A side narrative is the story of the Quebec Solidaire. A coalition of marxist groups and others. I believe it is the first time in the west a Marxist group has been born/reborn since the 70's/  It also brought together Maoist, Stalanists, Trotskites who have fought each other for decades, and who now appear to be able to win 2 or more seats in Montreal.  

They show you like the Jesus narrative that when one  is consider dead, onbe still might arise from the dead, if you learn to cooperate rather than just fight. 

Regardless of who wins the most seats, a minority government will mean a CAQ government supported by the Liberals. The Liberals being reduced to Montreal and Gatineau, will have a caucus that will prop up a CAQ government, but not a PQ government. 

And regardless of what Prime Minister Harper says governments are choosen by whoevr can get the National Assemby or Parliment to support them, Not by the party with the most seats.

Quebec has, I'm afraid, thrown away fifty years of serious thought about its development. Instead, all parties have danced to the PQ tune. Marois is running now on pure hate because there really is no other PQ programme to run on. And the other parties have nothing to add.

Those will prove to be fifty, expensive years.

Basically I think Marois has been to reduced to being openly anti anglo, anti muslim and anti immigrant becasue she knows Quebec reject independence, and she needs something to keep her nationalist on her side.

It was interesting how she decided in her "Secular" society that the Cross was not religious but secular, so Chrsitians could wear crosses, while Muslim,Skh or Jewish who wore things or dressed in ways mandated by their faith would be barred from working for the Provincial governement, municiple governments, schools, hospitals, liquor stores etc. 

It is almost like she has become an internet troll.

Yes, the PQ has fallen a long way. And I don't see any party in that mess I would vote for. Quebec has lost any sense of direction.

The Option National is an interesting Pary. It's what the PQ should have been. They are pro independence without any of the fear of anglophones or the belief that it is necessary to fight bilingualism among francophones. They support teaching English in  Quebec schools.  I predict that the PQ will soon be replaced by this party as the home for the independence movement, becasue one of the side effects of Bill 22, and Bill 101 was that francophone schools in Montreal and elsewhere became full of allophones, which resulted in the young rejecting xenophobia.

The internet has also had a role in this as it has open the world to Quebec after the PQ try to shut it out by it's various laws. 

Independence would be suicidal for Quebec.

Not as suicidal, as chasing away anglophones and non french speaking immigrants, forcing first nations to succeed,  all the while making it illegal for francophones to attend English colleges, and making it illegal to teach English in all publically funded schools, as is the Position of the PQ.

I just think that the PQ is only electable becasue they foresake political independence, and instead replace it with an "emotional, intelliectual, and moral seperation" not just from Canada but the world. Which is even worse than political and economic seperation.

If the Option National replaces the PQ, it will allow a more demopcratic process to be born, One with mulitple parties, (Conservatives (CAQ). Liberals, NDP, Greens, and Communists, (far left Solidaire)

Thus real debates on other issues will occur, leading towards  a time, where independence and nationalism will be sidelined.

I hope so. But I remain a doubter. Quebec is, as always, a province effectively controlled by big business and gangsters. I can't see where this new and more democratic process is going to come from - especially since only two of the parties you list have ever even pretended to care about democracy.

It worries me because I may well be going back to Montreal in just a couple of years when my sons enter university.

I admit based on history I am optomistic. What I am certain about is that the old sytem is dead. What will replace it is unknown. I say this because people today, and especially the young (based on andedotal,evidence,Occupy. and the student strike, the use of the internet) do not believ the old lies and realise they are being screwed.  They no longer accept what they are told by those with power, and no only can they see a different reality for themselves, but they are supported in their views by others, who because of the net, they hear from more often than they do from media controled by the wealthy.

The PLQ  just support the status quo and that is now seen as bad by all. Even anglophone are rejecting the idea that they are the solution. Even Big Business knows they are finished. The Gazette for example endorsed CAQ oyesterday. Not that CAQ is better, but their rise is based on the rejection of old ways and the need to try new things. They do not  offer a bettr way,but the hope that they will is what underlies there support in the urnan areas.

The PQ is finished, for the saem reason, and while they promise change it has become  clear to many that they only offer different scapegoats.  I believe that they have become complete reactionary. Marois left turn on economics and the environment is just a lie to fend off Solidaire for the elction. After her many changes in her story it is clear she will say anything to get elected, and than govern in way to perserve.

While many anglos see her support for broading bill 101, as an attck on them, it is really aimed  at former ADQ supporters, and those that abandoned thePQ two elections ago, when they had a leader who suported multiculturalism.. Causing them to drop to 3rd place.  In effect they have adopted the anti immigrant stance of the Front National in France, and the Tea Party in the US.  Not becasue they believ it, but becasue they know allophones will not vote for them, and so to appeal to racist they will lose nothing in the short term. 

Howevr this will kill the PQ in the near future, as they have abandone the myth  of being an oppressed minority, and become the angry  white man, and so it is clearer to many more francophones they too represent the staus quo and no chnage,

And while the NDP sweep showed how idenity politics still plays to the idea a Quebec collective will a single interet. THis elections is exposing the diiferences within the francophone, (and anglo) society and the idea that just one or two parties can represent the needs of all.

I do not know what will happen. Especially in this election becasue of the way the vote is split in so many ridings it is impossible to predict. However it mis clear that both the PQ and the Liberals will both recieve their lowest percetnage of the over all vote in recent times. 

The forces that lead to it will continue to press on. And whoever is elcted will see that they will be unable to sell things like they have for 30 years.

Don't forget to plan to move back a year early so that you/they are considered Quebec residents and qualify for Quebec resident university rates, which, by that time, may even be free!  Disclaimer: actually I don't know whether one year's residency here is enough to qualify for special rates but worth looking into if you plan to put two through university in this province/nation/state.

What I have been feeling in the air over the past couple of years is that the leadership of the political parties, certain government agencies and a few outspoken community leaders (e.g., l‘office québecois de la langue française (OQLF) and journalist Jean-François Lisée) are making headlines about the need to re-inforce the “Frenchness” of Quebec, and especially Montreal, which has Lisée concerned because before long, more than half the residents of Montreal will not speak French at home (even though they are able to converse in French for work and social gatherings).  Meanwhile, we, the citizens, just get along and do our jobs.  Sometimes, we have to be open-minded, hold our nose or just keep quiet and work, depending on our point of view;  however  I have experienced only rarely animosity or tension over the need of one group to push its identity on another.

However, each party leader seems pressed to be more pro-Quebec than the next, to the point where they are no longer believable in their “nice” promises (Marois tells the Anglophone community that they have nothing to fear from a PQ win while she tells her followers that she will restrict access to English cégeps and require businesses with 11 or more employees to conform to Francization requirements that now only apply to companies with more than 50 employees; Legault will not push for sovereignty but he will keep McGill’s medical graduates in the province or collect $160,000 from them for tuition costs if they leave the province)

I find that Quebec looks inward and many of the Francophone people do not feel Canadian.   Language has a great deal to do with this.  It is scary going into a region where you cannot understand or be understood and it is my experience that English-speakers, as a general rule, have very little tolerance for other languages, so Francophones do not receive a welcoming handshake as they move beyond the Quebec borders.  Other aspects of the Quebec outlook are that Ottawa takes away (in taxes) more than they give back and Ottawa meddles in jurisdictions that belong to the provinces (education, health care to name a couple).  Thus the optimistic Marois promise to phone Harper to demand the handover of more powers as soon as her cabinet is sworn in.  A better understanding of transfer payments might help to dispel the notion that Quebec would be stronger on its own.  But it would certainly be more French.

Another aspect of Quebec’s society still has to be played out.  The student movement over the last few months is not finished.  A tuition increase that was widely advertised in advance (announced by Charest in the last election, campaigned on, and promoted by no less than Lucien Bouchard) was denounced in a way that turned the “good governance” of the province upside down.  Laws and court decisions were not respected and the students introduced “democracy” from the streets.  This issue is not finished and will not be until after the election.  Whoever forms the new government will have to deal with the students by hanging tough (the Liberals or the CAQ and even the PQ to a certain extent) or by capitulating (PQ will rescind Bill 78/Law 12 and cancel tuition increases although have not promised free university education).

The ongoing inquiry into corruption in the construction industry may lead to some improvements in the future but a practice that appears to be so deeply ingrained in the way of life will be difficult to eradicate.  All parties appear to be touched by this, even at the municipal level, even Duscheneau, the whistleblower and star CAQ candidate, himself.  This is an area that really needs to be cleaned up but will it ever be?  It was a problem, that and unions, back in the days of construction for either Expo ’67 or ’76 Olympics (forget which) and will hard to eliminate. 

What I see as another problem is the duplication of government services (immigration, tax collection, unemployment benefits) by the provincial government.  This will not go away no matter what party forms the next government and Marois wants to make it worse by demanding the handover of more powers. 

The going joke among Anglophones these days is that we should vote for the PQ because a PQ win will cause real estate prices to plummet and I am looking to buy a new house. 

This election campaign certainly offers more discussions on more topics than most campaigns and more choices in parties strong enough to be noticed.  We still have roughly 24 hours to decide who to vote for.  I think maybe we are taking a “virage” (making a turning point) in our politics and am afraid that it will not be towards a progressive, open province with a world-view but rather an inward-gazing society.  Maybe it will be a time for house-cleaning.  The nationalists (meaning the pro-Quebecers but maybe not quite separatists) will have to run their course.  Meanwhile, with the younger generation being forced, through the net, as Alex mentioned, or the need to look beyond our (Quebec’s) borders for good jobs, the result of tomorrow’s election will become apparent only in the next  5 to 10 to 20 years when Quebec can re-emerge as a willing participant in Canadian and world events.  In the meantime, Quebec is still a great place to live and I have no intention of leaving.

The whole issue of French not being spoken on Montreal Island has been a key issue that has been used to create fear, or reinforce fear against the other. in the seventies it was fear of being dominated by anglo culture. ( even the imagery of quebec being in a sea of English speaking North America, is one that hints at drowning, a primodial fear )

What is different today, are two things. one quebecers, see themselves as just one of many islands in a world where English has become the international language. The largest group of English speaking people is in mainland China, where the various ethnic groups have adopted it as a second language. Yet mandarin, canotonese and other cultures still feel secure. Bilingualism is not seen as the first step towards assimilation. This fear does remain in certain regions. .
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In Montreal people speak french. Those who speak other languages are those who's mother tongue is not French. francophnes are not being assimilated, or disappearing, they are just moving to the suburbs off Island, especially the south shore.
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.Saying that the culture or idenity of frnacophones is threaten, is similar to the argument that Queer culture threatens hetersexuals. After all not only are francophones moving off island in greater porportion s, but straight people are as well. So a disportionate number of LGBT stay on the island. Yet only reactionary religious groups are saying that hurts straight people, for which Quebec has very few, and most of them are anglophones, and allophones.
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Ideologies that become dominant in cultures are defeated when they do not match the reality of people's everyday life. I believe due to the internet but mostly the fact that francophone schools are showing their students that minority cultures, and immigrants and coexist without threatening each other.
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I just talked to a good friend of mine this morning. All his life he has voted PQ. He was planning to do so again. But the posturing of Marois to capture what he calls the Quebec Tea Party dusgusts him. Now he is trying to decide between the PQ or Solidaire.
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He works and plays with non francophnes, but he also knows that this same group is reactionary, and homophobic. He knew the last leader of the PQ, who tried to adopt a multicultural approach. it was an approach that appealed to queers as well. (for various reasons, queer people have been big supporters of the PQ in the past, but also live with, work with and play with non francophones.) Along with other groups who want a tolerant and progressive society, they are abandoning the PQ. At the vary least, like anglos feel about the PLQ, they are looking at other options.

Actually, large numbers of francophone quebeckers are moving - to Ontario, to BC. As for welcomiing, they do very well in New Brunswick. It's true there are some anglo bigots down here. But, for the most part, bilingualism is accepted and is working well.

Corruttion does, indeed, run deep in Quebec. I can well remember when the montreal police and city councillors were obviously paid off by the various mobs. I had an uncle who was a big number in the boxing and nightclub world - and the mobs were well represented in both. illegal clubs were regularly raided by the police (with adequate notice), a couple of chairs would be turned upside down for the photo press, and the club would be back in business within fifteen minutes. there's even a proven story of a squad car that picked up a murdered man to dump the body in some remote spot.

I knew the owner of a major trucking firm who paid off the provincial police so that his trucks would never get tickets. (He extended the privilege to me on one occasion.) He was also close to the federal Liberals.

Quebec is drifting into confusion, and a disappearance of all the old landmarks. it could be dangerous.

It's going to be an interesting Tuesday. The PQ have been stuck at 33%, howevr they are ahead of the other parties, but not ahead of the undecided, who are %34. I do not remebr an election where the last polls showed the undecided to be leading.

If they break like the decided group, than we will have a PQ win. CAQ has the Quebec City are wrapped up, whille the PQ have it wraped in various regions like the townships, The Liberals have only a hold on GAtineau and the west Island of Montreal. If the undecided are actually just waiting to decide on how to vote strategically, and how to best defeat the PQ, than CAQ will win.  

The media is saying that there are 25 seats which are too close to call. Most of them are in the off Island suburbs of Montreal where the CAQ and PQ are fighting it out. While the PLQ are expected to loose most of their seats outside of the Island of Montreal and Gatineau, they could pick up some seats on the Island of Montreal in ridings where the vote is split between 4 parties.

While Solidaire may win in 3 seats, on the Island they, and the Option National are pulling alot of votes from the PQ in many ridings, and the CAQ while are also , are pulling them from the PLQ, but not enough to win, Depending on how the vote splits a few  PQ seats could fall to the LIberals, and two could fall to Solidaire. 

I cannot remember such an undecided vote at this point in a Quebec election. That, too, is a dangerous sign for the long term.

This is funny. from the Canadian Press.

QUEBEC – Pauline Marois waded into the crowd gathered Monday for the sod-turning for Quebec’s new National Hockey League arena.

But the greeting was mixed.

Marois shook hands, exchanged hugs and posed for pictures with supporters, but she was also booed and some chanted, “Canada!” Canada!” “Canada?,” although Parti Québécois handlers tried to persuade reporters the chant was “Kanata!”, referring to where the Ottawa Senators play.

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Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/leader+Pauline+Marois+booed+Quebec+C...

The above illustrates how support for independence has plummeted to record lows during the election. This is illustrated by the leader of the CAQ. He started out as a a hardline seperatist in the PQ. He than said when he started the CAQ that he only opposed seprating beofre Quebec got its books in order, and said any referendum would be put off for 10 years. than atbe begining of the election, he declared that if the PQ won and held a referendum, he would vote no. Than in an interview a couple of weeks ago, he said he was a Canadian. And declared that seperation was foolish.
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So while support for the PQ has stayed frozen at 33% during the elction, support for sepration has plummeted to 28%, its lowest level of support since the creation of the PQ.
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Not only that but many Solidaire voters (7%) are also federalists who are coting for the socialist platform. In particular many anglos and allophonesa are voting for Solidaire because they live in PQ ridings on the eastern part of Montreal riding. They see Solidaire has the best chance of beating PQ candiadtes in their riding. While Solidaire supports sepration, they oppose many of the policies of the PQ that would Expand bill 101, and barring non anglophones from attending english speaking colleges.

Early results show that the undecided vote is breaking Liberal. It is a bad night for the PQ. If the Liberlas pock a leader amenable to the CAQ, they could defeat the PQ after it's throne speach and form a minority governement. While it is not an Alberta surprise, it is close.

I've tried to get a quick overview of the parties, and nothing great came up (I did get a decent explanation from a very biased youtube video, so it was a start).

I decided to try this in google:

explain the quebec election to an albertan

This is what I found:

“Why should Albertans care who wins next week’s Quebec provincial election? After all, no matter who has won past Quebec elections, the result always seems the same for Albertans: Keep on forking over that cash. When the separatist Parti Québécois has won, Ottawa has always thrown billions at the province in the hope it can prevent Quebec from leaving Confederation (as if it ever really intended to go). But the scenario has been no different when the federalist Liberals have won. . . And it is always Alberta that foots the bill disproportionately. The nearly $150 billion more Quebec has received from the scheme than it has paid in since 1957 is roughly equal to the amount Alberta has contributed during that time.”

Sorry, I have nothing intelligent to add, but thought that was worth a mention!  I heard the separatist party had the lead.  I'm not sure which party that is, from what I have seen, isn't there more than one that would be considered separatist?  Is it the PQ party they are referring to?

What was the Alberta surprise?

The Alberta Surprise was the fact that the opinion polls before the election indicated that WIldrose Party was going to win , or come close in the last Alberta election.

In this case the Quebec Liberals were polling around 28% before the election. Many polls even had them in thrid place . THe PQ were polling at 33%.    While the Liberals did not beat the PQ as the Conservatives beat Wildrose, they did get 32% of the vote, only 1% behind the PQ's 33%.  

For it to have been the saem as the Alberta Surprise, the Liberals would have beaten the PQ. HOwevr it does shows the weakness in the polling data, in both Alberta and Quebec.

The two things in common might have been that those who wanted change, were to0 conservative (in the sense of those who do not want too much or unknown change) to vote for a new unknown party. Wildrose in Alberta and CAQ in QUebec,  It does seem that the well known CAQ members, like  those who had been in the ADQ were elected. But anglos and others who had unknown local candidates balked at voting for them.

In the Federal election the NDP had a long history, and Layton had been the leader for many years, so unlike the CAQ leader, he was familar and felt safe. 

Hi Chemgal,

Here is a link to the wikepedia version of Quebec political parties and the grid at the top of their article links to a further wikipedia briefs on each of the parties:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Quebec

Another article that may hold some interesting opinions is Conrad Black's article in the National Post on Sept. 1, 2012, at http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/09/01/conrad-black-quebecs-real-revolution-will-come-when-it-looks-itself-in-the-eye/

If you look at his article, don't skip the comments that follow.  Some of them are well-reasoned; some are emotional; some are what I would call radical opinions but not necessarily uncommon here, namely the comment about the 42 billions of dollars that Quebec sends to Ottawa.  

Just now, Jean Charest is giving his concession speech and acknowledging his personal loss in his riding.  Pauline Marois will be up next with her sort-of victory speech.  She has been declared the winner of a PQ minority government.  

Sorry for links only but it is bedtime here for people who have to go to work tomorrow - that includes me.

It's nice to know that you are interested in what goes on here.

Chemgal raises an issue that continues to irritate me.  Alberta sends almost no money to Ottawa or Quebec.  Albertans, in their role as Canadian citizens and taxpayers send money to Ottawa which goes on to other provinces in equalization payments to provide some balance in services to all Canadian citizens.  Sometimes I wish those Albertans who don't like their role as Canadian citizens would just go somewhere else.  Some Albertans forget when people in Ontario Toronto and west paid higher prices for fuel to subsidized the industry in Alberta; most are just ignorant of this history.

The wealthier people get, the greedier some of them get.

In some ways, Jim, the Alberta oil industry was for decades subsidized by consumers in Eastern Canada who paid above world price for Alberta oil. But you're right - Albertans don't like to be reminded of that.

Tonight's election in Quebec is one of the few elections where the winning party has suffered a disaster. As of this moment only 55 seats compared to 49 for the Liberals and 19 for the CAQ. And only 32% of the vote for the PQ - just one per cent ahead of the Liberals. The PQ are going to form a government. The question is whether they're going to be able to actually govern. And there are certainly no signs of "winning conditions" (for a referendum) in those numbers.

Now they have just pulled marois of the stage. It appears that there was a bomb discovered by her security, and they are now clearing the whole building.

Marois has to be careful. The hardliners in her own party tried to dispose of her last year. If she sticks to a hardline now, it could lead to the CAQ supporting a Liberal government. Much as the NDP supported the Liberals in Ontario in 1985, to replace the Tories who had "won" a minority in the elction. Howevr if she does not stick to a hardline, she could face another coup and be replace as PQ leader.

Results are now 54 PQ 50 Liberal, 10 CAQ and 2 SQ. This will take a few recounts before we now what are the real results.

Actually she pulled her qupte from Sun Media which is a Quebec compagny, (Quebecor, founded by a man detrmined to destroy Canada,) Pierre Peladeau.

In Quebec their papers and web sites love to attack Alberta, and many suspect that they keep Sun media, (a money loser) only to promote and  provoke the right wing in English Canada to support Quebecs seperation.

It appears someone threw a bomb to try to set fire to the theatre where Marois and the PQ is 

It seems now that someone shot two people who are in serious condition, and someone set a fire to the building, They are saying that the shooter was shout   Anglophones wake up, or are waking up.

On TVA the have the former leader of the BQ, Gilles Duceppe and he has been getting very excited. You can almost tell he wouild do anything to take over the PQ, and would love to see an Anglo blamed for killing Pequists. IT also appears that it was an attempted assination of Marois.

Reports are in that one of the persons shot is dead.    People are speculating that it was one of the people elected for the PQ.  This is not good news.

CONGRATULATIONS to Pauline Marois! 

There is nothing wrong with a strong culturally led party winning an election in a democracy. It's something to celebrate! (And a relief from the Federal Conservatives' control freakery.)

Actually the PQ did not win this election. They won the most seats from among 4 parties. They have only 4 more seats (54)than the Liberals.  The Assemby has lurched to the pro business agenda of CAQ. Together CAQ and the PLQ has 69 seats.

As if the shooter turned out to be politically motivated, or from the rest of Canada, we could  see a blacklash

Speculation is never good news. I prefer to await facts before drawing conclusions.

Mike I am surprised - the PQ are not secularitst as in our tradition but nativists.  There is a problem in their "culturally strong" approach.  There are two kinds of secularism - the one coming out of muttculture and freedom of religion and the state out of religion and the other in the control of religion and meaning of culture.  The pq exhibits the later.

The secularism and there charter is also one that perserves that right to use crosses on public spaces, (National Assembly, Mont Royal, and around the necks of public sector workers) while banning religious dress that is an obligation on Shiks, Muslims, and Jews.

Thus if you a Shikh and feel obliged by  to wear a Kirpan , you will not be allowed to work for the governement under the PQ plan. . This includes,employment in  public schools, and hospitals, and crown corporations like Hydro Quebec.  The same goes for Orthodox Jews, and Muslim women who cover their head with a scarf.  Meanwhile Christians who wore crosses (which is not a religious obligation) would not be barred from employment. As well crosses would remain erected on public property, and in the National Assemby.

One of the reasons the vote for Solidaire increased is that they opposed this type securlasim, (One of their Leaders Kadir is a secualr Muslim, who makes a point of including secualr Muslims) and a lot of minorities voted Solidaire in MTL because in 5 ridings they had the best chance of beating the  PQ. 

Thanks for all the information!  Quebec's major parties are so different from everywhere else.

I did catch some clips from the violence, but very little information was mentioned with it.

Actually in some of their policies, the PQ came across as verging on xenophobic. That's not a healthy cultural policy.

The election shows the need for a Progressive and Federalist party in Quebec. Resilience of Liberals in Quebec City reflects both it's federalism, and the memory of the PQ cutting civil servant salaries 20%. The inability of the CAQ to replace the Liberals, shows how Quebec reject out of hand it's neo-Liberal politics of cut backs and anti union stance. 

On Mtl Island, in the federal (Gatineau) and provincial capitals, and the townships, most people could not vote for either CAQ(too right wing  or the PQ (sepratists) . Yet the did vote for the NDP federally.  I believe they held their noises and voted Libneral only because the alternatives were worse. 

The failure of the PQ and Solidaire to win a majority shows the majority of Quebecers reject independence. The failure of the CAQ shows they reject conservative politics.

CTV News has confirmed that the suspect is Richard Bain, the operator of a fishing and hunting camp near Mont Tremblant.

Other witnesses said the man yelled out in French "The English are waking up."

Read more: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/suspect-in-pq-victory-party-shooting-identified-1.942825#ixzz25byqnZil

The man owns a hunting and fishing lodge in the Mont Tremblant region. 

I suspect he could be a fan a Ezira Levant, a host on SUN TV who has been using a lot of violent imagery in the last few weeks.  In particluar about Marois declaring "an open season" on anglos and immigrants. The exact type of language that would upset a hunting camp owner into believng things were worse than they were. http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/08/13/pq-bully-tactics-party-leader-declares-open-season-on-anglophones

It is also worthy of note that the same compagny which has been telling Quebec to go, and that Englkish Canada pays for Quebecs social programs in it English language news orgainsations (Sun Papers and SUn TV)

Also has a history in it's French language media (LCN, Journal de Montreal, TVA ) of supporting  Quebec leaving and saying ANglos, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants are threatening Quebec and Quebec values.

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Pan: my point is that the result is one of democratic due process and we have to understand the hows and whys, not simply vent shock and horror. Shock and horror attitudes are what hothouse insane responses with guns.

Quebecers have voted and, as always in a democracy, there is going to be a disaffected "minority" which may  or may not be a numerical minority which is thus placed in the position of having to think again. It is very wrong-headed to stop at abhoring the outcome.

The Liberals did better than I expected. But there is still no party in Quebec with a realistic plan for its future. So I still expect a very bumpy year coming up - with a very unhappy population - French and English - in Quebec.

Mike I understand  your point and it is a good one.  This does not take away that sometimes democracy leaves us with a worse situation than before.  This, of course, does not excuse violent responses.  However, the point still stands the pq are nativists and that is worrisome, which is always the risk of the people speaking.

Ideology of either the right or left is always a problem.   Look at the USA and should we not worry about how the people speak there, just as that is true in canada -  Still your point stands.