# The CanaDoper Café (2012 edition of The great, ongoing Canadian current events and politics thread.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014 "2012-01-01T03:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 49
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/961 "2012-04-17T19:06:33Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Gonna frame that one, I am! I did frame one judgment on a case I appeared on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/962 "2012-04-17T19:16:52Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Begging your pardon, quite right, and I’m honoured simply to have been called your ‘learned colleague’. Gonna frame that one, I am! Well, heck, _I_ can call you “My learned colleague” if you like. It won’t mean anything, but I can do it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/963 "2012-04-17T19:20:21Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Well, heck, _I_ can call you “My learned colleague” if you like. It won’t mean anything, but I can do it. 🙂 Ah, but _would_ you, under any circumstances? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/964 "2012-04-17T19:24:10Z")
“would you, could you, on a boat?” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/965 "2012-04-17T19:33:01Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > “would you, could you, on a boat?” Would you, could you, on a boat? Would you, could you, make it float? Would you, could you, with some rice? Would you, could you, 'cause it’s nice? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/966 "2012-04-17T19:56:28Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > “would you, could you, on a boat?” This is Canada, **Piper** … in a _canoe!_ ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/967 "2012-04-18T04:15:17Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Ah, but _would_ you, under any circumstances? 😃 Of course! I’d call any and all of you “My learned colleague.” Then I’d make fun of your pants. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/968 "2012-04-18T13:05:01Z")
In a canoe? Of course! Doesn’t everyone? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/969 "2012-04-23T17:56:43Z")
Apparently, Albertans have always wanted the thrill of having a provincial election that the rest of the country watches closely; is it some kind of Québec envy? At any rate, it will be a very interesting evening. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/970 "2012-04-23T19:25:42Z")
We are living in interesting times in Alberta these days (and not always in the Chinese curse way, either). 🙂 I think it’s great, though - having one party rule forever and ever is a terrible way to run a government, in my opinion. They get far too complacent and used to doing as they please with no checks and balances. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/971 "2012-04-24T05:21:03Z")
Interesting item in the Globe and Mail: [A year after running for PM, Ignatieff warns of Quebec separation](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/a-year-after-running-for-pm-ignatieff-warns-of-quebec-separation/article2411663/). From the linked item: > [@](#): > > When he was younger, Mr. Ignatieff suggested, Quebec played a central role in the Canadian identity. > > “I can’t think of this country without Quebec. Je parle francais. And when I think about being a Canadian, speaking French is part of it,” Mr. Ignatieff said. > > “But that’s not the way most English Canadians now think of their country. They might have done 30 or 40 years ago, when we thought we could live together in this strange hybrid country called Canada. > > “Now effectively, we’re almost two separate countries.” Thoughts? Is Mr. Ignatieff correct? Personally, I’ve never had to speak French in Canada outside of Quebec (and even there, the people were willing to speak English with me, to my occasional dismay–I would have liked to practice my French). But I’d be interested in our Canadian Dopers’ reactions, both Quebec and ROC, to Mr. Ignatieff’s remarks as reported in the Globe. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/972 "2012-04-24T13:04:11Z")
I don’t know if I agree with Iggy. There’s a large percentage of Quebeckers who still wish to remain in Canada, and a large percentage of the ROC who don’t want Quebec to separate. The language issue is a bummer though. As we all know, the federal government is cutting back. My wife has received notice that her job is “affected.” She’s not bilingual and in no way needs to be to perform her duties. But she’s going to lose her job because she’s going to be assessed against a pool of people, some of whom are bilingual. The bilingual candidates will undoubtedly come out ahead. It’s not fair, and life isn’t fair, but she will lose out to these bilingual candidates. This is an issue. And I know some might say “Well, she could learn French.” Or “It’s her problem for not learning French to begin with.” But when you grow up in an environment (Southwestern Ontario) where there is absolutely no French spoken, no French signage, no requirement or incentive at all to learn French, and then find yourself stranded in this Brave New Canada where French is suddenly a requirement of employment, it sucks. I don’t think Quebec is going anywhere soon, and I don’t want them to. But this is a hybrid country, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/973 "2012-04-26T20:25:10Z")
[Chantal Hebert](http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1167952--michael-ignatieff-s-bbc-comments-on-shaky-ground) certainly didn’t agree with Michael Ignatieff today… ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/974 "2012-04-26T21:39:08Z")
Well first off "_And when I think about being a Canadian, speaking French is part of it,_” I don’t agree with this elitist attitude and it’s not the first time I’ve come across it. Roughly 20% of Canada’s population are bilingual, so the other 80% aren’t real Canadians ? According to Ignatieff they aren’t . I can see why some Quebecers get’s pissed about certain issues. I.E. not being able to be served in French in Quebec, specifically this usually happens in Montreal but there’s a lot of history to explain why this is, it’s going to take a little longer than 30 years to fix it but it’s happening. I do believe in the old saying when in Rome do as the Romans. I grew up in Quebec as an anglophone, I always spoke french when I went about my day to day activiites. I just wish the language complainers would adopt the same attitude when they settled throughout english Canada, and I’m not talking about government services. I’m talking about going to a restaurant in Ottawa in the market and throwing a langauge fit, because a person can’t get a server that speaks french while the person complaining can speak english. Majority of people in Ottawa only speak english. But then the “Nations Capital” mantra is thrown out as to a reason why all these english people should be bilingual. As a far as separation goes, I think the current generation of most Quebecers realize they are better off sticking with ROC than going it on their own, and aren’t buying the old ROC are evil speel. I think this has a lot to do with technology and being connected with the rest of the world and realizing they aren’t living in a bubble any longer. So I don’t think it’s going to happen in my lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/975 "2012-04-27T00:03:41Z")
A guy who spent most of his adult life outside of Canada is more Canadian than I am? Okay. If he says so. To turn what Iggy is saying around, are all the non-English speaking Quebecers not Canadian, either? ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/976 "2012-04-27T00:10:21Z")
In Canada, French and English are languages, not nationalities. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/977 "2012-04-27T02:48:27Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > In Canada, French and English are languages, not nationalities. Debatable. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/978 "2012-04-27T17:37:29Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > A guy who spent most of his adult life outside of Canada is more Canadian than I am? Okay. If he says so. Michael Ignatieff’s resumé while living outside of Canada > [@](#): > > Known for his work as a historian, Ignatieff has held senior academic posts at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Harvard University and the University of Toronto. > > While living in the United Kingdom from 1978 to 2000, Ignatieff became well known as a television and radio broadcaster and as an editorial columnist for The Observer. His documentary series Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism aired on BBC in 1993, and won a Canadian Gemini Award. His book of the same name, based on the series, won the Gordon Montador Award for Best Canadian Book on Social Issues and the University of Toronto’s Lionel Gelber Prize.[1] His memoir, The Russian Album, won Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award and the British Royal Society of Literature’s Heinemann Prize in 1988. His novel, Scar Tissue, was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1994. In 2000, he delivered the Massey Lectures, entitled The Rights Revolution, which was released in print later that year. would be celebrated as a record of outstanding achievement in some circles. There are counter-arguments to be made against his statements, but I don’t see yours as anything more than Tall Poppy Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/979 "2012-04-27T17:58:34Z")
My apologies - I neglected to post the source of the above quotation. It is taken from the Wiki page of [Michael Ignatieff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ignatieff). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014/980 "2012-04-27T18:11:32Z")
I don’t think anyone is disputing that Ignatieff is a very accomplished man for some things; having spent his entire life in Canada is not one of them, and if he wants to talk about what makes someone a good Canadian, that brings that particular facet of his life into the discussion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-canadoper-cafe-2012-edition-of-the-great-ongoing-canadian-current-events-and-politics-thread/608014.md?page=50)