A day in the life

We're already well into winter. I like it when it snows. It gives the city a different feel, a different sound. When the wind is down and the sky is filled with fluffy snowflakes, everything is quieter. It's relaxing.

Daylight is getting longer, but there are still a few weeks of cold temperature ahead of us. Every time we hit those minus 20s, I think of the first settlers who got here in the 16th century and probably started wondering as early as December when this cold season would be over. I also have a thought for immigrants experiencing their first winter. Watching Haitians getting off the plane on the runway with military blankets and sandals as their only footwear is an enduring image. It's no wonder some can't deal with our climate and simply move to warmer parts of the country.

This winter's been generally mild, but we've had some cold nights. A few weeks back, I was rushing outside the sport complex to get back home for the kids to get a decent night sleep when I bumped into a lady with jumper cables in her hands. "Do you know how to do this?" she asked. "Well... uh... yes." I mumbled begrudgingly. She stood there, looking at me as if she hadn't noticed my lack of enthusiasm. I watched over her shoulder and saw her car with its door open. I went on... "you simply need to clip the two positive poles together and do the same with the negative poles." "Can you do it?..." she asked. "I'm afraid of this stuff." Ok... let's do this quickly, I thought.

While a second lady approached her mini-van, she unlocked the hood of her Volvo. I tried to pop it open, but couldn't find the latch. She called her husband; the latch was in the radiator grill. We found it and opened the hood. I looked at the battery; all I could see was gunk, no plus and minus signs. I asked the second lady to unlock her hood. Now, she's the one getting instructions over the phone. "My husband says you got to clip to the frame for the ground."

This was getting a bit more complicated than I expected... I was standing with a jumper cable clip in each hand, looking at the lady in distress, trying to reconcile advices from people who weren't even there. Both my kids were running around with impatience and I wasn't sure which one of the plus or the minus is the ground... help!

Salman is a sporting fellow; he's from Northern Africa. He saw me, as he got out of the sport center, started running and yelled "I've got a boosting unit in my car... it's the safest way to do this... hold on!" In the meantime, Abdul, with whom I also do sports, walked up to me, grabbed the cables, connected the whole thing and asked the lady to start the car. When Salman returned with his boosting unit, everything was settled. Yep... I was all set to go home and put the kids to sleep.

New-stock Québécois beats Pure Laine 2-0.

Step by step

With his editorial, in today's La Presse, André Pratte summons federalists against the sovereigntists' new step by step approach. He stresses that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Meech's demise. Although he doesn't mention it, polls show support for sovereignty has slowly, but steadily, increased in recent months.

Some dismiss the thought of an independent Québec as a passé idea carried by aging baby-boomers. Yet, the Parti Québécois has been recruiting many young and promising MNAs and candidates for whom you won't find vis-à-vis in other main provincial and federal parties.

Mr. Pratte also outlines the sovereigntists' general diligence and the environmental strategy they've been using to distance themselves from the rest of the country. What are federalists doing? "Not much" he writes... they are under the impression that 1995's scenario can't happen again. "Big mistake" he adds... I agree with him.

You can read the editorial here (Google translation).

Explaining Québec separatism again

Many Canadians are under the impression that Québec's independence isn't economically feasible and that the people who support it have been brainwashed by demagogues. They discard any argumentation that goes beyond the economic rationale.

Economics are important. In 2006, the Québécois put $95B in the governments' coffers (Google translation). Of this amount, $38.4B went to Ottawa; $47.4B went to the province; $9.1B went to municipalities. In return, Ottawa sent $5.5B in equalization and $7.7B in programs that all provinces equally benefit from. Of course, there doesn't stop the benefits of the federation. Like all Canadians, citizens of the province have access to many federal services such as National Defense and Employment Insurance.

Forecasting how an independent Québec would financially be feasible isn't an easy task. François Legault tried in May of 2005 and published Finances d'un Québec souverain. When he did, I expected solid counterarguments from federalist forces. Michel Audet, then provincial minister of Finance, simply shoved it by the way side, deeming it jovialiste. The Globe and Mail denounced it without much justification. I gather they felt the attempt was so inane it didn't deserve much attention. I was disappointed by the absence of a substantiated response.

In his recent book, Parizeau puts forward that the province's debt is less, in gross domestic product (GDP) percentage, than the USA's and the average of OECD countries. Some argue that OECD figures include all debts and that a fair comparison should include the province's share of the federal debt and municipal obligations. I haven't heard or read Parizeau's reaction.

Things aren't clear. And it certainly seems strange that the financial component of the federalist-sovereigntist debate hasn't been the object of a clear demonstration from either camp. It lends me to believe that an independent Québec is financially viable even if it's better off within Canada (especially with the economic mishaps of recent years).

So... why does sovereignty appeal to, more or less, 40% of the province's population? Canada's a great country... how can this appeal reach such proportions? In today's communication age, demagoguery isn't nearly enough to explain it.

Over the centuries, French Canadians have developed their very own culture. A culture based on French, but a culture which is very different from what you'd find in other French-speaking states. In the last century or so, French has been steadily declining in the majority of provinces without great concern from the federal legislature. With its French-speaking majority, Québec has been able to use its provincial legislative platform and counter this trend.

Do Canadians realize that a second language with international influence is an asset to the country? Do Canadians recognize that Québec's weight in a predominantly English-speaking continent is a quasi unique situation? Are Canadians aware that Québec is among the few states in the world where it's possible to have a successful life without knowing a single word in the majority's language?

Most Canadians are in favor of some sort of measures to protect the French language. Yet, there is a profound dichotomy between what many Canadians deem acceptable and what many Québécois feel is necessary. To put it bluntly, homegrown culture is alive and well in Québec (see Canadian content, Part 2 and Part 3) despite the constant erosion the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has imposed unto the province's Charter of the French language for over 30 years.

Don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with where Canadians want to go culturally. It's just that it's not where the Québécois wish to go.

Canada and the USA are different countries, yet they share more similarities than Québec does with the rest of the country. Is it justified for Canada to be independent from the USA? Of course... we're looking at two very different societies. Why wouldn't it be conceivable for Québec do go its own way?

Obviously, independence isn't the Holy Grail. It would come with its own set of challenges, but it would give the province full autonomy in managing its own cultural destiny.

The majority of Québécois agrees that Québec's culture is worthwhile. What distinguishes most sovereigntists from most federalists is the difference in assessing the future of Québécois culture in the Canadian context and the financial advantage of the federation. Very very simply put, there are two ways to counter the sovereignty movement:

1. Give the province more leverage in managing its own cultural destiny.
2. Make the province financially dependent upon the country.

And Canadians are the ones holding the key to either scenario...

English schooling in Québec

Public English schools aren't for everyone in Québec. According to the Charter of the French language, the following children may receive instruction in English:

• a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and received elementary instruction in English in Canada;
• a child whose father or mother is a Canadian citizen and who has received or is receiving elementary or secondary instruction in English in Canada, and the brothers and sisters of that child;
• a child whose father and mother are not Canadian citizens, but whose father or mother received elementary instruction in English in Québec;
• a child whose father or mother was residing in Québec on 26 August 1977 and had received elementary instruction in English outside Québec.

When it comes to English schooling, newcomers have the same rights as the majority. It's fairly simple actually... sharing a common language is a major asset for people who want to know one another; that's what these rules are aiming at.

Still, some Anglophones are torn between ensuring French proficiency for their children and depriving their descendants of access to English instruction. Since 2001, the English Montreal School Board's enrollment has dropped by over 5,000 students. Lester B. Pearson School Board has lost 2,300 students in the last five years. This is basically the result of parents believing adequate knowledge of both languages gives their children a better chance of success in life. Who can blame them?

In reaction to this trend, Lester B. Pearson School Board will be closing three schools (Jubilee Elementary in Pointe Claire, Purcell Academy in Pierrefonds and Bishop Whelan Elementary in Dorval). It will also be expanding its French offering with more extracurricular activities. "We must prepare our kids to stay in Québec" says board chairperson Marcus Tabachnick. The English Montreal School Board is also launching a campaign aimed at promoting the quality of French taught in its schools.