I found Bouchard’s Boom
I found Bouchard’s Boom
Long before André Boisclair was sniffing around for power, Quebec was on the verge of an economic boom. Jean Lesage and the Quebec Liberals had led Quebeckers through a period of renewal, a rebirth for Quebeckers which had been sheltered by the Grande Noirceur of Maurice Duplessis. French was making a strong comeback in business circles. French-speaking CEOs and executives were invading Montreal’s board rooms French Canadians were taking their place among the business elite of this province.
It was a time of great personal freedom for Quebeckers. Multiculturalism and bilingualism were policies that benefited Montreal, the city was becoming bilingual at an exceptional pace. We had a French Canadian Prime Minister who stood for the values espoused by traditionally liberal Quebeckers. Major Canadian corporations had head offices in Montreal and were employing bilingual employees, as demand in Quebec for their services increased greatly. Montreal was only happy to oblige. The city was in a period of renewal through the Olympic Games in 1976. Everything was looking up for Montreal and for Quebec…then…it happened….the boom was gone
Rene Levesque swept into power in 1976, making sure the enormous benefits the Montreal revival would bring would be wrapped up and sent straight down the 401, to Toronto. Nothing kills economic success than ethnic nationalism.
Building a strong economy does not involve oppressing a large affluent chunk of your society. Large corporations did not leave at the sight of a strengthening French Canadian business community. They left when their economic well-being was threatened by a pipe dream.
What killed Quebec M. Bouchard? Quebec Sovereignty did. Rene Levesque did. Jacques Parizeau did. Bill 101 did. Half a million affluent Anglophone Quebeckers moving to Toronto did. Billions of dollars in corporate tax dollars fleeing to Ontario did.
Closed Ethnic Nationalism killed Quebec
par / by Anthony à / at 3:41 p.m.
1 Commentaires:
-French was making a strong comeback in business circles. French-speaking CEOs and executives were invading Montreal’s board rooms French Canadians were taking their place among the business elite of this province.
Yep. And Nirvana had their first success with Smells Like Teen.... Wait, you're talking about the nineties, don't you ?
-We had a French Canadian Prime Minister who stood for the values espoused by traditionally liberal Quebeckers.
Yep. My grandfather, a traditionallly liberal Quebecker, keeps on explaining how stupid it is for Iraq to vote on their constitution, and that his values tell him not only that we don't have to vote on a constitution, but also that we don't even have to all agree on it!
-The city was in a period of renewal through the Olympic Games in 1976.
Yep : Debts and massive frauds caused by bad administration are certainly what we can call renewal. You liberals know what I'm talking abut, eh ?
-What killed Quebec M. Bouchard? Quebec Sovereignty did.
Man, they did it? I knew they were hiding something to me! Damn!
-Rene Levesque did.
Now THAT'S right! I spend most of my days wishing could pay my electric and car insurance bills to a private company, hoping corporations could finance political parties, imploring God to dezone those agricultural lands!
-Half a million affluent Anglophone Quebeckers moving to Toronto did.
I would have done the same thing! Who would like to live in a country where you're asked to learn the language of the majority and where you have to vote on your nation's future?
Man, I wish I could understand Quebec as much as you.
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