Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose!
Michael Ignatieff, Feb. 15th –“God knows this party has made mistakes out in the Western Canada and I know them…”
Michael Ignatieff, March 14th – Ignatieff called the ability to speak both official languages “the essence of being Canadian”.
Via Orville H, who adds ” I am eager to hear if Ignatieff has the same message for Quebeckers this week-end…”
All Iggy needs is Quebec and Ont. The west is no mans land for the Liberals and they know it. Just listened to the Iggman on Question Period. Ole hawkeye asked him about the long-gun registry and he said that he supports it and we need to keep it (paraphrased). Kind a goes against the “God knows this party has made mistakes out in the Western Canada and I know them…” statement. He knows he has no chance out west because of the coalition agreement with the Bloc and Jack from TO. So you might as well appease Ont. & Quebec.
The west needs to separate now. Eastern Canada will not let our western ideas influence the fed government.
We will get screwed again, outside looking in while the east tells us what is good for us as they know better than we do.
CTV is rejoicing about Iggy’s visit to Quebec…but the commenters on the site are not.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090322/liberals_quebec_090322/20090322?hub=TopStories
Comments will soon be closed because the Iggy is getting a huge thumbs down.
The Liberals have only one agenda; the one they’ve retained and maintained for generations. Power. Liberals lack, utterly lack, principles and integrity.
They have no interest in the well-being of Canada or Canadians. They have only one interest. Power.
Therefore, Ignatieff is deliberately going after Quebec votes because our terrible electoral system privileges Quebec, giving them at least 75 seats in the House. AND, our Charter privileges Quebec – for most of the Charter and indeed, its main focus, is on inserting bilingualism into the governance of this country.
As others have pointed out, over 80% of Canadians are not, and never will be, bilingual. And this is one full generation after it was made law and after billions – that’s billions – of taxpayer money was poured into forcing bilingualism on us. Result?
A civil service dominated by francophones (many who can barely speak English); a civil service dominated by the quebecois perspective of socialism and entitlement; a civil service viewing with contempt any and all ‘anglophones’ and particularly, those west of the Ottawa River as ‘without any culture’; a civil service focused on socialism, contemptuous of capitalism and utterly indifferent to Canadians because, well, there’s the ROC and there’s Quebec.
But Ignatieff is after votes. He’s not interested in the well-being of Canada. He’s after the Quebec vote. And he’s after the latte-crowd in Toronto – who have been programmed for a generation to promote bilingualism, to promote multiculturalism…ie…flinging immigrants into enclosed and isolated ghettoes rather than enabling them to integrate with ‘the latte crowd’ and actually develop a common, shared, Canadian identity.
He’s after the latte crowd with their anti-Americanism…and that will be interesting because this crowd, mindless as they are, are swooning over Obama. So, who will the new Evil People be? Hmm. I suspect he’ll fine tune it – it will be any and all who reject Obama.
Ignatieff, as a Liberal, doesn’t operate by principles or integrity. Just power.
I heard a short clip of his Quebec speech on Radio-Canada. What I heard translates to, “I respect Quebec wanting to exist as an independent nation.” Hardly the words of a true Canadian leader.
How do you say in French ” 25% of our provincial revenues come in the form of transfer payments from the “Have” provinces”. Ontario, BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan must keep paying us and the other “Have-Not” provinces must be willing to get less so we can have our entitled entitlements. Sorry Danny Williams, but you are a loud mouth whack job and do not deserve any money – we want your gift money as well.
It is because our culture is superior to yours that you must pay us.”
Stephen writes: “Now my kids are in french immersion but the reasons for that are complex and have more to do with giving them a challenge, the quality of an immersion school vs a uniligual school and the quality of their classmates.”
Sure, Stephen; in the Atlantic provinces, too, the major impetus behind French Immersion is the desire of parents that their children not have to go to class with “those people”. That, and giving their children a chance to realize the Canadian dream of having a job with the federal government.
Mr. Igghead,
I am a westerner and I speak all the French I need to.
Here is my Franco comment to you sir.
Manger la merde!
I spent years in Ottawa before seeing the light and returning west. I worked in Transport Canada in the Aviation Department … to be full time staff we were required to be bilingual even though the world wide language of aviation is English … yes … Wolrd wide all communications regarding aircraft is conducted in english … Even the mechanics are supposed to be competent in English … but we had translate all the manuals and all the other stuff into French for what. Colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.
I keep wondering when the rest of Canada is going to be tired of being held hostage by a bunch of french speaking discontents. And when the rest of us are going to be tired of minority government because of these discontents. The BQ has no business in Ottawa and the sooner the rest of canada realizes this the better.
I’m one Canadain that’s tired of the whole bilingual thing.
In other news, Trudeau’s abomination – Petro-Canada is about to wiped out.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123777025337310041.html
In other news, out of pure self-interest, Ace decided to purchase Petro-Canada shares at 28.01 and stands to profit by 40%.
sheila – yes, the waste of taxpayer dollars on this sham bilingualism is a monstrous injustice.
Furthermore, it restricts the rights, and I use that word deliberately, of Canadians to work in government. So many positions are required to be bilingual, as you point out, and since over 80% of Canadians are not bilingual – and don’t have the linguistic ability to learn it at age 25+ – then this restricts these positions to those who have lived and heard both languages from childhood.
That is – the Quebec-Montreal-Ottawa corridor. These people become the mandarisn, the bureaucrats of Canadian government. They bring with them a narrow perspective of Canada, a socialist welfare-state perspective, and a restricted view of Canada as essentially operating within that Ontario-Quebec centralism.
That’s what the Charter did to us – and no-one has the political courage to change it. What should be the change? Unilingualism. Quebec, remember, is unilingual. It rejects bilingualism. There’s no such thing as bilingual signs in Quebec. Try it- and the “Language Police’ will come after you.
So- unilingual in Quebec. And unilingual in the rest of Canada. If any Quebec wants to live and work outside of that province -fine. Learn English. Many do – and just as many consider the ‘rest of Canada’ a foreign country and refuse to set foot in it.
Our governance is held hostage by this bilingualism, and by our privileging Quebec, with its Bloc Party – an outrage in a federal legislature – its predominance in all civil service positions and its constant extortion of money from the taxpayers.
As a westerner, I’m used to the lefties from Toronto and Quebec always ramming their mushy socialism down my throat.
When I said I’m a westerner, I meant southwest Ontario.
When the west separates, remember the east starts at Toronto.
Windsor doesn’t count.
As a westerner, I’m used to the lefties from Toronto and Quebec always ramming their mushy socialism down my throat.
When I said I’m a westerner, I meant southwest Ontario.
When the west separates, remember the east starts at Toronto.
Windsor doesn’t count.
I have lived in Ontario all my life, but if the western provinces seperate and Ontario chooses to remain aligned with Quebec and the rest of eastern Canada I will move to the west.There is no way that I will remain in a country that is dominated by Quebec if I have a choice of living in a free unilingual English country.I am tired of my tax dollars being pi%$^d into the Quebec treasury to support a lifestyle they could never afford on their own dime.I hope that the Ontario voters can see through this Ignatieff snake and give PM Harper a majority in the next election.
Yup, it’s time to kick Canada to the curb and start our own damn country.
B-bye! It was interesting and kinda kinky being penetrated in all of our orifices by you, but you just ain’t marriage material.
Roses and sweet pillow talk just don’t cut it anymore.
Atlantic Jim: “Completely obsurd for our hostess to ascribe the trait of speaking but one of the official languages to the west alone.”
Or even one.
Just on multi-lingualism in general:
I’m married to a Chinese woman, who was brought up in the Philippines. She speaks English perfectly (well, almost; she, and everyone in her family, ask me to “keep the food” after a meal, by which they mean “put it away”, a locution which sounds curious to me), Fukien Chinese perfectly, Mandarin – a little, Cantonese – a little, Tagalog (the main Filipino language) – a little, and Chavucano (the Spanish/Filipino dialect of her region in the P.I.) perfectly. So, that’s three languages she speaks well, and three she can stumble along in. Me – I speak English well, and can stumble along in French, if the person I’m speaking with is kind. I can also now count to ten in Mandarin and say “Yes”, “No”, and “Thank you” – what an accomplishment!
In a similar vein, I’ve met many Europeans who, without saying so impolitely, consider most North Americans clots for being unilingual. Nearly 60% of Europeans speak two languages fluently, while 44% claim to speak three or more. And the younger you are, the more likely you are to speak two or more languages. My wife tried to get our girls into Chinese school, but with everything else they were doing, it proved to be too much. Still, I look forward to a time when we can all go to Quebec for a few months at our cottage there, and all try to live and speak in French, just for the intellectual exercise.
And Garth Wood: it’s not just in the West that languages other than French are important. I live in Richmond Hill, Ontario, a few miles north of Toronto proper. Here, the languages of daily use are (in my unscientific but deeply experienced view) English, Chinese (mostly Cantonese but Mandarin gaining), Farsi (Persian), Italian, and Korean. French? Nowhere to be found except in immersion schools and government offices. And if one wants to venture south on Yonge Street, from Centre Street in Thornhill all the way down to Sheppard Avenue in Toronto (google maps will help you see just how big a swath this is), one could easily come to the conclusion that the two languages of Canada are English and Korean. So the oriental influence is not just out west; it’s alive and well and thriving here in the GTA.
sheila, i have been tired of the bilingual shit from day one. the people of canada are pc fools.
If you haven’t already, try the Poll:
http://pollshare.myisay.com/index.php/show/poll/id/2216
I’ve yet to find someone here in S’toon that thinks western separation isn’t a good idea (seriously), not to mention my silly little free poll has about 90+ in favor.
http://poll.pollcode.com/h1p
Although being proactive(getting the ball rolling) would be prudent and less painful, it’s become obvious to me that it will take another overt punitive stunt to actually get western Canadians serious about separation. There is no money, leadership or will. Perhaps in the future our leaders will return from Ottawa and lead the charge, but until then it’s all wishful thinking.
I am proud to be able to call Iggy stupid in more than our two official languages. Idiot! Crétin! Imbécil! Schwachkopf!