Dear OQLF,

You are my last hope, business is down and I'm not sure I can make it through the summer.

My store sells sports equipment and clothing and it is harder and harder to compete with the big box American retailers, unfair competitors who have set out to overwhelm and conquer Quebec merchants like myself, using their massive buying power to undersell and by offering an unfair selection that in no way can I duplicate.

I've written to the department of Industry in the hope that they could limit competition or fix prices as they do in the dairy industry.
When I suggested that minimum prices be enforced on important items like running shoes or hockey sticks, they told me that they couldn't or wouldn't do anything because these products aren't manufactured in Quebec,
They did say that in order to qualify for any 'price protection' like the proposed minimum price for French books, it would have to be a question of 'national importance', whatever that means.

I also asked why no law is being proposed to keep all these damn foreign retailers out of our province as they are gobbling up our Quebecois business at an alarming rate, sucking out profits that should deservedly stay here.

The agriculture minister has bravely proposed a new law limiting those creepy Chinese from buying up our farmland, so why not sports retailers too?

How come the government acts selectively, as in the case of 'Rona Hardware,' where it wisely interfered to keep 'Lowes' from snatching this Quebecois pearl, but it does nothing for the little guys like me.

Are we chopped liver?

I asked for relief from the tax department, help from the economic development department, etc.etc. All to no avail, so you are my last hope.

I read with interest those media stories about the OQLF forbidding certain products in certain stores which caused quite the media storm, like in the case of 'pastagate,' and now 'spoongate.'
What a fantastic boon to these businesses as the outpouring of support translated to big bucks in new business .

So I'm begging you, esteemed OQLF, please raid my establishment and find me guilty of some offenses and if it isn't too much trouble, can you lay a complaint over something ridiculous or trivial, something that can capture the imagination of journalists.

I've gone out of the way to provide you ample reason to ~~raid~~ visit my premises and I've even gone so far as to submit my own complaints.

I hope they violate your sense of justice and that you make the right decision to put an end to my tomfoolery in presenting stuff in my store that is clearly offensive to sensibilities of all good francophones.

If it isn't too much to ask, could you provide me with one of your nastier inspectors so that the effect of the raid will be amplified.

And one last thing, a request that I understand will be very hard to fulfill.

Could you come this week?

Yours truly,
John Q. Merchant

“It's becoming too restrictive.”

If there is anything that extremists and extremist movements cannot tolerate, it is the cruel spotlight of publicity and up to now, the English and Ethnic community has been cowered and afraid to expose the cruel and excessive force displayed by French language militants and the OQLF.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and yet with all the thousands of inspections by OQLF thugs who employ intimidation and threats to subdue their targets, nobody has had the guts to film or record the encounter and publicly expose the truth about language intimidation.

Shame on us all.

It fell to a young part-time grocery employee, Meaghan Moran, to record a conversation with her boss, who demanded that she cease speaking English on her breaks with other English employees, or anywhere else while on the premises.
The bilingual young lady had no problem speaking with customers and other francophone employees in French, but drew the line at being forced to speak French to English customers and co-workers .

She then turned over the recording to the media who ran with the ball.
If you speak French, listen to the rough ride the bosses give the young lady over French. The later denial by the store owner tht the girl was never ordered not to speak English is nonsenses. By the way, the two bosses outright lie about the law;

"All she wanted was a part-time job, but what a South Shore teenager got was a hard lesson about language in Quebec.
Meaghan Moran, 17, got a job working at an IGA on Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier Blvd. in Saint-Lambert. She was told that she didn't have the right to speak English at the store.
A fluently bilingual Anglophone, she told CTV Montreal she picked up on some language tension one day.

“One of the guys I was working with is English and I knew him and he said, ‘No, talk to me in French because we're not allowed speaking English on the floor,” she said, adding that she quickly heard what her friend and ex-employee Alex Caldwell knew: employees don't feel comfortable speaking English anywhere in the store.

“I was warned by a friend in the lunchroom to watch what I say and keep my English down, because the management didn't like it and she got a warning,” said Caldwell.
That didn’t sit well with Moran.
“It's just about the principle. You should be able to speak whatever you like. I understand if they want to impose (some rules) -- I'm not going to talk to clients in English, I would talk to them in French -- but if I want to talk to my friend on my break in English, I should be allowed,” she said. “It's becoming too restrictive.” Watch a video report and read the story at CTV

The OQLF, sensing another public relations disaster, immediately responded that the assertion that English could be banned was false.

And so like David facing off against Goliath, it took a 17 year old girl to show us all up as the gutless and spineless toads that we are.
Yes I said it.

The fact that we are collectively too afraid to record incidents between the OQLF and ourselves, in fear of retribution, speaks to the lack of resolve that our community displays in defense of our rights.

I hear it often enough from businesses and bosses.
"Ooh, we're afraid of the legal costs, afraid of a boycott by francophone customers and afraid of the fines."

So we suck it up and take it up the rear end.....Again, sorry to be graphic, but Meaghan dished out a monumental lesson in civics.

Without sacrifice and commitment, evil cannot be overcome.
Our English community has for too long rolled over and played dead because it was just too damn inconvenient to fight.

If we are to protect English language rights in Quebec we are going to have to do so ourselves.
Truth be told, the OQLF and language militants are paper tigers, we've seen them cave whenever real pressure has been applied.

I am hopeful that a young, brave girl can inspire us to resist, otherwise, let's turn out the lights on English as a respected and essential part of Quebec life.

******************** UPDATE ********************

After initially denying that Meghan was ordered not to speak English and that the matter was closed, the owner of the IGA has been forced to rethink her position.

Meghan has contacted the Quebec Human Rights Commission with a view to laying a complaint.

The bad publicity and the damning recording has got Soebys, the owner of the franchise involved, ordering the franchisee to get into full damage control mode and end this thing before further damage is done.

"Our relationships with our franchisees are on a one-to-one basis, and we will deal with Madame Ménard in the appropriate fashion, within the context of our contractual relationship with her." Marc Poulin, CEO Link

Sounds Madame Menard is in for a first class ass-kicking!

And so the manager on the tape has been suspended and it won't be long before a humbling public apology is offered. Link

Another ex-employee has come out and confirmed that she was fired for speaking English and so it is time to offer a settlement in order to put this thing to bed, as the bad publicity in having this case heard at the Human Rights Tribunal will be traumatic for the company, sure to lose anyways.

At any rate the decision is out of the hands of the franchisee, as the reputation of the entire IGA is at stake.

I predict this thing will be settled quietly by the weekend, with a cash payment and a non-disclosure agreement.

I think $20,000 is appropriate.

But you never know, Meaghan might hold out for a better offer or milk the publicity for all it's worth!

******************** UPDATE #2 *******************

The story has finally crossed over to the French press, which can no longer ignore the growing firestorm.

'About 50 Anglophones demonstrated outsidean IGAin Saint-Lambert on theSouth Shore,to demandrespect for theirlanguage on Friday night.This effortfollows alinguisticconflictthat shook the business community on SirWilfridLaurierBoulevardthese last few days." Link

Listen to this:

I didn't really plan on writing this piece, because many good people have made a great effort in attempting to organize a rally that they believe will shock anglophones into action in defense of their language, their freedom, their religion and their way of life.
But inviting Howard Galganov, the infamous firebrand who will lob his personal version of fire and brimstone, taking no prisoners and pulling no punches, is just plain and simple, a strategic mistake.

I like Howard Galganov for his passion and his patriotism, but politics is the art of getting things done and he's has chosen a dead end path that has no chance of success and every chance of exacerbating our situation.

I actually believe in most of the things he does, yet I'm mature enough to realize that baiting those who opposes us with vitriolic and hateful speech, meant to enrage, hasn't the proverbial snowball's chance in Hell of resulting in any tangible improvement in our current language situation.

I'm reminded of a scene in the "Untouchables' movie, when some dubious methods are employed by good cops to elicit a bad guy to talk.

For those who missed it, Sean Connery's character, in an attempt to get a closed mouth villain to talk, shoots an already dead villain (unbeknownst to those on the other side of the window) demonstrating that he will go to all ends to get his way, even murder.
The crook soils himself in fear and sings like a canary, but the Canadian Mountie, cooperating with the FBI, is not amused and delivers one of my favorite movie lines of all time.

"MR. NESS I not approve of your methods!"

So too, gentle readers, I don't approve of Howard's methods, even though I believe in the principle he advances.
I've written before about his methods which in this humble blogger's opinion are too clever by half .
Read:
Revenge of the Galganov!
Howard Galganov- The Empire Strikes Back!

And so Howard will have his moment, he will call Quebecers and the Quebec government an evil naziesque entity, get his news blurb which will only convince Quebecers in the middle of the road and perhaps reachable, that the anglo rights movement is populated by unreasonable, angry and dangerous fanatics.

I'll pass.

Here's a letter I received on the subject from a reader, whose effort deserves to be published.

"As we gird for Mr. Howard Galganov’s next planned spectacle June 30th in Montreal, it is clear from the vitriol on social media and elsewhere that the suggestion that many in Montreal’s growing bilingual community who are less than enthusiastic about his return, are being miscast as somehow anti-Canadian or anti-anglo.

Far from it.

In the face of regressive language restrictions embodied in the upcoming Bill 14, and while we understand the importance of visibility on this issue, these ends should not come at any price. And most reasonable Quebecers - French, English or Allophone alike would consider a Galganov event a price too dear to pay.

In fact, it’s fair to say it would be difficult to imagine a more divisive figure and one more potentially damaging to the movement than Howard Galganov. His public statements, the vitriol with which he dismisses Quebec as a legitimate member and co-founder of the Canadian confederation and his decided location outside of the province, puts him in the unique position of possibly being the very worst representatives of Montreal anglophones or unity in general.

As we now see the promotional materials for Mr. Galganov’s rally being distributed, we are at once turned off by the imagery and frightened at what they suggest to be attitudes of anglo Montrealers or anyone who self-identifies as Canadian here in Quebec. We have come a very long way in the nearly two decades since the last referendum, but unfortunately it seems that Mr. Galganov hasn’t. While we would have hoped that his tack would have evolved to reflect the better wisdom of maturity, and even a cognizance and respect of the changing identities of all the people of this province, here he is once again, being “that angry guy”, at a time when Montreal and the province of Quebec least needs or deserves it.

In the very first line of the press release, Mr. Galganov states on our behalf “We are Canadians. We are not Quebecois” with the accompanying image of a Fleur de Lys being tattered and torn in the storming gale of his megaphone.

Clearly this isn’t just about a language rights fight anymore, but quite overtly an anti-Quebec rally. If there was one sure fire way to be certain that not a single legitimizing francophone would show up, this was it. How terribly, terribly sad that what might have been a clearly messaged stand against an unfair law (which a great many francophone Quebecers feel Bill 14 is), is dumbed down and turned negative at the hands of the guy with some money and clearly too much time on his hands.

At certain points along the path to a goal, be it protecting basic constitutional rights or nurturing a spirit of mutual celebration in place of enforcement, the players will naturally change as the movement becomes more inclusive and nuanced. While when it comes to language rights and the positive progression of Montreal to the promising bilingual city by the hill that it can be, unity is critical. However unity it comes not of a mere desire to have it, but as a bi-product of a truly inclusive, respectful and indeed visionary platform and cast of characters around which to unite.

Clearly, our complex collective of shared and overlapping identities as at once Canadians, Quebecers and Montrealers, however fragile, has come a very long way since 1995. One could go so far as to say that the last decade has represented our best example of a pax linguistica, coming to a head in the firm rejection of the Bloq Quebecois and overwhelming support of a true federalist voice of opposition in Ottawa. Further strong evidence is found in the Anglophone community, where bilingualism is the standard, and where the idea of being a Quebecer is no longer anathema to being proudly Canadian. This is the unique identity of the vast majority of not just anglo Montrealers, but Francophones and Allophones alike.

The sad irony in all of this is that if Quebec were finally cede (whatever the legalities), the blood of that amputation will be as much on the hands of likes of Howard Galganov as those of Mario Beaulieu, Pauline Marois and the unilingualist drones in the Parti Quebecois.

We hope with our growing collective hearts and spirit that true leaders will emerge to help us all move in a new direction that welcomes a more resonantly common vision for Quebec and Montreal.

In united bilingualism,
MB-BM"

I know my position may be a disappointment to some, but in a free and democratic society, even those on the same side have differing opinions as to how to advance the same principles.

The debate currently raging in Quebec over the the government's role in the regulation of religion, is actually the direct result of Quebec's grand failure to understand or manage its language and immigration policy.

The province and its native francophone population finds itself in the uncomfortable situation of needing immigrants to fill the void caused by a falling birthrate, yet cannot abide by those immigrants who are welcomed, but who fail to fully adopt the language, mores, values and convention of the host state.
It isn't a problem indigenous to Quebec, all western societies face the very same problem to varying degrees, but in Quebec the problem of assimilation is exacerbated by the choice of two competing cultures,

The spectre of the disastrous European immigration experiment looms large over the debate and Quebecers look with trepidation at the rise of Islam in Europe and the perceived threat of a growing community seen as disloyal, distinct and dangerous.

It's a nasty conundrum, Quebec needs immigrants, but doesn't like the ones who are accepted, specifically Muslims, who are seen as a threat to social cohesion.
I won't get into the immigration question here, except to say that in choosing immigrants based on language, Quebec has boxed itself into a corner. By trying to fix its language problem through selective immigration, where French speakers are selected before more qualified immigrants, Quebec may do itself more harm then good.

It's a Catch-22 where it seems that Quebec cannot solve its language situation without affecting its social situation. As they say, Damned if you do, or damned if you don't.

Since the political decision to continue accepting these French speaking immigrants seems to over-ride social and economic issues, it falls to suppression of faith as the only manner to stem and reverse the perceived tide of the 'Islamization' of Quebec.
While any such effect, if it exists at all, is vastly overblown, the perceived notion or urban myth that Muslims are a threat, is something militants and the PQ are determined to face-off against.

And so Quebec is taking its lead from France, where the Muslim population has reach over 10% of the population and where their large urban pockets amplifies the community's influence in many key cities.
In France (as in many European countries), it isn't a case of turning off the spigot of immigration, the Muslims are already installed in large enough to 'pose a problem'
The problem is not that they are Muslim, but that a significant number of them are religiously observant and whose many core beliefs are at odds with the principles of French society. Where those principles clash, (like the equality of men and women), the orthodox Muslims are (or are perceived) to be unbending and therein lies the rub.

And so France is imposing a solution in which it is attempting to damper the zeal of observant Muslim by edict. By banning traditional garb in public, the government sends a clear and unambiguous message, that observant Muslims are not welcome in France and as these restrictive rules are promulgated, those who are observant are forced to abandon their orthodoxy or go underground. To ordinary Frenchman the first solution is preferable, but the second acceptable.

All these measures are justified by the notion of separation of Church and state, a concept that harks back to the American Bill of Rights of 1791, an act amending the United States Declaration of Independence, which was a keystone in advancing and codifying the concept of the government staying out of the religion business.

It fell to Thomas Jefferson to expand on the concept in a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut, in1802, a part of which is reproduced below.

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."
-Thomas Jefferson

It is important to note that while modern politicians in France and Quebec reference the concept of the separation of Church and State, they fail to understand or deliberately misinterpret exactly what is or should be implicit in that policy, that is, that outside government people are free to choose what and how to believe.
While the state may act neutral in its position on religion, banning individuals from expressing their beliefs in public, is a direct violation of the covenant of the separation of Church and State.

Today the anti-religion Ayatollahs of Quebec seek to pervert the concept of separation of Church and State in order to banish religion from all walks of public life, using the state to bludgeon the faith out of the observant by means of restrictive regulations based on contrived and fitted rules that hold that any contact with the state must be sanitized from religion in the name of separation.

In a society like Quebec where the State contols our education system from daycare to post-secondary education, our entire health system, our political system and where one-thid of workers are in the direct or indirect employ of the government, enforcing such limitations is a direct attack of the right to practice one's faith free from state interference.

The new anti-religious Ayatollahs in the PQ and the Francophone Press make no bones about their visceral hatred of religion and openly admit that they want religion out of the lives of Quebecers, largely because they see it as a competing force for the alter-religion that they themselves promote, that of sovereignty.

It was with some amusement tinged with sadness that I watched a television advertisement paid for by the Quebec government promoting tolerance towards gays and lesbians.
It seems that in its wisdom the government believes the general population needs to be more accepting towards gays and lesbians,( a good idea) all the while asking the public to be intolerant towards other minorities, those who are religiously observant.

In one such commercial, two men openly kiss in the arrivals area of the airport while the announcer challenges viewers who feel uncomfortable with the scene.
I wonder if the government would dare run the same advertisement featuring a Hasid family or a man wearing a turban or Hijab clad women, again asking for the public to modify its perception.....Fat chance of that!

In Quebec, led by the PQ and the anti-religious Ayatollahs in the Press, a campaign of 'salisage' is underfoot, meant to discredit and humiliate the religiously observant, based on the idea that these people are social misfits, out of tune and step with society in general and thus a threat to good order (read: the march towards Independence) .

How else could this drivel ever find its way into the main press.

"Foran immigrant,a good wayto integrateis to respectthecustoms ofthe host society. This obviously impliesgreater discretionin expressinghis beliefsin public spacesthat comeascontrastedwith it.This is nothingbut asign of respecttothe host society. -Mathieu Bock-CotéLink{fr}{PW}

"Ostentatious religioussymbolsare not primarily a sign faith.Ifthat were the case, the signs could bediscreet.Ratherthey meant to have apolitical impact. They are a provocative and formalized declaration of a refusal tointegrate.It is a showdown by those who wish to breakthe host societyand force it tocapitulate. -Mathieu Bock-Coté link-{fr}{PW}

I'd expect a statement like this from the religious police in Saudi Arabia or Iran, certainly not in any North American context.

In an article by journalist Richard Martineau he calls the turban affair a victory for 'Extremists' a term that is shocking by its connotation. The idea that these Sikhs are a somehow dangerous and violent fifth column, based solely on religious garb, can only be described as racist.
Pardon my ignorance, but my interpretation of an extremist in the religious context, is someone who resorts to violence or terrorism to further their ends.
I'd hardly characterize our local turban-wearing Sikhs as extremists, nor would I characterize a Quebecer wearing a kippah, or a women wearing a Hijab as such.
It seems that hate and intolerance is alive and well in the PQ and their trusted media dogs.

So I'm not uncomfortable calling these haters, Ayatollahs.

They emulate the very worst traits of the religious bosses in Iran and Saudi Arabia where not conforming to state-mandated standards is a punishable act under the law.
We're not far from that in Quebec, if ever the PQ pass their Quebec values legislation, banning religious regalia in public.
Let's go back to something else the illustrious Thomas Jefferson said in regards to the religious affinity of others;

"But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

This goes to the essential debate, in other words what is the big deal about a turban on the soccer field, a kippah worn by a doctor, or a scarf worn by a cashier at the license bureau?

There are many things we don't like or agree with in life, be it rock music, punkism, religious orthodoxy, country music, rock music, left or right wing politicians etc. etc.
Is it reasonable to suppress a concept, a lifestyle, a political opinion or a religious persuasion based only on the fact that the majority is against it?

That is exactly what the Ayatollahs of Quebec, Iran and Saudi Arabia are telling us.

Conform or get the Hell out....

This week in Quebec corruption

With the summer recess of the Charbonneau Commission, it would be reasonable to assume that news on the corruption front would peter out over the next month or two, but alas this certainly isn't the case.
It seems that the Quebec Tax department has taken up the slack and charged two infamous and notorious titans of Quebec's construction industry with hundreds of charges of fraud.

Tony Accurso and the various companies that he once owned have been charged with over 900 criminal charges of cheating the department out of taxes and so it is looking to recoup over $8 million dollars. Link
And in an announcement just a couple of days later, the department charged Frank Catania and his companies with almost 1000 charges of fiscal fraud. Link

On Wednesday, the police executed 15 search warrants and questioned another 15 people in relation to another tax fraud investigation, so the process continues.....

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

Mr. Dressup?

In a bizarre story, the interim mayor of Laval, Alexandre Duplessis, has resigned, but not over allegations that he was involved in some illegal campaign financing (that case remains under investigation) but rather the more traditional sex scandal.
It seems that the mayor got into a pay dispute with an escort and accused her of shaking him down. Link
The cheeky owner of the escort service hit back hard going on television claiming that the mayor stiffed the escort for payment for a private party that the mayor initiated wherein he and the escort engaged in a girls night of dress-up, where the order of the day was trying on female underwear and dresses and applying makeup. Yeechhh!!!!!!!!

Once that allegation hit the airwaves, it was all over but the crying.
As for the mayor's job....NEXT!!!

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

By the way, UPAC, the corruption police have a new target on the radar scope, the city of Granby and the ruling party which is suspected of illegal campaign financing as well.

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

In a weird turn of events, UPAC served a warrant on the Charbonneau Commission to seize the $700,000 that was turned over to it by a Laval political fixer. The money was seized via a warrant to preserve the chain of custody and will be used as evidence in future criminal prosecutions.

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

"Trust me, I'm not under investigation!"

Questions are being raised about UPACs behavior in the investigation of Michael Applebaum.
Clearly he was under investigation while he was campaigning for the interim-mayoral position, yet the police said nothing even though they were pretty sure he'd be soon be arrested.

Now it would have been unethical to announce publicly that Applebaum was under serious investigation, but a leak to a friendly journalist would have saved the city a lot of embarrassment. Let us remember that Applebaum vehemently denied that he was the target of a police investigation in light of the raids conducted on his office by UPAC, clearly what he and UPAC knew to be a bold-faced lie.
The question remains as to whether UPAC had an obligation to somehow set the record straight about the raids in light of Applebaum's false statements.

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

Swiss police claim they have wiretap evidence proving that SNC-Lavalin made millions of dollars in illegal payoffs in relation to the awarding of the Montreal super hospital contract. Link{fr}.

Now French police are investigating another case of SNC-Lavalin illegal payoffs;

"The paper said French police are looking into $13.5-million of suspected kickbacks to someone based in the United Arab Emirates. It said an external auditor first discovered the sum as an anomaly in SNC Europe’s books and that the money appeared to have nothing to do with the company’s European business."link

Quebec minister's demands are a 'bridge too far.'

Gaudrealt: "..Gimme dat ting!, Gimme dat ting!!"

If ever there was an award for political 'Chutzpah', Quebec Minister of Transportation Sylvain Gaudreault would win hands down for his rolls-Royce demands that Ottawa pay for a diamond-plated bridge to replace the crumbling Champlain span connecting Montreal to the south shore.

I'm not really sure why it falls to Ottawa to pay for a bridge that lies completely within Quebec's borders, but apparently it does.
At any rate Mr. Gaudreault sent a letter to his federal counterpart, Denis Lebel, chock full of hilarious demands.

Now if you are one of those readers, furious at Quebec's sense of entitlement, I heartily suggest that you calm yourself before proceeding to the details, or alternately, skip ahead to the next story...

First, Mr. Gaudreault explained that tolls were out of the question because they weren't equitable (and for the fact that Ottawa would get the money to pay for and maintain the bridge) because it penalized poor people and slowed traffic down. He wants Ottawa to pick up the $5 billion tab exclusively and without conditions.
The fact that Montreal's newest bridge connecting Laval to eastern Montreal is a private toll bridge, is of course of no never-mind.

Then Mr. Gaudreault demanded that the bridge include a light rail system of Quebec's choosing that Ottawa would, of course pay for as well.

And then, for the cherry on top, the Minister demands that the bridge be an expensive architectural gem, a symbol worthy of Montreal as an international city.
To whit, the minister demanded that an international competition between world renowned architects be held in order to secure the most lavish and expensive vanity prize.
I wonder if the minister recalls the last great Montreal project built by a renowned 'international architect,' one Roger Taililbert.

The whole affair reminds of the family member who orders an expensive appetizer, and a pricey bottle of wine to accompany the five-pound lobster he ordered, just because it was an uncle picking up the tab at the family reunion at Gibby's.
For those unfamiliar with the Yiddish word Chutzpah, here's an English expression that aptly describes such behavior...'Unmitigated gall!'

"They don't build'em like they used to!

Now what really amazes me is the fact that the ministers involved seem perfectly comfortable with the ten-year plan to build the bridge.
TEN YEARS!!!!! ...you've got to be kidding!

It only took around thirteen years to build the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and that was 143 years ago!
That was without computers or even motor-driven vehicles or power tools!

The George Washington Bridge, the behemoth 14 lane masterpiece over the Hudson in New York, was built in four years, back in 1927, as was San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge, built also in four years starting in 1927.

And by the way, all these bridges remain highly functional today, the average age between them, about 100 years.
Our Champlain bridge in Montreal is but 52 years old and on life support.

Readers, I bet the Chinese could knock up a new Champlain Bridge in under eighteen months, they built a 27 mile ocean bridge (seven times bigger than the proposed Champlain replacement) in about four years. Link

Think I'm kidding?
Watch the Chinese erect and complete a 30 story hotel in 15 days!

How long would it take to build here? One, two or three years?

PQ loses gun registry appeal in Quebec's highest court.

In a unanimous and brief judgment, the appeal court found Quebec has no say in what Ottawa does with data in the federal long-gun registry that is now defunct in every province and territory except Quebec.
“Quebec has no rights over the data,” Chief Justice Nicole Duval Hesler wrote on behalf of a five-judge appeal panel. “The data does not belong to the province, the provinces exercise no control over the data, it is the sole responsibility of the director of the registry – a federal civil servant – from the moment the data is collected until their destruction.” Link

The PQ government reacted swiftly, promising to appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court of Canada in a cynical and devious political manoeuvre where the inevitable loss would serve the PQ's purpose.

Readers, when you lose an appeals court verdict, 5-0, there's not much chance of succeeding in a higher court and the PQ knows it.
But it prefers and in fact is drooling for a loss in the Supreme Court rather than in it's very own Quebec Court of Appeal. Such is the politics of sovereigntist governance,

The Supremos must do us all a favour and quickly decide not to hear their case, making the gun registry loss a Quebec court issue.

If the Supreme Court foolishly decides to hear the appeal, they are doing a disservice to the country and so I hope they quash the appeal as soon as possible.

Quebec City fretting about NHL franchise

It seems that the NHL's agreement with the city of Glendale, assuring that the Coyotes will be there for the foreseeable future has delivered a painful reality check to fans in Quebec City who were holding out hope that the franchise would be moved to their fair city.

PQ minister Agnès Maltaisshared her disappointment with the Press but insisted that the new 'Field of Dreams' arena (build it and they will come) remains necessary with or with out an ~~NHL~~ LNH franchise.
That being said she deftly handed off responsibility to Quebec city Mayor Regis Lebeaume, calling it his baby, just in case the worst happens.

The palpable disappointment has some local writers and sportcasters musing that Quebec doesn't have what it takes to be an NHL franchise, with fans that are too poor to pay NHL ticket prices and little in the way of corporate sponsorship. Listen to a radio show in French
By the way, listening to the show you might be inclined to believe that commentator read my piece published the week before entitled: PQ & Péladeau Holding Back NHL Franchise in Quebec.

But the truth is that Quebec is the most viable market available to the NHL, hands down, as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs assert their territorial rights to block expansion to Hamilton.

At any rate, the news of the Coyotes agreement set off a wave of disappointment high lighted by this ad placed in Kijiji, offering the new arena for rent.....

Odds'n Ends

A reader sent in this email and asks if anybody else has had the same experience.

"In 2011 I moved the headquarters of my federal corporation from Montreal to out of province. Almost like clockwork, 1 month after the PQ took power, we received a letter from Revenue Quebec stating that they are considering us a "compagnie mondiale" and are asking for an addition 2% on all our source deductions back to 2008. We called and explained that we simply moved to another part of Canada, but they said that since we didn't answer within 10 days, their decision was final (it takes letters approximately 10 days to reach me from Montreal). We have since spoken to them and they are willing to accept summaries of our federal T4's which we need to produce by Friday. I am wondering if this is blatant harassment of companies that leave Quebec and I wonder if it is more widespread. Have you heard anything about this from your readers? Could be an interesting story."

Joke of the Week
"For those who haven't heard, Washington State just passed two landmark laws: "Gay marriage" & the "Legalization of marijuana".
The fact that gay marriage and marijuana were legalized on the same day makes perfect biblical sense because Leviticus 20:13 says: "If a man lies with another man they should be stoned."
(S/O to Judy)

The rehabilitation of Quebec’s Maurice Duplessis

"To listen to the apologists of the Quiet Revolution, Quebeckers under Duplessis lived a benighted existence under the thumb of the Catholic Church, denied the economic opportunity available to other Canadians, and particularly to their neighbours in prosperous Ontario. ".......
......The historical record, as set out in Mr. Geloso’s book and other recent works, says otherwise. Duplessis’s was an era of unprecedented expansion of the economy and public services, closing the gap with Ontario at a rapid clip."Read a fascinating article in the Globe and Mail

BTW (By the Way) Two new acronyms for this blog... S/O "Shout out" P/W 'Paywall'

Here's an interesting ad;

'Moving Day' replaces 'Canada Day' in Quebec Best Buy ad

Quebecers work almost three weeks less a year than Ontarians. Link{fr}

Poll: Quebec 'worst managed,' 'least friendly';


Read the complete survey results here

What's wrong with this picture?

I was watching an episode of 'Magic City,' a television series surrounding Miami Beach circa 1959, featuring the trials and tribulations of a Jewish hotel owner, backed by the mob.
In this episode, that is accurately dated by its storyline which includes Castro taking over Havana and closing the casinos, a view of the front of the hotel had me scratching my head.
Can you identify the gaffe?

Montreal Canadiens sign francophone has-been.

I wrote this over a year and a half ago, the fact that Canadiens are having trouble attracting talent, especially francophone Quebecers.

"This coupled with the strange fact that francophone stars eschew Montreal as well, ensures that the team is on a downward spiral, sucked into a linguistic black hole, never to escape....
.....Agents of star players will cross off Montreal from the list of acceptable destinations and so the Canadiens will choose from has-beens, also-rans and aging veterans closing out their career. Its already happened, but no one will admit it." Language Flap Damages Canadiens Brand

And so the Canadiens signed Daniel Briere, the very same player who rejected Montreal out of hand when he was a hot property six years ago, enraging fans who have booed him on every visit to Montreal.

No doubt there will be joy in Mudville tonight, but lets us remember that after a disastrous season, Briere was bought out and tossed aside by Philadelphia Flyers like a bad burrito.
All I can say about the Canadiens signing him is summed up in the line that got by Sean Avery dumped from the New York Ranger...."Sloppy Seconds'

How did the signing go over ?
Well the language militants are thrilled to repatriate and a francophone to the team, but hockey fans are not so impressed.
Read the vicious comments below a story on the signing in La Presse, entitled Six Years Later. Ouch!!

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, especially for beating the Bruins!

CLICK HERE if you'd like to see more Ice Girls!

Have a great weekend

Bonne fin de semaine

The current economic disaster that is Quebec's electricity industry can be best attributed to decades of poor management by Hydro-Quebec(Quebec's state owned electricity monopoly,) unforeseen deteriorating market conditions and changing technology, but worst of all, crippling political interference.

Before going on, it would be useful to describe the ongoing fiasco in the simplest of terms, without a barrage of facts and figures to complicate the issue (that will come later.)

Hydro-Quebec is facing what can only be described as a 'Perfect Storm', a unique set of negative circumstances that is adversely affecting its ability to maintain its money-generating capacity.
The jewel of Quebec's home-grown industry, the unqualified symbol of the province's emancipation has hit the financial shoals and as the media awakens to the problem of the ongoing and developing disaster, the government is gearing up to face the problem as governments are apt to do, that is by hiding, and shifting the blame or responsibility elsewhere.

What went wrong in a nutshell;

Poor Management
The chickens, as they say, have finally come home to roost, as decades of inept, lackadaisical and wildly inefficient management practices, covered up by the massive amounts of profit, (mostly generated from Newfoundland electricity,) has finally exacted its toll. As circumstances change, the utility can no longer generate the profits it had in the past. Let us remember that Hydro-Quebec has almost twice the amount of employees (as dictated by the industry average) and that the cost of building new hydroelectric installations was and remains almost double what is spent elsewhere.

Here's an employee quote from one of the job-seeking sites that describes working conditions at the utility.

"The environment is very laid back, the hours are pretty flexible and the people were very nice. There are good benefits and since it is a large company it is possible to move to a different team via internal recruiting." Link

With salaries that tower over the North American industry average, and double the workforce, it isn't difficult to understand that Hydro-Quebec's problems are more than just related to external forces.
A Montreal newspaper ran a story detailing how one Hydro-Quebec lineman made over $200,000 with overtime in 2011! Link{fr}
A regular lineman makes over $90,000.
In other words, Hydro-Quebec has been run like crap, salaries out of control with bosses more concerned with issues other than maximizing return.

This can best be typified by the arrogance of ex-Hydro boss Thierry Vandalwho made a $250,000 donation to his alma-mater, just because he was president of the board of directors of the school. Link

The mistaken idea that Hydro-Quebec is a corporation like any other (instead of a government monopoly) and like a good corporate citizen, should be making charitable donations and funding arts is outrageous.
Let us remember, that when Hydro-Quebec makes a charitable donation or underwrites a festival or public activity, it is taking the money that would otherwise flow to the government, who by rights has the ultimate and exclusive right to spend public money as it and not as Hydro sees fit.
How about the expensive art that hangs on the walls in the executive offices and corridors of the Hydro-Quebec head office...Is it really a necessity?
It remained for many years a personal source of irritation to me, to see the two Zambonis at the Bell Centre in Montreal emblazoned with Hydro-Quebec's livery, for absolutely no good reason. It isn't that they needed to convince consumers to use their product, there isn't any alternative!
It isn't exactly a case of Coke versus Pepsi.
Does it make any economic sense to rent a box at the Bell Centre at a cost of over a million dollars, when the enterprise is a monopoly and where entertaining clients or employees makes absolutely no business sense whatsoever? Link{fr}

Worst of all, management was not brave enough to face down the disastrous political interference that imposed those financially ruinous policies and programs, that any responsible board of directors would have, or should have rejected out of hand as insane folly.

Deteriorating Demand
Since its inception, it has been a holy tenet of Hydro-Quebec that electricity demand would spiral up each year and that the utility's competitive advantage would assure burgeoning demand both at home and in the export market.
And so Hydro-Quebec has always had expansion on its agenda, moving from one great project to another and even today with the present and foreseeable demand and price for electricity collapsing, the utility has another mega project on the books, the Romaine power development project.

But the results of years of advertising has sensitized consumers to conserve electricity and the program's success has slowly but surely reduced the increased demand for electricity.
Coupled with the collapse of Quebec's pulp and paper industry, an industry that uses massive amounts of electricity in production, has resulted in an unforeseen slowdown in demand.

New Technology
Perhaps the greatest blow to demand for Hydro-Quebec's electricity, is the shrinking export market, where the new kid on the block, electricity generated by newly produced American shale gas, has not only reduced demand in the USA, but depressed prices as well.

With massive amounts of cheap American shale gas coming to market, it is hard to see Hydro-Quebec ever regaining its position and its status as an international energy powerhouse.
The fact that American utilities have invested massively in gas-fired electricity plants augers poorly for the utility as Hydro-Quebec's competitive price advantage collapses.
Demand has slowed down so much that the utility has actually mothballed plants, taking them out of production because there is no where to sell the electricity.

The confluence of these negative factors has resulted in Quebec swimming in surplus electricity;

"The massive, state-of-the-art Bécancour cogeneration electricity plant is capable of powering 550,000 homes. At the moment, however, the only action its gas turbines are getting comes from the dehumidifiers that prevent them from rusting out.
Apart from providing steam for an industrial park neighbour, the plant, 150 kilometres northeast of Montreal, sits largely idle, victim of policies and planning in a province overrun with electricity.
Such is the extraordinary electricity surplus in Quebec that several hundred million dollars are being spent and lost each year dealing with the problem, and consumers are footing the bill."
Read:As Quebec bathes in electricity, money goes down the drain

Government Interference
The most egregious and saddest aspect to Quebec's electricity debacle is the fact that successive governments have used the cash-cow to further political goals.
Successive governments have saddled the utility with policies that no private company would dare embark upon due to their inherent stupidity and money-losing potential.
And so the government has used the utility to create jobs, investing in money-losing ventures, all in an effort to advance political considerations and curry favour with voters.

In a province blessed with unlimited hydroelectric generating capacity, foolish governments have forced Hydro to embark on a program of horrifically expensive wind farms and small generating stations operated in conjunction with local authorities, all in an effort to create jobs while using the excuse of 'green energy'

The programs are nothing more than political pork, meant to shovel money and jobs to the economically depressed regions, particularly the money pit that is the Gaspe peninsula.
And so while Hydro-Quebec has mothballed a giant plant that produces electricity at about 5¢ per kilowatt, (paying the company that built the plant a $250 million penalty a year,) the PQ government is demanding that the utility add more wind power capacity that costs a minimum of 14¢ to produce, while the retail price for electricity remains at about 5¢ to 7¢.

Although I said I wasn't going to get into specific dollar details here, (I will do that in the next post) this alternate energy folly is calculated to cost Quebec rate payers almost one billion dollars a year, enough to pay for the entire free higher education program that students demanded last year and then some.

The Parti Quebecois' energy platform presented before the last election was actually a fantastical narrative of surreality and nonsense that played to its base of granolas and dreamers.
The PQ promised to;

"Roll out an energy strategy based on integrated resource planning, including setting production targets for renewable energy sectors (hydro, wind, biomass, geothermal, solar, hydrogen).

This in a province blessed with limitless reserves of relatively cheap and clean water power.
Utter insanity!

Cognizant of the electricity surplus and the falling prices, Martine Ouellet, the PQ's most dangerous and stupid Minister of Energy of Incompetence actually put forward a call for tenders to add more wind power!

It seems that climbing down from a long standing policy that has been a hallmark of the PQ's political platform won't be easy. The shrieks from its environmental base as well as the howls from the entitled beneficiaries, may be too much pressure to stand up to and perhaps the PQ just may grin and bear the cost of an out of control, failed policy."

All this while the PQ is loudly setting up a committee to study the effects of the doubling up of services and costs by virtue of the federal and Quebec governments inefficiently doing the same providing the same services.

To the PQ money wasted by Ottawa is a target to be exposed, while money wasted by itself...well, something necessary for social peace and justice.

That is unfortunately, exactly what separatist governance is about.

We'll get into more detail next post and I've a special treat, a translated piece from a francophone blogger that lays bare the PQ and in particular Pauline and her husband's role in another PQ mess, back when she was minister of finance.

And as Stan said to Ollie.
"This is another fine mess you've gotten us into!"

" To critics of Stephen Harper’s government, it was evidence of the costs of deregulation; to pipeline advocates, proof that we should be moving oil underground rather than by rail; to some environmentalists, yet another sign that we need to slow down resource development until we better know how to manage it.Link

I've never been a fan of politicians, whatever the political stripe. By nature they are conniving and cynical, often dishonest and almost universally self-centered and paranoid.

In any crisis, disaster or life-changing event, their inevitable first reaction is to ask how exactly all this affects THEM and their political party and how they can limit the damage or press the advantage.

How many politicians in deep political trouble, long for a headline grabbing story to wrest away the attention of the public and shift the spotlight to something or someone other than themselves.

Politician to self; "Oh boy, maybe a plane will crash or a train derail with lots of death. Anything to take the heat off!"

And so the disaster in Lac Megantic is another lesson in realpolitik, a case study if you will, in using a tragic event and the deaths of so many people to further a political goal or injure a political opponent.

By the way politicians aren't the only cynical bastards that seek to benefit from such disasters.
The media just salivates at the thought of a good disaster, a surefire formula to goose ratings.

It's nothing less than sickening....

As the investigation unfolds, all indications are that human error was to blame. The fact that the train involved suffered a fire on one of the locomotives just an hour before, is just too big a coincidence to accept as non-contributory.
Obviously the train was incorrectly secured, the company blaming the fireman, the firemen the company.
More often than not, major rail and air accidents are a combination of unfortunate and cascading events, piled on top of each other ultimately leading to disaster.
The fact that both brake systems failed in an inopportune moment on an inopportune location led to a fantastic tragedy.
It happens, and although tragic, these types of accidents and loss of life will occur again, hopefully not too often.

Watching the television coverage of the Asiana air disaster in San Francisco, it appears likely that human error was the cause of the accident, but I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that more than one error was committed by more than one crew member and that perhaps there might have been a mitigating technical glitch. Again a story of cascading events.
It's hard to believe that only one pilot made a mistake and that the other had no responsibility.

There isn't much a government can do to regulate human error, it is part of our human experience and that is why the law demands two pilots in a commercial airliner, a sage precaution that precludes what would probably be a vastly increased number of accidents. It is called redundancy and that is why trains have multiple layers of brakes.
Why all the brakes failed is hard to chalk up to technical problems, the more likely scenario is that the first set of air brakes were damaged in the locomotive fire and that human error in setting the manual brakes occurred.
The nature of the accidents in San Francisco and in Lac Megantic point clearly to human error, although an investigation will obviously determine the actual cause.

But interestingly, in San Francisco, there are few or no voices complaining about weak federal regulations, lack of inspections, poor equipment or runway maintenance.
With human error the likely culprit of the accident, it would be unwise and irresponsible to cast aspersions wildly and without basis in fact.

But such is not the case in the Lac Megantic disaster, as politicians and the media have been lightning quick to find fault, either with the federal government, inspectors, rules and regulations and even the rolling stock.

The Slimeballs.

'Uncle Tom' Mulcair
"Mulcair, who visited Lac-Megantic following the derailment, said the accident was “another case where government is cutting in the wrong area.”
“We are seeing more and more petroleum products being transported by rail, and there are attendant dangers involved in that. And at the same time, the Conservative government is cutting transport safety in Canada, cutting back the budgets in that area,” said Mulcair, who pointed to decreased transportation checks on petroleum at a time when production was increasing.
“When we have a discussion about these things in the coming months or years let’s remember this day. We are watching a magnificent little village being burned to the ground by toxic products that were being transported through it,” Mulcair said.Link

I don't know where Mr.Mulcair gets his facts, but one blogger has actually checked to see if accidents are on the rise after deregulation.

Sorry to sat, the facts don't fit Mr. Mulcair's agenda;

The number of rail accidents as calculated by DAVID over at l'antagoniste website.

The accident rate over the last five years has dropped by 30% while the transport of petroleum products by rail has skyrocketed by 28,000%.

MR. MULCAIR!!!... check your facts.

Daniel Paillé (Bloc Q leader)

According to Daniel Paillé, waiting for the results of the investigation doesn't make sense and he demanded that the federal government take action immediately by calling a Parliamentary Commission..

{T}"I want to remind the government in Ottawa that it has a responsibility starting with the gravel found between the railway ties, up until the rules that regulate inter-provincial rail transport."Link{fr}

He then blasted everyone in sight for not flying flags at half mast until he was reminded that not all the bodies have been found yet.

And in an orgy of political one-upmanship , the Prime Minister's office got into a pissing contest with the NDP trying to paint Thomas Mulcair as insensitive.

Mulcair was adamant in denying that he ever said that the tragedy was a result of government de-regulation, but a video tells another story.

"CTV News reported that "Mulcair, who visited Lac-Mégantic following the derailment, said the accident was 'another case where government is cutting in the wrong area.'" Mulcair was in Lac-Mégantic on Sunday.

"In the video, Mulcair is seen saying: "We've got to get beyond this new system that they seem to be wanting to put in place of self-regulation. Governments have to regulate in the public interest, nothing more important in what governments do than taking care of the safety of the public."
"And this is another case where the government has been cutting in the wrong area," Mulcair said in the video.".....
....Andrew MacDougall, the director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, took to Twitter on Sunday following Mulcair's comments saying: "The people of Lac Mégantic have experienced an unspeakable tragedy and we do not yet know its cause. It is grossly inappropriate for Mr. Mulcair to put politics ahead of the people of Lac Mégantic."
....Former interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae also took to Twitter to show his disapproval with the NDP leader's comments saying: "Tom Mulcair blaming Harper for the tragedy at Lac Mégantic is a new low. And as you know, I'm no fan of Mr. Harper's politics." Link

In another story;

"Within hours of the accident, NDP leader Tom Mulcair had already blamed cuts to Transport Canada, saying the increase in transporting dangerous goods via rail was accompanied by less regulation and inspectors..

...NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus cited funding and environmental assessment cuts in his criticism and defended Mulcair's initial assessment, saying Mulcair was only asking "honest" questions." Link

In another story;

"I think most Canadians would be surprised to hear that rail companies are left to inspect themselves and Transport Canada goes over the paperwork," says Olivia Chow, NDP transportation critic.
"Shouldn't there be spot-checks by the government to see whether what is on paper is actually what's happening in the field?"Link

There it is, the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP all trying to make political points on the back of the dead in Lac Megantic!

Of all the quotes, this one by Thomas Mulcair turns my stomach. A cleverly crafted political message wrapped up in crocodile tears and mock concern;

"My thoughts and prayers are with those families — that's our first priority today — but there's still lots of questions and those same families deserve answers to those questions," Mulcair, who represents the Quebec riding of Outremont, said Sunday.

Are all politicians rats like the ones above?

I was duly impressed by one Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberals who said this;

"I'm blown away, obviously by the terrible destruction ... but also by the strength and the courage of the people who have come from across the country to help out," Trudeau said.
"It's still too early to try to formulate theories on why or how it happened. Today and for the coming days, we will be occupied with residents, families who lost everything in certain cases, to help them and support them."

...finally

Trudeau may be a neophyte, according to his political detractors, but he's the one leader who has demonstrated that making political hay over a disaster of this magnitude, just isn't cricket.

Let me take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to the families of victims and wishes of good fortune to the survivors of Canada' worst rail disaster.
I hope both levels of government leave politics aside and work to restore this town sooner than later.
With good intentions and coöperation, it isn't conceivable to have the town rehabilitated within eighteen months.
The townsfolk deserve nothing less.

Note to readers;
The followup post about electricity, Hydro-Quebec and the disastrous management of the file by Pauline Marois, that was supposed to appear today, will be published next week.

Any disaster, especially one close to home is an excellent chance for local media to cash in as the public scrambles to the news channels and newspapers for information, gripped by a morbid fascination of the unfolding calamity of death and destruction.
The specter of so many dead and the images of utter destruction makes for a summer blockbuster that even Hollywood is hard up to provide.

And so the media gears up, I mean it really gears up, rushing multiple reporters and equipment to the scene, with all hands mustered to fish for any scrap of information to advance the story and where failing real developments, idle speculation and willful manipulation are the order of the day, to keep the pot boiling.
This is what the media lives for. If you think I'm exaggerating, ask yourself who is really watching television news channels on a beautiful summer day with temperature approaching 30 degrees and the sun glaring down.

The first casualty in any such newsworthy disaster is journalistic integrity, as the story is fitted along the lines that the public is most in tune with.

It was no surprise that the chairman of the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was made out to be a modern version of Simon Legree. He was practically cast for the part as the local media crafted a narrative of evil greed and malfeasance, before any real facts could be established.

And so the media weaved a story of an accident caused by willful neglect, callous cost-cutting and abject indifference and dereliction of duty. It was of course what the public wanted to hear, a story that best suited the enraged emotions, the need to hate and the need to blame.

What glorious fun it was for the media to pounce on the unfortunate Ed Burkhardt a media-challenged yutz, who didn't understand the importance in appearing humble, contrite and deferential.

Instead the idiot offered some injudicious opinions better left unsaid, galvanizing his position as an unrepentant money-grubber, indifferent to the suffering of the locals, intent on saving his own skin and wallet.
How much wiser it would have been to leave it to the spin-masters to bob and weave in his staid, saying all the right things, but nothing really at all.

And then there are the language fanatics, who could not resist demanding that the American company adopt a French demeanor and where every French grammatical error was elevated to a deliberate slap to the face of the francophone collective.
And this not only in the fringe press, with "Speak White' echoing through the pages of the Journal de Montreal, as journo after journo took language potshots at the hapless Burkhardt.

Then there were the shameful politicians seeking to make political points on the backs of the dead and the attached media spotlight, the egregious Thomas Mulcair leading the way, blaming the entire fiasco on his political opponent as if Stephan Harper ordered the train to crash.

Stand back gentle readers, and look at the idiots, the fools, the greedy manipulators, be it railroad apologists, conservationists, separatists and the pipeline proponents all trying to spin the disaster to best further their interests.

And now, it is the turn of the shysters to have their go. Already an Ontario lawyer has announced a class-action lawsuit against the company, its president and the hapless train conductor, all without a shred of evidence.
But no matter, the evidence will come later, after the clients have been bagged and tagged.

And so the media continues to paint a fantastical picture, partly true, partly what we wish it to be and partly make-believe.

Even the stately Montreal Gazette couldn't resist with this sappy editorial, one with absolutely no basis in fact.

"This outpouring of support for those afflicted by a disaster such as this can be explained in part by the culture of solidarity and strong sense of collectivity prevalent in Quebec society."

'Culture of Solidarity?'....... Arrgghhh..... what a crock!

When it comes to charity, Quebecers have always been the least generous of Canadians, whether it be with their money or their donated time and this disaster underlines that fact better than ever.

So far the Red Cross has collected a paltry $3.5 million dollars towards the disaster, and this from across Canada.
But even if we considered that all the money came from Quebecers (which it didn't) it would amount to less than 50¢ per person, not exactly a Herculean effort.

As for corporate donations, how is it that companies based outside of Quebec are infinitely more generous than Quebec based companies?
So far as I can see, here is a list of corporate donations so far. I'm sure it's not complete, but you get the picture..

Companies based outside Quebec

RBC....................$50,000
Bell......................$25,000
CAW...................$25,000
Manulife.............$50,000
Sun Life..............$50,000
CIBC..................$50,000
Standard Life.....$50,000
Hudson's Bay.....$50,000
TD Bank ..........$50,000
Tim Hortons.......$100,000
Intact Insurance..$100,000
Target..................$25,000

Total Canada..............$675,000

Desjardin....................$100,000
Industrielle Alliance...$50,000
Promutue....................$50,000
National Bank.............$25,000
Laurentan Bank..........$25,000
CGI.............................$100,000

Total Quebec.................$350,000

Once, again is the ROC carrying the freight? (Apologies, that was an extremely bad pun.)

And let us not forget the most generous contribution of Quebec's very own Celine Dion who made sure her $100,000 contribution was splashed all over the media.
But consider this, after a deduction for taxes the donation represented no more than 50K, this from someone worth $400 million.
It's equivalent to someone worth $250,000 donating $62 and receiving a $20- $30 tax discount.
Not particularly impressive.

And how about those mandatory benefit concerts put on to show solidarity with the victims and raise money and awareness.
Not one real headliner has signed on to the scheduled event at the 'Lac-Megantic relief at Le Monument National'' as yet, but hey, it's the summer and people have plans... (more solidarity?)
(Maybe Celine donated the cash so she wouldn't have to show?) Link

At any rate, I remain thoroughly disgusted with events surrounding the Lac Megantic nightmare.
While the media portrays the public reaction as something heroic, I see it as the theater of the absurd, where most everyone involved is seeking something for themselves.

By the way, I can't resist publishing this news report aired by an important Los Angeles television station eager to 'scoop' everyone with the names of the pilots of the Korean Asiana airliner that went down in San Francisco.
The names of the pilots had been withheld by authorities, but with the information in hand, the station couldn't resist beating the competition to the story. It just shows how crazy the media becomes around these disasters.

I hope they are good and embarrassed.

The last time the PQ was in power, it sponsored a paper mill project in the money pit that is the Gaspé peninsula, the sinkhole that keeps swallowing Quebec taxpayer dollars without shame or remorse.

The 2001 project that sought to reopen a pulp and paper mill in Chandler, financed by the government, sunk like the proverbial lead balloon, costing about half a billion dollars with nothing to show for it.

The PQ government was blamed harshly by the commissioner appointed to inquire into the fiasco,

"In its reportreleased Friday, Justice RobertLesagedenouncedpolitical pressureby the Parti Québécoisto revivethe paper millin Chandler."
Judge Lesageblamedmainlythe former PQgovernment for thefailure of the project, accusing it of thesin of electioneeringunder the impulseof an interventionistideology." Link{fr}

If you've got a lot of time, read the complete report on the Gaspésia fiasco by commissioner Robert Lesage;

Rapport d’enquête sur les dépassements de coûts et de délais du chantier de la Société Papiers Gaspésia de Chandler {fr}

Pauline Marois and her husband Claude Blanchet were the showrunners of the project and never fully managed to wash the stink of the disaster off.
You'd think Pauline would have learned from that disaster, that fooling around with public money on a whim is not exactly the best of ideas, but alas she is at it again throwing good money after bad in the province's reckless pursuit of wind power, another billion dollar boondoggle.

Of course the people of the Gaspé live in a fantasy world where they actually believe they are innovators and pioneers in wind power and organic waste electric generation, instead of the panhandlers and beggars that they always were.

"This third contract with Hydro-Quebec confirms the leadership of Innoventé in the power production from organic waste. We rejoice that a community such as Matane has chosen the technology of Innoventé to revive the plant and implement a new viable, green and sustainable industry, declares Mr. Richard Painchaud, President of Innoventé. We are happy to be able to count on the collaboration of all stakeholders in the field".
For the mayor of Matane, Mr. Claude Canuel, who views his city as the Mecca of the wind power industry in Quebec, Innoventé's project will have a positive impact in strengthening the role of Matane in the field of renewable energy, rationalization of the forestry sector, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and achieving the City of Matane's objectives regarding sustainable development. Mr. Mayor Canuel went further by affirming: "I want to emphasize the determination of the President of Innoventé, Mr. Richard Painchaud, without which the revival of the RockTenn plant would not have been impossible". Link

Here's a blog piece on another fine French blog Agora.com entitled Après Gaspésia, Éolia ?

I've taken the liberty to translate the piece because it is something that you won't find in the mainstream press and is well-written and of utmost interest.

If you read French please do the author the courtesy of reading the piece on his blog and if so inclined please leave a comment there.

In 2001, when the PQ was in power it had on the drawing board an ambitious project called 'Gaspésia', a plan to reopen a paper mill in the Gaspé:'' On 17 December 2001, the former premier Bernard Landry, Claude Blanchet and President of Tembec, Frank Dottori, announced the revival of Gaspésia, a $463 million project. The Solidarity Fund of the QFL would own 50% shares of Gaspésia Paper, Tembec and SGF (Qc government investment arm run by Pauline's Hubby ..editor) splitting the rest of the shares. In front of 500 people, Mr. Blanchet hyped the presence of a partner "with deep pockets" as Tembec's Dottori hid his face in his hands, making the crowd laugh. During their press conference, Mr. Dottori said that "this is a high-risk project."'

The project was in fact a total fiasco, with refitting costs exploding by some $200 million. But the plant never opened its doors, and a total loss of $500 million was written off . At that time the finance minister was ... Pauline Marois.

Judge Lesage, analyzing this fiasco inculps Claude Blanchet and indirectly Pauline Marois:''In his report, Judge Lesage takes Bernard Landry to task, but rips violently into Claude Blanchet, former CEO of General Finance Corporation. Between these two, Pauline Marois is not blameless, as finance minister at the time.

Everyone also remembers the press conference where Mr. Blanchet revealed that pressure had been put upon him to commit the SGF financially to the project. This pressure came not only from Premier Landry, but also "dear Pauline," his wife.''

To our great misfortune, there are similarities between the development of wind power as proposed by the current government and that disastrous Gaspesia plan: Both projects claim to help create jobs in disadvantaged regions and both projects relate to industries in deep difficulty, with diminishing demand for paper products with the development of electronic media for Gaspésia and wind power too expensive to compete with the natural gas produced by our southern neighbors.

Even more disturbing is what Pauline Marois said in August 2012:'' The Parti Quebecois leader told us that she wants to "turn the page" on the fiasco that was Gaspésia. But she said she did not have any regrets.

''Her greenish Minister of natural resources, Martine Ouellet doesn't seem aware of the statistics released this week by the MEI in regards to the wind industry:'' For the Montreal Economic Institute, it is clear that the industry receives an implicit subsidy of $700 million per year, paid for by all Quebec consumers through their electricity bill'' For those less familiar with the matter, let me summarize it this way: the cost of generating electricity with wind power is 14¢ per KWH while the sale price on the export market (since we already have a surplus of elecvctricity) is ...6¢ per KWH. No private company would proceed in light of such figures!

Therefore, each Quebecer who pays taxes donates $180 to the wind industry (each year..editor) . Yet despite these figures Minister Ouellet is convinced that the wind industry does not have to worry about its future! One of the problems in the Gaspésia project was the hyper-unionisation that added to the cost of production. To build a Quebec wind turbine costs about 70% more than anywhere in North America, which adds more to the similarities between these two famous projects!

While in his tenure as prime minister, Bernard Landry cost this province one disastrous project, now Pauline Marois intends to make us relive the same type of fiasco, but annually!

Worst in all this, is that her own party is more concerned with duplication of services with the federal government. In this case one political party seems to have its eyes open, the Conservative Party of Quebec and its leaders who penned this opinion piece: Scandale éolien

In that article, Adrien Pouliet, head of the fledgling Quebec conservative party made it painfully clear;

"Quebec wind turbinesgeneratelosses estimated at nearly$ 700 millionper yearaccording to theMontreal Economic Institute. Theimportance ofthese staggeringlossesdeserves an explanation from the PQ government as to howsuch financialmismanagementhasoccurredand especially, why itpersists andworsestill,encourages morewind generationlosses." Read more{fr}

Of course, Pauline dodged responsibility for the Gaspesia affair, choosing to blame the Liberal government which was forced to clean up the mess, after the PQ government fell.

For a definitive review of the folly of wind power read The Growing Cost of Electricity Production in Quebec by the Montreal Economic Institute.

And so Pauline and the PQ go merrily rolling along, confident that she and her party can bamboozle Quebecers into paying $700 million a year to support her fading dream of getting the Gaspé sinkhole off the dole, thus fulfilling her dream of keeping the area economically alive.

But not so fast.....

Unlike the Gaspésia disaster or the Caisse de dépôt $39 billion meltdown, news of which was sprung upon hapless taxpayers after the fact, the ongoing financial disaster in relation to wind power is drawing attention, a lot of attention, and I'm not sure that Marois and company can face the music of a concerted political campaign by both the press and the opposition.

Here is just a sample of what the Press is saying;
Blowing our tax dollars on windmills
"Who doesn't love windmills? The very word conjures up nostalgic images of solitary brick or wooden towers with vanes set against picturesque fields. Of course, wind farms nowadays are filled with row upon row of tall, steel tube towers, but even these wind turbines have a sparse, modern beauty to them.
The thing is, wind power is also expensive. In Quebec, it's about 2.5 times more expensive to produce than hydroelectricity from large dams in the James Bay area (roughly 14¢ versus 5.5¢ per kWh), which accounts for most of the electricity produced by Hydro-Quebec.
Moreover, the province has more energy than it needs, which is why the government cancelled six small hydroelectric projects earlier this year. If that's the case, why are Quebec taxpayers still indirectly subsidizing the wind power industry to the tune of $695 million a year? And why is the government announcing new supply contracts for wind power? "Link

Hadekel: Politics raising Quebec energy costs
Quebecers pay literally hundreds of millions of dollars a year to produce electricity from wind turbines that they don’t need,” economist Youri Chassin says in a note published by the Montreal Economic Institute. “This energy is 2.5 times more expensive than hydroelectricity.”
He figures the net cost of wind power, including transportation, distribution and integration into the grid, is a little more than 14 cents a kilowatt hour, compared with small hydro power at 11.5 cents and legacy installations like the La Grande and Manic dams at 5.5 cents.
The implicit subsidy to wind production works out to $695 million a year.
Now, you might have political reasons to favour wind if you think it’s a better source of energy at a time of climate change.
However, both wind and hydro are clean and renewable and hydro dams have a longer lifespan than wind turbines, which must be decommissioned after 20 or 25 years. Link

More and more articles are starting to be published in both the French and English press and a din of protest is rising. When the Fall session of the Parliament begins, it is likely that all Hell will break loose and with no defensible position, Pauline is going to have to shuck and jive.

And so it is no surprise that the PQ government is making noises about creating a consultative commission to gather public opinion in relation to energy policies, perhaps a way to wriggle out of the ongoing disaster by shifting the blame.

After all, it's a Pauline specialty.

Gilles Vaillancourt..alleged 'Godfather' of Laval corruption

It didn't come as a surprise that the ex-mayor of Laval (Quebec's third largest city) was finally arrested over corruption, what was astounding was the fact that another 37 big shots were also arrested and that Gilles Vaillancourt along with two others who ran Laval city hall were charged with 'gangsterism'

Now 'gangsterism' is a relatively new concept to Canadian law and was created in 1997 to deal with organized crime, particularly the Mafia and street gangs who organize themselves into groups which are in essence companies whose business is crime.

The charge of gangsterism has never been used in respect to political graft and it reflects how solid the proof is in regards to those charged.

In effect, the police concluded and believe they can prove that Vaillancourt led an organized gang of thieves that systematically bilked Laval taxpayers of millions and millions of dollars, by overpaying on construction contracts in anticipation of kickbacks.

The investigation was long, over three years and considering the scope, it is a credit to police that it has finally resulted in so many charges.
The rumours surrounding the investigation are shocking if true. It has been said that the police recovered a detailed summary of illegal donations made to politicians of all political stripes and that up to $15 million has been shipped off to Caribbean tax havens. What police do confirm is that they discovered almost half a million dollars in cash, stuffed into safe deposit boxes controlled by the ex-mayor.
Vaillancourt has claimed innocence, but with the wealth of evidence that the police are boasting they possess, much of it provided by inside sources who have cut a deal with prosecutors, it seems that the ex-mayor's goose is pretty well cooked.

While among the arrested, there remains a hard core of closed-mouth crooks, look to the weak-kneed professionals, who once threatened with real jail time, will crack rather quickly and spill the beans. The whole illegal scheme involves too many weak links to respect the principle of Omertà.
At any rate, it is pretty clear that two of the men at the center of the controversy have already turned states evidence. While police didn't confirm this, events surrounding their behavior and the fact that they weren't arrested along with the rest of the cabal is pretty clear evidence as to what is going on.

Robert Lafrenière, the head of the investigative unit told an interviewer that the investigation looked at corruption all the way back to 1976, a cutoff date artificially imposed for practical and financial reasons. It is not unreasonable to conclude that Laval has been run by criminals for at least forty years, spanning several mayoralties.
And remember, the shoe hasn't yet dropped on the crooks at Montreal city hall and their related co-conspirators, but it is coming.
The Charbonneau Commission went in camera several times recently and according to the judge it was done in order not to jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations.
So it is only a matter of time before this next hammer falls, another devastating blow to Quebec's honesty index.

While rumor, innuendo and unproven accusations may be the stock-in-trade of the Charbonneau Commission, the arrests of so many players in Laval including the ex-mayor, his chief aides, important businessmen and professionals and the seriousness of the charges, puts paid any notion that other provinces are as corrupt as Quebec, something that apologists in the media have put forward as a defense.

Now I'd like you to think back to that Maclean's article entitled 'The Most Corrupt Province in Canada.' I don't have to remind you that the charges made in that article, which were shocking at the time, have been dwarfed by the revelations made since the publication of the story.

We all remember the virulent reaction and charges of "Quebec-bashing' made by politicians, the media and Quebec-can-do-no-wrong defenders, who should have let the chips fall where they might before taking such a strident position.

"Patriquin, Maclean's Quebec bureau chief, said the magazine is legitimately exploring the history of corruption in Quebec.
He said people should read the entire five pages dedicated to the story before casting judgment. According to the article, Quebec had been described by historians as far back as 1968 as the most corrupt region of North America.
"The idea that this is Quebec bashing is frankly moronic," Patriquin told CBC News. "We hit hard with our covers. We have done this for other regions in Canada. [Anyone who says] that we are singling out Quebec for any reason hasn't read any of the other issues we put out in a year."

In light of all that has transpired, one would expect a round of apologies. Instead, those who bashed the magazine and the authors are keeping silent, secure in the knowledge that Canada's vapid core of somnolent and intimidated reporters will give them a pass.
We've seen it before, the press' unwillingness to confront the NDP over the lie of Jack Layton's illness.
It is the Canadians Press' dirty little secret, that important stories are ignored in order to maintain good relations with those public figures that the reporters cover, in a shameful effort to maintain access.

And so those who have wrongly smeared Maclean's can stay silent, secure in the knowledge that nobody will call them out publicly, in other words, a wink and a nod, say no more, and Bob's your uncle!

Since Maclean's and its authors are too honorable to point out the obvious and since nobody to my knowledge has done so, it befalls to me to remind everyone of what they said, and to denounce them publicly for their lack of courage in admitting that they were dead wrong.
Jonathan Kay of the National Post did write an article, where tongue in cheek, he apologized to Maclean's on behalf of Canada, but the article did not remind us exactly what was said and by whom.

Now everybody in journalism, the opinion business or the political game, stands the chance of getting an opinion, a fact or even a complete story wrong.
I've done it myself and recognize that admitting a mistake and apologizing is the moral and fair thing to do, especially when reputations are at stake.
All that is required is that whomever made a mistake, offer a small "My Bad" or 'mea culpa.'
This is what a fair apology should look like.

Now of all those denunciations of Maclean's and the two authors, the most egregious fault came from the Quebec Press Council which by its condemnation and its subsequent refusal to admit its mistake has lost all credibility as an impartial and fair adjudicator in matters pertaining to fairness in the press. Perhaps Maclean's knew what we didn't, the fact that they couldn't get a fair shake from this august body and so chose not to participate in the lynching. Laughably, the Quebec Press council also cited Maclean's for not publishing the condemnation issued by the Council.

"In a March 18 decision that was made public Tuesday, the seven-member watchdog unanimously blamed the publication for the headline and "a lack of journalistic rigour."The council concluded that Maclean's did not prove Quebec was the most corrupt province and that the article was based on perceptions.
The magazine didn't collaborate with the press council and offered no defence against the complaints filed by Gilles Rheaume, a well-known militant Quebec sovereigntist.
A Maclean's spokeswoman said Tuesday the publication preferred not to comment. The council has asked the magazine to make the decision public.
A majority of council members also found that journalist Martin Patriquin and columnist Andrew Coyne did not show Quebec was the most corrupt province despite amassing several points of view about the existence of a series of corruption cases.
The council wrote that no thorough and rigorous analysis was done to compare Quebec with other provinces in terms of corruption.
Six of the seven council members also took Mr. Patriquin to task for writing that problems encountered by Premier Jean Charest's government were part of a "long line of made-in Quebec corruption that has affected the province's political culture at every level."
They said Mr. Patriquin displayed a lack of journalistic rigour.
"We are forced to conclude that they (the comments) reveal prejudice and are all the more condemnable under the circumstances as they carry prejudices against all Quebecers," the council wrote.
That lack of rigour was also attributed to a column by Mr. Coyne."Link

Now the second most serious condemnation came from Premier Jean Charest, because as head of the Quebec government he spoke on behalf of us all.
As you know, (for personal reasons) I never publicly criticized him while in power, but today he is retired from politics and while still a personal friend, I couldn't write this piece honestly without calling him out for the letter he sent to the editiors of the magazine.

Mr. Stevenson:
I’m writing in regards to your sensationalist “feature” on Québec. Your article met none of the basic standards of journalism. By authorizing its publication, describing Québec as “The Most Corrupt Province in Canada,” you have discredited your magazine.
Far from serious journalism, which is supported by facts in evidence, your article tries to demonstrate a simplistic and offensive thesis that Québecers are genetically incapable of acting with integrity.
Drawing on recent debates, you have concocted an assortment of dubious conclusions, unproven allegations, and isolated events, in which you confuse premier Duplessis, public service unions, the Quiet Revolution, state intervention, our Catholic roots, and above all the sovereignist movement.
With this twisted form of journalism and ignorance, any society would be painted in a poor light.
This is not the first time Maclean’s has published such an article. Less than a year ago, your magazine included a similar story about Montréal......

Jean Charest, Premier of Québec. Read the rest of the letter

In the cruel light of recent facts, the letter is sadly pathetic, particularly the part where he complains that the magazine unfairly bashed the city of Montreal over corruption, in a previous story.

Here's some notable players who also need to apologize.

DenisCoderre
"It's thePlains of Abraham disease, wherein we're viewed condescendingly and with contempt."
"...Togeneralizelike that, I find it totallyinacceptable" Link

'Uncle' ThomMulcair
"Quebec New Democrat MP Thomas Mulcair said he is sickened by the magazine's treatment of the issue from the cover to the content.
He said there is no evidence Quebec's history with corruption is worse than any other province.
"It's the worst type of group smear you could think of," Mulcair told CBC News on Friday. "It's beneath contempt." Link

Nathalie Normandeau
The ex-Liberal deputy premier was visibly irritated by the article and said her government would formally ask Maclean’s to apologize because, she insisted, it attacks not just the government but all of the Quebec people.Link

Montreal Gazette Editorial
"Could it be true? Did Maclean’s prove its case? Or is the article just another in a long line of gratuitously offensive sorties against the one province that dares to insist on having its own identity, complete with European style state interference in the economy?...Maclean’s is wrong. It didn’t come close to making its case. The haste with which the magazine slid past the shortcomings of other provinces, while lingering on 80-year-old scandals out of Quebec, was remarkable.The Maclean’s article is a journalistic drive-by shooting."

The Montreal Gazette pulled this article by journalist Henry Aubin from the web, concerning his take on the Maclean's story. I can only wonder why.
Henry Aubin
"Yes, Quebec has a putrid level of corruption. But the problem is with that one crucial word -"most." Is corruption really worse here than elsewhere in Canada ? It could well be. But it’s a serious accusation -one that could easily affect outsiders’ investment decisions. The national magazine makes no attempt to compare the situation in Quebec empirically with that in other provinces.
To be sure, Maclean’s lists some headline-making scandals in other provinces, and it concludes that since more such cases have been unearthed in Quebec than elsewhere this province has to be the most corrupt.
The flaw in logic here is blatant. Corruption by definition is hidden. There is no way of knowing how much goes on out of sight...." Alternate Link

Now I'm not going to cite the many Maclean's bashers on the francophone side who would never in a million years apologize or even consider that they were wrong, it serves no purpose. The exception is Jean-François Lisée, who wrote what he assumed was a clever rebuke in English to Maclean's denouncing the story.

No wait ! Maybe one of these titles came from another magazine. No matter. Having been a journalist for a couple of decades, I did try to find in last week’s issue the methodology used to grant Québec its number one spot on the corruption scale. I was curious to know who was number two, and how wide the margin was – as in Maclean’s yearly university rankings. Did the writers use the number of corruption convictions of elected officials in each province since 2000 ? The cash amount proven to have changed hands illegally? Or, since no conviction is to be found in Québec (yet ?), the number of police inquiries in play ? I was disappointed. Maclean’s has no comparison metrics whatsoever. The whole cover is based on opinion and perception alone. Hopes for a Pulitzer on this one are dim.
So, just what is the fuss about ? A screaming headline loosely based on facts ? They’re a dime a dozen. They sell. And Maclean’s is in the selling business. So all would be forgiven, if it were not for Andrew Coyne’s scoop that Quebecer’s are impervious to « constructive criticism ». Let’s try. Link

To this day, Wikipedia still lists the Maclean's article under the citation of 'Quebec-bashing.' Link{fr}

I spoke to one Quebec-apologist about getting it wrong and his subsequent refusal to apologize.
His answer intrigued me because it is typical of the language/sovereignty industry where spin, slide and sometimes fanciful facts and interpretations are used to explain away any trifling set of facts or circumstances.

According to him, the magazine was clearly at fault because at the time they could not have known of the deep and dark depth of corruption in Quebec, as the damaging facts hadn't yet come to light.
And so, according to him, Maclean's and the reporters involved just got 'lucky' that things turned out the way they did.

I looked at him incredulously, shook my head and told him the story of Lamar Gillett, the only P-35 pilot in World War II to shoot down a Japanese Zero fighter.
When asked to explain his heroic exploits, he told the interviewer that;
"It's better to be lucky than good.I was lucky I was behind the Zero instead of in front of him."

The PQ Ship of Fools

With the election of a new Liberal party leader Philippe Couillard and an uptick in the polls, it's not unreasonable to look forward to the demise of this PQ government, if not in the short term, perhaps in the medium term.

New leaders of any political party enjoy a brief honeymoon that only the smartest take advantage of.

If the Liberals are adept, they'd quickly work to dump the PQ government and plunge the province into a quicky type election, but it's unlikely as the CAQ fearing a Liberal majority will be compelled to support the moribund PQ government.

Since nobody can really predict what will happen, we may or may not be stuck with a PQ government that can best be described as not quite up to snuff.

When the PQ was first elected I wrote a piece describing the utter lack of potential cabinet talent within the PQ ranks and the unmitigated disaster that awaited us as a bunch of incompetent fools were handed the reins of power. Read: Pauline Steers a PQ Ship of Fools
I think it's fair to say that time has borne me out and that this opinion wasn't just a partisan shot.

While I generally disdain all pequists, past and present, I am the first to say that many PQ governments of the past were made up of men and women with a certain level of competence, responsibility and yes, honour, all of which is sadly lacking in Pauline's motley crew.

Let me provide a report card on the ministers of this government, cognizant of the fact that I am not a fan, something like a Montreal Canadiens fan rating the Boston Bruins, player by player.

Nicolas Marceau-C
Minister of Finance.

Of all the PQ ministers, Nicolas Marceau came with perhaps the highest credentials with a solid academic background. However it turns out that being book-smart is no replacement for experience, something he apparently sorely lacks.
His first move as finance minister was utterly disastrous, not only raising taxes, but doing it retroactively.

What is wrong with retro-activity?
Well, it is like Loblaws raising the price of the groceries you bought last year and sending you an additional bill now. Not many people would be fine with that.

The outcry in the press was more than he and the government could stand as he sheepishly reversed his position, a harbinger of a string of about-faces that would plague the Marois government in the future months.
Marceau's gaffe didn't just surprise me because he should have known better, what really amazed me was that his deputy-minister and professional staff didn't steer him away from the disaster, after all, they are professionals and could not have been blind to the impending disaster.
Either Marceau over-rode their advice or they let him commit hari-kiri in public, neither scenario, very encouraging.
Marceau has never recovered and has kept his head down, his reputation in tatters, something that no minister of finance can afford.

Martine Ouellet-F
Minister of Natural Resources.

There's no polite way of saying it, the Minister of Natural Resources, Martine Ouellet is an idiot, a dangerous fool who doesn't even understand the difference between money spent and money saved.

In complaining about Ottawa's loan guarantee to Newfoundland's potential underwater electricity transmission line, she told Quebec taxpayers a bold-faced lie in intimating that it is costing Canadian taxpayers $900 million dollars, when in fact it is costing next to nothing.
I've told you this before, it is akin to counter-signing a car loan at the bank for your brother, because his credit is not as good as yours. Because of your guarantee, the bank will charge a lower interest rate, saving a couple of thousand dollars in interest.
If the loan is repaid, the guarantor is not out of pocket a dime, a concept the minister has trouble understanding.
In this interview, Martine Ouellet is explained as such by an incredulous Radio-Canada interviewer, who is hard-placed to mask her disdain for the sad-sack minister.
There's no doubt in my mind that the young interviewer would make a better Minister than Ouellet!

Watch the video and laugh or cry. Ouellet is truly an idiot par excellence.

But that's not all, Ouellet who has previously voiced her opinion that shale gas can never be safely exploited, has sent the file for study to the BAPE, an environmental agency for study, without understanding that any conclusions that agency draws further down the road are actually moot.
Because of the vast amount of shale gas already brought to market in North America, the price has collapsed, making new development uneconomic.
And so it doesn't really matter what conclusions are reached, NOBODY IS INTERESTED IN DRILLING anymore and as we say in English, That ship has sailed.
If the politically-challenged minister doesn't understand that metaphor, here's another.
"YOU'VE MISSED THE BOAT!"
Sending the shale gas file for environmental assessment now is like asking the agency to study the efficacy and safety of the production of typewriters.

Then there is the fiasco of the new plan to raise mining royalties, a cornerstone of Ouellet's election campaign, where she promised to up royalties by $350 million. Ouellet reminds me of the little girl selling lemonade in front of her house for $100 a glass, believing that she only need sell one to be successful.
The Marois government backed off that commitment as if it were radioactive, citing changing circumstances, infuriating the Minister to the point that she almost resigned.
Nah.....just kidding, a ministerial limousine is nothing to trifle with!

Clearly in over her head, Ouellet is plainly an embarrassment to herself, the government and all Quebecers.

Agnes Maltais-D
Minister of ~~Unemployment and Welfare~~ Minister of Labour, Employment and Social solidarity.
Madame Maltais reminds me of one of those stereotypical characters in the movies of old, a stern matron, running an orphanage with an iron fist.... grim, bossy, regimented and eternally angry.

She ran into a monster problem right off the bat as the Conservative government imposed changes to the Employment Insurance program designed to penalize frequent benefits claimants, a large proportion found in Quebec's boonies.
Her position in demanding Ottawa reconsider the program and the disastrous consequences (Quebec would be liable for welfare payments wherein claimants lost their Employment benefits) and her tantrum in the press where she demanded that Ottawa undertake economic impact studies before proceeding, fell on deaf ears. Diane Findlay, the conservative minister in charge of the program in Ottawa, gave Maltais a ten-minute meeting before politely showing her the door.
Maltais was also forced to drop the election promise made by the PQ whereby the province would seek repatriation of the Employment Insurance program to provincial jurisdiction.
It seems that Madame Maltais and the PQ failed to do their own economic impact study, because as it turns out, such a move would cost Quebec over $700 million, the difference between what Quebecers contribute and take out of the EI program.

Then Madame Maltais announced cuts to welfare payments to some claimants in order to encourage them to get back into the workforce.
There's nothing like taking the food out of the mouths of welfare bums to start an uproar. Those affected by the new measure showed a surprising level of industry in organizing a spirited defense of their entitlement, marching and occupying the constituency offices of many members of the PQ.

"...Labour Minister Agnès Maltais, is being bombarded with criticism for her decision to cut $20 million from the welfare budget.
"I think it's double-talk," said Françoise David, Québec Solidaire MNA for Gouin.
"On one hand you pretend to give support to vulnerable people and on the other hand, you allow cuts that affect those who are the poorest in our society..."

...Maltais surreptitiously cut funds this week to welfare recipients between the ages of 55 and 58 and those living with pre-school children. She also made budget cuts to a program that helps recovering addicts.Link

Opposition parties then dug up a video of Maltais arguing against exactly such a move, when she was in opposition and after an unfortunate answer in the National Assembly, she was accused in Le Devoir of making convoluted statements (alambiquée) while another commentator on the story used the word 'charabia' (gibberish) to describe her response. Video plus story {fr}
It's never good when the press and the public start to mock you.

Now the welfare cutbacks actually made sense, but when the welfare lobby rose in righteous indignation and started demonstrating across the province against the cutbacks, Maltais did an about face and reversed her decision, reflecting the PQ's lack of confidence and its propensity for improvisation.

Maka Kotto-F

Minister of Culture
An unsuccessful actor/idiot who only made it to the cabinet because of his minority status.
You'd think that in his capacity of Minister of Culture, he wouldn't be able to cause much damage, flitting from award ceremony to theater openings adding a little 'colour' to the mix. But alas the stumblebum, proved everyone wrong in his first weeks on the job, calling the cultural attachés serving around the world back to Quebec on an expensive mission, just to tell them that their budgets would be cut.

"Minister Maka Kotto was called to order by the Deputy Prime Minister, François Gendron, Wednesday. Dean of the National Assembly, Mr. Gendron reminded his colleague, Minister of Culture the importance for the members of the cabinet, while managing public funds.
This public snub occurred in the aftermath of the broadcast of a dispatch of the Canadian press indicating Mr. Kotto had convened in Montreal 22 Québec foreign delegates in times of budget cuts and against the advice of its staff members who felt it an unnecessary expense." Link

Daniel Breton-F
Minister of Nothing anymore

The rookie minister never had a chance and was dumped from the cabinet after revelations about his deadbeat past came out.

"According to newspaper reports Breton has a string of criminal convictions dating to 1988 for defrauding the unemployment insurance system, and as recently as 2007 was fined $400 by Revenue Quebec. La Presse also reported that Breton was convicted in 1997 for driving without a license.
Meanwhile TVA reported that Breton was evicted from his apartments in 2005 and 2009 for non-payment of rent. Photographs from his landlord show hundreds of empty bottles of wine left in the apartment Breton was forced to leave." Link

But before he left the radical environmentalist raised the ire of opposition parties when it was revealed that he exceeded his authority;

"In Quebec City, a special committee is hearing from commissioners who claim to have been bullied by former Environment Minister Daniel Breton. The commissioners work at the BAPE, Quebec's independent environmental review board.

Pierre Fortin testified Breton paid commissioners a highly unusual visit last October, during which he asked for their cell phone numbers and threatened he would be watching their decisions. Fortin says the visit left him feeling very uncomfortable.

"He said if he was unhappy with the BAPE's work, he would let us know about it," explains Fortin. "It made everyone feel nervous and uncomfortable." "Link

Nicole Léger-D
Minister of Family

A staunch defender of the public daycare system she cut millions from the private network while telling the operators that they should be happy because it could have been much worse.
After a demonstration in Quebec to protest the cuts the minister invited the leaders to a meeting where she promised that she would listen to their grievances even if she wasn't going to change her mind.

The Minister had previously told reporters that daycares would henceforth be subject to language requirements of Bill 101, then recanted after a firestorm of protest..

She's another big fat bust....er sorry!

Jean-François Lisée-B

Minister of lots of things but most importantly Anglophone relations
Of the entire Marois cabinet, there are only two ministers whom I give a passing grade and Jean-François Lisée rates the highest.
Mr Lisée presents in the finest tradition of Quebec sovereigntists and PQ ministers who genuinely have affection and respect for the English community.

In a cabinet rife with rabid anglophobes, Lisée is perhaps the one moderating influence and is in fact the only one who has reached out to the community with a level of honest respect.

Mr. Lisée is actually a better politician than journalist or educator, his wacky ideas about the economy and francophone/anglophone relations, a witch's brew of cherry-picked facts and illogical conclusions, non sequiturs that convince only the committed.

But as a minister, he is a credit to the position. He has a confident smile and a respectful tone, a quick wit and a positive attitude, something sorely lacking in Pauline's grim coterie of dismal hacks.
He is the one and the very few who actually carries himself in a ministerial manner.

Readers may not like his separatist politics, but when rating an opponent, one cannot take away points for success. One of the very few in the Marois cabinet who is as they say in French 'parlable,' the PQ cabinet would be well served to take his example.
That being said, manners and polish aside, what has he really accomplished?

Next week I'll review other members of the cabinet and take a shot a Pauline Marois herself...

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

Just in passing.....
To Toronto Maple Leaf fans, I can only say how badly I feel over the worst playoff collapse I have ever seen in my lifetime.

At least you'll have something to tell your grandchildren.
Like those of us old enough to remember the assassination of John Kennedy or the news of the destruction of the Challenger space shuttle, you'll always remember where and under what circumstances you witnessed the infamous Toronto Maple Fail.

At any rate, I've put up a Senators logo and as the last Canadian team left standing, let's all wish them good luck!

This week in Quebec Corruption

Jean Roberge...."I'm a crook too"

While the province reels from the mass arrests made by the police last week in relation to corruption in Laval, (Quebec's third largest city) two actors were conspicuous by their absence from the list of the arrested. Both city manager Gaétan Turbide and assistant city manager Jean Roberge and were assumed to be in cahoots with police and were both scheduled to testify before the Charbonneau Commission this week. Strangely, they were both suspended from their jobs in anticipation of their giving evidence.
Here's the kicker.
On the very morning that Turbide was to testify, a Commission lawyer rose and announced that the witness was not to be heard because evidence had just been received putting his credibility in question.
What does that mean? ....they wouldn't say.

Anyways the second witness, Mr. Roberge was rushed to the stand and testified that Laval city hall was indeed one heck of a corrupt place.
How does he know all this for sure? According to him, he was one of the crooks! Read the story

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

Here are the names and a description of the 37 people arrested in the operation by police targeting Laval corruption Link{fr}

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

More bad news for SNC-Lavalin

"A division of Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has for years used a secret internal accounting code that former employees say was for bribes on projects across Africa and Asia, a joint investigation by CBC News and the Globe and Mail has found.
Former employees say some of the money was earmarked to help the company win contracts funded by international development agencies such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
CBC News and the Globe and Mail have discovered that a division called SNC-Lavalin International Inc. (SLII) that focuses on smaller contracts to design and supervise megaprojects has for years used the code words “PCC” or “CC” interchangeably to describe hidden so-called "project consultancy costs."
“PCC, they interchangeably used the word," said former SNC-Lavalin International engineer Mohammad Ismail. "Sometimes it was 'project consultancy cost,' sometimes 'project commercial cost,' but [the] real fact is the intention is [a] bribe."Read the rest of the story

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

Disgraced municipal party Union Montréal dissolves

"The remaining members in former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay's party, Union Montréal, have decided to abandon the party.

Interim party leader Richard Deschamps announced the dissolution of the party this afternoon. In his 20-minute speech, Deschamps detailed successes from Union Montréal's 12-year reign including the introduction of Bixi, Montreal's bike-sharing system.
Deschamps says members decided to disband because of the public perception of the party in the wake of damning testimony before the province's corruption inquiry."Read more

PQ Minister fans the flames of religious intolerance racism

Drainvile..."CALLING ALL RACISTS!"

Here's another episode of the Parti Quebecois fanning the flames of religious intolerance in order to play to their base of xenophobic racists and hardliners, who see any rapprochement with Montreal minorities as a sellout to the separatist idealism, where everyone must conform to a world of poutine, maple syrup, and atheism.

It seems that from the ivory tower in Quebec city a PQ minister Bernard Drainville has complained about the fact that a local borough in Montreal modified parking rules for a couple of days to give a break to the Hasidic community during one of its holidays, where they were bound not to move their cars.

"A PQ minister stirred up the reasonable accommodation debate Wednesday by criticizing a Montreal borough's practice of delaying street cleaning in front of a synagogue on religious holidays.

On the Jewish holiday Shavuot, which fell on Wednesday, observant Jews were not supposed to operate a vehicle. As such, some parking signs in a limited area around a school and synagogue in Cote-des-Neiges/NDG were altered temporarily. Drivers were not required to move their car for street cleaning.
“There's no necessity to do street sweeping in front of a synagogue on one of the Jewish High Holidays,” explained CDN-NDG city councillor Marvin Rotrand. “In fact, it doesn't cost anything not to do it and it doesn't inconvenience citizens if that particular day is skipped.
Bernard Drainville, however, disagrees. Quebec's minister for democratic institutions and active citizenship said he was outraged when he heard.

“There's no discrimination. Everyone must respect the same regulations, the same parking regulations. You can't start having parking regulations that are different according to your religion, because there will be no end to it,” he said."Read the rest of the story

Mr. Drainville was quick to point out that once accommodations are made for one religious group, there will be no end to demands.

I wonder if Mr. Drainville is opening up a new battlefield which will include objections to Greeks marching down Park Avenue, forcing the closure of that important artery, or the closure of the entire downtown core on St. Patrick's Day, not to mention the infernal Santa Claus parade that forces street closures and parking restrictions all over the downtown core.

If religions are not to be afforded special consideration, because according to the minister, everyone must conform, how about special interest groups that appeal to a minority and are generally exclusionary.

How about the infernal separatist parade that closes down Sherbrooke street each year, another horrific accommodation to separatists, not to mention cyclists who collectively hold the city to ransom once a year for the Tour de l'Isle. Let's not forget those selfish twins, whose exclusionary parade is restricted to those who are beneficiaries of an accident of birth.
How about street closure to support those elitist rich bastards who attend the Grand Prix or aficionados of Jazz who force their music on neighborhoods without any consideration for others.

Evidently to Drainville, accommodating some minorities is a good idea, accommodating some other minorities is a bad idea.

According to Mr. Drainville, accommodations are only unreasonable when they implicate Jews or Muslims, or other minority religions, prime targets of the French language purists who see a Yarmulke, hijab or turban as a direct threat to their nationhood.

The sad part of this all, is that nobody complained about the accommodation that Mr. Drainville was so angry about, it has been in place for over thirty years without controversy.

Piling on this non-issue was Journal de Montreal columnist Richard Martineau who actually complained the Montreal's lazy-ass blue collar workers were badly inconvenienced (what a joke!)

He then goes on to say that as accommodations go, this one is not a big deal, not like an imam apologizing for stoning. Hmmm.....

"Pas de quoi déchirer sa chemise ou se taper la tête contre les murs.
Rayon accommodements, on a vu pire.
Les heures de piscine, les fenêtres du YMCA, un imam qui fait l’apologie de la lapidation et du fouet dans un haut lieu du savoir…"Link{fr}

Then Martineau goes on to complain that "People will say the PQ is racist, xenophobic, allergic to religion, hostile to minorities...…

Correctamundo!

They certainly will, because in the rest of the civilized world, that is exactly what the PQ presents as.

Separatists just don't get it.
Not everyone wants to eat poutine and bacon, live out of wedlock, revere hockey, disdain religion and listen to Marie-Mai or even speak French at home.

If that is the obligatory price of remaining a citizen of Quebec, then it's time to hold a Quebec version of the Wannsee conference followed by breaking out the cattle cars.

Quebec's National Assembly & Montreal city Council

Let us remember that the PQ and Quebec language militants promote a society that is officially neutral when it comes to religion, but firmly attached to its Christianity by virtue of its 'heritage.'
That is why in a religiously neutral state, Christian holidays are state holidays, public institutions and streets are named after Christian saints and biblical personalities and that crucifixes are honorably presented in the National Assembly and throughout municipal councils across Quebec, even MONTREAL.

Don't get me, wrong, I have no problem with public manifestations in Quebec of the overwhelming dominant religion, but let's not pretend and call a spade, a spade.
Separatists want all religion removed in public life, except theirs....

(Thanks for the story to many readers including RWB.)

Sugar Sammy Award panned by separatist

The insufferable pseudo-intellectual separatist Mathieu Bock-Côté unleashed a snarly and vindictive screed in Le Journal de Montreal in reaction to comedian Sugar Sammy winning some sort of Francophone comedy award,

"I'm telly you. English is the DEVIL!!!!"

"Sugar Sammy has won this year’s Olivier Award. Obviously, he’s funny. No one is questioning his comedic talent. He has an exceptionally lively mind. But short of him telling us that his jokes are completely devoid of content, you have to take his words at least somewhat seriously. On stage, Sugar Sammy is an activist comedian. His humour is political.
Sammy was a Liberal activist during the 1995 referendum, and makes no secret of his federalism or commitment to multiculturalism. But, as he has previously observed, humour is infinitely more effective than putting up posters to "get the message across." He’s certainly not wrong. In a "just for laughs" society, whoever makes people laugh has a great deal of power, as he gets to define what is hip and what isn’t.
HIS VISION OF QUEBEC
Through his humour, Sugar Sammy puts forward his vision of Quebec. His trademark is ridiculing Quebec francophones, more specifically, those in favour of a French and sovereign Quebec. In his shows, he paints a portrait of these Quebecers as a collection of nasty, mean-spirited and uneducated xenophobes.
We’re all familiar with his "classic" joke. There are two types of Québécois. Those who are educated, sophisticated, modern, civilized, friendly and accommodating. And there are those who voted Yes in 1995. Hilarious, isn’t it? What’s more, in an interview, he once equated independence to "turning in on ourselves" without a trace of irony.
What never ceases to amaze me is the enthusiasm of some Quebec francophones, who trip over each other in their rush to praise him. I read a few days ago that Sugar Sammy "tells it like it is." But what is he saying? That we’re a bunch of inward looking bumpkins? That defending a French Quebec is being culturally paranoid?
By idealizing Sugar Sammy, they’re saying: Look at how open and modern we are. We want Sugar Sammy’s version of Quebec. We want a Canadianized Quebec, where bilingualism is the norm and reasonable accommodations come one after the other. We want a Quebec that agrees to fade away into Canadian multiculturalism.
This is a Quebec where many citizens are now "Montrealers first," rather than Quebecers first. Just think back to his show You’re gonna rire. A "bilingual" show, just like his vision of an ideal Montreal. A Montreal where people naturally mix English and French within the same sentence. A Montreal where Québécois should stop fighting to be served in French.
Some Québécois are psychologically flawed. They feel trapped in a francophone society because they’ve been told that being open to the world involves English. They’ve been convinced that by showing just a bit of contempt for Quebec, they’d finally be considered citizens of the world. They’re afraid of not looking "modern," of being "ceintures fléchées." So they like Sugar Sammy.
As long as we remain convinced that there's something intolerant about living in our home in French, as long as we believe that wanting a country is closing ourselves off from the world, we will remain convinced that it is admirable to sing the praises of a political comedian who insults us. If Sugar Sammy represents the future of Quebec, then Quebec has no future.

Thanks for a great translation from PlateauAnglo.

Please read the original article in French ICI

Evidently Mr. Bock-Côté doesn't understand the humor of Sugar Sammy, who in the great tradition of Don Rickles insults and mocks his audience.

I hope he has a listen to some of Sugar Sammy's routines in English where he slays his own community, as well as other ethnicities like Montreal's Haitians.

Mathieu Bock-Côté is nothing more than a frustrated Grinch.

Watch a bit of Sugar Sammy;

Ethnical Difficulties Q&A

Suspicious Middle Eastern Guys
Sugar Sammy - Trop Drole{fr}

When Sugar Sammy received his award at the French gala, he couldn't resist, telling the audience that they shouldn't blame his victory on the 'ethnic vote' HaHa!

By the way, in response to Mr. Bock-Côté's screed, a fellow columnist at the Journal de Montreal, Lise Ravary, wrote a scathing rebuke.

"WhenYvonDeschampsapplied hisshock therapyQuebecers, we applauded wildly.WhenSugar Sammydoes the same thing, we feelridiculed.

Why? He was born here, grew uphere. He liveshere. Sugar SammyisQuebec. Whydoesn'thehavethe rightto jointhe discussion?
IfSugar Sammy,is the futureof Quebec,that Quebecwill be part ofmy future.The futureunder the banner ofethnicnationalism isa lot lessinteresting.Link{fr}

Great video protesting OQLF nonsense

Letter to the Editor: The language police visit a bank.

"While this Orwellian event may appear to most as an article taken from the Onion, I firmly place my hand on my Montreal Canadiens jersey and swear the truth to the gods of our city.
The event began on May 14, when a local federal bank that shall not be named was visited by Quebec’s language police. As a starting point, English-only pamphlets, which were skilfully placed next to French-only pamphlets, had to be removed from the customers’ area. Employees were told that they did not belong in the front; what if a francophone were to accidentally select the wrong pamphlet? The strain of placing the pamphlet back and appropriately selecting another is an injustice that the language police in Quebec luckily are here to protect us from.
Next up: a microwave. This seemingly innocent machine hides its evil by presenting the employees with hot Pizza Pockets and mom’s leftovers. Within this evil lie several words, written only in English. No, not even their own, private microwave is safe from the hands of the language police. Among these forbidden words: open and time. These frighteningly English words carry with them the desire to eradicate the French-speaking population of Quebec. With a few adjustments, employees will soon be able to safely heat up their favourite dishes in French." Read the rest of the letter

PQ launches yet another commission... with notable boycotters

Both the Montreal police union and the Quebec Liberals announced that they would boycott the affair, claiming the whole thing is a put-up affair to cast blame on them.

The Parti Québécois government's special commission looking into last year's student protests is coming under attack from all sides.
Opposition politicians are questioning the PQ's motives.
Student leaders say the mandate is too broad, and the police will evade close scrutiny of their role in the student protests.

Police officers fear a witch hunt.
Public Security Minister Stéphane Bergeron says being attacked by people from opposite sides of the issue is a sign the government made the right decision by creating the commission and appointing Serge Ménard, Claudette Carbonneau and Bernard Grenier to sit on it.
But the Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Québec say the makeup of the commission is biased.
Ménard is a former PQ public security and justice minister. He also served as a Bloc MP in Ottawa and is clearly identified as a sovereigntist.
Claudette Carbonneau is a former head of the CSN trade union. The CSN, along with other big unions, helped finance the student protests last year."Read more

Bixi, Bixi, Bixi

Trouble in Bixiland
"It is as Montreal as a two-cheek kiss, a made-in-Quebec success story that has garnered both awards and lucrative contracts around the world. Yet the Bixi bike-sharing system, best known for its sleek two-wheelers of the same name, is plagued by lack of administrative oversight, questionable management and a business plan that has it teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, with a whopping $37-million debt after only two years of operation." Read More

Bixi Toronto: City urged to take over financially struggling bike-share program
"City staff want Toronto to take over the embattled Bixi bike-sharing program, according to a confidential report obtained by the Star.
The seven-page document, which was distributed at a behind-closed-doors meeting of Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee last week, outlines three scenarios for dealing with the financially troubled company.
According to the report, Bixi Toronto informed city staff in November that it was not able to make its loan payments “over the next few months.”
If the company defaults, Toronto is on the hook for an outstanding loan of $3.9 million. Read more

"Citibike (Bixi): I Don't Care What They Do In Paris, I Live In New York City,"
"When I drive into the Village it's going to be harder to park. I would rather not have them at all," he said. "It takes parking spots away from people like me. I just don't like it."
But perhaps the most telling line of the evening came before the meeting even began. "Can't we all just get along?" one Citi Bike supporter asked another. She shook her head. "We wouldn't be in New York." Read more

.....and just for good measure:
"No evidence cycle helmet laws reduce head injuries: study"

Quebec anglos continue generous tradition of giving

"A Montreal family is making a hefty donation to cancer care that is being matched by other philanthropic foundations.
The Rossy Family Foundation (owners of Dollarama-ed.) is giving $30 million, while $28 million will come from the cancer foundations of the McGill University Health Centre, the Jewish General Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital to create an initiative called the Rossy Cancer Network.
The money will help the hospitals and the Rossy Foundation share research, pool resources and build on their individual strengths by working together as four significant cancer centres."Read more

The Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) is delighted to announce one of the greatest gifts in its entire history. This outstanding show of support in the capital fundraising campaign Giving Ourselves the Best in Health Care comes from generosity on the part of the Molson Foundation which makes public today a contribution of 5 million dollars." Read more

Odds'n Ends

Conrad Black: Quebec Independence No Longer A Threat
"There is no longer a threat of Quebec independence because Quebecers have become "addicted" to transfer payments from other provinces, former media baron Conrad Black said Friday." Read more

Quebec firm tops off New york Tradecenter skyscraper
The installation of the spire was completed Friday morning after pieces of it had been transported to the roof of the building last week. The 408-foot (124.36-meter) spire, weighing 758 tons, is a joint venture between the Montreal-based ADF Group Inc. engineering firm and New York-based DCM Erectors Inc., a steel contractor. Link

French academia in war of words over plan to teach in English
The global spread of the English language has long been a sore point in Paris politics. Now a new battleground has appeared in the linguistic war as the Socialist government wants to allow English to be used as a teaching language in French universities, sparking a rift in academia. Link

Here's the same story from Le Devoir Link{fr}

'Bowling' versus 'Quilles'
Last week in the comments section we had a lively, if not infantile discussion about borrowed words, that is English words commonly used in French and vice-versa.
But the discussion also touched on the subject of whether Parisiaenne French is more prone than Quebec French to poach words.
It's a pretty ridiculous argument considering.

Quebec: parquer dans stationnement
France: stationner dans parking

At any rate.....
It seems that a French (France) movie that came out annoyed a Quebec reviewer because of the differences in the Quebec version of certain words versus the French version of certain words.

In fact the very name of the movie was deemed offensive.
As you can see, in France the sport is known by its English name of 'Bowling' while in Quebec it is ' Quilles'

According to reviewer Jean-François Chartrand-Delorme

"From aQuebecperspective, the presence of English in aFrenchfilm is stilldisturbing, beginning with the title.In Quebec, we play "Quilles' where we make 'abats' while in France it's 'bowling' and a 'strike' (pronounced "bouligne" and "straïque" ). Thesame goes forthe soundtrack. Aside fromsome typicalCelticmusicof Brittany,it is "It'sRaining Men" by The Weather Girlsand "Shake It Out" Florence+ the Machine. These songs areintegrated into the soundtrack where we seewomentrain forthe championship final. It's alluncomfortableandrings falsebecause it'slike watchinganAmerican B-movie...

....ForQuebecers, watching a Frenchfilm,represents not only a desire to travel to another country, but also to enjoy another narrative, which is not the casehere." Complete Original story in French

France Will Tax Smartphones to Fund Exceptional French Culture'
"France is planning a tax on smartphones, tablets, and a bevy of other internet-linked devices in order to fund the production of French art, film, and music. This tax could charge up to four percent on the sale of these devices, starting as soon as next year." Link

Can Quebec be far behind?

Parents’ group worries about cuts to U of A French programs
"The University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean will suspend a first-year, college-level course in business administration, prompting a parents’ group to express concern that French language education will be reduced further this spring.
Parents were shocked to read that enrolment for this fall was suspended on a blog by Martin Ferguson-Pell, acting provost at the University of Alberta a few days ago, said Michael Tyron, executive director of Canadian Parents for French, Alberta Branch. Link

Pauline the audacious....
I came across this paragraph in a piece by Kristian Gravenoron Coolopolis entitled; 'Will Anticosti Island make Quebec rich'

"Premier Pauline Marois recently gave a speech in which she gleefully attempted to mobilize this news into support for separation, as she pointed out ruefully that under the current Canadian structure, a share of the future

Huh? I wasn't aware that the Premier could actually say something so ~~juvenileidiotic~~ ~~moronic~~ (fill in your own adjective), so I tried to track down the source.
After a lengthy search, I can confirm she did indeed tell Quebecers exactly that in a YouTube ad (in French) promoting sovereignty, where she said that if and when Quebec discovers oil on Anticosti Island, the province would alas have to share the wealth with the rest of Canada.
Are you listening Alberta? What unmitigated Chutzpah!

By the way, read the rather interesting article on the history of island. Link

Let's finish with a smile......

Saw this in a Montreal Loblaws, but I won't mention the location, lest the language police pounce.

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de Semaine!

Lisée and De Courcy an attempt to "sauver les meubles"

If you think Diane De Courcy gives a rat's ass for the rights of the English community, I'd like to offer you an interesting parcel of property in the hinterland of Florida's Everglades.
The reality is that the letter sent and published to the Anglo community in the Montreal Gazette, is nothing more than an effort to co-opt resistance to Bill 14 and it has about as much credibility as a heartfelt request by a Nigerian Prince in seeking your financial aid in helping him liberate his fortune.

It probably goes to the political acumen of Jean-François Lisée who alone in cabinet has the English language skills and the sense of the Anglo community to understand that resistance to Bill 14 is building to a dangerous point, where the political fight is poised to spill over Quebec's borders, into the United States and the rest of Canada, an unfriendly arena where Quebec can only be the loser and where the penalty attached to being perceived as anti-English and discriminatory can be considerable.

It must have taken some discussion to get De Courcy to agree to the letter, Lisée explaining the dire consequeneces of letting the issue spiral out of control.

Most separatists like De Courcy who have had little or no contact outside the French milieu, disdain and ignore Anglos, considering them pests, like ants at a picnic.
For Jean-François Lisée, someone who has dealt with the community and has been exposed to a world outside Quebec, the danger of riling up the rest of the English continent, is a danger he recognizes as real and perhaps his more cautious approach convinced De Courcy, that something had to be done to diffuse the building situation.

The letter wasn't sent in order to offer concessions (none were offered) it was simply meant to mollify and co-opt, to somehow put a damper on protest.
The realization that the anti-Bill 14 lobby groups, led by CRITIQ, (the largest,) but also including The Unity Group, Put Canadian Flag Back In Quebec Assembly and others, are continuing to grow and gather strength, is a frightening scenario to the PQ, especially if these groups take the logical next step and re-locate the fight internationally.

This is the danger that the PQ faces, if ever the Americans become convinced that Quebec is anti-English and by logical extension, Anti-American, the economic impact to the province will be devastating.
Quebec has already thrown the first rock across the border, telling American retailing giants that their names must be altered to operate in Quebec.

If lobby groups take their fight across the border, they will receive an attentive audience, as French is the language and the people that Americans love to hate.
Sorry if the truth hurts.....

It doesn't take much to set the Americans off on an anti-French crusade, as we saw it 2003, when France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq led to a boycott of French products and the silly creation of the 'Freedom Fries' meant to erase the very word 'French' from the common American lexicon.

"The calls for a boycott did raise some concerns among businesses. For instance, it prompted French's Mustard to make a press release stating "the only thing French about French's Mustard is the name."Link

As for the letter itself, I recognize Mr. Lisee's slick hand and the 'Golly gee, Aw shucks!" writing style of a country slicker.
Nowhere in the letter do the writers offer anything new, except to promise that at a later date the PQ 'might' entertain changes and so entreat Anglos to 'lay off' in the meantime.

When discussing the proposed prohibition for French military families to receive an exemption for English school, the letter assures us that it will no longer be part of the legislation.

"Children of the military: The section of Bill 14 that deals with the children of French-speaking military parents will be examined and discussed at a later date, with the introduction of a new and apposite bill"The Letter

By the way, 'apposite' is a fancy word for appropriate.

But De Courcy is already on record as saying that she'd take the military clause out of Bill 14 only as a compromise to assure its passage, BUT, foolishly admits she would re-introduce the restriction at a later date.

"De Courcy says she's ready to drop the section on military exemptions in Bill 14. Though, she says she'll re-introduce it in a different bill."Link

Talk about rank dishonesty!
De Courcy and Lisée must really take us for idiots, do they really think we can't read and that we can't recognize a cheap trick when we see it?

The truth is that their promises of 'future considerations' plus 25¢ won't buy a call in a phone booth!"

Cloyingly patronizing, the letter reminds me of a used car salesman who puts his arm around your shoulder and swears up and down that you're getting a great deal. "Trust me, would I cheat you?"
It's nothing short of sickening and I hope nobody in the Anglo and Ethnic community falls for the phony concern!

Quebec's best political journalist, Jean Lapierre, confronted Lisée over the letter asking him why it had not been published in the French media. He pointedly asked the minister if it was a case of saying different things to the different communites, to which Lisee was ill at ease answering.

Later in the day, I caught Lisée giving an interview to one of the French language television news stations where an interviewer asked if the letter represented a change in direction.
Lisée responded that it was nothing of the sort and that the PQ remained firmly committed to the basic platform of Bill 14.
So much for rapprochement and an honest attempt at compromise,

If anything, the letter shows weakness and fear, something most commentators haven't picked up on. Now is the time for anti-Bill 14 forces to put the metal to the pedal and go full speed ahead in relation to protest.

Lobby groups need to expand their efforts to the United States and the rest of Canada in order to force the PQ into meaningful compromise, it is the logical next step.
Marching on Quebec City and militating here in the Quebec serves no more useful purpose, it is a battleground where no satisfaction is to be had.
Although those protest did indeed serve to put the PQ and language hawks on notice, it is time to move on strategically.

An attentive audience awaits anti-Bill 14 activists south of the border, where conservatives are occupied with the 'Spanish' invasion which they fear will lead to a two-language state and the attendant language mess like in Canada.
It is the hook that will enable our story to be heard.

When Marois or her finance minister next go grovelling to New York City to placate nervous bankers, or give a speech entreating Americans to invest in Quebec, they should be met by placard weilding anti-Bill 14 protesters, where just five such activists would have more impact than 200 in Quebec City.

This is the type of protest that will hit home with the large unspoken pool of Quebec francophones who remain generally opposed to PQ language policies but are uninterested in active opposition because they perceive themselves as having 'no dog in the fight.'

Having Quebec's reputation attacked abroad is something that will draw them into the debate and the possible repercussions, the attendant economic risk, is something that will definitely get their interest.

In Quebec we often talk about linguistic peace, if not harmony.
It is comparable to warring parties agreeing to a ceasefire where battle lines are frozen in place and where nobody advances or retreats.
The PQs Bill 14 initiative is a breech of that ceasefire and a invitation to renewed hostilities.

It is our reaction to that provocation that is the measure of our resolve.
It is incumbent upon us to show the PQ and indeed the rest of the province that Bill 14 is a ticket to renewed hostilities, a new language war where the cost of the conflagration is not worth the price.

Think about it, that is why it's time to take the fight to the next level.

One of the most annoying arguments that sovereigntists truck in order to hype the independence option is the notion that Quebec values are different from Canadian values and that as long as Quebec is a prisoner of the Canadian federation, Quebec francophones remain stifled, forced to adhere and respect policies 'made in Ontario' that are ill-suited to the more open, socially responsible and liberal-minded Quebec.

It is a neat and glib campaign, peddled by the separatist hoity-toity, whose stock-in-trade is misrepresentation and sleight of hand.
The fact is, the whole idea that Quebec is somehow morally superior to the ROC, is rooted in fantasy, wishful thinking and outright hypocrisy.

And so we suffer through the haughty and self-righteous nonsense offered by a condescending rabble of self-important idiots, who actually believe that Quebec society is superior to that of any other province, because according to them, Quebecers are more 'socially conscious' and 'caring.'

Oooh, in Quebec we are more concerned with the environment!....
Oooh, in Quebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!
Oooh, in Quebec we believe in rehabilitation, not punishment of criminals!
Oooh, in Quebec we willingly pay more taxes to pay for social programs!
Oooh, in Quebec we have a distinctly more vibrant culture!
Oooh, in Quebec we are an open and welcoming society!

Arggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every time I hear a blowhard make these delusional assertions I want to throw a shoe.
Its maddening enough to send me off on a rant and I'm afeared, dear readers, that's exactly where I'm headed!!!!

In Quebec we are more concerned with the environment!....

What an utter load of crap.

When Premier Charest chastised Prime Minister Harper and his government for tearing up the unrealistic Kyoto accord, one would assume that Quebec was prepared to do what the rest of Canada was not, that is make significant cuts in greenhouse emissions, but Quebec was also on track to miss those Kyoto goals as well.
Should Canada not have torn up the agreement, the country would have been on the hook for $14 billion dollars in penalties and if that came to pass, I'm sure Quebec would bitch and moan over its portion of the fine.
Now some will point out that the increase in emissions from Quebec has slowed much faster than in the rest of Canada, but really it is mostly a result of the pulp and paper industry almost completely shutting down in the province, not exactly a good example of how to successfully tame those nasty greenhouse gases.

The truth is that Quebecers are no more or less environmentally committed than any other Canadians, much has to do with an accident of geography and circumstances. In Alberta there is the oil sands and in Quebec hydro-electricity, if the opposite was the case, Quebec would be Alberta and Alberta would be Quebec.

When consumers are actually empowered to make green changes by embracing things like public transport or eschewing the big bad automobile, the true colours of Quebec environmentalism is really put to the test.
Quebec car ownership remains the highest in the nation, in our province of 8 million people, there are over seven million vehicles on the road, averaging 12% more vehicles than Ontatrio.
By the way, considering that there are only 5 million licensed drivers in Quebec, it means that there are more vehicles than drivers to drive them!
Between 2006 and 2011, the number of vehicles in the Quebec city area increased at a rate twice as fast as the population increase!

As for doing the easy stuff, like converting ancient polluting wood burning stoves, the province has no viable program or regulation to force the environmental dinosaurs that actually heat their homes with old technology wood stoves to buy a new devices or use fuel that can cut pollution by 80%.

Actually, I'm not quite right, Quebec does seem to have a plan that targets the replacement of up to 4,000 dirty stoves per year. But in a province where there are close to 170,000 wood burning stoves in use...well you do the math.

With 23% of Canada's population, Quebec is responsible for 50% of Canada wood and wood pellet use for home heating. StatsCan

By the way, in just nine hours of use, these old stoves spew out as many fine particles into the air as does an average automobile in a year.

So what is Quebec's answer?
Demand that car manufacturers lower emissions, a popular policy that completely ignores the bigger problem of wood stoves, because that would entail individual families actually doing something about pollution themselves, something that they are apparently not prepared to do!.
And sadly, the use of wood-burning stoves is INCREASING in the province. Between 1987 and 2000, the number of wood burning stoves in use in Quebec almost doubled, this according to the government. Link

With all the buzz surrounding the greening of public transport you'd think Quebecers would be the leader among the provinces in overall use and access. If you thought that, you would of course be wrong. In fact, when it comes to access, the province lags behind the national average. The 64% of Quebecers who have public transport available, compares poorly to 78% in B.C and 74% in Ontario.
As for the number of citizens that actually use public transport Quebec actually lags behind Ontario, Manitoba and BC. Link
So much for leadership!

The environment as a fad, seems to be waning in Quebec, Bruno Massé, coordinator of the Réseau québécois des groupes écologistes, complains that in 2005, there were 500 community ecology groups in Quebec and today there remains less than 50. Link{fr}
Now I don't particularly label Quebec as a laggard in the environmental Olympics, it's just that the province is no better or worse and certainly no more committed to the environment than any one else. Saying that it is, doesn't make it so.

But in the finest tradition of Quebec whining, we hear complaints about the big bad Albertans and their horrific Oil Sands. Take for example the thoroughly brilliant UQAM professor of sociology, Éric Pineault who suggests in Le Devoir that Quebec re-orient its investments away from carbon and the Alberta Tar Sands but conveniently forgets to call on Quebec to forgo the financial benefits passed on by Alberta to Quebec via transfer payments. Link{fr}
Hypocrisy, thy name is Quebec!

*In Q**uebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!*

Quebecers are quick to point out that they are open to paying higher taxes in order to fund socially progressive programs, like $7 a day public childcare, cheap university tuition, generous parental and maternity leave, prescription medicine programs, etc. etc.
Of course Quebecers are fine with these programs because they are such a bargain. In fact the higher taxes don't come close to paying for these luxuries at all.
In fact, add up all the extravagances and you will find, the cost matches up closely with the equalization payment Canada doles out to Quebec each year;
Parental leave      $1.6 billion
Public Daycare    $2.1 billion
Reduced tuition $1.1 billion
IVF,
foreign students
subsidy,
prescription drug
etc., etc,                $1 billion ??

The pretense by defenders that it is in fact the higher taxes that Quebecers pay that funds these programs is really a question of semantic manipulation and delusion. I hope I don't have to explain why.

While Quebecers intimate that they are kinder and more generous than Canadians, the facts tell an opposite story.
When it comes to donating money, Quebecers are the biggest cheapskates in Canada, rating 13th out of the thirteen provinces and territories in Quebec.

In arriving in thirteenth place one also has to consider that Anglophone and ethnic Quebecers are among the country's most generous donors. Take them out of the equation, counting only Francophone contributors and they'd have to invent a different chart. Read: Quebec Remains Canada's Scrooge

For a direct Anglophone/francophone comparison look at the endowment funds of McGill University versus University of Montreal, Quebec's two top schools.
McGill University's fund at $920 million, represents about $27,000 for each enrolled student, while the U of M's fund of $189 million represents just $3,700 per student.
The same goes for hospitals foundations where the Jewish General hospital gets more private donations than all the French hospitals in Montreal combined.

When it comes to hospital endowments, university endowments, religious donations or gifts to charities of any kind, the record of Quebec francophones can only be recognized as pitiful.

As for volunteering, Quebecers are also the 'biggest losers' when it comes to donating time.

So it isn't even a case of money, Quebecers volunteer at a rate of 36%, while those in the rest of Canada at a rate of 50%, a difference of 33%.
When Quebecers do volunteer, they spend less time doing so, an average of 128 hours per year compared to 165 hours in the Rest of Canada, about 25% less. Link

I offer all these facts and figures not to humiliate, but to counter the arguments made by French language militants that peddle the fiction that Quebec society is kinder, gentler and more generous than society in the ROC.
It is clearly a notion conceived in fantasy by those desperate to make a case for independence.

Quebecers more socially responsible? I think not.

In Quebec we believe in rehabilitation, not punishment of criminals!

It is true that Quebec politicians and liberal media largely oppose the law and order program of Stephen Harper's Conservative government.
Ex-justice minister Marc Bellemare said publicly that the Quebec government is out of touch with what Quebecers want, that is more severe sentences for criminals, especially violent ones. Link

I don't think many Quebecers would agree that white collar criminals like Vincent Lacroix who swindled middle income Quebecers to the tune of $115, should be out on parole after fifteen months or that one of the under age teens guilty of a violent murder of an elderly Vietnamese woman should be subject to less than three years in jail.
Read some reader reactions to that crime and then tell me that Quebecers are so different form Canadians in demanding a punishment that fits the crime. Link

In Quebec we have a distinctly more vibrant culture!

I often hear separatists tell me that Canadian English culture is just a pale imitation of its American big brother.
This usually comes from someone who couldn't discern between a Texas twang and the nasal dialect of Brooklyn or Jersey.
Discussing whose culture is better, is like comparing your children to my children, where beauty is decidedly in the eyes of beholder.
But one thing is sure, there's nothing innovative or different in Quebecois culture where the top television shows are low rent French versions of the Dragons Den or the Price is Right and the top show an insipidly boring and dreary version of THE VIEW on Sunday night with stars and personalities that are most generously described as 'local.'

The heavily subsidized movie industry, is lucky to crack out just two or three decent movies a year.
As for music, dance, theater, and literature, well, I'll remain polite and say it isn't any worse than Canadian.
Nothing to see here, move along.....

InQuebec we are an open and welcoming society!

You can almost choke listening to the above words, which probably were spoken by someone deep in the lily-white, Francophone hinterland of Quebec, where talk of ethnic diversity is limited to discussions of German Shepherds, Black labs and Siamese cats.
Quebec is by any measure the most xenophobic, anti-immigrant province in Canada, where language is an excuse for cultural and ethnic bashing.
While Quebec boasts that it is open and welcoming, the unemployment rate for immigrants towers above anything else in Canada.
Try applying for a job with an 'ethnic' name in Quebec and you have a 50% less chance of getting an interview. Link
One only has to read the very open denunciations on vigile.net to understand the utter disdain and hate that pervades much of the province that sees immigrants as pollutants, a clear and present danger to Quebec cultural purity.

And there it is, a rant some might describe as a hurtful and hateful, but necessary because nobody in the mainstream press is willing to put the bell on the cat of the distasteful and false myth of Quebec 'superiority'.

Quebecers are what they are, no better or no worse than Canadians, certainly not culturally socially or politically superior to their Canadian cousins and not inferior, just ever so slightly different.
While Quebec claims that they are big differences, there is not that much that distinguishes them from the other Canadians and the reality is that what we have in common is much important than what differentiates us.

It's an old joke with many variations;
"How can you tell when politicians are talking nonsense?"
"Their lips are moving"

Nothing is more dangerous than a politician with a new and costly idea, because in a zero-sum world of finite public spending resources, the cost is likely to come out of a more deserving program or worse still an increase in the ever spiraling tax burden imposed on taxpayers.

A cynic would observe that the Marois government's latest folly, called "souveraineté alimentaire" (food independence) whereby a goal of 50% is set for the consumption of local Quebec food products, as a naked attempt to somehow get the words '50%' plus 'souveraineté' intothe public discussion. Link
Very Clever, huh? Read: PQ declares Quebec’s ‘food sovereignty’ while waiting for political independence

Whatever the motive, the idea of food independence is so dangerously stupid and ruinous, heaven help consumers if ever the idea is put into effect, even minimally.

Wrap up and peddle the idea of buying 'local' however you want, it is really just plain old fashioned protectionism, something every consumer should fear like the devil.

While Madame Marois and her agriculture minister,François Gendron, wax poetic over the lofty ideal of supporting local producers, the true cost of such indulgence is astronomical.

So let's simplify and use gasoline as an example.

In Quebec, we already pay quite a lot for gasoline at the pump, as of today, somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.40 a liter.

Imagine if Quebec applied the rules of 'food independence' to the gasoline industry and asked Quebecers to buy fuel from local sources, even if it costs more.
And so right beside the Petro-Canada gas station that sells gas for $1.40, the government erected a Petro-Quebec gas station that sold gas for $2.10.

How many consumers would do the 'right' thing and shop locally and pay the extra 50% in order to protect Quebec jobs?
Would you? ...probably not.
Even the government knows that consumers aren't that generous and so in order to protect Quebec's gas industry it would have to impose a series of measures restricting trade and supply.

One way for the government to get consumers to buy the $2.10 gas is to tell Petro-Canada that they can't sell their products in Quebec.

The other option is to subsidize the price at the pump. In other words, the government would pay Petro-Quebec, a 70¢ subsidy for every liter it sold in its stations, so that its price would be the same as Petro-Canada's.

Now if you are thinking that the above examples are unrealistic, hold on to your hats, because that is exactly what is occurring right now in much of Quebec's food industry.

In order to protect Quebec's dairy industry, the government has set up a system of quotas that restrict Americans from shipping milk products into Quebec and actually fix the price of milk at the ~~pump~~ counter.And so Quebec consumers pay around $1.59 for a liter of milk, while American consumers pay about half price.
Still think food independence is a good deal?

"....in 2008 a family of four in this province pays an extra $300 a year for milk, eggs and poultry because of "supply management," the government-mandated price fixing that subsidizes farmers at the expense of consumers." Link

If you think that supply management (cartel pricing) is automatically advantageous or necessary read these telling articles;
Kiwis put Canada's dairy supply scheme to shame
Time to end supply management – but it won’t go quietly

And so, if the rules of milk supply management as practiced in Quebec were applied to gasoline, the cost of a liter wouldn't be 50% higher, it would be 100% higher or about $2.80 instead of $1.40!

Vive l'independence alimentaire!

Now don't blame the PQ or separatists for the mess, the system's been around for decades.

In Quebec there is a powerful cartel-like organization that controls government agricultural policy and wrings out hundreds of millions of dollars a year in subsidies.
That organization is the Union des producteurs agricoles(UPA) and if you think the Marois government is original or creative with their "souveraineté alimentaire" initiative, think again, it is just parroting the wishes of the ~~Quebec Food Cartel~~ UPA.
Back in 2010, the then president of the cartel made the suggestion that Quebec legislate local products onto store shelves.

"UPA wants a purchasing policy integrated into future agricultural policy in Quebec wherein a certain percentage of Quebec products will be imposed on grocery store shelves. Barely a third of the products consumed by Quebecers from Quebec.
"I think that the government needs to consider regulations to ensure that our products achieve their rightful place," argues the UPA president Christian Lacasse. Link

This on top of the billion dollar subsidy that the government dotes upon Quebec agricultural producers from, dairy to maple syrup to pork producers!

The UPA is so afraid of competition that it is actually complaining that a potential free trade agreement with Europe would kill the local cheese industry because it couldn't compete with the likes of countries like France. Link{fr}
I guess Quebec cheese producers cannot face the unfair competition with FRANCE because it is a notorious low wage and under-regulated country with lax safety and hygiene standard, that give it a competitive advantage!!!!!!!
IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!

If you read French, take the time to read the sad consequences of government interference and price support. Link{fr}

"A good twenty Quebec food merchants made a presentation to the board of agricultural and food markets, yesterday morning, to signify their opposition to any repeal of the minimum price of milk. A decision that would kill small retailers, they say. And that in the long term would be disadvantageous to the population, according to a consumer association.
The board had called a "pre-conference" to determine the terms of a consultation on the possible repeal of the prices of milk consumption, which provides a minimum and maximum price. In short, a session on the form rather than the substance of the debate."The person who called the board that had a brain cramp," commented President and CEO of the Retailers Association of Quebec food Florent Gravel, first to speak. "Not one person around the table has called for the repeal of regulation milk prices."Profit margins are thin for retailers, said Mr. Gravel, whose association represents owners merchants. They are only 1 or 2% in the four-liter formats. The abolition of the minimum price would lead to a price war that would put small retailers and convenience stores in a difficult position, unable to compete with large supermarkets or other Couche-Tards who would not hesitate to use milk as a loss leader.In the short term, a price war would be good for the consumer, observes Denis Falardeau, coordinator of the cooperative family economy of Quebec, following the activities of the Agricultural Marketing Board Association. "But once the competition is killed, prices would rise again," he says.Processors, represented by the Council of dairy industry in Quebec, are also for the maintenance of the settlement. Small dairies eventually foot the bill for the price war, said the CEO Council, Pierre Nadeau, on the sidelines of yesterday's session. Major retailers may require lower prices to processors.
Since nobody requested deregulation of milk prices, the mere fact that the Board evokes surprised all stakeholders. "This is a decision that comes from internal, explained the Stage Manager, France Dionne. We feel that we have no solid basis for determining the price. ".........The board is not closed to the idea of maintaining the law, but it wants to know if the formula for fixing and indexing the price holds up. "What the board wants is relevant and reliable information on how to consider a fair price for retailers and processors, as well as a fair price for consumers, where milk it's just not anything, "said Ms. Dionne.The Board invites stakeholders to present an analysis of actual costs and to propose a pricing formula that takes into account. Link{fr}

Could you imagine if all the producers of ketchup got together with the government and openly fixed the price of their product with minimum and maximum prices?
How about fixing the price of haircuts or cars or newspapers?
I thought this behaviour is against the law.
Apparently when the government fixes prices, like the minimum price set for gasoline, set by Quebec's Regie de l'energie, it's fine.
When a group of retailers conspire to fix prices, they end up charged with a crime. Link

Jon Stewart examines shady Canadian maple syrup cartel on ‘The Daily Show’
Watch the Clip

Buying local, especially food, is a concept embraced by granolas and lefties who view the outside world as a nasty place where foreign products are a threat to local jobs and in the case of food, a threat to quality and global warming.
There is something noble about the concept of local farmers plowing their 'Green Acres' delivering their produce in a beat up pickup truck only a few short miles from the big city. Unfortunately, t'aint really so....

I shall leave these people with their fantasies, but must take to task Quebec's agricultural minister who actually believes that the government and its dependencies should set an example by buying locally instead of seeking the best value for their public dollars, but before I go on, let me re-produce a letter to the editor by one of these elitist self-important 'organic' farmers who argues in his own selfish self-interest, which is fine as long as we look dispassionately at the arguments meant to tug at the heart strings

"I am a local organic farmer, and this boost is exactly what we need. Truth is that we have labour laws, wage laws, safety standards etc., that make producing food more expensive in Canada than in other places such as California, where Mexican labourers get paid $2-3/hr. So without government support, it’s impossible for us to compete.
While people are primarily worried about price, there is also the gigantic issue of quality. If people knew what levels of radiation California strawberries are subject to, and what waxes are sprayed on them to prevent them from going bad over their two-three week journey, they would avoid them like a toxic spill.
If the truth about the health effects of GMO were openly discussed, there would be an uprising, and people would gladly pay extra to get nutritious food and avoid serious poisons.
Therefore, let’s give our PQ leaders credit for standing alone against food oligopolies and encouraging local healthy food, and let’s demand that all GMOs are labelled, and impartial information about food handling by our lower priced competitors is readily available to the consumers.
James Turner
Verdun

"Mexican labourers get paid $2-3/h"
I don't know if Mexican farm workers earn that little, an article that I found, written by those supporting farm workers indicates that it is really somewhere in the neighbourhood of $4-$8 dollars an hour, nothing to brag about but for a migrant worker from Mexico the alternative is, well, Mexico.
The low wage argument is a powerful guilt inducer, but if we applied it to all the other products in society that we purchase from Pakistan or China, the cost of living would skyrocket.
For those of you who believe that this is the right thing to do, let's not just give local farmers a boost, but all industries that are affected by low-waged foreign products. Local farmers deserve no more consideration than manufacturers who saw their competitiveness destroyed by low wages.

"While people are primarily worried about price, there is also the gigantic issue of quality."
Nope, not true.
People have the opportunity to shop in 'organic' stores across the country and the market share of these establishments is infinitesimal. I guess there's not as many 'concerned' citizens as portrayed!
The truth is that people shop for price...period.
It's an unhappy truth driven by necessity.

."..people would gladly pay extra to get nutritious food and avoid serious poisons."
Pure fear-mongering.
Serious poisons? c'mon...
There are also granolas that argue against pasteurization too. Should we listen to their sky-is-falling spiels meant only to frighten us into accepting their more expensive alternate products?
And by the way, if people did pay extra, they wouldn't do it gladly.

How about the safety of organic products themselves? Are the products the organic industry provide us really inherently safer?
Read these informative articles;
"Is Organic Food Really Safe?.....The Real Story!
Eating Organic may be Harmful—The Truth Behind Organic Produce
This link is from Scientific American: Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming

At any rate, "Buy Local" programs are nothing more than protectionism, arguments about food safety are just a smokescreen and a con.

Local food is always better "Buy local!" the stickers yell. The local shops in my town sport that message everywhere; your town probably does, too. The buy local movement is a strong current in the river of environmentalism, and for a good reason: It does make good sense to keep your money and shopping close to home ... but not always. Local food isn't always better. There are many things you have to consider when assessing the environmental impact of a food item. Besides just how far it traveled from field to market, consider how the food was harvested, processed, stored and transported. For example: New Zealand farmers use a lot of renewable energy and less fertilizers, so it's actually less CO2-intensive for U.K. citizens to import lamb than to buy the local variety. Local is important, but it's not everything. Do your homework.Link

All the links below come from highly reputable sources.
The Local Food Myth
Debunking sustainable food myths
How the myth of food miles hurts the planet
The reality of the buy local movement is that it is just about protectionism, plain and simple.

In that vein Quebec's puppet Minister of Agriculture François Gendron, tells us that the government and its related agencies must set a good example by buying local and that he will work to make it so.

All across the province, government run senior citizen homes are tasked to provide a healthy and nutritious diet for under $5 a day per resident. The creative food planners and preparers scrimp and save, buying judiciously and in bulk to deliver the most bang for the buck. Read a post
Does the minister really believe that it is reasonable for them to pay 30-50% more for local products?
Is he going to provide them the money to do so?

Buy local is a ruinous program that is attractive to societies that fail or don't want to understand the benefits of trade.
While it seems a no-brainer to keep foreign products out of our market to save local jobs, when others put up barriers to our products, the senselessness of it all is plain to see.
Does it really make sense to grow pineapples in Quebec hothouses while a pineapple bought from Costa Rica costs a fraction of the cost?
Is it reasonable for Costa Rica to demand that their consumers pay extra for products or services that can be acquired from Quebec more cheaply?

Remember the uproar in Canada when the America Congress implemented a buy-American policy"

"In 2009, US lawmakers passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which contained a similar, sweeping Buy American provision. Although the goal was to spur growth, many US companies actually lost much-needed business, because they were unable to sell component parts to Canadian manufacturers shut out of ARRA-funded projects."Link

As we in Quebec tut-tutted the rise in American protectionism, we fail to consider or willfully ignore that we in Quebec want everyone else to trade freely while we limit access. Read another post on Quebec protectionism

As Canada seeks to enter the Asia-Pacific market, through APEC, a free-trade agreement similar to NAFTA, the problem of supply-management and Canada's protected dairy market remains the biggest impediment.

"The free-trade proposal is being negotiated by U.S., Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Canada, Mexico and Japan have indicated they want to participate in the discussion but the U.S. has voiced concerns about Canada's supply management system, which shields certain Canadian farmers from international competition." Link

Stephen Harper has already dismantled the cartel Wheat Board over the loud protests of those in the West who are heavily invested in the system of marketing cartels.

One only has to wonder what would happen should Ottawa ever attempt to remove the dairy cartel across Canada and in particular, Quebec.
The issue would probably be seen as a slap in the face and used to boost support for sovereignty.

The sad truth is that after independence Quebec's 40% share of the Canadian dairy market would evaporate!
You can't have it both ways, at least internationally.
In Canada Quebec has been coddled and financially indulged, by Canadians eager to pay them off to remain part of Canada.
Many of Quebec's coddled industries were protected through complicated 'grandfather' clauses negotiated in NAFTA.
The Americans have rued the day they made those concessions and are determined to never be suckered again and so are bound and determine to impose market forces on Canada's protected industries in the future.

Ask James Turner, the organic farmer and letter writer from Verdun if he is willing to pay double for fuel, clothing and other staples and he will certainly answer that he is.
That is because he is invested in the 'buy local' con.

For the rest of us who work in an office, who are retired, professional, students, blue collar or on a fixed income, low prices are essential to a better quality of life.
It isn't fair that those who benefit from protectionism are the ones calling the shots....

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

Let me remind you of the Equality Party meeting at the Hampton Inn in Dorval this Sunday between 2:00 and 4:00PM
The hotel is located on the Trans Canada Highway just east of Sources Boulevard on the south side of Highway 40 in Montreal.
I'll be there and hope to meet you. I think there's an important statement to be made!

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

When the PQ was first elected I wrote a piece describing the utter lack of potential cabinet talent within the PQ ranks and the unmitigated disaster that awaited us as a bunch of incompetent fools were handed the reins of power. Read: Pauline Steers a PQ Ship of Fools
I think it's fair to say that time has borne me out and that this opinion wasn't just a partisan shot.

While I generally disdain all pequists, past and present, I am the first to say that many PQ governments of the past were made up of men and women with a certain level of competence, responsibility and yes, honour, all of which is sadly lacking in Pauline's motley crew.

Let me provide PART TWO of a report card on the ministers of this government, cognizant of the fact that I am not a fan, something like a Montreal Canadiens fan rating the Boston Bruins, player by player.

Bernard Drainville-I

Minister of Democratic Institutions and Citizen Participation
Just reading the convoluted ministerial title tells me that the job has been created artificially to fill a need, like the president of a large corporation naming his son or daughter to a job with a fancy title and no responsibility.
Bernard Drainville has been rewarded for his disloyalty to Pauline Marois with a job that can best be described as an accident waiting to happen.
In the best tradition of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, Pauline has sent poor Bernard on a fool's errand, handing him the unenviable task of shepherding the secular ‘Charter of Quebec Values,’a potential time bomb where in the case of an explosion, it will be poor Bernard who gets his brains splattered.

Let's go back a bit to the dark days of the PQ last year, where it looked likely that Pauline's leadership would not survive as the party was down in the dumps in the polls.
Many in the PQ were panicked and some were making overt and covert runs at Pauline's top job.
But we all know how it ended, Marois dispatching her arch rival Gilles Duceppe with a cleverly planted revelation that he probably abused his position in Ottawa as head of the Bloc Quebecois, by paying partisan salaries out of his office budget.
But Drainville also took a shot at the leadership, more discretely and respectfully.

"Considered a likely contender in any future PQ leadership race, Drainville even gave a round of interviews in which he took thinly disguised jabs at his leader.
“If the Parti Quebecois doesn’t bring itself closer to the people we won’t get through this,” he said, referring to the party’s low polling numbers at the time." Link

And so when Pauline survived, he wasn't sent to Siberia, but was definitely put on the Pauline's ~~shit~~ bad boy list.
Now during the leadership crisis, Drainville published what has to be the most nonsensical set of ideas which he claimed would reinvigorate Quebec democracy.
Some of Drainville's proposals were clearly incompatible with our Parliamentary system, including the proposal of electing the Premier directly as in the United Staes.
Even more bizarre was his proposal that citizens would be able to force Parliament to act in accordance to the edicts of a referendum initiated by citizens themselves.

"One political scholar expressed bafflement that the PQ would ever have considered the idea.
"Citizen-initiated referendums are not very compatible with a British-inspired parliamentary system," said Antonin-Xavier Fournier, a professor of politics at CEGEP de Sherbrooke.
"Citizens themselves can't oblige Parliament and the Crown to adopt a law. It's what we call 'the supremacy of Parliament.' "
This, Fournier said, is hardly top-secret information.
"This is constitutional law 101," he said." Link

And so Drainville, got what he wanted or more to the point, what he deserved, the impossible job of re-inventing Quebec's democracy, suckered along by Marois, just as before when she nixed the consultative referendum which was duly passed at the party congress.

Like the proverbial fool, Drainville is rushing in where angels fear to tread and going full speed ahead with the Charter of Quebec Values, a law designed to discriminate against minority religions, all in the name of collectivity.

I won't get into the juicy subject here, but will offer just one observation.
One of the precepts of the proposed law is the banning of religious regalia in public service, a direct attack on Muslim women who wear a headscarf to work.
The law applies to all, but let's face reality, there aren't a lot of Sikhs, Raëlins, or Hasids working at the license bureau.
Come to think of it, I renewed my permit a couple of weeks ago and was served by a nice young lady wearing a headscarf.
Was I offended?....what do you think?
If the law goes through, will this young lady have to decide between her faith and her job?

Dranville has already started his tap dance around the issue of Christianity in public, telling reporters that the celebration of Christmas and Easter are 'civic' holidays and therefore exempt from the law and that the Crucifix in legislative bodies is also exempt because it is a 'patrimonial icon.' ...Arggghh!!

Last week he complained that a parking exemption, afforded to the Jewish community (for the last thirty years) for one of their holidays was something he opposed as an unreasonable accommodation.
When Lise Ravary, a columnist at the Journal de Montreal pointed out that there is a parking exemption in Longueuil for Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas, Drainville remained silent.

If you are wondering what my mark of "I" means, let me explain.

Drainville has cabinet position that is evil and destructive.
To do a good job would be bad for the province and to do a bad job would be good for the province.
Drainville is bad at his job and therefore good! er.....I hope you follow the logic...

It is akin to being good or bad at running theMinistry of Silly Walks....Hmmmm!

Therefore I have decided to bestow the unique mark of "I" for "Idiot"

Réjean Hébert-D

Health Minster
The photo of the Health Minister is just a reminder of his political and social affiliation.

With apologies to Philippe Couillard ( and my old pediatrician Dr. Victor Goldbloom,) I'm always suspicious of doctors turned politicians. It is hard to understand why they willingly give up ten years of medical training for a job that pays considerably less

When Réjean Hébert came on board as health minister, you'd think his first order of business would be to address the 20 hours plus waiting period that is the norm in Quebec emergency rooms.

Imagine requiring stitches for a nasty cut and being told that not only would you have to wait almost a full day before seeing a doctor, but you couldn't choose to pay for the service privately because it is some horrific violation of the Health Act.
The bizarre fact is that a Montrealer can drive to a Plattsburgh walk-in clinic, be stitched and home in about three hours!

Nope, all this is of little import to the good minister, instead Hébert decided to tackle the important file of the Lachine hospital which is affiliated with the MUHC, the English umbrella organization for health services in Montreal.
After being pushed hard by language militants to change the hospital's affiliation to French, the minister announced that the hospital would henceforth be run by a francophone oversight organization prompting a groundswell of resistance.
After a spirited campaign that highlighted the folly of such a move, supported by anglophones and francophones frightened at the potential deterioration of service, the minister caved.

"Hébert told reporters at a news conference that maintaining the hospital’s affiliation with the MUHC “seems to be the best solution in terms of achieving the goals of this hospital.”
That’s a far cry from what Hébert said in January when he said the MUCH would never make Lachine a priority and announced it would be managed by the CSSS de Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle.
But public outcry forced Hébert’s hand. The Save Our Lachine Hospital committee formed six years ago, returned to action, collecting thousands of names on a petition insisting the hospital remain affiliated with the MUHC.
“It was a big concern, ” said hospital employee Evelyn Van Eyken, “You would lose that connection with the larger hospitals, you would lose the expertise of the larger hospitals.”
Many worried that under the management of the CSSS, the hospital’s quality of care would deteriorate."Link

Hebert is a separatist idealogue, an academic ill-suited to real world problems. He remains part of the coterie of cabinet ministers who put independence and language before the general well-being of the province.
Shame on him...

By the way, since being shamed by the Lachine affair, the minister, like Nicolas Marceau has kept his head down, a good idea considering..

Nicole Léger-F

Minister of Families

You'd think that the Ministry of Families would be a portfolio as uncontroversial as they come.

But not in a PQ government, where the politics of language and socialism are applied.

First let us acknowledge the standard about-face that seems to dog just about every cabinet appointment, wherein a minister announces a new intuitive, policy or program and is promptly forced to do an embarrassing about-face because of public outrage.

On October 17, 2012;

"Bill 101 is going to be changed," Léger said in an interview. "I will have plenty of support as family minister to make sure it also extends to daycares....
Immigrants to Quebec who want to send their children to daycare will soon have to look into finding a French-language centre, the government said Wednesday, outlining the latest plank in its plan to overhaul the province's language laws. Link

and then October 18, 2012;....

"Family Minister Nicole Léger, in an interview with The Canadian Press, said she wanted changes to the language law known as Bill 101 to include daycare centres, suggesting that the provisions of the law that restrict access to the English-language school system should also apply to daycare services. On Thursday, Ms. De Courcy said that would not happen."Link

Hmmm......

But all this doesn't compare to the fiasco in daycare file where Leger has entered into a firestorm in implementing the PQ platform to add some 32,000 $7-a-day spots.

She announced that she would be creating these new spots by expanding the public daycare system instead of giving the private daycare system a chance to fill the 10,000 vacancies that presently exist.

Imagine building new daycare centres at a cost of about $2.5 million each, when places are going begging in the private system, just because they must charge full pop.
By just turning over the subsides to the private system, the province would save millions and millions.
But the PQ is beholding to the unions and so it's anti-business policy is put before sane financial management.

“Why give 85% of places to CPEs when they cost more to society,” argued daycare owner Bambina Gagliaidi. “You’re having a problem with finances and you still want to spend more in CPEs when they cost more to taxpayers. It’s nonsense.” Link

And to add fuel to the fire, the Minister demanded that those private daycares that do have subsidies, kick back some $15 million dollars to the government because they run too efficiently and make too much profit.
These for-profit daycares are not unionized and of course work hard to keep costs down, as any business. With the same subsidy per child that the public daycare system needs to operate, the private daycare can generate up to $100,000 in profit per centre.
That's too much for the minister and so she wants a piece of these profits by way of reducing the subsidy.
This led to the outraged private daycares to hold a 'strike' for one day, enraging the Minister who promised to fine each participating daycare about $3,000 for each day closed.
Her lightening reaction to the 'strike' had opposition politicians furious.

Liberal leader Philippe Couillard argued the PQ is in no position to try to muzzle protesters.
“I would like to know by which logic the sound of certain pots and the colour of certain squares appear more sympathetic to the government than others, given the fact they participated themselves when the squares were red and they banged the pots, so how come these pots and these squares are not treated the same way,” said Couillard.Link

To be fair to Nicole Léger, this initiative is not hers, but represent decisions made at cabinet.
She is in many respects just a mouthpiece, doing the bidding of the government.
After her monumental gaffe and humiliation over French in daycares and the subsequent backpedal, she too has learned a lesson and now has become a dopey puppet to ventriloquist Pauline Marois .

Stéphane Bergeron- B

Minister of Public Security

I have to say, I think Stéphane Bergeron is the second best minister in the Marois cabinet.
He hasn't done anything amazing, but on the other hand he hasn't made any gaffes or about-faces, quite an achievement in this cabinet!

His first order of business was to purge the Sureté de Quebec of its top brass as payback for the botched security detail that led to Pauline Marois to be placed in harm's way of an assassin.
The video of her Keystone Cops handlers dragging her one way, only to reverse direction is classic among law enforcement agencies around the world and serves as a textbook case of what not to do. Video

The Minister was showing the Sureté who was boss and his frontal attack on the national police demonstrates clearly that there were no skeletons in his closet.
The Sureté is famous for keeping compromising 'files' on politicians and VIPs, in the finest tradition of J. Edgar Hoover!

The Public Security minister is basking in the glow of the Charbonneau Commission which is a big hit with the public and although it was Premier Charest that launched the inquiry, it is the present government and Stéphane Bergeron who are getting the credit for the cleanup.

At any rate, no news is good news and Bergeron carries himself rather well, projecting a serious and

confident attitude.
He has largely stayed out of the political fray but is responsible for calling an inquiry into last year's student protest, no doubt meant to humiliate the Liberals.
With the police brotherhood and the Liberal party already announcing that they will not participate, and the students complaining about the format, it looks like a white elephant in the making, but all this remains to be seen. Link

Bertrand St-Arnaud- B+
Minister of Public of Justice

Like the Public Security Minister Bertrand St-Arnaud has kept his nose clean and out of the limelight.
No gaffes, no humiliating about-faces and certainly not the appearance of incompetence demonstrated by so many of his cabinet colleagues.

In fact St-Arnaud was praised by federalists for his support of a gathering in Quebec City of interested parties concerning the promotion of victim's rights. Link{fr}

Mr. St-Arnaud also went on record as saying he wants to increase jail sentences for repeat drunk drivers who seem to offend over and over again.

"St-Arnaud says he wants to legislate a one-year jail term for a fourth infraction, and two years for a fifth infraction.

St-Arnaud says the Quebec and Alberta governments also want to pressure the federal government to modify the criminal code." Link

Both these initiatives cross political lines and enjoy wide support.

One thing that stands out is what he did not do, that is cave in to union demands to reverse the Charest governments Bill-30, that removed the construction union's right to place workers on job sites.
The unions are so angry with the PQ for refusing to reverse the law, that they are actually suing the government over the issue and have named the justice minister in the lawsuit. Link{fr}

And finally let us remember that it was Bertrand St-Arnaudwho took his own leader to task after Pauline Marois made an injudicious comment after some accusations implicating the PQ were made at the Charbonneau Commission.
Marois told reporters that the Commissioner, France Charbonneau 'needed to proceed with caution' which probably wasn't meant as a threat, but did sound like one.
The justice minister felt compelled to respond, saying;

"She (Charboneau)is a masterof the witnessescalled, she ismaster as to whatapproachshe uses and I, asMinister of Justice will notcomment onthe evidenceor howthe Charbonneau Commission operates"Link{fr}

Well said!

And so it seems that I haven't finished with the cabinet review and so will offer another installment in the near future.

SPECIAL NOTE:
Readers, as the summer approaches and the political actions subsides, I'll be taking it a bit easier, hopefully enjoying the pool with family and friends (AND MOST IMPORTANTLY----GRANDCHILDREN!)
And so I'll be posting just twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, but promise to bring some interesting (I hope) insights and perhaps chart a bit of a different course.

Many people write to me and complain that I do a lot of harping without ever proposing solutions.
Fair criticism.
I'm going to try to remain positive as I hope you all will. At least for the summer.

Whether you agree with me, are against my ideas or are indifferent, there is a common bond that we all share, that is the preciousness of summer, something that Canadians across this country, regardless of language, political persuasion, race or religion hold dear.

On Thursday I'll offer an extended post about entitlement, that is, the entitlement of politicians and a view as to what makes politicians (of all stripes) betray our trust.

I'm already working on it and without tooting my horn, believe that you will find it interesting in a non-partisan sort of way.
Until then!

This week in Quebec Corruption

The Journal de Montreal is reporting that ex-Laval Mayor Gilles Vallancourt sent millions of dollars in payola cash to Switzerland via couriers, even children, family members who ferried the money across the Atlantic. Link{fr}
The scheme involved several people including lawyers, collectors and family members which makes the whole affair if proven, a criminal enterprise.
It would be the first time that the law against criminal organizations would be applied to white collar criminals.

If you think that the Charbonneau Commission is sending Quebecers for a loop, wait until the Vaillancourt mess goes to trial, where it will no doubt create a sensation unseen in the annals of ~~Quebec~~ Canadian criminal trials.

There's no doubt that with so many players, there's a line-up of those willing to turn states evidence and rat out the mayor, who police really want to see in jail.

A word of advice to the future defendants, stick to trial by judge, because the average Quebecer as a potential juror would like nothing else than to stick it to these guys.

By the way, the article stated that the RCMP had a file on Vaillancourt way back before 2000.
So what took them so long????

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

"Seems part of the reason Montreal's streets are a pothole-ridden mess every spring is because the quality of asphalt has become poorer over the last decade.
And part of the reason for that, is because of collusion between construction companies.
So says Gilles Théberge, a former construction executive who took the stand again today at the Charbonneau Commission."Read the rest of the story at CJAD

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Meanwhile Dr. Arthur Porter, the central figure in the Montreal super hospital bribery scandal, was arrested in Panama, along with his wife.

Her role in the matter has never been made public.

Porter had claimed he was too ill to travel with late-stage cancer while in the Bahamas and so more questions are raised about his supposed illness.

It remains to be seen if Porter will fight extradition, but if he's smart he will not as his treatment here will likely be better than being placed in custody in Panama.

Stay-tuned. Read the story

UPDATE" ........Porter says he won't fight extradition

Here's a thought...
What if Porter isn't lying and he does have terminal cancer?
He'll never see trial because of his illness and by bringing him back, all we are doing is picking up some very expensive health bills.....Hmmmm!

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

The chief of staff of the Minister of Families, Lucie Papineau has resigned her position after eight months on the job because according to her boss, she only agreed that she'd stay on for six months.

Hmm..... When the minister Nicole Leger made the announcement of her appointment, she never mentioned that it was a short-term affair.

Could it be because Madame Papineau was named in the Charbonneau Commission not once, but twice, in relation to illegal donations on the PQ side? Link{fr}

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

"The whole corruption scandal that has enveloped Quebec has had people shaking their heads at the audacity and the pervasiveness of the affair.

But until now, it seemed to be a conspiracy of the willing, there was no talk of violence.

Well that all changed with the publication of this story;

"The owner of a construction company was likely beaten to death because he wouldn't participate in a corrupt system, said a witness at the Charbonneau Inquiry.
Serge Loiselle and his wife were attacked inside their Salaberry de Valleyfield home in November 2011, and Loiselle later died of his injuries.
He was the owner and president of Ali Excavation, a successful construction company that won contracts throughout the region.
But Gilles Théberge, a now retired manager of Sintra Construction, said Loiselle's success proved his undoing.
According to Théberge, Loiselle was an honest man who refused to take part in the widespread collusion that is rampant in Quebec's construction industry. His refusal to co-operate with other construction companies and artificially inflated prices meant Ali Excavation was easily able to win contracts, and undercut the profit margin of other companies." Read more

Also:

Contractor describes being threatened by bid-rigging companies
It was impossible to even make bids on public projects in Laval without being threatened by other players in a corrupt system said the latest witness at the Charbonneau Inquiry.
Construction entrepreneur Pierre Allard is the owner of a small construction firm that tried to work in Laval, but was quickly swept up and strong-armed by other construction companies.
Allard said his company had no difficulty bidding and winning on public contracts, but problems began when he decided to bid on on public-private contract to connect water mains and sewers in a housing development to the municipal network.:Read more

Quebec soaks Canada for $20 billion a year

"A Journal de Montreal story reports that Statistics Quebec, a government agency, has confirmed that Quebec is the big, big winner in federal government transfers, taking out a shocking twenty billion more than it puts into the federal pot.

"In 2011, federalspendingin Quebecreached $61.6billion.This includes spending on goodsand services,money transferstoQuebec companiesandindividuals (old age pension, unemployment insurance,child benefits) in money transfersto the provincial government(equalization, etc..) andto municipalities, intereston the Quebecportion of thefederal debt, etc..

Revenuefrom Quebecpeakedin 2011at about$ 42.5 billion."Link{fr-PW}

The journalist Michel Girard goes on to say;

"Defenders of Quebec independence may argue that 2011 might have been an exceptional year.
Nope!
In 2010, the "sovereignty balance" also showed a large deficit of $19.2 billion.
In fact, the "sovereignty balance" has deteriorated significantly since 2004. At that time, we saw a negative variance of only $967 million. Ever since 2008, the gap exceeds $11 billion annually, with the federal government spending a whole lot more money in Quebec than it withdraws through the taxes.

STUDIES
I hope these economic statistics, compiled by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, will be the subject of future serious analysis over the economic viability of Quebec sovereignty.
This should partially answer questions from Jacques Parizeau. He urged this week, the Marois government to table economic studies that can shed light on the advantages of an independent Quebec rather the status quo of Canadian federalism." Link{fr-PW}

I think this clear and concise article will put to bed any claim that sovereigntists can make over the economic benefits of sovereignty.
How will they react to the story?

They won't, they will keep silent and hope the issue fades from memory, because to debate the issue publicly, would be just too devastating.

By the way, not to toot my horn, but this story is old news, last November I created this infogram that indicated the difference in what Quebec gives and gets from Ottawa.
It is the story wherein I correlate the numbers and conclude that for every dollar Quebec sends to Ottawa it receives back $1.45. Read my post: Quebec Propagandists Get a Dose of Reality

Equality Party takes heat for Howard Galganov comments

Only about 50 people turned out for an Equality part meeting in which Howard Galganov gave the keynote address.

"PQ power gives rise to ‘Angryphone’ lunacy" -Dan Delmar
With the rise of Pauline Marois as Quebec Premier, along with one of the more radical incarnations of her Parti Québécois, comes inevitably the rise of the province’s “Angryphone” movement; a controversial designation referring to politically-active Anglophones who are the most vigorous defendors(sic)of linguistic rights. For the first time in years, they have resurfaced and attained new heights of lunacy. Read the rest of the story

But the article raised many hackles, so check out the many negative reactions to the story in the comments section.

Court reverses prayer ban at city council meetings

I hope Bernard Drainville takes a close look at the decision of the Quebec Appeals court which reversed a decision by the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal banning the practice of the Saugenauy city council from reciting a prayer before town council meetings.

"The Quebec Court of Appeal reversed a decisionof the QuebecHuman RightsTribunal and is allowing the City ofSaguenay to recite aprayerbeforecouncil meetings, all the while condemningthe attitudeof Mayor JeanTremblayin this debate.

In a decision writtenby JusticeGuyGagnon, the three judges whoheard the casebelieve thatrecitinga prayer andthe nature of theprayerin question does notviolatethe religious neutrality ofthe City.In other words, the court concluded that the CityofSaguenayimposes noreligiousviews to its citizensand itsgovernment actionis immunefrom such influence.Link{fr}

According to Mr. Drainville, the government does not take a position on religion and is committed to keeping it out of the public administration, unless......it is Christian in nature!
Oh, those pesky courts!!!!!

Pierre-Karl Peladeau tries to mask separatist leaning

Ex-media scion, Pierre Karl Peladeau, now safely ensconced in the PQ camp, who was named as head honcho of Hydro-Quebec by the PQ government, has finally let his allegiance out of the bag, as if it was a secret!

Péladeau Backtracks

QUEBEC - The new chairman of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec, businessman Pierre Karl Peladeau, backtracked Friday, after noting the depth and sincerity of an appeal for sovereignty launched by former Premier Bernard Landry.

Mr. Peladeau, who took up his new job just ten days ago, expressed himself during a question and answer period following a speech by Mr. Landry.....
...Mr. Landry said that Quebec's economic situation would be better if Quebec were independent and he concluded his speech by inviting the audience to think and decide for themselves. Columnist Alain Dubuc, who introduced the former Premier, in response, said he endorsed all what Mr. Landry said in relation to the economy, but not the end-game of sovereignty, a divergence that triggered laughter from the audience....

....Commenting from the floor, Mr. Peladeau expressed satisfaction with the final passage of Mr. Landry's speech and in referring to the comments of Mr. Dubuc, who writes for La Presse, said; "It is true that Mr. Dubuc could report what you said, but probably something he couldn't do, is to recreate the sincere and profound conclusions.

During a press briefing that followed, Mr. Peladeau, the controlling shareholder of Quebecor (TSX: QBR), distanced himself, arguing that he was really referring to aspects of the speech by Mr. Landry about entrepreneurs who contributed to the building of Quebec.....

....During the last election, Mr. Peladeau's spouse, host Julie Snyder, had publicly expressed support for Ms. Marois. Read the rest of the story Link{fr}

Private Investment plummets under the PQ

Investment betweenSept. 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 ( Péquiste gvt.)
Public Investments       $1.7 billion
Private investment : :    $1.6 billion
Total : :                          $3.3 billion
Source: Quebec Ministry of Fiance

Investment between Sept. 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012 ( Liberal gvt.)
Public Investments :   $908 million
Private investment :    $3.2 billion
Total :                         $4.2 billion
Source: Quebec Ministry of Fiance

"Ifone believes thefigures presentedFriday by thegovernment itself, private investment totaled$ 1.6billionbetween September 1,2012 and March31, 2013compared to $3.27 billionforthe same periodlast year,when the Liberalswere in power.This represents a decreaseof51.14%or $1.67 billion." {Fr-PW}

Jacques Villeneuve's parting shot

"Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve said he left Quebec because of the province’s language laws, business climate and the general “morose ambiance.”
In an exclusive interview with QMI Agency, Villeneuve, who works as an F1 analyst on French and Italian television, said he “no longer felt at home” in Quebec.Link

The reaction to this story is disproportionate to his fame.
Newspapers and letter writers are raging over the slight with the most virulent attack launched by La Presse columnist Francis Vailleswho stooped to reminding readers that Villeneuve's singing career tanked, somehow making his opinion invalid.
The rest of the screed was akin to the childhood taunt... "ya mudder wears army boots"
My favourite comment under the story was this, from

"I greatly respectyour opinions,which are oftenabovethe fray.
But here,I read an articlewhich is quitebiased, emotional, attackinga person -about hisfailureas a singer... really?! - Instead ofdiscussingthe real question:Is itattractive fora millionaire, who is mobile, who has the choice of residence, andwho wantsthebesteducation for theirchildren,to settlein Quebec?" Link{fr}

(credit: Lord Dorchester, Mosnean)

Bill 14 and "Charter of Secularism" delayed until the Fall

The Parti Quebecois announced that the clause by clause study of Bill 14 will be delayed until after the summer recess due to the Liberal party's obstructionism.

"With Bill 14, meant to bolster Quebec’s Charter of the French language, bogged down by what Immigration and Cultural Communities Minister Diane De Courcy termed on Wednesday a “Liberal filibuster,” the Parti Québécois government has postponed until the fall its policy paper for a Charter of secularism." LINK

In the meantime;

"The Parti Québécois government says it plans to compel federally regulated companies to comply with Quebec's French Language Charter, by withholding public contracts from any business or agency that doesn't. Link

Bits'n pieces

On average, Quebecers work, 117 hours less per year than Ontarians.
That's almost three weeks! Link{fr}

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

Henry Aubin is not one of my favourite writers, but here contributes an interesting piece about how because Ottawa is paying for the replacement for the Champlain Bridge, Quebec is asking for an expensive architectural gem.
Culture of entitlement crosses bridge

Another good piece on the decline of Montreal;
Montreal might be a hotbed of creativity, but its (sic) also a hotbed of municipal decline

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

For those outside Quebec who believe that all Quebecers suffer from entitlement disease, here is a great piece by blogger Gilles Guénette in Quebecois Libre, obviously in French.

L'aide sociale et l'assurance-emploi ne sont pas des modes de vie

Anyone interested in translating?

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

"The French language police (France-.ed) have long been fighting an uphill battle to stem the invasion of English words into the language of Moliere. But with "stop", "weekend", "cool" and many, many others words now at home in the Gallic language it appears the French resistance has all been in vain. Nevertheless a team of people at the Minister of Culture in Paris are keeping up the fight. They are charged with finding French alternatives to any new English word of phrase that rears its head in French." Link

Here are the top offenders:
Binge-drinking

Beach

E-book

Drop-out

Cloud Computing

Silver Economy

Crowd Funding

Exit tax

Hashtag

Class action

Carbon offsetting, Carbon Compensation, Carbon neutrality

"street basketball", "street football"

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

Parlez Anglais? French on course to do just that
"Compounding the unease of the French elite is their awareness that French is now only the eighth most spoken language in the world whereas English is second, behind Chinese. And last week the French language seemed to have conceded a rather painful defeat to English. The French higher education minister Genevieve Fioraso tabled a draft law which would allow some scientific courses at French universities to be taught in English. Sacre Bleu. Shock Horror."Link

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

Bilingualism rate drops for first time since Pierre Trudeau
"Driven in part by the arrival of thousands of French-eschewing immigrants, Canadian rates of French-English bilingualism have dropped for the first time since the election of prime minister Pierre Trudeau, according to a Statistics Canada report released Tuesday." Link

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

Obituary- Morton Brownstein, a Great Montrealer
Morton Brownstein, a visionary retailer who transformed Browns Shoe Shops from a small family business into a national chain that pioneered sales of designer shoes, has been called “a national treasure” for his dedication to building a better Canada.....
..... His most cherished cause was the Jewish General Hospital, of which he became president of the board in 1988. A fundraiser extraordinaire, in 1984, he raised $20 million for the emergency department, which is now named after him and Bernice.
In 1998, he raised $50 million for the hospital and topped that in 2003 by raising $200 million....
....In 1988, Brownstein was among five merchants who won a Supreme Court challenge to provisions of Quebec’s French-language charter banning English from public signs. But the victory left a bitter taste, since then-premier Robert Bourassa invoked the notwithstanding clause to overturn the ruling.
“It’s neither exhilarating nor satisfying,” Brownstein said on learning the verdict, adding that he never would have undertaken the challenge if he had known how little support his efforts would get from Quebec’s business leaders.
In 1989, he became one of the most prominent backers of the anglophone-rights Equality Party. “They gave me respectability,” he said. “They’ve been telling the legislature and people of Quebec that we should be treated as equals in the province — they’re defending that and no one else is,” he said. Read more


What can I say?

Mile End and Gary Carter! ......YES!!!!

Montreal bus driver, probably in trouble!!!

And here's something to remind those of you who are burning the candle at both ends to make time for yourself and your family this summer;

Have a great weekend

Bonne fin de semaine!

Royal baby: Kate gives birth to boy

Formal announcement of the Royal birth

It is a particular bugbear amongst the sophisticates and separatists to disdain the monarchy as an archaic institution that has no place in our modern society.

Survey after survey indicates that Canadians are a disinterested bunch when it comes to the House of Windsor, but to this observer that fact is the proof that in many cases, polls outright mislead, where responders answer what they believe they should say, instead of what they actually feel.

I'm not a royalist by any stretch of the imagination, but for that matter, I would oppose the abolition of the institution of the monarchy on a variety of grounds.
It would in all likelihood cost more to abolish the monarchy than to keep it, but that is hardly the point.

There is a reality that we don't like to admit, the desire to to venerate our supposed betters, whether they be Hollywood movie stars, pop stars, entertainers and royalty of all manner.

How else to explain the near obsession by fans to Justin Bieber or Angelina Jolie, or George Clooney. Entire industries exist, be it magazines, radio, television or Internet which report on every aspect of these stars lives, be it professional or more importantly, details of their personal lives, to a rabidly hungry audience of admirers who for but a moment, live vicariously in a make believe world of glamor and wealth.

It's fun to be a fan, otherwise people wouldn't waste their leisure time on star-gazing.

And to those males who venerate sports stars, wasting interminable time discussing mundane statistics, they are no one to criticize, they are no better or worse, than the star-gazers.

And so it is that the monarchy that we love to observe is our ticket to a fantasy of the life we see them live and wish that was ours.

In this regard, our monarchy is value for money like no other.

The naysayers complain that Canada wastes about $2.50 a year per citizen supporting Queen Elizabeth and her extended entourage, but it is perhaps the very best entertainment dollar that our governments spends.
There are Canadians who remain uninterested, but a lot less than they would have us believe.

Undeniably popular...even in Quebec City!

Even in Quebec, when William and Kate visited last year, thousands upon thousands turned up to greet them on the streets and hundreds of thousands more watched on television.
Those who claim that the monarchy is irrelevant are equal to those who claim that the Kardashians are irrelevant.
But as irrelevant as they might be, they peak our interest and who is to say how or what interest should interest us in our leisure time that belongs exclusively to ourselves.

To those who oppose spending money on the monarchy, let me say that it is a pittance compared to what the government spends on crap that is a lot less satisfying and less far reaching.

The fact is, that we get value for our money, not all of us, but enough to make the entire endeavor worthwhile.

To many, the monarchy, like an obsession with fan magazines and shows, is an overt hobby, while to others a guilty pleasure, enjoyed on the down-low.

As for Great Britain, the monarchy is the greatest value-for-money in terms of tourism which is inestimable, as foreigners flock to London to witness the pomp and circumstance that is the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace, a visit the Tower of London, or to witness a royal wedding or the birth of an heir.
Any talk of the monarchy being a financial drag on the British economy is outright poppycock, the monetary value in tourism dwarfs any outlay by the public purse.

A high point of my sojourn to London was a visit to the utterly fantastic Buckingham Palace, an adventure that I won't soon forget, and if truth be told, far outranks those visits I made to the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, those most highly regarded of tourist attractions worldwide.

For great entertainment value, I can't recommend enough a visit to the Palace of Versailles or other castles and palaces of Europe. It is an experience that you'll never forget, the breathtaking opulence and beauty, not soon forgotten.
True, all of this was built on the backs of the common man, but so were the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China, but that doesn't stop us from visiting, so no carping from the holier-than-thou crowd.

There is a reality, yet a mystery about our human existence.
Why do little girls dream of being swept away by knights in shining armor or handsome princes in dazzling regalia?
Why do little boys dream of glory in the battlefield or the sports pitch?

Why do none of our children dream of winning a Nobel prize or discovering a cure for cancer?

There is a beauty in romantic dreams that only the Grinches among us can deny.

And so to all of you who are watching with outright ebullience, the goings on surrounding the birth of the next Royal, or to those slipping in a surreptitious and stolen moment before the television coverage, all I can say is... enjoy!

Nobody can tell you what to watch and to the spoil-sport anti-monarchists and nasty separatists, all I can say is....piss off.

For those who complain about the pittance the government spends on the monarchy, it is important to understand that there are plenty of things the government spends money on that the overwhelming majority of Canadians disagree with, like the $20 billion that is shoveled to Quebec each year by taxpayers in the rest of Canada.

For Quebec nationalist who oppose the money spent on the monarchy, I propose a deal....you can imagine what it is.

So congratulations to the Windsors on the birth of the baby royal.

We wish the Prince of Cambridge long life and success and look forward to following his every move.

Dear readers, please take advantage of the comments sections to offer your congratulations or to voice your displeasure....after all we still live in a free country, the legacy of our British heritage!

This week in Quebec Corruption

This week we heard about large payouts to the two disgraced ex-Mayors of Montreal and Laval.

"After seven months on the job, the ex-interim mayor of Laval Alexandre Duplessis will be walking away from his post with a severance package of $170,378.
The cheque was cut from the city Tuesday, with the 43-year-old Duplessis receiving a $134,975 “transition allowance” and a severance package of $35,403.
The severance was calculated using guidelines under a provincial law on remuneration of elected officials — the Loi sur le traitement des élus municipaux — said the city. The allowance is a payment some city workers get to help find other employment, and eligibility for the severance is normally determined by factoring in the years of service and the pay grade of the individual leaving office.Link

The City of Montreal has confirmed that former mayor Michael Applebaum has received more than $267,000 in severance pay.
Applebaum resigned from office after being arrested in June on 14 charges including fraud and conspiracy.
He was selected as mayor by Montreal city council on Nov. 16, 2012, following the resignation of Gérald Tremblay amid allegations of corruption.
Applebaum's payout is over $50,000 more than his predecessor, who received a total of $216,000 after holding the mayor's office for more than a decade.Link

Up to now, the corruption scandals enveloping Quebec have implicated politicians and public servants, but now the police that are investigating these scandals have a whopper of its own.

"Three former high-ranking Quebec police officers are the subjects of an investigation into allegations of criminal activity.

Jean Audette, Steven Chabot and Richard Deschênes

"The investigation involves former Quebec provincial police director Richard Deschênes, as well as Jean Audette and Steven Chabot, who were responsible for criminal investigations for the Sûreté du Québec.
Chabot is retired, but Deschênes and Audette were both relieved of their duties when provincial police head Mario Laprise alerted Public Security Minister Stéphane Bergeron.
Bergeron told a news conference Wednesday that the allegations came to light when Laprise was doing a routine check of the accounting books, and discovered some unaccounted money.
According to the minister, the money was in a fund set up to discreetly pay police informants or cover the cost of drugs in undercover operations.
He said a high-ranking officer authorized the use of money from that fund to pay someone's retirement bonus. Bergeron would not name the individual who benefited from the alleged bonus." Link

In recent developments;
(translation) "According to information obtained by La Presse, it's because Denis Despelteau was planning to flee the country, the crown decided to rush his arrest by quickly filing charges against him. Sources revealed that there were no plans to make any arrests in the matter before September Link{fr}

Mr. Despelteau was an ex-cop turned consultant and has a suspicious and checkered past, twice declaring bankruptcy in the face of hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to the tax department.

Pauline reminds us just what a petty and nasty piece of work she really is.

This one story illustrates just what a nasty, public money-waster and utterly predictable idiot our Premier really is.

"Trust the Parti Québécois government to seize every opportunity to rain on a royal parade.
It was in the hours after it was reported that Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, had gone into labour leading to Monday’s birth of a royal son that the Quebec government announced it will join in a constitutional challenge to a federal law amending the rules governing succession to the titular post of Canadian head of state.
The holder of that post also occupies the British throne, and the law in question, the Succession to the Throne Act, 2013, essentially gave Canadian consent to a British law that abolished the rule of male primogeniture in the royal line of succession.
It means that male children will no longer take precedence over their sisters, no matter what their age, as had been the case up to then. The revision also removed the age-old interdiction that an heir to the throne may not marry someone of the Catholic faith.
The constitutional challenge was mounted by a pair of busybody Université Laval law professors whose objection is not the change in the line of succession or the liberalization of a royal heir’s marriage prospects, but the fact that the Conservative government passed the law approving the change without seeking formal endorsement from provincial governments."Read more

Sadly the PQ actually has a good case, but so what?

If the challenge is successful, Ottawa will have to go back and ask for permission from each province to allow for a change in the rules for Royal succession.

If that is the case, even the PQ would be forced to give that consent, the public would not stand for the government opposing a law that guarantees equality of genders in the Royal succession.
It would appear really low to oppose such a consent.

End result..... Money-wasting gamesmanship that serves no purpose.

By the way, the case will take years to litigate and Marois and her gang will be long gone. Any new Quebec government will certainly withdraw the petition.
And let's not forget that the birth of the latest male heir to the British throne has placed the whole issue on the back burner, one that can be safely put off for thirty or forty years.

So what's a few more million down the drain?
After all Quebec taxpayers are a generous and docile lot....

The gift that keeps taking

If there is any symbol of the decline of Quebec it may very well be the disaster that is the Olympic Stadium. Wikipedia
A monumental disaster of design and engineering, the stadium is a painful reminder of failure.
The white elephant known unaffectionately as the 'Big Owe' wasn't even completed in time for the Olympic games and its unfinished tower, a humiliating reminder and symbol of Quebec incompetence, and corruption.
It's $1.6 billion price tag haunted Montrealers for decades, and it took until 2006, to pay off the monumental debt.

Roof collapse in 1999

The tower and retractable roof weren't completed until 1987, fifteen years late and almost immediately, trouble with the retractable roof became evident.

By 1992 the roof was destined never to open again. The sad fiasco of the Kevlar roof has been an ongoing nightmare with one failure after another.

Today the government body that runs the stadium revealed that the roof is just about finished with a costly $200-$500 million rebuild an imperative. The way things go in Quebec that $rebuild will definitely be on the higher side of the estimate, all to preserve a venue that is substandard in every respect, primarily it's location out in East Montreal, far from those with the money to spend on tickets.

Read" Rips in Olympic Stadium roof scare away event organizers
Three years ago, we were warned about the impending disaster, but like usual, nothing is to be done, no decision taken, until a new disaster unfolds.
Let's be done with it. Major league baseball is never returning to Montreal and the stadium is just not needed. Even the Alouettes refuse to play there outside the playoffs and a Grey Cup every decade isn't enough to warrant the expense.

Ottawa-bashing ramped up by Quebec in Lac-Megantic tragedy

In Quebec, holding Ottawa responsible for every ill that strikes Quebec is a lugubrious and long-standing tradition and in the sad aftermath of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy the blame game shifted into high gear, with the responsibility for the accident placed squarely on the regulations and oversight of the federal regulators, with deregulation of the industry made out as the villain in the whole affair.
The Ottawa-bashing was not exclusively a Quebec only affair, with the insufferable Tom Mulcair blaming Ottawa for the perceived failure of deregulation and its impact on the tragedy, without a shadow of evidence.

Now there's no doubt that regulations need to be tightened so that when humans fail, the consequences are not as disastrous as the experience of Lac-Mégantic, but truth be told, the disaster was caused by someone doing his job badly or irresponsibly.

The same happened in San Francisco as two pilots landed their aircraft short of the runway for no apparent good reason. Without passing premature judgement, if that was the case , there's not a lot the airline manufacturer or the FAA could do about it.

The rail disaster in Spain that took so many lives can probably be attributed once more, to human error or dereliction of duty, where clearly the train was speeding, causing it to derail.

Here is an amazing video, witnessing clearly that the train was travelling too fast.

I don't think the government had much to do with that disaster and while regulations and oversight can always be improved, you just can't eliminate accidents when humans are in involved.

The advantage pressed by Quebec nationalists over the incident is disrespectful to the dead and injured, a sad powerplay on the backs of a town which has become a pawn, in the never-ending political chess match that is Quebec/Ottawa relations.

If the Conservatives are responsible for the disaster, because of deregulation, as we are told over and over again in Le Devoir and vigile.net, should these mighty organs of truth logically congratulate the Conservatives for Canada's falling crime rate (announced Thursday) as a result of the Conservative's get tough on crime bill?
Not likely....

Young entrepreneur does a YouTube rant over the Quebec government's refusal to allow registration of an English business name.

"A Quebec-based startup is complaining after officials rejected his company based on its English name, Rob Lurie reports."

Watch the CTV news story in English HERE.

Here is the original YouTube rant in French;

Mouvement Québec français wants language to be central issue in Montreal election campaign

"The Mouvement Québec français plans to become involved in Montreal’s municipal election campaign this fall.The president of the MQF, Mario Beaulieu, wants to ensure that language is one of the issues for mayoral candidates.
Beaulieu said he’s targetting the mayor’s race in Quebec’s largest city because more than 85 per cent of the 50,000 immigrants each year in Quebec settle there. According to him, Montreal is becoming more and more anglicized, and he denounces the fact that no municipal party has proposed solutions to counter this phenomenon."Read the rest of the story

Of course to Mr. Mario Blowhard, the issues of corruption, finances, unemployment and job opportunity, skyrocketing taxes and a collapsing infrastructure, are all small potatoes compared to language.

Vigile.net's most overt xenophobe outshines himself.

In a post that even astounds me, vigile.net's most overt and prolific xenophobe, Rejean LaBrie, delivered a beauty of a screed in which he rants against 'foreigners' playing for the Montreal Canadiens or the mythical Nordiques, who perhaps like the Phoneix, might one day rise again, to compete, according to Mr. LaBrie, without resorting to those nasty strangers.

If you read French, go over there and see why vigile.net has been roundly condemned as a first class purveyor of hate.
Jusqu’où ira la négation des identités nationales dans le sport ?

For those without French, Mr. LaBrie first complains that the French national soccer team has too many ~~Black~~ foreign players on the team.
He offers this photo to prove his point that the team is unrepresentative of French society.

I suppose Mr. LaBrie would also advise the NBA to limit Black participation to 10%, the demographic percentage of Blacks in America.
The league would be eminently less talented, but no matter, according to Mr. LaBrie, it is worth the sacrifice to see more white faces!

Think I'm exaggerating his position? Here is a translated quote from the article.

"Furthermore,assuming that theCanadiens orthe Nordiquesfinallyreturned to the fold,composed exclusively ofnative Quebecers, we would have to acceptthat the teams would probably occupylastin the league, but honorably, with the advantage ofhavingvaliantly competed with courage,....
...At any rate, that maybe betterthan a victorygained by outsiders,better thanthe glorygained by impersonation."

Readers, I can assure that this ultra xenophobia is extremely rare, so let's not generalize.
I think a reader in the comments section said it best;

"Butto whom and what end, Mr. Labrie, do your posts on peopleofother ethnic groupsthan whites, actually serve.
I wonder ifyou do notpurposely make we independentists and"vigiliens," out as a gangof racistormental defectives, unable to accept people from different backgroundson our TV!

Weekend Reading

YES side got illegal donations: engineer

(translation) “TheYes campreceivedillegal fundingduringthe 1995 sovereignty referendum , according to testimonygatheredby the policewho investigatedtheallegedcriminal network headed by the formermayor ofLaval,GillesVaillancourt.

An engineer, Claude Vallée, a former partner atValleyLefebvre,provided the informationfoundin thecomplaints. that ledto theongoinganti-corruptionunit(UPAC) toconduct searchesin Laval.

In1980and 1990, Valléewas involved invariouspolitical organizationsin orderto procure governmentcontracts.He workedat the municipalandin the entourageof the Bloc Quebecoisandthe Parti Quebecois,we read inthepapers.”"
He collectedlarge sums ofcash for the Parti Quebecois, mainly for the referendum, ," noted policefollowingameeting withVallée.
These sums "were laundered by militantswithout anyoneknowing theorigin of the fundsandthere wereno repercussions," it said.Link{fr}

English-speaking nannies hot property in France

“Don’t believe all that you hear about French people's resistance to English. The language police at the Académie Française might be against the invasion of anything Anglo but the same cannot be said for French parents.
More and more of them appear to be waking up to the fact that their child’s future may depend on their grasp of English, which of course is good news for Anglophones looking for work in France.”Link

At Tour De France, Default Language Now Is English

“French is disappearing here,” said Pascale Schyns, the Tour’s official translator. “It wasn’t too long ago that we could say that French was the predominant language, but now there’s more English.” Link

English terms the French want barred

“When it comes to fighting off the invasion of English words the French Resistance has had mixed fortunes over the years. Nevertheless the fight goes on. With the help of the Ministry of Culture here's a list of the latest English terms that French authorities want deported.
The reality is the French language police have long been fighting an uphill battle to stem the invasion of English words into the language of Moliere.” Link to Story Link to see those Terms

Why French immersion should be in all schools – or none at all

“This streaming has lead some critics to suggest that French Immersion programs are less about educational benefits and more about providing school choice in Canadian public schools. They allege that parents enroll their children in French Immersion to ensure that they’re placed in classrooms with students from higher socioeconomic groups and with teachers that aren’t distracted by higher needs students.” Link

Have a laugh...

Composting in Montreal.

When a Montreal woman was told by a neighbor that her efforts at composting were going for naught, she decided to follow the composting truck to see if it was true.
Here's a video that she shot showing the ~~garbage man~~ sanitation worker, throwing all sorts of crap into the truck, which is supposed to pick up compostables only.

The furious woman confronts the worker, who blows her off.

The video made quite an impression, with the city forced to admit the error, but responding as is usual in cases like these, that it was an isolated incident.... Hmmm...

Here's more municipal workers doing what they do, this time in Buckingham, Quebec.

And no need to have good French to understand this gaffe;

I wonder what the OQLF has to say about this FAIL;

And here is my favorite summer picture. BTW, it's Dustin Brown, of the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, taken year last ..

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de semaine!

This week in Quebec Corruption

Jean Roberge...."I'm a crook too"

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

Here are the names and a description of the 37 people arrested in the operation by police targeting Laval corruption Link{fr}

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

More bad news for SNC-Lavalin

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

Disgraced municipal party Union Montréal dissolves

"The remaining members in former Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay's party, Union Montréal, have decided to abandon the party.

PQ Minister fans the flames of religious intolerance racism

Drainvile..."CALLING ALL RACISTS!"

"A PQ minister stirred up the reasonable accommodation debate Wednesday by criticizing a Montreal borough's practice of delaying street cleaning in front of a synagogue on religious holidays.

On the Jewish holiday Shavuot, which fell on Wednesday, observant Jews were not supposed to operate a vehicle. As such, some parking signs in a limited area around a school and synagogue in Cote-des-Neiges/NDG were altered temporarily. Drivers were not required to move their car for street cleaning.
“There's no necessity to do street sweeping in front of a synagogue on one of the Jewish High Holidays,” explained CDN-NDG city councillor Marvin Rotrand. “In fact, it doesn't cost anything not to do it and it doesn't inconvenience citizens if that particular day is skipped.
Bernard Drainville, however, disagrees. Quebec's minister for democratic institutions and active citizenship said he was outraged when he heard.

“There's no discrimination. Everyone must respect the same regulations, the same parking regulations. You can't start having parking regulations that are different according to your religion, because there will be no end to it,” he said."Read the rest of the story

Mr. Drainville was quick to point out that once accommodations are made for one religious group, there will be no end to demands.

He then goes on to say that as accommodations go, this one is not a big deal, not like an imam apologizing for stoning. Hmmm.....

"Pas de quoi déchirer sa chemise ou se taper la tête contre les murs.
Rayon accommodements, on a vu pire.
Les heures de piscine, les fenêtres du YMCA, un imam qui fait l’apologie de la lapidation et du fouet dans un haut lieu du savoir…"Link{fr}

Then Martineau goes on to complain that "People will say the PQ is racist, xenophobic, allergic to religion, hostile to minorities...…

Correctamundo!

They certainly will, because in the rest of the civilized world, that is exactly what the PQ presents as.

Quebec's National Assembly & Montreal city Council

Sugar Sammy Award panned by separatist

"I'm telly you. English is the DEVIL!!!!"

"Sugar Sammy has won this year’s Olivier Award. Obviously, he’s funny. No one is questioning his comedic talent. He has an exceptionally lively mind. But short of him telling us that his jokes are completely devoid of content, you have to take his words at least somewhat seriously. On stage, Sugar Sammy is an activist comedian. His humour is political.
Sammy was a Liberal activist during the 1995 referendum, and makes no secret of his federalism or commitment to multiculturalism. But, as he has previously observed, humour is infinitely more effective than putting up posters to "get the message across." He’s certainly not wrong. In a "just for laughs" society, whoever makes people laugh has a great deal of power, as he gets to define what is hip and what isn’t.
HIS VISION OF QUEBEC
Through his humour, Sugar Sammy puts forward his vision of Quebec. His trademark is ridiculing Quebec francophones, more specifically, those in favour of a French and sovereign Quebec. In his shows, he paints a portrait of these Quebecers as a collection of nasty, mean-spirited and uneducated xenophobes.
We’re all familiar with his "classic" joke. There are two types of Québécois. Those who are educated, sophisticated, modern, civilized, friendly and accommodating. And there are those who voted Yes in 1995. Hilarious, isn’t it? What’s more, in an interview, he once equated independence to "turning in on ourselves" without a trace of irony.
What never ceases to amaze me is the enthusiasm of some Quebec francophones, who trip over each other in their rush to praise him. I read a few days ago that Sugar Sammy "tells it like it is." But what is he saying? That we’re a bunch of inward looking bumpkins? That defending a French Quebec is being culturally paranoid?
By idealizing Sugar Sammy, they’re saying: Look at how open and modern we are. We want Sugar Sammy’s version of Quebec. We want a Canadianized Quebec, where bilingualism is the norm and reasonable accommodations come one after the other. We want a Quebec that agrees to fade away into Canadian multiculturalism.
This is a Quebec where many citizens are now "Montrealers first," rather than Quebecers first. Just think back to his show You’re gonna rire. A "bilingual" show, just like his vision of an ideal Montreal. A Montreal where people naturally mix English and French within the same sentence. A Montreal where Québécois should stop fighting to be served in French.
Some Québécois are psychologically flawed. They feel trapped in a francophone society because they’ve been told that being open to the world involves English. They’ve been convinced that by showing just a bit of contempt for Quebec, they’d finally be considered citizens of the world. They’re afraid of not looking "modern," of being "ceintures fléchées." So they like Sugar Sammy.
As long as we remain convinced that there's something intolerant about living in our home in French, as long as we believe that wanting a country is closing ourselves off from the world, we will remain convinced that it is admirable to sing the praises of a political comedian who insults us. If Sugar Sammy represents the future of Quebec, then Quebec has no future.

Thanks for a great translation from PlateauAnglo.

Please read the original article in French ICI

Evidently Mr. Bock-Côté doesn't understand the humor of Sugar Sammy, who in the great tradition of Don Rickles insults and mocks his audience.

I hope he has a listen to some of Sugar Sammy's routines in English where he slays his own community, as well as other ethnicities like Montreal's Haitians.

Mathieu Bock-Côté is nothing more than a frustrated Grinch.

Watch a bit of Sugar Sammy;

Ethnical Difficulties Q&A

Suspicious Middle Eastern Guys
Sugar Sammy - Trop Drole{fr}

When Sugar Sammy received his award at the French gala, he couldn't resist, telling the audience that they shouldn't blame his victory on the 'ethnic vote' HaHa!

By the way, in response to Mr. Bock-Côté's screed, a fellow columnist at the Journal de Montreal, Lise Ravary, wrote a scathing rebuke.

"WhenYvonDeschampsapplied hisshock therapyQuebecers, we applauded wildly.WhenSugar Sammydoes the same thing, we feelridiculed.

Why? He was born here, grew uphere. He liveshere. Sugar SammyisQuebec. Whydoesn'thehavethe rightto jointhe discussion?
IfSugar Sammy,is the futureof Quebec,that Quebecwill be part ofmy future.The futureunder the banner ofethnicnationalism isa lot lessinteresting.Link{fr}

Great video protesting OQLF nonsense

Letter to the Editor: The language police visit a bank.

"While this Orwellian event may appear to most as an article taken from the Onion, I firmly place my hand on my Montreal Canadiens jersey and swear the truth to the gods of our city.
The event began on May 14, when a local federal bank that shall not be named was visited by Quebec’s language police. As a starting point, English-only pamphlets, which were skilfully placed next to French-only pamphlets, had to be removed from the customers’ area. Employees were told that they did not belong in the front; what if a francophone were to accidentally select the wrong pamphlet? The strain of placing the pamphlet back and appropriately selecting another is an injustice that the language police in Quebec luckily are here to protect us from.
Next up: a microwave. This seemingly innocent machine hides its evil by presenting the employees with hot Pizza Pockets and mom’s leftovers. Within this evil lie several words, written only in English. No, not even their own, private microwave is safe from the hands of the language police. Among these forbidden words: open and time. These frighteningly English words carry with them the desire to eradicate the French-speaking population of Quebec. With a few adjustments, employees will soon be able to safely heat up their favourite dishes in French." Read the rest of the letter

PQ launches yet another commission... with notable boycotters

Both the Montreal police union and the Quebec Liberals announced that they would boycott the affair, claiming the whole thing is a put-up affair to cast blame on them.

The Parti Québécois government's special commission looking into last year's student protests is coming under attack from all sides.
Opposition politicians are questioning the PQ's motives.
Student leaders say the mandate is too broad, and the police will evade close scrutiny of their role in the student protests.

Police officers fear a witch hunt.
Public Security Minister Stéphane Bergeron says being attacked by people from opposite sides of the issue is a sign the government made the right decision by creating the commission and appointing Serge Ménard, Claudette Carbonneau and Bernard Grenier to sit on it.
But the Liberals and the Coalition Avenir Québec say the makeup of the commission is biased.
Ménard is a former PQ public security and justice minister. He also served as a Bloc MP in Ottawa and is clearly identified as a sovereigntist.
Claudette Carbonneau is a former head of the CSN trade union. The CSN, along with other big unions, helped finance the student protests last year."Read more

Bixi, Bixi, Bixi

Quebec anglos continue generous tradition of giving

Odds'n Ends

"From aQuebecperspective, the presence of English in aFrenchfilm is stilldisturbing, beginning with the title.In Quebec, we play "Quilles' where we make 'abats' while in France it's 'bowling' and a 'strike' (pronounced "bouligne" and "straïque" ). Thesame goes forthe soundtrack. Aside fromsome typicalCelticmusicof Brittany,it is "It'sRaining Men" by The Weather Girlsand "Shake It Out" Florence+ the Machine. These songs areintegrated into the soundtrack where we seewomentrain forthe championship final. It's alluncomfortableandrings falsebecause it'slike watchinganAmerican B-movie...

....ForQuebecers, watching a Frenchfilm,represents not only a desire to travel to another country, but also to enjoy another narrative, which is not the casehere." Complete Original story in French

Let's finish with a smile......

Saw this in a Montreal Loblaws, but I won't mention the location, lest the language police pounce.

This week in Quebec corruption

Quebec minister's demands are a 'bridge too far.'

PQ loses gun registry appeal in Quebec's highest court.

Quebec City fretting about NHL franchise

Odds'n Ends

What's wrong with this picture?

Montreal Canadiens sign francophone has-been.

Have a great weekend

Bonne fin de semaine

'perfect storm'

This week in Quebec Corruption

PQ Minister fans the flames of religious intolerance racism

Sugar Sammy Award panned by separatist

Great video protesting OQLF nonsense

PQ launches yet another commission... with notable boycotters

Bixi, Bixi, Bixi

Quebec anglos continue generous tradition of giving

Odds'n Ends

Let's finish with a smile......

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de Semaine!

In Quebec we are more concerned with the environment!....

In Quebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!

In Quebec we believe in rehabilitation, not punishment of criminals!

In Quebec we have a distinctly more vibrant culture!

InQuebec we are an open and welcoming society!

This week in Quebec Corruption

Quebec soaks Canada for $20 billion a year

Equality Party takes heat for Howard Galganov comments

Court reverses prayer ban at city council meetings

Pierre-Karl Peladeau tries to mask separatist leaning

Private Investment plummets under the PQ

Jacques Villeneuve's parting shot

Bill 14 and "Charter of Secularism" delayed until the Fall

Bits'n pieces

Have a great weekend

Bonne fin de semaine!

This week in Quebec Corruption

Pauline reminds us just what a petty and nasty piece of work she really is.

The gift that keeps taking

Ottawa-bashing ramped up by Quebec in Lac-Megantic tragedy

Young entrepreneur does a YouTube rant over the Quebec government's refusal to allow registration of an English business name.

Mouvement Québec français wants language to be central issue in Montreal election campaign

Vigile.net's most overt xenophobe outshines himself.

Weekend Reading

YES side got illegal donations: engineer

English-speaking nannies hot property in France

At Tour De France, Default Language Now Is English

English terms the French want barred

Why French immersion should be in all schools – or none at all

Have a laugh...

Composting in Montreal.

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de semaine!

This week in Quebec Corruption

PQ Minister fans the flames of religious intolerance racism

Sugar Sammy Award panned by separatist

Great video protesting OQLF nonsense

PQ launches yet another commission... with notable boycotters

Bixi, Bixi, Bixi

Quebec anglos continue generous tradition of giving

Odds'n Ends

Let's finish with a smile......

Have a great weekend!

Bonne fin de Semaine!

*In Q**uebec we have chosen a more socially responsible path!*