| | Okay, since I know we have (or at one point had) several Canadians here..
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11-28-2006, 01:23 PM
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Could someone pretty please explain this for me? quebec nation within a nation - Google News
What sort of repercussions is this going to have?
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11-28-2006, 03:23 PM
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*sigh*
.... my cynical take:
This is nothing more than political opportunism by our "honourable" Prime Minister, because he is not doing particularly well in the polls, most notably in Quebec.
Frankly, he's opening a Pandora's Box that had been settled for some time. These days the majority of younger (post boomers) Quebecers don't give a damn about separatism. Rather they care about things like.... the economy, having jobs, the environment... Yeah.... really "distinct," eh?
Also, the timing of this does not exactly appear to be accidental... The Liberal Party will be holding its leadership convention starting this Thursday, and as you might imagine, it has caused a certain divisiveness.
Personally, I am sick to death of this issue, and I truly wish there was a a little more honesty all around. When these referendum questions arise in Quebec they are always phrased in some wishy washy convoluted way.
I'd like to see it clear cut:
"Do you, or do you not, wish to be a separate nation?"
I also get extremely irked because the separists want it all ways. They want a "distinct society/nation" (whatever the catch phrase of the day presently happens to be).... but they also want to retain their passports, be part of NAFTA and keep Cdn currency (i.e the bills and coins with an image of the Queen upon them  )
Sorry... in my mind you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I'm really hoping that the whole issue will die a natural death yet again, but who can say... All I really know is that I'm very tired of the mischief and machinations of political opportunists threatening the nation I call home.
Note: Just in case anyone missed it, I'm an avowed federalist, and I believe in a strong, united, officially bilingual, and multicultural country. 
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Last edited by dragon wench; 11-28-2006 at 03:30 PM.
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11-28-2006, 03:37 PM
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That's a similar take on it that I had.. Very interesting.
I heard on public radio today that 1/3 of Quebec supports seperation. A Canadian friend of mine(I have many. Since we stole all their jobs, we invited them to come work here. About a dozen came.) said that much of non-Quebec Canada wouldn't mind terribly if they left. Well, actually she said some fairly defamatory things I wouldn't repeat here. She's from Toronto and I guess Quebec isn't popular there.
Here's my take on why 2/3 doesn't want to leave.. Keep in mind I have never even been to Canada and don't follow its politics. Also, most of my info comes from NPR, the people from Toronto that I associate with, and here.
1. Canada is a pretty influential nation. Well, way more so than Quebec would be on it's own.
2. Being a Canadian citizen has benefits.. Healthcare (not that they wouldn't probably have social healthcare, but it would be more expensive with fewer citizens), military, natural resources.. OIL! I know Oil's a natural resource, but it deserves a category of its own. 
3. Why go through a monumental change when it really wouldn't have much benefit? I mean, the southern US is very different from the north and they never tried to sec... oh.. Nevermind. 
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11-28-2006, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by jopperm2  That's a similar take on it that I had.. Very interesting.
I heard on public radio today that 1/3 of Quebec supports seperation. A Canadian friend of mine(I have many. Since we stole all their jobs, we invited them to come work here. About a dozen came.) said that much of non-Quebec Canada wouldn't mind terribly if they left. Well, actually she said some fairly defamatory things I wouldn't repeat here. She's from Toronto and I guess Quebec isn't popular there.
<snip>
1. Canada is a pretty influential nation. Well, way more so than Quebec would be on it's own.
2. Being a Canadian citizen has benefits.. Healthcare (not that they wouldn't probably have social healthcare, but it would be more expensive with fewer citizens), military, natural resources.. OIL! I know Oil's a natural resource, but it deserves a category of its own.
3. Why go through a monumental change when it really wouldn't have much benefit? I mean, the southern US is very different from the north and they never tried to sec... oh.. Nevermind. | Well, as far as the popularity of Quebec goes, I thnk that is highly subjective, and it *really* depends on who you talk to. I love Quebec... I love the atmosphere, the older buildings.. the landscape... most of the people I've met from Quebec are interesting and dynamic individuals, people who *care* about the future of this country.
In sum, I have always embraced the vision of our late Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Our son is in a French Immersion school because my partner and I believe strongly in a bilingual and multicultural Canada.
Yes indeed... And that is something I forgot to mention, the Quebec separatists also want to be protected by a Canadian military, have access to resources and ride on the country's coat tails when it comes to international influence...
It all makes me want to heave my cookies.
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testingtest12Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
testingtest12.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain.
Last edited by dragon wench; 11-28-2006 at 03:51 PM.
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11-28-2006, 03:52 PM
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She did say Quebec was a nice place. I think she's just soured by the attitudes of the most vocal of people from Quebec.
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11-28-2006, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by jopperm2 She did say Quebec was a nice place. I think she's just soured by the attitudes of the most vocal of people from Quebec. | And as is all too often the case... we are talking about a "vocal minority" *sigh*
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11-28-2006, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by jopperm2 | theyve already voted, a bit more than half didnt want to seperate, so they didnt, end of story really...theres nothing else to tell...
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11-28-2006, 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Sean The Owner theyve already voted, a bit more than half didnt want to seperate, so they didnt, end of story really...theres nothing else to tell... | Yes...several times over. This is just the latest incarnation of an old litany...
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11-28-2006, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by jopperm2 She did say Quebec was a nice place. I think she's just soured by the attitudes of the most vocal of people from Quebec. | Quebec is very useful to those of us who are USians. We don't need to spend all that money to fly to France in order to get insulted in a foreign language.
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11-28-2006, 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted by fable Quebec is very useful to those of us who are USians. We don't need to spend all that money to fly to France in order to get insulted in a foreign language. | I think they're much better at it in France, but maybe it's safer to go to Quebec first to increase the punishment gradually.
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11-28-2006, 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted by fable Quebec is very useful to those of us who are USians. We don't need to spend all that money to fly to France in order to get insulted in a foreign language. | haha, nice one fable, although alot of my ENGLISH SPEAKING ONLY friends swear in french...i guess its a canadian thing, although i dont even know how to swear in french...
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11-28-2006, 04:41 PM
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Originally Posted by fable Quebec is very useful to those of us who are USians. We don't need to spend all that money to fly to France in order to get insulted in a foreign language. | I thought people came to NY to get insulted? 
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11-28-2006, 04:43 PM
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I can teach you if you like, Sean. Though it will be continental French, not Quebecois.. I had one of those really great French teachers in high school that taught us all the "useful" words.
@fable, that was a pretty good one though.. Had bad experiences in the past?
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11-28-2006, 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted by jopperm2 @fable, that was a pretty good one though.. Had bad experiences in the past? | Very minor ones, largely by phone. But others I know have had major problems trying to business with, or in, Quebec. Quote: |
I thought people came to NY to get insulted?
| You're behind the times. Ever since Jenkins' reforms of the police, which Giuliani got to take credit for, NYC has been a much more pleasant place to visit or live. I was born there, I've returned there repeatedly over the years, and have a relative still living there. New Yorkers are now politely cynical where they used to be loudly vicious. Of course, it depends, too, on which mini-culture of NYC you find yourself in. The Jews, Russians, Poles, Germans, Irish and Italian have long moved out, but the Haitians, Indians, Pakistanis, Koreans, Columbians, (new) Russians and others have moved in.
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11-28-2006, 05:00 PM
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| |  I wasn't talking about NYC. Even a born and bred new yorker thinks NYC is the end all of NY. How sad!  Besides, NYC is tame compared to Rochester nowadays.
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