Strange Days is the name of a great album by the Doors. Strange days have found us. Strange days have tracked us down.

It kind of reminds me of what is happening right now in Quebec.

Strange Days when I find myself agreeing with Jacques Parizeau on anything.

Parizeau is sort of like Marley's ghost.

He appears every now and then to talk about what was, what is and what might be.

So when the spiritual godfather of the Parti Quebecois says the Charter of Values goes too far, you know the PQ is in trouble.

I do find it rather heartwarming when the separatists start tearing their hair out after letting the genie out of the bottle.

Even Lucien Bouchard agrees with Parizeau that the debate has divided the province.

Both say the restriction on religious symbols should only apply to people in positions of authority such as police and judges.

That seems to be to be a good compromise and that could pass in the National Assembly and make the issue go away, but it's not what Marois appears to want.

More troubling events

This week another women's group went public about the violence against women wearing simple head scarves.

"Women are being shoved, insulted, and denigrated," said the group.

"The impacts of the debate over the charter are undeniable."

Then a major health establishment association said there have been NO complaints, not one, on the wearing of so-called conspicuous religious symbols. NOT ONE from all of the health institutions in Quebec.

it's getting silly with topless protests in the National Assembly demanding the removal of the crucifix.

You see that's the PQ's Achilles heel. They want it both ways.

It is still all pointing to a pre-Christmas election.

The economy is a mess. We are going to be facing an almost $2 billion deficit--not the balanced budget that Marois promised.

The situation will be worse in the spring so why wait?

It's Marois's biggest gamble and she seems prepared to roll the dice.

Just as Brian Mulroney did with Meech Lake years ago and remember how well that turned out?

Leave the lyrics alone

Did you watch the Habs game the other night? Did you hear the people sing?

A stirring scene indeed with a great anthem in two languages. But for some not good enough.

You see, now* there's a push from people like Margaret Atwood and others to make O Canada gender neutral.

They don't like "in all thy sons command?" It's only been part of the anthem since 1914. [Editor's note: the original English line was 'Thou dost in us command']

It was altered during the first World War to pay tribute to the thousands of Canadian men who were dying on the far-away battlefields of Europe. Why should we take that away now?

O Canada is fine the way it is. This is political correctness on steroids.

How can anyone seriously be offended?

Sometimes things are just left well enough alone.

And that's the way it should be in these strange days.

 

*Toronto City Council voted 12-7 to make the lyrics gender neutral in 1990. In 2010 Governor-General Michaelle Jean's throne speech said the lyrics would be made gender neutral.