French versus English volume 84

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

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

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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

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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.

"When Yvon Deschamps applied his shock therapy Quebecers, we applauded wildly. When Sugar Sammy does the same thing, we feel ridiculed.  

Why? He was born here, grew up here. He lives here. Sugar Sammy is Quebec. Why doesn't he have the right to join the discussion?
If Sugar Sammy, is the future of Quebec, that Quebec will be part of my future. The future under the banner of ethnic nationalism is a lot less interesting. 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 a Quebec perspective, the presence of English in a French film is still disturbing, 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" ). The same goes for the soundtrack. Aside from some typical Celtic music of Brittany, it is "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls and "Shake It Out" Florence + the Machine. These songs are integrated into the soundtrack where we see women train for the championship final. It's all uncomfortable and rings false because it's like watching an American B-movie...

....For Quebecers, watching a French film,represents not only a desire to travel to another country, but also to  enjoy another narrative, which is not the case here." 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 Gravenor on 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 juvenile idiotic  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!

PQ Report Card a Sad Indictment of Dismal Failure...Part one

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!

Quebec Corruption: Maclean's Vindicated, Time for Bashers to Apologize

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.

Denis Coderre 
 "It's the Plains of Abraham disease, wherein we're viewed condescendingly and with contempt."
"...To generalize like that, I find it totally inacceptable" Link

'Uncle' Thom Mulcair
"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."