A couple of years ago, Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund (in French: the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ou la CDPQ) was the target of much social pressure, and even shaming, to divest from companies related to fossil fuels in the name of climate emergency (https://shorturl.at/DeUvf) ). Today, the same network of people are busy occupying Montreal public streets with their so-called Pro-Palestine tents to put pressure on the CDPQ to divest from companies they say are closely, remotely, or vaguely related to Israel. What would be the next cause du jour, following the Middle East and climate emergency, Bambi cannot help to wonder ahead of time?
These demonstrators, shown in the City News video below, seem to be unable to have a wider vision, contrary to their fellow citizens who have been on the job market for more years (maybe even more than their ages). They seem to be too fixated on the idea of boycotting or divesting from this or that, that they do not seem to care if they are lacking empathy and/or common sense. Instead, they impose their own morality on the rest of the population. Is this fair to their hardworking fellow citizens and tax-payers, including maybe their own families?
One cannot help not to wonder why they seem to insist on pushing their idea that far, without considering its potential effect on society in the longer term. In other countries like Lebanon, Syria, or maybe Palestine that they speak in its name, hyperinflation ridiculously devalued people’s pensions (i.e., no purchasing power to even buy food). Why do we keep pushing for more taxes or less opportunities for investment and growth in the name of a virtuous cause du jour?
Regardless, in an attempt to try to help these demonstrators achieve their goal fast, while preventing future similar campaigns and crises, Bambi has a suggestion to the CDPQ for a simple solution: please open an investment fund account for the demonstrators. You may even perhaps call it “Le fonds d’investissement pour les causes du jour” (or Investment Fund for the Causes du Jour in English). Let citizens who want to invest in it, like them, be absolutely free to be as socially virtuous as they wish in the management of their finances and in their poorer retirement. However, for God’s sake, let their fellow citizens remain free in their investment choices without shaming them in the name of this or that cause du jour. After paying much taxes and now living with more housing expenses, the least would be to allow them to be able to still enjoy a financially stable retirement. Yes, they deserve to live with a decent quality of life.
To conclude this post, Bambi has a burning question for Mayor Valérie Plante: how come homeless people cannot have encampments in public places in Montreal whereas these demonstrators can? In other terms, why the double-standard? And what is next for the beautiful yet troubled Montreal? Merci.
