Borges Blogue

The «historical» position of France towards Québec

Published on 2010-10-12 07:38:00

Cet engagement tient en quelques mots: les socialistes y promettent de «rétablir la position historique de la France par rapport au Québec». (Cyberpresse 11 Oct. 2010) The Socialist Party of France, and the larger French political establishment, have always maintained an extraordinary commitment to Québec, except for the intervening years between the end of the Seven Years War (1763) , when Britain gained Québec as a colony from France, and the emergence of the Québécois separatist mov

20 Years of the Bloc Québecois and the Secret to Political Success

Published on 2010-07-25 13:46:00

The Bloc Québécois will tomorrow celebrate 20 years of existence, having confounded the federal parties and the political establishment since its founding. Born out of the the fervour over the failure of the Lake Meech accord, the parties progressive-nationalist policies have attracted Québécois voters in large numbers, having never polled less than a third of the Québec electorate since it was created in 1990.The party has a wide appeal, from rural conservatives to urban progressives, and

Liberals: «A credible option for Québec»

Published on 2010-02-26 09:18:00

The Liberals have gone on the offensive against the Bloc Québécois after a fire-storm has erupted in Québec over independence, sparked off by its founder's comments on the impossibility of sovereignty for Québec in the short to medium term. The Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has called on the Québécois to take part in the governance of the federation, to make their influence felt in the country, by voting Liberal. These comments have been echoed by the Liberal chief for Québec, Jean-Mar

Québécois put independence on the back burner

Published on 2010-02-24 13:03:00

Nearly two thirds of Québécois agree that independence should not be on the order of the day, and is not a pressing concern when compared to economic recovery and other important issues. These sentiments echo former PQ Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard's pronouncements on the subject last week, where in a recent speech, he stated that Québec's priorities do not lie with sovereignty, but rather the state of the economy, social services, education, etc.The Parti Québécois has hit back saying tha

Canada's aging population presents problems for future governments

Published on 2010-02-19 10:29:00

Top economist throughout the Industrialised world have long given grave predictions regarding the future of counties' pension systems as the population ages and the birth-rate drops. Canada has now joined the ranks of those with severely negative predictions, with economists and demographers predicting that our healthy ratio of working people to those in retirement of 5:1, will drop to 2.5:1 over the next 25 years, raising questions as to how the system of pensions and social security for the el

Grits and Tories at parity in the polls

Published on 2010-02-18 09:31:00

The Tories and Liberals are on parity according to the latest Harris-Decima poll, conducted last week, with Tories polling 32%, and Liberals 30%. If continued, this trend will almost certainly mean another minority government after the election, with the NDP and Bloc Québécois again holding the balance of power.Of course if the Liberals were to form the next minority government, one would think that they would be in quite a less stable position than the current Conservative government, as Tori

Differences of political culture: Why Ignatieff oppossed the coalition

Published on 2010-02-17 11:59:00

In a new book by NDP campaign manager Brian Topp, titled «How we almost gave the Tories the boot» reveals in detail how the Liberals deliberately scuppered the chance to form an Opposition coalition with the aim of the Ignatieff grouping taking over the Liberal Party and calling elections later on in 2009.It must be noted that the majority of Canadians were opposed to this coalition, and didn't want yet another election, but it still raises the question as to why the Grits supported the feder

For a pluralist Québec

Published on 2010-02-16 09:46:00

A new civic group has been formed by academics and individuals across Québec for the promotion of a rational application of shared values and reasonable accommodation and the further development of a dynamic, vibrant and tolerant country. The group calls itself «Pour un Québec Pluraliste». They have published a manifesto outlining their views and rationale behind them, and one must say it is spot on.In such a diverse society as that of Québec, with its history of a distinct and separate ide

Layton in first place among progressive Canadians

Published on 2010-02-15 09:48:00

The Canadian people have spoken on the question of who would be their first choice for Prime Minister of the country, and it is not good news for Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals. Of the three main parties, they come in last in the pronouncement of will of the Canadian population, with the New Democratic Party's leader Jack Layton coming in second place with 52 percent, trailing serving Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 85 percent. Michael Ignatieff comes in last with 40 percent.This must be di

Lifelong learning for all!

Published on 2010-02-12 10:30:00

With proposed strike action by Ontario university faculty, and the recent news that tuition fees will be raised in Québec, Canada as a whole must take a hard look at how it values, and finances, higher education. In light of the economic downturn, universities will become more and more important, not only in absorbing the economically inactive, but also in giving Canadians news skills and degrees to help them contribute to the economy in the future.We must look at the great benefits that univer