Lessons In Disrespect
Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe is on a roll. He's content with his role in life, too. Highly supported by the province's electorate, he's comfortable with the knowledge that none of the national parties have anything approximating his edge. French-Canadians seem to enjoy seeing the rest of Canada squirm. Why else would they keep electing to Parliament, a party and a leader whose only function is to keep thumping away at the public consciousness that Quebec must be sovereign?
Of course, the pundits would have it otherwise, that most Quebecois have no intention of supporting sovereignty; that ship has long since sailed with an empty cargo hold. What they like is that Gilles Duceppe is so adept at holding the feet of the ROC to the fire of uncertainty. Everyone wants to make Quebecers happy.
Particularly Gilles Duceppe, whose concern as party leader is not with the well-being of Canada, but that of Quebec. And whatever he can squeeze out of Canada to benefit Quebec he will.
Relentlessly he blasts and blames Canada for not doing enough for Quebec. That Quebec is entitled to far, far more than she currently extracts from the rest of Canada. The 'equalization' transfer payments that Quebec has relied upon for far too long, permit the province to live in a manner unseen by the other provinces, even those whose largesse pays for Quebec's standard of living. It is never quite enough, however.
It never occurs to Gilles Duceppe and his caucus that there is something irritatingly immoral about an openly-separatist party being permitted by a democratic society to sit like a canker on the body politic, grating and nauseatingly entitled to receiving all the taxpayer-funded emoluments required to sustain it, to allow it to run campaigns that slur the country, along with election campaigns, convincing Quebecers to support separation.
That the federal government recently promised to guarantee $4.2-billion in loans for the Lower Churchill Falls energy generation project and delivery lines, angering the province that considers that action a "slap in the face" to Quebec is rather rich, given Quebec's unwillingness to re-visit an historic agreement with Newfoundland that enriches Quebec, ignoring Newfoundland's equal entitlements.
And when a Conservative candidate for the 2011 election campaign made mention of the fact that is is 'normal' for federal money to flow more heavily toward Conservative-held ridings, Mr. Duceppe denounces that as "disrespectful" to Parliament. Unsurprisingly, most onlookers would be amazed to witness Gilles Duceppe being "respectful" to Parliament.
For stating an obvious, if unfortunate truth, to be labelled "completely stupid" and "disrespectful" is pretty rich, considering its source.
Of course, the pundits would have it otherwise, that most Quebecois have no intention of supporting sovereignty; that ship has long since sailed with an empty cargo hold. What they like is that Gilles Duceppe is so adept at holding the feet of the ROC to the fire of uncertainty. Everyone wants to make Quebecers happy.
Particularly Gilles Duceppe, whose concern as party leader is not with the well-being of Canada, but that of Quebec. And whatever he can squeeze out of Canada to benefit Quebec he will.
Relentlessly he blasts and blames Canada for not doing enough for Quebec. That Quebec is entitled to far, far more than she currently extracts from the rest of Canada. The 'equalization' transfer payments that Quebec has relied upon for far too long, permit the province to live in a manner unseen by the other provinces, even those whose largesse pays for Quebec's standard of living. It is never quite enough, however.
It never occurs to Gilles Duceppe and his caucus that there is something irritatingly immoral about an openly-separatist party being permitted by a democratic society to sit like a canker on the body politic, grating and nauseatingly entitled to receiving all the taxpayer-funded emoluments required to sustain it, to allow it to run campaigns that slur the country, along with election campaigns, convincing Quebecers to support separation.
That the federal government recently promised to guarantee $4.2-billion in loans for the Lower Churchill Falls energy generation project and delivery lines, angering the province that considers that action a "slap in the face" to Quebec is rather rich, given Quebec's unwillingness to re-visit an historic agreement with Newfoundland that enriches Quebec, ignoring Newfoundland's equal entitlements.
And when a Conservative candidate for the 2011 election campaign made mention of the fact that is is 'normal' for federal money to flow more heavily toward Conservative-held ridings, Mr. Duceppe denounces that as "disrespectful" to Parliament. Unsurprisingly, most onlookers would be amazed to witness Gilles Duceppe being "respectful" to Parliament.
For stating an obvious, if unfortunate truth, to be labelled "completely stupid" and "disrespectful" is pretty rich, considering its source.
Labels: Canada, Economy, Energy, Government of Canada, Politics of Convenience
posted by Pieface | 6:49 PM
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