Quebec Liberal party supporters could be excused for perhaps thinking that the idea for the creation of François Legault’s CAQ party was to split the federalist vote. After all the new political entity was created by an old Pauline Marois’ cabinet colleague and separatist firebrand. Thanks to Legault’s easy answers
Continue readingTag: Quebec politics
Canadian Soapbox: Québec – What happens after a vote for independence?
For some, perhaps for most, the question of Québec separation is a dead issue. There are many who believe that the referendum in 1995 was the last kick at the can for those who want a sovereign Québec. And they’re probably right, maybe. For my own part I view separation as still
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Why this voter is going with Québec’s Liberals and Jean Charest
This will be my first time voting in a Québec election, and as everyone who reads this blog knows, (all four of you) I take my democratic franchise very seriously. Given my lack of first hand knowledge of Québec politics I thought it would be best to inform myself as
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Marois contre Legault face à face…For all the marbles?
With the Liberals seemingly bleeding, Jean Charest is reported to be trailing badly in his own riding, the debate between Pauline Marois and François Legault takes on even greater significance. It seems quite possible that the winner might be able to find that elusive traction to carry him or her
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Dog Days of Summer
Pauline Marois will make Quebecers long for the tolerant Premiership of Jacques Parizeau With politicians away from Ottawa and politics the last thing on the minds of Canadians, the summer news cycle usually slows to a crawl. Short of extraordinary events – war, disaster, or the great Census crisis of
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Legault contre Charest – face à face – A game changer
This was Charest’s Waterloo as I see it, win the debate and the world is your’s, lose and…well, perhaps the end of a brilliant political career. I won’t beat the metaphor to death, but Legault played the role of Wellington in taking the debate. Charest was almost always on the
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Charest contre Marois face à face and toe to toe
I just finished watching the one on one debate between Jean (or is it John) Charest and Pauline Marois. My first thought is that I’d love to see this format at the federal level, with party leaders going toe to toe in a series of debates instead of the usual
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Québec’s road to independence
A while back I shared my opinion on Québec sovereignty, expressing the view that independence is inevitable. Well, my opinion has changed. I wrote that particular entry back in April of 2009, over two years before moving to Québec City in October of 2011. If you want to go back
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Thoughts on the Québec leaders debate – Charest bounce coming?
To this anglophone ear, listening to to the debate on CBC French language radio 106.3 FM here in the capital of the nation, it struck me that Prime Minister Jean Charest performed very well. This was the first of four debates, with the leaders of four of Québec’s political parties,
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Yarmulkes ha-jibs and burkas OH MY!!! Get a grip Pauline
I’m not big on religion, oh I go to church from time to time, but I’m not religious about it. As far as I know I don’t wear anything that is even remotely symbolic of any faith. That is unless there’s a cult out there somewhere whose adherents wear
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: The Cross is Boss: Marois 1, Frontwoodsers 0
As a proud fifth-generation anglo Québecker de souche, properly baptised by the Plymouth Trinity United Church of Sherbrooke, I must take a moment here to salute Parti-Québecois leader Pauline Marois for her bold statement pledging to keep my belle province the rightful Backwoods capital of North America. Because here in
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: The Cross is Boss: Marois 1, Frontwoodsers 0
As a proud fifth-generation anglo Québecker de souche, properly baptised by the Plymouth Trinity United Church of Sherbrooke, I must take a moment here to salute Parti-Québecois leader Pauline Marois for her bold statement pledging to keep my belle province the rightful Backwoods capital of North America.
Because here in Quebec, backwoods is where it’s at. And to underline that, Marois spent time on the campaign trail today defending her party’s proposal to secularize the province’s civil servants’ appearance, lest it offend the non-believers of whatever faith is projected by the bearer’s attire (sacred or not).
Unless, of course, the bearer’s faith happens to be Christianity (the “good”, or at least, “officially-sanctioned” faith, apparently).
Bravo, I say. I mean, I don’t know about you, but when I go down to the S.A.A.Q. to renew my driver’s license, the last thing I want to see is a fully-bilingual, smiling civil servant wearing a Scottish kilt. I don’t want to think about what’s behind that Sporran, thank you very much. There is nothing Catholic about the Scots, after all.
And it’s not just them, but those snooty Saudi-Arabian immigrant women – you know, the ones who aren’t even allowed to drive in their country of origin – but when they come here to pursue a better life pursuant to the United Nations declaration of Universal Human Rights, think they can go on following their Muslim faith and shit anyway. I mean, come on!
And I suppose there are other creeds with their ceremonial daggers and headscarves and other horrifyingly provocative faith-based attire. I just shudder to think. I mean, where did these Muslim people get the idea to have their women-folk cover up their hair with cloth anyway?
It’s just so …barbaric. I mean, really, how dare these carefully selected immigrants wear their headscarves and whatnot once they arrive here, just like they did their whole lives in their some-such places of origin? Why can’t they understand they can never become a true Québecois until they completely lay themselves down and take the holy ghost up the wazoo like the rest of us all did from the time ol’ Samuel de Champlain put his two fingers together in 1609 and whistled across the pond for La Vieille France to fork over a few hundred God-fearing Filles du Roi (yowza!).
Now that, my friends, was an inspired immigration policy. See, this is why it’s so important to wrest that from Ottawa. Oh, wait, I suppose that’s already happened. Shhh! Don’t tell them that until AFTER the election.
(ahem)
Seriously, any Péquiste with the slightest bit of self-respect – or respect for their visionary founder, Rene Levesque, and his strong sense of democracy – should be voting for either Solidarité Québec, or Option Québec. The PQ has gone so Backwoods, the only sound their pollsters will hear is the distinctive August buzz of mosquitoes and blackflies.
Continue readingTattered Sleeve: The Cross is Boss: Marois 1, Frontwoodsers 0
As a proud fifth-generation anglo Québecker de souche, properly baptised by the Plymouth Trinity United Church of Sherbrooke, I must take a moment here to salute Parti-Québecois leader Pauline Marois for her bold statement pledging to keep my belle province the rightful Backwoods capital of North America. Because here in
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: An anglophone ‘pur laine’ considers voting Parti Québecois
For those unaware, I moved to Québec City back in October of 2011, and I am about as English Canadian as you can get, given that my ancestors came from the four corners of Great Britain. And yes, I am considering voting PQ in the September 4th election here. Why?
Continue readingFrom an Anglo to the Anglophones in Quebec
It is odd being an Anglo in Quebec. But not because I feel apart from the Francophones. Indeed, it is Anglo community that I feel estranged from. I live in small village and there are maybe 3 other people who speak English. I moved to Quebec 5 years ago and
Continue readingQuebec election: the faux choix of the first two days
As everyone knows by now, Quebec is headed into a summer election. The Liberal party is trying to define the election as a choice between democracy or protest. As someone who has studied and taught political science at the highest levels this strikes me as a bizarre if not ignorant
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Quebec Votes
Jean Charest has been around forever. He’s the longest serving Quebec Premier since Maurice Duplesis, and has been PLQ leader for over 14 years. Older Quebecers no doubt remember him from his role on the “Non” campaign in 1995, and his time as a curly haired Cabinet Minister in the
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: A CLASSE act for Quebec’s next provincial election
Should an election be called, the more militant group of the Quebec student protest movement will mobilze students against ideology and neo-liberal politics. That’s according to CLASSE’s new manifesto, recently launched by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (pictured), the organization’s spokesman. The manifesto focuses on four core themes: democracy, feminism, social justice and
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Name Game
Despite all quantitative evidence to the contrary, trust me when I say Quebecers hate these two men more than the Boston Bruins In today’s Globe & Mail, Lysianne Gagnon takes aim at Justin Trudeau: Is Justin Trudeau really the Liberals’ best option? If the Toronto Liberal intelligentsia believe that Justin
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Provincial Matters
Charest stands a better chance running against this guy, than against Pauline Marois and Francois Legault Your Friday morning coast-to-coast link roundup: Atlantic Canada: CRA’s quarterly poll numbers have been released, showing the PCs up by 12 in New Brunswick and the NDP up by just 2 in Nova Scotia. The
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