MONTREAL- If you just landed from another planet, you might think every student in Quebec was boycotting class. That is simply not true.

The ones that stay out may risk their entire year, a year they paid for.

What is disturbing is a radicalization of the protest and I wonder whether this movement is becoming hijacked by others with other agendas.

We are talking about a simple dispute over money.

 

Many of the students think they are Les Miserables fighting for justice against tyranny.

Now they are taking a different route: vandalizing public and private property. It gives a new meaning to student painters.

 

The government has gone as far as it will. By improving the loans and bursaries program it has shown an honest attempt to reach a settlement.

But of course, it will not be good enough.

At least the students have given Premier Charest an election issue and perhaps the government can be thankful for that.

Because if you did just land from another planet, or even another province you would just shake your head in disbelief.

 

More money for language police

You might find this one hard to believe as well

In times of spiraling debt and economic uncertainty Quebec is going on a hiring spree.

Forget about that bold plan to downsize the bureaucracy. Quebec is taking CV's for dozens of new language inspectors in the vital public interest to crack down on the perceived creeping Anglicization of Montreal.

It's a false debate fueled by language hawks and radicals who have a vested interest in seeing a PQ government in place.

The Liberals are trying to outdo the PQ on language by instituting a policy of submission and at the same time are doing their best to alienate their most loyal supporters.

Something's got to give, but then again taking Anglos for granted has become common practice in Quebec.

We are to be seen but not heard.

 

High-flying scandal after scandal

The federal cabinet knew it but preferred we all fly blind.

The F-35 fighter purchase is northing short of a fiasco of the highest order. Incompetence, a lack of accountability, and a culture of secrecy,

The Auditor General this week concluded that the true costs of one of the biggest contract in Canadian history were not reported to Parliament, meaning that the true costs were not reported to Canadians.

The people who pay for these expensive jets have been taken for fools.

A 10 billion dollar overrun?

Like the previous Auditor General who brought a government down over the sponsorship scandal Michael Ferguson has the goods, but who will accept the blame for keeping us in the dark?

The only reason the Harper government may seem a little contrite is because it got caught.

 

The Tories were found in contempt of Parliament before the last election.

They treated the Robocall scandal as a minor annoyance.

And now this.

It's no wonder Canadians are becoming so cynical, so turned off by the political process

We can do better.

But will anyone still care?