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Monthly Archives: January 2013

Pauline Marois: The Scottish Agenda Concluded

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Alex Salmond, Bloc québécois, Canada, Clarity Act, New Democratic Party, Pauline Marois, Quebec, Scotland

Justin Trudeau was critical of NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair for being what he called 'half-pregnant

Justin Trudeau was critical of NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair for being what he called “half-pregnant” on the question of Canadian unity. (Chris Young, Canadian Press)

Thistle doorknocker
Thistle doorknocker

Yesterday, 29 January 2013, Madame Marois did meet with Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond. However, according to The Star, “Scotland’s independence leader avoided the public spotlight as he was visited Tuesday by Quebec Premier Pauline Marois.” (See The Star and The Canadian Press, Published on Tue Jan 29 2013 [article].)

I am not surprised, why would the First Minister of Scotland get entangled with Pauline Marois‘ effort to break Quebec’s ties with Canada?  Mr Salmond has nothing to gain from such an involvement. (See The Globe and Mail.)  He is seeking independence for Scotland and United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron has agreed to a referendum to be held in 2014.

In fact, so uneventful was Mr Salmond’s meeting with Madame Marois that it took place between two planned events, listed in his diary for 29 January 2014. He had not made room to see her. I doubt very much that he even had the time to “refuse” to help Madame Marois. (See The Globe and Mail.)

In short, although he received a lovely gift from Madame Marois and spoke with her briefly behind closed doors, Madame Marois’ visit to Scotland was not the high political drama the bevy of journalists who were following her expected.

Net and Buoys Pittenween, by Frank Colclough

Net and Buoys Pittenween, by Frank Colclough

Thomas Muclair opposes the “Clarity Act”

Of greater interest, I believe, is the bill proposed by the New Democratic Party(NDP). The NDP is the federal party that took away all Bloc Québécois seats in Parliament as a result of the Canadian Federal Election, held Monday, 2 May 2011. The Bloc Québécois, a federal, rather than provincial party, is an indépendantiste or sovereignist party. Since the last Canadian Federal Election, it is inactive.[i]

Thomas Muclair’s New Democrats have introduced a bill that would facilitate secession from Canada were a referendum held in Quebec. It would be the third referendum. See Canadian Opposition in the Times UK). However, Justin Trudeau (born 25 December 1971), Pierre Elliott Trudeau‘s son, is opposed to a repeal of the Clarity Act (Bill C-20). (See Clarity Act, Justin Trudeau.)

The Clarity Act

Under the terms of the Clarity Act (Bill C-20), passed in 2000, there cannot be a “unilateral declaration of independence” on the part of Quebec. For instance, should an indépendantiste or sovereignist party win approval to secede as a result of a referendum, the Federal Government of Canada reserves the right to enter into further negotiations concerning the relationship between Quebec and the rest of what is now Canada.

In other words, should 52% of Québécois and Quebeckers vote in favour of secession from Canada in a referendum, and did so by a narrow margin (52% for; 48% against = 2%), Canada would not consider the results a clear willingness on the part of Quebec citizens to secede from Canada. In fact, whatever the results of a referendum, “secession” can occur only through constitutional reform, not a simple vote.  (See The Globe and Mail.) This view is not shared by Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats.  (See The National Post.)

So, sovereignty is under scrutiny not in Europe, but right here in Canada, and feathers are flying.

Frank Colclough

Composition with Flowers and Lemons, by Frank Colclough

The Scottish Agenda: a “Failure”

As for Madame Marois, although she succeeded in being elected Premier of the Province of Quebec, it would appear that some members of her Parti Québécois beg to differ with her with respect to certain policies. (See The Globe and Mail.)

Seasoned Globe and Mail journalist Paul Waldie has been following Madame Marois’ European journey and, in an article dated 28 January 2013, he suggests equivocation, or ambiguity in Madame Marois’ statements to a group of approximately 200 business people in London.  According to Mr Waldie, Madame Marois

“has played down Quebec independence, telling a business crowd in London on Monday that there is no referendum in sight and that the province is open for business.” = no referendum

She is also reported not to have mentioned Mr Salmond in her speech to British businessmen.  Paul Waldie writes that

“[i]nstead, she only briefly mentioned sovereignty, saying that she hopes that one day Quebec ‘will be a part of the concert of nations.’”

“But she added: ‘This, of course, is an internal debate and a decision regarding Quebec independence will be made only when Quebeckers are ready.’” (See The Globe and Mail.)

As for lowering the voting age for a referendum on sovereignty, Mr Waldie reports that,

“[w]hen asked whether she would like to drop the age for a referendum on sovereignty, she replied: “Until now that is not the case, but maybe one day.” (See The Globe and Mail.)  = not now

Again, members of the Quebec National Assembly beg to differ:

“[t]he Quebec Liberals as well as the Coalition Avenir Québec party have refused to embrace the idea of lowering the voting age.” (See The Globe and Mail.)

Mr Waldie’s also reports that Madame Marois’ Parti Québécois faces opposition on the part of Canada’s Federal Government, which takes us back to the Clarity Act:

“The Clarity Act, passed by the Canadian Parliament in 2000, makes a similar deal difficult to strike. The legislation says secession can occur only through constitutional reform, not a simple vote. It also puts restrictions on the question that can be asked in a referendum and how large a majority is required for a Yes vote.” (See The Globe and Mail.)

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron (born 9 October 1966) has agreed to a Scottish referendum, which puts Mr Salmond in a more advantageous position than Madame Marois.

Moreover, as noted above, there seems to be dissent within the ranks of the Parti Québécois. We know that Pierre Duchesne, the Quebec Government’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, will not entertain the idea of free tuition during his great Summit.

Given his position regarding free tuition, Pierre Duchesne is making Madame Marois’ promises to students seem less than realistic and more clearly manipulative, which takes us back to lowering the voting age.

Comments

I believe that Madame Marois’ European journey may have been an attempt to justify the manner in which she won the Quebec General Election on 4 September 2012. Had Mr Salmond agreed to help her, albeit in one respect only: lowering the voting age, she would have come back to Quebec standing taller. She would have had the support of a greater leader.

Quebec had its revanche des berceaux (revenge of the cradle). Until 1960, its high birthrate kept Quebec’s population growing. As good Catholics, Quebec women did not use contraceptives. However, seeking a “yes” vote from sixteen-year-olds and seventeen-year-olds shows fear of losing a possible referendum and it tends to confirm suspicions that Madame Marois manipulated students during the events, a long and disruptive strike, that led to her electoral victory.

It is as though Madame Marois were admitting that students elected her to the Premiership of Quebec, which is not altogether “honourable” (for want of a better word), no more than her current attempt to lower the voting age.  Pauline Marois’ bid to lower the voting age may hurt her. For that matter, lowering the voting age could also harm Mr Salmond. (See News BBC.UK.)

Conclusion

In short, Madame Marois reassured Europeans. Quebec is open for business. However, she now seems a lesser Premier.  As for Mr Salmond, he received a lovely gift from Madame Marois.

_________________________

[i] The players in the last Canadian Federal Election were:

  • the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper (born April 30, 1959)
  • the Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff (b. May 12, 1947)
  • the New Democratic Party, Jack Layton and
  • the Bloc Québécois, Gilles Duceppe (now inactive).

Sitting in Parliament are Stephen Harper (Conservative), Thomas Mulcair (born October 24, 1954; NDP) and the Liberal Party, whose members are in the process of choosing a new leader. Michael Ignatieff, its former leader, was defeated in his own riding during the last election, as was Gilles Duceppe. Thomas Mulcair is replacing deceased New Democrat leader Jack Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011).

“Will Ye Go Lassie Go”
Scotland Music Celtic Music songs folk Scottish traditional
images© Micheline Walker
January 30, 2013
WordPress

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Madame Marois’ Scottish Agenda

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Alex Salmond, Davos, Nicola Matteis, Pauline Marois, Pierre Duchesne, Quebec, Quebec Premier, Sarabande, Scotland, World Economic Forum

 pauline-marois
Marois rencontrera son homologue Alex Salmond au Parlement écossais. 
Photo : La Presse canadienne (photo) Clément Allard ι Pauline Marois
(Madame Marois will meet with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, SNP, at the Scottish Parliament)
 

1) Madame Marois’ possible attempt to enlist the help of Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond or to show that other Leaders are also seeking votes among Young students

  • Le Devoir: http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/369388/vote-a-16-ans-marois-se-dit-inspiree-par-l-ecosse
  • Alex Salmond: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Salmond
  • Alex Salmond warned: http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/alex-salmond-warned-to-accept-uk-referendum-ruling-1-2762154

Madame Pauline Marois (born March 29, 1949) would like to lower the voting age to 16 years old, as would Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.  Madame Marois was in London yesterday, but, after attending Davos (World Economic Forum (WEF), she will be traveling to Scotland to discuss this matter (sixteen-year-olds voting) with her homologue (counterpart) Alex Salmond (born 31 December 1954).

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois has been described as an “opportunist.” (See Related Articles). We can now add that she will travel to great lengths to achieve her goals and reveal, by trying to justify her behavior, the manner in which votes may have been obtained in the September 2012 Quebec General Election.

(please click on the image to enlarge it) 

Pauliine Marois with Students (January 21, 2013

Pauline Marois with Students: Announcing Flag Day (January 21, 2013)

2) Pierre Duchesne: Monsieur Duchesne says “no,” for the moment, to the idea of tuition-free education for Québécois and Quebecers

Pierre Duchesne: Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology

  • La Presse: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/dossiers/conflit-etudiant/201301/27/01-4615531-pierre-duchesne-ecarte-la-gratuite.php
  • (See also: http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/education/201301/27/01-4615567-financement-des-universites-pierre-duchesne-ouvre-son-jeu.php)

“Pour la première fois aujourd’hui, le ministre Pierre Duchesne a opposé une fin de non-recevoir aux partisans de la gratuité scolaire, dans le cadre des discussions qui précèdent son grand Sommet sur l’éducation.”

Below, please find a correct, but general, rather than literal, translation, I moved a clause, of the above statement. My quotation was taken from the 27 January 2013 issue of the French-language newspaper La Presse.

  • See also: http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/education/201301/27/01-4615567-financement-des-universites-pierre-duchesne-ouvre-son-jeu.php

“For the first time today, as part of the discussions preceding his great Summit on Education, Pierre Duchesne, [Quebec’s] Minister of Higher Education, told advocates of free tuition that the idea of free tuition would not be contemplated [during the Summit].”

It’s a dead-end.

Conclusion

It may be hasty to confirm that Pauline Marois, the Premier of Quebec, made promises she could not and cannot respect. However, her [presumed][i] attempt to enlist the help of Scottish First Minister, or use him as an example, suggests that she is seeking the support of very young students. Her traveling to Scotland also suggests that during the last Quebec General Election, 4 September 2012, students may have been used or manipulated so Pauline Marois could further personal goals.

A third referendum: “to separate” or “not to separate” from Canada, may be held sooner than later. (See CBC News)

Will Scotland’s possible or probable example make it easier for Madame Marois to lower the voting age to 16 years old?

Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois and her husband, Claude Blanchet, are among the dignitaries atending the funeral services for Denis Blanchette Monday, September 10, 2012 in Montreal. Richard Bain is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Blanchette and wounding another man outside the Parti Quebecois election night rally. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois and her husband, Claude Blanchet, are among the dignitaries attending the funeral services for Denis Blanchette Monday, September 10, 2012 in Montreal. Richard Bain is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Blanchette and wounding another man outside the Parti Québécois election night rally. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Ryan Remiorz

This post was written yesterday evening, 27 January 2013, but I could not finish it because my very punctual cat started biting my clothes in an attempt to separate me from my computer? What, a separatist!

I have therefore updated the News links below.

 

The News

English
The New York Times
Le Monde diplomatique EN
The Washington Post
The Globe and Mail
The Montreal Gazette
 
CNN News
CBC News 
 
French
Le Devoir
La Presse
Le Monde
Le Monde diplomatique
 
German 
Die Welt 
 
© Micheline Walker
January 28, 2013
WordPress
_________________________                                     
[i] Presumed, because we do not know whether or not she has spoken with him.
Moreover, she has not met Alex Salmond yet, at least not officially. 
 
composer: Nicola Matteis  (fl. c. 1670 – after 1714), the earliest notable Italian Baroque violinist in London
title: Diverse bizzarie sopra la vecchia sarabanda
(Bizarre Variations on the old Sarabande)
performers: Music of the Spheres
 
RELATED ARTICLES
 
  • Thoughts on Quebec or https://michelinewalker.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=26598&action=edit (michelinewalker.com)
  • More Thoughts on Quebec  or https://michelinewalker.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=26688&action=edit

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Self-Entitlement & the NRA

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

London, National Guard, National Rifle Association, Otto Fenichel, Second Amendment, Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, Self-entitlement, United States

Duel with Cudgels, by Francisco Goya

Duel with Cudgels, by Francisco Goya

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30 March 1746–16 April 1828)

Many fables illustrate the danger of acting without first reflecting on the consequences. Would that members of the National Rifle Association (NRF) could see the current consequences of bearing arms! Without a firearm, one cannot shoot anyone else. The streets are safer and so are innocent little children.

As for the Second Amendment, it was/ is about security at a time in history when settlers were travelling westward before law enforcement mechanisms could guarantee their security. As I wrote in former posts, the US has long acquired policemen, armed forces and the National Guard (Homeland Security).

The Second Amendment being about security, bearing arms is now a violation of the obsolete Second Amendment. Firearms, military firearms at that, are being used causing the death of children and every day Americans die by gun. Consequently the “security of a free state” now depends on very strict legislation in the area of gun-control.

Self-entitlement

My last posts were about Quebec, but looking at Quebec was a helpful exercise. I came to the conclusion that the students motive for going on strike and flooding the streets to protest had little to do with the increase in tuition fee: $325.00 a year over a five-year period. The current tuition free is $2,168.00. The real motive was entitlement or, perhaps better worded, self-entitlement.

Entitlement is a form Narcissism

In clinical psychology and psychiatry, an unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held sense of entitlement may be considered a symptom of narcissistic personality disorder, seen in those who “because of early frustrations…arrogate to themselves the right to demand lifelong reimbursement from fate.”[i]

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was led to a pool of water by Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, saw his own reflection in the water and could no longer stop looking at himself, which caused his death.

Narcissus, by Caravaggio

Narcissus, by Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610)
Italian; Baroque school of painters (Le Caravage, in French)
Photo credit: Wikipedia
 

From Country to Country

We now leave Canada to travel to its neighbouring country, the United States.

It would be my opinion that members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) are also led by a sense of entitlement, not clinical, but nevertheless a group form of entitlement. They resemble the students who disrupted Montreal because of an increase in tuition fees of $325.00 annually from 2012 to 2017.

Fossilization

Moreover, in linguistics, the term fossilization is used to describe a person who, in the process of learning a second language, is suddenly detained and can go no further.

The same can be true of persons who cannot understand that times have changed and that firearms no longer ensure but endanger the “security of a free state.” They live in a “good guy” vs “bad guy” society, and must have a firearm at the ready because they are the “good guy” who may be shot by the “bad guy.”

Such individuals cannot be brought to reason. They live in their own world. To change them, one would require a magic wand, which, for instance, could be — this is awful — the actual accidental killing of one of their children by another one of their children: fratricide or sororicide (the killing of a sister). But even then…

In “the best of all possible worlds”[ii] (Candide, by Voltaire), it would be easy to convince an individual to surrender his weapon so that human lives are saved. However, for members of the National Rifle Association, it is not about saving lives. It is about entitlement, a “right” that has ceased to be a right, a fossil, even by virtue of the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment is about the “the security of a free state.” There has long been a “well regulated militia,” so the security of a free state is no longer for a “private force” to ensure.

The Second Amendment reads:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” (Second Amendment)

which means:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state [in the absence of a well regulated militia], the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” (Second Amendment)

Conclusion

It is all beyond the realm of reason. Yet the time has come to put an end to a deadly form of entitlement: “we had this right and will not let go.” There comes a point when one simply steps away from the past. But if one won’t, the recourses are the will of the people and the rule of law. The NRA may be powerful, but a group of four million and a half individuals remains a minority.

_________________________

[i] Otto Fenichel, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis (London 1946) p. 499. (Quoted in Entitlement, Wikipedia)

[ii] Phrased by Gottfried Leibniz: “Die beste aller möglichen Welten” 

artist: Francisco Goya
composer: Maurice Ravel
piece: Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)
painting: John Frederick Kensett (1816 – 1872)
 
Micheline Walker©
January 27, 2013
WordPress
 

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From House to House

26 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Sharing

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Bilingualism, Blue House, Canada, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Rembrandt, University of British Columbia, Victoria

—Promenade, 1927-1928, by Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967) Watercolor on paper, sheet: 31 5/8 x 42 1/2

Promenade, 1927-1928, by © Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967) Watercolor on paper, sheet: 31 5/8 x 42 1/2″ (80.32 x 107.95 cm.). Gift of A. Conger Goodyear, 1977.

(Courtesy Art Resource, NY)
This image may not be used.
 

A House Divided

I updated the blog I posted on 25 January 2013: More Thoughts on Quebec. My comments were incomplete. For me, Quebec separatism is a very sensitive subject. Several members of my family, the Quebec branch, are supporters of Madame Marois’ Parti Québécois. However, my family also has a west coast branch. They are not sympathizers of any indépendantiste (separatist) movement.

However, there was a disorderly students’ strike between March and September 2012 and my comments now reflect greater disapproval of the strike. But I do not understand why Quebec did not sign the Patriated Constitution, 1982. I love my country, but it is a house divided (Abraham Lincoln).

Bilingualism

When I was a child living in Quebec, Friday was market-day, but we sometimes shopped on rue Wellington, before going to the market. Most of the shops on rue Wellington did not belong to French-speaking Canadians and they have disappeared: an exodus. The architecture, however, is a remnant of a prosperous past.

In the past, as I walked down Sherbrooke Streets with my mother, I kept seeing the word Real Estate everywhere. Réal is a French name. So I ended up telling my mother that Monsieur Réal Estate (Es-ta-te), was probably the richest man in town. He owned so many shops! Mother told me the truth.

The Differences

We had English-speaking friends and we visited with them. I was a keen observer of interiors from a very young age. I therefore noticed that the difference between French-speaking and English-speaking Canadian citizens had to do with houses. Our English-speaking friends had a fireplace and a bay window in their living-room. How brilliant!  All we had was a big stove and no hot water. I therefore decided that when I grew up, I would own an English house.

Hendrickje Sleeping, by Rembrandt

Hendrickje Sleeping, by Rembrandt

Houses

I did grow older and, by then, we lived on the west coast. We therefore had an English house, a house with a fireplace and a bay window. Victoria was a marvellous place at the time. Our house was near the sea and my mother had enrolled me in a private school for girls: St Ann’s Academy. It was located within walking distance of the house and it had an extraordinary garden, tennis courts, everything. But my father decided to move to Vancouver and they settled so far from the University of British Columbia (UBC) that I chose to complete my B.A. at the University of Victoria. I do not have a Master’s Degree. UBC suggested I enter the PhD programme.

Toronto

I left Victoria to get a graduate degree. I married and, four years after leaving Victoria, I moved to Toronto, where my husband had found employment. For two years, we lived on the lower floor of a lovely little house in an area of town I had chosen. A year later, I started teaching and it was soon possible for us to buy a house, an English house. I loved  our little house.

How Micheline lost her Blue House

But my favourite English house was the Blue House, my Nova Scotia house. It was a cottage-like, two-storey house and it had 22 windows. Although it did not have a bay window, it had the essential fireplace. In fact, it was perfect and located across the street from the campus.

The New Course 

A long time ago, I caught a flu and never recovered fully. I can teach three courses, which is a normal workload. But at that stage in my career, I could not be asked to teach courses in unrelated areas. My goal was to finish writing my book on Molière. I was entering a sabbatical leave that would have allowed me to finish my book, but I was told to prepare a course on animals in literature, a course I would have to teach in English. Would that I could have refused. But it was not possible. I was afraid the Chair of my Department would get angry. He once got angry to the point of making me collapse. I fainted.

When I returned to work, I realized I also had to update a language-lab component. I finished upgrading it in November. During the Christmas break, I made sure every lecture of my course on animals in literature was prepared. In February, I started to feel overwhelming fatigue. I saw my doctors who told me I could not finish my teaching assignment. I was given a note and presented it. But despite a doctor’s note, I was not allowed to leave the classroom. My students no longer had a teacher, so I dragged myself to work and completed my 2001-2002 teaching assignment while applying for permanent disability benefits.

—ooo—

In the eyes of my case manager at the Insurance Company, my having completed the academic year was proof positive that I was an imaginary invalid. She had me see a doctor who requested, in writing, that I be told not to leave my home or make serious decisions as I would be able to return to work after an indefinite leave. He diagnosed Depression, not ME, myalgic encephalomyelitis. He thought I would recover. He asked my case manager to tell me not to leave my home in Antigonish or make serious decisions.

I had applied for permanent disability benefits, not an “indefinite” leave. Therefore, when my case manager told me was that my application for disability benefits had been approved, I thought I was free to leave. Not that I wanted to, but it had been suggested to me. My mother was in a hospital and my father had moved to my brother’s house. That The companies Independent Medical Examiner (IME) was right. Under normal circumstances and despite an illness, I could work.

My benefits were terminated, but when I tried to return to work, the Vice-President did not want me to continue teaching. A friend told me they would hurt me, if I returned. I ended up accepting a concealed retirement arrangement. I regained my tenure when my benefits were reactivated, but they would not let me re-enter the classroom.

So, I no longer live in an English house. In short, my story takes one from house to house and, now, infinity…

Self-portraitOpenmouthed Aux yeux hagards

Self-portrait with a Cap, by Rembrandt van Rijn
Openmouthed
Aux yeux hagards

All of Rembrandt’s paintings are featured at Rembrandt.Org The Complete Works.  “Hendrickje Sleeping” is a drawing and the “Self-portrait,” an etching.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)
The most prominent Dutch painter and etcher of the Dutch Golden Age,
the seventeenth century
 
The music is by L. van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827)
It’s one of the 32 sonatas for piano.
  
 
fig12© Micheline Walker
26 January 2013
WordPress

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More Thoughts on Quebec

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Quebec, Students' Strike

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Canada, Canadian Association of University Teachers, Denis Blanchette, Montreal, Parti Québécois, Pauline Marois, Quebec, War Measures Act

Pauliine Marois with Students (January 21, 2013
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois poses with students at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the Quebec Fleur de Lys flag, Monday, January 21, 2013 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

“In March, Quebec student groups declared war on a planned tuition hike of roughly $2,000 over five years. By April, students at 11 of Quebec’s 18 universities and 14 of its 48 CEGEPs had declared “strikes” and were skipping classes. There were nightly marches in Montreal that made life miserable for many who lived and worked downtown. Students who dared go to classes, even after judges orders allowing them to return, were stopped by masked protesters. The nightly marches started turning violent and threatened the tourism industry. Something had to be done.”  (MacLeans.ca)

Back to the Students’ strike: Bill 78

During the spring of 2012, beginning on 13 February 2012, Quebec’s university and CEGEPs’ students were on strike.  The strike lasted until 7 September 2012 when Madame Marois’ newly elected government repealed the proposed hike in tuition fees.

18 May 2012:  Bill 78 is enacted 

As described in the opening quotation of this post, the strike became disorderly. Moreover, it disrupted students who wanted to finish their university or CEGEP term.  Consequently, on 18 May 2012, the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 78, an “Act to enable students to receive instruction from the postsecondary institutions they attend” (Bill 78, Wikipedia) but an act that restricted the degree to which the students could create a public disturbance.

“The law makes it illegal to deny a person access to any place if that person has a right or duty to be there and further restricts “any form of gathering” that might cause such denial from assembling inside any educational building, on the grounds of such a building, and within 50 meters of the limits of those grounds. Employees of the colleges and universities may strike with accordance to the Labour Code, but they are still required to work their normal scheduled hours and carry out their usual duties” (Bill 78, Wikipedia.)
 

22 May 2012: a Demonstration

Bill 78 (L.Q., 2012, c. 12 / Laws of Quebec, 2012, chapter 12) is a temporary law which expires on 1 July 2013. However, on 22 May 2012, four days after Bill 78 was passed, between 400,000 and 500,000 individuals flooded the streets of Montreal in defiance of the new law.  Obviously this was lawlessness, but the students looked upon their limited ability to protest as an infringement on their civil rights.  They were therefore breaking the law in protest of the law, and they were not alone.

Bill 78: criticized and condemned

Bill 78 has been criticized and condemned by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the Quebec Human Rights Commission and civil libertarians.  Moreover, lawyers organized a demonstration of their own and the law has been called  “the second worst on record next since the War Measures Act.”[i]

A Decree

As I wrote in Thoughts about Quebec, on 28 August 2012, students were again protesting the rise in tuition.  Madame Marois had become Premier on 4 September 2012 so, on 7 September 2012, three days after her election and the death, by gun, of Denis Blanchette, she and her Parti Québécois decreed to freeze tuition fees.

Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois and her husband, Claude Blanchet, are among the dignitaries atending the funeral services for Denis Blanchette Monday, September 10, 2012 in Montreal. Richard Bain is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Blanchette and wounding another man outside the Parti Quebecois election night rally. . THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois and her husband, Claude Blanchet, are among the dignitaries attending the funeral services for Denis Blanchette Monday, September 10, 2012 in Montreal. Richard Bain is charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Blanchette and wounding another man outside the Parti Quebecois election night rally. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Ryan Remiorz

Comments

The Strike

  • The students broke the law. One does not break the law.
  • Moreover, it would be my opinion that Madame Marois used the students to pursue her political goals.
  • The discrepancy between the increase in tuition fees ($2,168 to $3,793 between 2012 and 2017 or $325.00 per year) and the level of protest it generated is such that one could argue that at some point, earlier than later, the increase in tuition fees ceased to be the motive.  It seems that the students’ motive was self-entitlement.  I could be wrong.
  • It would be my opinion that those students who tried to prevent classmates from attending class and succeeded in doing so acted irresponsibly.
  • I do not think Madame Marois will find sufficient money to provide free tuition or continue to freeze tuition fees.

Quebec within Confederation

As for the degree of separation now in place between Quebec and the rest of Canada:

  • double taxation,
  • limited validity of a Quebec citizen’s heath-insurance card, to which I will add
  • unilingualism,
  • etc.

No referendum has allowed this degree of sovereignty.  Quebec has a different Civil Code,[ii] which was a condition of Confederation.[iii]  However, a Civil Code deals with Private Law.  It does not apply to the relationship between the Province of Quebec and Ottawa, the Federal Government.  I must ask an expert to tell me, in a wealth of details, to what extent Quebec can act independently.  I suspect that by refusing to sign the Patriation of the Constitution (1982), Quebec may have given itself significant elbow room.

—ooo—

I would like my country to remain united.  Canadians are privileged.  We have social programs and people are usually tolerant of others.  We are a bilingual country, except Quebec.  Ironically, however, Quebec probably has the largest concentration of bilingual Canadians.  French-Canadian students often enroll in English-language CEGEPs and universities.

There is no police brutality.  The Mounties are a living legend.  The Canadian Armed Forces have their Royal 22nd Regiment (the Van Doos), a mostly French regiment.  Finally, at an individual level, there is very little animosity between French-speaking and English-speaking citizens.  We don’t bear arms and we pay our taxes.

I hope all of you are well.

Ad mari usque ad mareFrom Sea to Sea Canada's motto

A mari usque ad mare
(From Sea to Sea)
Canada’s motto

© Micheline Walker
25 January 2013
WordPress
____________________
[i] Blatchford, Andy (April 16, 2010). “Quebec student bill ‘worst law’ since War Measures Act: law professor”. Winnipeg Free Press.
[ii] “The Civil Code of Québec is a general law that contains all of the basic provisions that govern life in society, namely the relationships among citizens and the relationships between people and property. It governs all civil rights, such as leasing items or property, sales contracts, etc. It also deals with family law, as in the case of matrimonial regimes.” (Civil Code, Wikipedia)
[îii] Three Conferences, Confederation and Now: Civil Unrest 
https://michelinewalker.com/2012/05/27/three-conferences-confederation-and-now-civil-unrest/ 
 

Today, the temperature in Sherbrooke, Quebec is -23°C (-9.4°F).  In Victoria, British Columbia the temperature is -1°C (+30.2°F).  In Los Angeles, California, the weather is 21.1°C (+70°F).  I believe that is the reason why Canadian singer songwriter Joni Mitchell wants to go to California.

singer-songwriter: Joni Mitchell (b. November 7, 1943)
piece: “California”
Related articles
  • Three Conferences, Confederation and Now: Civil Unrest (michelinewalker.com)
  • Thoughts on Quebec (michelinewalker.com)
  • Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois (michelinewalker.com)
  • The Week in Review & Louis Riel Revisited (michelinewalker.com)

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Thoughts on Quebec

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Quebec

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Canada, Canadian Press, Canadian Unity, Denis Blanchette, National Post, Parti Québécois, Pauline Marois, Thomas Hobbes

marois

— Pauline Marois.  Nelson Wyatt, Canadian Press, Jun 21, 2012 8:18 AM ET (Photo credit: The National Post)

  • See The National Post, 21 June 2012  http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/21/quebec-students-unimpressed-as-opportunist-pq-leader-pauline-marois-ditches-red-square-protest-symbol/
  • Also see MacLeans.ca, http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/tag/pauline-marois/

there are rules to everything…

President Obama is devoting so much energy to unite his country.  He is fighting what Thomas Hobbes called a “private force” and viewed as “unlawfull.”

As you probably know, in Quebec, sovereignists and indépendantistes, initially called separatists are advocating secession from Canada and have done so since the 1960s.  Pauline Marois is the leader of the Parti Québécois, the péquistes (PQ), as they are called, and, on 4 September 2012, she was elected Premier of the Province of Quebec.  It was a narrow victory.

“A Quebec election that was too close to call has turned out to be just that: less than one percentage point – about 40,000 votes – separated the Parti Québécois [separatist]and the Liberal party [federalist] in the final ballot last night, with the third party Coalition Avenir Québec close behind.”  (ANTONIA MAIONI, The Globe and Mail, Published Wednesday, Sep. 05 2012, 7:56 AM EDT. Last updated Wednesday, Sep. 05 2012, 7:59 AM EDT)

A Man Dies and a second man is critically injured.

Matters worsened.  On the evening of 4 September 2012, as Madame Marois was preparing to celebrate her victory, 62-year-old Richard Henry Bain aimed at Madame Marois whose life was saved by 48-eight-year-old Denis Blanchette.   However, the shooter killed Denis Blanchette and seriously injured a second man.

(please click on the picture to enlarge it)
uly 22 (left), May 22 (up) and April 15 (center) demonstrations and Victoriaville riots (down).

July 22 (left), May 22 (up) and April 15 (center) demonstrations and Victoriaville riots (down).  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At this point, I must step backward, as I need to tell about Madame Marois’ campaign.

Quebec students go on strike (February 13, 2012 – September 7, 2012)

The raise: (from $2,168 to $3,793 between 2012 and 2017)

In the spring of 2012, students enrolled in Quebec universities and CEGEPS[i] (numerically, Grades 12 & 13) started opposing a small raise in tuition fees (from $2,168 to $3,793 between 2012 and 2017 (Quebec student protests, Wikipedia).  At that moment, tuition fees paid by Quebec students were approximately half the fees paid by my former students in Nova Scotia.  The students’ demands were therefore unrealistic.

La Classe

The movement was soon named Coalition large de l’Association pour une  solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE).  Not only were the students’ demands unrealistic, but they organized increasingly disorderly demonstrations.  It was “[t]he largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian History,” between 400,000 and 500,000 people marched in downtown Montreal on May 22.[ii]

“On June 12, 2012, some protesters were referring to local police authorities as SS and anti-police pamphlets using the swastikas were distributed.”  (Quebec student protests, Wikipedia)

Madame Marois (Parti Québécois) steps in

Carré rouge

Carré rouge

Parti Québécois leader, Pauline Marois, stepped in and “supported” the students’ demands.  She wore their symbol, a red square, and she became very visible.  This won her a great deal of publicity.  It would be my opinion that endorsing the students’ demands benefitted Madame Marois.

Bill 78

  • The strike was problematical.  For instance, it jeopardized the completion of an academic term.
  • Therefore, on 18 May 2012, the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 78, an “Act to enable students to receive instruction from the postsecondary institutions they attend” (Bill 78, Wikipedia).
  • On 27 August 2012, “[p]rotesters def[ied] back-to-school law as Quebec universities reopened]” (The Globe and Mail).
  • On September 7, “planned tuition increases were repealed by a decree from Pauline Marois‘ Parti Québécois government the very next day” (CBC News).

Yet, on November 8, 2012, Madame Marois stated that free tuition was “very difficult” (see The Globe and Mail).  (The students wanted free tuition.)  Did she not know this in the Spring of 2012?

Province of Quebec

Province of Quebec, red; Canada, white

Comments

  • The demonstrations were disorderly and had to be contained, which costs Premier Jean Charest’s government a fortune.
  • There was opposition to Bill 78.
  • In all likelihood, Madame Marois benefitted by involving the students.  She seemed a concerned mother to students who were being abused by the Liberal Party, then in power.
  • A man died in an attempt to protect Premier-elect Pauline Marois.
  • Tuition fees.  Can Madame Marois make ends meet?

Dissent and Faction

Madame Marois’ Parti Québécois is advocating “sovereignty” or separation from the other provinces of Canada, which means dissent or faction and is not insignificant.  On the contrary!  But, I wonder whether or not Madame Marois’ Parti Québécois and fellow sovereignists, or indépendantistes are fully aware of the consequences of a separation from Canada.

My Canada & a possible separation scenario

  • Canada is an officially bilingual country.  It protects the French language.  That could end for French-speaking Canadians living outside Quebec. The Federal Government might not agree to remain bilingual and bicultural.

  • There would be a country separating the Maritime Provinces of Canada from Ontario and the rest of Canada.

  • French-speaking veterans of World War II, who landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, would be very confused.  They were serving their country, Canada.

  • There could be resentment between the two “countries.”  Many Québécois would be dissatisfied, and there could be an exodus on the part of Anglophone Quebecers.

  • If there is an exodus, there would be fewer taxpayers.

  • And, to quote The Globe and Mail once again, “less than one percentage point – about 40,000 votes – separated the Parti Québécois and the Liberal party.”

But I would go further…

Past referendums have not supported separation from Canada.  In other words, the people of Quebec have yet to agree to a separation from the rest of Canada.

  • Yet, unlike my Nova Scotia health-insurance card, which was valid everywhere in Canada, including Quebec, my Quebec health-insurance card provides limited coverage outside Quebec.
  • I pay taxes levied by the Quebec government (5%) and taxes levied by the Federal government (10%).

It would appear that the above is the price Québécois and Quebecers pay because Quebec failed to sign the Patriated Constitution of 1982.  There is a substantial degree of duplication: a government inside a government.  What I would like to know is whether or not Quebec’s government has been mandated to start walking away from  Ottawa.

As for the manner in which Madame Marois was elected to the Premiership of Quebec, it has been described as “opportunistic” (The National Post, 21 June 2012)?  There is nothing wrong with seizing the moment.  However, the goal may defeat the means and the means defeat the goal.  At any rate, Quebec now has its own flag day.  I should be very pleased (Quebec creates its own flag day; Fleur-de-lis to be feted every Jan. 21 [timescolonist.com]).

There were deaths in the 1960s and, on 4 September 2012, Denis Blanchette was shot protecting Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois.  Human life is fragile and so very precious.  I’m certain Denis Blanchette’s life was dear to him and to his family and friends.  So none of this is banal.  If Quebec does want to secede from the rest of Canada, persons whose integrity and good will are above suspicion will have to negotiate acceptable terms.

However, what remains a mystery in my eyes is just why Quebec has not signed the long Patriated Constitution of Canada (1982).  It has been 31 years since it arrived on the North-American side of the Atlantic.  A referendum held in May 1980 did not allow Quebec to negotiate a new partnership with Ottawa.  The indépendantistes were then named the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association, a “forerunner” of the Parti Québécois.

There are rules to everything…

 
 
© Micheline Walker
January 23, 2013
WordPress
_________________________   
[i] Quebec students enter A CEGEP (Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel or General and Vocational College) after Grade 11 and, two years later, successful candidates obtain a Diploma of College Studies (Diplôme d’Études Collégiales).  The Vocational program is a year longer.
[ii] Schonbek, Amelia (September 2012). “The Long March”.  The Walrus: 15–16.
 
singer songwriter: Joni Mitchell  (b. November 7, 1943)
title: “Both Sides Now”
Related articles
  • Quebec demands continued federal cash to recruit police officers (macleans.ca)
  • Quebec creates its own flag day; Fleur-de-lis to be feted every Jan. 21 (timescolonist.com)
  • ‘I believe it was an assassination attempt’: Pauline Marois says there was ‘political’ aspect to attack on election night (news.nationalpost.com)
  • Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois (michelinewalker.com)

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“I have a dream…” (Martin Luther King)

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Anthony McGill, Barack Obama, Barack Obama's Inauguration, Gabriela Montero, Itzhak Perlman, Martin Luther King, Obama, Simple Gifts

President Barack Obama
Official portrait of President Barack Obama 2013 (Photo Credit: Pete Souza)

that the dream should come true in my lifetime…

I just watched President Obama’s inauguration and was again very impressed. He is an intellectually superior and knowledgeable individual. He is trying to unite his nation and praises his nation. After all, although it was a very difficult endeavor, he was re-elected.

He talks about what he is doing and plans to do rather than demolish his opponents. He does all he can to help his country in very difficult times: social programs, job creation, extending the period during which an unemployed individual can receive benefits from the government.

He is compassionate. He went to visit the people of Newtown and he talked with each family, not only as their President, but also and mainly as another human being, a father who knew how painful it would be to lose a child. Losing a child is devastating. He has already signed orders that should decrease the number of deaths by gun: a month and two days!

When Sandy devastated the east coast, he visited the victims and did so hours before Americans would vote. He knew what his duties were. His team works extremely hard. Joe Biden is committed to his work and solid as a rock. Michelle and Jill have rolled up their sleeves when in fact they could be shopping in Paris.  Not these women!

Yet, these are hard times!  Congratulations America.

The News

  • The New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/ 
  • The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog/wp/2013/01/20/liveblogging-the-inauguration/
  • CNN News: http://www.cnn.com/ 
  • CNN News International: http://edition.cnn.com/
 
 

Air and Simple Gifts (from Barack Obama’s Inauguration)

Maestro John Williams arranged a piece based on Aaron Copeland‘s arrangement of the old Shaker Tune “Simple Gifts” as “Variations on a Shaker Melody”. Yo-Yo Ma performs along with Itzhak Perlman on violin, Gabriela Montero on piano and Anthony McGill on clarinet.
Simply beautiful and amazing!

 
 
 
 
Related articles
  • Inauguration is centerpiece of Wichita’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration (kansas.com)
  • If Martin Luther King were alive today… (philebersole.wordpress.com)

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The Week in Review & Louis Riel Revisited

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, History, Métis

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Abenakis, Battle of Batoche, Louis Riel, Métis, Pauline Marois, Quebec, Thomas Hobbes, United States

Abenakis, Algonkian Amerindians
Abenakis (Algonkian Amerindians), 18th Century (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Summary of this week’s Posts

What a week! This is what I wrote last Sunday when putting an end to that week’s posts.  This week, I expressed my wish for Canadian unity, using a quotation from Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II, xxii).  Hobbes looked upon “private force” as unlawful.  It was a breach of the “social contract.” (See Thomas Hobbes on “Private Force”.)

I then remembered that on 4 September 2012, a man had tried to kill Premier-elect Pauline Marois.  This time, violence was not used by a member of a terrorist cell of an “indépendantiste” Québécois Party.  The shooter was a bilingual Quebecer and his weapon was a gun.  Richard Henry Bain, the accused, is about to stand trial, if doctors determine he is fit to appear in court.  If so, gun ownership may be an issue.  The Newtown Massacre has triggered a debate that is likely to spill over the US border and may spare Québécois and Quebecers another painful referendum.  Secession from Canada, on the part of Quebec, is an endeavor that requires serious examination.  (See Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois.)

Finally, I remembered that although the settlers of New France had to defend themselves against attacks by Iroquoians and built fortresses, for most of its history, Canada has needed its Amerindians to ensure the “security of the state.”[i]  It started during the winter of 1535-1536, when Amerindians came to the rescue of Frenchmen dying of scurvy.  Later, in the seventeenth century, French settlers married Amérindiennes because France had not sent women.  The French in Canada are métissés.  Then came the voyageurs who needed the guidance of Amerindians.  (See Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois)

Music of the Week

If I had to choose, my favorite music of the week would be “If Ye Love Me” by English composer Thomas Tallis (30 January 1505 – 23 November 1585, Greenwich), yet I also love Sir Henry Wood‘s ‘Suite No. 6,’ a transcription of J. S. Bach‘s ‘Lament,’ the ‘Adagio’ from Bach’s ‘Capriccio on the Departure of His Most Beloved Brother’ in Bb major, BWV 992.  YouTube released this video on 17 January and I featured it the very same day.  I am glad I do not have to choose.

Hero of the Week

Louis Riel (22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885), a Member of Parliament, a Métis leader, almost a lawyer (he studied Law), the Father of Manitoba and a Father of the Confederation remains a controversial figure.  He was executed at the age of 41, in Regina, Saskatchewan.  I mentioned him in one of this week’s post, but had previously written about him.  (See From Coast to Coast: Louis Riel as Father of the Confederation)

The Above Image

The Abenakis are Algonkian/Algonquian Amerindians.  They first lived in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, but moved to what is now Quebec.  Many died of diseases brought by Europeans, smallpox, in particular.  There are Abenakis to this day.  They live in Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick.  However, most have been assimilated and most have long converted to Catholicism.  Given that they converted to Catholicism early, settlers may have chosen brides among Abenakis.

The Theme

So the week had a theme.  Hobbes condemned factious “private forces.”  People want to protect their identity, but need they create a country within a country.  People also want to protect themselves, but need they carry dangerous firearms and create militias that threaten rather than protect “the security of a free state.”  Do we have the right to encourage discontent?  Last Spring, Quebec students whose tuition fees are the lowest in Canada opposed a small raise, a few hundred dollars.  Madame Marois stepped in.

—ooo—

I am including a video on the Métis of Batoche.  The Métis were defeated at the Battle of Batoche (9 May – 12 May, 1885).  Louis Riel was hanged on 16 November 1885. Gabriel Dumont, who had requested Riel’s help, had fled to the United States.

Suggested Reading on Canadian Literature

  • Survival, by Margaret Atwood
  • The Bush Garden, by Northrop Frye
© Micheline Walker
20 January 2013
WordPress
____________________
 
[i] “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”  (Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 1791)
 
 
RELATED ARTICLES:
  • From Coast to Coast: Louis Riel as Father of the Confederation (michelinewalker.com)
  • Thomas Hobbes on “Private Force” (michelinewalker.com)
  • Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois (michelinewalker.com)
  • More on the Second Amendment (michelinewalker.com)
  • Canada 150 poll shows Quebec split with rest of Canada on celebratory events (o.canada.com)

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Shooter Aimed at Premier-elect Pauline Marois

19 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Quebec

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Canada, Front de libération du Québec, Meech Lake Accord, Parti Québécois, Pauline Marois, Quebec Premier, Richard Henri Bain, Thomas Hobbes

Quebec City Flag
Quebec City Flag

One Man dies, one is critically injured

In a post on Thomas Hobbes‘ “Private Force,” dated 15 January 15 2013, I wrote that during the October Crisis, the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, had sent in the troops, at the request of the Quebec Premier, Robert Bourassa and Montreal Mayor, Jean Drapeau.  Trudeau used the War Measures Act and put an end to several years of terrorism.

Pauline Marois

Pauline Marois, Quebec’s Premier

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebecvotes2012/story/2012/09/05/marois-victory-speech-shot-fired.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebecvotes2012/story/2012/09/05/f-quebec-citizen-initiative.html

The above links tell a different story.  How could I be so forgetful?  The Front de Libération du Québec (the Quebec Liberation Front) no longer exists.  However, on 4 September 2012, the day Pauline Marois of the Parti Québécois, an indépendantiste (separatist) Party, was elected Premier of the Province of Quebec,[i] someone tried to shoot her.  The shooter, 62-year-old Richard Henry Bain, lost his footing when an alarmed individual intervened, preventing Mr Bain from killing Quebec’s Premier-elect Pauline Marois.  The shooter then aimed at 48-year-old Denis Blanchette, the person who intervened, killing him and critically injuring a second man.

Parti Québécois

Parti Québécois

This incident was not strictu sensu terrorism.  The man who tried to kill Premier-elect Pauline Marois was not a member of a terrorist organization.  He acted alone and it has yet to be determined whether or not he is fit to stand trial.  However, using plain common sense, it would seem reasonable to assume Mr Bain was extremely distraught and that the Parti Québécois’ victory may have angered him.  He muttered, in French, “les anglophones se réveillent” (the Anglophones are waking up) and, in English, that “[h]e want[ed] to cause trouble.”

For many Québécois and Quebecers, a Parti Québécois victory means yet another referendum: “to separate” or “not to separate” from Canada.  That’s what has happened in the past and it has been motivation to leave Quebec. However, Madame Marois’ victory does not seem no have perturbed anyone seriously, except Mr Bain.  Montreal is a very attractive and cosmopolitan city and will probably remain as it is, whichever way the pendulum swings.

However, as I wrote in my earlier post, Quebec has yet to sign the Patriated Constitution, ie. the Constitutional Act of 1982, which poses difficulties.  There have been attempts to solve this problem, one of which was the proposed Meech Lake Accord[I] (1987).  Had the various Premiers agreed, Quebec would have become an officially “distinct society,” which it is, unofficially or officieusement.  Given the circumstances, a deadlock, it may have been in the best interest of all parties concerned to pour “un peu d’eau dans leur vin,” ie. to make concessions in order to maintain Canadian unity.  The people of Quebec are sitting between two chairs.  They are a country within a country, Hobbes’ “private force.”

Which takes us to gun ownership…

So, last September 4 (2012), Pauline Marois, the current Premier of Quebec, was shot at, a man died, and a second man was critically injured.  Although, the federal government of Canada has relaxed Canada’s gun-control legislation, I do not think this change was a factor.  But given events in the United States, the rapid dissemination of debates through social networks such as Twitter, and last September’s attempt to assassinate Madame Marois, gun-control will and may already be a factor.

What happened to me will probably happen to others.  They will suddenly remember, as I did, that Charles Henry Bain tried to shoot Quebec Premier-elect Pauline Marois.  The American experience, the Newtown massacre in particular, will colour, probably to a lesser than greater extent, the Canadian experience.  In fact, Madame Marois is now remembering that a man tried to assassinate her.  The event is no longer a “glitch.”  Just click on the above links.  The National Riffle Association (NRA) and the militias seem an aberration to me.  Were it not that Canada trusts President Obama and his administration, we just might fear the NRA would gain supporters here.  As I wrote on 17 January, the Obama administration needs a great deal of support and it needs it now.

Jacques Cartier Stamp, 1934 issue

Jacques Cartier Stamp, 1934 issue

Jacques Cartier (31 December 1491 – 1 September 1557) claimed the “country of Canada” for France in 1534.  His three ships were called la Grande Hermine, la Petite Hermine and l’Émérillon.  He captured chief Donnacona’s two sons Domagaya and Taignoagny, but they were returned to their father a year later during Cartier’s second trip in 1535–1536.   Cartier waited too long, so ice prevented him from sailing back to France.  As we will see, Cartier’s men fell ill. Cartier came back to Canada in 1540–1541 in the hope of settling the “Kingdom of the Saguenay.” It was too great a risk, so he went back to France.

One of Jacques Cartier's Three Boats

One of Jacques Cartier’s Three Boats

The Canadian Experience

I do not expect a heated debate.  Unlike the United States, Canada did not have a Wild West.  In Canada, the “security of a free state,” the principle undergirding but now nullifying the Second Amendment, has not demanded that civilians bear arms.  Our November 15, 2012 heroine, Madeleine Jarret de Verchères, lived in a fortress and had guns at her disposal, but that was a long time ago.

Survival …

The following thought may not have reached all if any textbooks, but the truth is that, from the earliest days of New France, Canadians have needed the Amerindians.  Jacques Cartier’s men would not have survived their first winter in Canada (1535-1536).  They were dying of scurvy.  The Amerindians could have let them die, but didn’t.  Instead, they supplied the marrooned French with thuja occidentalis or annedda.  The men survived.  Annedda, contained Vitamin C, the remedy, and could be made using birchbark.

Moreover, to travel westward and collect Canada’s gold: beaver pelt, French settlers, coureurs des bois to begin with, and, later, voyageurs, needed the Algonkian birchbark canoe.  If a canoe was destroyed shooting down potentially deadly rapids, one could be rebuilt without recourse to anything that was not immediately available.  In fact, the canoe used by voyageurs and explorers may well become one of the seven wonders of Canada (CBC.ca).  Amerindians also fed the voyageurs.  They prepared sagamité.

As for élite voyageurs who wintered west, minding the company store, they had signed a three-year contract, at first, with a bourgeois and, later, with either the Hudson’s Bay Company, established in 1670, or the North-West Company, active from 1779 to 1821.  They may have had a wife on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, to whom they sent money, but the voyageurs needed a spare wife, an Améridienne.  Thus a people was born: the Métis.

Métis Family ca. 1826 (Bata Shoe Museum P80.982)

Métis Family, by Peter Rindisbacher, ca. 1826 (Bata Shoe Museum P80.982) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Peter Rindisbacher (12 April 1806 – 12 August or 13 August 1834; aged 28)

Les Filles du Roy

Jean Talon, Bishop François de Laval and several settlers welcome the King’s Daughters upon their arrival. Painting by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We know, moreover, that France was somewhat slow in sending women to Canada.  The filles du roy, the King’s Daughters, arrived between 1663 and 1673 and many married men who were members of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières.  These soldiers arrived in the middle of 1665.  They were invited to stay in New France where most became seigneurs.  Among French-speaking Canadians whose ancestors arrived in New France before 1663, many, if not most, have Amerindian ancestry.

The Snowshoe and Canoe Mythified

It follows that Canadians have mythified the beaver, the canoe, the lumberman’s snowshoes and Louis Riel, the Métis “Father of Manitoba,” but a tragic figure in the history of Canada.  Despite an endless border with the United States, for most of Canada’s history, its citizens have not required firearms to ensure their security.  Not only did Canada need its Amerindians, but there was too little room in the beaver-pelt laden canoes to accommodate several rifles.  Moreover, rumor has it that the Mounties arrived before the settlers.  As for settlers, they were directed to specific areas.

Yet Canada has its factious “private force” (Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II, xxii), the separatists.  For a few years, during the 1960s, the “private force” had its terrorist wing.  Canadians do not bear arms, but last September 4, someone, not an indépendantiste, did try to shoot Pauline Marois and caused the useless death of Denis Blanchette, the man who tried to prevent an assassination.  He will never come back and Madame Marois now remembers.  But, will she remember long enough not to hold a referendum?

© Micheline Walker
January 19, 2013
WordPress
 
Photo credit: Wikipedia
____________________
[i] Pauline Marois defeated Premier Jean Charest of the Parti Libéral (federalist) and François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Quebec CAQ), also an indépendantiste party. 
[ii] Also see Gerald L. Gall, “Meech Lake Accord,” The Canadian Encyclopedia.
 
composer: Erik Satie (17 May 1866 – Paris, 1 July 1925) 
piece: Gnossienne No.1
performer: Lang Lang
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Orders for Gun Law Reform Signed

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 9 Comments

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Barack Obama, Henry Wood, Joe Biden, Newtown, Obama, United State, Washington, Washington D.C.

Yesterday I watched and heard President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

On January 16, a month and two days after the massacre at Newtown, December 14, 2012, the Vice-President and the President had a plan to announce and orders to sign so the plan would go into effect immediately.

The plan does not go all the way.  People may still bear arms walking down the street,  but it may be that the President went as far as he could go given the circumstances of his Presidency.  I therefore remain congratulatory.

So, let me repeat that a month and two days after the Newtown massacre and despite the holiday season the President signed orders that should decrease deaths by gun.

Sitting in the audience and introduced to us were parents of Newtown who had lost a child.  We learned that the President had actually visited with the bereaved parents.  That may not have been very ‘presidential’ of Barack Obama, but it was the human thing to do.

The people of Newtown will always remember that the President of the United States of America sat down with them, grieved with them and listened.

Behind the desk where he signed the necessary orders, there were children.  He had read their letters.  These children will never forget that they can talk with the President of the United States and that he will hear them and act.  Again, it was the human thing to do.  (See first Related Articles for photograph.)

Ironically, although he faces obstructionism in Washington, in the eyes of the world President Obama is viewed as a great leader.  In most instances, he is, in fact, at the very top of the list, including my list.  I am so grateful to him, to Vice-President Joe Biden, to Michelle and to Jill for helping the people of Newtown.  In fact, they are the people of Newtown.

Yet, let me repeat that the plan does go far enough and add that, if such is the case, it is, to a certain extent, that the people of the United States will not let the Vice President and the President go further.

Given the opposition he faces in Washington, the President has to know that the people want him to go further.  If he doesn’t know this, his successor may revoke the security measures his administration has put into place.  Good presidents act in the best interest of the people, but good presidents prefer not to go beyond the expressed will of the people.

Many individuals enjoy collecting firearms, but I presume these are not loaded.  Many individuals also like target shooting.  It’s a sport.  But again, I would presume that target shooters practice and compete in an enclosed area and that, for security reasons, they do not carry home loaded weapons.

Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes would not agree with me.  Yet, I would also presume that people know that their freedom ends where the freedom of others begin as do their “rights.”  Rights and duties are like the opposite sides of the same coin as are reason and instinct.

* * *

I remember my mother telling me that the nice thing about turning seven was that a child had finally reached the age of reason.  I hate to say this, but when will members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) turn seven?

Micheline Walker©
January 17, 2013
WordPress
 
 
Bach-Wood ‘Lament’ – Slatkin conducts
Publiée le 17 janv. 2013
Sir Henry Wood‘s ‘Suite No. 6’ is a set of six Bach transcriptions, arranged from various sources, that includes this heartfelt ‘Lament.’ It is the ‘Adagio’ from Bach’s ‘Capriccio on the Departure of His Most Beloved Brother’ in Bb major, BWV 992. In this recording, the BBC Symphony is conducted by Leonard Slatkin. (With all due acknowledgements to Chandos Records.)
 
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