Eight Billion Per Year

[August1991]

Et le Québec? À cause de sa forte population, c'est la province qui reçoit le plus, bon an mal an, au titre de la péréquation (cette année, 60% du total des transferts, plus de deux fois plus que son poids démographique). Or, il se trouve que le Québec s'offre des services coûteux qui n'existent pas ailleurs, comme l'assurance médicaments, les garderies à 7$, une fonction publique pléthorique, etc. Et lorsque le gouvernement Charest a utilisé les premiers transferts visant à régler le «déséquilibre fiscal» (auquel le Québec était le seul à croire) pour baisser les impôts à la veille des élections de 2007, il a scié la branche sur laquelle il était assis. C'était faire la preuve que le Québec n'avait nul besoin de la péréquation pour des services essentiels. Et il ne s'est pas fait d'amis dans le reste du Canada en passant son temps à se plaindre et à quémander plus, encore plus, toujours plus.

L'Ontario, qui en tant que locomotive économique, considérait qu'il en allait de son devoir de subventionner les régions moins riches, commence à ruer sérieusement dans les brancards.

Lysiane Gagnon

[Radsickle]

spamalot?

[Borg]

More proof of the importance of English as the language for communication

This person may have an important message - but it certainly will be ignored by the masses

Yawn ......

Borg

[Oleg Bach]

When they use French it is as if they really don't want to be understood...If they go French first in their address - then repeat it in English, the average persons attention span will have wained by the time the person has spoken - in effect bored. It's so tedious when a political trys to appease the French in Canada by speaking bad French...mean while the rest of the world uses English...I wonder if a South African goes on in Dutch first...then spews in English - and why did the lady speaking on behalf of the World Health Orgainiztion speak in English - why not French? Cos' French is the old imperial language and has had it's day - world wide - Canada should dump the french thing.

[waldo]

The important Borq message... for the "masses"

how stoopid a statement!

that sir, is the French language web-site of the French language daily, "La Presse"... it serves the masses quite well - the masses of it's target market.

the further idiocy is the OPs... on a prominently "English discussion board"... to post in non-English is either laziness (in not offering a translated version (for the board masses that apparently can't manage the non-English post))... or... is laziness by the OP in not offering personal comment concerning the post... or... is some yet to be revealed OP commentary on his purpose in said post (purpose other than offering a linked article discussing equalization)... or ???

[Borg]

The important Borq message... for the "masses"

how stoopid a statement!

that sir, is the French language web-site of the French language daily, "La Presse"... it serves the masses quite well - the masses of it's target market.

the further idiocy is the OPs... on a prominently "English discussion board"... to post in non-English is either laziness (in not offering a translated version (for the board masses that apparently can't manage the non-English post))... or... is laziness by the OP in not offering personal comment concerning the post... or... is some yet to be revealed OP commentary on his purpose in said post (purpose other than offering a linked article discussing equalization)... or ???

Localized masses of a xenophobic population - good thing they are contained in a small part of the world.

I am now convinced that the message was quite unimportant

Borg

Edited May 5, 2009 by Borg

[Oleg Bach]

Your vest is cutting off the blood supply to your head Borg.

[waldo]

Localized masses of a xenophobic population - good thing they are contained in a small part of the world.

and... your MLW "xenophobia" is on prominent display... good thing is it localized to a small part of the interweeb

[Borg]

and... your MLW "xenophobia" is on prominent display... good thing is it localized to a small part of the interweeb

Truth hurts you doesn't it

Borg

[Borg]

Your vest is cutting off the blood supply to your head Borg.

Nope

The plates pull the collar down

Some will understand - you will not - go back to your corner and play with your guitar

Borg

[waldo]

Truth hurts you doesn't it

why be hatin - so much? The truth will set you free

[Oleg Bach]

why be hatin - so much? The truth will set you free

Borg is just parroting...he does not hate - if he was a hater - I would know...I don't see any signs of debilitating hatred in this man. The truth does not set you free - it saddles you with responsibility and is a heavy load to bear.

[Smallc]

Ummmm....Quebec wasn't the only province to believe in the Fiscal Imbalance. Quebec also isn't the only province with drug insurance and a daycare plan (though Quebec does have the most comprehensive one).

[Molly]

Refreshing to see the subject addressed that way, though... in French.

Edited May 5, 2009 by Molly

[madmax]

Lysiane Gagnon

Don't post an run.......

A few comments would be helpful.... and for fun, you could make it up and I wouldn't doubt your source

[Smallc]

More proof of the importance of English as the language for communication

This person may have an important message - but it certainly will be ignored by the masses

Yawn ......

Borg

Yes, because Google Translate is so hard to use. I'm trying to learn French right now because it's an official language if this country...and it never hurts to know how to communicate in other languages. There really is nothing wrong with him posting in French....I really don't think it hurts you any.

[M.Dancer]

More proof of the importance of English as the language for communication

This person may have an important message - but it certainly will be ignored by the masses

Yawn ......

Borg

4th largest paper in Canada...read by those who need to know...and those who need to know who don't read french well get it translated.

BTW....the 3rd largest is the Journal de Montreal..

[August1991]

How embarassing the posters to this forum can be. In Quebec, Lysiane Gagnon is like Don Martin or even Margaret Wente and she's as boring establishment as Jeffrey Simpson.

Here's the Google translation of the OP:

And Quebec? Because of its large population, the province that receives most every year, under the equalization (this year, 60% of total transfers, more than twice its population). However, it is that Quebec offers expensive services that do not exist elsewhere, such as drug insurance, child care to $ 7, a bloated civil service, etc.. And when the Charest government has used the first transfers to solve the "fiscal imbalance" (in which Quebec was the only one to believe) to lower taxes before the elections of 2007, he sawed off the branch he was sitting . This was to demonstrate that Quebec did not need equalization to essential services. And he did not make any friends in the rest of Canada from time to complain and beg for more, more, more.

Here's a link to a Google translation of the column

With the same link, I started this same thread in a Quebec political forum and the thread developed differently.

----

My conclusion? Canada is not a single nation, a single country but it has two solitudes, two languages, who live together in a common space.

Edited May 7, 2009 by August1991

[Smallc]

Canada is not a single nation, a single country but it has two solitudes, two languages, who live together in a common space.

You and eye don't usually see eye to eye, but that is very nicely put. As long as you meant that it is a single country.

[waldo]

do you serve cheese to us lab rats

[August1991]

You and eye don't usually see eye to eye, but that is very nicely put. As long as you meant that it is a single country.

The two solitudes live together in a civilized manner.

To the extent Canada exists, this is its strength.

Edited May 7, 2009 by August1991

[Molly]

I would have hoped that you posted that editorial because it was (and it was) refreshing and interesting... not as a cynical reconfirmation of stereotypes you plan to take to the grave anyway.

There are far more than two solitudes in this nation, civil or otherwise.

[Smallc]

There are far more than two solitudes in this nation, civil or otherwise.

Now that is also very true....perhaps it should be....two official solitudes

[August1991]

There are far more than two solitudes in this nation, civil or otherwise.

But we have only two linguistic/language soltitudes.

Molly, it is one thing for two people who speak the same language to misunderstand one another. (Maybe they need Oprah. Dunno.)

It is an entirely different thing if two people who speak different languages want to communicate. (They don't need Oprah. They need an interpreter.)

---

Molly, I agree with you that there are far more than two solitudes in Canada. But IMV, the Canadian State can at best face two basic solitudes, according to language.

[ironstone]

Gosh!Quebec get's 8 billion dollars a year in equalization payments?And aren't they the same province that want's independance?Hmmm,they want to go it alone but they can't seem to pay their own way while they live within Canada.