ADQ No Friend to Anglo Quebecers: More Proof

As the Gazette opines today, Mario Dumont is no friend to Quebec's English-speaking population. No surprise, that. It is kind of bizarre, though, that Dumont has been trolling for votes among West island mayors who are still disgruntled over what they perceive as the LPQ's botching of the demerger file and the inefficiency of the agglomeration council.

Now Dumont is proposing the scrapping of school boards, stating that the education system would be better run under municipal authorities. As one of our two remaining English-language dailies in this province ponders today: would English-speaking communities find our institutions better served and more representative of our needs if, for example, Mayor Tremblay and his franco-dominated glom council were in charge? I think not.

Again, another example of how insidious the ADQ really is.

While the outrageous xenophobic comments of separatist leaders of yesteryear have been shelved in a possible nod to political correctness (and a not-so-secret bid to get votes from cultural communities), there is no reason to believe that nationalists and separatists have developed warm and fuzzy feelings towards the anglophone community. They know that no matter how much they suck up to other communities no Anglo in their right mind would ever vote for them. It seems in the post-1995 referendum era, their solution is simple: squeeze the squareheads out, but do try to go about it subtly.

Shades of this tactic could be seen back in the late 1990s when the PQ first proposed the municipal mergers, with former Montreal Mayor (and failed ADQiste) Pierre Bourque as their partner in crime. At that time Bourque said one of the first orders of businesss would be to change the repetitive and seemingly 'dangerous' street names that plague Montreal's west end and West island suburbs. Offensive street names such as Elgin, Mayfair and let's not forget the ubiquitous Victoria would be replaced by the Societe de Toponymes by 'other', more suitable names. Certainly not Smith, Jones or Brown. That set my squarehead radar shrieking. Those of us with roots in Quebec's Townships know how badly the Toponyme geniuses mangle formerly English place names.

The proposition to scrap all school boards is a similar squeeze which would serve to rid the province of the only pan-Quebec English institution.

From experience, I can say with a great deal of certainty that Bourque's Vision Montreal detested the Anglo community. Their board meetings were rife with anti-Anglo slurs. It didn't suprise a soul when Bourque decided to run - and mercifully lost - for Dumont's ADQ. They have a lot in common, right down to their disregard for a community that predates Confederation.

A lot of people outside Quebec may believe that we Anglos have nothing to complain about in comparison to minorities in other provinces. However, other provincial governments want to protect and preserve their minority communities - unlike Quebec where the sole focus seems to be burying them. Even FLQ threats against Anglos are not treated seriously - very disturbing.

Make no mistake: Like Bourque before him, Mario Dumont is nothing more than a twerp separatist dressed up in autonomist's clothing. Do not be fooled for one bleeding second.

Ontario Liberal Sisters

A big 'Thank you' to the Ontario Womens' Liberal Commission, Liberal Party of Canada - Ontario and the Ontario Liberal Party, the Judy LaMarsh Fund and the Margaret Campbell Fund. Meredith, Eileen and co. put on a great Saturday Campaign College in Toronto at the beautiful Verity Club. With a bit of tweaking and a lot of translation, we have the basis for a similar school for the mighty Quebec women. But I'm borrowing my beloved Jack for the event, so be prepared to hand him over, girls!

Good luck to all the future Ontario Liberal candidates - you are an impressive bunch.

Premature Erection?

Of signs, that is. At 7.00 this morning I was cruising down Sherbrooke Street in Westmount and lo and behold, what do I see? Jacques Chagnon's PLQ election signs everywhere. Big ones, small ones. Apparently signs were also erected in Outremont, and I also saw some in the Lachine borough. This struck me as sort of funny since the writ hasn't been dropped yet and the electoral laws are pretty clear about what needs to be done within the electoral period i.e. from the droppping of the writ to e-day. Signage must be posted within the electoral period.

I've also noticed the CPC is somewhat perplexed as to what constitutes an electoral period and what publicity and expenditures are permitted. More on that in another post, though. I should note that I am a card carrying member of the PLQ and my MNA is a federal Liberal, too. Thus the Minister will be getting my help. Otherwise....

TorStar on CPC Sleaze

Oh yeah! Today's editorial in the Toronto star pretty much sums up what Liberals knew all along about the values and moral fibre of Canada's 'New Government'. Words like gutter and sleaze come up, but hey, if the shoe fits...


Here is a short excerpt from HARPER HITS OUT FROM THE GUTTER:

'While Harper took office promising "good, clean government," there is nothing good or clean about lashing out from the gutter to claw down the opposition even before the election writ is dropped.
Exactly what Canadian "values" are engaged by a French-language TV ad the Tories aired this week that links Dion to the highly-charged term "vendu," which means "sellout" or "traitor," a jab at his credentials as a staunch Quebec federalist? Or in another that slyly implies Dion and Jean Chrétien are criminals, picturing them behind yellow police tape labelled "centralization, pollution, sponsorships and fiscal imbalance"?
What value inspires an English-language ad, aired earlier this month, that links Dion to the sponsorship scandal, among other things, when the entire country knows he had no part in that particular fiasco?
Or one that links former Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police income-trust probe that hurt the Liberals in the last election? The RCMP cleared Goodale and his aides this week. Even so, a Tory spokesman insisted "the ads will continue to run." That speaks volumes about values in Harper's camp.
While some of the ads are amusing, they are also personal, vicious and misleading. They invite the public to look beyond Harper's soothing rhetoric, to the shabbier reality of his politics. There is a growing dissonance between what he says and what he does.'

Harper Suddenly Sensitive to AIDS?

CanWest is reporting that Harper will announce a joint project with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a high-tech facility for clinical trials for AIDS vaccines. The Canadian government will pony up $110m and the Gates Foundation's share will be $28m. I wonder if Harper thinks this will make people forget how he snubbed the World AIDS Conference in Toronto last summer, as well as the Outgames in Montreal.

Le Québec Prends Des Forces?

I just checked out the so-called French-language attack ads on the CPC website - sorry, I won't link to them. According to CTV, the ads will be aired starting tomorrow.

They are very amateurish and focus on old news - sponsorship, fear-mongering, the usual CPC nonsense. But they clarify one thing nicely: Boss Harp's biggest fear is Chrétien. I wonder how he'd like to go up against him and his majority machine.

Canada Ecotrust

Boss Harp was in Sherbrooke today announcing $1.5 billion for a national ecotrust programme. He was at the side of Jean Charest, who seems to believe that this initiative will fulfill part of the fiscal imbalance issue. Quebec will receive about $350 million - about what was negotiated with Paul Martin to allow quebedc to fulfill its Kyoto plan.

Both were coy about the election issue during a press conference.

Charest: There will be an election call sometime.

Harper: We hope the budget will pass.

John Baird's Vile Green Tie

What is up with that? He is not fooling anyone. Baird needs a fashion coach along with tantrum management therapy.

NY to ban iPods?

I found this to be interesting. It seems that no fewer than three of NY Senator Carl Kruger's Brooklyn constituents have been killed while crossing the street under the iPod or Blackberry influence. Maybe Ottawa should introduce a similar by-law in order to prevent CPC staffers on bb from getting mowed down on the Hill. Or maybe not.

The Green Threat

The latest cover story from the Western Standard features Harper as the Incredible Hulk. According to Levant, Harp and Baird are not focusing on 'symbols' i.e. the science and are focusing on 'practicality' when dealing with climate change - very telling. Levant believes that Harper is threatening to alienate his electoral base, but still manages to sufficiently suck up, painting Harper as a pragmatist who will take on unpopular issues in the short term in order to allow himself to get down to the 'real business' at hand. Ezra is not too clear on what he takes to be the 'real business'. Apparently not Kyoto.

Compton-Stanstead: Who Does Peter MacKay Endorse?

Very interesting, if conflicting, reports out of the Townships. The CPC nomination battle is heating up in the Bloc-held riding of Compton-Stanstead, located in Quebec's beautiful Eastern Townships. As le Progres de Coaticook reported a few weeks back, Dany Renauld, a former Charest aide from way back, has expressed his intention to seek the nomination in the riding. The article goes on to explain that Peter MacKay was in the riding before Christmas to endorse Renauld. Renaud also has the endorsement of a couple of mayors in the riding.


What's interesting is that this week's edition of the Stanstead Journal features a story about the other contender for the CPC nomination - Ontario-born and raised lawyer Brian Mitchell. Mitchell has lived in Montreal for a number of years and was Vice-President of the Progressive Conservatives - he had the nomination in Westmount-Ville-Marie in 2006, but either withdrew or was withdrawn - no info is available. Mitchell supported Steve for the leadership of the CPC. The photo accompanying the article is Mitchell with none other than Peter MacKay, leading the casual observer to conclude that Mitchell enjoys the support of MacKay, as well. Maybe I'm just a typical Grit cynic, but it looks like Mitchell is trying to pull a mindfuck on Renauld. Surely Mitchell could have found a picture with his political master, Boss Harp.

Or maybe not.

There are a few possible scenarios that spring to mind:

1. Mitchell represents the progressive wing of the CPC and has been accused in the past of trying to shift the party to the left. Harp may figure the optics of such a figure will fool Quebecers into believing the CPC is becoming more progressive. A perceived association with MacKay will help the optics of such a strategy, as well as serving to sock it to his opponent.

2. The rift between Harp and MacKay is alive and well, with each running their own preferred candidate. Only, now MacKay may have some explaining to do to his boy, if the English-language media is any indication. Typical Harp move to destabilise.

3. They're all in it together with Mitchell signing up large numbers of anglos in the west of the riding and Renauld doing the same in the east with francophones. A nomination contest will provide the illusion of democracy and the party benefits from the buzz surrounding the whole thing.

The membership cut-off is February 13th - the nomination meeting will be held at a 'national convention' March 11th.

And I just have to mention Brian Mitchell's campaign slogan:

LET'S WIN THE RIDING!

Well, duh.