1759 or 2009?

Due to the firestorm of controversy surrounding the historical re-enactment of the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham, I feel I must wade into this issue.

While thumbing through the National Post yesterday at Pearson airport I came across the story and was yet again confronted with the neverending separatist agenda of some Quebecers.

Look Quebec. You had a chance to make some money here! In a related NP article, it was reported that only 36% of Quebecers feel that their province gives more to Canada than it takes. (economically, socially, etc.) Meanwhile 78% of Albertans feel that Alberta gives more to this country than it takes. I'm surprised it's not 100% quite frankly.

What Ottawa should do for this fiscal year, is DEDUCT from your transfer payments, the amount of money that Quebec City would have made from thousands of tourists that would have flocked to your "capitale nationale" for the historical re-enactment. You had a chance to finally make some money for yourselves, finally contribute to the Canadian economy during an economic recession, and you blow it off.

Be advised my ill informed Quebec cousins: 221 billion dollars left Alberta between 1971 - 2001 in the form of transfer payments. 221 billion dollars taken from their province! And during that same period, 221 BILLION dollars was given to...GUESS WHO! Quebec!

We, in the rest of Canada, are growing very tired of your separatist antics. Patrick Bourgeois, Pauline Marois. All of you. We're tired of it. Quite frankly I feel that our government, as soon as possible, should introduce a motion to have separatist parties/organizations in Canada outlawed. It is an absolute disgrace that we still allow such childish politics.

Separatist Quebecers, do you not realize that we in the ROC give you hundreds of billions of dollars! You bite the hand that feeds you! Why? When will this stop?

Two years ago I would have said, "they want to leave, let them leave!" That statement in fact echoes what many western canadians have said since the very first referendum. However. I must now retract this statement and disagree whole heartedly. Because:

1 - New France lost the war in 1759 and was subsequently conquered by the English, becoming a colony and later a province, in the Dominion of Canada; (quite frankly the English should have been harsher with them following the war. No other western democracy would accept such treason from a portion of its citizenry.)

2 - Millions of Canadians, myself included, have French ancestors who colonized and settled New France/Quebec. My own ancestors came in the late 17th century. We've all moved on. Why can't they?

3 - Quebec does not belong to the French. Quebec is a Canadian province, inhabited by hundreds of thousands of English, Irish, Scottish, Arabs, Italians, Haitians and so on. My French ancestors had been there nearly 300 years before they moved West! All Canadians have a stake in that province.

4 - In 1995 the vote was 50-50. Of the 50 percent that voted yes, I don't believe they understand the potential economic implications separating from Canada would have. Again, I will repeat, Quebec receives hundreds of billions of dollars from the federal government. Quebec is a "have-not" province. Idyllic, separatist youth cannot run a province! Sure they voted OUI, but are they aware of the potential economic consequences of such an action? How would Quebec support itself?

Pauline Marois in the article was quoted as saying that the historical re-enactment was "federalist propoganda" and a "manipulation of public opinion". Madame Marois, kindly pull your head from the sand. Had your party, the Parti Quebecois, not been rabidly pushing a separatist movement for the past 25 years, our taxpayer dollars wouldn't need to be funding "federalist propoganda" and "manipulating public opinion" in Quebec. Our government is merely acting in a responsible manner, simply working to counter the dangerous separatist sentiment/propoganda that the PQ and BQ spew throughout La Belle Province.

What gives these separatists the right to take a province away from a country? A province that was inhabited by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the French. If anyone has a claim to indepedence it's the Aboriginals. Oh I forgot, the game only works one way. The French can colonize les Autochtones, but the British can't colonize the French. Damn squareheads!

Fifty percent! Half of your province! Voted NO. There are many French Quebecers who wish to remain a part of Canada. Paul Desmarais, the brain behind Hydro Quebec, is one such man. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has even told you all to smarten up. What gives you the right to take away a part of our country?

The government must step in and outlaw separatism in this country. Separatist political leaders should be heavily fined and imprisoned. No other Western democracy, indeed, no country in the world! would accept such discent. Separatism is akin to treason and must be treated as such.

The show must go on. I support my taxpayer dollars going to fund security at this historical re-enactment. We cannot concede to a group of separatists and their bullyboy tactics.