Canada, France and Arrogance

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

Quote:

French politician denies interference

RHÉAL SÉGUIN

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

QUEBEC — French presidential hopeful Ségolène Royal said yesterday she was not breaking with French government policy of "neither interference nor indifference" when she expressed sympathy for Quebec independence.

Ms. Royal, the Socialist candidate, said Monday after meeting with Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair that France shared common values with Quebec such as sovereignty and liberty.

The comments were strongly condemned by both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion as interference in Canadian domestic affairs.

"I showed neither interference nor indifference," Ms. Royal told France's Europe 1 radio network yesterday. "What I said and what I confirm is that in any democracy the people who vote are sovereign and free.

Therefore, Quebeckers in time will decide their fate if asked to do so and it is not up to France to tell either Quebeckers or Canadians what they should do. On the other hand the principles of sovereignty and liberty cannot be disputed."

But the radio host then imitated the voice of former French president Charles de Gaulle and asked; "So you are not saying: Vive le Québec libre," referring to the controversial speech General de Gaulle delivered in 1967 in Montreal that signalled for the first time France's support for the separatist cause.

"They are beautiful words," Ms. Royal responded with laughter.

"But you're not saying that or are you?" the radio host asked.

"Not in that way," Ms. Royal said. "But I repeat the principles of sovereignty and liberty. . . . Perhaps Quebeckers will once again be asked to decide [their political future] if the circumstances permit and they will do so in a sovereign and free way."

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe defended Ms. Royal's remarks, saying that while federalists pretend to be offended by her "intrusion" they were quick to applaud former U.S. president Bill Clinton when he expressed his preference for a united Canada.

"Nobody advised him back then to mind his own business," Mr. Duceppe said yesterday.

I've had enough of France meddling with my country.

The modern version of French meddling in Canadian affairs began in 1967, when General de Gaulle, mindful of the thousands of Canadians who died defending his country in the First World War and the thousands who died liberating it in the Second, openly and arrogantly interfered in Canadian affairs and preached the break-up of Canada.

Recently, the French environment minister began to openly critcise Canadian environmental policy and suggested sacntions against the country for not living up to international obligations - at the same while France was widthdrawing its special forces and not allowing its troops to engage in active fighting in Afghanistan.

Now this?

This is absurd. Canada has been good to France - to my knowledge we haven't critcized their willingness to seel weapons to just about anyone, their support for the RGF during the Rwandan Civil War or tried to impose our multicultural values on their religious policies. We're an observer in the EU and contribute to NATO in a way that's very impressive for our size.

Just who the hell does she think she is? Does France have to moral right to chastise an ally like this? Perhaps it is Canada who should be calling for sanctions against France.

Statements like this can only serve to hurt France. The more absurd they beocme, the less people will want to do business with them.

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Oh come on. As if this goofy socialist really was going to 1) be president 2) really influence an (improbable) referendum. And besides, i think it's jsut normal that a socialist supports another socialist... However, has Sarkosy gave such support, I think there would have been siplomatic consequences.

Also, I have to give a point to separatists: no one complained in 1995 when Clinton pleaded canadian unity...

There's nowhere I can't reach.

It's not just this, though. What about the French criticism of Canada's environmental policies?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Heh. Now you guys know what I've got to cope with everyday on the news because of that stupid b ... woman. <_<

She's an idiot, and for now she's basically nobody, so don't get all exited about that. The sad point is that she may actually be voted in because of the huge amount of equally dumb socialists this country is plagued with, and their Sarkozy=Fascist propaganda.

Nothing to answer about the other issues. I'll try to look it up later.

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Originally Posted by loyalist

It's not just this, though. What about the French criticism of Canada's environmental policies?

Everyone criticizes Canada's environmental policies. You don't remember Rona Ambrose getting laughed at during the UN Climate Change conference in Nairobi for our shitty, shitty proposals?

I was speaking idiomatically.

That's different - that's Canada opening up to the UN with environmental ideas. Not our domestic policy. Besides, she was replaced.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't think that the average Canadian puts much weight on the words of some French woman they've never heard of before. That being said, I have to admit that Canada is pretty sad when it comes to environmental policy. I mean really, The One Ton Challenge? It's a fucking joke.

FELIPE NO

Haha, she got prank called. Fucking WIN.

Some French comedian called her pretending to be Québec's Prime Minister Jean Charest. Commenting on her words on Québec sovereignty, he said "it's as if we Québecers said Corsica must become independent".

To which Royal replied, "The French wouldn't disagree, actually". And, with another laugh, "Don't repeat this. It's going to cause an uproar again, in France this time. It's a secret." In case you aren't aware, Corsica is a very touchy issue in France, as the island is still plagued with separatist movements, some of which are armed and do bomb attacks on a regular basis. Imagine what a scandal those words could cause in such a contest.

I know it's awfully low, childish even. But she had it coming. <3

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haha, now they'll say it's another of Sarkozy's evil plots.

Man, we're so fucked if she wins ...

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Wow, Corsica has seperatist movements? Have they ever been independent?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Apparently, they were independent for a few years after seperating from Genoa. The Genoese then sold the island to the French, who put an end to that nonsense, and they've been trying to undo it ever since.

Maybe the far right will manage to save us from the prospect of this Socialist becoming President, too.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Briefly, from 1755 to 1769 (though there had been revolts and short-lived self-proclaimed governments before). Before that it had more or less been everyone's playground since the collapse of the Roman empire. With a few wartime exceptions put aside, it has remained French since.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

i can't believe she was so naive. I mean, "charest's" accent was definitively not québécois (he didn't pronounce the "ts" like in poutine like most quebecers).

I truly hope she won't be president. You've suffered enough already

I was speaking idiomatically.

Meh, it would be like the fucking cherry on top of 30 years of Chirac and Mitterand. >_<

Seriously, it needs to end. ;_;

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?