Monday, April 1, 2013

Morbid vanity and moral corrosion


I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!
We concur in considering the government of England as totally without morality, insolent beyond bearing, inflated with vanity and ambition, (…) lost in corruption, of deep-rooted hatred towards us, hostile to liberty wherever it endeavors to show its head (…).
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Thomas Leiper, 12 june 1815.
Replace ‘England’ with ‘Canada’ and that pretty much covers it.
 
In this essay, I intend to continue my exploration of the Canadian psyche. After my examination of Canadian imperialism and selective historical amnesia as evidenced in The Murdoch Mysteries, I will now embark on a metaphorical PT boat and sail up the Ottawa River into the heart of Canadian darkness. In fact, the title of this piece comes from two snippets that I only half remember. “Morbid vanity” is how an American revolutionary (I can’t remember who or the exact quote) described England. He said something to effect that England suffers from morbid vanity because she sees herself as the most glorious nation on earth in spite of all the questionable things she does to keep the American colonies. British imperialism caused a kind of cognitive dissonance in the British people where they were the ‘good guys’ and therefore they could do bad things. It seemed to me that this also describes Canada, particularly as Canadian imperialism is directly related to the British variety. The second part comes from a documentary I once saw about the Vietnam War. An American veteran was saying that there was something “morally corrosive” about how American strategy focused on enemy body-count rather than on territory taken. This has nothing much to do with Canada, but the expression stuck in my mind because it describes perfectly Canadian strategy in its war against Quebec. Specifically, Canada’s recourse to threats, dirty tricks, false promises and overall perfidy is more likely to breed resentment rather than loyalty. This sets the stage for the next confrontation with Quebec, but Canadian vanity prevents them from seeing it. Instead, they are constantly declaring separatism to be dead and express surprise and dismay when it comes back to life.
All this goes back to Canada’s inception, not in 1867 but its real creation in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The French king signed over New France to the British after they invaded, conquered and occupied it. The War of the Conquest devastated New France. It killed one in seven inhabitants, a per capita loss comparable to that of the Soviet Union during the Second World War1. Quebec City was thoroughly bombed by the British fleet and the countryside on the south shore was burnt to the ground by British troops who had nothing better to do. And yet, some Canadians still like to downplay the Conquest, or even pretend it never really happened. To them, Louis XV abandoned New France in favor of Guadeloupe and they use the Treaty of Paris as a deed to the land and the people living on it. But that treaty is also the heart of the problem. The French king handed us over to the English king as though we were cattle. To Canadians, this marks us as eternal losers and they have a paper to prove it. And yet, it is clear that if Queen Elizabeth II gave away Canada to the Americans in exchange for one of the Hawaiian Islands (a nice one, not one with a leper colony), Canadians would be outraged. True, this sort of thing was done back in the eighteenth century and not so much now, but I suspect there is more to it than that. Canadians need to see us as losers. They need to feel superior to us. It’s part of their identity and their way of dealing with feelings of inferiority with respect to Americans.
It’s also because of this that even apparent acts of kindness on their part can be cynically self-serving. When Lord Durham arrived in Canada after the Rebellions of 1837-38, he issued an ordinance releasing the political prisoners held in jail at the time2. This was both very generous and also avoided embarrassing trials where the bogus charges against the defendants and the crimes committed by British forces would have been exposed. A certain Louis-Marie Viger, on the other hand, wanted to stay in jail until he got his day in court. Viger wanted to prove in court that he was arrested simply because he was one of the managers of the Banque du Peuple, a financial institution that struck fear in the heart of the Anglo establishment. Of course, he never got his day in court, and of course, he eventually left the unheated jail on account of his health.

This brings us to our next topic: how Canadians use noble principles as weapons. Canadians are filled with them. They have noble principles oozing out of their ears. They have a noble principle for every day of the week and every occasion. But having too many principles is the same as having no principles, which, in truth, they don’t. Their morbid vanity prevents them from seeing this. Instead, they are stupid enough to buy their own press. This, in turn, creates a kind of moral anesthesia where they feel a perverse sense of pride every time Quebec is put in its place, no matter how many dirty tricks, or outright crimes, were committed in the process.
Historical examples of this abound. Staying within relatively recent history, consider the 1995 Referendum,3,4 where the federal government and the NO side spent an amount of money far in excess of the limit allowed by Quebec law, all thanks to the highly secretive group Option Canada. The federal government also accelerated the naturalization process for immigrants in Quebec a few months prior to the Referendum. This was contrary to federal law, but no matter. All that mattered was to flood Quebec with brand new Canadian citizens who will very likely vote NO. When all this got out, the Anglo media expressed disapproval, but not much more. Nothing like the shrill hysteria and moral outrage that is expressed whenever the topic of Quebec’s language laws comes up. It’s as though the Anglo media were more disappointed that the perpetrators got caught, not that they did it.
All this is nothing compared to Canada’s reaction to its slim (and fraudulent) victory in that referendum. Scared witless, the Canadian government asked the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of secession. I should point out that I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, depending on how it’s done. If Quebec and Canada were both allowed to ask questions to a neutral court (say an international tribunal of some sort), then the exercise might be valid. Instead, the Canadian government asked the Supreme Court of Canada, filled with judges named by the Prime Minister. Canada asked leading questions that referred to the Canadian constitution only, not to constitutional texts or customs. Quebec was invited to participate, but could not ask questions of its own. When the Supreme Court delivered a ruling that was not nearly as favorable to the Canadian government as it had hoped (despite putting all the odds in its favor), it cooked up the infamous anti-democracy bill C-205. Strangely called the “Clarity act”, bill C-20 is anything but. Demanding a “clear” question, but not defining this clarity, and demanding a “clear” majority that is greater than 50+1, but not spelling out how much greater, the Act leaves it to the federal government to decide after the vote if either of these conditions were fulfilled.
And yet, a surprising number of Canadians see this patently unfair, arbitrary and anti-democratic Bill as an ironclad guarantee of Canadian unity in perpetuity. A surprising number of them see it as a great victory against the separatist, in spite of the fact that all the odds were in their favor. Their unjustified pride in this ‘achievement’ blinds them to the fact that it makes them morally repugnant to Quebecers, and leaves Quebec patriots (a.k.a 'the separatists') feeling more justified than ever in their convictions. Indeed, just recently Justin Trudeau, the Liberal party's latest Canadian unity action figure and son of the late Canadian autocrat and lost twin of C. Montgomery Burns (see figure above) Pierre Trudeau, declared that Quebec could only separate if the YES side got two thirds of the vote. While “clear,” this majority is highly problematic since Newfoundland joined the Canadian Empire in 1949 after the pro-Canada side obtained only 52% of the vote in a referendum. The 50+1 rule is fine to join Canada, but not to leave it. Canada, it seems, is a roach motel.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, examples of Canadian hypocrisy, oppression and immorality are plentiful, and I cannot go into all of them here. It will suffice to remind the reader, as Frank Capra would say, “why we fight.” Ours is basically an existential struggle, a struggle for survival. Ever since the English arrived the French language has been a source of friction. This is because the Anglos know, instinctively if not consciously, that the French language and culture is our 'centre of gravity.' If we lose that, we lose everything and the Canadian Empire will be secure. Canadians know this, and it explains their hatred towards us (as their comments about us in the blogosphere demonstrate). It explains their hypocrisy and their ongoing campaign of cultural genocide. It explains Canada's highly autocratic form of government, where the Prime Minister of Canada has broad powers, even greater influence (he appoints virtually everybody), and with precious little checks or balances. It also explains why Quebec patriots don't quit. We can't. We know that it would lead to the eventual annihilation of our language, culture and national identity and to the triumph of a sordid little empire of lies and shopping malls.

1 – René Boulanger, La bataille de la mémoire, Éditions du Québécois, 2007.
2 – Jacques Lacoursière, Histoire populaire du Québec, Tome 2, Septentrion, 1996.
3 – Robin Philpot, Le référendum volé, Les Intouchables, 2005.
4 – Normand Lester and Robin Philpot, Les secrets d’Option Canada, Les Intouchables, 2006.
5 – Michel Seymour, Le pari de la démesure, L’hexagone, 2001.
  

56 comments:

  1. Love the sarcasm.
    Love the author's knowledge of history.
    Love Trudeau's "twin".
    Love the article.
    A must read!

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  2. Bravo ! v&j !! This is another brilliant and inspiring text.

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  3. Hi again,

    What I particularly appreciate in your text is the mention and explanation of the Canadian imperialism. This is the key to understand the context in which we live in and to explain why we must change things.

    But; I do not agree on calling this imperialism ''Canadian''. Because Canadien - with a 'e' to be precise - is us, the French descent people who created Canada as a new nation in the New World four hundred years ago and all those who have joined our culture since.

    It is only not so long ago that the English occupants of Canada have chosen to take our name and most of our symbols. For the name Canadien, let's take the example of the 'Canadiens de Montréal' hockey team founded in 1909 that got its name from the fact that the team was to gather (French-)Canadien players. That also lead to the choice of the bleu-blanc-rouge colors - referring to the France flag - and calling them the 'habs' for habitants (as opposed to English occupants, I guess). This is also the case of the Ô Canada ! which was created in French only, initially introduced to the public during the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations on June the 24th 1880 and becmae the official Canada anthem only in **1980**. The other great symbol of Canada is the maple leaf which represents the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste en Amérique du Nord since 1834 but only became part of the Canada flag in **1965**.

    That is a smart imperialistic move intended to make our nation disappear. Because what has no name and symbols does not exist !

    Hence, I strongly refrain from ever using the words Canadien and Canadian when talking about the occupants of my country. WE are the Canadiens, Canada is our identity and although most people call us Québécois, we should not let our name be taken away.

    For now, I call the other people 'anglos' and I talk about anglo-imperialism, anglo-canada, anglo nation, etc.

    Mes respects,
    CL

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  4. Je suis canadien anglophone, mais je suis d'origine franco-canadienne et iberienne, et je peux me debrouiller en francais et dans quelques autres langues. Je suis d'accord que beaucoup de canadiens anglophones sont arrogants contre les quebecois et les canadiens francophones en general.

    Pourtant, ce n'est pas juste de dire que tous les anglophones au Canada sont meprisants envers les francophones. C'est egalement injuste de dire que tous les francophones blancs au Quebec sont "anti-anglo", "anti-juif", "anti-noir" ou "anti-musulman" a cause de quelques cas de discrimination a Montreal, par exemple.

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Canada Libre: thank you for your reply. I remember some years ago, I think it was in "The Globe and Mail", there was an opinion-editorial from someone with an Anglo name, and he spoke about how when he was in Montreal, most of the francophone people to whom he spoke were kind and reciprocated when he tried to speak his rusty French, but there were some anglo-Montrealers who seemed unpleasant.

      For example, he claimed he saw and heard a young man who was strutting down the street (perhaps like Peter Parker in "Spider Man 3", I'm imagining), and shouting, "Speak English, you damn Frogs!"

      That said, like you say this kind of article seems to appear rather occasionally, and it would be nice if there were more articles like this in the anglo media (both outside and inside Qc Province).

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  6. Canada Libre: merci pour votre reponse. Il y a plusieures annees, je me rapelle un article d'opinion dans le journal "The Globe and Mail", dans lequel un journaliste avec un nom anglo a decrit son sejour a Montreal. Il s'est souvenu de quand il a essaye de parler francais avec des Quebecois francophones, et ceux-ci etaient sympathiques pour la plupart. Pourtant, il y avaient quelques Montrealais anglos qui etaient insultants et arrogants. Par example, un jeune homme marchaient dans la rue comme John Travolta ou quelque chose, en criant, "Speak English, you damn Frogs!" ("Parlez anglais, maudits Franchouillards!")

    Pourtant, comme vous dites ce genre d'article est assez rare dans les medias anglos au Canada. Ca serait super de voir de tels articles plus frequemment.

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    1. Here is a very good text from anglo-canada : Québec Independence would not be the end of Canada - http://canadiandimension.com/articles/4819/

      There would be no need for separation if the main stream in anglo-canada was such as this.

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  7. Cleaned up and reposted comment made earlier on April 16, 2013 at 11:37 AM

    ~~~~~

    Bonjour Jacques.

    Nous observons des manifestations régulières d'expressions de rejet et de haine contre les Québécois francophones dans les médias anglos, souvent ponctués de mensonges, d'exagérations, de biais malhonnêtes et de termes abusifs et haineux tels que « nazis », « xénophobes », « racistes », etc.

    Sachant que les médias sont là pour vendre et qu'ils disent à leur lectorat ce qu'il veut lire et entendre, cela nous dit quelque chose à propos des gens qui les lisent.

    On sait aussi que les médias manipulent les opinions pour les forger. Malheureusement, je n'ai jamais eu connaissance que les anglos dénoncent les campagnes de haine contre mon peuple dans leurs médias. Cela arrive probablement, parfois, mais trop rarement.

    Sachant cela, nous sommes fortement enclin à croire que la **plupart** des anglos-canadiens sont confortables et même d'accords avec l'attitude anti-Québec et anti-francophone.

    La **plupart**, évidement. Nous savons bien que ce n'est pas tout le monde.

    ~~~~~~~

    We regularly notice expressions of reject and hatred against francophones and Quebecers in Anglo medias often containing lies, exaggerations, dishonest assertions as well as hateful and abusive terms such as "Nazis", "xenophobic" "racist", etc..

    Knowing that the media are there to sell and therefore they tell what their readers want to read and hear, it tells us something about the people who read them.

    We also know that the medias manipulate public opinions. Unfortunately, I never have seen any Anglo denounce hate campaigns against my people in their medias. That might happen, sometimes, but it really looks like that would be exceptional.

    Knowing this, we are strongly inclined to believe that ** most ** Anglo-Canadians are comfortable and even in agreement with anti-Quebec and anti-French attitudes.

    The **most **, obviously. We know very well that it is not each and every one.

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  8. Veritas: I'd like to return to this topic for an instant. re: your comments that "Canadians need to see us (francophone Canadians) as losers. They need to feel superior to us. It's part of their identity and a way to cope with feelings of inferiority with regard to Americans."

    Well sure, there are some anglophone Canadians who are like that; I've personally encountered ones like that. However, I don't believe that all or even most anglos fit that description. By the same token, one could argue that at least some Quebecois ultranationalists (I'm not talking about most Quebecois nationalists or separatists, but rather the most extreme ones) express a visceral dislike towards everyone and everything Anglo, due to jealousy combined with a mixed superiority-inferiority complex.

    Plus, it's not like there is a shortage of anti-French sentiment in the U.S. When France oppposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, there was a great (though mercifully short-lived) explosion of anti-French sentiment in America (one website, f**kfrance.com, started at about that time and remains on the world wide web.) As well, here are some prominent U.S. celebs:

    "The only thing worse than a Frenchman in France is a Frenchman in Canada." (Rocker Ted Nugent, at one of his concerts).

    "I've always said, the biggest dirtbags in the world are not only the French in France, but also the French in Canada." (NYC shock-jock radio host Howard Stern).

    "He (Saddam Hussein) wears a beret, keeps mistresses, and hates America. He IS French, people." (late-night comedian Conan O"Brien, I believe).

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  9. jacques, August 2, 2013 at 8:25 AM : « .. dislike towards everyone and everything Anglo, due to jealousy combined with a mixed superiority-inferiority complex. »

    Maybe for jealousy. maybe for some complex.

    Or, for the century long anti-French apartheid in all non-Québec Canada.

    Or, for the economic segregation that made our ancestors no better than semi-slaves to the anglo masters and has forced more than half our nation into permanent exile in order to survive.

    Or, for the constant and systematic denigration that's in all anglo medias toward the founding people and the founding language of Canada.

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  10. Canada Libre: I'm from B.C. You say "all Anglo medias" are out to denigrate Quebec, French-Canadians and the French language.

    Sometimes, in the Vancouver Sun, the Vancouver Province, and other B.C. newspapers (and also on talk shows), people have from time to time made bigoted comments against francophones, yes. However, more often than not, others would then write (or call up) to rebut those people. I have actually done it myself several times, to refute what the francophobes were saying.

    Yes, some of the refuters were apparently of French background (such as myself), but others were seemingly not.

    I would also go as far to say that many of the francophobes in B.C. are not hard-core bigots, but rather Archie Bunker-type ones. As well, the behaviors of some Quebecois nationalists contribute to the problem. Why do some of them denigrate other provinces by using the official name of Taiwan, "ROC" to refer to other parts of Canada, to make them seem insignificant?

    Then, you have Lucien Bouchard, who said, "Canada does not need Newfoundland!" Many Newfoundlanders and other Atlantic Canadians were really angered by that. Most of them know that not all Quebecers agreed with Bouchard's comments, but some didn't, and hence had a bad image of all Quebecers due to that ignorant remark.

    I largely agree with you on the points you mention, reagrding past injustices against Quebecois and other French-Canadians. However, it's not like the past 40-50 years have not seen efforts to ameliorate the situation. I for one would like to see French maintained as the predominant language of Quebec, and continue to be promoted throughout Canada in general.

    However, the PQ is suggesting new laws in which any company with more than 9 employees (as opposed to the current 49) would be required to operate entirely in French. Really? Does that include for international business as well? Whether one likes it or not, English is the main language for international business, though other languages are important as well.

    Veritas has said, "French must become as important in Quebec as English is in Ontario, if we are to avoid language shift." I'm afraid that that is simply not possible, unless Quebec wants to lose a lot of money, investment, jobs and prosperity.

    Quebec should do as Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany etc. have done: they should produly maintain their own native language, while simultaneously recognizing the value of English and other languages for international business and communication.

    French is a great language, no question: the works of Jean Baptiste Poquelin (Moliere) just aren't the same in English or any other translation, just as Cernates is best in Spanish, and Shakespeare in English, or Tolstoy in Russian. However, in the 21st century, English is very important tool nonetheless.

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    1. Jacques, I haven't been following your exchange with CL so maybe this already came up but I feel the need to point out a ridiculous fallacy that you keep bringing up. You consistently compare Quebec to places like Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany etc. You seem to be blissfully unaware of the fact that those places are all independent countries. Quebec is a province of another country. It is a French-speaking province of an English-speaking country on and English-speaking continent.

      Danish is not a minority language in Denmark. Being a Danophone has never been a handicap in Denmark. Being a Danophone has never relegated you to the lowest rungs of the economic ladder in Denmark. Perhaps if Denmark were a province of Germany, a province which had been completely dominated and exploited by Germans for a long time, your comparisons would make more sense but as it is they are absurd.

      Another way in which your comparisons fail is that English proficiency is much higher in Quebec than in any of the countries that you mentioned. Quebec's language laws regarding the workplace are obligation only on paper. In reality they are more a package of incentives like subsidized French training, etc. The objective is to make all workplaces in Quebec functional in French something which certainly wasn't true before Bill 101. This is a situation that countries like Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany have never had to worry about.

      For proof the that Quebec's language laws regarding the workplace are really more voluntary than obligation, look at the case of Bombardier, a Quebecois corporation, which only last year bothered to apply for a certificat de francisation

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    2. veritas: your points are strong, but something you said is contentious: you say that "English proficiency is much higher in Quebec than in any of the countries you mentioned." Really? I don't know about Germany, but both Denmark and the Netherlands consistently score very highly in international EFL proficiency evaluations. Over 90 percent of the population in either country can speak English fluently or near-fluently, and virtually all the remaining people have at least basic English.

      OK, I haven't been to Quebec for years (since the early 1990s), but when I was there, I noticed that the English proficiency of francophones outside Montreal wasn't all that good, in general.

      In your opinion, why was there such an exodus of anglophones from Quebec (about 500,000) since the late 1970's? Canada Libre seems to think it's because most of them were radical racists who didn't want to have equality with francophones. However, is it possible that the nationalistic (and sometimes anti-anglophone) sentiment which grew in Quebec following the initial PQ victory may have had something to do with it?

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    3. So : Jacques does not acknowledge the deportations, massacres, concentration camps, apartheid, segregations, starvation, forced exiles, imposed federation and constitution, denial of democracy, radical rejection and constant denigration that anglo-imperialists always had and have against everyone who's not them BUT he believes in some anti-Anglophone sentiment in Québec that isn't documented in any ways (it takes more than silly anecdotes for that) but would have cause hundreds of thousands to emigrate ...


      On voit le genre, c'est très clair ..

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  11. In my last sentence, I meant to write "Cervantes", as in the author of Don Quixote.

    Another typo: "They should proudly maintain their own native language..."

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  12. Bonjour Jacques;

    I am glad to hear the some place some time there are readers that tell their anglo media that québec-bashing does not sell with them. I am pleasantly surprise to hear that. enfin.

    Still, the worst plain hateful denigration I have seen in the medias lately come from B.C.:

    http://canadalibre.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/asian-journal.jpg?w=640&h=622

    ‘PATKA’ CONTROVERSY: QUEBEC PREMIER PAULINE MAROIS DESERVES STRONG CONDEMNATION FOR HER BIGOTRY AND POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM

    « .. the NOTORIOUS RACISM OF QUEBECKERS
    .. she is being really stupid.
    .. Quebeckers are making asses of themselves all over the world
    .. Quebec’s minister who is responsible for sports, Marie Malavoy .. What an idiot
    .. sickening racism
    .. Bernard Drainville, the province’s minister responsible for secular issues .. another bigoted moron from Quebec!
    .. racist bonehead!
    .. THICK-SKULLED BIGOTS AND RACISTS in Quebec .. need some brains! »

    - Rattan Mall
    EditorAsianJournal@gmail.com


    I have sent a protest email to the editor of the Asian Journal with a copy to the B.C. Press Council. The editor have replied arrogantly without copying the Press Council.


    Please let me know; what would you do about that ?

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    1. I deplore that kind of article, and I'll check into it. Yes, those kinds of remarks are totally inappropriate, especially if an Asian-Canadian is making them, as Asian-Canadians themselves have experienced much racism and discrimination in Canada.

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    2. Canada Libre: d'accord, j'ai bien lu l'article, et c'est epouvantable. Donc, je vais ecrire a Monsieur Mall pour lui dire mes sentiments. Tu as bien raison que c'est un article qui n'est pas acceptable.

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  13. « the behaviors of some Quebecois nationalists contribute to the problem »

    No ! Impossible. You are basically doing the same as the rapist who accuses the victim of provocation because of the way she dress.

    There is no excuse for hatred and bigotry.

    Especially with the anglos in Canada, who already have caused so death, suffering and misery to all non-Anglo populations.

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    1. "Especially with the anglos in Canada, who...."

      Aren't you overgeneralizing, and hence acting in a bigoted way yourself there? It's like people who blame "Anglo-Americans" for all the problems of the world.

      "F**king Jews...they're responsible for all the wars in the world." (actor Mel Gibson, whehn he was arresting for D.U.I. in California).

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    2. What anglos have brought to Acadiens, Métis, Canadiens and Natives :

      - Deportation of the Acadians

      - Massacres of the Natives and the Metis (Pontiac, Batoche, Louis Riel.. ), parking of the survivors in concentration camps (reservations), internment of generations of their children in forced assimilation institutions, starvation for medical experimentations, etc.

      - Each and every peace treaties broken.

      - Natives starved to death for medical experimentations

      - Imposed federation of all territories and provinces under one centralized power.

      - Anti-French apartheid all over the non-Québec Canada for more than a century to eradicate French speaking majority populations.

      - Real Canadians (the French) forced into the status of "white ne88ers" – their main living condition indicators under anglo-imperialist domination equal or worse than those of the blacks in USA -. Yet the native’s conditions were even worse than those.

      - More than half of real Canadiens forced into permanent exile in order to survive while the governments were heavily sponsoring targeted immigration from Western Europe.

      - Imposed charter of rights and constitutions designed specifically to make it impossible for the real Canadiens to protect their language and their culture.

      - State terrorism to fake separatist groups (FLQ) ; federal police putting bombs in Montréal, publication of false communiqués, anglo-army occupation of Montréal in 1970, hundreds of people jailed for months with no charge against them, etc. All of that in order to destroy the peaceful and democratic Québec independence movements.

      - Criminal activities against Québec regulations to win the two referendum votes on Québec sovereignty.

      - Instrumentalization of the ethnics (Parizeau was right ! )

      - Etc.

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  14. «« However, the PQ is suggesting new laws in which any company with more than 9 employees (as opposed to the current 49) would be required to operate entirely in French. Really? .. »»

    Why do you care ? Does that hurt you in any ways ??

    We, in Québec, are >80% native French speaking. and we are largely blocked into the job market if we are not fluently bilingual while the monolingual anglo is not required to speak the language of the people.

    I have worked in Sweden, sir, and I quite a hard time there because even multinational operate in the local language there and not in English while Swedish is spoken nowhere else in the word.

    If they can do it in Swedish they can do it in French.

    Btw; We don't owe any apology to anyone about this, I was just explaining to be nice.

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    1. Balderdash. I know Swedish, Danish and Dutch immigrants in B.C., and they have told me that in their countries of origin, people make extensive use of English to communicate with foreign companies and businesspeople. What company did you work for?

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    2. I care because it damages the economy of Quebec, and hence the Canadian economy as a whole. It also makes it harder for Quebec to retain French as the prominent language of the province, since more people continue to leave, and investors don't really want to invest money there. I know a number of anglo-Montrealers in B.C., and they told me that they just don't feel all that optimistic about the business prospects in Quebec right now.

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    3. Those country are INDEPENDANT and SOVEREIGN. So we must be.

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    4. "..we are largely blocked from the job market if we are not fluently bilingual, while the monolingual anglo is not required to sepak the language of the people."

      I was recently watching a documentary about anglophones in Quebec. If they have an obviously anglo-sounding name, it can be difficult for them to get emplyment in the current Quebec job market, even if they have strong credentials. Given equal credentials, a person with a French-sounding name is more likely to get the job over someone with a English-sounding one.

      To be fair, a few years ago, a professor in B.C. did an experiment in which a B.C. resident with an Anglo-sounding name, or at least a European-sounding one, was more likely to get a job than an equally-qualified person with a Chinese or East Indian name, for example.

      Also, consider that about half of all federal government jobs are held by people who are fluently bilingual in French and English, which means that a disproportionate number of those jobs go to francophones, who are more likely to have a command of both French and English. If you're an anglophone who cannot speak French well, it's very difficult to get a federal job, or to rise beyond a certain level in the RCMP, or Canadian military or political establishment.

      It's true that Stephen Harper lucked out, as his level of French isn't very good. However, he's the exception and not the rule.

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    5. I should also add: the anglo-Quebecers (really anglo-Montrealers; the story didn't talk about anglos in the Eastern Townships, for example) who were featured in the documentary all had a good command of French language, apparently, but were still concerned about their employment opportunities in Quebec.

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  15. Jacques : « I largely agree with you on the points you mention, reagrding past injustices against Quebecois »

    My point is not to ask for reparation of something done in the past. My point is that the hatred and bigotry we see everyday in this country is just in line with a long list of ethno-supremacism that's goes back since anglos set foot in our country. My point is that any decent human being must rise and oppose against that.

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  16. Jacques : « Quebec should do as Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany etc. have done: they should produly maintain their own native language, while simultaneously recognizing the value of English and other languages for international business and communication. »

    Good examples, I agree.

    So : Québec must be like those states : INDEPENDANT and SOVEREIGN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canada Libre: and that's fine. However, a Quebec Republic cannot expect to get any more transfer/equalization payments from Alberta, Ontario, etc.

      The PQ doesn't really want Quebec to be like those states; the PQ will make Quebec less business-friendly, and drive out industry, anglophones, allophones and even francophones. the countries I've mentioned score very highly on English proficiency ratings, and they understand that they have to make a compromise between retaining their own languages, and using English and other foreign languages for business.

      Delete
    2. You are saying that thre intention of PQ is to drive everybody out of Québec .. that is delirium.

      Delete
    3. That may not be their intention, buy it may well become the effect of their policies.

      While I condemn the article in the Indo-Canadian journal which we have discussed above, the PQ does deserve some valid criticisms.

      For example, they (the PQ) have said, that while they believe in secularism, the Christain faith will still have some preference. For instance, the Christian cross is welcome in Government buildings, while the symbols of other faiths (such as the Muslim crescent or Jewish star of David) are not.

      Some people have speculated that the PQ is concerned that the "pure laine" Quebecois identity (ie. white, Roman Catholic, French as first language) is being diluted by too much immigration and pluralism, so they had better quickly hold and win a referendum on independence, or the chance will pass them by, as most "new Quebecers", as well as the traditional anglophones, Jews, and First Nations peoples, aren't really interested in Quebec separation.

      Delete
    4. Look Jacques; I am part of the real Canadien nation, the one that's been in Canada - Québec - for more than 400 years now. If B.C. or PEI decided, for example, to become officially Muslim or to make an independent country, I considerer that's their thing and none of our frigging business.

      That is what respecting the right and the freedom of any nation starts with.

      In the same way, anglo-keunédieunes from the roC have zero relevance with Québec and what we want to do with it hence there is no point discussing our internal politics with them.

      Delete
    5. Canada Lire: forget about anglo-Canadians from M.O.C. (Most Of Canada) for a moment. What about anglo-Quebecers?

      For Pauline Marois to say that English is a "foreign language" in Quebec is preposterous.

      Did you know that although ethnic Swedes are a small minority in Finland (about 5.4% of Finland's population), Swedish is an official language, along with Finnish?

      Yet, although anglo-Quebecers are roughly 8 percent of Quebec's population, have a history there that goes back well over 200 years, and built a lot of hospitals, schools, factories and other infrastructure and businesses in Quebec, they are suddenly foreigners now?

      That doesn't make sense. Switzerland thrives in part because it recognizes all four of the traditional Swiss languages: German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romance. The last one is only about 2 percent of the total Swiss population, by the way.

      If the PQ's leadership wants to drive all the anglophones out of Quebec into M.O.C. (Most Of Canada), that's fine with me. While I've met a couple of Anglo-Quebecers who seemed unpleasant, most of them are highly-educated, law-abiding and good at business. Nowadays, many of them are even fluent or near-fluent in French and other languages, which belies the old stereotype (perhaps largely true decades ago) of the WASPish "tete-carree" who can't say a single non-English word.

      If Quebec's economy tanks due to a renewed anglo exodus, there will be a further brain-drain of educated francophones and allophones as well. Well, do as you will.

      Delete
    6. Bill 101 impose nothing on anglos in Québec.

      Anglos rights to education, services, etc. in their language in Québec are guaranteed by Bill 101 : (next comment)

      ..

      Delete
  17. The Charter of the French language



    CHAPTER III

    THE LANGUAGE OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE COURTS



    7. French is the language of the legislature and the courts in Québec, subject to the following:

    (1) legislative bills shall be printed, published, passed and assented to in French and in English, and the statutes shall be printed and published in both languages;

    (2) the regulations and other similar acts to which section 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867 applies shall be made, passed or issued, and printed and published in French and in English;

    (3) the French and English versions of the texts referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 are equally authoritative;

    (4) either French or English may be used by any person in, or in any pleading in or process issuing from, any court of Québec.

    8. Where an English version exists of a regulation or other similar act to which section 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867 does not apply, the French text shall prevail in case of discrepancy.

    9. Every judgment rendered by a court of justice and every decision rendered by a body discharging quasi-judicial functions shall, at the request of one of the parties, be translated into French or English, as the case may be, by the civil administration bound to bear the cost of operating such court or body.



    CHAPTER IV

    THE LANGUAGE OF THE CIVIL ADMINISTRATION



    27. In the health services and the social services, the documents filed in the clinical records shall be drafted in French or in English, as the person drafting them sees fit. However, each health service or social service may require such documents to be drafted in French alone. Resumés of clinical records must be furnished in French on demand to any person authorized to obtain them.



    29.1. English language school boards and the Commission scolaire du Littoral are recognized school bodies.



    CHAPTER VIII

    THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

    .. Nothing in this section shall preclude instruction in English to foster the learning thereof, in accordance with the formalities and on the conditions prescribed in the basic school regulations established by the Government under section 447 of the Education Act (chapter I-13.3).



    73. The following children, at the request of one of their parents, may receive instruction in English:

    (1) a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in English in Canada, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary instruction he or she received in Canada;

    (2) a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of that child, provided that that instruction constitutes the major part of the elementary or secondary instruction received by the child in Canada;



    85. Children staying in Québec temporarily may, at the request of one of their parents, be exempted from the application of the first paragraph of section 72 and receive instruction in English

    ..

    86.1. In addition to the cases provided for in section 73, the Government, by order, may, at the request of one of the parents, authorize generally the following children to receive their instruction in English:

    (a) a child whose father or mother received the greater part of his or her elementary instruction in English elsewhere in Canada and, before establishing domicile in Québec, was domiciled in a province or territory that it indicates in the order and where it considers that the services of instruction in French offered to French-speaking persons are comparable to those offered in English to English-speaking persons in Québec;

    (b) a child whose father or mother establishes domicile in Québec and who, during his last school year or from the beginning of the current school year, has received primary or secondary instruction in English in the province or territory indicated in the order;

    (c) the younger brothers and sisters of children described in subparagraphs a and b.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canada Libre: please check out the following article and comment.

      http://bullandbear.musoline.com/2013/02/anglophone-marois-quebec/

      Thanks.

      Delete
  18. Jacques : « For Pauline Marois to say that English is a "foreign language" in Quebec is preposterous. »

    http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_11/C11_A.html

    CHARTER OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE
    PREAMBLE
    ..
    Therefore, Her Majesty, with the advice and consent of the National Assembly of Québec, enacts as follows:

    TITLE I
    STATUS OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

    CHAPTER I
    THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF QUÉBEC

    1. French is the official language of Québec.
    1977, c. 5, s. 1.


    By the way; Jacques, there are eight other provinces in Canada that have only English for their official language, and 29 US state, and most other countries in the world.


    ~~~

    Jacques : « Switzerland .. recognizes all four of the traditional Swiss languages »

    Nonetheless, most Swiss cantons have only one official language. The same as Québec, B.C., Alberta, Man, Sask, Ont, PEI, NS and NewFoudland.

    ~~~

    Jacques : « If the PQ's leadership wants to drive all the anglophones out of Quebec into M.O.C. »

    If anglos who have lived in Québec for generations and never cared to learn a bit of the language that is spoken by more than 80 % of the population, if those are not happy yet being the most privileged minority on earth - enjoying all government services in their language with more than their share of public spending in Higher Education (28 % of the budget goes to anglo institutions while anglos are 5,6 % of the population) and Health Care (18% of the budget spent in anglo institutions) - and if they keep denigrating our nation in the face of the world, then they might as well get the f%?k out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "..and most other countries in the world."

      Not true. Most of the world's countries do not have English as their only official language. Think of all the countries that have Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, etc. as their main official language.

      Even many predominantly anglophone countries have other official languages besides English; for example, New Zealand (English and Maori), of course Canada (English and French), Kenya (English, Gikuyu and others), South Africa (13 official languages), etc.

      Delete
  19. Jacques : « If Quebec's economy tanks due to a renewed anglo exodus, there will be a further brain-drain of educated francophones and allophones as well. Well, do as you will. »

    .

    I doubt that, quite frankly. The anglos left in Québec are still quite demanding but the radical xenophobic kind that could NOT accept to be equal with the 80% majority is gone and we're all happy about that.

    Moreover, with a much larger share of the Health Care and Higher Education public institutions than their representation, the anglos must be occupying most every big Hospitals, clinics, College and University jobs that are not accessible to non-francos (we are just good enough to pay for those..).


    Lastly, the apocalyptic scenarios are getting just boring, those who oppose the fundamental right of my nation to freely decide how it wants to live should find better arguments.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I doubt that all of the some 500,000 anglos who have left Quebec since the late 1970's were radical xenophobes.

    re: Switzerland's cantons as compared to Canada's provinces. Wait...I thought that Quebec was akin to a country, and not a mere province.

    re: criticisms of Pauline Marois or other people in Quebec. If it's wrong for me to bring it up (eg. unfair religious discrimination in Quebec), then why isn't it wrong for you to criticize Rattan Mall's anti-Quebec article in the Asian Canadian Journal in British Columbia (and btw, I agree with you about that article).

    re: separation. If a majority of Quebecers decide that they want to separate from Canada and form their own republic, then that's fine with me. I'd prefer that they stay within Canada, but I believe in democracy and self-determination. However, they will be responsible for their share of the national debt, which of course woould be negotiable after independence.

    ReplyDelete
  21. « I doubt that all of the some 500,000 anglos who have left Quebec since the late 1970's were radical xenophobes. »

    Why do they leave for, then ??

    .

    « re: isn't it wrong for you to criticize Rattan Mall's anti-Quebec article in the Asian Canadian Journal in British Columbia »

    Because he talks about Québec and about my nation.

    .

    « re: separation. .. their share of the national debt, which of course woould be negotiable after independence. »

    Québec has zero responsibility towards the creditor of Ottawa. Those can not ask Québec for a single penny.

    Now, there are some assets that Québec could be interested into and negotiate for.

    ReplyDelete
  22. re: Rattan Mall. No, he shouldn't say that Quebecer's are "Racist boneheads" and the other unfair slurs in his article; however, if he feels that Pauline Marois are acting in an unfair manner towards Sikhs or other Indo-Canadians, then why isn't he entitled to speak his mind in a circumspect, non-bigoted way? He's most likely a Sikh and/or Indo-Canadian himself, it would appear.

    re: Quebec's debt. They are indeed responsible to foreign creditors, just as the other Canadian provinces are. And, if they refused to pay their debts to foreign creditors after separation (e.g."Hey, we're a new country, so Canada has to pay it") the Quebec Republic's credit rating would soon drop even lower than that of Greece's, and that's saying a lot.

    Moreover, and despite what Pauline Marois has equivocally suggested, an independent Quebec would no longer be entitled to transfer payments from Alberta or Ontario, for example.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Rattan Mall basically demonstrate the fact that the migrant can get out of the shit country but the shit country does not get out of the migrant so well.

    .

    It will take some kind of source or evidence to support the fact that the province of Québec could be made responsible for Ottawa's debt.

    .

    The same for your allegation that Pauline Marois would expect equalization to keep coming after we get rid of the roC. The fact that you can think she is stupid enough to say that only proves something about you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "...after we get rid of the ROC."

      You keep talking about getting rid of Taiwan/Formosa (the ROC). Why are you anti-Taiwanese? I suppose you're talking about M.O.C. (Most Of Canada).

      I personally would like Quebec to stay in the federation, but many people in Western Canada are exasperated with the constant threats of separation. I knew a Russian-Canadian fellow who said, "I don't just think they should separate; I think that we should expel them, if they continue to hold the country hostage with the kind of blackmail that's going on."

      Delete
    2. Look up in history; Canada has been us and the St-Lawrence valley for 150 years before any anglo could sail up the river without getting sunk of walk into the Appalachians without getting scalped.

      Anglos are not us. Ask then about that if you like.

      Canada is Québec and Québec is Canada. Always have for 405 years now.

      The rest should find a name for them instead of stealing ours. And it's me to chose for them...

      Delete
    3. It's not a question of stealing. The New England states may be the original U.S.A., but California, Florida, Oregon, Hawaii, Texas, Alaska and many other places also have the right to call themselves U.S. states.

      I am Canadian. Je suis canadien. Yo soy canadiense. Watashi-wa Kanada-jin desu.

      Anyway, both Francos and Anglos stole the land and some of the culture from First Nations peoples. The French stole their language from anceint Rome, as French is a corruption of the Latin which was spoken in Gaul. English has stolen from French (Latin), German, Greek, and tonds of other languages.

      "It;s not stealing if you do it properly, and be sure to steal a diamond, and not a piece of glass" (Gene Simmons)

      "The Beatles aren't original...we've borrowed from a lot of other people, even Elvis did. It's all a f**kin' rip-off!" (John Lennon)

      Delete
    4. « both Francos and Anglos stole the land and some of the culture from First Nations .. »


      Wooo !!! Don't think you can put us in the same imperialist barbarians bag as the anlgos.

      The French were expected and welcome by the Natives in America. The English invaded by force.

      The French considered natives equal citizens, traded with them in a win-win collaboration and let them have full freedom over their territory.

      The English massacred the Natives and forced the survivors into misery concentration camps called reservations that are still ongoing to this day.

      The anglos starved the natives for medical experimentation. The anglo forced several generations of Natives youth into assimilation institutions where they were abused and even killed.

      While the Crees in Québec prosper, become entrepreneurs, build brand new villages with schools and medical clinics with pavement, aqueduc, sewer, clean water, etc. their Cree brothers and sisters on the other side of James Bay - in Ontario - live in misery.

      Delete
    5. Canada Libre, Please check out the following:

      www.nodogsoranglophones.blogspot.com/2012/11/quebec-propagandists-get-dose-of-reality.html

      According to the arguments (and evidence) presented therein, Quebec receives about $1.45 for every dollar which it sends to Ottawa.

      Delete
    6. So you do believe that your leaders are stupid enough to lose money over a territory and a people that are under their control.

      I don't.


      - How much debt money is there in that $1,45 ?
      - Why just one year of data ? What happens now ? in 2009 ? ..
      - The foreign oil companies in Alberta receive ~ 3 billions in subsidies every year. That's exactly as much per capita as Québec gets for eq. the difference is that the fed develops Alberta's economy only.


      What is your point, anyways ? That you have stupid leaders and that somehow forces my nation to perpetually remain submitted to your ?

      C'mon. If Québec REALLY needed the rocanaada to survive, Québec would have been abandoned a fr?&ng long time ago.

      Delete
  24. Canada Libre: it says something about you, that you would refer to India as a "shit country."

    You don't know as much about global imperialism as you claim. India was one of the world's richest countries before the British colonial period. The British government, under Lord Lytton, caused about 2 dozen famines in India in the 1870's, which killed about 29 million people.

    The Brits also practiced unfair trade for a very long time; for example, Indians were forced to sell tea, spices, textiles, etc. to Britain for extremely low prices, while Indian weavers had huge tariffs put on their products. Many of them, especially in Benghal province, hacked off their thumbs in protest.


    Sure, India is a developing country and has problems, but that's no excuse for calling it a "shit country" the way you do. If someone called Quebec a "shit province" due to the crumbling infrastructure there, you would then be hypocritically up in arms about that ("Comment osez-vous dire une telle chose!")

    Also, cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Banglalore are very advanced in some respects (movies, computers, some great architecture, etc.) And you talk about stereotyping and overgeneralizing against Quebec.

    re: Pauline Marois. She has indeed suggested such a thing, that Quebec would continue to receive trasnfer payments from Canadian provinces after attaining independence. That doesn't mean she's dumb, it just possibly means that's she's crafty. I'll find the URL for the article and get back to you on that.

    re: Ottawa's debt. In terms of foreign Canadian debt which has helped Quebec, Quebec is indeed responsible for some of it. I have read a couple of articles on it; I'll try to find them.

    ReplyDelete
  25. «« that you would refer to India as a "shit country." »»

    Aren't Sikhs coming from Punjab ?

    How do you qualify a country from which native people go away forever to live in a totally different society ?? Would that something about you ??

    Do you blame Sikh emigrants for leaving abandoning their country and then proving that it is a bad place to be ??

    And, how do you call a country from which people are so fr?&&ng full of shit has Rattan Mall obviously is ???

    .

    «« re: Pauline Marois. .. I'll find the URL for the article and get back to you on that. »»

    That is a must.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. -"Do you speak French?" asked Ric (Flair).
      -"No, I don't."
      -"How come?"
      -"How come what? I just don't," I answered, not understanding what my inability to speak French had to do with my wrestling career.

      -"But you have a French last name."
      -"I'm from New Hampshire. Everyone has a French surname in New Hampshire because we're so close to Quebec. 'Levesque' is sort of like 'Smith' in French."
      -"Well, the creative department likes your name, so you are now a French guy. You've got to cut promos with a French accent."
      -"A French accent?"
      -"And act all pompous and arrogant. And be prepared to take some heat, because you are now a bad guy, too."

      (from the book 'Making the Game' by world-famous WWE wrestler Paul Levesque, aka 'Triple-H.')

      Delete
    2. Just because someone moves from one country to another doesn't mean that their country of origin is a shit place to live. Spain, Italy and Greece are great countries with a lot of history and culture, but many of their people (especially younger, unemployed people) are moving to other countries due to the current economic problems in some of the EU countries.

      In India, if you have a lot of money, it can be a marvellous place to live, from what I've heard. However, if you're unemployed or underemployed, or in a low social caste, then it can be difficult to live there, of course. Same with the Philippines, or China, or Saudi Arabia, or Israel, or Brazil, or even Japan or the U.S.

      A lot of Mexicans are no longer moving to the U.S., because the Mexican economy has been steadily improving overall, and the U.S. economy still isn't very good at the moment.

      re: Rattan Mall. No, he shouldn't have written the anti-Quebec things that he said in that article. However, that's probably not the totality of who he is as a person. Furthermore, even if he is indeed a closed-minded bigot, you cannot judge all people in India just because of him.

      Delete
  26. Veritas: I'd like to please comment on something we were discussing earlier. You said that being a danophone has never been a handicap in Denmark, which is of course an independent country. However, is it possible that being a *unilingual* danophone (that is a Dane who *only* speaks Danish, and who cannot converse in Enlgish, German, French, Swedish or any other 2nd language) could be an impediment there, when it comes to getting a good job?

    It's true that there are probably very few unilingual Danes, but I imagine that they do exist. I'm wondering if those particular people have sometimes experienced economic and job difficulties due to that. Are there any Danes or ethnic Danes out there who are reading this, who could comment on it? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete