There’s an old saying in Quebec: When you spit in the air, don’t be surprised to have it fall down on your face. It applies wonderfully to former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe, who finds himself in even more trouble this morning. MONTREAL — Former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe used thousands of dollars from his …
Two minutes of politics, January 25
I don’t know about you, but I am really tired of being threatened with violence and other unpleasantness by some native leaders. I’m also pretty tired of hearing that I’m never doing enough to help fix native problems. I did find yesterday summit particularly annoying. Stephen Harper gave an embarrassingly groveling speech, which was immediately …
Two minutes of politics, January 24
Should we extend the ban on burkas and other face coverings beyond citizenship swearing-in ceremonies, as some Muslims are asking of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney? Yes. What the Muslim Canadian Congress is asking for is federal legislation making people remove any face covering when working in the public sector or doing business with government officials. …
Two minutes of politics, January 23
Yes, they’re out of office – mostly. But even with just a handful of MPs after a historic thumping in the last election, the Bloc Quebecois still manages to make our blood boil. And yes, of course, it has to do with money. Our money, which they’re taking and abusing without even so much as …
Two minutes of politics, January 19
How old are you? If, like me, you’re 45 or younger, chances are you’re not really thinking about retirement. And why would you? You’re unlikely to be able to afford it. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it. We do our best to save anyway – we contribute to RRSP or other investment …
Two minutes of politics, January 18
There is a debate these days over a suggestion by a leading Canadian medical journal to withhold information about the sex of your fetus in an effort to curb sex-selection abortions in this country. I am both delighted and amused. Delighted because I welcome any and all debate on abortion. We’re kind of overdue… But …
Two minutes of politics, January 17
Ah, institutional bilingualism. Are you as tired of it as I am? I’m about $2.4 billion tired. That’s how much the Fraser Institute says we are spending on official bilingualism in Canada. Most of that money, or $1.5 billion, is spent by the feds. Of the remaining $870 million, the lion’s share is spent by …
Oooooh, c’est cher!
A Fraser Institute study calculates the economic costs of bilingualism in Canada. Hint: It’s *really* expensive. Especially in Ontario. Ontario spends more than any other province — including Quebec — on minority language services, a Fraser Institute study has found. The province spends $621 million a year providing French-language services, including education, to 489,000 Franco-Ontarians, …
I am from the government…
And I am here to nag you. Stephen Harper (prime minister, and therefore – one assumes – a reasonably busy man) takes the time and bother to tell you to stop smoking. Yep. “Every year smoking adversely impacts the health of millions of Canadians – including those affected by second-hand smoke – heightening their risk …