Defenestrate Them All: Canadian Politics 2021

I’m curious what aspect was actually “professional” or “reasonable”

I wondered the same thing. Correct syrup-chugging technique?

I question why one of the only fully bilingual universities in English Canada, and the largest, seems to have been chosen as a target for outrage.

PQ leader Bérubé just wants to ~emphasize~ that 5500 QC students attend UOttawa, and that a number of them receive provincial funding to do so, when he calls on the Assembly to denounce "all persons and institutions in Canada" who refuse to intervene to stop "unacceptable comments about Quebec" (i.e. a prof trolling on Twitter).

Situation à l’@uOttawa quant aux attaques haineuses, discriminatoires et francophobes à l’égard de la nation québécoise.

Voici la motion que je vais présenter ce matin à l’@AssnatQc au nom du @PartiQuebecois. Il faut condamner avec force. @profamirattaran #Assnat #PolQc pic.twitter.com/Sx1Mhqx94n

— Pascal Bérubé (@PascalBerube) March 24, 2021

How accurate is the first sentence here btw?

With India stopping vaccine exports, and the EU possibly doing so, 100% of Canada's vaccine supply is now at risk.

Hope for the best, expect the worst, and never forgive Team Trudeau for refusing to manufacture some at home. https://t.co/RrYseMiaL2

— Amir Attaran (@profamirattaran) March 24, 2021

I thought I read something specifically pointing out that the EU problems wouldn't affect Canada, but now I can't find it.

The couple of times I've looked at that guy's timeline I've seen a ton of disingenuous crap, e.g., comparing Alaska's successful vaccination roll-out to all of Canada's, which is absurd. Annoying as hell that the PQ are determined to make him into a hero.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/pm-concerned-about-vaccine-restrictions-no-indication-canada-is-impacted-1.5359764

Seems that despite all the reassurances that we’ll probably still get deliveries, it’s all contingent upon those countries not having an exceptional domestic need at the same time. So yeah.

I’m still not sure that producing it domestically was ever a viable option within just the one year though. If mistakes were made, have to look backwards there.

Just saw that it’s confirmed we will be getting the US’s “spare” Astra Zeneca doses - yay?

Re: Attaran, Hachey is no hypocrite after all:

https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2021-03-25/a-la-defense-du-prof-attaran-un-peu.php

Haha, a week ago, she was wondering aloud on Twitter whether she should write about him (most respondents seemed to assume she meant critically) or should not feed the troll. I replied like this, without expecting she actually would!

Oui, j'espère que vous défendrez encore la liberté académique.

— Sundar Subramanian (@SundarSubrama13) March 19, 2021

Ontario budget sounds OK, in broad strokes. Will need to read more since this piece is very general but even the NDP's criticisms sound tepid in this article.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-budget-2021-covid-19-doug-ford-1.5962279

not much about education in that article:

https://pressprogress.ca/doug-fords-2021-budget-confirms-over-1-billion-in-cuts-to-education-ontario-school-boards-say/

Ugh, figured there was a catch (at least one).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-covid-19-1.5968657

not loving this

It's dumb. Vaccine rollout is totally shit here, so par for the course.

Indoor dining just suspended in BC for at least 3 weeks as our numbers are back up to as high as they've been (was 900 or so on Friday).

love the non-utilitarian version of medical ethics where a 1% chance that a side effect that kills 1 in 10 million isn’t a statistical fluke is a reason to stop giving out the vaccine that gives 80% immunity to a disease that kills 1 in 100

I have no idea what is even happening anymore. There are rumours that the Ontario school break that got moved to April will be delayed again until the end of the year, but Lecce is saying noo no way won’t happen, but same day Ford is all oh that’s two weeks away, can’t commit, who can say.

And though I respect the medical realities, the way they are threatening more hard lockdowns literally immediately after allowing many businesses to finally restock and restaff is just cruel. It’s breaking people.

"I know it doesn’t, and obviously not all Quebecers are racist. But when a white supremacist party can win a majority, that is an indication of the dominant belief in Quebec." -amir Attaran
@profamirattaran

gotta remember to be careful who you trust. hopefully québec will become a country within my lifetime ... and then give lessons of cosmopolitanism to english canadians.

quebec is very racist and not really in a position to give anyone lessons. it's just that other parts of canada are no slouches in racism and not really in a position to lord any supposed superiority in this matter over quebec (as much as some people may try).

I mean, feel free to model superior cosmopolitanism and teach us rn, pls. No need to wait to become a country. xp

What do people think of this reading?: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-trudeau-legault-1.5965855

I think lots of people are confused because white supremacy for some really means KKK and neo-nazism, which obviously isn’t what CAQ is; while for others, it’s more about how systematic racism upholds white privilege, which is exactly what CAQ is all about, and I’m not going to fault all Quebecers for not being totally aware of these discussions and nuances.

Wanting to give lessons in cosmopolitanism is a strange sentiment that being said: why don’t we wish maximum cosmopolitanism for everyone to be free of their racial heritage? How can it be competitive?

calling québécois white supremacists is off. if you don't get that and talk about missing nuances... forget it. end of the lesson. that was a joke too, me giving lessons: i gave up on interracting seriously with canadians about that a long time ago. if the dudes in here , that i presumed a bit left of shitlibs, don't see a problem with what he said : forget it. i'm outta this thread and will try to stay out.

Yeah but turns out lots of quebecois think that too.

And how can one look at the present treatment of FNIM and not see white supremacy is beyond me.

Sébastien, we have a French-language board now, so we can talk about it there if you like:

https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/NewAnswersControllerServlet?boardid=725388455

Sébastien, I don't think anyone here has unequivocally praised Attaran's tweets.

But pom otm, Jdt could use some fire.

These two things are simultaneously true imo: anglophones grossly underestimate the prevalence of Quebec and/or French bashing; francophones use this as an excuse not to put their own house in order.

Much of the debate hinges on whether you believe any alternative to multiculturalism is fundamentally racist or not.

As an aside, user xzanfar is a good example of someone who appears to outright disdain francophones if their contributions to the ‘most Canadian song’ and Québécois music threads on ILM are anything to go by.

Not that it matters since French is dying anyway, right?

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/breaking-point-studies-find-french-language-is-on-the-decline-in-quebec-1.5367575

Quebec and/or French bashing

Does this mostly mean people like xzanfar talking shit or do you feel that there is a broader level of discrimination? I grew up in the suburbs of Ottawa in the 90s and am p aware of the former thing. (I don't think there's a modern-day phenomenon comparable to gay-bashing or Paki-bashing, though?)

Every time a Reddit thread about Canada makes it to the top of r/all there’s always someone who waxes poetic about how amazingly nice Canadians are, until it inevitably turns into a conversation about how the Québécois are the exception to this rule. Cue a subthread about how awful Quebec is and how much they fucking hate it. The hundreds or thousands of upvotes (depending on how popular the thread is) such comments systematically garner speak for themselves.

And yeah, race-based bashing is def worse, no question about it.

It’s reddit.

Reddit is extremely mainstream these days.

As far as Attaran is concerned, Trudeau pointedly called his behaviour by its name:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trudeau-calls-for-end-to-university-of-ottawa-professors-quebec/

Plenty of examples in the comments section of that article btw (plenty of counter-examples too!).

I'm honestly confused as to why this guy matters? His tweets are abysmal regardless of your politics

My rule of thumb is that its Quebec bashing if you single out Quebec.

I'm not sure what you mean VHS. Surely there are unique things about Quebec that one could complain about?

Every time a Reddit thread about Canada makes it to the top of r/all there’s always someone who waxes poetic about how amazingly nice Canadians are, until it inevitably turns into a conversation about how the Québécois are the exception to this rule. Cue a subthread about how awful Quebec is and how much they fucking hate it. The hundreds or thousands of upvotes (depending on how popular the thread is) such comments systematically garner speak for themselves.

I'm not sure what you mean VHS. Surely there are unique things about Quebec that one could complain about?

I don't think there's anywhere near a consensus that Cegep sucks.

I meant more like if I wanted to complain that, on the basis of Bill 21, Quebec is Islamophobic, I wouldn't consider that "Quebec-bashing."

Why is everything in Montreal under construction all the time?

Corruption + winter

I don't think there's anywhere near a consensus that Cegep sucks.

I meant more like if I wanted to complain that, on the basis of Bill 21, Quebec is Islamophobic, I wouldn't consider that "Quebec-bashing."

Hmm. The cégep system absolutely rules and I’ve never met anyone who disagrees.

xps rob that’s a fair take and quite different from saying stuff like ‘Quebec is a fascist province devoted to white supremacy’.

Because it forgot to build stuff between 1970 and 2000.

Hmm. The cégep system absolutely rules and I’ve never met anyone who disagrees.

Cegeps absolutely sucks.