kward

I'm not proud of him...the man is paid, and paid well to do his job - same for every other person in government. You don't get a cookie just for showing up to work. The whole being proud of Canada thing. Canada is too broad a "thing" to quantify in that way. On the one hand Canada is a country full of beautiful landscapes. It's also a place where competition is eschewed in favour of social engineering. It's a place many people like to think of as being home to many generous people...it's also home to many people who would just as soon spit on you as lend a hand.

You do realize it's all a game right? Liberal, NDP, Conservative...they're all the same. Each one gets into office at some level of government and they do things that drive opinionated people nuts. But here we are, we carry on with the same level of first world luxury we've always had. With the time and means to argue on an internet message board like the spoiled westerners we are. Harper is not someone I vote for...but he's also not some crazed- despot who's driven Canada off a cliff either. Looking at your level of anger about the man, if I had told you back in 2005 that this guy was going to wind up being PM for at least the next six years you'd have probably told everyone you know to pack up and head for the hills. Yet, here we are years later...a unified country...whining about the game. And that's all that it is. Maybe someday we'll have some real options as voters...some people or parties that actually are as different as the current ones pretend to be - but for now, that's not reality.

And?

The "sad protest mentality" is a language dispute that, you're right, isn't going to get them anywhere - by virtue of the fact that they'll always be outnumbered. If the francophones in Quebec are serious about their concerns federally, and they get a consensus within that province, the feds should step out of the way and let them declare independence.

What's dumb about it?

I wouldn't mind seeing Quebec become its own nation, nor would I mind Alberta doing the same.