Do you know the fable about the scorpion and the frog?

The scorpion persuaded the frog to carry him across the river, promising no harm would come. The frog believed him but when they were half way across the scorpion stings the frog, dooming them both.

When asked why, the scorpion explained it was simply his nature.

Which brings us to the Canadian flag displayed in the Red Room of the National Assembly and the attempt by the PQ to have it removed.

The PQ can vow that we should all work together, but for them the presence of one Canadian flag is simply too much for them.

They don't understand that the National Assembly is the house of all the people not just the Pequistes.

You see the PQ is like the scorpion. It's just in their nature.

 

Budget missing some promises

We did get a budget this week, and yes they are in your pockets once again digging around for more.

What's really remarkable was what was not in the budget.

The PQ promise to eliminate the health care tax: that’s missing.

The PQ promise to freeze electricity rates: that's missing.

The budget does not even address the issue that tore this place apart earlier this year: university tuition.

What we do know is that Quebec has the lowest growth in the country.

We are the most heavily indebted province in Canada.

However, the tuition freeze is maintained, and 15,000 new daycare places are promised.

I guess the finance minister is doing new math… really new math.

 

Dumb and dumber

In car racing they call it the pole position. In Quebec we call it roadwork.

It seems we are not only leaders in corruption and collusion in the building roads, but in fixing them we take top honours in idiocy.

A utility pole was left standing in the middle of a highway in the Townships for a couple of months.

The roadway had been moved to fix a dangerous curve and they left the pole in the middle of the new configuration.

And it’s not the only one.

The deep thinkers at Hydro Quebec and Transport Quebec seemed to have a communication issue.

The pole was removed this week after it became a national joke.

It's amazing no one was killed but surely many died of laughter.

 

100 years of the Grey Cup

This weekend is a cause for celebration for fans of Canadian football as the 100th Grey Cup game will be played in Toronto.

Canadian football is something which is ours and we should be proud of it.

So can someone explain to me why not one French Canadian performer was invited to sing at the half time show?

We have Justin Bieber, Gordon Lightfoot and a few others of note but no one representing our other official language.

As English-speaking Quebecers we sometimes knock ourselves out on unity issues.

We are often the bridge between Francophone Quebecers and the rest of the country, and when organizers of showcase pan-Canadian events like the Grey Cup forget about one quarter of the country, it gets me angry, and a little sad, that they still don't get it.

Or worse -- they don't care.