Harper says Quebec pride no threat

[Leafless]

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper ventured into the heartland of Quebec nationalism Sunday and reassured Quebecers that pride in their language and culture should not be seen as a threat by the rest of Canada.

"In my opinion, all Canadians can rejoice at the pride that Quebecers feel at having preserved their unique identity within Canada," the prime minister said in a speech here to commemorate St. Jean-Baptiste Day, Quebec's annual "national" holiday.

"Quebec pride is not the enemy or the rejection of Canadian patriotism," he added."

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As PM of Canada is Mr. Harper not out of line for stating a personal opinion relating to a very potential controversial statement, that many Conservative supporters might not agree with when he said: "Quebec pride is not the enemy or the rejection of Canadian patriotism"

Certainly, Quebec pride IS the political root cause of major political indifferences between the province of Quebec and other Canadian provinces and Canadian national political parties.

I think Mr. Harpers statement is insulting to Canadians who are currently patriotic to Canada but cannot depend on government support to nationally express those views politically, since Quebcec political ideologies support Quebec as being politically first and Canada second.

Quebec has always been a major stumbling block, relating to Canadian patriotism, nationally.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...c384c55&k=60824

[M.Dancer]

Take note everyone, lest you have pride in your province, territory or region.

All you Cape Bretoners....put away your seditious fiddles....you blue nosers too......and if any albertans with your petro dollars and stampede weeks even so much as mention the heritage fund......you on the left coast? it's just a nude beach, get over it.

[Leafless]

Take note everyone, lest you have pride in your province, territory or region.

All you Cape Bretoners....put away your seditious fiddles....you blue nosers too......and if any albertans with your petro dollars and stampede weeks even so much as mention the heritage fund......you on the left coast? it's just a nude beach, get over it.

Actually St.John Baptiste day celebrations was to celebrate St. John Baptiste as the patron saint of French Canada with no one really knowing why initially St. John Baptiste came to be considered the patron saint of French Canada.

http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.c...s=U1ARTU0003085

Regardless, "the celebrations were gradually secularized and June 23 and 24 became what they are nowadays. Nonetheless, the festival retains a strong colouration of Québécois nationalism and is perceived by some Quebeckers of non-French-Canadian extraction as an ethnic rather than a state holiday."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Jean-Baptiste_Day

Pride, Dancer has nothing to do fiddles or petro dollars in Quebec.

If anything Quebec pride (St.John Baptiste celebrations) is associated with an arrogant political self- love that indeed overrides Canadian patriotism.

Mr. Harper is dead wrong making his statement that, " "Quebec pride is not the enemy or the rejection of Canadian patriotism."

[Mad_Michael]

Mr. Harper is dead wrong making his statement that, " "Quebec pride is not the enemy or the rejection of Canadian patriotism."

If not anything else, Harper is proving that it is to Quebec that he looks to pickup votes.

More telling still is the message 'between the lines' that Harper has all but given up trying to gain any votes in Ontario.

Pity, it would be nice if Harper read the writing on the wall and embraced social liberalism rather than endlessly fishing around to find enough votes to support his minority viewpoint. No matter how hard you search for social conservative voters, there just aren't enough of them out there. If Harper disavows the gay-bashing & immigrant-bashing rhetoric of his own party, he'd have a majority tomorrow. But he just can't bring himself to do that... preferring to continue the ephemeral search for the phantom 'social conservative' voters hiding in Quebec that are going to be his saviour!

[Topaz]

Mr. Harper is dead wrong making his statement that, " "Quebec pride is not the enemy or the rejection of Canadian patriotism."

If not anything else, Harper is proving that it is to Quebec that he looks to pickup votes.

More telling still is the message 'between the lines' that Harper has all but given up trying to gain any votes in Ontario.

Pity, it would be nice if Harper read the writing on the wall and embraced social liberalism rather than endlessly fishing around to find enough votes to support his minority viewpoint. No matter how hard you search for social conservative voters, there just aren't enough of them out there. If Harper disavows the gay-bashing & immigrant-bashing rhetoric of his own party, he'd have a majority tomorrow. But he just can't bring himself to do that... preferring to continue the ephemeral search for the phantom 'social conservative' voters hiding in Quebec that are going to be his saviour!

Harper give up on Ontario when he decide to leave and become part of Alberta, more power to him. The people of Quebec are not stupid people and they will let him mouth off and take what they can get and then vote which ever way that benefits them. Too bad we can't have a PM that can't be bought or one that DOESN'T WANT to be bought!!

[Keepitsimple]

I don't think that Canadians distance themselves from Quebec because they have pride in their culture and language.....I think mainly, it's because of politicians continually cowtowing to Quebec "demands" for more money. Perhaps it's gome unnoticed to many Canadians, but the "Fiscal Imbalance" got a lot of play in Quebec over the past ten years. Harper's budget has for the most part, gained the acceptance of Quebecers that this imbalance, real or imagined, has been dealt with. I'm originally from Montreal and keep an eye on what's going on......Quebecers seem to now realize that they have to get their own house in order and stop using the Feds as a convenient whipping boy. That's what the ADQ are campaigning on - getting their own house in order. From my point of view, the foundation of Harper's budget - namely equalization and transfers - has satisfied Quebec and has defended Ontario (and the other "haves") against Atlantic provinces gaining more Fiscal capacity than Ontarians - and it has given a fair shake to the Maritimes - even though they will not admit it. In the long run, this is all very good for Canada.

[Mad_Michael]

Harper give up on Ontario when he decide to leave and become part of Alberta, more power to him. The people of Quebec are not stupid people and they will let him mouth off and take what they can get and then vote which ever way that benefits them. Too bad we can't have a PM that can't be bought or one that DOESN'T WANT to be bought!!

Colourful.

But my point was that the votes Harper needs for a majority are most easily found lying around Ontario. Harper refuses to try to pick up these votes and prefers to try to fishing in Quebec amongst Quebec Nationalists. Mulroney, Harper is not and we are still paying the price of Mulroney's games. But who cares about national unity if you can squeeze an extra few votes eh?

Its an ugly strategy that sells Canada down the river. You can't make deals with separatists!

Mulroney pandered to the Quebec Nationalists and we ended up with the BQ. Wonderful. What's Harper's floundering around going to leave us with?

[jefferiah]

Take note everyone, lest you have pride in your province, territory or region.

All you Cape Bretoners....put away your seditious fiddles....you blue nosers too......and if any albertans with your petro dollars and stampede weeks even so much as mention the heritage fund......you on the left coast? it's just a nude beach, get over it.

Well said, M Dancer. While I dont support separatism, I have to agree here. Local pride is not necessarily the root of anything. It is possible to have a somewhat unique culture and be part of Canada, and being a Maritimer I have to acknowledge that you gave a good example.

I think separatism may have more to do with a cultural inferiority complex. Maybe that's a load of baloney, too. I don't know.

[jefferiah]

Look at alot of Canadians in respect to Americans. We sometimes feel the need to keep things Canadian in a purist way, because maybe we feel smaller and less powerful than the US.

[madmax]

Look at alot of Canadians in respect to Americans. We sometimes feel the need to keep things Canadian in a purist way, because maybe we feel smaller and less powerful than the US.

That is an interesting perspective. You could be on the right track.

[jefferiah]

Well I dont know, but one thing I do know is .....I am a Montreal "CANADIENS" fan, and I hope they stay that way.

[guyser]

.....I am a Montreal "CANADIENS" fan, and I hope they stay that way.

What..?.....a team out of the playoffs and cannot find its way season after season.....oh wait , I am a Leafs fan, never mind , carry on.

[Leafless]

Take note everyone, lest you have pride in your province, territory or region.

All you Cape Bretoners....put away your seditious fiddles....you blue nosers too......and if any albertans with your petro dollars and stampede weeks even so much as mention the heritage fund......you on the left coast? it's just a nude beach, get over it.

Well said, M Dancer. While I dont support separatism, I have to agree here. Local pride is not necessarily the root of anything. It is possible to have a somewhat unique culture and be part of Canada, and being a Maritimer I have to acknowledge that you gave a good example.

I think separatism may have more to do with a cultural inferiority complex. Maybe that's a load of baloney, too. I don't know.

Do you have a clue what of WTF your talking about?

Or could it be you are inhaling or injecting some sort of illegal substance?

[M.Dancer]

Do you have a clue what of WTF your talking about?

Or could it be you are inhaling or injecting some sort of illegal substance?

Always a laugh to read someone calling someone else off base when their own post makes them look illiterate....

[Leafless]

Do you have a clue what of WTF your talking about?

Or could it be you are inhaling or injecting some sort of illegal substance?

Always a laugh to read someone calling someone else off base when their own post makes them look illiterate....

Pride, primary definition= "A feeling of elation or satisfaction at achievements or qualities or possessions etc. that do one credit." Concise Oxford Dictionary.

Maybe Dancer can explain the difference between 'pride' and playing the fiddle and Quebec nationalism.

I see no relation in the word 'pride' relating to the accumulative desires of Quebecers with traitorous actions, threatening to break up the country by blackmailing our federal government for more power or money.

[Moxie]

I wish the rest of Canada had as much pride in their country as Quebec does as a province. Multiculture, a socialist myth, has pounded Canadian Culture into oatmeal. To gain National Pride again we need to reclaim this country as a majority and stop pandering to minorities like Quebec Seperatists. This country belongs to all Canadians not to 12 percent of it's people who speak French.

[Leafless]

I wish the rest of Canada had as much pride in their country as Quebec does as a province. Multiculture, a socialist myth, has pounded Canadian Culture into oatmeal. To gain National Pride again we need to reclaim this country as a majority and stop pandering to minorities like Quebec Seperatists. This country belongs to all Canadians not to 12 percent of it's people who speak French.

Quebec pride as nothing to do with pride.

What the French are basically anywhere in the world including Quebec are obnoxious, arrogant, aggressive people especially relating to their politicians who will not bow to anyone's rule but their own.

They are willing to break up Canada with blackmail and threats knowing full well the federal government will never kick Quebec out of confederation with the end result being 7-million Quebec refugees on the borders of other Canadian provinces with no where to go after their province disintegrates to nothing if in fact they were thrown out of confederation.

[M.Dancer]

Quebec pride as nothing to do with pride.

You couldn't pay a comedian to write this kind of material......

[Leafless]

Quebec pride as nothing to do with pride.

You couldn't pay a comedian to write this kind of material......

I also doubt any comedian would want this material.

That is why this whole issue is so damn serious relating to to a single dysfunctional government trying to pander to, what amounts to, the political ideologies of two separate countries.

[jefferiah]

Take note everyone, lest you have pride in your province, territory or region.

All you Cape Bretoners....put away your seditious fiddles....you blue nosers too......and if any albertans with your petro dollars and stampede weeks even so much as mention the heritage fund......you on the left coast? it's just a nude beach, get over it.

Well said, M Dancer. While I dont support separatism, I have to agree here. Local pride is not necessarily the root of anything. It is possible to have a somewhat unique culture and be part of Canada, and being a Maritimer I have to acknowledge that you gave a good example.

I think separatism may have more to do with a cultural inferiority complex. Maybe that's a load of baloney, too. I don't know.

Do you have a clue what of WTF your talking about?

Or could it be you are inhaling or injecting some sort of illegal substance?

Hey no need to get all hot and bothered about it. I am not saying that Quebecois who dislike Canada are innocent victims or anything of the sort. I am simply saying that cultural pride on its own is not necessraily bad, and that the problem comes from something else. It is possible to be a proud Albertan or a proud Maritimer without becoming an enemy of Canada. So that kind of pride in and of itself does not cause the situation we see in Quebec, or else it would cause it elsewhere. Would you suggest that we ban pride, or ban it in Quebec? Or if as you say Quebec pride is not the same as other pride, then maybe pride is the wrong word. "Quebec pride (h)as nothing to do with pride." I am not trying to fight with you here. Maybe you should look at what you are saying and what I am saying and see that really there is not much of a difference.

My theory is that Quebecois are anti-Canadian in the same way and for a similar reason that many Canadians are anti-American. More of an envy than pride. Where English is put in smaller font in Quebec, in all of Canada we have the CRTC telling us we must have so much Canadian content. I am not trying to justify it, or sticking up for it. I am just saying that a cultural pride is not necessarily the problem, its the idea that you must preserve your culture by force for fear of losing it. I am proud to be a Canadian but that pride itself does not make me want to bash Americans. It does not make me feel like I must impose restrictions on TV and Radio in order to maintain Canadian purity. I dont think that is pride at all, but more of a fear.

[Leafless]

My theory is that Quebecois are anti-Canadian in the same way and for a similar reason that many Canadians are anti-American. More of an envy than pride.

Envy or pride are not the primary reasons some Canadians are anti-American but has more to do with political reasons.

Where English is put in smaller font in Quebec, in all of Canada we have the CRTC telling us we must have so much Canadian content.

And what does this really mean?

More dubbed Quebec films for the ROC.

I am not trying to justify it, or sticking up for it. I am just saying that a cultural pride is not necessarily the problem, its the idea that you must preserve your culture by force for fear of losing it.

Who else in Canada dwells on culture like Quebec?

It is all smoke and mirrors with the bottom line focused on cultural diversity equating to power.

I am proud to be a Canadian but that pride itself does not make me want to bash Americans. It does not make me feel like I must impose restrictions on TV and Radio in order to maintain Canadian purity. I dont think that is pride at all, but more of a fear.

Pride is dangerous just like religion when driven to the extremities and this is what Quebec's problem is, 'extreme cultural nationalistic pride' equating to cultural fanaticism or simply, for all practical reasons, a continuation of the 'War on the Plains of Abraham'.