Ex-Lax Max Sticks His Foot In It Again–Could This Even Cost Him His Seat In The Beauce?

Yes, Mad Max decided to come out and trample on a  long time sacred cow that is taboo in la belle province– Bill 101, our language laws that have been in existance since 1977.  Click the link if you wish to have more details about this law. The short of it  pertains to protecting the French language through our education and signage.

“It’s like in Quebec — we don’t need Bill 101 to protect the French language over there,” Bernier is quoted as saying. “They know we speak French in Quebec and we will speak French for a long time, I believe it.”

Over the years, I had started to understand the necessity over such language laws back in the day Bill 101 was created, even though I find some provisions to be quite silly and extreme.   Yes, back in the day, many Anglophones in Quebec were indeed hostile to such laws, but following the mass exodux in 1979 and again in the 90s around the times of both referendums on sovereignty,  most Anglophones and Allophones who have remained have developed a complacent attitude toward them.  Form Liberal MP, now pundit, Jean Lapierre seems to agree.

What made Ex-Lax Max stick his foot in it?

Jean Lapierre suggested Bernier is taking shots at Quebec because he knows it’ll be popular with some people in English Canada, and he has keen to build a national support base. Bernier is often touted as a potential Conservative leadership candidate.

Ah yes! Sucking up to those Alberta friends of his again! But why the Quebec language laws in particular? One would think the staunch Libertarian could find other ways of endearing himself to his new Albertan and other neo-con friends. He already has. Is he deliberately trying to stir up trouble in La Belle province? Is he trying to make Quebec the bigger punching bag for neo-cons than it already is?  Is he trying to stir up unrest?   One also has to wonder if he is aware that he could well be alienating his constituents in the Beauce? After all, the folks in the Beauce may support his condemning federal money for a Quebec City arena, but somehow, given that this riding is for the most part, unilingual Francophone, I don’t see them supporting Ex-Lax Max’s bid to scrap Bill 101 or any of Quebec’s language laws.

Agree with Quebec’s language laws or not, they’re a provincial jurisdiction and for a Libertarian like Ex-Lax Max who supposedly believes in decentralization, his hypocrisy here comes through loud and clear.

Needless to say, the Harpercons must be in full damage control mode as their seats are in ridings where the constituencies are unilingual Francophone for the most part.

The federal government is refusing to wade into the potentially divisive debate. Sara MacIntyre, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister, said in an interview that the Harper government “respects provincial jurisdiction.”

The Tory government holds 11 seats in Quebec and is eager to keep them in its quest for a majority. The comment isn’t likely to improve the Conservative party’s popularity in the province.

For the above reason, I’m kinda glad Ex-Lax Max made the stupid comment, but on the other hand, I know the Harpercons will bounce back from this.

As for the Liberal candidate, Claude Morin and whomever is running for the Bloc Quebecois in the Beauce, I hope you’ve been paying attention.   You should beat Ex-Lax Max over the head with his dumb comments and I say no time like the present–I still contend an election is coming in the next few months.