English debate was a duty, not a choice
Par Beryl Wajsman le 1 octobre 2009
There has been much discussion of late about Louise Harel’s failure to participate in CTV’s English Montreal mayoralty debate. Her supporters have argued everything from her discomfort in English to the fact that it is not really all that important. They have said that debating is a politician’s personal choice, not a duty. In this case, we beg to differ...
How Harel spent some public bucks
Par Beryl Wajsman le 1 octobre 2009
Although Vision Montreal mayoralty candidate Louise Harel is quick to criticize her opponent, Gérald Tremblay, for allegedly misappropriating public funds, she too has questions to answer about how government dollars have been spent under her watch.
For two consecutive years, the Quebec government funded a month-long event called “Rhythms for Palestine,” which featured films and musical performances. Although the legitimacy of funding the events in 2000 and 2001 is not being called into question, the source of the grants is curious...
Harel: « Je suis le contraire d’une bureaucrate ! »
Par Dan Delmar le 1 octobre 2009
Mayoralty candidate Louise Harel went on the defensive in an interview with The Métropolitain this week, saying she does not favour big government, but rather one that is effective and close to citizens, and also harshly criticizing « certains journalistes Anglophones » who she says are jumping to conclusions about her vision for Montreal...
Louise et l’État : une histoire d’amour
Par Dan Delmar le 1 octobre 2009
Si les sondages des récents mois s’avèrent véridiques quant aux intentions du tiers des électeurs qui daigneront voter le jour du scrutin, Louise Harel a bien des chances d’être élue maire de Montréal. Mme Harel est connue en tant qu’ancienne députée du Parti Québécois et ministre de premier plan. Mais quelles sont son histoire et sa vision d’un bon gouvernement, et aussi, que planifie-t-elle pour Montréal ?
Several bricks fell from a 12-storey building under renovation on Ste. Catherine Street near Bleury St., damaging one car.
Par . le 1 octobre 2009
Prud’homme retires
Par Alan Hustak le 1 octobre 2009
Dignitaries from a number of Arab countries as well as Cuba and Russia attended a reception at Montreal City Hall Sept. 9 to honour the Dean of Canada’s parliamentarians, retiring senator Marcel Prud’homme. Prud’homme, who was described as the institutional memory on Parliament Hill was first elected as a Liberal MP in 1963 and never lost an election before Brian Mulroney appointed him a senator 16 years ago...
Les rues de la honte
Par Pierre K. Malouf le 1 octobre 2009
La rue Amherst conservera son nom. Échec déplorable ! Le principal reproche que j’adresse aux valeureux censeurs qui voulaient améliorer les temps présents en épurant les temps anciens., c’est d’en être resté au stade larvaire d’un projet par ailleurs salutaire. Montréal est sillonnée de long en large et de haut en bas, de rues aux noms douteux, pourquoi diable nous indigner des seuls méfaits du misérable Jeffrey Amherst, qui n’a même pas su mettre à exécution ses criminelles intentions — ce que les susnommés ignoraient, les grandes vertus faisant souvent bon ménage avec l’ignorance. « Plus le mensonge est énorme, plus il sera cru », disait Joseph Goebbels, je dis que plus la mission est impossible, plus elle anoblit ses héros. Nos redresseurs de torts ont commis l’erreur de ne pas voir assez grand...
Réponse à un jeune
Par René Girard le 1 octobre 2009
« Aujourd’hui, quand on demande à un jeune […] qui est Lionel Groulx, il répond que c’est une station de métro », déplorait Claude Béland, ancien dirigeant du Mouvement Desjardins et actuel président du conseil d’administration de la Fondation Lionel-Groulx, dans le Devoir du 13 août dernier.
Si un jeune me demandait à moi qui était Lionel Groulx, voici la réponse que je lui donnerais :
Barack and the Straw Man
Par Akil Alleyne le 1 octobre 2009
In the winter of 2008, knowing that the next president of the United States would be a Democrat, I decided that President Barack Obama, whatever his faults, would be preferable to President Hillary Clinton. This had nothing to do with their policy differences—which were scant—and everything to do with many Americans’ deep personal dislike of Hillary Clinton. The country had just endured eight years of monomaniacal Clinton-bashing from the Right, followed by another eight years of equally unhinged Bush-bashing from the Left. Could America not use a leader whose detractors could oppose his policy agenda without hating his guts?
Zhao Ziyang -- major opportunity lost for China
Par The Hon. David Kilgour le 1 octobre 2009
The publication this year of Prisoner Of State-The Secret Journal of Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang contains important insights into modern China by a leader who for almost 15 years played a key role in the management of its economy. Tienanmen Square events in mid-1989 sidelined Zhao, but party-state governance has probably worsened since and his observations recorded before his death in 2005 are useful to any student of China...
Afghanistan and the Dilemma of Post-Conflict Elections
Par Richard Lappin le 1 octobre 2009
A growing dispute over election results in Afghanistan is threatening to further destabilise the war-torn state. On Wednesday – nearly 1 month after the country went to the polls – the EU confirmed widespread fears over the credibility of the elections by announcing that as many as 1.5 million of the 6 million votes cast could be fraudulent. According to the EU, as many as 1.1 million of these ‘suspicious’ votes were allocated to the incumbent President Hamid Karzai and only 300,000 to his rival Abdullah Abdullah. With the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission now undertaking recounts, there is a significant chance that Karzai’s current 54.6% of the vote could slip below the 50% threshold required for victory and thus trigger a run-off poll against Abdullah Abdullah.
Are we as good as we think we are?
Par Robert Presser le 1 octobre 2009
According to the latest statistical data, the Canadian recession ended
sometime over the summer and we will see slow growth in the third and
fourth quarters of 2009. While this is likely to be a jobless recovery
until sometime in 2010, Canadians believe that our conservative banking
culture coupled with greater financial market regulation spared us the
mortgage melt-down and destruction of consumer wealth that devastated
other first world economies. While that may be the case, it does not
mean that Canada is perfect on all major economic and government policy
issues. This article takes a look at some major issues facing western
economies and what international organizations like the World Bank have
to say about Canada’s success in managing them.
Lack of regulation you say?
Par Mischa Popoff le 1 octobre 2009
Some claim the global financial crisis was caused by a lack of
regulation. But it was overregulation and community activism that
caused the American mortgage crisis which precipitated the global
financial meltdown.
The American mortgage industry is overseen by Freddie Mac and Fannie
Mae. They are roughly equivalent to our Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation, the big difference being that unlike CMHC they participate
directly in the mortgage market. Now hold that thought…
From Small Beginnings
Par David Solway le 1 octobre 2009
Global warmists, environmentalists and ecological redeemers are a mixed bunch and come in every shape, size and color. There are those, of course, who adopt a sane and responsible attitude toward preserving our natural heritage. One notable instance involves a new class of wealthy philanthropists, called eco-barons, such as the Chilean Sebastian Pinera, the American Douglas Thomas, and the Swiss Ernst Beyeler and Hansjörg Wyss, who have purchased, preserved and reconstructed millions of hectares in Chile, Argentina, the United States and South Africa. They are to be commended, not only because they are materially contributing to the planet’s well-being rather than whipping up public hysteria, but because they are not in the business of profiting from the latest environmental scare...
Wiesel in Montreal: “You are not alone! Somebody cares.”
Par Joel Goldenberg le 1 octobre 2009
Individuals should never think there is nothing they can do to help solve society’s ills, professor, Nobel Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel told an audience of more than 2,200 at Théâtre St. Denis recently...
Le Monde de Piperberg
Par Roy Piperberg le 1 octobre 2009
TREMBLAY’S TRIUMPHANT SEASON. Michel Tremblay, that is.
Par Alidor Aucoin le 1 octobre 2009
If there’s any doubt that Michel Tremblay is a national resource, all
you have to do is look around . He’s everywhere. Tremblay’s latest
play – his 30th– Fragments des mensonges inutiles, is at the Theatre
Jean Duceppe until October 17. His fifth novel, La Traversée des
sentiments, comes out in November, and a musical based on his
classic, Les Belles-Soeurs, (lyrics by René Richard Cyr and music by
Daniel Bélanger) will be staged next spring at Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui,
and is already a box office hit. Tremblay is also doing the French
translation of Steve Gallucio’s farce, Piazza San Domenico, which
opens the Centaur season Oct. 6 , Michel Tremblay is also a character
who banters with Jack Kerouac in George Rideout’s play, Michel &
Ti-jean, at the Centaur in February. A production of Albertine in Five
Times is at the Shaw Festival until mid October, and next year,
Stratford will produce For The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again.
Ladies and Gentlemen…Leonard Cohen! Still your man
Par P.A. Sévigny le 1 octobre 2009
He may have written Death of a Lady’s Man but Leonard Cohen is not,
repeat, not dead. As of last week, he’s 75 years old and pulling in a
pension but the man’s alive, the man is well and as far as we know, he
still knows how to make the ladies sweat.
Edmonton’s Allison Akgongor’s Longing for Leonard knows what she’s talking about when she writes
Leonard’s sounds entice us
His words carry us away
Ce n’est pas ma fête
Par Louise V. Labrecque le 1 octobre 2009
J’aime beaucoup les anniversaires. Ils nous invitent à déclarer des sentiments trop souvent tacites, qui vont sans dire, mais qui vont tellement mieux en les disant. Ils invitent aussi à la rencontre avec le passé, à des retours vers ce que l’on fête, à des prises de consciences renouvelées vers soi, comme l’air de dire : « J’ai eu de la chance ». Ainsi, je m’amuse à évoquer les mille et unes réflexions se situant au cœur du dernier livre de Milan Kundera : Une rencontre.
