Today was Quebec National day, aka St. John the Baptist’s Day, aka St. Jean Baptiste Day and there were a whole line-up of celebrations in Parc Maisonneuve. Notice the Quebec Flag - the blue and white and the Patriots flag also, which were far fewer but non-zero.
It turned out it was also the Quebec prime minister's birthday, so we sang happy birthday to him. And then the organizer reminded the crowd that he is a Liberal and the Liberals are against a Quebec sovereignty. The crowd bood... and then they sang "Libérez-nous des libéraux" (free us from the liberals). Together with the hundreds of people, I also chanted "Libérez-nous des libéraux"... and secretly hoped I'd get the hell out of here before that happens...
Asked more directly if Quebec is "destined to become a country," just 38 per cent of French Canadians, 12 per cent of English-Canadian respondents and three per cent of allophones agreed that it would.
Regionally, a minority of respondents from Quebec (35 per cent), the Maritimes (17 per cent), B.C. (13 per cent), Ontario (8 per cent), Alberta (7 per cent) and Manitoba/Saskatchewan (4 per cent) agreed that Quebec is destined to become a country.
- Montreal Gazzette, June 23, 2008
Well... the crowd at Parc Maisonneuve, could just have been carried away in the moment... but I do know a student here who is a sovereignist.. if you'll listen, he'll tell you how his Mom was denied jobs just because she only spoke French, how she had to take exams in English even though she didn't speak or write it (The world was pretty messed up way back when, wasn't it?)... and how the Federal government is cutting down the Borealis forest and how the federal government are yes-men to the US...
I also am reading that Barack Obama is going back on his NAFTA stand, to please the Canadian government I hear. "Scratch that NAFTA", Jason will tell you, "it was a plan hatched so the US can rob the rest of North America, example - Borealis wood"... this is not the first time I'm hearing this from a non-US North American... Ah that shrewd Bill Clinton - I am also reading he is a little sour towards Obama... Somehow I have a feeling that if I was living in the US with the Bill Clinton government, I would have not liked him as much, for I would've known more...
Where were all these armies, when a brawl broke out and broke my toe nail...???
It totally blew me to see these hare krishnas at the Quebec day celebrations... For some Quebecois though, it was yet another drum beat to dance to, specially as the main festivities had wound down...
No comments:
Post a Comment