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Gouvernement du Québec Notes

             

david nicholson says click here for quote window menu. if it is not seen click PopQuote... in bottom tool bar Do see www.WindowsOnWestmount.com our old site gouv.qc.ca | dianaswednesday.com/ Don't miss our Notes on: Benard Landry the king! BOUCHARD & Jean Charest, the Fedreal Gov. or Langue & Separatistism, then City Mergers or Medical, Media , Legal , Markets Money , Oil, SCI-TECH, CHART NT Nortel, T-BBD_B wn Shriners Hospital Find 193 Wednesday-Nights on Québec Please see Wikipedia | search | CP | clusty | Portal Milnews | news.google | Separatist Notes | Canada new news | Fr | Pauline Marois | Craigslist.ca | oldquebecmap.com | Quebec City Québec by Robert J. Galbraith video Yes, Prime Minister: A Clear Conscience 2009 Thursday 16 April 2009 MONTREAL: POLICE IN INTERNATIONAL CRACKDOWN ON BIKERS Police have arrested 156 people in an international crackdown on the Hell's Angels biker gang. Most of the arrests were made in Quebec, but there were others in New Brunswick, France and the Dominican Republic. The bikers were arrested for alleged murders and drug crimes committed between 1992 and the present. Police seized quantities of guns and drugs from suspects involved in the drug trade between Quebec, the U.S. and the Maritime provinces. Nearly, 1,200 police officers were involved in the arrests in Montreal, Quebec City and Quebec's Saguenay, Estrie and Mauricie regions. Saturday 11 April 2009 Why Quebeckers should be worried With most Canadian governments having delivered their 2009 budgets, globeandmail.com has asked public-policy experts to assess the best and worst of recession responses. Second in the series is Globe columnist Konrad Yakabuski. Thursday 09 April 2009 Famed star observatory in Quebec loses federal support The Mont Mégantic Observatory — about 250 kilometres east of Montreal, in the Eastern Townships — is the largest astronomy centre of its kind in eastern North America, and a popular destination for researchers and star enthusiasts alike. ....The cuts reflect the federal government’s total lack of understanding of the role and importance of science in society, said former astronaut and Liberal MP Marc Garneau. Thursday 09 April 2009 Tech consumers frustrated by Canadian roadblocks On Monday, Google Inc.'s YouTube announced Disney/ABC would be launching its own channel on the video-sharing website, making episodes of television shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives available in May. On Tuesday, Skype introduced a version of its voice-over internet phone service for Apple's iPhone, and as the company reported Thursday, it had already been downloaded more than one million times in the first two days. What do these two product launches have in common? Neither is available in Canada. Friday 27 March 2009 QUEBEC CITY: PM DEFENDS ECONOMIC FORECAST Friday 20 March 2009 QUEBEC CITY: GOVT. TO POST DEFICIT Quebec Finance Minister Monique Jérôme-Forget has presented her 2009-2010 budget and it contains provisions for spending of $66.1 billion and a $3.9-billion deficit. Mrs. Jérôme-Forget also predicts four consecutive budget deficits. The minister says that her main objective is to protect jobs in Quebec. Health and education will consume more than 60 per cent of the year`s planned spending. The province's accumulated debt is expected to rise to more than $150 billion by March 31 and to rise by almost $20 billion more within two years. 2008 see full page Thursday 06 November 2008 QUEBEC CITY: QUEBECERS TO VOTE Liberal Party Premier Jean Charest has called a provincial election on Dec. 8. Mr. Charest says that he understands voters might not be eager to vote again just 20 months after he won a minority government. But he sought to justify the decision by explaining that a majority government is essential for the province to deal with "an economic storm," and that it's important that there be only one set of hands on the "rudder of our ship" not three. The Liberal have 48 of the 128 seats in the legislature, l'Action Démocratique has 39 and the Parti Québécois 26. Charest says he didn't foresee a productive session of the legislation because the two opposing formations would have sought only to obstruct the Liberal government or to bring it down. Thursday 23 October 2008 CALGARY: DOW CHALLENGES QUEBEC PESTICIDE BAN A Canadian division of the U.S. firm Dow Chemical has challenged a ban on its 2,4-D weed killer under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Dow AgroSciences says there is no scientific basis for the ban. NAFTA allows parties in one country to sue a second government if it judges its interests harmed, circumventing local courts and bringing the conflict before an international tribunal. The document filed by Dow AgroSciences does not start the case but allows it to go ahead after a 90-day expiry period. The company bases its complaint on a Health Canada ruling this year that found that 2,4-D can be safely used according to label instructions. The Canadian Press cites the Canadian Physicians for the Environment as saying there is much scientific evidence linking the pesticide to cancer, neurological impairment and reproductive problems. QUEBEC CITY: POTENTIAL NEWCOMERS NOT OBLIGED TO KNOW FRENCH Quebec Immigration Minister Yolande James says the government won't require that candidates for immigration understand the French language before arriving in the largely French-speaking province. Mrs. James says the government will encourage them to learn Quebec's official language before arriving, but the potential numbers of francophone immigrants is too small to allow the government to achieve its immigration targets. The government wants to increase numbers of immigrants arriving yearly from 45,000 to 55,000 by 2010. Sixty-per cent of immigrants to the province are now estimated to understand French. Friday 15 August 2008 MONTREAL: LABOUR CRISIS LOOMS IN QUEBEC Quebec has been warned that a labour crisis is impending in coming decades. A study by the Desjardins Group investment and banking firm says that even a high birth rate and more immigration won't compensate for the droves of workers who will soon be retiring. The researchers predict that one-quarter of the population will be aged 65 or older by 2021. The study notes that Quebec trails Ontario and other provinces in the ability to attract and to retain newcomers. Desjardins recommends several remedies, such as making the work force more accessible to "atypical" workers like women with young children whom the government could accommodate by providing daycare centres open in the evening or during weekends. The study says the government could ease labour laws to create more flexibility for employers, as well as to enact measures to delay retirements. Employers across the country continue to complain about labour shortages. The Bank of Canada says that 40 per cent of Canadian companies think that the shortages are affecting their ability to meet demand for their products. Monday Jul 14, 2008 It's time Canada's premiers had a little talk about power An east-west electricity corridor would suit the needs of a number of provinces Monday Jun 23, 2008 Quebec destined to stay Canadian: poll A new nationwide poll suggests that a strong majority of Canadians - including most of the country's... Saturday 07 June 2008 QUEBEC CITY: LOUVRE LAUNCHES UNPRECEDENTED EXHIBIT The Louvre museum on Friday opened its most ambitious exhibit ever as its contribution to celebrations to mark the foundation of Quebec City 400 years ago by French explorer Samuel de Champlain. The Louvre lent the city's own museum 270 artefacts from its Islamic art collection. This is the first time that all eight of the Paris museum's departments have collaborated on a single exhibit. Tuesday Jun 3, 2008 Premiers thumb noses at Ottawa Cranking up their rhetoric against the federal government for a second day, the premiers of Quebec and... "The federal government does not have a monopoly on the common good," Quebec Premier Jean Charest, flanked by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, said at a news conference yesterday, moments after the two signed a deal to establish a market-based trading system to cut greenhouse gases, despite the objections of the federal government. Sunday 25 May 2008 MONTREAL: KEY PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION REJECTED Quebec Premier Jean Charest has rejected one of the 37 recommendation concerning "reasonable accommodations" for minorities. Mr. Charest's government spent $5 million to fund the Bouchard-Taylor commission which toured the province for one year to hold hearings on the questions. The two academics made public their report on Thursday. One of the recommendations was the removal of the crucifix that hangs above the chair of the speakers of the Quebec legislature, a suggestion which Mr. Charest rejected out of hand. The premier says the crucifix is part of a 350-year history of the largely French-speaking province that cannot be erased. Among the other recommendations are for judges, police officers and Crown prosecutors to be banned from wearing religious symbols. The report also recommends that efforts be made to settle immigrants outside of Montreal and to provide them with better language training. Sunday 25 May 2008 OTTAWA: QUEBEC REJECTS ELECTED SENATE Quebec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoît Pelletier says his province is prepared to go to court to thwart the federal Conservative Party government's plan to transform the Senate into an elected body. At present, members of the upper house of Parliament are named by the prime minister. Billl C-20 would create a process by which senators would be elected. The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintains that this is possible with Parliament's approval. But Quebec contends such a move would be unconstitutional and that such a radical change to the country's political institutions requires a constitutional amendment approved by at least seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population. Mr. Pelletier says Quebec still hopes that Mr. Harper will refer the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada, which he has refused to do. The minister says the Quebec government is considering referring the question itself to Quebec Appeal Court. Friday May 23, 2008 HIGHLIGHTS: Some recommendations of the Bouchard-Taylor report: - The crucifix above the chair of the speaker of the National Assembly should be relocated in the legislature... Sunday 18 May 2008 BORDEAUX: QUEBEC PREMIER MARKS ANNIVERSARY IN FRANCE The premier of the Canadian province of Quebec, Jean Charest, was in France on Saturday to participate in celebrations marking the four hundredth anniversary of the founding of Quebec City by French explorers. He was joined in the city of Bordeaux by two former French prime ministers, Alain Juppé and Jean-Pierre Raffarin. On Sunday, Mr. Charest will be in Brouage, birthplace of Quebec City's founder, Samuel de Champlain. On Monday, President Nicolas Sarkozy will welcome Mr. Charest to Paris along with the city's mayor, Bertrand Delanoe. Mr. Charest is scheduled to speak before the city's chamber of commerce and he'll later attend the first Paris show of Quebec singing star, Céline Dion. Saturday 26 January 2008 QUEBEC CITY: IMMIGRATION LEVEL QUESTIONED One of the leading politicians in the province of Quebec says that if a language study had been made public earlier, the government might have been dissuaded from increasing its limits on immigration. Mario Dumont, leader of the Action democratique du Quebec, was referring to a study, commissioned by the government, which purports to show that the use of French is on the decline. Demographer Marc Termote released his study to the media last week. In it, he says that a low birth rate among Quebec-born francophones, combined with a growing affinity between newcomers and Quebec's English-speaking minority, has caused French to lose ground, not only in Montreal, the province's metropolis, but in the regions as well. French is the sole official language in Quebec, although English is widely spoken, especially in the Montreal region. Because of its unique linguistic and cultural situation in Canada, Quebec has limited powers to select the numbers and qualifications of its immigrants. Premier Jean Charest announced last year that the annual limit would be raised by 10-thousand, to 55-thousand immigrants. 2007 Tuesday 01 January 2008 QUEBEC CITY: A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS BEGINS It's party-time in Quebec City! The year 2008 marks the 400th anniversary of its founding. In was on July 3rd, 1608, that the French explorer, Samuel de Champlain, arrived on the shores of the St. Lawrence River to open a trading post and claim for France what is now the capital of the mainly French-speaking province of Quebec. Over the course of 2008, Quebec City will host more than 100 events, including shows by Cirque du Soleil and entertainer Celine Dion. An estimated 5-million tourists are expected during the year-long celebrations. Coincidentally, Canada's national capital is celebrating its 150th anniversary. It was on December 31st, 1857, that Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be Canada's capital. It was an unpopular decision, prompting her representative in Canada, Governor-General Sir Charles Stanley Monck, to describe the choice as an act of insanity. Tuesday Nov 20, 2007 Bailout for ailing industry Aid for manufacturers. Charest to help sector hit hard by soaring loonie, energy costs : Sunday, June 17 Minister breaks age, colour and language barriers Yolande James, the youngest cabinet minister in Quebec history, begins her typical day with a 5:30 a.m. workout in the National Assembly's third-floor gym. Few of her 124 colleagues in the legislature use the fitness centre, at any hour. Then again, the 29-year-old Montrealer has travelled an unusual path to get here. She is the first black woman elected to the National Assembly, the first black minister, and the only anglophone minister in Premier Jean Charest's new cabinet (though Charest's mother tongue is also English). Summertime, and the livin' is easy - way too easy, some say Quebecers have to be ready to pay the price for goofing off JANET BAGNALL, The Gazette Published: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 It's summer: Quebec's lakes shimmer and glint under the sun, red and yellow wildflowers add a splash of colour to green pastures and the cool strains of jazz curl through Montreal's downtown. Thinking of lazing about on the sun-dappled waters? Taking in a concert? You wouldn't dream of lifting your nose from the grindstone if former premier Lucien Bouchard had his way. Summer, like any other time in Quebec, should be a period of hard work, he lectured us. It is to our shame that we are not putting in 34 hours like our neighbours in Ontario or 37 like the Americans. We lag at 32 hours a week on average. Our inertia will result, warned Bouchard, more Calvinist than Catholic, in an ever more rapid economic decline. Thursday 28 June 2007 OTTAWA: CANADA MORE UNITED THAN IN DECADES: PM Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper claims that Canada is now more united than it has been since the 1960s, telling the Canadian Press that his country is "one of the world's great success stories." Mr. Harper says one reason for that is the resolution presented by his Conservative Party government and approved by all four political parties in the House of Commons to the effect that "the Quécécois" are a people within the nation of Canada. The resolution didn't define "Québécois," leaving Canadians free to define nationalism in the largely French-speaking province as all-inclusive or narrowly ethnically based. Mr. Harper says the absence of brooding over national unity has enabled Canada to play a more vigorous role internationally. A recent public opinion survey by the CROP pollster found that of 1,000 Quebecers asked, 72 per cent believed that political sovereignty for the province is highly or totally improbable. The provincial separatist party, le Parti Québécois, finished third in last March's provincial election. Saturday 16 June 2007 QUEBEC CITY: QUEBEC, OTTAWA TO SPLIT COST OF FRANCOPHONE SUMMIT The Canadian and Quebec governments will spend $16 million each to hold the summit of French-speaking nations that will take place in Quebec City Oct. 17-19, 2008, coinciding with the city's 400th anniversary celebrations. Sixty-eight heads of state are expected to attend the summit of la francophonie. Ottawa will spend $57 million altogether, including related costs including security. The federal minister of international co-operation, Josée Verner, says the event will have positive economic effects for the local economy, recalling that the event brought $78 million to Moncton, NB, when that city hosted it eight years ago. Sat. Jun 2, 2007 QUEBEC CITY: SUMMER ELECTION AVOIDED The Liberal Party minority government in Canada's mainly French-speaking province of Quebec has passed its controversial budget, averting a July election. Before the vote, the Liberals reached an agreement with the separatist opposition party Parti Québécois. All but three of its 36 members were absent for the vote. That allowed the Liberals enough votes to pass the budget. The budget contains $950 million in personal income tax cuts. The Parti Québécois and l'Action Démocratique du Québec were opposed to the budget because the Liberals plan to use a cash windfall from the Canadian government to cut personal income taxes. The ADQ, which wants more autonomy for Quebec, argued that the province cannot afford the tax cut. Monday 14 May 2007 Marois enters the leadership race Former Quebec cabinet minister Pauline Marois formally entered the Parti Quebecois leadership race on Sunday by calling on PQ members to put aside the timing of another referendum on independence. Tuesday 08 May 2007 Facing an opposition determined to reverse its decision to sell part of Mount Orford provincial park to developers, the Charest government Monday backed away from the controversial move. Line Beauchamp, the minister of sustainable development, environment and parks, told reporters the government has decided to keep the parkland public at least for the next two years. If there really is a crisis, no one's likely to do much about it First Premier Jean Charest, then former premier Lucien Bouchard's "Lucides" tried in vain to convince Quebecers of the need to make sacrifices to head off a financial and demographic crisis facing our province. Are we more likely to heed similar advice from a Toronto-based bank? DON MACPHERSON, The Gazette Published: Thursday, April 12, 2007 First Premier Jean Charest, then former premier Lucien Bouchard's "Lucides" tried in vain to convince Quebecers of the need to make sacrifices to head off a financial and demographic crisis facing our province. Are we more likely to heed similar advice from a Toronto-based bank? This week, the economics department of the TD Bank Financial Group published a special report saying Quebec's standard of living is at risk from an aging population, rising health costs and increasing international competition. "The scope and pace of reforms remain too slow to achieve meaningful results," TD Economics said, noting this province's labour force will begin to shrink in only six years. "A greater sense of urgency is required." Among the measures it proposed were increases in hydro rates and tuition fees and the introduction of user fees for some public services. The payoff from closing the "prosperity gap" between Quebec and the rest of Canada would be an increase of at least $8,000 a year in this province's average household after-tax income. But the publication of the report comes only two weeks after an election campaign in which there was little evidence of a sense of urgency about the need to address the province's demographic and financial problems. After winning the 2003 election, Charest claimed to have received a mandate to reduce the size and cost of government, as proposed in writing in the Liberal platform. But only 32 per cent of the eligible voters had cast their ballots for the Liberals. And it turned out that most of the electorate, fickle lot that it is, refused to be bound by the platform on which the government was elected - that is, other than the parts promising them tax cuts and the elimination of hospital waiting lists. By the fourth year of the government's term, opposition from public opinion as well as special-interest groups forced Charest to retreat from his intention to "re-engineer" government. Some observers saw Quebec swinging to the right in the March 26 election, in which a total of 64 per cent of the valid votes went to the Liberals and Mario Dumont's Action democratique du Quebec. But after the election, neither of the two right-of-centre parties made a claim similar to Charest's in 2003. The need to reduce the size and cost of government had not been an issue in the campaign. And the only new austerity measure that received any attention was the proposal of both the Liberals and the ADQ to increase university tuition fees, as well as bursaries for needy students. The platforms of both the Liberals and the ADQ provided for government spending to continue to increase, though both parties would limit the rate of growth. The Liberals would continue to allow spending to increase by up to four per cent a year, while the ADQ would cap it at three per cent. The ADQ platform provides for possible increases in rates for hydro, as proposed by both the Lucides and TD Economics, and for other services, but does not indicate by how much. The Liberal platform does not mention rate increases. Both parties seem to have recognized that public opinion isn't ready for austerity measures. In January, the CROP polling firm published an analysis of its survey results suggesting Quebecers rejected such debt-reduction measures as cuts in spending, increases in hydro rates and tuition fees and medical user fees. As well, a minority government facing a possible early election doesn't have the classic option of frontloading unpopular but necessary measures into the first two years of its term to give the voters time to get over them. The Liberals and the ADQ might combine to raise tuition fees, since students usually don't bother to vote anyway. But with the Liberals needing to re-build in French Quebec and the ADQ to consolidate its breakthrough on March 26, don't expect them to buck public opinion and heed the rest of the bankers' advice. You can read the Liberal platform in English at www.plq.org, and the ADQ's in French at www.adq.qc.ca. © The Gazette (Montreal) 2007 Wednesday 14 March 2007 No K-Os in Quebec election debate Quebec's major party leaders went toe-to-toe Tuesday night in an election debate that had lots of jousting, but lacked a definitive knock-out blow. Sunday Feb 25, 2007 Federalism can sometimes work—even in Canada Jean Charest pages Tories give $1.5B to boost air quality Tuesday 13 February 2007 Friday 12 January 2007 MONTREAL: HYDRO PROJECT UNDERWAY Construction has been officially launched on a massive $5-billion hydro-electric project in northern Quebec. By the time it's finished in 2012, two new dams will be constructed on the Rupert River in the James Bay region, deep within the territory of the native Cree. Three of nine Cree communities are opposed to the deal, mainly because huge tracts of land will be flooded through river diversions. But the premier of the province of Quebec, Jean Charest, noted that 78 per cent of Cree who voted in a referendum on the project voiced their approval for it. Mr. Charest said hydroelectricity is an economic development tool for Quebec that will benefit all of its citizens, including the Cree. The massive construction project is expected to employ more than 4,000 workers and will generate regional economic spinoffs estimated at more than $500-million. 2006 Tuesday 19 December 2006 rci MONTREAL: QUEBEC GOVERNMENT UNVEILS NEW POLICY ON WOMEN The province of Quebec on Sunday unveiled a new policy on women that aims to improve their life. The government will spend CDN$24 million over three years to combat violence against women and to promote equality. Although women's groups and labour unions welcomed the policy's intentions, they were unhappy about the small amount of money. Tuesday 28 November 2006 In an attempt to calm the province's medical specialists angry over their wages, Quebec's health minister, Philippe Couillard, made a new offer on Sunday to increase their salaries. The offer of 15 per cent is an increase of 2.5 per cent over an earlier offer. Salaries will increase by 33 per cent within eight years. Specialists have been demanding an immediate increase of 40 per cent that they say will bring them to the same level as salaries in the neighbouring province of Ontario. The specialists have been employing pressure tactics in protest. Mr. Couillard says that he'll approach the essential services commission to stop the tactics. Tuesday 28 November 2006 Medical specialists scorn Quebec wage offer "Health Minister Philippe Couillard's latest offer of $430 million in wage hikes is not enough to remove the salary gap Quebec's 8,000 specialists face, a gap the previous provincial government had promised to close, federation president Gaétan Barrette said Monday." Sunday Mar 26, 2006 rci There's also a new budget in the neighbouring province of Quebec, where the government will spend $55.8 billion in 2006-2007. The budget includes modest increases in spending for health care and education. It also keeps an unpopular tobacco tax which was first introduced to pay for the 1976 Olympic Games and facilities, particularly the Olympic Stadium, which however will be paid off in September. Further revenue from the tax will be used to construct new sports facilities and to fund culture. The finance minister, Michel Audet, has yet to deliver on a three-year-old promise of Liberal Party Premier Jean Charest to make a dent in Quebec's debt of $118 billion, the country's biggest provincial debt. The minister said the government will try to remedy the situation by establishing a debt fund from its royalties derived from Hydro Quebec. The opposition Parti Québécois says the fund is an illusion and that Quebecers should be told that the debt will be paid down from their electricity bills. factbits on Politics-of-Quebec 2005 Dec. 31, 2005. ts New life in old Quebec doctrine Province reasserts its place on world stage But now, it's become an election issue Saturday Oct 29, 2005 ts Little resolved decade after vote MONTREAL—A decade ago, Montreal personified the fear and jubilation of a province on the brink. This week, it seems, few people cared. NewColumns By DON MACPHERSON :: Things go better with coke  :: Is Quebec ready for Boisclair?  :: PQ hard-liners begin pecking at moderate Boisclair  :: PQ candidates fight for elbow room  :: For Landry, the Parti's over  :: PQ race is more like the Seven Dwarfs  :: Sovereignist idol?  :: Parti Quebecois is ripe for federalist takeover  :: Duceppe has it too good  :: PQ awaits its next victim  :: Landry haunts CEGEPs proposal  :: PQ's not the only party that's reeling  :: PQ marching boldly into the past  :: Add a fourth 'p' for prudence  :: Quebec has been studying PPPs overseas  :: Martin avoids fate of John Turner  Sunday Jul 3, 2005 MONTREAL: SOVEREIGNTY MORE POPULAR THAN EVER IN QUEBEC A new poll has been carried out in Canada's mainly French-speaking province of Quebec. It shows 55 percent of the respondents would have voted for sovereignty for the province if a referendum guaranteeing political and economic partnership with Canada had been held last month. The NO side would have received 45 per cent of the vote. Thursday Jun 23, 2005 gaz Bernard is soft on sovereignty JOSEE LEGAULT Monday Jun 20, 2005 Boisclair, 39, plays youth card in bid to lead PQ OTTAWA — André Boisclair yesterday made the Parti Québécois leadership race a contest between generations. Boisclair, who left politics 10 months ago to get a Master`s degree in public administration at Harvard University, is the third to announce his candidacy to succeed Bernard Landry. Graham Fraser reports. Tuesday May 24, 2005 irppMedicare, Quebec Style, Has Opened the Way for a Lot of Private Clinics and Quebecers Don't Seem Perturbed IRP cyber-column by James Ferrabee, Wednesday May 11, 2005 rci QUEBEC CITY: PROVINCE TO CURB SMOKING The Quebec government has introduced legislation to ban smoking in most public places. Quebec's health minister, Philippe Couillard, has presented amendments to the province's smoking laws that would ban smoking in bars, restaurants and schoolyards. Violators would face severe sanctions. The legislation would go into effect in January 2006. Sunday Apr 24, 2005 QUEBEC: QUEBEC GETS NEW BUDGET The Liberal party in Canada's mainly French-speaking province of Quebec has presented a balanced budget for the fiscal year 2005-2006. However, there is a deficit the year after. The $55.4-billion budget offers an $81-million tax cut worth about about $500 per person. The budget also promises an increase of $826 million in health spending. It's the first budget for Quebec's new finance minister, Michel Audet, and the third budget for Quebec's Liberal party under Jean Charest. Apr 3, 2005 nyt Quebec Is Shedding Image as Hotbed of Political Rest By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Quebec's political life, a life that has been relatively quiet for a decade, is becoming vibrant and chaotic again. MONTREAL, March 30 - The scene on fashionable Rue St.-Denis looked as if it came out of another era: hundreds of students staging a sit-in in front of a Liberal Party office and blocking rush hour traffic on a Tuesday afternoon. Red and black banners flapped as fists pumped in the air. The police surrounded the students in their patrol cars. Friday Apr 1, 2005 MEDICAL GRADUATES CAN'T FIND WORK IN QUEBEC MONTREAL - There may be a shortage of doctors in Canada, but in Quebec, medical residents graduating in several specialties are leaving the province because they can't find jobs. "People wait to see physicians in every region in the urban centres as well as in the peripheral, outlying regions," said Dr. Martin Bernier of the Quebec Federation of Medical Residents. "Yet when it comes down to physicians actually looking for a job, well they're told there's not enough positions for all the graduating physicians, which is absurd."The graduates are looking for a place to start their career while helping to fill Canada's shortage of physicians.Problems arise because the Federation of Medical Specialists works with the province to come up with the number of specialist positions needed, but the total is deliberately underestimated. The reason is that experience has shown not every graduate immediately steps into a job. "There [are] some who fail at the exam, perhaps," said Dr. Yves D ugré of the Quebec Association of Medical Specialists. "Some will leave Quebec. Some will perhaps be on maternity leave, and in fact, there was never at the end of a year more candidates than positions."The provincial government allocates the number of graduating specialists each hospital can hire. The number of graduates vying for work are: Cardiology: 24 cardiologists for 15 jobs. Cardiac surgeons: five graduates, no positions. Hematologists: 20 graduates for 14 jobs. Neurologists: 17 new specialists for 14 new jobs. Some graduating residents aren't keen to wait and see whether they will be able to work in Quebec. "Of course I'm disappointed," said Dr. Naomi Pace, a native Montrealer who just completed her residency in academic pediatrics. "I personally have already been offered jobs in other provinces and I'm seriously considering taking the positions and leaving."The provincial government said it may consider easing restrictions on new specialists in time for next year's graduating class. thanks to Dr. Alex(andra) Friday Apr 1, 2005 OTTAWA: THE SUPREME COURT DENIES SOME IN QUEBEC ACCESS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION The Supreme Court of Canada delivered a landmark ruling on Thursday, on who gets to go to school in English in the mainly French-speaking province of Quebec. The Court ruled that francophone children whose parents were educated in French do not have the right to attend English-language schools. The ruling struck down an appeal by francophone families who wanted their children to learn English in school. They claimed that their rights were being neglected under Canada's Charter of Human Rights. But the Court also opened the door to English schools in Quebec for students coming from outside the province. The Court decided that out-of-province children who attended French immersion schools could have a choice of attending Quebec English schools. The ruling avoids creating a giant political problem by reviving the province's dormant language debates. Dec 31, 2004 ts Quebec puts focus on foreign films Quebec says it will nearly double the tax credit it offers to non-Canadian film production companies in a bid to up the ante in a competition with Ontario to attract filmmakers. 2003 - 2000 Archive Quotes from Wed 1154 “I don’t think we can turn things around yet in Québec because we haven’t suffered enough yet.” “One of things that struck me about Canadians is that all they do about it is talk, talk, talk, talk and this is a good thing, because the alternative is doing something else [pulling out swords and daggers and guns].” “Charest has to explain what he is doing every day. He has to say it over and over and over and over.” “Public servants are powerful by the force of their numbers.” “First you tell them what you are going to tell them; then you tell them what you want to tell them; then you tell them what you just told them" “Public servants are powerful by the force of their numbers.” “The tax rate in Quebec for lower income people is a good deal". “The corporate tax rate for small business in Quebec is the lowest in the country" quebec_budget_2003 Quebec budget slashes business subsidies Quebecers must learn to fend more for themselves as the province moves away from heavy government intervention, Finance Minister Yves Séguin said Thursday as he tabled Quebec's 2003-2004 budget. Friday Feb 14, 2003 Quebec targets English-speaking immigrants Monday Jan 13, 2003 BLOC MP QUITS TO JOIN ACTION DEMOCRATIQUE Bloc Québécois whip Pierre Brien says he's quitting the party to run for the Action Democratique du Quebec in the upcoming provincial election. 2002 Sunday Oct 20, 2002 cbc QUEBEC WANTS BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH OTTAWA ON KYOTO Quebec is seeking to negotiate its own agreement on Kyoto with the federal government. see Kyoto notes Sunday Oct 20, 2002 Me Julius Grey on the Québec Language Issue Tuesday Mar 12, 2002 MHAREL VOTED NEW SPEAKER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Former Municipal Affairs Minister Louise Harel has been chosen as the new speaker of the National Assembly. She's the first woman to occupy the job. Saturday Nov 24, 2001 QUEBEC READY TO SIGN ITS OWN SOFTWOOD DEAL WITH U.S. Instead of uniting in their fight against an American duty on softwood lumber, the federal government and Quebec may be heading for a squabble of their own. Sat 8/18/01 FORMER PREMIER TO MAKE QUEBEC'S CASE IN U.S. The Landry government has named Pierre-Marc Johnson as Quebec's lobbyist in the international dispute over softwood lumber. Fri 8/10/01 7:01 AM Taking a bite of the Big Apple By: INGRID PHANEUF If the New York City art world thinks of itself as cutting edge, just wait until they get a load of Montreal Brainware - a presentation of 14 digital creations by Montreal artists in the Big Apple Sept. 13 to Oct. 7. The digital-art productions are just some of the presentations that will make up the Quebec government's Quebec New York City 2001 initiative, a $15-million project to introduce the province in all its cultural, gastronomical, technological and artistic glory to the Big Apple. To find out more about Quebec New York 2001, visit quebecnewyork.com David Jones 6/Feb/2001 Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed Bernard Landry: A Quebec Hedgehog Although you may have seen this already, I was not aware that it had run on 6 February 2001 as it did not appear on the Internet. Hope that you find it of interest. David Jones www.geocities.com/davidnicholson_99/Jones.htm Jan 15 2001 5:34 PM EST LANDRY NOT READY TO DECLARE CANDIDACY Quebec Finance Minister Bernard Landry said Monday he hasn't decided yet whether he'll run to replace Premier Lucien Bouchard. See Benard Landry page see WEDNESDAY-NIGHT #835, March 4th, 1998 Me. Julius Grey 23/Dec/2000 No gift for PM By: JOSH FREED From the office of Santa Josh: It's almost Christmas and I'm way behind schedule, what with my reindeer stuck in a snowbank, the price of gas going up, and my elves on another work slowdown. And you try to find a decent chimney to fit into these days. or Menu of Josh Freed works in 2000 - 2001 Yves Michaud and the B’Nai Brith have had a go at each other. While it may be that Michaud used the insult to evade the question. the virtue of which is not an issue, it may just be recurring evidence that the Parti Québecois, in confusing language and culture, continues to divide Quebeckers into convenient, segregated boxes, while welcoming people of totally different cultures, but who speak the French language, as acceptable cultural brothers. There may be a different explanation, which does not appear to be evident to many. see click for Michaud Notes if you care. (Editor's Note: since the Wednesday Night discussion, much has transpired including the joint resolution of censure in the National Assembly and Michaud's (quite logical) reaction that the Assembly has no jurisdiction over him as a private citizen. The PQ appears to be in error - could it be the Liberals set them up? Some strategic thinkers believe that federalists should work for Michaud's election. The old theory about the camel and the tent might not prove to be so serendipitous in this case. Certainly this saga will continue.) thanks to Wayne Larsen click for click here to window thse quotes Québec Archive Home © 2000, 01 by David T. Nicholson click to e-mail us Please phone (514) 934-0023

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