You may not like a leader needing to speak French, but it matters a great deal whether you want it to or not.
Note, Andrew MacDougall is a former Dir. of Communications for PM Harper’s PMO.
You may not like a leader needing to speak French, but it matters a great deal whether you want it to or not.
Note, Andrew MacDougall is a former Dir. of Communications for PM Harper’s PMO.
We missed a big opportunity in 1995. We could now be two — or three — friendly countries, probably with comprehensive free trade but with an ability to define ourselves much more meaningfully than with fatuities like “nice”, “polite”, “diverse” and, most improtantly “not American.”
Yes,it is unfortunately true that it is necessary to speak the obscure Quebec French to have any hope of winning that Province’s vote.
Funny how we in non-French speaking Provinces will vote for a Quebecer who mangles the English language,and you know exactly who I mean, but Quebec will only vote for a homie.
Surely the French citizens of Quebec are not “anti-anyone else” bigots!?
Canada has suffered for most of it’s existence from having mediocre to pi$$ poor politicians,and the extra qualifier of mandatory Quebecois fluency almost guarantees the continuing of that sorry tradition.
I disagree…although the factors voters in this country seem to think are critical, I may be wrong:
* Nice Hair
* Congenial
* Gay
* Female
* Devotion to socialism
I couldn’t care less about these qualities. How are his/her policies going to affect me and my family? If she/he shows the best net benefits, the PM could speak only Mandarin, and I’d vote for him/her.
That is my only consideration: how am I impacted?
Forgot…
* Takes a lot of selfies
* Does not obey the law
Being held hostage to the warped ideology of Peeair Potato again… Isn’t it funny that french talking Quebecers were all ready to separate the Province from Canada because they didn’t like “being told to speak da” English”… now the left shoe is on the other hands I guess, where the majority English are being told to “speak da” french”, but of course to even point out this contradiction would be “racist”.”’ I guess we should threaten to “separate” until everyone starts speaking da” English, oh yeah, that would be “racist”. Why was an intolerant Trudope Liberal like MacDougal working for Harper in the first place, wasn’t Harper supposed to be a “Conservative”? The good news is that the taxpayer has been forced to spend over a trillion dollars since Peeair declared Canada french and imposed the colossally expensive (not to mention useless) french language industry, nice racket you got there… so its all good… speak da” french or else. Too bad the empty threat of Quebec separation wasn’t real, although it did accomplish its real goal where the tail wags the dog.
Doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as having the backbone to drain the Ottawa swamp. Quebec can leave any time with their share of the national debt as far as I’m concerned. Kenney’s running for Alberta leader so O’Leary’s the only one on the National stage with the requisite backbone to give the leadership that Canada needs. The Federal Conservatives won’t win a darn thing in la belle province anyways.
Dave I think you forgot:
Not required to directly answer a question in either official language.
Lance is right. Moreover, it’s virtually impossible to become CPC leader without it. Otherwise the 75 Quebec riding associations will all vote for someone else, probably in a bloc. Most of you are being naive. Do you not understand how politics in this country works? Whine about it all you like, but at least face reality.
The demand that all candidates for PM be bilingual merely ensures a disproportionate number of Quebeckers get the job. Which is probably the whole idea.
… and it is for this reason, among others, that I would prefer Alberta leave this con-federation, let Quebec freeze in their own language or let them buy fuel at market prices, no deals since we are not friends. After all this time of being effed over by the centre east of Canada, the idea that we are a Canadian “family” is an intentionally sentimental and deeply manipulative insult.
Sadly, this time around, you are correct.
The leader of the CPC has to dissect, burn, and destroy Spudnik in both languages, and to hold him to his lack of fluency in both. With Spuddy, there has to be some further gains in Qbec.
I hate saying that…..
The real blame for the so called “french fact” rests with the British after they where victorious on the Plains of Abraham.
The Brits determined that if they retained the local leaders and only required they pledge loyalty to the British crown, the existing local government structure with all its “features” unique to the colony. So naturally the Quebec culture has been retained under the presumption of its political class that its owed to them.
No politician has really tried to deconstruct this myth of the country as a 50-50 power sharing agreement yet, and many have used it as a political tactic to gain power.
I don’t agree that it should continue but its a fact that until the Quebec political class get told put up or shut up they will continue to expect to be treated as more equal than the rest of Canada.
The only way that can happen is if the money stops flowing.
And sadly the only way that can happen is if the federal government runs out of other peoples money.
Until this changes better get used to having an unwritten rule of alternation.
We are NOT being naive,nor do we NOT understand how politics works in this Country!
BUT, we don’t have to like it!
Canada CAN be won without Quebec, they only hold 80 seats in a 338 seat Parliament,but it would mean winning 170 of the remaining 258 seats in the rest of Canada,which Harper managed to do in 2011.
Politicians are a nervous bunch and they prefer to maintain the status quo, and their glorious pensions above all. They will continue to suckhole to Quebec forever,and if Quebec threatens to separate, will pander to that Province even more.
And it is a goddamned shame that we have to overlook and dismiss possibly good or even great candidates due to the French language requirement, while some Quebec based MP’s can barely speak English.
From another thread… “Lance is right. It doesn’t matter to me whether a candidate speaks French or not”-cgh- This thread… “Lance is right. Moreover, it’s virtually impossible to become CPC leader without it.”-cgh- The only thing consistent about these contradictory statements is that you agree with Lance… make up your mind lady.
Let me fix this:
“You don’t speak English because you’re “…in Quebec”? You shouldn’t lead the country.”
Dan, because of the riding associations, its even tougher to win a leadership race than it is a national general election.
Don Morris, I agree, but a lot of the whiners here seem incapable of making the distinction.
Sean M, if you are incapable of parsing two sentences which say entirely different things, try going back to grade school.
The solution is real simple.. A candidate that runs on the platform of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada will win both the Quebec separative Vote & the English Vote.. Sure winner! It is silly to consider any other situation, because it’s the “scum” from both sides that decide the gruesome undesirable Canadian Government… Why keep doing Stupid!
Fluency in French would best benefit a Conservative candidate IF they also learned the liberal craft of saying one thing to English Canada and then delivering a different message to Quebecers.
But I guess that only works when you own the media.
the whiners in here?
I think you are just blowing shit with that statement. I went back over the posts and not a lot of whining
You’re talking about our own dear Kathleen, no doubt
It’s a sad commentary. The country would rather fight about language than ideas.
Harper won without quebek but that was an anomaly. You can’t count on that happening too often.
Every seat in fish world (atlantic canada) voted liberal. After their dalliance with jacko layton quebek came to their senses and returned to the libranos. Can’t see anything changing.
So you’re saying that your contradictory statements are simply a matter of syntactic misunderstanding?
And what reality would that be, Mr cgh? You ever lived in that province before to even be knowledgeable about the inner workings? I’d sure like to hear your ideas on what should be done to combat the tribal behavior of the French within this country and still manage to have a country afterwards.
Maybe some similar restrictions on provincial trade that are currently exercised by BC & Quebec against another province…like say banning tanker traffic on the Great Lakes, St Lawrence Seaway & east coast & then agitate for shutting that dangerous pipeline from Portland Maine to Montreal, leaving just truck or rail to move product, also any pipelines north from the US border to circumvent any attempts to “aid” them. Gotta protect the environment, don’t you think? Or would you say that it was “rayycisss” to do so?.
Then we attack them on the AGW contribution of flooding vast areas of Northern Quebec to send cheap power to the US, while they thumb their noses at the ROC on Equalization calculations by omitting their electricity sales & we all ignore the volumes of CO2 produced from same reservoirs that cause the planet to heat up (according the the IPCC).
I won’t mention the fact that their biggest city, Montreal dumped 8 billion liters of raw sewage into the St Lawrence river, to “fix” that town’s Cosa Nostra built sewage system, while they block pipelines across “their” land. They aren’t much better than our “First Nations” cartels, tribal brethren, are they? Well, they were “second” I guess before les maudit Englais, at least up in their part of the world, until we banked some round shot off their walls & into Upper Town.
Then on another front dismantle “managed trade” like milk, eggs, pork, chicken, maple syrup & a host of other cartel operations that distort trade & prices in this country so that poor Quebec can “compete” in the North American market. Let’s “level the field” on trade shall we? Oh, they’ll leave? Don’t make me laugh.
How about you impress us all with your superior intellect on the subject, instead of just labeling people “whiners”.
O’Leary needs no more than 10 seats in Qc. Harper pulled off a majority with just that. IMO, Maxime Bernier might become O’Leary’s voice there and they might even pull off 20~25 seats. The message must be about jobs, jobs, jobs and more so talk down Radio_Canada: A tall order in Quebecskia.
But Ontario and the west (Minus half of BC) will secure O’Leary a victory in 2019.
The Globalists are screwed and Trudeau is toast with a Trump Presidency. Period.
I don’t care if the leader of the Conservatives speaks Martian, and no other language, just as long as he or she or it can take Trudeau down, he or she or it has my vote.
As for Quebec, learn English!! I learned French.
* Vacations in exotic locales ?
Lance, you were dead wrong about Trump, and you are wrong again.
The average Canuck that actually has a brain couldn’t care less if Kevin O’Leary cannot speak French. What matters is what he can do for Canada.
The fact that French proficiency has been a “requirement” to run for PM is just another example of outdated, political, elitist snobbery, and the populace is sick of that.
The fool that currently runs our country can speak French and what extra benefit did that get us? Sweet nothing. A fool is a fool is a fool.
Have the political commentators and the elitists learned nothing from Trump? Thankfully not, and that means that we might stand a chance of getting our country back on track because we can throw the useless idiots out here too.
The Globalists are screwed and Trudeau is toast with a Trump Presidency. Period.
Exactly… just sit back and watch the libtard train wreck.
The solution is real simple.. A candidate that runs on the platform of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada will win both the Quebec separative Vote & the English Vote.
very good point… bring it on!!!
Never mind his history, his lack of respect for our institutions and his political stance, has no one seen the lizard look on O’Leary’s face? He’s anything but an advocate for Canadians. He’ll sell us all out in a heartbeat.
Lizard O’Leary…yeh, that’s the ticket.
Re: French politicians.
Ditto!!
O’Leary wouldn’t have a chance in a general election. How many times has he gone on camera saying all he cares about it making money, etc. The Libs need only play his own words on a constant loop in their commercials and he’ll be lucky to place third.
Yeah, that might work for the Media cartel… especially if the Media cartel decide to continue colluding with each other in order to protect Dumb Juthtin from his own mindless bizarre blatherings, like the Media did before and during the last election period. Perhaps the combination of a continued Media ban on criticizing Dumb Juthtins statements or the usage of clips showing dumb things Juthtin says along with dredging up everything and anything the Media can find from O’leary’s past that could be interpreted negatively ( give it the Duffy treatment) that could possibly do the trick for the cartel and get Dumb Juthtin back into the Palace of Trudopia. Either way, the Media cartel will continue sheltering and protecting Dumb Juthtin and they will lay a vicious beating on any challenger to the Trudopian throne, as sure as shit.
There are more than 350 million English speaking people in North America … and about 5 million French. Why do we have to bother with the French. They are nothing but basket cases of corruption, laziness, and stupidity. Go Quebec … GO AWAY! TAKE THE BOY PM WITH YOU.
O’Leary is no Trump. He’d get roasted in a general election in this country, and his social attitudes render him one of those “hold your nose to vote for him” types amongst the base. That never works out very well.
Trudeau’s got the next election in the bag already anyway. There was a recent poll out here in stupid country (aka the Atlantic) that led with “Support for Trudeau’s Liberals has slipped in the most recent poll.”
From 74% to 68%.
Some slip.
This country luuuuuvvs Justin, still (gag). And there’s nobody up on that CPC stage who can change that.
I take it that McDougall did not get the gig of working for O’Leary’s campaign. Listen to him if you want to be sucking hind tit forever. Attitudes like his will keep the Progs in power.
I’M with Deplorable – I want to see things broken, smashed, destroyed and burned to the ground. Take no prisoners! To hell with the bastards, the pols and the MSM, that have led us astray. No mercy for any of them because they knowingly destroyed our country.
O’Leary brought up in Montreal was too ignorant to learn French. Any intelligent person can pick up a new language in a few months if they need to. Etudiez Kevin