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Zepaholic

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  1. Well put and fingers crossed. My biggest concern is timing. Going into uncharted waters in these dangerous econmic times is not prudent, imo. We shall see.
  2. The Bloc... Political Mission: The Bloc Québécois (also known as the "BQ" or the "Bloc") is a federal political party, though it runs candidates only in the federal electoral districts of Quebec. Its members and supporters come from a broad spectrum of political orientations by the party's central purpose: to promote the secession of Quebec from Canada or, when the desire of Quebecers for secession is weak, to promote the "interests" of Quebec. It is perhaps for this reason that the party's web site is extremely light on details concerning matters of policy or ideology. Within the BQ can be found not only proponents of Quebec secession and independence, but proponents of Québécois nationalism. The latter view Quebec as a place that is, first a foremost, for "pur laine" (i.e., "pure wool", or "old stock") Quebecers: a place in which the French language, culture is preserved, and in which the future is determined by those with a long, francophone, ancestral history in Quebec, for those with a long, francophone, ancestral history in Quebec, even if to the detriment of newcomers. That nationalist sentiment is perhaps epitomized by the speech given by Parti Québécois leader Jacques Parizeau following the failure of the 1995 Quebec secession bid, in which he blamed the defeat upon "money and the ethnic vote". Whether simply seeking independence for Quebec, or whether seeking a nation state, the BQ's position on newcomers to Quebec can be summarized being based on the "melting pot" model. The party has been vocal in opposing state-funded multiculturalism: "In Quebec, the emphasis is on integration. Not assimilation but integration. The official definition of integration is as follows: integration is long term multi-dimensional process of adaptation, distinct from assimilation. In this process, the knowledge and use of the common language of Quebec society is a fundamental driving force. The process is consolidated in a society, where participation by all Quebecers is guaranteed and where immigrants and members of cultural communities find their place and are recognized as full members of the communal, social and political life of a pluralistic francophone society. This policy has received unanimous approval in Quebec; it is never an issue, unlike the Canadian policy. We cannot help but notice that multiculturalism enjoys anything but unanimous approval. The Decima and Gallup polls published in 1993 showed that 75 per cent of Canadians rejected the policy of multiculturalism and favoured a style of integration similar to Quebec's. Given the government's investment in multiculturalism, it is a sad thing to see it fail. For the year 1993-94 alone, the government invested $38,846 million. The program has existed for 20 years. How many billions of dollars have been invested to date in a flawed policy which the country does not want? The policy is not working and even its target public, members of ethnic communities, are criticizing it. I cite as an example the overwhelming support for Neil Bissoondath's first book. His supporters were unanimous in saying that the government should only concern itself with helping immigrants to integrate into our society and fighting racism-end of story. He noted that the federal government's policy tended to create ethnic ghettos, which in no way foster integration and full participation in political, economic and social life. We also cannot leave unmentioned the absurdities made possible by the multiculturalism policy. Barely six months ago, a consultation paper from the Minister of Justice proposed that culture or religion be permitted as a defence against criminal charges. Because of the ensuing uproar, the minister had to recant and withdraw the proposal. That is one example of how far some people will go to promote different cultures. In closing, I would like to stress that a sovereign Quebec would continue to favour integration and respect. The current Minister of International Affairs, Cultural Communities and Immigration, Bernard Landry, confirmed that position just a month ago. Please allow me to quote him: ``Quebec will not use the public purse to subsidize cultural differences. Our government is against multiculturalism. Although the Quebec government acknowledges the fact that Quebec is multi-ethnic, it favours a policy of cultural convergence in one common culture, fortified by foreign sources''. That sums up well Quebec's position on multiculturalism and deals with the issue effectively." - BQ MP Christiane Gagnon House of Commons Hansard, April 5, 1995 Party History: The BQ was founded in 1990 following the failure of federal government and the provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution according to what was titled the Meech Lake Accord: a set of proposals that would constitutionally entrench "recognition" of Quebec as a "distinct society", bilingualism, and other changes that some (notably, Quebec's premier of the time, Robert Bourassa, and Canada's Progressive Conservative Prime Minister of the time, Brian Mulroney) thought would strengthen the Canadian federation. Comprised at the time of Progressive Conservative ("PC") and Liberal party members who left those parties to form the Bloc, the party's first leader was former PC cabinet minister Lucienne Bouchard. Bouchard led the BQ to win 54 seats in the House of Commons: just enough seats to form Her Majesty's Official Opposition. Following the Quebec secession referendum of 1995, Bouchard stepped down from the leadership of the party to lead the Bloc's Quebec provincial soul mate, the Parti Québécois. The leadership of the party was assumed by Michel Gauthier for just over a year. The party's current leader, Gilles Duceppe, assumed the leadership of the party on March 15, 1997 . In the federal general election of 1997, the BQ under Duceppe won only 44 seats, losing its Opposition status to the Alberta-based Reform Party of Canada (led by Preston Manning, son of longstanding former Alberta Premier Ernest Manning, whose Social Credit Party of Alberta remained in power there for decades). In the federal general election of 2000, still under Duceppe, the party won fewer seats again: 38. Since that time, several of those seats have been lost in federal by-elections. Some BQ MPs have announced that they do not intend to seek the nomination for the 2004 general election. Given the party's reason for being, one would expect the BQ's popularity to continue to dwindle as Quebec's interest in secession fades. However, the fact of the matter is that, apart from the BQ, the Liberal Party in Quebec currently has no formidable competitor. Thus, until another party takes considerable root in the provinces, BQ candidates can be expected to continue filling the vacuum left when voters decide not to re-elect Liberal MPs in that province. Summary: The are against multiculturalism and instead want a "convergence into one common culture, fortified by foreign resources". They stress the need to "end racism" yet they blame the referendum loss on the "ethnic vote". Their agenda is for independence from Canada yet they shamelessly crawl into bed with the opposition parties "for the betterment of Quebec". I enjoy talking to my Canadian friends so i will not persue this subject further. Politics are divisive, as proven here. I remain sceptical and feel that this little coup d'etat will decimate our economy and polarize this nation. Good luck, friends.
  3. Check out this gem from the CBC re: the Bloc view... Accord 'in the best interests of Quebec': Duceppe The Bloc would not officially be a part of the coalition, but the new government's survival would depend on its support. Duceppe said his party entered into an agreement that is "in the best interests of Quebec, of Quebecers during this time of economic difficulties." "We chose for the time being to give priority to the economic situation and to the assistance we must provide to people," he said. He added he did not agree to support the coalition beyond the 2011 date because the various parties could not agree on "concrete action to recognize the Quebec nation." Parliament is due to vote on a Liberal no-confidence motion on Dec. 8. If Harper's government were to lose a confidence vote, Dion would request that Jean approve the proposed plan to form a coalition government. But the Governor General, who is currently on a state visit in Europe, could also decide to send Canadians to the polls for a second time in less than two months. The prime minister could also still block coalition efforts by proroguing Parliament — that is, suspending it without dissolving it. In other words, when Canada's economy and identity are sufficiently decimated due to this coalition, the people of Quebec will, in the year 2011, be presented with another opportunity to depart this nation. Great...just fucking great.
  4. There is NOTHING exciting about a coalition gov't headed by a leader that was sounded trounced(lowest electoral support ever for a Lib leader), the NDP and the real winners in this fetid stew, the Bloc. A coalition Gov't cannot survive without long term support from the Bloc...the same party that wishes to tear this country apart. This is nothing but a backbench coup. I sincerely hope that the Gov. General does NOT allow this sorry afair to go through. Economic implications aside, it insults the Democratic process that this country undertook 6 short weeks ago. The results are in: Higher taxes Higher debt Higher interest rates Higher unemployment Deeper regional division amongst Canadians General chaos(historically 100% failure rate with ANY coalition Gov't) No thanks. I'll take the pig i know...
  5. I signed up on the first day. The annoyance of these...these....PEOPLE is maddening. FYI, some companies are exempt from this list but most are not. SIgning up has really cut down on the volume of calls to this house.
  6. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...ada&s_name= Domestic. The letter received said something about our "home lands"...local. Some small but radical band of misfits who have no idea what kind of disaster they almost caused. Enviro-geeks, Native people or some kind of militia group would be my guess. Terrorists have bigger fish to fry.
  7. Question: If a Professional athlete sustains an injury that requires attention, do they wait in line for an MRI? Do they wait in an overcrowded ER for a couple of hours to be looked at? Hmmmm, let me think.... You already know the answer, i'm sure of that.
  8. Unless the Gov't recognizes and attempts to remedy the aforementioned issues, i would have to support a 2-tier system. The framework for the UHS i would definitely keep in place but the wait times are absolutely unacceptable. If the people with loads of cash want to get out of line and pay out of pocket for treatment, i have no problem with that. It would take a huge burden off the existing system and allow people who need immediate help to get it before their situation gets worse. Again, i prefer to keep the system as is but it's not working for way too many people.
  9. Where to start, where to start... Health care...I can tell you first hand that our so-called "world class" universal HC is a mess. My work takes me into the biggest Hospitals in the GTA and the situation is grim. We are critically short of Nurses, ER's are embarrassing overcrowded, Doctors are fried to a crisp and if you need to see a specialist, well, take a number and be prepared to wait 6 months or more. How about a 4-6 month wait for an MRI? Sound good? 6-8 weeks for Cancer surgery that really needs to be done within a week? Knee and hip replacement? Hopefully you will survive long enough to get on the table. To be fair, the MD's and Nurses are very well trained and are highly competent. The standards are very high in that regard. The issue is, of course, a Gov't run system that means well but is horribly mismanaged and under-funded. Our tax dollars at work....again. Still, all we need to stand in line is a valid health card and some patience. The treatment is "free", which is funny unto itself. The cost actually comes out of your weekly cheque throughout the year but nobody wants or needs to discuss that... Sin Tax...Well, only about 22% of Canadians still smoke and much of their fix comes from cheap Native smokes that the Gov't can't touch with taxation. They(gov't) have done it again; creating a thriving underground economy due to overtaxation. Alcohol seems to be vital to our national fabric(LoL) and they can tax it all they want. Canadians love their beer! Gambling...I'll leave this to somebody more qualified. I don't gamble and have no interest in it. We have a limited number of Casino's which i consider to be legalized robbery anyway. Just my opinion, i know many who love it. Bottom line...Canada has a so-called "social safety net" which gives people comfort and hope that they will not suffer. For the most part, this semi-socialist agenda does keep most from suffering but it also gives false hopes and expectations. Way, way too many people expect to be taken care of instead of taking care of themselves and using Uncle Fed to bail them out in a tough period. I hate this aspect of our Nationhood but understand it's relative merits upon the national Psychi. We need to be more independent in our thinking and need to see more accountability from our Gov't. May seem like a scathing report but really, i'd choose to live nowhere else on Earth. We are a young nation that just needs to grow up a little.
  10. Of course they lie, everybody lies...welcome to the real world. The issue here is that you, as a voter, need to exercise your right to call whomever out for lying and misrepresentation. You are free to speak out against something that will greatly affect your future as a citizen but choose not to. For the life of me i do not understand the apathy of non voters but i'm just going to leave it at that.
  11. You just don't get it. If you think that the PM is a problem then you MUST vote to rectify the problem. The real problem in this country is the 40% who don't vote and still whine about issues they have no right to whine about. You either want to live in the Peoples Republic of Ontario or wish to join some covert militia that wants to overthrow everything our past generations fought for. People who don't vote need to STFU!
  12. Brilliant post and worth way more than 2 cents. Respect to you.
  13. If you didn't vote(again) then you shouldn't even be discussing this issue. You have revoked your right to alter agenda's that does not suit your needs. You live in Toronto which probably means at least 4 local candidates with different agenda's to suit different people. None of them had any policy that you could relate to? Sad.
  14. Another Tory minority Gov't. IMO, the right decision by Canadians. Keep Harper on a leash, say NO to more taxation and remain relatively stable in this difficult period of our lives.
  15. No big deal, my house looks better than that.......NOT Fabulous pics.
  16. Collusion is easy when there is no direct competition. I believe that private companies are entitled to unregulated profit margins but that said, the lack of integrity and greed shown by Oil Execs is criminal. You get the tar, i'll get the feathers.
  17. Hi Juliet, Latest poll results: Tories 41%, Libs 26%....OUCH! I'm sure that this news just makes your day... p.s. Even "Mr. Enviroment", Jack Layton has panned the carbon tax. Lib stategists are grade schoolers.
  18. Dion is doing a fine job at hurting himself...he doesn't need help from Harper.
  19. No problem, and thanks for the clarification. And as for thinly veiled disdain for democratic process, well, i do believe that Canadians have been coping with this issue for some 40 odd years...under all political banners. I don't believe that anybody need remind anybody about Jean Chretiens track record on corruption, pork barreling and lying to his voting public. Mulroney is another story altogether....
  20. If he was as arrogant as you believe than he would NOT be putting his job on the line and calling an early election. He has a responsibility to all Canadians to move the country forward with a Parliamentary agenda and if an agenda cannot be agreed upon by all parties then it must be dissolved.
  21. Hilarious! A former member of the Young Liberal Club and a person who was born and raised in Toronto is a "redneck". I suppose that any Eastern Canuck who move to any point west of Thunder Bay would be considered to be "turncoat rednecks"?????
  22. http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_25749.aspx Here come the lawyers.
  23. TSRTS because it's makes me feel so f'in ALIVE! This is a seriously difficult album to choose a best song from. You can pick a #1 if you try hard enough but everything else would be #1(a).
  24. The absurdity of this statement alone makes the whole story a farce. Hardcore separatists will resort to anything to further their agenda.
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