Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED – Quebec’s moves to make the province French only and to demand nationhood are not surprising … one can never satisfy a blackmailer


 

One of the most valuable lessons my father taught me was that I am not obliged to play poker when someone pulls out a deck of cards. When I was a young man learning the world’s ways, the advice saved me a lot of money.

Quebec’s Bill 96 is a deck of cards. No one is obliged to play. Quebec’s moves to make the province French only and to demand nationhood are not surprising. One can never satisfy a blackmailer.

A provincial law cannot change our constitution. Legal convention holds that if a provincial statute conflicts with the constitution, the constitution shall prevail. That has been writ in stone since the BNA Act became law in 1867. Furthermore, the 1982 Constitution Act Section 5 lays out how constitutional changes may be made. No province can unilaterally change the constitution.
 
Trudeau’s advisors are aware of these conventions and are ignoring them because he has to take the focus off the horrendous economic crisis he has created. He can’t trigger an election with inflation and unemployment high. He needs a distraction.

The eight provinces (except Quebec and New Brunswick) can declare themselves English language provinces and demand repeal of the Official Languages Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act. Repeal of those acts does not affect the constitution.

No more French-language labelling and no more singing the anthem in two languages.

“After the bill’s introduction in the Quebec legislature, Prime Minister

Trudeau almost breathlessly announced that it was “perfectly legitimate”

for one province to alter the constitution of the entire nation. In particular

that Quebec, which did not sign the Constitution Act, is nonetheless

endowed with the singular privilege of the power to amend it.

From which I derive a new principle of constitutional law — herewith:

that the only province which did not and has not signed the Constitution

Act has the right to, unilaterally, amend the constitution.”

 

Rex Murphy ~~ May 21st, National Post


Accommodation for French-speaking minorities is off the table. Quebec has mistreated English-speaking minorities for decades. It is time to smoke the bears out of their den.             

When Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin were in power, they did not press Quebec’s demands too far for fear of a backlash. As a result, Chretien underestimated Quebec’s fervour and almost lost a 1995 separation referendum.

25 years later, English-speaking Canada will no longer work to keep Quebec in confederation. Quebec’s unconstitutional signage laws are one of many factors behind the change.  

Justin Trudeau has no sound political instincts or diplomatic skills. He consorts with criminals. He has no respect for the law or democratic governance.      

English-speaking people must demand that the federal government protect their interests and repeal the Official Languages Act. Failing to do so will create a constitutional crisis.

Quebec has played the part of a blackmailer for far too long.

Accommodation and appeasement are over.

Contact your provincial member and demand action to counter Quebec’s demands. Contact you member of parliament and order repeal of the Official Languages Act in response to Quebec’s threats. The louder and oftener we yell, the quicker we can get back to sanity.

 

John Feldsted … is a political commentator, consultant, and strategist. He makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Labels

Show more