Anglo Students Subject to Legal Terrorism

The latest sad saga of the legal assault on the Quebec's anglo community is the news that the Education department has appealed a lower court decision that allowed a group of students to attend English high school. LINK
While we mere mortals wait months or years to have our appeals heard, not so when questions of vital national importance, like the language of instruction for nine anglo children is in play. And so faster than you can say 'Jack Rabbit' the appeals court overturned the judgment and pinballed the children back to French schools.

The vim and vigour that the department displayed going after these children is in sharp contrast to the lethargic pace of change that it displays when introducing academic improvements in the school system that it oversees, so very badly.
Last week the education department finally admitted that it was prepared to reverse the disastrous decision it took a decade ago, to change student report cards from the traditional model that gave children easily understood marks based on what they had learned, to a touchy-feely system based on something they called 'competencies.'  This led to a decade of furious protests by parents who couldn't understand what the hell was going on with their children's academic progress. Although it was apparent from the beginning that the change was a no-go, stubborn administrators burned a generation of students before finally admitting its folly. Even when the decision was made, the department announced a one year delay to give everyone time to adjust. Imagine! One year to change a report card? Massive retraining of students, teachers and parents to understand the complexities of a grading system that my immigrant parents, straight off the boat, understood within minutes!  LINK

Elementary School Grades

E(excellent)-VG(very good)-G(good)-F(fair) -U(unsatisfactory) Red =FAIL 

High school Grades- 

30%- 40%- 54%- 55%- 60%- 80%    Green =PASS

Complicated eh?  Do you think that you need a year to figure it out?

It seems, that this 'one year delay' is a popular device in Quebec, used to soften the impact of and take the heat off those who screwed up, either legally or administratively.

Back to the students who were denied entry into English High school after completing grade school in English...
The students attended a school that has both an elementary school and a high school division, with the grade school being completely private, but the high school receiving government subsidies. This makes a certificate of eligibility necessary for those who want to move up to the high school and it is this certificate that the government is refusing to issue to the nine students, based on the defunct Bill 104, the law rejected by the Supreme Court, but given a stay of execution for a year.

The students attended a private English school for all their entire academic career, obeying the precepts of the rules in place. Now that the law has been declared illegal, the education department still demands that students remain subject to its provisions until it can come up with another law, one which will invariably be just as illegal.

If you are confused don't feel bad, the system is designed to wear parents out in an effort to have them capitulate and send their kids to French school regardless of the circumstances.

Among the true democracies of the western world, those where Supreme court decisions represent the final word, Canada stands alone in making a mockery of the democratic concept of government being subject to the legal limits and the rule of law.

The absurdity of it all, is that the anglos won their case in the Supreme court, but are denied the fruits of that victory.
Only in Canada, or tin pot, banana republics, can you win your case in the Supreme court and still lose.

The ability of our provinces to set aside an inconvenient Supreme Court ruling by using the infamous 'Notwithstanding Clause' has the primary effect of bringing ridicule and disrespect to our legal system. Secondly, and perhaps more dangerously, it cowers the Supreme Court into making compromise decisions in the hope that it will not be humiliated by the imposition of the Notwithstanding Clause.

In the case of Bill 104, the court knew that its decision would be unpopular in Quebec, so it gave the province a year's grace to enact a new law to replace the illegal one, giving rise to  the absurd situation  where a law after having been declared illegal, still has force. A true 'Judgment of Solomon.'
 
So for Anglos, winning or losing in the Supreme court, amounts to the same thing, regardless of the verdict, we always lose.
The unfairness of it all has the chilling effect of convincing anglos that there is no point in pursuing an expensive and debilitating legal fight in the face of a linguistic injustice, when the best that can be hoped for is a Pyrrhic victory.

Of course this suits Quebec nationalists perfectly well, whose goal is to eliminate any court's ability to overrule the Quebec National Assembly, thus making it beyond reproach and above the rule of law.

To this end, they mock and denigrate the Supreme Court of Canada as a foreign institution, bent on depriving Quebec of its legitimate right to enact any law that it sees fit, legal, illegal moral or immoral.

And so our students are tossed around like footballs, subject to one illegal law after another, with zero consideration to their academic well-being.

Children who speak English as well as any student in Toronto or Vancouver are being forced into inferior French schools where their educational path is sure to suffer, all in the name of satisfying French language militants who care little about the students themselves and consider them nothing more than cannon fodder in the crusade to force French upon everyone.

Reeking vengeance upon English twelve year olds is somehow seen as redress by language militants for the loss at the Plains of Abraham. Fist pumping and congratulatory back slapping is the order of the day, for this great triumph of French over English. Disgusting.....

The policy of creating one illegal law to replace another illegal law was first enunciated by Quebec separatist journalist Josée Legault, who described waging a guerrilla warfare campaign against the legal system, "...mener une «guérilla» juridique." LINK
Each time an illegal language law is struck down, it would immediately be replaced by another illegal law and each subsequent legal challenge would take years to wend its way through the courts. In the meantime the laws would remain on the books and in force, until the next round! 

Sound familiar?  Welcome to our nightmare!

What More to Expect at Bastarache Inquiry

Having heard the revelations of Marc Bellemare at the Bastarache Inquiry, the press reacted gleefully, revelling in the accusations that he made against the Liberal party and Premier Charest specifically, with dire predictions of a mortally wounded Premier. A quickie poll conducted by the Journal de Montreal indicated that 69% of Quebeckers believed his testimony.
This of course is to be expected, when one hears only one side of the story.

At first glance, there's no doubt that Bellemare's evidence, given so matter of factly, seems damning and credible. Calm, collected and assured, he detailed a litany of transgressions that fit neatly with the narrative that has been woven in the media of a corrupt and cynical government. His apparently flawless memory, including the most mundane of details, adds to the aura of honesty.

His evidence might very well be true and if the inquiry were to end today, there'd be no doubt that Charest's goose would be cooked.
But what is clear today, made be made muddy tomorrow, remember the O.J Simpson trial that started with an 'open and shut' case and ended with an acquittal?

It remains to be seen how good inquiry lawyers are in breaking down the credibility of Mr. Bellemare.
Since Bellemare admits that he has no evidence other than his recollections, the defence has a lot to work with.
Their job is two-fold. First they must try to discredit him, by getting other witnesses to tell a different story and by exposing factual errors in what he did say.
If for example he said he took a meeting with a certain witness on a certain date and the defence proves that witness was in Timbuktu at the time, his evidence will be tainted.

Secondly they must attack Bellemare's motives. Without offering some sort of alternate theory as to why Bellemare is "making up his story" there is no reason to disbelieve him.  There, lawyers also have a lot to work with.

A couple of years ago a classic example of how to destroy credible evidence was delivered by defence attorneys in a case where four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of beating the crap out of an unarmed black male, Rodney King, all caught on tape. The video was pretty convincing, watch it here, it's only a minute long, and it's quite devastating.

 

It's hard to believe that after watching that, the officers beat the rap, I mean nothing looks more damming. How could a jury ever believe the officers acted in self- defence?

The opening of the trial went off much like last week's Bastarache Inquiry with evidence entered that appears credible and devastating.

It was then that defence attorneys went about destroying every foundation that the case stood upon.

Witness after witness was subjected to the most methodical and clinical cross examination that exposed any and all weaknesses in their testimony. The tape of the beating was shown over and over again until its shock value was reduced to zero and in the end the jury acquitted the officers, giving rise to the famous Los Angeles riots that broke out in reaction.

Read an interesting account of the whole affair and how lawyers won their trial for the officers involved. LINK 

Every word of Bellemare's testimony is being scrutinized to the nth degree. Lawyers will pick at any weakness or scab to discredit his story. Already a serious discrepancy has been uncovered by the press.

Apparently he got his time line mixed up and made a statement that couldn't be possibly be true because a related event that he referred to, hadn't happened yet. LINK 
Look for some fancy footwork by Bellemare in explaining his mistake to commission lawyers. 

As for myself, listening to Bellemare's testimony, I picked out one thing that just didn't ring true. Bellemare told the commission that during their last meeting Charest told him that;

"You know that you have a ministerial oath. Fava, Rondeau, the judges, the money, it doesn’t exist. You don’t have the right to talk about that.”

To me that line is just not credible. It's too neat and convenient. Charest has always been more circumspect. He'd never make that type of a self-incriminating statement to someone he viewed as an adversary. He would have reminded Bellemare about his oath and left it at that.

In rebuttal of Bellemare allegations, witness after witness will tell a different story, denying Bellemare's accusations, but more importantly, offering an alternate theory for his decision to go public with his accusations, six years after the fact. If they can, they will besmirch his reputation, but the alternate theory is the key to winning or losing.
Whenever a defendant is on trial for murder, it isn't enough for defence lawyers to cast doubt on whether their client is innocent or guilty, they need to provide an alternate theory that people can hang their hat onto.

Now Charest witnesses have a huge advantage in having already heard what Bellemare has to say and the fact that he has no evidence other than his memory, is going to prove problematic for him. Without emails, tapes or transcripts that back up his account, witnesses can conger up an alternative view of reality with relative impunity.

If you believe that people tell the truth in court you are sadly naive. I'm not saying that they will lie..... I'm just saying they can.

Every Charest witness is in full trial preparation and now that they've heard what Bellemare has had to say, they are fine tuning their narrative.

In mock witness boxes in their lawyer's offices they are 'testifying' in front of a team of friendly lawyers, getting their story down pat and practising reacting to opposition lawyers questions.

They are being coached, not only on their testimony, but body language and demeanour as well. They are being attacked, prodded and confronted to see how they will stand up in court. Others in the room will offer critiques and the testimony and answers to questions will be further 'modified' to better play in court.

I have no specific knowledge that this happening, but I've been there and I've gone through the drill, so I know what I'm talking about.

Charest and friends are not the clumsy oafs we saw at the Gomery Inquiry, they are used to the limelight and speaking under pressure. They think fast and react quickly and with the right coaching it will be hard to crack them. Guys like Franco Fava, the Liberal party fundraiser who Bellemare implicates are no pushovers, expect him to deliver an effective dose of pain when he testifies and don't expect him to be on the defensive for a minute.

One only has to think back to the superb performance conducted by Brian Mulroney at the Oliphant Inquiry to understand the effects of good coaching and superb acting skills.

By the way don't think for a moment that Bellemare hasn't gone through the same process.

Will the truth win out, whatever it is?

I doubt it.
In a case of 'He said- He said,' it isn't about who is telling the truth, its about who can better convince the public, a jury or a judge. Sometimes the better witness wins despite a weaker case.
It might be Bellemare or it might be Charest, it remains to be seen.

So far, from what I've seen, my theory that these type of enquiries are no longer useful at getting at the truth seems to bear out. Everybody is just too sophisticated.

The whole legal process has been forever tainted by the OJ Simpson trial where we learned what lawyers, jury selectors, consultants and assorted experts with unlimited resources can do with the truth.

Up to now Bellemare has enjoyed a free ride, but that is over.  He now faces a ferocious counter-attack. It won't be pretty, with all sorts of allegations to be levelled in his direction. I daresay public opinion will change over the next week or so and the speedy Bellemare  express will slow considerably. Whether that train can be stopped or reversed remains to be seen.
Stay tuned.

Read two other posts that I wrote on the subject;

The Curious Case of Marc Bellemare

Can Bastarache Inquiry Save Jean Charest?

How to Make the Monteal Canadiens More French (Humor)

Having written about George Le Gal's plan to make the Montreal Canadiens organization more French and having read some of the comments under my post- "Heaven help the Montreal Canadiens," I'm inspired to contribute these ideas to help the team become more like their fan base.

Thanks to commenter 'Doctor Dave' for offering a new name for the arena. No need for a public contest, his suggestion is perfect!
The 'Bell Centre' can be changed with little effort to "Centre Belle Province"

It would be a perfect fit. The Quebecois restaurant chain could pay for exclusive food rights and traditional "Quebecois' food items can help maintain Quebec culture. No more 'foreign' foods like 'pizza' or 'smoked meat.'

The five essential Quebec food groups would be maintained, including Hot Dogs, Fries, Poutine Sauce and Curd Cheese in addition to Pepsi, to wash it all down!

In addition;

• All referees, as well as minor officials will have to be Quebecois. Penalties assessed to francophone players to be 20% shorter to correct historical discrimination.

• All retired sweaters representing Anglophone players are to be un-retired and their pennants removed from the rafters. Rookies shall be assigned these freed up numbers on a first come first served basis. 

• English nicknames for Francophone players will no longer be tolerated, so no more "Rocket Richard," "Pocket Rocket Richard" "Newsy Lalonde" or "The Roadrunner" Some will be very easy to convert like "Boom Boom Geoffrion "which easily translates to "Boum Boum"

• Players who come from Europe will be required to francisize their name following the example of Alexi Kovalov who became 'Alex.' Markov could easily change his name to André (à la 'Dawson')

• Spanish Ole!-Ole!-Ole!-Ole! chant to be replaced by Pou-Tine! Pou-Tine! Pou-Tine! Pou-Tine! 

• Same for end of game singing of  "Sha Na Na, Sha Na Na, HEY! HEY! Good Night!" to be changed to "Bon Nuit!"

• Within two years all Puck Bunnies are to be 50% +1 Francophone.

• Same for TimBits players.

• In order to familiarize hockey wives to their role in Quebec society, Stripper Poles are to be installed at no charge in the basements of their homes. Wives can view special videos that can teach them how to talk like a Quebecoise. Like this.  The team could also prepare a neat little phrasebook for wives having to deal with those pesky Puck Bunnies. Entitled "Tabarnak duh plot Sal" it can prove invaluable when words don't come easily.

•  Fans would be encouraged to purchase the new 'official' snack of the Belle Province Centre, a Pepsi and a Mae West Ouest. An introductory low price of $14.95 14,95$ to be offered for a limited time only.

• The Quebec government would create its own video replay centre in Montreal, so as not to be dependent on those biased Toronto replay decisions. 

• Key on-ice positions, like goalie, to be reserved for francophones and player ice time to be strictly regulated by language

• No way around it, the familiar red uniforms will have to be changed to blue. Perhaps a trade can be engineered with the Toronto Maple Leafs to switch colours.

• Two of the three 'STARS" of the game to be reserved for francophones.

 and if all else fails.............

Any suggestions?

BTW- Check out How the Habs can improve their on-ice product!

Quebec Muslims Back the Wrong Horse

The last couple of weeks saw a flurry of stories in the Quebec and national media about the 20th anniversary of Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc Quebecois' arrival in Parliament. The stories were pretty predictable with sovereignists for and federalists against.

One thing that went unnoticed and unreported in the anglophone press, was the Quebec Muslim's community's letters of support of Gilles Duceppe printed in both the Le Devoir and LA Presse.

Gilles Duceppe, Spirit of Openness -Le Devoir (French)  

We, Quebeckers of Arab origin and Muslim confession, on this day of Ramadan, congratulate with great pleasure and honour the leader of the Bloc Quebecois....  

A man of integrity and national aspiration, Duceppe vigorously defends the interests of Quebec in the Canadian Parliament and calls for authorities to safeguard the cultural and francophone character of Quebec society..... 

We support the political interventions of Mr. Duceppe in support of a Quebec's culture, its language and its model of coexistence.....

For us, Gilles Duceppe is an example of a politician committed to defending the principles of equality, social justice and the fight against intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion.

Dr Mohamad Sawan, O.Q., président du comité exécutif, Centre islamique libanais.
Dr Bachar El Solh, président, Fédération des Canadiens musulma ns, qui regroupe les associations suivantes: Association musulmane de Montréal-Nord (AMMN); Centre culturel islamique Ach-Choura (CCI Ach-Choura); Centre islamique BADR; Centre islamique Sainte-Rose (Centre Kawtar Laval); Mosquée Montréal (MM); Regroupement des Algériens du Canada (RAC); Regroupement des Marocains au Canada (RMC). Bassam Hussein, vice-président, Association El-Hidaya.
Samer Majzoub, président, Forum canadien musulman (FMC-CMF), qui représente les organismes suivants: Association communautaire AlHijrah (ACA); Association musulmane du Canada (MAC-Québec); Centre culturel musulman de Brossard (CCMB); Centre culturel musulman de Montréal (CCMM); Comité de la femme musulmane canadienne (CFMC-CMWC); Congrès islamique canadien (CIC- Québec); Mosquée Al-Rawdah; Regard Alternative Media (APM-RAM); Scout musulman canadien.
Ehab Lotayef, vice-président, Parole arabe.
Mohamed Sherif Kamel, Comité de coordination de CJPP, collectif Échec à la guerre.
Mohamed Habib Marzouqi, président, Centre culturel Abou-Baker.
Mohamed Zrig, secrétaire général, Association des droits de la personne au Maghreb.

Gilles Duceppe, 20 year of fighting intolerence -La Presse (French)  

On this day of Ramadan, we congratulate, with great pleasure and honour the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe, on the 20th anniversary of his election as MP in the House of Commons. 

A man of integrity and national aspiration, Duceppe vigorously defends the interests of Quebec in the Canadian Parliament and calls for authorities to safeguard the cultural and francophone character of Quebec society..... 


We support the political interventions of Mr. Duceppe in support of a Quebec's culture, its language and its model of coexistence.....


For us, Gilles Duceppe is an example of a politician committed to defending the principles of equality, social justice and the fight against intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion.

* Les signataires de la lettre:Mohamad Sawan, président du comité exécutif, Centre islamique libanais; Bachar El Solh, président, Fédération des Canadiens musulmans; Bassam Hussein, vice-président, Association El-Hidaya; Samer Majzoub, président, Forum canadien musulman (FMC-CMF) et Ehab Lotayef, vice-Président, Parole arabe.

While most of the signatories represent Muslim Arabs of French extraction, some are associated with Canadian National organizations which poses the question as to whether these letters of support represent national policy.
I think not. One of the national organizations mentioned as a signatory doesn't even have a French web site! Link 
It seems that the Quebec wing is running amok. (like the NDP Quebec wing, many moons ago)

At any rate, Canadian Muslims have always been generally bad at public relations, their representative organizations and lobby groups doing little to promote the image of modern Muslims integrated into Canadian society. The general perception of Canadians from coast to coast is that Muslims are outsiders, unwilling to integrate in Canadian society, whether it is true or not.
It's surprising that Muslims with all their image problems haven't created an anti-defamation league as the Jews and the Italians did in relation to their own particular image problems. Heavens knows the Muslims can use such an advocacy group!

It seems that Muslims in the USA are no smarter and suffer the same poor image and do  public relations as poorly as their cousins in Canada. The latest bugaboo is the building of a large mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. Nobody denies their constitutional right to do so, but you'd think they'd have better sense. It seems like a provocation that the community could do without. Sometimes, self-inflicted wounds are the worst.

The rationale behind the support for Gilles Duceppe by these Muslim organizations is his position in favour of 'open secularism' in Quebec, which basically allows for the burqa and such. This policy is directly at odds with the Parti Quebecois' position and Richard Martineau in Journal de Montreal blasts Duceppe for taking a public position at odds with that of the PQ, something the two parties agreed not to do.

But backing Duceppe is a no/win gambit for Muslims.
Unless Mr. Duceppe becomes head of the PQ (which is a possibility) he may talk a good a game, but ultimately can deliver nothing.

Backing the wrong horse will not endear Muslims to Canadian federalists, the only group that can truly offer them serious and meaningful support.

If they think sovereignists are in their corner, they are sorely mistaken. No political constituency is less sympathetic to their cause. A few kind words from Duceppe won't change the fact that Quebec nationalists want to do away with religion in public.
Gilles Duceppe is in the position to promises all things to all people, he will never be in power. Supporting Duceppe is like supporting the Tooth Fairy, an illusion. Better to remember that it's your parents who put money under your pillow.

Muslims should pray to Allah that the federalists stay in power.

Flirting with Gilles Duceppe is a recipe for disaster.

Bloq Quebcois - Bizzarely Successful?

Last Friday I was watching the sports news on TSN and saw the Philadelphia Phillies third baseman drop a rather routine mini pop fly in the infield. Embarrassed, he scooped up the ball and fired it to first base, where the batter was put out because he wasn't hustling up the line. To make matters worse, there was a runner going from first to second who was tagged out as well, in the confusion.
Sometimes, more often than we believe, screwups lead to good fortune. We've all experienced it, an unplanned serendipitous turn of events that works out quite neatly.

For twenty years now the Bloc Quebecois has represented the bulk of Quebec Parliamentary seats with the self-proclaimed goal of "defending Quebec's Interests in Ottawa"

On that level, they have been described by federalist commentators, in article after article, as being wildly unsuccessful and it's hard to argue against this conclusion.

The Bloc has had negligible impact on legislation and as of yet hasn't had the guts or the inclination to bring down the government. As for getting Quebec 'goodies' or retarding legislation that goes against Quebec's better interests, they can best be described as an 'O-FOR', to borrow another baseball term (0/1, 0/2, 0/3, etc.)

It is on that level that federalists have viewed the Bloc as a failure, a political party that has done nothing for Quebec, while robbing that province of meaningful representation in Ottawa.

But perhaps that failure has actually served the Bloc's best interest, advancing the cause of sovereignty and like George Costanza on Seinfeld, sometimes it's better to do the opposite. Explanation

While the Bloc solemnly avers to attempt to do good for Quebec, their best fortune lies in doing badly for Quebec.

If the Bloc was able to bring Quebec greater power and influence, if it were able to garner a bigger slice of the federal pie and if it was able to remediate language and cultural concerns, the basic raison d'etre for its existence, Quebec sovereignty, would be seriously jeopardized.

For twenty years, the Bloc has been pissing in the soup of national politics, screwing up our Parliament, much to the consternation of the rest of Canada. Canadians, who twenty years ago, were tolerant of the idea of a united Canada with a strong Quebec and francophone element have had their patience sorely tested by Bloc shenanigans.
Many Canadians have given up on Quebec, based on the incessant whining of the resident 'enfant terrible' of the Canadian political scene.
Let's face it, to Canadians outside Quebec, the Bloc is detestable!

Yet poisoning the relationship between Canada and Quebec is just about the only thing that the Bloc could accomplish in Ottawa, that would further the cause of sovereignty. To this  end they have been wildly successful, whether or not they set out to do so expressly. (Which I highly doubt.)

And so doing the opposite, hindering, instead of defending Quebec's interest in Ottawa has actually worked out for them.

As long as Quebec feels prosperous and secure and appreciated in a united Canada, sovereignty will not happen. Making Quebec even more secure and more prosperous in a united Canada is the exact opposite of what the Bloc needs to do politically in order to accomplish their goal of independence.

And there's no denying that the Bloc Quebecois have been doing particularly badly for Quebec these last twenty years, so its hard to deny that their tenure in Ottawa has not been successful in a perverse sort of way.

Just ask George Costanza.

The Bloc may have accomplished what it needed to do, that is, to prepare Canadians to accept an independent Quebec, but  unfortunately for the Bloc, the province itself has turned away from the independence option because of changing circumstances.

Since the last referendum, Quebec has added a half million new immigrants, the bulk of whom will vote against the prospect of a new country, making it much, much harder to achieve a YES result.

Economic conditions also play a role, with most Quebeckers well aware that their economic well-being is now tied to Canada's purse strings. The illusion of a soft referendum question, one that muddles the question of what real sovereignty means, is no longer realistic, with Quebeckers now well aware what a YES victory entails.

So the Bloc has done well, it has accomplished what it wanted to do.  But if sovereignty isn't even on the table in Quebec, what is the final impact on their presence in Ottawa?

It's one thing to throw salt on a meal prepared by your 'enemy' in anticipation of another meal back home, but what if it's not there? What are you going to eat?

And so, the more 'successful' the Bloc is- the worse for Quebec!

Danny Williams Bashes Quebec

Here's an excerpt of a speech given by Danny Williams at the Canadian Club in June, bashing the province of Quebec pretty good. It's easy to see where he gets the reputation either as a spoiled child or a great defender of his province, depending on your political perspective.

Please note that the speech was much longer, you can see the entire version over at CPAC in English or with French over-commentary.

Since Danny Williams gets in some pretty good licks, let me play devil's advocate and offer some form of rebuttal on a number of points that he makes.

Let's tackle the big issue, the Churchill Falls hydro-electric deal of 1969 that left Newfoundland holding the very short end of the revenue stick. That one-sided deal works decidedly in Quebec's favour and Williams is absolutely foaming at the mouth in describing what he refers to as Quebec's absolute "greed' in it's refusal to re-negotiate in order to give Newfoundland a more equitable split of the profits.

Let me ask you this;

Would Quebec be a publicly traded corporation, instead of a province, do you think it would feel compelled to re-negotiate towards a lower proportion of profits?
Why on Earth?

Any CEO who would entertain such a proposal, would be laughed out of a job.  Giving away money for no good reason would invariably get him/her fired and probably sued to boot, by enraged shareholders.

Newfoundland made a bad deal. Period. It was their own fault.

The deal was rushed into by Joey Smallwood because he feared that the Newfoundland company involved,  Churchill Falls (Labrador) Company (CFLCO), would soon be bankrupt. Eric Kierans, the Anglophone cabinet minister in the Bourassa government who did the deal for Quebec, described  the absolute desperation on the side of Newfoundland to do a deal, any deal. What did they expect?
Five years after the deal was consummated, the Newfoundland government was so pleased with it, that it bought out Brinco's share for 160  million dollars. When the price of power skyrocketed in the mid-seventies, everything changed. It was then when the Newfoundland government realized their glaring error in capping the price of the electricity and making a deal that would bind them to the same price for 65 years, the height of stupidity!

Let me put this question to you. Regardless of whether you have business experience or not, would you make a deal to sell a product for 65 years at a fixed price?
Would a hot-dog vendor agree to such a deal?
Would the Girl Scout organization enter in to such a deal vis-a-vis the sale of their cookies?

The Churchill Falls hydro-electric deal is not an example of Quebec greed, but rather a story of the most incompetent provincial government in the annals of Canadian history!
The deal remains a painful reminder to Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans, how stupid their leaders were. Danny Williams talks about the deal as if Newfoundlanders weren't even in the same room where the deal was brokered.

"It is not difficult to feel aggrieved when one has the distinct impression that the politicians of the day, as well as the lawyers, had the wool pulled over their eyes good and proper. If they weren't hoodwinked, they had to have been incompetent or part of a deal to swindle the province. Isn't it better to think that they were naïve?" -Audrey Manning

Now defenders of Newfoundland will argue that Quebec's refusal to grant Newfoundland a right of way to transport its power across Quebec is the root of the problem, but to believe that Quebec should have acted any differently is a bit naive.

What idiot would allow a direct competitor the right to transport his product across his territory
without exacting the maximum amount of compensation available? It just makes sound business sense, as is borne out by history.
Now today, the rules have changed, the USA demands that this practice not be allowed, and access to a transportation grid be open to all producers. But Quebec continues to put up regulatory roadblocks to defend its monopoly. Good for them!
Again, if Quebec was a business instead of a province, wouldn't it do the same. Perhaps that's Newfoundland's problem, running a business as if it is a government. 

Why should Quebec compromise with Newfoundland when that province has tried every trick in the book to abrogate a deal that it agreed to freely?
Why should Quebec cooperate, for Newfoundland's benefit, while being subjected to the kind of virulent attacks as typified in the above video?

Now before we go on to to general issues, I'd like to point out that Mr. Williams, either misspoke or misled the audience in declaring that Quebec 'makes' $2.3 billion dollars on the Churchill Falls power as compared to the 50 million that Newfoundland 'makes.'
He is talking about gross sales as opposed to profit. When a company takes in $2.3, it doesn't 'make' that amount. There are expenses to be deducted. The real figure is debatable, but in January of this year Williams himself claimed the amount was somewhere around $1.7 billion dollars. LINK
That's a lot of money just the same, but the Premier knows his figures and shouldn't have put forward an inflated figure as fact.

Today,  Danny Williams is screaming that Quebec is a bloodsucker in relation to other provinces in the Canadian federation. It's probably true, but it's also a case of sour grapes.

 In this speech, he goes off about the equalization payments and the 60% portion that Quebec receives, only because his province, flush with oil royalties is being cut out. Newfoundland has always received a higher percentage of the equalization pie per capita, than Quebec.
When his province was sucking at the federal teat, Danny Williams didn't complain about Quebec. The real problem is that Newfoundland, as a 'Have' province, now wants to stiff paying into the fund, because it is no longer a beneficiary. Disgusting!

Now Williams goes on to make more ridiculous statements, including the one that the Bloc Quebecois is somehow affecting the national agenda, an idea stupider than wood. The Bloc has about as much influence on federal policies as the Tooth Fairy. Do you think Gilles Duceppe can call up Stephen Harper and ask him to screw Newfoundland as a favour, or in return of political considerations?

William's second assertion about Quebec cabinet ministers wielding too much power is cleverly worded in the past tense.  Why?
The truth is rather inconvenient.  Because of the Bloc presence in Ottawa, Quebec has less power and influence than ever.

Mr. Williams howls and barks but in the end is nothing more than a toothless pit-bull. Scary at first, but laughable once you know the truth.

He tries rather lamely to draw Ontario into the Newfoundland/Quebec fight, as if that province has some sort of real stake.
The truth is that Ontario couldn't give a shit about Newfoundland or Quebec and his attempt to widen the battle is so transparent that it is laughable. 

Mr. Williams holds himself and his province up as 'holier than thou,' but nothing could be further from the truth.

His hasn't come clean on a number of issues dealing with Hydro-Quebec.
Like his secret negotiations with his sworn enemy concerning the development of the Lower Churchill. You'll hear more about that in a future post.

Newfoundland and Labrador have nothing to teach Quebec (or any one else) about honesty. Sanctimonious lectures by Williams about morals and fairness are a joke, considering that his province has the worst reputation for honesty and that it is home to the greatest and largest organized scam on the Canadian taxpayer ever, all backed by the Newfoundland government itself. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
You'll hear more about that in a future post.

To all of you who believe that Williams is some sort of a savior, you are wrong. He has ridden the oil boom to prosperity and has taken credit for it all.

The reality is that he's a bad manager and poor decision maker, which unfortunately is something that's all too typical in Newfoundland leaders. His rants fall on deaf ears not only in Quebec but across Canada. When Danny Williams talks, people listen with amusement. His rants are colourful and entertaining, but so sanctimonious they leave people laughing. He has burned too many bridges and taking down the Canadian flag was something that remains unpardonable.

Sadly, he is the very essence of a Newfie joke.

Heaven Help the Montreal Canadiens!

Nowhere in the language debate does the naked contempt for 'les autres' manifest itself more clearly than in the demand by language and cultural nationalists that the Montreal Canadiens hire more francophones.

The mantra that the Canadiens have to become more French is not only the obscure ravings of a rabid fringe element, the issue is also a topic in the mainstream press. Spear-headed by La Presse blowhard Rejean Tremblay, a clamour has gone up for an  affirmative action program targeting the ranks of the players and management, in order to insure that more francophones are on the team.

The latest salvo, launched last week, is entitled "CH Abuse Quebeckers," another mean-spirited attack which has morphed from a sports piece into a language harangue, complete with those familiar hackneyed phrases that are the stock in trade of the paranoid language militant constituency.

"Quebec bashing" "colonizer" "respect" "abuse" 'arrogance' and "contempt" 

We've all heard it before, but not in the sports section.....(sigh!...)

I've already commented on the many sneering and contemptuous attacks on Anglos penned by the nasty and self-satisfied, Rejean Tremblay. You can read a couple of pieces, here and  here.

With the team counting just two or three francophones among starters, the hysteria has risen to new heights of paranoia.

As a group, Quebec's francophone sportswriters are a bunch of whiny cry babies, howling every time a French speaking player is shipped out of town or dropped from the roster.

Now, adding insult to injury is the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning have put together a team which  boasts a plethora of francophones. Voices are being raised calling on the Canadiens to be more like the Lightning. Don't be surprised if RDS (TSN in French) starts broadcasting a few games, that's how keen interest is.

Writing on the website created by striking Journal de Montreal journalists, Rue Frontenac sportswriter, Serge Touchette, launched another tirade against the NHL for discriminating against francophone coaches. He cites the example of Mario Tremblay who has accepted a job with RDS after being forced to 'retire' as an assistant coach, after Jacques Lemaire called it a day as coach of the New Jersey Devils. A count of francophone coaches in the NHL confirms that they seem to be doing quite well, thank you very much, but Touchette has a novel complaint. Francophones assistant coaches are not given enough 'second chances' after leaving a job or getting fired.
Try on this convoluted line; 

"It would be too easy to blame the NHL coaches of racism against French, but it's reasonable to ask serious questions." LINK

What???
And note, these are the mainstream media complainers. The Internet is replete with French language militant crazies, who pull no punches.

In a moronic attack piece, on the  Mouvement Montreal Francais web site, Montreal  head coach Jacques Martin was subject to a vicious rant by a reader who was outraged that he organized a golf tournament outside Quebec.

"Why did this man hold his golf tournament in Rockland, Ontario, Canada. Are we missing golf courses in Quebec, or is it just because some people prefer English Canada??? ....apparently, 'it's  fuck you francophones!!' "

Hmm.... I wonder if the writer considered that maybe the tournament was held in Rockland because Mr. Martin is a Franco-Ontarian and it is his home town?

 Over on vigile.net, prolific resident nutter, George LeGal, puts forward a plan to safeguard French on the Montreal Canadiens, after claiming that there is an 'establishment' plot out of Toronto, hellbent on destroying the French language on the team...(I swear, I'm not making it up) Link(French)

• The positions of president, general manager, head coach, his assistants and Captain must be reserved for Quebeckers only. 

• Within two years the team must reach a threshold of 50% +1, Quebec players. 

• French must become the working language of the organization, with interpreters for players who don't understand French. 

• Players are to be encouraged to learn the language of the organization, the language of the nation- French. To this end, a program of French language and Quebec cultural immersion is to be instituted for players and their families. 

• The name, 'Bell Centre' must be changed to a typically Quebecois French name, after having launched a public competition to rename the building. 

• Announcements at hockey games shall cease to be bilingual, the same as in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. French should be prevalent.

• The Organization should work with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Quebec and the Quebec government to radically reform the league so that it meets the aspirations of young Quebeckers while producing more players for the NHL, especially for its Quebec based club, the Montreal Canadiens. 
  

Whilst articles like these last two are comical, they are starting to have an overall numbing effect.
Sportswriters are notorious in requiring content to fill their columns and Anglo bashing seems to be the topic 'du jour,' that is filling the bill.

Already, stories are appearing in the press hailing the return of the 'future' Quebec Nordiques as the saviour of the French language in the NHL LNH.

Like generals fighting the last war, these sports writers and bloggers are living in the past, believing that while the Canadiens are a lost cause, the Nordiques will resurrect past glories and lead to a glorious renaissance of French in the league.

That ship has long sailed.

In the meantime, Heaven help the Montreal Canadiens if they fall for this nonsense.

So far so good, but cracks are appearing...

Bixi Anthem!

For all of those who tell us that that Arcade Fire doesn't represent Montreal because they are English and outsiders, I offer up this treat of a couple of Anglo Montrealers who are most certainly plugged into the city Montreal.  DaGryptions

Enjoy!

Inspirational Posters Volume 2

For more see- Inspirational Posters Volume 1

Quebec versus Newfoundland- Whiners Square Off!

To most Canadians who live west of the Ottawa river, listening to the never-ending whining of Quebec and Newfoundland about their mistreatment at the evil hands of Ottawa, is about as satisfying as a trip to the dentist.
The righteous indignation of the likes of  Gilles Duceppe and Danny Williams has me so annoyed that I have taken to throwing a foam shoe at my television set each time their respective faces make an appearance, spouting another idiotic and insulting pronouncement, dissing Canada.

Both provinces have been sucking at the federal teat for well-nigh a half a century, all the while complaining at the unfairness of it all. Both  have mastered the art of twisting figures and manipulating facts to somehow pretend that they are getting the raw end of the stick. The rest of Canada is not amused.

As everyone knows, Newfoundland has now become a 'have' province, due to the offshore riches of oil. But like a welfare recipient who wins the lotto, old habits are hard to change. The idea accepting the responsibility of paying into Canada, instead of sucking out, is so foreign to the island, that the petulant premier actually took down the Canadian flag in protest that his province will receive less and less equalization payments in light of it's new found wealth. Link

 Over in Quebec, The Journal de Montreal ran a story about a road project that will double-track Highway 175 that connects Chicoutimi, the gateway to the Saguenay region, with Quebec City.  LINK (French)
The provincial government and Ottawa came to a cost sharing agreement, with the feds agreeing to pay for half the cost of the upgrade. The Quebec government demanded complete control of the project and the Feds agreed, with the stipulation that any cost overruns would be the province's responsibility. The work proceeded and lo and behold, what do you think happened?

Drum roll please........The project went 50% over budget. 400 million dollars, that is, not exactly chump change!

Amidst much hand wringing, the cry has gone up that Ottawa ante up half of the deficit, contract aside. After all it is argued, the spirit of the agreement was that the cost was to be split 50/50.

Unfortunately for the Quebec government, the idea was shot down by John Baird, minister of transport, who said that "A DEAL'S A DEAL!" much to the consternation of the province, now claiming that it's important to be reasonable and flexible in the face of evolving circumstances. Right?

Creative math, voodoo economics, spoiled brat syndrome, and institutionalized whining are what Newfoundland and Quebec have in common, so it's to be expected that when the two provinces face off against each other, a battle royal is in order.

For the rest of Canadians, seeing the two provinces beat each other up is deliciously satisfying. It's like watching a boxing match between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Osama Bin Laden. We can sit back and hope it never ends, cheering on each blow and hoping that each gets the shit kicked out of them. The fight has been going on for well nigh thirty years, with no end in sight, HOORAY!

So far Quebec is ahead on points, having opened the match with a near fatal blow.

That was the contract Newfoundland signed with Quebec in relation to Churchill Falls power. Back in 1969, desperate to develop the Churchill Falls hydro-electric project, Newfoundland signed a foolish deal with Quebec that in effect sold the Labrador power to Hydro-Quebec for what is now, a pittance. Today, Danny Williams is claiming that his province was 'coerced' to make a bad deal because the federal government wouldn't compel Quebec to give Newfoundland the right to put up a transmission line across Quebec to transport the power to the USA.  Hmmm...
Instead, Hydro-Quebec agreed to buy the power and resell it itself. Today, Quebec is reselling the power at a profit of over a billion dollars a year. KAPOW!

Danny William's reaction over this situation is most entertaining, especially given that Premier's penchant for indignant rage. So far,  all he has mustered in defence of his province, is some salty trash talk.  LINK.

But it seems that now, Newfoundland is mounting a real counter-attack.
Both provinces have been wrangling over the right to develop the undersea oil field known as "OLD HARRY" which lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between the two. The oil field may be bigger than Hibernia, but the lack of agreements have kept the development of the project on the back burner.

Now back in 1964 (before the discovery of the oil field) the four Atlantic provinces agreed to a 'border' that became known as the "Stanfield line,"(after Premier Robert Stanfield) that has the effect of giving most of 'Old Harry' to Quebec. Premier Joey Smallwood himself, signed off on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.

But now Newfoundland is singing another tune, having discovered a loophole in that agreement. Apparently, the provinces did not submit the deal to the federal government, as required in the constitution, so according to Newfoundland, it's now -NO DEAL! LINK (Montreal Gazette)

Quebec recognizes the 1964 border because it puts 60% of Old Harry in the province's territory, notwithstanding that the province doesn't exactly recognize the 1927 border between Quebec and Labrador. In fact, a Quebec government web site's placement of the border is at odds with the generally accepted line described by the Canadian and Newfoundland and Labrador governments. That fight is likely put off for the future.

At any rate, it seems that Newfoundland has finally landed a stinging blow, even if they didn't know it. The province recently sent a letter to Quebec outlining the position that the border is now in dispute, a letter that has rocked Quebec. LINK

And today, Quebec is being chastised for having sent a letter to 'Ottawa' trying to queer a deal whereby the feds would help pay for an underground transmission line that would bypass the Quebec transmission line connection. COUNTER PUNCH!
The reaction of the blustering Danny Williams who called the letter 'disgusting,' once again, gives rise to much hilarity! LINK

Boys, keep swinging, pass the popcorn!!!

Denis Lebel Skewers Gilles Duceppe and Bloc Quebecois

In noting that it's been 20 years since the Bloc Quebecois first entered Parliament, Denis Lebel, the Conservative cabinet minister from Roberval-Lac-Saint-Jean tore into the Bloc Quebecois and its leader Gilles Duceppe, in an opinion piece written in the Quebec City Daily le Soleil.

If you read French, take a look at it over HERE.

I'm providing a translation because I think the piece is not only noteworthy but entertaining as well. Outside of Quebec, it seems that the only thing that gets publicity is separatist rants and nationalistic outbursts, but it's important to remember that there are more federalists in Quebec than sovereignists.
Although the Bloc Quebecois hold two-thirds of the seats in Quebec, they did it with only 38% of the vote. We just don't seem to hear from the 62% of Quebeckers who voted for a federalist party.

"August 13 marks the twentieth anniversary of the election of Gilles Duceppe as MP. At the time, he told Radio-Canada: " I had a funny feeling when entering Parliament. I told myself: I'm probably the first one to enter this forum hoping to spend as little time as possible." Link

In 1994, in an interview with La Presse, he added that "Nobody in the Bloc has been elected to make a career out of  it." 

Apparently for Gilles Duceppe it's "do as I say and not as I do!"

The Bloc leader has now been in federal politics for 20 years. He'll retire one day with one of the most lucrative pensions ever awarded by the Canadian Parliament. This is particularly ironic, the country that Duceppe wants to break up, will serve him personally quite well.

Behind this sad anniversary, there is a fundamental issue for Quebeckers. Where do we want Quebec to position itself over the next few years? It's been 20 years since Gilles Duceppe and his troops have wasted Quebec's political capital in Ottawa.

When I hear Mr. Duceppe complain loudly on the issue of representation in the House of Commons because our Conservative government wants to respect the principle of representation by population, I can only reply that it is by electing MPs of a party that aspires to form a government that one can increase the political weight of Quebec.

Breaking the deadlock;

As a former mayor of Roberval, I myself have chosen to make the leap into federal politics because the riding of Roberval - Lac-Saint-Jean was mired in stagnation caused by the Bloc. I decided to submit my candidacy to try to resolve issues once and for all.

Since 1993, the Bloc has enjoyed a majority of the seats in Quebec. What have they done with this political clout? We know they have made no promises and have delivered nothing.

If Gilles Duceppe was at least able to prevent things, then we could fall back on these minimal results.

However, it is with a Bloc majority that the fiscal imbalance was created and it is thanks to the Harper government that it has been settled. Gilles Duceppe and his party didn't stop the Liberals from stealing from Canadians in the biggest political scandal in Canadian history. The Bloc did not stop the Liberals from drastically increasing greenhouse emissions and the Bloc did not stop the Liberals from encroaching on provincial jurisdiction.

Mr. Duceppe and his colleagues criticize the government, sitting in the grandstands, but to score goals, you've got to be on the ice.

The weight of the years is beginning to bear heavy on the shoulders of Duceppe. This is obviously a disappointed man that has failed to achieve any of his objectives.

We parliamentarians from Quebec are proud to be Quebeckers who believe in this beautiful country of Canada. We have a duty to continue to work hard, door by door, handshake by handshake, to convince Quebeckers that it would be preferable to have more members on the team that forms the government, in a party whose motives are not dysfunction and quarrels.

Denis Lebel, Conservative MP for Roberval - Lac-Saint-Jean 

Minister of State for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Region of Quebec "

We Will Not Be Quiet!

"Do you know the difference between an Anglo-Quebecer and an English-Canadian? The first one is a second-class citizen and the second one is a second-class american."

Very insightful! How clever! Troller 'par excellence!' (sarcasm.)

I allowed this comment through yesterday to illustrate that morons exist on both sides of the debate.

Those sanctimonious comments from frustrated nationalists warning us that this blog and the associated 'raging' anglo commenters are somehow contributing to the cause of sovereignty, actually makes me laugh and is deliciously satisfying.

No, I don't think we'll shut down because it is inconvenient or uncomfortable for thin-skinned nationalists and sorry if I don't believe that I am somehow turning reasonably opinioned francophones into raving militants.

Now during the recent 'troll wars,' I tracked down a lot of traffic to a link put up by a commenter on  Louis  Prefontaines's web site. While I can't say for sure, I assume many of the nasty comments came from there. I'm not defending the nasty English comments, they are all banned.
 
So in honour of all you Prefontaine fans who visit this site and who share a common fantasy where Quebec is independent, prosperous and unilingualy French, a Quebec where the Anglos have fled and the immigrants have shed their burqas, saris and turbans in favour of Montreal Canadiens Quebec Nordiques toques, a Shangri-la where everyone listens to Loco Locass and reads Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, I offer this commentary on a recent post as an homage to the sour grapes that is the hallmark of these frustrated souls..

"Arcade Fire is a stateless group who lives in our French-speaking city but chose to never become truly integrated. This is not a Quebec band, much less a cultural ambassador."  LINK

Yup, Mr. Prefontaine goes off on a rant against this wildly successful band because, according to him, they are not Quebecois and should never be considered as such.

He complains that the English (plus one assimilated Haitian) rockers are nothing more than interlopers and chastises the band for maintaining their Anglo roots while complaining bitterly that they don't sing in French.

All of a sudden Mr. Prefontaine pretends that Montreal is exclusively a 'French-speaking city," yet in blog post after blog post, he complains that Montreal is too English and is becoming more and more anglicized each day.

So which is it?

There's an English societal component to Montreal that is undeniable, only fantasists like Mr. Prefontaine pretend that it isn't there. Arcade Fire is very well assimilated, only not where Mr. Prefontaine wants them to be. Tough luck.

Arcade Fire is part of ENGLISH MONTREAL. Pretending that Quebec and Montreal in particular, are exclusively French and that there exists but one culture, is delusional. 

So if Mr. Prefontaine maintains that Arcade Fire is not Quebecois because they are English, so be it.
His fear that the group will somehow be considered as Quebecois, is unwarranted.
He needn't lose any sleep!

Just about every single major newspaper (including those in France) refers to Arcade Fire as Montrealers, not Quebecois.
To these reviewers, Quebec doesn't even exist.

• "Top marks from a cavalcade of critical tomes who saw the Montreal septet’s sequel to their breakthrough debut long-player of 2004,"  -BBC Review
• "Montreal indie rockers." -Rolling stone Review
• "Arcade Fire, a Montreal art-rock band." -NY Times
• "... the Montreal septet has now proven its staying power."- Chicago Tribune
• "Arcade Fire a été formé à Montréal" Le Figaro
• "le groupe canadien Arcade Fire" - Le Monde   

For a raging nationalist it must be frustrating to see this upstart Anglo group from Montreal enjoy more success than any other Quebec francophone band could ever imagine. The immutable fact is that no group that sings in French can make it big internationally. That is why that almost all international groups aspiring to fame, have taken to singing in English.

For French language militants, it's a frustrating fact of life, but wishing won't make it go away and raging against this realty is just tilting at windmills.

Blowhard Sportswriter Strikes Again

Once again, La Presse sportswriter Rejean Tremblay has waded into the language debate, attacking the Montreal Canadiens for the lack of English players. Tremblay and others of his ilk believe that the team should make a special effort to hire Francophones, so "that they can better represent the fan base of Quebec."
If you read French, find the original article HERE.

The article takes on the familiar snarky tone that is the hallmark of the frustrated curmudgeon.
He's someone who reminds me of that stereotypical caricature of the ageing southern cracker racist, sitting on the front porch, whittling on a piece of wood with his knife and cursing out the 'niggas' to anyone who passes by.

There's a special venom in his words, a nasty sarcasm that is reminiscent of the late great, Pierre Falardeau, an anglo hater 'extrodinaire.'

Mr. Tremblay peddles the fantasy that the Canadiens can lean towards Francophone players without affecting quality. He is a big booster of the  'Savard Doctrine,' the practice perfected by the ex-General Manager of the Habs, Serge Savard, that holds that when given a choice between two players of equal talent, the team should always select the Francophone.

Now last year Tremblay wrote an article about a book written by Bob Sirois, whereby the ex-NHLer accused the league of systematically discriminating against francophones. NO FAIR!

But let us consider Mr. Tremblay's position.
According to his logic, it is perfectly reasonable to promote a francophone player over an equally talented anglophone in Montreal, but it is discrimination when the Toronto Maple Leafs choose an anglophone over an equally talented francophone.

That is what I call Quebec logic!

The real problem is that there is no such thing as equally talented players, the idea that such a situation presents itself is fantasy.

This week we witnessed a real live example of the so-called 'Savard doctrine.' It happened at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Montreal featuring the world's best female tennis players.

In his blog, Sex, Sports & Rock and Roll sportswriter Benoit Rioux wrote a piece entitled "Décision anti-anglophone?" LINK(fr)
  

"Vallery Tetreault got a wild card pass into the main draw for the first time in Montreal.Although happy, she recognized that her invitation had the opposite effect on her good friend,  Sharon Fichman, who must now go through qualifying rounds.

Injustice?

The Ontarian, Fichman, 145th in the world, is actually ranked higher than Tétreault (170th.) Nevertheless, the tournament  preferred to go with the Quebecker.

Imagine if the opposite had occurred and a lower-ranked Ontarian would have been advanced ahead of a Quebecker because the tournament was held in Toronto.

Some of us have would have screamed at the injustice launched against we francophones. We would probably talk about "country club" and Denis Coderre would probably have Twitter on the case ..."

Kudos to Mr. Rioux for defending right from wrong, not French versus English.
I bet you never read about this article, because these type of opinion pieces are never published outside Quebec, it's too bad.

Surprisingly, most of the comments under the article supported the tournament's decisions. Perhaps they are also big fans of Tremblay's newspaper column.

In English we call it a double standard. It's more eloquent in French;

Deux Poids - Deux mesures. It's the Quebec way.