all their purchases.

Pierre Riel

First Vice President and general director Eastern Region Canada