Canadian Politics

[CanuckBen]

I remember Quebecois's arrival in the little east shore community where my dad lived ouside of Montreal. It split the town right down the middle in what had been a growing suburb of both cultures living well together. All of the sudden it mattered to the Quebecois what your surname was and what your native language was. It went downhill and I got out of there and never went back! Sneetches with stars for heaven sake!

I hope that Mr. Harper has a long and successful career as Prime Minister of Canada! He sounds like the right man at the right time.

I'm sure you're fully aware of this, but French is as an official language in Canada as is English.

Would like to know which town you're referring too as well, so we can all look it up

Cheers
Ben

 

[Mooswa]

Quebec!? The title of this thread says Canadian Politics.

That's right, Québec. The French, English, Native American, Immigrants and everyone else in between who live here.

Are you telling me that its not an integral part of the Canadian politic scene then?

Shouldn't have such a thin skin Ben............ not if you are going to make the sort of statement you did. I could have said how all I have ever heard from Quebec in the last 50 years that I have been cognizant of Canadian politics, is whining and sniveling about what a raw deal they are getting from the rest of Canada, while standing there with their hands out.............. but I didn't.

Judging by the posts I have seen from you so far you mostly seem to be interesting stirring the pot.

 

[CanuckBen]

I on the far other end of the opinion line cannot wait for this right-wing conservative to be out of office. He stands for nothing that well all stand for in Quebec, be it on the social, economic, cultural, enviromental, foreing policies or else.

If my work agreement wouldn't prevent me from telling you how I realllllllllllllllly feel about Bush's little brother, I would, but I won't.

Lets leave that at the door, you don't really expect me to agree with you anyway.

No I don't, but does that mean that we still can't discuss it?

If that's the case, I really don't see the point of a discussion forum if only one side of an opinion will be brought to the table.

I know fair well that I am most likely the only center-left leaning atheist here and I don't mind it one second either.

Different views and opinions from different social, cultural, economic and geographical format that forms the country. If you are that quick to dismiss an important part of it such as the province of Québec and all it as to offer - or perhaps Ontario...or Nova Scotia - then you only perpetuate the reason why there is such a large disparity in the views of each other (to not call it hatred for each other).

Cheers
B

 

[Oldtrader3]

It is not that simple, maybe you are too young to remember the Separatist movement. Perhaps you are unaware that we have 40 million people from the German descent living in the US and they do not feel that they should be a separate nation why should you? Why are you special?The reason is because everyone else assimiliated and the Quebecois did not. Then DeGaulle came over and pumped the Quebecois all full of hot air while Trudeau was in office which empboldened Rene Levesque! The rest is history.

French is now an "Official Language" of Canada, it was not when I lived there in the 1950's and 1960's.

 

[CanuckBen]

Quebec!? The title of this thread says Canadian Politics.

That's right, Québec. The French, English, Native American, Immigrants and everyone else in between who live here.

Are you telling me that its not an integral part of the Canadian politic scene then?

Shouldn't have such a thin skin Ben............ not if you are going to make the sort of statement you did. I could have said how all I have ever heard from Quebec in the last 50 years that I have been cognizant of Canadian politics, is whining and sniveling about what a raw deal they are getting from the rest of Canada, while standing there with their hands out.............. but I didn't.

Judging by the posts I have seen from you so far you mostly seem to be interesting stirring the pot.

Thin skin? Stirring the pot?

Interesting conclusion when I asked a simple question as to why you thought that I should speak on behalf of all of those from the province of Québec. That you like it or not, or see it or not, regionalisation is part of the fabric of what make out country what it is. What did you see in that post that would imply that I have a thin skin?

Would you have responded in a similar way if I had said that I was from the Atlantic region? Would you have also called them out as a bunch of whiners looking for handout from the social programs?

You have your opinions and I have mine. Shouldn’t I be allowed to voice them if they do not support yours?

Should those who disagree with the majority simply not say anything? Calling it stirring the pot is imo pushing quite a bit, but you are allowed to think that.

Cheers
B

 

[Mooswa]

I did not join this firearms/reloading/hunting type forum to discuss Canadian politics.

Your position and what you say bores the hell out of me because it is the same BS I have heard for years. Have at it................ but I will not post on this again as I do not want to prolong the life of this thread.

 

[CanuckBen]

It is not that simple, maybe you are too young to remember the Separatist movement. Perhaps you are unaware that we have 40 million people from the German descent living in the US and they do not feel that they should be a separate nation why should you? Why are you special?The reason is because everyone else assimiliated and the Quebecois did not. Then DeGaulle came over and pumped the Quebecois all full of hot air while Trudeau was in office which empboldened Rene Levesque! The rest is history.

French is now an "Official Language" of Canada, it was not when I lived there in the 1950's and 1960's.

I am quite aware of the Parti Québécois and the two referendums, on one of which I did vote on yes.

Though French were not the 1st ppl of this land - that being native americans - I am sure that you also recall that Jacques Cartier 1st set foot on this land, clamming for France on July 24th 1534.

The French colonies that followed and grew over the next 400years plus turned out a distinct population that covered the whole of province of Québec, with a distinct language, a distinct culture, a different history then those who populated the English-speaking colonies that later formed all of the provinces of Canada.

Why are we so special? I would say so special, but we are different on a vast number of factual points and there’s no way around it. I would invite you to come visit a number of provinces in Canada and you will see what I mean – differences do exist and if we’ve been able to keep this language, culture and socio-economic specificities for over 400 years, then yes we should be recognise as such. Why should we forfeit that? Can we not all live together in the same land?

You are correct – the official language act only came into effect in 1969, after you lived here. Does it mean that it shouldn’t have happened before then? Or not at all?

At the risk of “stirring the pot” to much with views and opinions that would never be agreed with, this is probably as far as this discussion should go, quite unfortunately.

 

[jtoews80]

The French claimed the land in the 1500's and lost it at the Plains of Abram some 200 years later, it should've ended at that. The language and culture is indeed well preserved and celebrated, rightly so. However, it isn't the rest of Canada's duty to do the same or foot the bill especially under constant threat of seperation. If you look, the West would have alot more reason if anybody.

That's my opinion, for what its worth. Likely, the $2 billion or more we donate to the other provinces of this country may jade my views. As well, the reason its so hard to just get along is that the Eastern and Western provinces are worlds apart politically.

The left leaning east seems to not want leaders or opinions from here, just the money we send, meanwhile they try to sell us out to the environmentalists every chance they get.

Pot stirred, I'm out.

 

[FOTIS]

Easy gents. We're all friends here.

Remember not everybody agrees in everything. And in the case of politics very very few do.

 

[jtoews80]

I tried not to discuss this, for the good it did.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Actually the Vikings were the first Europeans to inhabit and colonise the Eastern coast of Canada from Greenland. Maybe Quebecois should learn Norwegian? The Vikings stayed a couple hundred years and left. As I see it, the English gave you a break and did not force you to assimilate and so no good deed goes unpunished by you!

 

[jtoews80]

Actually the Vikings were the first Europeans to inhabit and colonise the Eastern coast of Canada from Greenland. Maybe Quebecois should learn Norwegian? The Vikings stayed a couple hundred years and left. As I see it, the English gave you a break and did not force you to assimilate and so no good deed goes unpunished by you!

That still puzzles me, they deported the Acaidians lock stock and barrel.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Acadia was a crown colony of the French and served the French interests in the Maritimes. Acadia was a separate colony from Quebec and was located primarily in the Maritimes near the Bay of Fundy which was an area of English control and interests. Acadian never did have that many people (>11,000) in the New World and they were removed and sent back to Europe in 1710. The British gained control of Acadia about 50 years before the 1759 battle of Quebec.

 

[CanuckBen]

Actually the Vikings were the first Europeans to inhabit and colonise the Eastern coast of Canada from Greenland. Maybe Quebecois should learn Norwegian? The Vikings stayed a couple hundred years and left. As I see it, the English gave you a break and did not force you to assimilate and so no good deed goes unpunished by you!

Key words here OldTrader3, as you said: they left. The French stayed.

I certainly will not get into it with you in regards to your point of view that the English "gave us a break" as it'll get my arse booted from this board in a hurry

 

[CanuckBen]

Acadia was a crown colony of the French and served the French interests in the Maritimes. Acadia was a separate colony from Quebec and was located primarily in the Maritimes near the Bay of Fundy which was an area of English control and interests. Acadian never did have that many people (>11,000) in the New World and they were removed and sent back to Europe in 1710. The British gained control of Acadia about 50 years before the 1759 battle of Quebec.

Acadians lived in many parts of the Maritimes and not simply primarily near the Bay of Fundy. They were in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI.

The deportation / expulsion took place between 1755 and 1763. The 1710 date you are referring too is of the British conquest of Acadia; Treaty of Utrecht signed in 1713 allowed the Acadians to keep their land.

I would invite anyone interested to learn more facts about it to read up on it, for starters at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Acadians. Amazing number of online and publised books about this available.

 

[Oldtrader3]

You will have to excuse me if I am a little rusty on Canadian politics, I moved back to the US in 1959.