Tag: fuck the PQ
PKP – Shut the fuck up, you insignificant pinhead
According to the man that single-handedly started the landslide of the PQ towards insignificance, the Government of Québec, every April 17, should set the flag that floats above the National Assembly at half-mast to mark the anniversary of the unilateral repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. On the same day that Pauline Marois said her goodbye, he sent a letter to La Presse (from his Quebecor email account), probably to show the word he’s still important and relevant.
He writes: “Whatever you say, whatever you do, this file is not closed. In this regard, we collectively have a memory, which could be illustrated by the lowering of our fleurdelisé every April 17th.”
PKP stressed that Quebecers have a “duty of memory” to the actions that have been made by the Trudeau government at the time, despite the opposition of the Government of Québec. He continues: “The Federal Government imposed Canadian multiculturalism to trivialize and undermine Quebec culture on the territory of Quebec. Because of repatriation, Quebec is no longer the national home of one of the founding peoples of Canada. It has been reduced to the rank of a province like the others where different groups live under different values, norms and cultures.”
This is irony personified, because the people have spoken loudly and clearly, that separatism is not something that they want to consider at this point in time. So stop flogging a dead horse, you twatbag. It’s discouraging that the man that’s tapped to lead the PQ is still chasing the dragon…
Maybe the focus will shift to important things now
The moment it all started going downhill
The moment was designed to seal a PQ majority, but it derailed at least the first half of Leader Pauline Marois’ campaign and created negative momentum the party could never reverse. While Mr. Péladeau comfortably won his seat in St-Jérôme, the PQ lost the election. Badly.
Inside party circles, the feeling was that Mr. Péladeau’s recruitment as a star candidate would solidify the notion that the PQ was presenting the strongest roster of potential ministers to the electorate. But his arrival put the issue of Quebec independence at the centre of the campaign, to the delight of rivals who quickly raised the spectre of a third referendum on sovereignty.
The PQ campaign suddenly looked like it was distraught, making mistakes and improvising. At one point, a reporter addressed a question to Mr. Péladeau, who was standing behind Ms. Marois at a news conference. Mr. Péladeau could have stayed behind Ms. Marois, but he stepped forward. Then Ms. Marois decided to take the question. The image of her pushing Mr. Péladeau back became another defining moment.
Election outcome is not Couillard’s win as much as Marois’s crushing defeat
On the face of it, the Liberal Party’s clear-cut win looks like the political comeback of the year. Who would have bet, just 33 days ago, that Philippe Couillard would become the 31st premier of Quebec? But make no mistake. This is not Mr. Couillard’s win as much as Pauline Marois’s crushing defeat. In fact, things went so wrong for Ms. Marois that it was as if a Liberal strategist had wrapped himself in a Quebec flag and somehow infiltrated the PQ’s headquarters to reshape its game plan to Mr. Couillard’s advantage.
Pierre Karl Péladeau was a dream come true for the Liberals. Never could they have drummed up a more credible threat of a third referendum than the image of the Quebec media mogul with his fist raised high for an independent Quebec. The national question monopolized the campaign’s first two weeks.
The PQ clumsily attempted to bring its charter of values to the forefront. But the support of legendary television host Janette Bertrand backfired and the PQ leader failed to dissociate herself from Ms. Bertrand’s xenophobic remarks. Even some staunch charter supporters cringed when they heard Ms. Bertrand voice fears that Muslim men would have her turned away from her apartment building’s swimming pool.
Survey after survey showed Quebeckers were more preoccupied with jobs, Quebec’s sluggish economy, the province’s health-care network or its staggering debt – “les vraies affaires” or the real issues, as the Liberal slogan had it. This message will resonate loud when the PQ wakes up on Tuesday. It will not be pretty.
All Quebeckers wanted was a normal government. They got it
“Together, we will take care of real problems” was the Liberal slogan. The province that Philippe Couillard’s party has won the right to govern suffers from more than its fair share of real economic, social and budgetary problems – acutely real problems. Mr. Couillard and his team have no magic wand to make them go away, and the campaign was largely not a debate over how to deal with those issues. The Liberals did not win a battle over competing options on education policy, or health, or taxes. The Liberals won because they could promise that in office, they would spend all of their time thinking about those issues. They could credibly promise that they would try to do what normal governments do: govern.
The PQ promised the exact opposite. Yes, Pauline Marois’ PQ tried to insist that separatism was not its real agenda, and it went into the election assuming it could win by temporarily burying its sovereignty obsession. That illusion fell away the moment star candidate Pierre-Karl Péladeau opened his mouth, punched his fist in the air, and announced that he was running to make Quebec a country. Then and there, the wheels started coming off the PQ bus.
The PQ’s desperate attempts to regain the momentum by doubling down on what it saw as its trump card – the mean-spirited, small-minded, paranoiac and allegedly popular charter of values – only made things worse. One of the PQ’s celebrity backers defended it with a delusional rant in which she expressed her fear that rich, Muslim men from McGill would take over her apartment building’s swimming pool. Reasonable Quebeckers were embarrassed. And then a PQ candidate admitted that yes, a law making it illegal to wear a kippah, turban, hijab or other religious symbol while working in a government office, or a hospital, or a daycare, would mean that people exercising their consitutional right to freedom of religion would be fired. Reasonable Quebeckers were aghast.
The election result is not a great victory for federalism; in Quebec, things are never so simple as that. But it is a crushing defeat for separatism. Monday’s election was a referendum on whether Quebec should have a normal government – a government that sees governing as its job. Voters answered that question with an overwhelming “Yes.”
Pauline Marois quits as head of the PQ
Ejected from power, defeated in her constituency , Pauline Marois has decided to leave the helm of the PQ Monday night. The first woman elected at the head of the Government of Quebec is driven from power after a reign of a year and a half, the shortest in history since Confederation. It is also a historic collapse for the PQ which, with 25.4%, recorded the lowest score since his first participation in an election in 1970.
“You will understand that, in the circumstances, I will leave my job ,” said Pauline Marois, visibly moved. “Quebecers have spoken , and we must respect that result. The defeat of our party saddens me probably as much as you, if not more than you. We had so much to offer, so much to do for Quebec, ” she added.
In his victory speech in Saint-Félicien, Que., Mr. Couillard reached out to minorities who felt targeted by PQ policies. “We share the values of generosity, compassion, solidarity and equality of men and women with our anglophone fellow citizens who also built Quebec and with our fellow citizens who came from all over the world to write the next chapter in our history with us,” he said. “I want to tell them that the time of injury is over. Welcome, you are at home here.”
Vote early, vote often, vote anything but PQ
The 2014 Quebec election campaign is “useless” and full of “smear” campaigning, according to Radio-Canada listeners.
C’est pas trop tôt!, Radio-Canada’s morning radio show hosted by Marie-France Bazzo, asked its listeners to describe the Quebec election campaign in one word.
They received over 500 responses on Facebook and Twitter and we’ve translated and ordered them according to the most popular terms.
The results are in — and they aren’t good:
- Useless
- Smear
- Pathetic
- Empty
- Fear
- Mud
- Manipulation
- Amnesia
- Demagogy
- Sterile
- Dirty
- Deceiving
- Disinformation
OpEd from The Gazette: I want a Quebec where ‘nous’ again means all of us
The election campaign has only lasted a month, but it feels as long as our eight-month winter — and more exhausting. We all need time in a Post-Traumatic-Election-Stress recovery ward — with no politicians allowed. Fortunately, I see some sunshine breaking through the cloud of polls that wasn’t visible a few weeks ago.
I began this election like most anglos dreading the PQ would win a majority by exploiting the black magic charter debate that’s been tearing Quebecers apart. Happily, things are now moving the other way with Quebecers proving largely indifferent to the charter this election, and increasingly indifferent — or fed up — with the PQ. But there’ve been plenty of ugly moments in this campaign. From early on the PQ focused on winning francophone votes by appealing to the “nous.” But in order to have a “we,” you need to have a “them” — and we were them.
Take the (still) PQ candidate who wrote that circumcision was rape and kosher food a scam by rabbis to make money (though she forgot to mention bagels cause brain cancer). There was the hysterical “Janette’” standing by our premier, expressing her imaginary fears she could someday be booted from her swimming pool by rich McGill Muslim students. In recent days, the PQ admitted it may casually override the Charter of Rights in Quebec and Canada to enforce its anti-religious dress code. But no worry — if any civil servants get fired, the premier promises to find them jobs in private practice.
There was also the crackdown on English university student voters, after the PQ claimed hordes of Ontario residents were out to steal the election by voting Liberal. This could actually have proved a smart PQ strategy if they’d enlarged it to discourage all students from voting — including francophones. The latest election polls I’ve seen show over twice as many young Quebecers voting Liberal as PQ. The Liberals also lead in all other age groups — except over 55, so perhaps the PQ should discourage everyone from voting except seniors.
These dramatically shifting poll numbers are the great relief of this campaign, which started with most francophones backing the PQ. But as Marois slowly turned up the rhetoric, many francophones have abandoned her for other parties — weary of the anger, the trickery, the divisiveness and everyone’s frayed neverendum nerves. Francophone columnists have written emotional pieces that are just as distraught as our anglo ones. Highly respected Chantal Hébert wrote that “Quebec’s fearmongering PQ bears little resemblance to the party of René Lévesque.” If re-elected, they should “have all the mirrors in the National Assembly covered so that its leading members do not have to look at themselves.”
Journal de Montréal columnist Lise Ravary wrote she’s been “sick to the stomach” from the nous-versus-vous politics that have left the province “divided and bruised. How many times have I told myself: I no longer recognize my Quebec?”
La Presse’s editor-in-chief, André Pratte, concluded an editorial denouncing the idea of overriding the human rights charter with the most anguished statement I recall him making: “If the PQ is returned to power in this way, April 7, 2014 will become one of the saddest days in the history of Quebec.”
Over decades of living with PQ governments I have rarely felt real animosity toward their leaders — just political disagreement. I found Jacques Parizeau a wily but respectful opponent who only lost it all on election night. I admired (and feared) Lucien Bouchard because he was such an articulate, passionate spokesman for independence. I was fond of Lévesque, Pierre-Marc Johnson and Bernard Landry — just as I admire Québec solidaire’s Françoise David, who always speaks for all Quebecers, although she’s a sovereignist. But the current gang leading the PQ seems much more devious and divisive than their predecessors. They believe that to protect the rights of francophones, they must take away the rights of others. That each word of English spoken drowns out a word of French, that each ethnic head covering means one less tuque, that “bonjour-hi” is a threat, not a courtesy.
I have a different view of my home. I believe we can protect and promote French while we value English — that what makes Montreal unique is that it’s the only bilingual French city in the world. We live together on our streets more amiably than any two major language groups on Earth and we should celebrate this, not fight over it. If the Liberals get a majority Monday, I hope they can bring our communities together. But I’m also comfortable with a Liberal/CAQ coalition, or even a Liberal/Québec solidaire separatist-federalist partnership.
Come Tuesday, I want a new government where “nous” once again means all of us.
Money and the ethnic vote strike again (maybe)
The elections office in Quebec is throwing cold water on a theory put forward by the Parti Quebecois on Sunday that students from elsewhere in Canada could be trying to steal the provincial election. The PQ expressed concern about media reports that an influx of English-speakers and other non-francophones from outside the province were trying to vote in the April 7 election. By late afternoon, however, the province’s chief electoral officer brought forward numbers showing there were no signs of an irregular increase in voter registration. “The abnormally high number of requests doesn’t exist,” said spokesman Denis Dion.
Still, the PQ’s strong language meant the controversy dominated Day 19 of the campaign. One PQ candidate at the news conference, justice minister Bertrand St-Arnaud, called on the province’s chief electoral officer to closely examine new attempts to register to vote. “We don’t want this election stolen by people from Ontario and the rest of Canada,” St-Arnaud said in Montreal. Another party candidate, former student leader Leo Bureau-Blouin, added he wants to make sure the election is decided by Quebecers. “We are concerned by the fact that many, many people who are not registered on the list want to be registered,” said Bureau-Blouin, who in the past has made increasing voter participation among youth a priority. PQ Leader Pauline Marois raised her own concerns later in the day.
There have been numerous media reports lately of English-speaking university students trying to register to vote. Some students complained they were turned away even though they believed they had the necessary documentation.
While Quebec’s English-language media has generally focused on those cases, French-language counterparts have sometimes presented the issue differently — as an effort by students from outside Quebec to influence the outcome of the election.
The PQ’s St-Arnaud said he found a report in Sunday’s Le Journal de Montreal particularly troubling. It described an attempt by “hundreds of Ontario students” to vote against PQ leader Pauline Marois. The parent company of Le Journal de Montreal, Quebecor, was founded by the family of Pierre Karl Peladeau, a star candidate who is running for the PQ in the election. Peladeau stepped aside as Quebecor’s CEO last year and when he announced his candidacy this month he said he would place his ownership stake in the company in a blind trust and insisted his media outlets would maintain independent coverage.
The story from Le Journal de Montreal story came after Mathieu Vandal, the head of the election revision board for a downtown Montreal riding, resigned on Friday and went public with concerns that an increased number of non-francophones were attempting to register and weren’t being adequately screened.
Dion said there had been an increase in attempts by out-of-province students to register in some ridings, but that Vandal’s comments were “alarmist” and had “exaggerated” the situation. He said the issue was further complicated because some officials didn’t understand the registration rules. That may be why a number of English-speaking students have come forward to complain they were unfairly denied the right to vote. In one case, a McGill PhD student said he was turned away even though he has lived here since 2008 and only takes three weeks vacation a year from his lab work.
Sean Beatty, a 31-year-old from British Columbia, was so frustrated he secretly recorded an exchange with elections officials and post it online, where it quickly made the rounds on social media. Beatty said he has voted previously in a federal election in Quebec, and was compelled to register in the provincial election this time because he disagrees with the PQ’s proposed charter of values. “I’m really disturbed by the way the process is set up, the idea that someone can deny you the right to vote without requesting any additional documentation or having an appeal process,” Beatty said in an interview. Beatty said he presented his passport and utility bills and that he has previously filed taxes in Quebec, though he has still has a British Columbia health card.
To register in Quebec, Dion said a voter must be a Canadian citizen and have lived in Quebec for six months. They must also have the intention of making Quebec their home, a term that’s open to interpretation.
Dion said officials also take into account other evidence, such as proof of a bank account in a Quebec institution, a Quebec health insurance card or driver’s licence, or a Quebec income tax return. The PQ’s strong stance on the voting controversy recalled complaints in the aftermath of the failed 1995 referendum, when federalists were accused of taking unfair measures to boost the Yes vote. Rival parties have so far avoided talking up the controversy. Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard and Francois Legault, head of the Coalition party, both said they would leave the issue up to the chief electoral officer.
The numbers speak for themselves…
… but are the powers that be actually listening?
A clear majority of Quebeckers feel the Parti Québécois will not have a legitimate mandate to launch a third referendum on sovereignty if it wins the April 7 election, a new Léger poll has found. The poll suggests a majority of Quebeckers simply do not want to focus on the divisive issue, with 69 per cent of respondents saying they want less talk of sovereignty during the campaign. A clear majority wanted a greater focus on public finances (77 per cent), health (84 per cent) and jobs (85 per cent). Asked whether a PQ government would have “the mandate to hold a referendum on sovereignty,” 54 per cent said “no,” and 29 per cent said “yes.”
Dear PQ, there are more important things to focus on…
Please get your heads out of your asses and focus on things that actually matter, like not having bridges fall down on moving traffic, having doctors available to treat the sick and injured, and getting the economy in a state where you can pay for all of it.
Yours truly,
Common Sense
An oldie for the new elections
First published here, but just as appropriate now (except the PLQ talking head is just as bad). Having said that, even though I can’t vote at the moment, for those who can, please please stop the insanity. Quebec does NOT need another independence referendum. It needs to stop the brain drain, keep talented people, attract and support businesses, shore up its economy and repair its crumbling infrastructure. Stupid language protectionism and isolationism should not be a priority in the face of everything else.
Is it just me or…
..does it look like Pauline Marois has been hit repeatedly in the face with a shovel? Seriously, I’ve seen Pugs with more facial landscapes.
Read my lips: FUCK THE OQLF
Language agency orders boutique to stop English-only Facebook posts
Quebec’s language police have ordered a small business owner in the Gatineau region to stop making posts to Facebook in English.
Eva Cooper is the owner of a fashion boutique named Delilah in the Parc in Chelsea, Quebec, which has a sister store in Ottawa. Both stores have their own Facebook pages, and last week the Office de la langue francaise sent Cooper a letter saying her Quebec store’s page could no longer make posts solely in English.
Cooper said she was shocked her Facebook page was flagged by the language agency., however the OLF does not go searching for violations, but has said repeatedly that it only responds to complaints.
Cooper has asked the OLF to send her the notice again–this time in English–but she has yet to receive it. Cooper said it is time for language laws to be updated in order to make the rules surrounding social media clear, since only people who request to follow her store’s page normally see it.
“Nobody’s paid me a membership fee to be part of my Facebook page,” said Cooper. “It’s up to them to like us, so that’s where I think there’s a bit of a grey zone.” She has been given until March 10 to come up with ways to address the complaint or face a fine.
“I’ve obviously insulted someone and I feel bad about that. But at the end of the day I never thought that the laws extended to Facebook,” said Cooper.
Several weeks ago the OLF ordered a two-man public relations firm Provocateur Communications to create a French version of its website.
At the time a spokesperson for the language agency said article 52 of the Charter of the French language, which states catalogues, brochures and similar publications published by a business must be in French, also applied to websites.
Riiiiiight. Seriously. Someone got butthurt and now the language police are not only going to spend money they don’t have on unimportant shit, all the while making the province look stupid. Again.
Fucking idiots.