The sense of entitlement of some of the people who work for us is absolutely mind-numbing sometimes.
Nathalie Normandeau became the sixth member of the Charest cabinet to quit since April 2008, and in doing so is walking away with quite a tidy little sum.
Her golden parachute will cost you and me $150,000. It's her departure bonus.
She should be paying us.
That's because the cost of yet another by-election is about $500,000.
When we elect people they should sign a contract that barring calamity, they will stay on the job until the next election.
The unilingual Normandeau will not be a great loss.
The former small town mayor from the Gaspé had little understanding of Montreal when she was Municipal Affairs minister, and as Natural Resources minister her handling of the shale gas issue has been less than stellar.
She leaves with a jackpot and a future pension to boot.
Something to think about when you look at the deductions on your paycheque.
The good news is that the fumbling, bumbling, Sam Hamad has been shuffled right out of Transportation.
Hamad will always be remembered for refusing to hand over safety inspection reports, and questioning the ability of reporters to understand them.
The day of the Viger Tunnel collapse he had the audacity to proclaim that every road and bridge and tunnel in Quebec was safe.
He was nothing short of a disaster in the job.
Good luck to the new Transport Minister Pierre Moreau. He will need it.
Restoring faith in Transport Quebec will be like untying the Gordian knot.
Moreau can start by telling us the truth and perhaps apologizing.
Co-ordinating trains and buses
When I heard this I thought it was a joke. No one had thought of this before?
The STM (the bus people) and the AMT (the train people) announced this week they would synchronize their schedules for some West Island commuters.
They have actually discovered that things might work better if buses didn't arrive after the trains had left the station. What a revelation!
Why did the deep thinkers take so long to come up with something that seems so obviously obvious?
The truth is both groups have said this before, but those who take the train have watched for years – no, for decades – as bus drivers pulled away as soon as the train pulled into the station.
Long live the Queen
Finally, this week it looks like the Tories would like us to return to the days of colonial rule.
They are ordering the portrait of the Queen be displayed in every Canadian foreign mission around the world.
This on the heels of bringing back the term "Royal Canadian" for the Air Force and Navy.
What's next? Bringing back the Union Jack? Afternoon tea for everyone?
I mean her majesty's a pretty nice girl but franchement, we are all grown ups here.
Let's move on.
Politicians who have left the Liberal party
Roch Cholette, April 2008
Philippe Couillard, June 2008
Russell Copeman, October 2008
Michel Bissonnet, September 2008
2008 Election
Monique-Jerome Forget, April 2009
Tony Tomassi, May 2010, (asked to resign)
Claude Bechard, September 2010 (deceased)
Nathalie Normandeau, September 2011
