A question for our Canadian members?

[Wade]

So guys...Thomas Mulcair...
Yes or no ?

 

[Wade]

For my part I'm envisioning a Mulcair/Trump partnership and it's a little unsettling.

 

[Randall]

I like that Mulcair has been an advocate for sustainable development and shown at least some concern for environmental issues. I really want to like Trudeau. But can we really believe anything he says? I have yet to see his party draft legislation for legalizing marijuana. The only thing I know for sure is that while Harper is preferable to the last Liberal government, he's also been a major disappointment. Too much heavy handedness on morality issues that should be up to individuals to decide on, and I'm no big fan of being involved in the war in the Middle East either, or the lack of action on environmental issues, e.g. tar-sands, fracking, and the cleanup of abandoned industrial projects. Plus, even after Fukushima, he's still soft on nuclear energy. Harper seems to have his own moralistic/religious agenda that he wants to foist on us and the rest of the world. Beaking off at Putin and acting like we've got the muscle to take on Russia is just plain stupid, even if Putin is corrupt and evil ( which seems likely given the documentaries I've seen ). Just be thankful we're not a superpower! Who knows what he'd do. IMO he's gotta go in the next election. But is Mulcair the answer? I don't know.

 

[Wade]

Thanks for your answer. It's funny that you mentioned Russia and Putin. The things is while Canada might not be a super power I think the time is rapidly approaching when Canada might have to become more militant mostly in maintaining your soverignty in the Arctic, and not just against Russian intrusion but the US as well. I heard that Mulcair takes it a lot more seriously than Harper does and i wouldn't be surprised if this issue became a sticky point within the next administration as your PMs can stay in office for a dozen years or more.

 

[Burnt State]

I prefer Mulcair as he's tenacious and fair. He would restore our more unbiased approach to the middle east as opposed to walking lock step with the USA and being so unapologetically pro-Israel. He has a better left wing, social justice, environmental and social safety net approach. He has my vote.

 

[Angel of Ioren]

The NDP swept my province the last time, and I would rather people vote for them than the Bloc, but my political ideologies sort of lie between the Liberals and the NDP, so I'm undecided between the two.
Living in Quebec, I just want a Federal government that won't fan the separatist flames. The vast majority of the people in Quebec love being part of Canada, and we showed that by kicking out the damn PQ last election. Now we just need to get Harper out of there. Right now, I'm curious to see how it all turns out. The thing is, Harper never gets votes in Quebec...

 

[Randall]

The NDP swept my province the last time, and I would rather people vote for them than the Bloc, but my political ideologies sort of lie between the Liberals and the NDP, so I'm undecided between the two.
Living in Quebec, I just want a Federal government that won't fan the separatist flames. The vast majority of the people in Quebec love being part of Canada, and we showed that by kicking out the damn PQ last election. Now we just need to get Harper out of there. Right now, I'm curious to see how it all turns out. The thing is, Harper never gets votes in Quebec...

I don't know why I never picked up that you're Canadian before . My opinion on Quebec is that of the stereotypical unpopular westerner who thinks there's no way the rest of Canada should allow one of the most valuable provinces in Confederation to be stolen by separatists. I'd be even happier if they abolished bilingualism and I wouldn't miss any discontent who left the country in protest. In fact I'd help them pack their bags. I'd advocate a North American Union before Quebec separation.

​

 

[Angel of Ioren]

I don't know why I never picked up that you're Canadian before . My opinion on Quebec is that of the stereotypical unpopular westerner who thinks there's no way the rest of Canada should allow one of the most valuable provinces in Confederation to be stolen by separatists. I'd be even happier if they abolished bilingualism and I wouldn't miss any discontent who left the country in protest. In fact I'd help them pack their bags. If they love French culture so much, then they should go live in France. I'd advocate a North American Union before Quebec separation.

I'm a firm believer that French Canadians should not lose their language. The problem is that the PQ tried to protect it by oppressing English Quebecers. I love both my country and my province. I speak English and French (and Italian) all fluently, although I'm most comfortable in English since I went to school in English. I'm just glad that for now, with the Liberals in power here, the separatists have shut up for a bit.
Perhaps in the western part of Canada bilingualism isn't a priority, but for me, I'm making sure my kids speak English and French as well as I do.

 

[Randall]

I'm a firm believer that French Canadians should not lose their language. The problem is that the PQ tried to protect it by oppressing English Quebecers. I love both my country and my province. I speak English and French (and Italian) all fluently, although I'm most comfortable in English since I went to school in English. I'm just glad that for now, with the Liberals in power here, the separatists have shut up for a bit.
Perhaps in the western part of Canada bilingualism isn't a priority, but for me, I'm making sure my kids speak English and French as well as I do.

I would have sooner learned Italian than have French rammed down my throat from grade 2 to 10. I was caught in the mandatory phase-in period and ended up having to take the same course year after year because back then out here, some lame-brain phased it in so that the intro course was introduced to the next higher grade each successive year. I got so sick of it, I quit participating in class and did other schoolwork. As a result I was physically abused ( given the strap ). But the abuse and waste of my time and education are only my personal reasons.

There are other reasons to dump bilingualism. It also wastes of time and money on both a governmental and corporate level through redundancy, and I've heard it called a safety hazard for commercial aviation. It's fine with me if someone wants to learn it for personal reasons on their own time with their own money, but countless tax dollars that would be better spent elsewhere have now been wasted implementing and supporting it. I appreciate that you feel some connection to it because you're immersed in it, but somehow I find it hard not to believe that if that were never the case, you would find yourself missing it to the point of thinking it should be mandatory for everyone else.

Let's face it. It's a significant factor in keeping whole Quebec Separatist movement going, and making it an official language has driven that wedge so far in that getting it out now is nearly impossible. So now we all have to put up with it for the rest of our lives, constantly treating the recurring separatist infection.

 

[Angel of Ioren]

I disagree Ufology. You can't just take away someone's language. That's actually the reason the whole separatist movement started.

 

[Randall]

I disagree Ufology. You can't just take away someone's language. That's actually the reason the whole separatist movement started.

But it was OK to force French on me as a child and physically abuse me in the process while taking away my opportunity to learn other things in school that are more useful for me, while taxing every Canadian in the process to support it? Before there was official bilingualism there was still French, and if there were no official bilingualism there would still be people who speak French. Nobody gave Quebec French and nobody would be "taking it away" by abolishing bilingualism, and if language is the "whole reason" the separatist movement started, then that only speaks to it as the core of the problem. Not that I believe the whole reason was language. Obviously there is a lot of land and wealth in Quebec, not to mention the St. Lawrence seaway. Don't you think that might have some bearing on their motivation? All bilingualism did was entrench the discontent and legitimize their terrorism: Terrorism in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Angel of Ioren]

It's cool ufology... like I said, I get where you're coming from. All I'm saying is forcing anything on anyone is not a good thing... fyi Quebec is officially unilingual, just like EVERY other province in Canada except for New Brunswick: Official bilingualism in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Randall]

It's cool ufology... like I said, I get where you're coming from. All I'm saying is forcing anything on anyone is not a good thing... fyi Quebec is officially unilingual, just like EVERY other province in Canada except for New Brunswick: Official bilingualism in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Despite my political views, I don't paint every French Canadian with the same brush. I've met a few over the years out here in the West, even had some as neighbors, and members of the band I was in, and they were all really nice people who I helped out, had fun with, and tried to make feel welcomed and at home here. I think we really need to remember the individuals in the whole scheme of things .

 

[Angel of Ioren]

Despite my political views, I don't paint every French Canadian with the same brush. I've met a few over the years out here in the West, even had some as neighbors, and members of the band I was in, and they were all really nice people who I helped out, had fun with, and tried to make feel welcomed and at home here. I think we really need to remember the individuals in the whole scheme of things .

That's exactly right! Mine is the one weird English family in my neighborhood, and we're treated really nicely.

 

[tichan]

I don't know why I never picked up that you're Canadian before . My opinion on Quebec is that of the stereotypical unpopular westerner who thinks there's no way the rest of Canada should allow one of the most valuable provinces in Confederation to be stolen by separatists. I'd be even happier if they abolished bilingualism and I wouldn't miss any discontent who left the country in protest. In fact I'd help them pack their bags. I'd advocate a North American Union before Quebec separation.

​

Canada was discovered in the year 1534, by Jacques Cartier, a mariner belonging to the small French seaport St. Malo.
On June 24, 1534, Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and took possession of the territory in the name of King Francis I of France.

Of the province’s total population in 2011, which numbered 7,903,001, 78.1 per cent declared French as their mother tongue, 7.7 per cent declared English as their mother tongue, and 12.3 per cent declared a mother tongue other than French or English.

After 1763 the remaining French-speaking population grew substantially, from 100,000 in 1784 to over 400,000 in 1825 and almost a million in 1860. By 1911, the French-speaking population in Québec was about 2 million people, 4 million in 1951 and almost 8 million in 2013. Between 1840 and 1930 one million French-Canadians, most of them seeking jobs in the manufacturing sector in New England, left Québec for the United States. Today, the estimated Franco-American population is 5 million people.

When the Anglo-French struggle for supremacy in North America was almost over, in 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the war and ceded New France to Britain. This marked a crucial turning point in Canadian history.

Just to say that one does not underestimate the french. They were the founder of Canada and had a hight presence from 1534 to 1763 and after the British take over they expanded.

The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should proclaim national sovereignty and become an independent state, with the condition precedent of offering a political and economic agreement to Canada.

Votes Of total

Yes 2,308,360 49.42%

No 2,362,648 50.58%
Valid votes 4,671,008 98.18%

Parizeau was right ..........

The fight is not finish yet


"It's true, it's true that we have been defeated, but basically by what? By money and some ethnic votes, essentially. So all it means is that, in the next round, instead of being 60 or 61 per cent to vote Yes, we will be 63 or 64 per cent and it will suffice. That's all." - Jacques Parizeau, Oct. 30, 1995

 

[Randall]

Canada was discovered in the year 1534, by Jacques Cartier, a mariner belonging to the small French seaport St. Malo.

Wrong. Canada was discovered by the Vikings about 500 years before that: L'Anse aux Meadows - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[tichan]

Anyhow how many Vikings were there around 1534. None or hardly any and they sure did not fight for the territory.
The aboriginals ( the different Indian tribes ) are the true owners of the land.
Quebec is a fantastic place to live in. Both English and French get along pretty well including the melting pot of so many other nationalities.

 

[Burnt State]

The 88 Aboriginal Languages of Canada Carte linguistique du Canada / Linguistic map of Canada