Bloc

[mirror]

Canadians ready for sovereign Quebec: Duceppe

What is the Bloc presently in the polls in Quebec, 45%, is the latest I think.

Canadians ignore Mr Duceppe's Bloc Quebecois at their peril.

Federal Election Results For Quebec

--------Bloc-------------------Liberal

Year----Seats-----%--------Seats-----%

2004---54----------12%-------19

2000---38---------------------37

1997---44---------------------26

1993---54---------------------19

[mirror]

Liberals ready to discuss cut to Bloc's public funds

So the Liberals want to cut funding to the Bloc? Is this because the Liberals can't win against them on a level playing field?

[August1991]

From article above:

Federal Liberals in Quebec have been smarting for months over the sizable public subsidy the Bloc has received since the 2004 election, noting they do not have to bear the higher costs of running a national campaign, complete with a jet that carries the party leader coast to coast and national ads in two languages.

WTF? Federal Liberals are complaining about the cost of bilingualism?

----

I saw elsewhere that Lucienne Robillard also said that the Young Liberal proposal deserves to be discussed.

This is what happens when the State provides financing for political parties, and the terrible thing is that in the Liberal mind, the proposed change has a veneer of legitimacy.

[Riverwind]

This is what happens when the State provides financing for political parties, and the terrible thing is that in the Liberal mind, the proposed change has a veneer of legitimacy.

What is illegitimate about the proposal? The idea that parties should be funded based on the number of votes cast is pretty arbitrary and tends to favour regional parties like the Bloc. A system that takes into account the 'need' for funding based on the number of candidates running is not only fair it is also good for the county since this country needs national parties.

What you forget to mention is such funding changes would give both the NDP and the CPC more money to support their Quebec candidates - the only party that loses is the BQ.

[Bakunin]

typically liberal...

They can't win against regional party so they want to get rid of them and screw the laws.

A bit like in cuba, a one party state...

[Riverwind]

They can't win against regional party so they want to get rid of them and screw the laws.

Laws which are unfair are or not in the best intrest of the citizens need to be changed. There is no fundamental right for political parties to be funded based _only_ on the number of votes cast.

A bit like in cuba, a one party states...

A system that encourages national parties in the best interests of Canada. Changes to the system would benefit the CPC, NDP and even the Greens since these parties care about getting elected in every part of the country. If anything, changing the rules will give other federalist parties a better chance in Quebec - something that would help promote multiparty democracy.

[kimmy]

The Liberals are griping about having to pay the cost of campaigning nationally in two languages while the BQ can concentrate their funds on just 75 ridings in one province. Very well. What about previous elections where the Liberals themselves spent a minimum of money or effort in the west because they recognized their money would be better spent elsewhere? I believe in 2000, Chretien spent only a couple of hours in Alberta, at a Landslide Annie event, then jetted off to Vancouver for a day, after which it was back east. "Fly-over territory", as one of Mirror's articles put it.

That said, having the funding formula reflect the number of candidates the party is running seems a sensible idea.

Changes to the rules, if they are to be made, should come into effect *after* the next election, as changing the rules now would be highly inappropriate. It would be much like when kids play football at recess, and since there's not enough players, the bossy kid doubles as the referee... and calls penalties and makes up rules as he goes along to the benefit of his own team. We have all seen what happens to that kid. Soon enough, players from the other team recognize that no matter what they do, the bossy kid is going to call penalties on them, and decide that if they're going to be penalized, they might as well earn the penalties, and do a vicious gang-tackle on the bossy kid. And then you get Kimmy running in from the sidelines to try and stop the bleeding by stuffing an entire pocket-pak of Kleenex up the kid's nose and searching in the grass for the missing tooth. The Liberals passing a bill to mess with the BQ's funding right before an election would generate a similar result, except that instead of angry grade 3 kids, the ones administering the gang tackle will be Quebec voters, and Kimmy will not be there to administer first-aid, because Kimmy just doesn't have enough Kleenex for the Liberals' Quebec caucus, or enough sympathy to make the effort.

-kimmy

[Riverwind]

Changes to the rules, if they are to be made, should come into effect *after* the next election, as changing the rules now would be highly inappropriate.

I agree with this. The next election should be fought using the current funding rules even if changes are brought in now.

[mirror]

I wonder how Quebecers are reacting to this proposal? Let's face it the Bloc has had it pretty good. There are not very many countries that would even allow a separatist party to exist, so they should not really complain about this, although they will try and generate an outcry.

[Bakunin]

Its funny because when the liberal use the government money to put canada's flag evrywhere in quebec, finance their election and get rid of their party's deficit, nobody seems to care outside quebec...

But because quebeckers democratically decide to ellect 54 deputy wich aren't liberal, then they should worth less money than deputy outside quebec ?

How do you think we should react ? By the way don't forget that quebeckers also pay taxes, so canada isn't financing the 75 deputy in quebec, quebeckers are and they choose not to give their money to the ndp and cons.

[Riverwind]

But because quebeckers democratically decide to ellect 54 deputy wich aren't liberal, then they should worth less money than deputy outside quebec ?

Why should the govenment be funding parties based solely on the number of votes cast? Our parliment works on the basis of MPs therefore it makes more sense give every riding an equal amount of money that is divided according to the popular vote in that riding.

It is true that rural ridings have fewer people than urban ridings and you could argue that it gives rural ridings an unfair advantage, however, rural ridings are usually physically large which means candidates must spend much more on transportation.

I think a blended system that combines total vote with number of ridings makes most sense. The BQ was lucky that no one thought through the implications of the simple pay per vote system. If they had the system would have been different from the start and the BQ would have nothing to whine about.

[Guest eureka]

The Bloc is hugely overfunded. It holds nearly 20% of the seats in the House with barely 10% of the total vote.

Ironically, that is another way in which Canada subsidizes the group that is working to bring about Canada's demise. Quebec pays less than half of that through federal taxes.

Quite the problem!

[mirror]

Its funny because when the liberal use the government money to put canada's flag evrywhere in quebec, finance their election and get rid of their party's deficit, nobody seems to care outside quebec...

But because quebeckers democratically decide to ellect 54 deputy wich aren't liberal, then they should worth less money than deputy outside quebec ?

How do you think we should react ? By the way don't forget that quebeckers also pay taxes, so canada isn't financing the 75 deputy in quebec, quebeckers are and they choose not to give their money to the ndp and cons.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dear bakunin

Please explain to me what you mean about our Canadian government promoting the united country of Canada within Canada's borders by installing Canadian flags.

The other 12 provinces and territories (quiet Alberta) want us to remain united so why is this a problem and would you not expect this from Canada's national government.

Bien a vous

[Bakunin]

One of the goal of the sponsorship ad program was to put canadian flag evrywhere, find evry way possible to sponsorize canadian flag in quebec.

For sample, canada day is way overfund by the federal in quebec than anywhere else.

As a quebeckers im frustrated that those liberal are supid enough to think they can buy my affection with flag... Now evry time i see a canadian flag it reminds me of the sponsorship scandal... The canadian flag became a political weapon of propaganda and its very sad. I think it damaged canada, the objective failed.

If the federal want to promote or fix unity then they should re-open the constitution and find a consensus between the trudeau vision of canada, quebeckers vision of canada and the west vision of canada. As long as this is not fix, unity is at risk.

[mirror]

Pettigrew calls sovereignists 'intolerant'

The Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois are intolerant of Quebec's ethnic minorities and only favour them if they support sovereignty, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew charged yesterday.

Speaking to members of the federal Liberal Party's youth wing in Quebec, Pettigrew said the "cavalier and shameful" treatment of Haitian-born broadcaster Michaelle Jean after she was appointed governor-general showed the "true colours" of the sovereignist movement.

While Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe remained silent for days, hard-line sovereignists quickly descended on Jean, the first black woman to be appointed governor-general.

"They did everything they could to make her renounce her position," Pettigrew said.

He gave an election-style speech designed to re-energize young Liberals. The party has been battered in recent months over the inquiry into the scandal-plagued sponsorship program.

He said there have always been two streams of political ideology in Quebec. On one hand, there is the Liberal tradition of openness, tolerance and reform. On the other, a tradition of close-mindedness, intolerance and protectionism, typified by the Bloc Quebecois, the Parti Quebecois and the Union Nationale before them

I sure that it is politically incorrect to say this at least in Quebec but you know I have to agreee with Pettigrew.