Derniers articles
La Patrie - Advance the attack! A response to the De Courcy-Lisée letter
Par Beryl Wajsman le 21 mai 2013
Clearly the letter that Ministers De Courcy and Lisee released was nowhere near enough. Not enough because they failed to address the central point – Bill 14 is not necessary and is nothing but an attempt to solidify the `pur et dur` base through more politics of division. Not enough because the Bill demeans all Quebecers, francophones as well as non-francophones. Not enough because the government is still not willing to stop the economic destruction of Quebec by ceasing to put up these false issues of discord. But let us take another point of view for a moment and make what some of you may consider a strange plea.
The Global Village - Les vrais visages du Hezbollah et de Hassan Nasrallah
Par Amb. Freddy Eytan le 12 mai 2013
Jerusalem - Le dernier engagement d’Hassan Nasrallah d’aider la Syrie à libérer le plateau du Golan, et former une résistance populaire dans le cadre d’une « bataille pour la Palestine » intervient quelques jours seulement après la publication d’informations sur des raids massifs de l’aviation israélienne dans la région de Damas, et juste après la visite secrète de Nasrallah à Téhéran.
Depuis la seconde guerre du Liban, déclenchée en juillet 2006, Nasrallah cherche en vain le soleil ; traqué par les services israéliens, il vit en effet sous terre tel un animal hypogé mais dans des conditions préférentielles de palace avec toute une technologie de pointe.
Arts and Style - Steam Punk Sherlock
Par Alan Hustak le 12 mai 2013
Jay Baruchel is the big drawing card in Sherlock Holmes at the Segal Centre until May 28, but the hometown Hollywood actor of The Trotsky fame is not the best thing about the production. Undeniably, Baruchel lends an enthusiastic presence. His charisma cannot disguise the fact that he is an undisciplined stage actor whose rapid-fire, nasal delivery seems at times to channel Groucho Marx through John Cleese. Certain allowances, however, must be made. With a nod to his celebrity and to his credit, Baruchel accepted a challenge, took the risk, and does not play safe. He certainly doesn’t embarrass himself, even though he does look a little too youthful to be sucking on a curved briar pipe.
Société - Un silence rempli d’éloquence
Par Louise V. Labrecque le 7 mai 2013
Le silence des musulmans dit modérés a de quoi laisser pantois. Il vient un temps où il faut cesser de s’accouder à la fenêtre, pour enfin prouver au monde notre « extraordinaire vision ». En effet, aucun vœu pieu ne fera l’affaire : ce qu’exige maintenant tous les états éclairés de la communauté internationale, ce sont des preuves, des données tangibles, empiriques, irréfutables, exprimant hors de tout doute que l’Islam est bel et bien une religion de paix. Et si nous sommes un tantinet pressés, voire clairement agacés, c’est que la farce a assez durée : nous sommes las de ce scandale fondamental laissant croire en une paix puisant hypocritement son eau à la source des pires barbaries, du terrorisme, de la haine perverse et mortifère.
The Global Village - Why the Arab Uprising Will Not Lead to Democracy Any Time Soon
Par Rouba al-Fattal le 7 mai 2013
During a break in a conference I attended recently I was asked by several pundits what I think about – what has been erroneously named – the “Arab Spring”, and whether the populations in these countries are ready for democracy. My short answer was, “No, they are not ready”. However, because this is a very timely and complex question, I have decided to give it here more than a terse, short answer.
Democracy, by definition, is “the rule of the people” from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “kratos” (rule). The will of the people is manifested most visibly through the electoral process.
The Global Village - The Pivot Toward Asia: Overshadowed or Missing In Action?
Par David T. Jones & Paul Tyson le 7 mai 2013
Washington, DC - With much fanfare, the United States announced a comprehensive and wide ranging “pivot toward Asia.” And within Asia there is a “sub-pivot” toward Southeast Asia.
There hasn’t been much public discussion of this reordering of U.S. foreign policy, but now that the President and the Secretary of State have made Middle East excursions, let us consider our Asian shift.
One notes the first trips of the second incarnation of the Obama administration were not/not to Asia. So one can question the pertinence of the “pivot.”
La Patrie - Time To Stop Taking Francophones For Granted
Par Beryl Wajsman le 7 mai 2013
Yes I know. This kind of headline usually has the word "anglophone" in it. Yet last week two incidents demonstrated that politicians of several parties have not understood that the rejection of , and resistance to, Bill 14 may have done more to unite francophones and non-francophones alike in opposition to the politics of fear and the words of demonization than anything we have seen in recent history. And as much as many anglophones may be tired of some politicians taking their votes for granted through a perceived lack of choice, many francophones are tired of some other politicians taking their votes for granted by outdated appeals to prejudice and fear.
Arts and Style - What A Ride! The Bus Number 14
Par Alan Hustak le 6 mai 2013
Anyone who regularly depends on public transit can’t help but revel in the antics of The Number 14, the extravagantly theatrical stage production running at the Centaur until May 26. Staged by Vancouver’s Axis Theatre company, a troupe of six masked Commedia dell’Arte performers, it is a bus ride like no other. Put together on the west coast 20 years ago by the Centaur’s artistic director Roy Surette (who originally directed) and Wayne Specht, the founding director of the Axis Theatre, (responsible for this version), The Number 14 basically illustrates the day in the life of a bus and its driver.
The Global Village - La frontière israélo-syrienne risque de s'enflammer
Par Amb. Freddy Eytan le 30 avril 2013
Voilà déjà deux ans que la Syrie est ravagée par une guerre civile meurtrière et les puissances occidentales n'osent pas intervenir.
Contrairement aux prédictions simplistes des experts et des observateurs, Bachar el Assad est toujours au pouvoir et son armée demeure fidèle au régime alaouite. En dépit des massacres quotidiens, la Russie continue à fournir des armes et notamment des roquettes et des missiles sophistiqués pouvant atteindre une cible située à 300kms. Elle entraine également les soldats syriens dans les combats de guérilla.
The Global Village - A Marriage of Convenience: Iran, al-Qaeda and the VIA plot
Par Rouba al-Fattal le 30 avril 2013
A week ago two men were arrested in Canada on suspicion of planning what officials describe as an al-Qaeda-backed plot to derail a VIA passenger train traveling from Toronto to New York. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officials said the alleged plot had support from al-Qaeda in Iran, although there was no sign of state sponsorship. The Iranian government quickly denied any links to the two men in question. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, also said “al-Qaeda's beliefs are in no way consistent with Tehran's”.
Arts and Style - House Of Wax
Par Alan Hustak le 26 avril 2013
Embrace the kitsch.
Almost 30 years after the wax museum at the corner of Queen Mary Road and Cote des Neiges closed its doors an interactive exhibition featuring wax celebrities has opened again, this time downtown in the Eaton Centre. More than 120 life-size figurines are arranged in lavish settings on the top floor of the The work of artisans with the celebrated Grévin studio in Paris, the exhibition is, for the most part, geared to a francophone Quebec audience.
Arts and Style - How Great Can Gatsby Be?
Par Alan Hustak le 26 avril 2013
Will Baz Luhrman succeed where others have failed?
The Australian film-maker’s $150-million adaptation was to have been in theatres last Christmas but shooting down under was prolonged – not always a good sign in the industry of things to come. It is now scheduled to open the Cannes Film Festival in May and is expected to be in movie theatres this summer.
La Patrie - Our Linguistic Duality Must be a Legal Reality
Par l'Hon. Irwin Cotler le 22 avril 2013
In the words of René Lévesque, “A nation is judged by how it treats its minorities.” Regrettably, linguistic minorities in Canada have often had to fight for just treatment, and that struggle continues against the backdrop of several troubling recent developments that threaten the rights of minority language communities throughout the country. Simply put, it is critical to ensure that minority language communities feel welcome and are able to thrive, and this is as true for Anglophones in Quebec as it is true for French-speakers elsewhere in Canada.
La Patrie - La déclaration de Bernard Landry: Utilisons les bons mots!...
Par Bernard Amyot le 14 avril 2013
Depuis plus d’années dont je me souvienne, je dénonce l’ambiguïté sémantique imposée par les leaders indépendantistes québécois qui insistent et persistent, sciemment, à n’utiliser que le mot « souveraineté » lorsqu’ils réfèrent à leur projet de faire sécession du Canada.
Cette volonté incessante d’occulter la perspective d’une rupture a de tout temps été utilisée par les séparatistes québécois en vue de leurrer leurs concitoyens qui, sondage après sondage depuis près de 40 ans, refusent dans une large proportion d’adhérer à cette option lorsque la question leur est clairement posée.
The Global Village - La singularité de la Shoah et l'indépendance d’Israël
Par Amb. Freddy Eytan le 7 avril 2013
Le mouvement sioniste existait depuis Theodore Herzl mais c’est la Shoah qui a rendu la création d’Israël urgente, obligatoire, vitale et immanente. La création de d’Israël est le triomphe de la vie sur la mort, la victoire des prières entendues. Juste après la guerre, les Européens, encore troublés et culpabilisés, ont préféré tourner la page furtivement. Le Vatican a fermé ses archives. Les portes du souvenir ont été bouclées à double tour. Personne n’osait franchir les murs d’acier et vérifier les arcanes du monde de l’indifférence, remuer un passé flou et douteux. Derrière le rideau de fer, les camps de la mort résonnaient encore des cris des âmes pures et innocentes. Les cendres de nos proches, de nos coreligionnaires, ont été absorbées, englouties dans le sol européen.
La Patrie - Réinventons Montréal: Cité-État
Par MIchel David le 7 avril 2013
Plusieurs tendances lourdes et extérieures à Montréal ont contribué à son déclin depuis la deuxième guerre mondiale, par exemple: voie maritime, avions à long cours, déplacement de l’économie vers l’Ouest.
Ces tendances ont été exacerbées par de trop nombreuses blessures que nous nous sommes infligés nous-mêmes, mentionnons le FLQ, la dégradation des standards académiques, les plus hautes taxes, l’immobilisme, les fusions/défusions, les infrastructures, le très mauvais management; en somme, l’absence complète de leadership
Arts and Style - Cute and Vicious Juvenile Communist
Par Robert K. Stephen le 5 avril 2013
Ich Bin Eine Terroristin” (I am a terrorist)
How can an 11 year old French girl so apparently sweet be a vicious communist thug? Invariably children are portrayed in film as sweet and innocent but in this case I see 11 year old Violette (Mathile Besse) in a far more sinister light. A bit like Damien in “The Omen” or Linda Blair in “The Exorcist”. Can you imagine an 11 year old girl infatuated with the German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg running away from home in her small village in France to visit the Luxemburg memorial in Berlin (where Luxemburg was assassinated in 1919) and then to Wroclaw in Poland (then known as Breslau in Germany) to visit the city where Rosa Luxemburg was imprisoned? Far too offbeat for Hollywood fluff. Delightfully European.
The Global Village - The Road to Syria: Are We There Yet?
Par Rouba al-Fattal le 5 avril 2013
It has been two years since the Syrian Government’s violent crackdown on protesters started. According to UN reports, the conflict has claimed more than 70,000 lives, displaced four million people internally and forced about million people to seek refuge in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, where many opposition leaders have taken refuge. Thousands of civilians have also been detained arbitrarily and there are reports of executions and torture. Also since the uprising many schools were damaged or forced to close and Syrian civilians suffer the lack of basic services such as electricity, clean water and hospitals. Moreover, the situation in Syria has created a fertile ground for trans-national terrorism to rise.
La Patrie - PQ language tantrums reach a new low
Par Dan Delmar le 5 avril 2013
After a provincial election in September where the Parti Québécois spoke of French tests for candidates seeking public office, watering down Montreal’s ethnic communities and ridding the public sector of religious symbols – except for those linked to Catholicism – observers expected Quebec to become, yet again, a national embarrassment. The PQ has not only met, but exceeded expectations with a new round of childish, xenophobic rhetoric this week.
The Global Village - Turquie-Israël- réconciliation et intérêt stratégique
Par Amb. Freddy Eytan le 31 mars 2013
Jerusalem - La visite du président Obama dans notre région aura sans doute des retombées politiques locales, régionales et internationales. La première conséquence est considérable car elle met un terme à plusieurs années de tensions, d'incompréhensions, de haine et de dégâts bilatéraux entre la Turquie et Israël: deux puissances régionales pro-occidentales ayant des intérêts stratégiques communs dans un environnement déstabilisant et explosif.
La Patrie - The time call on Ottawa for rights protection is now
Par Me.Linda Hammerschmid le 31 mars 2013
As with every type of case heard at the Supreme Court level, our changing social customs, over time, coupled with new appointments at our High Court, usually bring about new judgments on old issues.
As a Canadian citizen, I have reached the end of my patience with the time and money wasted on and by the OQLF.
Last time I checked, (2 weeks ago), the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed me, and every other Canadian citizen, even those who live in Quebec, the right to use English.
La Patrie - The myth of disestablished English
Par William Johnson le 31 mars 2013
Even as English is again under attack at the National Assembly during the hearings on Bill 14, it is perhaps true that most Quebecers have been misled into believing that English is not also an official language of Quebec. But that’s entirely unfounded in fact or in law. English has been an official language of Quebec ever since 1763. Every law passed since then has been passed in English. Every law to be passed by the current Parti Québécois government will be passed in English as well as French, and the English text will be official, just as will be the French.
The Global Village - Syria: Searching for a Way into the Quagmire
Par David T. Jones le 29 mars 2013
Washington, DC - Analysts are clever in finding (and repeating) aphorisms. One is the definition of insanity as “repeating the same negative action believing that this time it will have a positive result.”
And thus the Syria syndrome.
We have watched the Arab Spring degenerate into a noxious weed patch when we believed flowers had been planted. We have watched the consequence of removing the Libyan tyrant Qhadafi (vicious but not directly invidious to USG interests) and reaped the results in Benghazi and Mali.
Arts and Style - Dance Me To The End on/off Love
Par Alan Hustak le 22 mars 2013
Dance me to the end on/off love at the Centaur until April 14 is a lugubrious, downright macabre exploration of love and pain by Granhoj Dans, a contemporary dance troupe from Denmark. The North American premiere of the show is described as a poetic meditation, an attempt to make Cohen’s words become flesh.
From the moment director Palle Granhoj steps on stage and boldly edits one of Cohen’s poems, furiously scribbling to make the verse suit himself , he makes it clear that he is expropriating the poet’s work to make it conform to his image of himself - although anyone sitting beyond the fifth row may have had trouble reading his scrawl.
Arts and Style - Oklahoma!
Par Alan Hustak le 21 mars 2013
I won’t throw bouquets or sigh and gaze too much, nor will I praise its charms too much. People might think I liked the Hudson Village Theatre’s revival of the Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! And they would be right – I am head over heels in admiration of the intimacy and the ingenuity of the amateur production of this rousing musical, which was mounted on a stage no bigger than a postage stamp. (Complete with the ballet dream sequence.) Because the theatre in an old train station is so small the romantic atmosphere of the story was in fact, somehow subtly deepend.
Société - Why do meds cost so much?
Par Dr. Mitch Shulman le 17 mars 2013
Drug companies can’t charge whatever they want. The highest price they can charge is actually set by a federal institution. Before we begin though, there’s something you should know about me. For 16 years I held medical positions of increasing responsibility in 2 international research- based pharmaceutical companies. I bring you an insider’s perspective very few people have.
Arts and Style - “Fortaleza do Guincho, A Gorgeous Chunk of Portugal”
Par Robert K. Stephen le 16 mars 2013
If you are looking for a gorgeous chunk of Portugal you really must stay at the Fortaleza do Guincho situated in the Sintra Cascais Nature Reserve some 10 minutes away from Cascais, the trendy resort suburb of Lisbon.. This is not a hotel as most of you will know a hotel. It is a small hotel within an old fort perched on a cliff overlooking the crashing waves of the Atlantic. It is part of the Relais & Chateaux brand dictating strict standards of luxury accommodation and food.
Société - Tom Flanagan and Death by Political Correctness
Par David T. Jones le 16 mars 2013
Thus Tom Flanagan’s musing, off topic response to a Q&A, regarding whether viewing (not creating, circulating, let alone participating/implementing) child pornography/pedophilia justified a prison sentence has destroyed his career. Virtually instantly CBC dropped him as a commentator and the University of Alberta announced his retirement. So toxic is his name that reportedly an article he coauthored on a totally different political topic was withdrawn from publication--even when Flanagan offered to remove his name from the article.
The Global Village - HABEMUS PAPAM
Par Father John Walsh le 16 mars 2013
The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes from or where it goes; so it is with every person who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8) A puff of white smoke! A new Pope! Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, becomes leader of the Roman Catholic Church. On the balcony overlooking Saint Peter’s Square he addresses the people of the world. His first words are memorable. In times of uncertainty, disruption, division, and alienation, he offers the image of a “camina,” a walk, pilgrims together, and then, spontaneously he includes all people of good will with the faithful.
La Patrie - You take a walk M.Dubuc!
Par Beryl Wajsman le 14 mars 2013
Monday night the usual suspects held a rally in support of Bill 14. You know who they were. Impératif français, Mouvement Montréal français, etc...ad infinitum...ad nauseum.
But at the press conference before the rally - a rally attended by only several hundred attesting to francophone fatigue on this issue - one Pierre Dubuc,editor of L'Aut' Journal, decided to unburden himself of his true feelings and blurted out, with unconcealed venom, "If someone can't ask for a Métro ticket in French, let them walk!" Well M. Dubuc, here's a message for you. Why don't you take a walk! Out of here!
La Patrie - Cinq éléments les plus honteux de le projet de loi 14
Par Beryl Wajsman le 13 mars 2013
Les gens devraient lire le projet de loi et comprendre que le mal est possible ici. Il n’est pas question de langue dans ce projet de loi. Il est question d’une tentative vénale par un gouvernement qui a dû reculer sur presque toutes ses promesses de tenir la ligne de partie de sespurs et durs grâce à une politique de diabolisation, d’invalidation et d’interposition.
La Patrie - CRITIQ launch draws near record numbers opposed to Marois' policies
Par P.A. Sévigny le 13 mars 2013
"Canadian rights in Quebec are in jeopardy," group warns, " and maybe it's time for a Maple Spring."
In what many have called the largest gathering against discriminatory Quebec acts that curtail civil rights since Premier Bourassa used the notwithstanding clause in 1989,some 800 people crowded into the downtown Delta Hotel in order to attend a conference staged by CRITIQ ( Canadian Rights in Quebec.) CRITIQ is a broad alliance of anglophones, allophones and francophones dedicated to ensuring that constitutionally enshrined Canadian civil rights - particularly with respect to language - are respected in Quebec.
La Patrie - It Is Not Over! Stay Vigilant And Resolute/
Par Beryl Wajsman le 13 mars 2013
Angelica Montgomery`s report on CJAD this morning that the CAQ opposes important elements of Bill 14 is gratifying. But this is not over. The CAQ will be voting against Bill 14 because it rejects closing English CEGEPs to francophones, and it supports the right of municipalities to determine and protect their own bilingual status. The CAQ also wants the exemption for soldiers’ children to be maintained.
La Patrie - Exclusive: Lisée on language and Montreal
Par Beryl Wajsman le 13 mars 2013
The man who is arguably Quebec's busiest Minister, and some would say the one holding the brief on the most contentious issues, took time out for a rare weekend interview this past Saturday. Jean-François Lisée, Minister for International Relations, External Trade, La Francophonie and Minister responsible for Montreal, forthrightly addressed concerns on the politics and policies of language of the Marois administration that have many Montrealers, regardless of cultural background, angry and concerned. To his credit, Minister Lisée set no preconditions on the questions that would be posed.
La Patrie - PITY THE FRANCOPHONE PARENT IN QUEBEC! The language of education in Quebec - why does the majority continue to favour the minority?
Par John N. Buchanan le 13 mars 2013
Ever since the PQ returned to power (and in the election campaign beforehand) language has been back on the political agenda. A draft law with new provisions to bill 101 is presently before the National Assembly, proposing to tighten the language rules for businesses with at least 26 employees (down from 50) and requiring CEGEPs to give priority to English students first before granting spots to francophones. In addition, the proposed law - in a perverse way - guarantees that any French employee cannot be fired because they are unilingual, raising the spectre of an endless parade before the tribunals of wrongful dismissal cases, based on language, and a fear amongst businesses of hiring unilinguals.
The Global Village - Realities facing Scotland and Quebec are worlds apart
Par Jim Wilson le 13 mars 2013
Scotland has many historical links with Quebec .Montreal, with its street names and institutions, provides signposts to that past. Despite the connections, in their quest for independence the two are literally and metaphorically oceans apart. Quebec’s additional difficulties compared to those facing Scotland are numerous; in politics, history, culture or geography, there are substantial differences. However, in the crucial matter of the economy, both face similar challenges.
La Patrie - Agnès Maltais’ aborted pilgrimage to Ottawa
Par William Johnson le 13 mars 2013
Was it symbolic? Quebec’s labour minister Agnès Maltais took a plane to the national capital Monday but was unable to land. The airport tarmac was covered with freezing rain making a landing dangerous.
The Quebec minister flew to confront Diane Finley, the federal Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. Maltais insists that Ottawa doesn’t understand Quebec’s labour market. She came intending to set Finley straight and insist that the reformed program for employment insurance that went into effect in January be rewritten to suit Quebec. In fact, the policy of the Quebec government is to demand the total transfer of employment insurance to Quebec, as part of “la gouvernancesouverainiste.”
La Patrie - A Native and a Zionist
Par Ryan Bellerose le 13 mars 2013
I am a Métis from Northern Alberta. My father, Mervin Bellerose, co-authored the Métis Settlements Act of 1989, which was passed by the Alberta legislature in 1990 and cemented our land rights. I founded Canadians For Accountability, a native rights advocacy group, and I am an organizer and participant in the Idle No More movement in Calgary. And I am a Zionist.
Let me tell you why.
The Global Village - Obama en Israël- amitiés et réalités
Par Amb. Freddy Eytan le 13 mars 2013
Jerusalem - Le Président des Etats-Unis sera reçu en grande pompe et avec tous les égards dus à la politesse et les respects du protocole. C'est naturel et normal pour accueillir le chef de la plus grande puissance de la planète, celui qui nous dicte l'ordre du jour mondial.
Obama a enfin choisi Israël pour marquer son premier voyage officiel à l'étranger. Il avait manqué le rendez-vous historique lors du précédent mandat et sans doute a commis une erreur stratégique en préférant le Caire à Jérusalem.
La Patrie - Mulcair’s Folly
Par Akil Alleyne le 11 mars 2013
New York - In my last comment in these pages, I cautioned federalists against allowing the Parti Québécois’ underwhelming 2012 election performance to lull them into complacency. Even with a mere minority government, the Péquistes will pounce on any political friction between Quebec and the rest of Canada, the better to roll the referendum dice again. There is no telling what developments may so offend Quebecers as to make a third referendum a realistic possibility. Separatism has appeared to go into terminal decline before and yet still experienced frightening resurgences, usually with little or no warning. It is exactly when separatist sentiment is at low ebb that federalists should prepare a strategy for dealing with the threat if it ever rears its head again.
