By Montreal Simon I only wrote one post about the Quebec election, because I knew that Pauline Marois’ hideous version of the Parti Québécois was going to lose, from the moment she embraced Pierre Karl Péladeau. And he raised his fist in the air and with a crazed look on his face demanded a country. […]
Quebec election: From Lévesque to Marois — an artist’s journey
By Gaëtan L. Charlebois Many won’t say it out loud, though many others will, but it has been a commonly held belief for over four decades that Quebec culture is superior to culture in the Rest of Canada (ROC). (This will not be the only irritating idea I will share here, so if you can’t […]
Peladeau kicks Sun TV to the curb
By Montreal Simon Well it wasn’t a total surprise, but it was still a stunning sight. Pauline Marois and her new star candidate Pierre-Karl Péladeau. Pierre-Karl Péladeau, controlling shareholder of the Quebecor media empire, on Sunday announced he will run for the Parti Québécois, saying his top motivation is to make Quebec independent. “My joining […]
Not in my Quebec. Not in my Montreal.
By Montreal Simon For a Montrealer like me, who lives and plays happily in both solitudes, and is always trying to bring Quebecers and Canadians together, it was the ultimate nightmare. An old Anglo, in a balaclava . . . and a bathrobe . . . screaming “The English are rising up!!! There’s going to […]
Relax Canada, it’s just democracy
By Montreal Simon On a sunny afternoon, in my favourite Montreal neighbourhood, both the Quebec election and the hysterical reaction in English Canada, seemed very far away. Which was a good thing eh? Because following the election campaign from Toronto and a beach in Maine has been very exhausting. And the reaction in English Canada […]
Sorry, PQ, but my BC is multilingual
By Bev Schellenberg I see the Parti Quebecois are once again hammering BC for our perceived lack of French inclusiveness at last year’s Winter Olympics. Boy, are they going to be mad when they hear about our new language curriculum. If proposed changes go through, French is about to become just one among a number […]
If Harper falls, Layton should too
If the Harper government falls in the next month, let’s keep in mind whose fault it is. Jack Layton’s. That’s right. Mr. blown opportunity himself. But first, let’s get something straight: when the opposition parties started moving toward a non-confidence motion back in November, they weren’t capitalizing on an opportunity to topple a democratically-elected government; […]
I should be so oppressed
I try to stay in a good mood about Quebec. I really do. I try to think fond thoughts about rural Quebec and its picturesque little roads and the charming Montreal restaurants nad bakeries. And, well, Mordecai Richler was from Quebec. But really I do not like Quebec. I find that I cannot think of […]