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Subscribe to RSSA masked gunman opened fire during a midnight victory rally where the leader of Quebec's separatist Parti Quebecois was celebrating a narrow election win in the Canadian province, killing one person and wounding another. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
MONTREAL -- A masked gunman opened fire during a midnight victory rally where the leader of Quebec's separatist Parti Quebecois was celebrating a narrow election win in the Canadian province, killing one person and wounding another.
Pauline Marois, newly elected as the first female premier of Quebec, was whisked off the stage by guards while giving her speech and was uninjured. It was not clear if the gunman was trying to shoot Marois, whose party favors separation for the French-speaking province from Canada.
Montreal police Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere identified the gunman only as a 50-year-old man and said he opened fire in the back of the hall while Marois was giving her victory speech to hundreds of supporters at the Metropolis auditorium. She had just declared her firm conviction that Quebec needs to be a sovereign country before she was pulled off the stage.
Police said they didn't know the gunman's motive. As the suspect was being dragged toward the police cruiser, he was heard shouting in French, "The English are waking up!"
Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press via AP
Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois is whisked off stage as she delivers a speech in Quebec at midnight Tuesday after a masked gunman opened fire at the party's victory rally.
Marois had promised to strengthen laws designed to ensure the dominance of the French language, which has worried some in the minority English-speaking community.
'What's going on?'
The attack took place just after Marois began speaking in English — a rare occurrence in a speech at a partisan PQ event. She had promised English-speaking Quebecers that their rights would be protected, following an emotionally charged campaign that saw her party focus on language and identity issues.
"What's going on?" Marois told her security detail as they grabbed her arms and took her off the stage during the celebration of her party's victory in Tuesday's provincial election.
The gunman then fled outside where he set a small fire before he was captured, police said.
She later returned to the stage and urged supporters to leave calmly. "There was a little unfortunate incident," the CBC quoted Marois as saying.
Minority government
The shooting eclipsed news that the Parti Quebecois had pipped the ruling Liberals in Tuesday's election and would have to be content with a minority government.
Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press via AP
Police cordon off an area near auditorium where a gunman shot and killed at least one person during the Parti Quebecois victory rally in Montreal.
The attack shocked Canadians who are not used to such violence at political events. Murder levels in Canada are around a third of those in the United States and political violence is extremely rare.
Montreal police said a man around 50 years old had entered the back of the Metropolis theater just before midnight with a rifle and a handgun and shot two people. Police said a man in his 40s died on the spot and another was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
The suspect was a heavy-set man wearing a black ski or balaclava mask and a blue bathrobe over black clothes. Police didn't identify what weapons he had but camera footage showed a pistol and a rifle at the scene. Police said there is no reason to believe there are other suspects.
Separatist 'Lady of Concrete' is Quebec's first woman premier
"We are appalled by this violence," said Carl Vallee, a spokesman for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
La Presse newspaper cited security sources as saying Montreal police had cordoned off a truck they suspected contained weapons. Other Canadian media outlets said the dead man was a technician at the theater and the badly wounded man was a driver of the Parti Quebecois campaign bus.
Tensions between French and English
It's not the first time there has been political violence in Quebec related to tensions between the French and English. In the 1970s Canadian soldiers were deployed to the streets of Quebec because of a spate of terrorism by a group demanding independence from Canada. In 1970, the shadowy militant FLQ demanded "total independence" from Canada. Its members kidnapped and killed Quebec's labor minister and later abducted, then freed, a British diplomat.
The subsequent "October Crisis" was considered one of the darkest periods in modern Canadian history. Canadian troops patrolled the streets of Quebec and jailed alleged FLQ sympathizers, most of whom were later found innocent of having any FLQ ties.
Almost lost in the aftermath of the Montreal shooting was the fact that the PQ won 54 of the 125 seats in the provincial legislature, ending nine years of rule by the Liberals.
Previous PQ governments held independence referendums in 1980 and 1995, but both failed.
Although Marois is promising another vote when the time is right, that could be years away. A recent poll showed only 28 percent of Quebecers back separation from the rest of Canada.
Marois had promised to concentrate first on the economy, in particular tackling the province's large debt, imposing higher tax and royalty rates on mining firms and making foreign takeovers of Quebec companies more difficult.
The results showed the Liberals had won 50 seats, down 14. Premier Jean Charest, who lost his seat, emphasized that the PQ had only won a minority.
"The result of this election campaign speaks to the fact that the future of Quebec lies within Canada," he said.
The PQ won 31.9 percent of the vote, compared to 31.2 percent for the Liberals.
The Liberals won three successive elections from 2003 to 2008, but became increasingly unpopular amid allegations of corruption in the construction industry that might be linked to the financing of political parties.
Marois, 63, was first elected to Quebec's National Assembly in 1981. She retired in 2006 but returned to become PQ leader a year later after her predecessor lost to Charest in an election that landed the PQ in third place. She in turn lost to Charest in 2008.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
"...Murder levels in Canada are around a third of those in the United States " Since Canada has a population of about 34 million and the US has about 300 million. Wouldn't having a third of the amount of violence as country with almost 10 times the population make Canada more violent per capita? And the what does the US having 3 times more murders have to do with some crazy french canadian?
No. They are referring to the murder rate. The number of murders per capita in Canada is one-third that of the United States. Canada's 2008 murder rate was 1.67 per 100,000 people. The United States 2008 murder rate was 5.22 per 100,000 people.
The fact that Canada has a lower murder rate is relevant because this is a more rare occurrence in Canada, compared to the United States. Some people like to have a few statistical facts thrown in with their news.
Hope this helps.
Some links ...
ian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/oct/10/world-murder-rate-unodc
pedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
Thank-you Callista Ballistic, for correcting a faulty assumption by a reader.
What you say is true, the Canadian murder rate is far lower than that of the U.S.
When hope and helpleness are taken away, people get violent...we are seeing it everyday in our country, no matter whether real or imagined... Thank God we are resilant and have faith!
Maybe pepole in Canada have a better life than people in the U.S.
Absolutely right, Jerry. That fact is nothing new (except to the brainwashed fools in this country who steadfastly cling to the mistaken idea that the US is the greatest country on earth). Canada ranks higher than the US in everything from education to quality of life and longevity.
Jerryb and Troy - then why don't you drag your friggin butts to Canada; a country with a screwed up healtcare system, national defense that depends entirely on the USA, highways that are so fu_ked up in Quebec you can't even navigate unless you speak French, and an out-of-country economy that TOTALLY depends in the GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH-the USA for it's existence. Maybe you can enlighten your intellectually challenged brains by talking to some of the 98% of the Vietnam draft dodgers that went to Canada as to why they came running BACK to the USA under Carter's amnesty program. Fools that try to compare squid to sharks always amaze me.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but please remember that there are many Canadians along with people of other nationalities who also believe that their's is the greatest country on earth.
JP-345944: "Jerryb and Troy - then why don't you drag your friggin butts to Canada; a country with a screwed up healtcare system"
Such a "screwed up" health care system that the majority of Canadians like it. More than 80% of Canadians support public health care.
In fairness to America, we do have the South skewing all our health, education and monetary statistics lower, especially Mississippi.
JP-345944
Jerryb and Troy - then why don't you drag your friggin butts to Canada
-------Maybe because that is the cowards' way out, what's wrong with staying here and working to make things better in this country? So many people here think and post like angry drunks, have another boilermaker.
I think most of us love and support our country, but we'd be fools to think everything is just great here, because it aint, just like any other country. It wouldn't hurt to look at what other successful countries have done to improve the lives of their citizens and see if we can learn from it, otherwise we just become arrogant, narrow minded morons. Of course, there will always be people here with greedy, selfish agendas who would fight against that.
LOLOL @ JP
You are a poster child for everything that is wrong with the USA. You know nothing about Canada which is obvious by your comment. Canada does not rely on the US...that's just laughable. However, that's what brainwashed, arrogant Americans think about pretty much every country. Here's your dunce cap...wear it with pride.
JP
Spoken like a true "American". Do you not see that every thing you said is pretty much what evokes involuntary eye rolls from 99% of Canadians? He's stating a fact that Canada does rank higher than the US...Look it up.
Our health care is fine. We may have to wait longer for some things but I for one have not had the unfortunate need for any major procedures so I will take the slightly longer wait times instead of paying hundreds of dollars to see a dr for 5 minutes.
We didnt start any wars that would drain our economy so lets not start any discussions on how we have a "national defense that depends entirely on the USA"...which I'm skeptical on. Should I remind you of the whole "Freedom Fry" debacle? Remember how the US was so mad that ppl werent following them along, ya Canada was one of those countries that stood up and said "maybe we should think this through..."
As for French road signs, you dont need to speak, read, or write french to be able to follow them. its not like theyre in Hebrew characters. It may take your brain a little longer to sort the words out and match them to the mp/gps. Its like a child's game almost; like sticking the square peck in the square hole. you dont need to know what it says really (just a few words like north, south, east, west) just match up the words....Plus we're officially a bilingual country so suck it up buttercup.
The US is Trillions of dollars in debt! Why do ppl insist on always going back to saying that our economy is dependent on the US? Yes we owe a large part of our economy to you but you owe TRILLIONS to China!
And my "intellectually challenged brain" says that the 98% of draft dodgers that did not believe in killing ppl in an unjust war and went to Canada probably returned to the US because they had family there and wanted to live in the country they grew up in.
You know, the funny thing about sharks is that many of them will die if they stop swimming...so keep swimming along with you ill informed notions about Canada and the greatness of your country above all others because your ignorance about things will be your demise (ppl need to recognize a problem before it can be fixed). and as long as we're talking sea creature analogies, I think canada is more like an octopus than a squid. We're big, quite and unassuming but we're extremely smart, aware, and calculative.
Please educate yourself because this whole "dumb American" act is getting old for everyone and makes even the smart ones look bad.
If an American politician described an event involving the murder of two people as "an unfortunate little event" they'd be forced to resign their elected position.
Here's a clue, YOU MAKE THINGS WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE, people constantly complain about every little thing, guess what NO ONE OWES YOU SH_T, get the FU_K up off your azz and quit complaining LIFE IS NO FREE RIDE, I don't care what political party you support, and remember this YOU CAN"T TAKE IT WITH YOU WHEN YOU DIE. Life is to damn short to spend halve of it complaining.
Troy: we are in agreement that Canada certainly is currently an independent country but statistically around 70% of the Canadian economy is directly linked to the US economy. You have political freedom but not economic freedom. In the past that economic relationship has resulted in a fair amount of the economic growth you have enjoyed. That is not American Bravado but simply facts.
Besides in another 50 years we plan on annexing your country making your 10 provinces our states numbered 51-60 lol. Already working on the new flag - Can't be too many of you left up there based upon all the canadian licensed cars i see heading to Florida, Texas and Vegas?
I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Not before anyway. But c'mon, look at the greatly accelerated rate of gun murders accross the world. Here's the idea: This is carefully being orchestrated by the seen, or the unseen world. Clearly the "world" will eagerly allow the united nations to pass the unilateral disarmament resolution. Never let that happen. Yes, im crazy enough to believe that the murders being perpetrated are set up. We can't even begin to know the power that the REAL power in this world has.
Canada is getting close to being Americanize! What a Crazy Crazy World.
You speak of being "Americanized" as if it is a disease.
Maybe people like you are what's wrog with Amenica. I for one am proud of my country and don't consider the actions of a few out of hundreds of millions to be indicative of our country as a whole.
Try visiting Vancouver some time, a beautiful city long as you stay on the right side of the tracks the other side is run by drug gangsa and is like the killing fields
God bless America!
rick - well said, but don't expect the idiots in this nation to understand.
rick-2065324
Try visiting Vancouver some time, a beautiful city long as you stay on the right side of the tracks the other side is run by drug gangsa and is like the killing fields
----------------------------------------------
.........Yeah, I've read about Vancouver, and what you said is consistent with what I've read, but in all honesty, couldn't you make that statement about a lot of the major cities in this country. Drug cartels and gangs have no national boundaries.
JP another uninformed American. Indeed our health care system is messed up. I had a cardiac event a few years back, got rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Spent 8 days in a cardiac ward had two procedures and have been fine since. Did I lose my house, have to get food stamps, take out a second or 3rd mortgage to pay for my stay. NO> my end cost was 360.00 for the ambulance fees. Thats it no more. I was horrified, i could only react woth disbelief and anger at the bill. I lamented that I could keep my home and my standard of living as it was before the event. I wished that i was American where my life would have ben totally different and far poorer than now due to our Fabulous Health care system. JP please in future before you open your mouth do some research. Do not relie on simplistic reports put out by The republicans in order to quash Obamacare. Try reading and comprehending. Don't get me wrong. I love America and have had the great fortune to live there for a time. but I tire of the elitist attitude of many Americans like you JP. Ones who talk out of both sides of their mouths without concrete data to back theselves up.
Not even close. Canada, is nothing like America. Both are great in their own ways but you really can't compare the two. As for commenting on the actual story, it's too bad an innocent person was killed and another hurt, it's also too bad he missed that treasonous, fascist, waste of skin on stage. Nothing lower in Canada than a separatist, always trying to break up the country while sucking on the public teat.
My wife's company has a division in Canada (and many around the world) and they are in the process of preparing to shut it down and lay off the 50 or so people (since they don't know I won't say what company it is). They cannot get them to work they are always away from their desk, the work they do is incomplete and just plain wrong and has to be corrected here before being sent to the publishers or to the shows and conventions and they never make their deadlines. But the worse thing is they don't even care they somehow feel they are owed these jobs and will not improve their standards and practices. The executives in Canada which are frustrated with the employees are saying that is just how the workers in Canada (or at least this city which is in Quebec) are. And most of the jobs are degreed positions. Again this isn't a reflection of all Canadians or Canada just these at this company. I personally love my northern neighbors.
were did you find that little bit gtouch? another e-mail designed to make the gullible right feel good?
yeah, vancouver is learning from its southern neighbors...
I see Gun Control is working for them....LOL
Apparently you have a some difficulty with reading comprehension let me answer that question with the quote already in my post.
Hopefully that helps you. I will type slower in the future so you can keep up...............thanks for playing.
danwill,
Why are you attacking Gtouch's post? He clearly stated that it is his wife's company and then you tried to make it into some sort of political attack. I will never understand these people who make everything political. It is truly some sort of religious fanaticism.
dave-2177659 - Having lived in Quebec from before the inception of healthcare, up until 7 years ago, I feel your story is both right and wrong. In the beginning the socialized healthcare system was great. Then as the years passed it became less so and in the past 10+ years, with it becoming even more expensive to run, there have been many horror stories about very ill people not getting the care they need in time. My 48 year old son-ln-law, in Montreal, had 3 strokes on June 13, 2012. Trying to determine the cause of it the doctors found a mass in his left lung. Then he had to wait another 1 1/2 months for more scans at which time they found another mass, this time in his stomach. He has to have a biopsy to determine if the masses are cancerous and here it is, Sept 05, and he's still waiting to have the procedure. And his condition has worsened.That is inhumane and outrageous. His wife, my daughter, needed an emergency colonoscopy back in January. She was told by every hospital and clinic she would have to wait 6 months for it. They finally went to a private clinic to have it done. She was told if she'd waited the 6 months she would be dead. The private clinic did her re-section (16" of colon removed) a week later. Of course they had to pay the $1500 out of their pocket for the colonoscopy but at least Quebec's medicare paid for the surgery. This is why I am so against Obamacare because I see the horror stories looming on the horizon here if it is not repealed. There's a story for every side.
yeah gtouch, funny how the internet is, where one can just claim anything as "fact" just to make yourself feel good by attacking others. the simple fact is that I don't believe you and you are either making it up, or, if true, the execs are making it up just to have an excuse to make themselves look good by firing others (which is all the top of todays corps do anyways)
which is what the right loves to do, attack other countries both literally and figuratively to make america look superior .
You're right. I've seen how fast things can happen in the States and how well things are done. The problem in Canada is actually the market in the States. I have two sisters and a brother in law who are or will be working in the States for more money. It's a chicken and egg situation. More money draws away doctors and nurses from Canada. In other words, the lobby against state run healthcare is a red herring. If the USA had the same system neither would have a problem but health care workers would make no more than $400,000 per year at the high end. That's the issue; a talent drain.
The same thing applied at the administrative level.
The health care lobby is thus naturally against the idea and your family doctor will tell you it's a bad idea. Meanwhile everything from life expectancy to child death rate is far, far worse in the states.
For every thing you see and hear you need to consider why you see and hear it.
Never been to Canada, but have to say that I was privileged and honored to work along side many Canadians in my NATO tours. Great people who are as "American" as we are, just run their country a bit different than us. I am sorry for this terrible incident, regardless of the message of the party involved. Just as sorry as I would be for any incident at EITHER convention or rally in the U.S.
Danwill............did I somehow hurt your little feelings? You poor baby! Smile and Relax it's a beautiful day. Don't worry I'm not going to try to insult you (even though you challenge my integrity) as that goes against the rules of newsvine (calling people names and such).........and you probably wouldn't understand them anyway. But it's nice to know that what I say makes a difference in your day.............Thanks.
army, having served alongside the US in Afghanistan, I can say the feeling is definitely mutual.
gtouch
You did kind of paint an ugly picture, don't you think? What if someone used one bad example of the USA on a Canadian comment board, while implying it might be indicative of the USA as a nation?
Be sensible. What you said may be true, but the manner in which it is said is pretty important. Most Canadians are as hard-working as the next guy. We struggle with bureaucratic, paper-pushing silliness as much here as most places and there are lazy people everywhere.
Maybe the company you speak of is basically a sweat shop that nobody actually feels like working very hard to impress? Management does have a responsibility for lack of motivation, just as a coach that can't get a team to play for him is ultimately going to go down in flames.
Quebec is known to be corrupt (worst place in Canada for that sort of thing by a country mile and well documented and covered by the press - thus this latest election rebuke over scandals and corruption). It's more socialist than anywhere else in North America and helps to support all of it by drawing taxes from outside of it's own jurisdiction through "transfer payments" of billions of dollars from the Feds, which is in turn drawn from the other provinces which do not have these perks themselves. Maybe you're doing business in the wrong area? That would be an indication of another management fail. Just trying to be informative. Don't get too upset about it.
army, I second that and thanks!
Got my latest and best job reference upon leaving the Canadian Forces from a member of your own service that I had the pleasure of working for under a joint command.
It worked like a charm.
Strange,
By Americanized, you must mean crazy liberal socialist with guns. Read the article, the shooter was upset because 9 years of Liberal rule came to an End. Ergo, the elected official is a conservative who advocates autonomy for Quebec. It happens that the Canadian women have more ba-ls than the Canadian men it seems.
Oh Canada, Oh Canada, Oh Yes We Can:) (music)
Lazarus
Larry
The winning separatist party is much more socialist than the Liberals. Do your homework. Remember the student strikes over a small rise in a ridiculously low tuition rate? The LIberals tried to shut them down by force. The PQ is and has always been supported by the unions and the students and with socialist/communist roots and ideas. The Liberals were seen as too cozy with multi-national corporations and business leaders.
So, that kind of blows your idea up in a hurry.
The PQ has been denounced by the UN and other on more than one occasion for their near fascist apartheid oppression of minorities, be they English or Chinese, or Jewish, or native, or whoever. They do not see it this way, but then they never do. This woman has been dubbed a she-hitler by some. Slurr that together for a good chuckle.
Dudley I agree that is why I said the below following quote. I hope you read it in its entirety but if you did you should have seen that I would have thought. But I appreciate your response but from your response it "appears" you didn't pick up on it otherwise I don't see your insinuation against all Canadians since I clearly differentiated. I do thank you for the supporting information about Quebec and it's environment. I did not mean to impune all Canadians as that would mean I would be insulting my niece (by marriage) a terrific woman who is from BC which is a beatuiful and clean place.............she still says "EH" a lot which delights my daughters.
Every country has it's nuts and political problems. Why would Canada be any different? I have been to Canada on vacations many times and for work once. I have been in seven provinces. Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Wnnipeg, Windsor, London, Niagra Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and many of the small cities in between. I always take my trips by car. One thing I can tell you is that never for one minute did I feel unsafe or feel like I was "in a bad neighborhood". Is their health care system perfect? No. Is ours? NOT EVEN CLOSE. Are they like Americans or is their country like America? NO THAT"S THE WHOLE POINT. Their founders did not want to be Americans. In many ways they are way smarter than us. You don't see them spending 4.7% of their GDP on the military, building any 7 billion dollar aircraft carriers, or having 50K troops in a country since 1945. They don't waste as much money in government. Stuff like they made the switch from paper $1 and $2 notes to coins which is way cheaper and their world did not fall apart. Same can be said for going metric. Political campaigns are strictly limited as far as the amount of money raised and length of the campaign. Their cities are cleaner. Hell even their Indian reservations are way way nicer. Do some of their cities have druggies and dopers yea. Liquor is regulated more, much more. They own guns. Many of the people you see on TV in the States and in the Movies are Canadians. From before William Shatner up to Justin Bieber. You have to love a country that won't allow Fox News to be broadcast there because they LIE TOO MUCH. But that's what it's all a boot. Eh?
Dave: You are as uninformed about the United States as most Americans are about Canada. Our Health System in this country does not run people in too bankruptcy- less than 8% of the "legal" US citizen do not have health care - an unfortunate situation but a fair number of those folks chose not to spend the money for a policy.
We all heard the horror stories of rationed medicine in Canada, the long waits for treatment, how the number of deaths for seniors climbs steadily in the months of September - December because a large number of Canadian doctors are on vacation refusing to see patients because they have met their quota for the year and receive nothing more in compensation for seeing more patients. I have Canadian military friends that bring their sick family members to US cities across the border because of the quality of care available and that medical care is available on demand not based upon a schedule based upon a GVT program limiting numbers of procedures per quarter. Each of our health care plans leave something to be desired - your happy with yours I am happy with mine. I promise not to come to Canada for treatment you promise not to come to the US for treatment.
Ternan, provide your source for the 8% you claim are uninsured. I also question your statement that they "chose" not to spend the money for a policy. Is it possible that they don't "have" the money?
The "I got mine, to heck with everyone else" mentality in the country is what is driving us into the ground.
People who value $$$ over lives puzzle me.
I vote 2 lobotomies and a strait jacket for the shooter.
A lobotomy would make the straight jacket unnecessary. lol ;)
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
Canada is not only two seperate languages but also two seperate cultures, each with their own demographic place. I never understood why seperate countries would be such a bad thing.
Canada is NOT two separate cultures or two separate languages, only the screwed up province of Quebec!
Saying that Quebec should separate is like saying that Manhattan or Jersey should separate from the US. Yes we have 2 different cultures but so does the Hawaii vs Texas or Alabama vs NYC. Should the US just start chopping up their country to keep "different"ppl separate?
How long has this whining been going on with Quebec? Get over it. their culture is one of entitlement. they have language laws that make it illegal for someone working in a business to speak to you in English before the do in French. Any signs have to have French first (and it ha to be a certain percentage larger than the English). Their social system is insane (ie 5$/ week for daycare + huge baby bonuses for families with kids, ridiculously low tuition) because the rest of Canada is giving them money. What do you think will happen if they separate? Canada will still be aiding them while they make it harder for the English, and its not just the ones that live in the province. Quebec is not some mystical far off land where french speaking leprechauns live and just want to protect their gold from the evil English. Quebec borders Ontario and the Nations Capital. Ottawa (Ontario) and Gatineau (Quebec) are for the most part always grouped together because thousands of people cross between the two cities everyday for work. Its easy for people who dont live in either city to say "just separate" but the idea is ridiculous. Its hard enough living and working in Ottawa where with the good jobs you have to be bilingual.
Small correction Rose
It's 7$/per day, used to be 5$ per day, but certainly not by week.
:) A welcome correction. I actually meant 5/day (typo)
I personally have no problem with Quebec and honestly have been thinking of moving there since I live in Ottawa where housing prices are getting ridiculous.
I think ppl who want to preserve their culture shouldnt be forcing it on ppl and pushing others away but rather teaching ppl to embrace their french heritage
I do find it retarded that the French want to destroy there own country (more like disrupt). Hopefully they don't succeed. Canada//Quebec still will have to depend on each-other, except Quebec, economically, isn't as important as the rest of Canada.
This honestly makes Canada as a country look weak and your government needs to set its @!$%# straight. I Honestly, cant see a major section of the US just breaking off with a few votes. War would definitely break out (civil war) lol. I love Canada and I don't want to see it broken.
Many people in Canada and especially in Quebec don't believe a civil war would result. Having seen civil war in the Balkins first hand, I can tell you it happens and I believe it would likely happen here. It doesn't have to when a break-up occurs but, aside from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, there are few examples. It will never come to that, though. Too many Quebeckers, even French Quebeckers, are Canadians first or at least find some comfort in being part of Canada.
View this old video. This is a small fraction of what happened just a short few decades ago.
Search for: Quebec History 31 - FLQ October Crisis
.
I agree with Dudley that there is little likelhood of a civil war in Canada. The same French heritage that Quebec relishes is the same one that saw French Armies in WWI and WWII surrender in mass to German forces and in North Africa to US forces.
My thoughts on this is "it would be like Louisiana wanting to secede from the US." it wouldn't work in the long run.
Deleted by author.
Quebec sounds just like Texas! Maybe they have a chance after-all since it is all about Language, Culture and Borders.
Yeah, but who would lend any money to these "Tabernaquers"? Their provincial debt to GDP ratio is as bad as that of Italy and headed the same way as Greece. They, too, have run out of somebody elses money to spend / misspend. On top of that political corruption and kickbacks are endemic.
Pauline Marois has spent the entire campaign telling everyone who is not French-speaking and Christian that they don't belong. Most Americans have no idea about the amount of discrimination and harassment that non-Quebecois people go through in Quebec. It is not a simple issue by any means and Marois' party fans the flames of hatred in Quebec.
It's not surprising at all that someone would crack. What's surprising is that it didn't happen sooner.
(American stuck in Quebec)
It's not a simple issue, but your comment is a bit of an oversimplification. While I agree that the PQ's views are xenophobic at best, they will also never separate from Canada in the manner the party is proposing. The economic consequences of doing so would be permanent and devastating. So all they'll do is stomp around and whine about 18th century war results and pretend that language is the most important political issue when everyone knows it's money...
You are correct most Americans have no idea how poorly English speaking people are treated in Quebec. I have no use for the Quebecois. I find them extremely rude.
If you are an american living in a country that speaks French and you do not take the time to learn the language that is your fault. No one is making you live their, I am sure you chose to move their. Learn the culture in the language.
RogerJ45 - I agree with you, in the respect that people of other cultures, Mexicans or Palestinians, who come to our country, should learn to adapt to our culture, at the very least our speaking language. However, I also think that people born in this country should also learn correct grammar. (IE: "No one is making you live THERE", "Learn the culture AND the language", etc.)
Beat me to the punch, Fire. I love when people are passionate about their views but it's just so mind bogglingly hypocritical when they berate somene about language when they don't even have a firm grasp of their own. Until they do, they should just stfu.
Yea they seem to like to "stir the pot" in Q-bec! Seems alot like the southern USA.
I live in NJ, Specifically the Ocean/Burlington County area, At one time there were many of us in what is considered to be Southern NJ that wantedNJ to split in half and form 2 seperate states, I suspect that there are many areas of the south,east,north,west and central parts of the US that at some point have felt that their best interests were not being represented by the representatives of their respective states. Singling out the southern states shows either bias or ignorance.
Been to Canada, It was nice, Most of the people were friendly, Could not wait to get home to NJ. Nothing wrong with Canada just liked the USA and NJ better.I am sure most Canadiand feel the same way about their country as I do mine.
I think is has something to do with Patriotism.
Ahh, those Canuckleheads, providing distraction during our political turmoil..............
Agreed. However, most Americans will not understand what's behind this. It's not a random crime and it's not simply a case of "well, if everyone in Quebec is French and everyone else in Canada is English, just separate and be done with it," which is what most Americans will think (if they think about it at all.) I know, it's what I thought before I moved to Quebec.
Edgy555, I am actually planning a visit to Canada, maybe a couple of visits. I don't speak French so I probrably won't be visiting Quebec or Montreal. I'm planning on visiting Toronto and then Vancouver. Heard great things about those cities. Being a Black American I am most certainly familiar with being discriminated against. Thing is I'm curious to know more about the internal, social strife in Canada and how the Quebecois discriminate against English speakers. It's puzzling from an American perspective that people there could be so divided over language and culture but the English and the French have a long history of conflict with each other. Hope you can tell me more about it and the country in general. What places to visit, which ones to steer clear of.
Julian, Quebec is about as complex as it gets when it comes to the English and French tensions. However, tensions between anglophones and francophones are not universal in Canada. There are regions of Canada outside of Quebec with large French populations where no cultural strife exists around language. If you want to be exposed to these cultures side by side I'd suggest visiting Winnipeg/St. Boniface (just don't go in the winter - it'd shock someone from Dallas) and New Brunswick.
What? You mean to tell me in a country that is anal about gun control that this can happen? Let this be a lesson to the tree hugging anti gun crowd. IT DOESNT stop crime, got it?
No, but it does produce a murder rate 1/3 that of the U.S.'s. Food for thought.
But there still IS a murder rate, no? When you have 1/3 the population, you have 1/3 the statistics on just about everything... duh
usagi-sensi... I don't get what you guys don't understand about murder "RATE". That is how many murders PER A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PEOPLE. The size of your population has nothing to do with it. The US has 2 more murders for every 100,000 people than Canada does. But, don't let reality cloud your beliefs.
The USA has exactly 9 times as many people (314.3 million versus 34.8 million) and has 27 times as many murders. That should be easier to understand.
You often hear quoted that there are 10 times as many people in the USA, even by Canadians, but the size of the ratio is gradually diminishing because population growth per capita is now greater in Canada.
The US and Canada are almost the same size in square miles yet the US has 9 times as many people, While both Countries have major cities with large populations Canada has less cities, Our crime rate here in the US is mostly occurring in those major cities so it is reasonable to understand why we would have a higher crime rate, If Canada had the same population as the US and if Canada's population were similarly centered in those cities then I am fairly confident that Canada would have a similar crime rate as the US.
More people = more crime and it is not on a 1:1 ratio, It grows exponentially
Canada is actually more urbanized than the US - meaning a higher percentage of the population lives in urban vs. rural communities. If the crime rate was a impacted primarily by urbanization, then Canada should have a higher per capita crime rate than the US, not a lower one.
Canada has a low rate of hispanics and blacks.
That's the difference in statistics.
Life is too short for hate. No matter what religion, open your hearts with love instead of hate. See what hate brings. People destroy families. You don't only destroy one life, but many. The person shot has a family. He may have been the provider for that family. Whether in the USA or in Canada people should be more tolerant of one another. Hate breeds hate. Look at the Arab countries. They are killing their own people. There isn't an out-cry among those nations to stop the killing. What is happening all over the world? Every country is turning their back on these killiings. Innocent men, women and children are dying for what? H A T E! The world is going mad. We need some country to step-up and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
My condolences to the victims.
It is interesting that Canadians still apparently understand the concept of corruption and how the potential financing of political parties by the construction industry could lead to collusion between the elected officials of that party and the industry and that this actually matters and they hold the colluding party accountable. In America we don't just accept the corruption, we embrace it, legitimize it, call it lobbying, and then marvel at the breathtaking and ever more bold actions of our puppet government as they tear the country apart trying to satisfy the insatiable appetite of EVERY single industry of any size! The mantra of both parties seems to be, to Hell with America and it's people, bring on the money, we need to get re-elected, we need the power of a majority to drive the money generators that fund campaigns for our side. Somewhere in our country there are people already at work on the next two presidential elections and the upcoming one isn't officially over yet.
you mean people/organizations like Grover Norquist, the Mormon church and Crossroad GPS
You mean people/organizations like George Soros, La Raza, NAACP and nearly every lame stream media outlet?
I thought two men were fighting over the same woman!
I spent a lot of my youth in Canada and I can't remember Canada or the people of Canada starting a war. I can't remember any time when people where upset with their government. A country that has 1/3rd of the murders as the United States sounds like a really great place to live. What has changed?
Okay, once again, it's not 1/3 of the murders as we only have around 598 for the entire country in a year, it's 1/3 based on percentage of population. Oh, and Quebec sucks, beautiful province, just too bad about the french there, rude dicks.
"There was a little unfortunate incident,".......Some guy died, no big deal. Carry on.
The murder rate is lower in Canada because half the the year they are snow bound. They can't get out to kill other folks.
Wow, there's a fine example of a typically uneducated, close-minded, hick American "insight." Thanks for playing...here's your dunce cap. Wear it with pride.
it was a joke....
Apparently humor doesn't translate into French...
Yup, snowballs have crappy velocity!
I hope it was a joke, Rose, but I have to admit my own prejudices... when I saw "Arizona..." I wasn't sure!
That's a good thing. Lots of INDOOR ACTIVITIES to do during snow storms.
I lived up there for a time. Loved everything except the 40 below.
Wow...No hate in that comment.
If being educated and open minded does that for you I will take the uneducated,close minded hick any day.
Yes there are many less murders in Canada as in the USA. Very simple and accurate reason for it .
There are many more black people in the U.S .Just look at crime statistics and who are commiting a great deal of the murders Not racism , just a fact. More black people , more crime . Yeah I know Im being racist because I am stating what is fact . Blah, Blah Blah
Coincidentally, Canada has neither an NRA nor a Tea Party. Hmm...
They do, however, have a Liberal party, which has had control of Quebec for the last several years, running it into debt and causing great dissatisfaction among the people.
Which is why they voted in the Conservative party this time.
Couldn't call themselves the Tea Party, of course... that being one of the names given to the original folks who rebelled against the country of which Quebec is a part.
Hmm....
The Quebec separatist party is NOT the conservative party... anything but. Between the Liberals and the separatists (who are far more radical than the Liberals), You have over 65% of the vote. All other parties made up the rest. Get your facts straight. I am curious, screminmimi, that you think the original Tea Party in Boston was rebelling against the Canadians? Wow! Better look at your history again!
Canada doesn't have 10's of millions of government suckled gangsta wannabe's shooting up their towns over turf wars either. Neither does Canada have Mexico(most gun violent country in the world) as a southern neighbor, unleashing hordes of invading criminals across its border. Comparing Canada's murder rate to the US is like comparing apples to asphalt.
You know that Mexico is a bit annoyed at the flow of guns into their country from the US, right? It's clearly not helping.
I'm not saying they're right or wrong. Normal people don't kill people because they have a gun in normal situations. Canada has by some estimates between 11,000,000 and 14,000,000 firearms in personal possession and a national murder total of under 600, only some of these being firearms related. For one reason or another the murder rate is lower. Anywhere that gangs or guns come together does tend to be more likely to have the higher rate.
That's true for Canada, the US, Mexico, and pretty much anywhere. Young guys with nothing to do and no future, lots of anger and desperation, often led by older, more established persons of the same type and background. A repeating pattern.
Canada is apx the same square miles as the US yet the US has 9 times the population, The crime in the US is centered in its cities, If Canada had the same population as the US and the population was centered in its cities as in the US then Canada's crime rate would be similar to that of the US.
Crime increases as population increases but not on a 1:1 ratio, It increases exponentially
I seem to remember that several years ago the control tower at the airport in Quebec refused to give instructions for landing to the pilots in English but insisted on speaking French.
Happened right out of the blue one day. Can't remember the outcome of the flight, it was so long ago.
I guess for right now she had better stay well hidden because looks like her life might be in a lot of danger sad but true but of course I am just saying that what it looks like.
It's unlikely she's in any danger simply because these kind of nuts rarely come in clusters. I think you'll find that this guy is not quite all there, if you know what I mean. At least that's what I hope for. Anyone who acts out in violence like this had better be a nut job.
Every politician who has ever made a decision that affects anyone to any great degree is at risk of someone who is unstable enough to act out on his/her own (rarely 'her', but just being inclusive :)). It's just a sad reality.
Remember the guy that got into Jean Chretien's bedroom?
Where's the video of it?
I wonder if the dead person would agree with that statement.
I love how the first thing many of us said/did in response to this article when commenting was compare us (the United States) to them (Canada). What happened to the sympathy? I love this country but let's be honest, it's not perfect. I'm sure many Canadians feel similiarly.
Bogus story, they don't have "gun violence" in Canada.
Darn! I was going to say that...
Wait a minute.....she referred to the shooting (that killed another person) as 'a little unfortunate incident'? Really? Say what you want but I'll stay right here in the USA thankyouverymuch.
Doe Jane... maybe she was trying to get everyone out of a crowded arena peacefully without causing panic and more injury. Unlike here, where everyone would start screaming and a dozen or so "gun rights" carriers might draw their weapons and start shooting. No thank you!
That's why we don't have "gun rights" carriers here, we are civilized. The treasonous woman on stage knew what happened, but showed her true compassion by calling it " a little unfortunate incident".