From: steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steve Potter)
Newsgroups: can.politics,soc.culture.canada
Subject: Re: Why I will vote NO! on Oct.26
Date: 15 Sep 92 13:02:12 GMT
Organization: Securiplex Technologies Inc., Montreal, Canada
X-Bytes: 3471

From article <BuKJo5.HLs@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>, by pasward@maytag (Paul A.S. Ward):
> In article <1RF2qB3w165w@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Dave Shariff Yadallee) writes:
> 
>>1) All provinces are equal.
> 
> But some are more equal than others ...
> 

I agree with Paul. Of course they are not equal.

>>2) French and English are the official languages of the country and deserve
>>   protection righ accros the board.
> 
> Provided you don't wish to put up English signs in Quebec ...
> 

Or send your children to English school in Quebec !!!

The two official languages do not get protection across the board.

>>3) Quebec's Distinct Society is now subject to the Charter, and not the other
>>   way around.
> 
> Which still has the not-withstanding clause (Why, why, why does Quebec
> want more power to promote the French culture, when the not-withstanding
> clause allows them (or any other province for that matter) to do whatever
> they please?)
> 

What good is a Charter that is about as useful for anglophones in Quebec
as toilet paper?

>>4) The Multicultural aspect of Canada is recognized and to be protected.
> 
> Ah yes.  Now everything is determined by what group you belong to ...
> (You mentioned something about apartheid earlier...)
> 

"Multicultural aspect .... " what does it mean?

>>5) The Senate is Equal, eventually 100% elected and give time would become very
>>   effective.
> 
> Eventually (ah yes, "in the fullness of time, when the people are ready for
> it...".  That's the nice political code worf for when hell freezes over.
> As to effective, I have yet to see a castrated man ever "become effective".
> He just doesn't have it in him.  Same way with the Senate; it's been
> completely castrated.  (As a side issue; should it be 50% women?  For all the
> effectiveness you can send 100% women (better yet, send corpses - it'll save
> on the pay)).
> 

The Senate issue is a smoke screen. There are more fundamental problems here.

>>6) I have heared the rep. by pop arguments acc the constitution, however since
>>   1st-past-the-post is how we elect the HoC, it doesn't matter.  What would
>>really matter would be if the HoC was based on proportional representation.  As
>>it is now, it is based on party discipline.
> 
> Only because people vote that way.  If they voted for the best representative
> for their riding, rather than who the PM/Party was, things would be much better.
> 

If only ...

>>7) The aborginals are basically citizens of Canada just like the rest of us,
>>wiht there Treaty right entrenched.
> 
> Hmm, self gov't = citizens of Canada?  That's definitely a good one for the
> "newspeak" books.  (Who is going to pay for this self-gov't anyway - they
> pay no taxes at the moment.  Is Ovid going to tell them they all have to 
> start kicking in and paying taxes if they want things from now on?)
> 

Being a citizen of Canada means you can carry a Canadian passport which
gives a bit less hassle entering the states than if you carried one from
somewhere else. It doesn't mean much in Quebec!

>>God Save the Queen, 
> 
> Well, he better, 'cause no else is at the moment.

:-)

-- 
  ///==================================================================\\\
  ||| Steve Potter:         steven%spxtech@CAM.ORG                     |||
  ||| Expertise/Experience: Computer Systems Engineering / Real Ale /  |||
  |||                       Politics in Education in Quebec            |||