Welcome to Fuddle Duddle Convention Edition

Welcome to Fuddle Duddle Convention Edition

The Gazette Blog is now up and running

Fuddle Duddle is Moving!

Ladies and Gents, I am going to be moving my blog to the website of the Montreal Gazette as of the opening of the convention this afternoon.

http://community.canada.com/fuddleduddle/



Since their comment section isn’t as compatible with Blogger, I will leave the title of the post and a chance to comment, while linking you guys to the post on their website.

J’ai håte à voir tout le monde au Congrès. Mon téléphone sera ouvert toute la semaine.

You can also reach me by email, as I have activated Blackberry Service for the weekend

canadese@gmail.com

Cheers

Antonio

Cannon Confronted on “Quebecois” Says Anglos Are NOT Part of Quebec Nation

Lawrence Cannon was asked by Elizabeth Thompson of the Montreal Gazette if this motion applies to all Quebecers.

He just answered no

WOW

Harper better clarify this fast. Cannon is blaming the separatists for proposing it only applies to francophones who got off the boat. He is saying he does not want to froce this decision on anyone. But to say it excludes people doesnt help

Looks like another Cabinet minister may have to go.
More on this soon...

Chong Wrong on Civic Nationalism

Michael Chong has given his reasons for quitting Cabinet. He says the motion represents ethnic nationalism. I disagree completely.

Today in the House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Minister defined Quebec as people who live in Quebec. This motion is NOT exclusive to French Canadians. It never was. Nobody from the Liberal Party has ever suggested that either.

Quebec is a civic nation within Canada. Its people, including those who have arrived recently, have been part of the magnificent transformation that has taken place in Quebec. The Quebec people have undergone significant change in the recent past, even as recent as 1995. Our traditions, our values, our culture, and most importantly, our attachment to Canada are a fundamental part of our identity.

The goal of federalists has always been to to advocate for the choice of Quebec and Canada, not one or the other.

That is why I am so fundamentally opposed to that petition. We do not have to choose JUST Canada. We can have both.

I have used Carreras’ line before for some Gerard Kennedy supporters and I was touched when Stephane Dion used it again today.

The fact that I am proud to be a Quebecer makes me a stronger Canadian. The fact that Quebecers are a proud people within Canada makes Canada a stronger country.

People can blame Ignatieff all they want. However, I believe strongly, that this question was bound to come back and I am proud that Parliament tonight will vote to accept this historic recognition. The Bloc’s pathetic response to this is only proof they are wounded over this.

Mackay States the Obvious

Since it is not in the motion, we have to take the comments of the government for context.

I don't usually like it all muddled, but Mackay adds some clarity to the definition of Quebecois

def: the people who live in Quebec...

All we need now is Harper to say teh same thing.

Dryden Against Nation Motion

Gerard has company...

Ken Dryden has said we should defeat the government notion...

Oh my...This is gonna get iiiiiinteresting...

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister to RESIGN Over Quebec Motion

CTV and now CBC are reporting the Harper government will lose a minister over the Quebec nation issue. The cracks in the seams of this unity coalition are beginning to appear. This was not an easy issues for us Liberals in Quebec to deal with, we never expected it would go along so well with everybody else.

Vote at 8PM tonight

The debate continues live until then on CPAC...I will keep posting about it...

Kennedy is for Nation, but Would Vote Against It

It has come to my attention that Gerard Kennedy will not support the Quebec Nation resolution that is being debated tomorrow in the House of Commons. This whole “wrap yourself in the flag and accuse the other side of being a traitor” bit is really starting to get on my nerves. You know why, because the separatists do it to us all the time.

For years, the chief argument against the Quebec sovereigntists has been: We offer the benefits of both Quebec and Canada, while sovereignty offers only Quebec. Why choose one when you can have both?

By taking he petition supporters’ position, we force Quebecers to choose between the two options. We force them into a choice between two parts of their identity. English Canada, or in this case, a few people on a patriotic crusade, seem to believe it is a Canadian nation, or nothing.

The wording of their infamous petition states “call on our elected representatives to work instead for a united, equal Canada.”

Instead? Instead of what? A divided unequal Canada? Never could I possibly imagine there would come a day when Quebec federalists were being accused of working against Canadian Unity. The petition is gaining steam and Mr. Kennedy, who after all, believes Quebec is a nation, is now seemingly taking the politically opportunistic position by rejecting this motion.

Chantal Hebert said it best today. We are permanently removing a potent weapon from the separatists’ arsenal. We have Stephen Harper to thank. We have Michael Ignatieff to thank. We have the grassroots Quebec federalists to thank.

I leave you all with a quote

"Uniformity is neither desirable nor possible in a country the size of Canada. We should not even be able to agree upon the kind of Canadian to choose as a model, let alone persuade most people to emulate it. There are surely few policies potentially more disastrous for Canada than to tell all Canadians that they must be alike. A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate. A society which eulogizes the average citizen is one which breeds mediocrity."

Update!

"I respect the sense of identity shared by many Quebecers, reflecting a common culture, language, history and accomplishment and I will continue to promote that identity, rather than playing divisive political games with it."

“I deplore that anyone would use this as a wedge issue for political gains"

And by being the only one who opposes this, Gerard is not making a wedge issue out of this?

No No...If I say that , I must be drinking Kool-Aid eh Warren?

Is This How Bob Wanted to Win?

Now I had the option of going all mock outrage on this story, but I won’t because there is a serious issue here. There is the issue of grassroots involvement in politics.

I started my blog back in 2004 because I was amused at how Warren Kinsella was taking it to Paul Martin and the Board. He could do so from his computer. On the blogosphere, everyone gets their voice. We can agree and disagree with people. We are all a bunch of average Joes and Josies, everybody is equal. It is one of the only grassroots things left in politics.

Why am I upset that the Bob Rae campaign paid a lobbyist and communication specialist money to come post negative comments anonymously on my blog, Ted’s blog, and I am sure countless other blogs? Because they have ruined a world that we had previously used as an exchange of ideas, an open forum, a democratic space untouched by most professional communications experts (except you Warren, but you’re a punk rebel so we love you that much more)

The Globe has released the handle of the person making the negative comments all over the blogosphere saying he used the name “skip” and operated the blog Dissension Delivered (I’m assuming delivered at a price?) He is the employee of BCP, yes the BCP of Yves Gougoux and John Parisella (like we needed to see Gougouz’s face again) If you don’t know all your Quebec communications firms after last year, you aren’t as much of a news junkie as I am. BCP calls Jean Louis Dufresne a rogue employee. However, the firm was hired to do work for Mr Rae’s leadership campaign and John Parisella has been far from quiet.

Parisella doubles as a political analyst and has been slamming Michael Ignateiff since the beginning of the campaign. Now his paid employee is attacking Michael systematically and anonymously. I doubt these people are part of Bob’s campaign financing. Is this really how Bob Rae wanted to win? By corrupting the blogosphere along the way. It is the type of the scorched Earth policy we have traditionally seen from some Liberals in the past and it is one we wanted to avoid this time around.

So the campaign of the backroom has more backroomers corrupting the blogosphere. I should have known this was eventually going to happen. Every blogger must condemn these kinds of actions. Not because it is Bob Rae, but because in order to preserve the place we have created for ourselves on the blogosphere, there is no place for this kind of smearing anonymous garbage paid for by rich people. Politics is not supposed to be done this way.

I call on all bloggers Ted Betts, Bart Ramson, Jason Cherniak, Jonathan Ross, and even the professionals like Kinsella to stand united against this kind of garbage. Feel free to criticize Michael, but identify yourself, and do so without getting paid to do it. I would actually appreciate if Michelle Oliel and John Lennard would join in here as well. If we want to preserve any integrity we have on Liblogs, we have to fight intrusions like this.

Harper Lands Knockout Punch on Bloc

“This is their third position in three days on the issue. And I think now they have to explain what their raison d'etre is in Ottawa if they're going to pass a resolution put forward by the prime minister that endorses the unity of Canada."

For a party that was a temporary rainbow coalition, this is not a good day for the separatists...

Bob’s First Liberal Deficit

Well that didn’t take too long but it seems Senor Bob is already running his campaign finances dangerously in the red. Naturally all candidates borrow money to finance their campaigns; however, they do have to pay back all loans within 6 months of the end of the leadership. With the Liberal Party of Canada needing to raise money for an election in 2007, do we wanna tap out so many donors reimbursing our debts?

Here is a list of what candidates have borrowed thus far during this race. (figures from Globe and Mail)

Michael Ignatieff 170 000$ (14.5% of total)

Gerard Kennedy 201 750$ (30.6% of total)

Stephane Dion 480 000 (62.8% of total)

Bob Rae 845 000 (45.6% of total)

Bob Rae is already 845 000$ in the hole, and has six months to get out of it. Based on how he has handled finances before, I would start getting worried. With donation limits set to go down to 1000$, Bob will need to find 845 000$ without the help of his brother John and his powerful corporate connections. Also, every dollar that goes to refund Bob’s monstrous debt is money taken away form the Liberal War Chest for next election.

Also, I would like to add it seems Stephane Dion is in a major financial hole. Before some Dionistas vociferously deny this, Dion has borrowed almost twice as much as what he has raised and the clock begins ticking next Saturday. If neither of them wins, the Liberal Party will have to raise over a million dollars just to bail them out of a mess they put themselves in during an election year with a 1000$ donation limit.

The irony behind all this is that it is C-24, Jean Chretien’s electoral financing legislation, which has sunk Power Corporation’s candidate of choice. It won’t be the first budgetary shortfall he sees…maybe Bob Rae will blame the Liberals again…

Today, Canada is Stronger

Was I ever expecting this?

Today Prime Minister Harper demonstrated a massive amount of political courage and took on the separatists head on. He went after their game. He turned the issue on its head, and scored a major coup for Canada.

Next Tuesday, Gilles Duceppe planned on dividing the House of Commons. He planned to put a wedge in the Tories and within the Liberal Party of Canada.

Give Duceppe credit, nobody ever expected Harper to show THIS MUCH leadership on this issue. In Quebec, we no longer have to tell Quebecers why their distinctness is not recognized. We can take on separatist mythology without this fundamental truth thrown in our faces. Today, Stephen Harper affirmed that Canada can admit the diversity of its people and not be afraid to lose the country.

Some may call it a virus. Some may think it’s a big conspiracy. All I know is that…

Today is a great day to be a federalist in Quebec.

Did the Separatists Finally Learn How to Ask a Clear Question?

Gilles Duceppe took a very big gamble yesterday by forcing Liberal MPs to vote on Quebecers’ status as a nation. Do Quebecers form a nation?

It is a great question. The Bloc has certainly asked more ridiculous things before. At least this one is relevant. The move, in fact, appears to be quite brilliant, if in fact, it ends up failing. But why should it fail? The Bloc finally learned how to ask a clear question after 10 years, we should at least try and answer it.

The question is actually quite simple.

Be it resolved that Quebecers form a nation. (that is 8 words, 120 less than the referendum question)

Well, that settles it. How many Liberal leadership candidates support this notion? Let’s see…

Ignatieff Yes

Bob Rae depends what day it is…I think Tuesdays are good for him

Gerard Kennedy luckily the question is in French and that is the nation Kennedy supports

Stephane Dion has said Quebec forms a nation…and he’s never backtracked…

Ken Dryden will likely try and get this vote shelved as well…

Scott Brison said he believes Quebec is a nation.

Joe Volpe honestly I do not know

Martha no

That should be 7 out of 8 leadership candidates in favor of it. What are people afraid of? Certainly, after putting Michael Ignatieff through the ringer on this, none of them would want to vote for this motion 4 days before they plan on slagging Michael on the floor of the convention. Ah well, Gilles Duceppe has done Quebecers a favor. He is telling Liberal and Tory MPs, some of whom say Quebec is a nation, to put their money where their mouth is.

I think a former Intergovernmental Affairs Minister once said “A clear question never hurt anyone” Indeed Stephane I could have never said it better myself.

Denise and Antonio’s Usual Hijinx plus Justin Trudeau

Denise and I were up to our usual antics tonight. Mr. Kennedy was at McGill today and he was touting his proposals for party renewal, one of which was to automatically take the main youth priority and make it party policy. Denise and I were across the room at the time eyeing each other. We both knew where this was leading…

Yes for all you non Liberal historians out there, the flagship youth resolution in 2005 was decriminalization of prostitution.

The YLC(Q) in the meantime, has endorsed the Quebec nation resolution, in a vote by its executive, with no opposition, despite the support from all the major camps.

Yes they are two hypothetical situations, but it is possible the youth come up with something crazy like gay marriage (1994) or supporting some agreement called Kyoto (1997)

Denise asked about prostitution, I asked about the nation…would Gerard ever accept these controversial issues automatically…well he said no.

So much for party renewal. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Densie and I were rather satisfied with ourselves teehee.

On another note, I spoke to Justin Trudeau tonight cuz he was at the Kennedy event…I KNOW like omg omg omg omg…JUSTIN TRUDEAU O M G!!!!!

Now that that is over with, I asked him a few questions, the usual, why get involved after not wanting to for so long, because he was asked to be on the renewal commission…

I asked him if he felt like he got a free ride because of his father and he said it made things a little easier but he didn’t wish all this attention on himself.

Lastly, I asked him if he would come to the YLC(Q) and promote Katimavik because after all, we need more programs like Katimavik and everyone can look past leadership for issues like those…

Oh and for fun, I asked him if Tories should care who Ben Mulroney supports (because I have no shame and I am a jackass) He thought that Ben Mulroney was a thoughtful person and that if he ever made the decision to make an informed entry into a debate, that people would listen to what he had to say, because his father was PM and he had many experiences…I then told him some people found that question offensive…He laughed and told me “well some people get agitated a little too easily.”

Indeed Justin…Indeed

More on the Bloc’s brilliant move tomorrow…leave it to them to do something like this…time for people to put money where their mouth is…all candidates (except Martha) support the nation…time for the rest of them to put themselves on the record.

I Did Not make this up...

Version française November 16, 2006 Info DION Dear Liberal Supporters, The Liberal Party of Canada Leadership and Biennial convention is only two weeks away. During this historic event, we will be choosing our next party Leader and the next Prime Minister of Canada. This important decision should not be taken lightly. Our Leader must carry head the renewal of the Liberal Party of Canada, bring together all Liberal activists in order to in order to rally all Canadians and win over Stephen Harper conservatives in the next election. Each one of us has the responsibility of making a well-informed decision this coming December 2nd: the future of our Party and of our country depends on it. Take the time to properly read the candidates’ programs and declarations. Listen carefully. We should ask ourselves what is important for our future. Would Quebecers and Canadians be better off if we reopened the constitutional debate as some suggest? We, of the Dion team, believe that there are more serious and urgent issues to deal with. A few days ago, at the “Millennium Promises” conference in Montreal, former US president, Bill Clinton declared that all efforts to eradicate poverty in the world would be fruitless if we do not first address the problem of climatic changes. Is this not the essence of Stephane’s platform on since the beginning of the Leadership race? We make the time to listen carefully to what the candidates have to say and to remember what they have said in the past. It is quite clear that Stephane Dion is the only candidate who proposes a real program reconciling economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and social justice. He is also the only candidate who has spoken consistently since the start of the Leadership race: Stephane Dion has never had to issue a retraction or clarify a previous misstatement. On December 2nd, when time comes for us to give our support to the candidate who will become the next Leader and next Prime Minister, let us take the time to make the Right choice, the Good choice! Stephane Dion is the one.

Here is the email from INFO Dion

This almost as funny as Smok Wawelski

So Yes, this is not fake, Sorry Senator Burnett

Harper’s Guide on How-To-Botch Quebec (Nairobi Edition)

Almost a year ago, Stephen Harper ran around the province of Quebec promising Quebecers everything under the sun, including a place at UNESCO, and solving the fiscal imbalance and you know, EVERYTHING THEY EVER WANTED. It worked. Harper won most of Quebec City.

Everyone knows my position on UNESCO. It is a cultural organization and the francophone minority is the main minority in Canada. Should Quebec get to send somebody? When the issue concerns Quebec? Yes. Should it be automatic? No. Who decides who goes? The Federal Government.

The provinces should be allowed to speak in areas where they have the final say in passing what they are discussing about. It makes sense really. Canada cannot impose a UNESCO decision on any province as the matters discussed there are provincial jurisdiction and the provinces can simply say no. No province deserves special treatment. That is why the federal government, the equalizer of Confederation, should decide who goes.

On the environment, the provinces have no right to speak. Sure it is shared jurisdiction, but Canada clearly has the final say on these things. What could Quebec’s environment minister add except that that Rona Ambrose is a professional communications expert but a lousy Cabinet Minister? Everybody knew that.

This morning the WAAAAAAHM-bulance is back in full force as the sovereigntists, true to form, are complaining that the province of Quebec asked for 45 seconds to speak and were not afforded that time. “Is Quebec not worth 45 seconds?” Michel Gauthier bellowed yesterday in the House of Commons.

Now everybody in Quebec City will wrap themselves in the flag. The common Quebecer doesn’t know the difference between jurisdictions, to them 45 seconds is less than a minute and what is the harm in letting somebody talk for less than a minute? So thank you Stephen Harper, for creating a headache that federalists really did not need in this province right about now. We kind of still have a migraine over something else.

Note: On another note, there is word that some people want to change the nation resolution by shelving it, and sending it to Martin Cauchon before we discuss it. Well, I do not need to tell you why I would be against this, do I? Everybody’s emotions are already running very high on this issue. We need to put it to bed. We must decide if we support the concept that Quebec’s nationhood needs to be recognized or not. Shelving the resolution would be going against the will of the grassroots in Quebec who supported this motion. We cannot ignore the will of the people here. Have some intestinal fortitude. Have a vote! I will be against anything that does not propose voting on this resolution or an amendment in the spirit of the resolution.

Amateur Hour on the Dion campaign

We laugh and chuckle at Stephane's accent, but if you were running a national campaign, would you send out an email with these wonderful quotes in them?

Our Leader must carry head the renewal of the Liberal Party of Canada, bring together all Liberal activists in order to in order to rally all Canadians and win over Stephen Harper conservatives in the next election.

Bill Clinton declared that all efforts to eradicate poverty in the world would be fruitless if we do not first address the problem of climatic changes.

let us take the time to make the Right choice, the Good choice!
Stephane Dion is the one.

Yes! The Good Choice. Come on guys. We are two weeks from convention, you think you can get somebody to not use Google Translation in your emails?

Update: I forgot some people are looking for anything to slag me. In case some people fail to notice, I was referring to the campaign. This was from an email the campaign sent out. They sent out an email with that in it. No proofreading it seems. That is why it was amateur hour. During a speech, I give people the benefit of the doubt. But this is print guys...come on...

The Only Poll that Matters is Taken December 2nd

(for the record, i have said this along, especially before super weekend)

well back then the only poll that mattered was super weekend

you get the point

discuss

Chantal has Spoken...Is Dion the Liberal Preston Manning?

Discuss

Comment Moderation For Trolls Will be Enabled

I removed anonymous comments because I was tired of smears and lies. The same accusations come up over and over again from the same people, and I have to quell them every time.

My patience has run out.

Therefore, I will reserve the right to remove comments from people who I believe to be a troll making useless allegations against myself.

If the person wishes to send me an email confirming who they are, I will allow them to continue attacking me, but they must be warned, any further slander or libel will be acted upon. I always comment on others’ blogs with my own name as I am not scared.

I did not want to have to do this, but I feel I have no choice.

He’s Learning!

I rarely criticize Michael Ignatieff for fear people will say I am wavering. I will still vote for Michael on first and second and third and fourth ballot. (So to the Dion people, please stop calling, you are very nice, but I am not changing my mind)

So if you are a Liberal, yesterday’s broadcast of Pawww-litics was fantastic.

Here is a recap of the brawwwdcast.

Stephen Harper pisses off China (always a “fun” thing to do)

Rona Ambrose pisses off the rest of the international community, particularly France.

Michael Ignatieff, calm and composed, talking frankly and clearly on issues which have been disasters in the past, no matter how hard Don Newman tried to bring him back to the danger zone, Michael responded with poise and confidence. Do you know what this means? HE’S LEARNING! I am still rather refreshingly surprised.

Travers and Lessard talk about leadership.

Recap: Michael showed something we have not seen that much today.

Bob Rae reminds Lessard of Parc avenue…er I mean Robert Bourassa.

Dion well…yeah

Did they say Kennedy? Beats me, I don’t remember, I am beginning to see my friend Kyle’s point.

Next up: David Herle and Patrick Gossage

Recap: Michael did well today. There are anybody but Iggy and Anybody but Bob movements forming, and Dion has a chance to go forward and win because he can best unite. (They should have brought back Lessard to remind everyone how unifying Dion is in Quebec. Delegates will see for themselves when they come to town next week.)

That they do not mention Kennedy’s chances of winning is…well…dumb. I have said it before and I will say it again, Dion is falling off first of the big 4 and will go to Rae. Cherniak better get those talking points ready.

Herle gets out the most important word at the end…turnout. Yes we will see next week.

Oh and everybody kept talking about how the Tories are a disaster. YAY!

Here is a link to the brawwwdcast. Michael’s interview is around the 18:45 mark.

Note: The kennedy interview I conducted at conseil general has not gone up because the quality of the tape was quite bad. My friend David is trying to tinker with it, if I get a clear enough file I will relay it. I assure you it is exactly what Kennedy has said since then about the nation, word for word, kennedy is on message, but I do owe him more than that. My apologies to those who awaited it, especially to Marek, Hannah and Louise who I hounded to get me the gig.

I am going back into hibernation. I will write my formal nation post/article this weekend as well, and put it up in both languages for all of you to criticize.

Pandering Will Solve Nothing

It is not who appeals most to people from other parties that will draw votes. Many Liberal Voters stayed home last election. People vote for Leadership. People vote for a vision. Pandering solved nothing before. It will solve nothing now.

(Caveat: this is not to say my candidate is the one who offers the best vision or does not pander, although I obviously believe that, and I will weigh into the discussion about that if necessary)

I want the discussion to be focused on what is more important, stealing people from other parties, or promoting a vision and selling that vision to Canadians.

Elections are not leadership races, the second choice doesnt matter in a general election...

Two elections that come to mind are 1980, where Trudeau offered constitutional change and patriation while Clark said the Liberals were corrupt.

The other is 2006 where Liberals basically said the Tories were scary and the Tories hammered home their vision (yes it was bad but at least they had one)

now...

Discuss.

Amateur Hour In Nairobi

Do you think a Liberal Minister would ever go to an international event as big as this and attack opposition parties instead of addressing the issue?

Canada's international reputation is sinking faster than poll numbers for the Tories…yikes

Discuss

I Think my (edit: Former) Boss Should Win

So Hugh Segal, (edit:former) President of the IRPP, thinks Bob Rae, who is on the IRPP’s Board of Directors (and was at the time segal was President), will be the best person to win the Liberal Leadership.

Mhmm…

Discuss.

Will Tories Really Care Who Ben Mulroney Supports?

Discuss!

Attacks Ads and Worse Graphics

Is stupidity like this really necessary?

My favorite is the eraser.

This one is almost as pathetic as the one Braeden Caley made.

Does anybody else see the irony of an attack video with the song "We are family"
(i am still laughing I'm sorry)

Come on people, listen to the song...we ARE family. Families bitch at each other all the time, but at the end of the day we stick together. So Bob Rae wants to be the ugly stepsister, we love him just as much, even if he did say that we either had cholera or leprosy.

This one is just terrible...so terrible its funny.

Oh the Gong Show Continues

Lest We Forget

In high school, I had a great honor, I played the trumpet at the ceremony honoring the school’s students who died fighting for our freedom. It’s a funny thing. The song itself is supposed to be played in a very upbeat way, but I could never bring myself to doing it that way. Music can definitely bring out emotion and I remember looking at the faces of the surviving veterans and thinking of what they risked for our freedom. Would I risk the same thing? These men were much braver than I will ever be.

I hope you took the minute today to think back and remember the contributions that these people have made to our country. Today, we have soldiers fighting other peoples’ wars, ensuring that they too can one day live in peace and freedom.

One last thing there is a petition going around calling for there to be a state funeral for Canada’s last WW1 veteran. I encourage you all to sign it.

Oh Jason, How Naïve is Thee?

We need Dion more than ever! Jason Cherniak sees Harper’s secret plan to re-open the constitution as an attack on Canada. Only Dion can save us now!

Well interestingly enough, what Harper wants to do is put something in which was originally in the Meech Lake Accord, which Dion actually supported. So Jason, you better check with Stephane…THE MAN WHO NEVER CHANGES HIS MIND!

I do not support what was in Meech, I wrote something a while back which I never posted but I feel it is appropriate now. Brian Mulroney fucked up a lot of shit in his day and Meech Lake was one of those fuck-ups. There are some things I agree with, such an attempt to bring Quebec into the fold which was necessary, however, there are 3 fundamental major problems which would preclude me from signing on to what was presented to the provinces.

1) Distinct Society in the body of the text. I have said it over and over again that Quebec is a distinct society and a nation. However, placing such a contentious vague phrase in our constitution would be a mess for our judges who would have to define it themselves. It is a way to make one Canadian unequal to another one because they happen to belong to a distinct society. Sorry guys, I may think Trudeau made some mistakes, but he was right when he said all Canadians are equal. Remillard’s original “demand” was for it to be placed in the preamble, where it would change nothing except symbolically recognizing a historical truth. Stupid Mulroney went and put it in the body of the text.

2) A veto for all provinces. God help us all if we needed unanimity in order to pass a constitutional amendment, especially considering no other federal state has the same kind of provision. The provinces can duck legislation with the not-withstanding clause anyway. If the federal government proposed something which would affect culture that badly that even the not-withstanding clause could not fix, then I would be surprised. I guess I could cave on this one, if it was limited to something specific and exhaustive, depending on what it was limited to.

3) The federal spending power. This is BY FAR the biggest problem with Meech Lake and would be a major stumbling block down the road. This is essentially the elimination of any future national social program by the federal government. Maybe it is because I am a nasty centrist but sometimes I believe the federal government can sit down with the provinces and come up with a great program, like medicare or the CPP. The province always has the power to opt out of the federal model. However, that is the point of national minimum standards. Mulroney had put in something similar in nature. Gilles Remillard said he could spend money for child care on sidewalks. Yeah that doesn’t fly with me either. Meech eliminated the possibility of national minimum standards.

So yeah, the accord was pretty messed up. It made Canadians unequal, promised a deadlock for all future constitutional amendments (meaning Mulroney would be the only one who could get all of them to agree, EVER) and eliminated the possibility of future national Canadian social programs…sounds like a Conservative dream to me too.

La représentation du Québec à l'étranger

Je suis partagé par la réaction de la Ministre de l'Environnement, Rona Ambrose. Dans un premier lieu, je me rappelle des promesses des Conservateurs qui clâmaient haut et fort qu'ils donneraient une place à l'international pour le Québec. Je me rappelle de m'être obstiné avec Lawrence Cannon sur la question de l'UNESCO.

Je me rappelle également de l'excellente collaboration entre Liza Frulla et Lyne Beauchamp sur l'entente sur la diversité culturelle. C'était un excellent exemple de cohabitation harmonieuse du gouvernement fédéral et provincial. Mme Frulla avait offert son temps de parole à Lyne Beauchamp, les deux ont fait un travail formidable pour faire adopter cette convention.

Je peux comprendre que Mme Ambrose ne désire pas particulièrement avoir Claude Béchard à ses côtés qui critiquerait son soit-disant "plan vert". Les relations internationales sont de juridiction fédérale et seul Mme Ambrose peut parler au nom du Canada. En fait, elle ne parle pas au nom du Canada puisque tout le monde a décrié son plan au Canada. Sa position n'est certainement pas représentative des Canadiens mais c'est celle du gouvernement conservateur. Je souhaite ardamment que Claude Béchard fasse un excellent travail de corridor et qu'il parlera du plan québécois, un véritable modèle soit dit en passant, au cours de différentes bilatérales avec les autres ministres de l'Environnement. Le prochain gouvernement libéral saura représenter le Canada fièrement au cours des prochains sommets internationaux. Le chien de poche du président déchu des États-Unis est une honte pour le Canada. Le pays qui a été représent, au cours des dernières décennies, par Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien et Paul Martin, tous des hommes qui ont fait preuve de leadership sur la scène internationale.

Alex Plante

Call Me Confused...Bob The Hypocrite

Michel C. Auger has done us all a favor

To Ed King, I know you say distinct society and nation are not the same thing. Bob disagrees.

"Question: do you think that Quebec constitutes a nation?Answer: Yeah. Nation, people, distinct society. It’s all the same. It’s just words. It’s a set of words. It means that you recognize the distinctiveness of the collectivity of Quebec. It is something we should have done in 1985 in Meech and in 1992 with Charlottetown. And something we should be doing."

«There is a realistic chance that we shall face yet another referendum in Quebec. We have been sleepwalking a bit on this, and will have to wake up. Is a break unimaginable? Unfortunately, it is not. But it would be a tragedypainful and harmful to all. We have to do everything we can to make sure itdoes not happen.»

Bob's solution is to do nothing and attack Michael Ignatieff for daring say what Bob has said as recently as 3 months ago. Oh Bob you are trapped in a lie.

Nation Resolution Implications

I am still writing my paper so I will just take a few minutes to address the Ekos poll about the Quebec nation. The way it sounds is that this resolution, if Frank Graves did his polling properly, will fail miserably in Montreal.

I will say this again. This resolution was supported by the Quebec delegates of all three major leadership camps in Quebec.

Bob Rae’s “I believe in it but refuse to go back into it” position is a ploy to win votes and is not washing well with the media in Quebec. For a man who supported something far more dangerous in 1990, this is a little rich.

This resolution was brought forward by an Ignatieff supporter and amended by a Dion supporter, with a spirit of co-operation because this resolution is not about leadership, but about reconciling a historical fact.

I remind people of what Bob Rae said today, in his op/ed piece

Bob Rae quotes the Cauchon Report…here is the quote he takes from the report.

"By proceeding in a pragmatic, step-by-step way and showing political goodwill, we can send a strong signal to all citizens of Quebec that they can grow, prosper and realize their aspirations within the Canadian federation."

I agree with Martin Cauchon. We need to send signals of goodwill to Quebecers.

How is it a strong signal to Quebec to continue to deny the "fact of life" (Bob's words, not mine) that they are a nation? If you read that Ekos poll correctly, Liberals are saying to NOT send a signal of goodwill.

We continue to deny that Ottawa has too much money due to the necessary cuts in 1995 that were never fully restored. Denying the fiscal imbalance is sending a negative signal to Quebec. (Give Rae credit, at least he supports this one)

Saying the rejection of the constitution unanimously by Quebec City (including the Quebec Liberals) is “mythology” is creating our own mythology. Need I remind you that after this happened; the Liberals were reduced to their worst result ever in the House Of Commons.

Did Bourassa and Mulroney invent the idea that Quebec needed to be brought in then? If that was the case, why did Bob Rae and Stephane Dion support it if it was not necessary?

Supporting a move to bring Quebec into the constitution in 1990 and 1992, but deny that they need to be brought in to begin with is taking a step backwards, thus sending a bad signal to Quebec.

“I do not have a problem with the fact that many Quebecois feel themselves part of a "nation" in the sense of a community of interest affected by a shared history, language, culture and geography. No Canadian should feel threatened by that, any more than we are by people describing themselves as part of the Welsh nation, the Scottish nation, the Metis nation, the Cree nation or any similar assertions of identity.”

If you don’t have a problem with the concept, then vote to create a task force. Let the task force talk to Quebecers and do its work. Let them hit the ground running and find out why 85% of Quebecers believe Quebec is nation and find out what they believe that concept to be. Let them make recommendations to our leader and let the burden fall on him whether or not to act on it. Do not dismiss this act of goodwill, this olive branch that the Liberals send to Quebecers. Send the right message to Quebec Bob. Vote in favour of this resolution.

I Have Emerged from the Undisclosed Location to ask the Boobers Blog Team a Question

I have been away for awhile. Papers and Midterms have completely bogged me down. My personal life not helping any, it leaves blogging for the end. While I see John Lennard and the Boobers Blog team have turned their sights on Ted Betts in my absence, I would like to take this time to discuss how Bob Rae is trying to have his cake and eat it too. Either you support a group of experts who want to look into how to determine Quebec’s nationhood, or you wanna kill the issue by voting against the resolution. Give Dion credit here, at least he has been clear.

Why is a Quebec a founding people of Canada? Even Lord Durham, yes THAT Lord Durham, from Justin Trudeau’s favorite century, said of the Upper and Lower Canada “Two nations warring in the bosom of a single state.” The recommended union and assimilation but at least his original observation was correct. This concept is hardly new, but it has evolved considerably. Sorry Justin, it is still vibrant today.

Can we all agree that distinct society and nation is pretty much the same thing? Nobody will say that I am not part of the distinct society but I am part of the Quebec nation. That would be ludicrous. Many people recognize Quebec’s distinctiveness. Even Trudeau, and his many followers, at one point, would have had no problem if distinct society was put in the preamble because then, it would mean absolutely nothing in the legal sense. With Meech, thanks to Brian Mulroney, an inequality would be enshrined in the constitution, because courts would have to use distinct society in making their decisions. No wonder Trudeau went nuts. I would have never supported Meech myself. Either way, Bob and Stephane supported it back then...go figure. Michael doesn’t gain any points here either…he was on the cover of British GQ at the time.

Ok, I am gonna quote somebody on distinct society. This person has also said Quebec is a nation.

“The distinctiveness of Quebec is not just about a legal and constitutional formula. It is a fact of life, recognized in 1867, and accepted as a reality of our Canadian experience.”

Ok to Call Me Bob Nation, explain that one for me. It is in Bob Rae’s book Canada in the Balance p.124. Explain why Bob Rae still will say no to a group of working experts but says that Quebec’s distinctiveness is a fact of life and accepted as a reality of our Canadian experience. Leave Ted alone but answer me this question please.

In the mean time, I will deal with Newfoundland.

Despite the fact that Bob’s statement above does not apply to Newfoundland, nothing prevents Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from identifying themselves to a Newfoundland nation, just like nothing prevents me from identifying myself to the Quebec nation. Recognizing the “fact of life” that Quebec is a nation would take nothing away from anybody else. It would not remove something from the Canadian fabric.

I will identify myself to the Quebec nation whether it is recognized or not. The fact that many English Canadians and Liberals still refuse to recognize this “reality of our Canadian experience” is the real reason why many Quebecers are quite upset and why some Quebec delegates are turning away from Dion at the moment to be honest.

While the same cultural differences that are the reasoning behind Quebec’s nation status are not there between Newfoundland and the rest of Canada, the beauty of Canada is that you can identify to yourself to whatever group you want to. I would argue against saying Newfoundland is a nation, but if there was consensus among the other provinces that the people of Newfoundland were a nation and that they wanted this status in the constitution, they are more than welcome to ask, although I do think Danny Williams will have to do more than take down the flag to accomplish this.

After all, is Newfoundland’s distinctiveness a “fact of life, recognized in 1867, and accepted as a reality of our Canadian experience”? We can ask Bob Rae but I bet you he would be much harder pressed to prove that for Newfoundland then he can prove it for Quebec. Thanks Bob!

Mon appui à Brigitte Legault

Dans la course à la vice-présidence francophone, j'ai choisi d'appuyer Brigitte Legault. En plus d'être une amie de longue date, Brigitte a travaillé corps et âme pour le Parti au Québec. Elle fut la présidente des JLCQ la plus dynamique depuis très longtemps. Elle a fait des Jeunes Libéraux au Québec une force active au sein du parti.

Malgré des moyens très limités, Brigitte a su mener à bien de nombreux projets. Je pense aux différentes campagnes de publicité, au colloque de Trois-Rivières, à la revitalisation des JLCQ en région. Brigitte est une jeune femme travaillante et qui n'a pas froid aux yeux.

Par souci d'équité, je vous prie d'aller visiter les sites web des deux candidats à la vice-présidence :

Brigitte Legault

Fabrice Rivault


Alex

La nation remise en perspective...

Bernard Landry doit rire dans sa barbe. Mes collègues libéraux du ROC sont tombés dans le piège que Bernard Landry leur avait tendu. En appuyant la position soutenue par Michael Ignatieff, il s'assurait d'un backlash certain dans le Canada-Anglais. Il tentait donc de s'assurer que la résolution sur la reconnaissance de la nation québécoise soit rejetée au congrès de décembre.

Je demeure convaincu qu'il voit dans l'ouverture de l'aile québécoise du PLC une menace importante au dogme séparatiste. Malheureusement, les libéraux des autres provinces sont tombés dans le panneau. Le raisonnement des opposants est simpliste. La lettre de M. Landry nous permettait facilement de remettre en question la raison même du séparatisme. Il parlait du Québec comme d'une nation émancipée et qui avait tous les outils nécessaires à sa prospérité. Pourquoi donc se séparer si le Québec s'est si bien développé dans le cadre fédéral ?

Certains candidats ont décidé de casser du sucre sur le dos du Québec afin de faire des progrès dans le reste du pays. C'est triste et irresponsable comme attitude. Si le PLC souhaite regagner le pouvoir, ça passe essentiellement par une performance décente au Québec. Je trouve déplorable qu'un certain candidat ait pris un virage à 180 dans sa position de la reconnaissance formelle de l'existence de la nation québécoise. Avec une performance TRÈS moyenne au Québec, l'ex-néo-démocrate a décidé de tenter de faire des gains ailleurs au pays aux dépens du Québec. So much pour l'ami du Québec, celui qui comprend le Québec parce qu'il a fait du porte-à-porte au cours de deux référendums... Doit-on croire que les milliers de gens qui ont afflué à Montréal le 27 octobre 1995, pour le love-in, ont une connaissance profonde du Québec ?

Je suis déçu de la tournure du débat sur la nation. Ce n'était pas une question de campagne à la direction. C'est une initiative qui vient de la base militante du Parti. Ce fut adopté par plus des deux tiers de la salle du Conseil général, bien plus que le nombre de supporters d'Ignatieff présents.

Alex Plante

Scott Brison Borrows Tactic from the YLC(Q)

When in need of publicity, strip!

Worked for the YLC(Q)...and Bob Rae

Other than that, it is a big NO COMMENT from me.