Thank you Dr. Joseph Facal for your clever column in the Journal de Montréal (https://shorturl.at/XBiOU). Food for thought for Bambi and maybe for those of you who would be voting tomorrow, regardless of your voting choice or of the outcome of the campaign that BBC just called “historic” (https://shorturl.at/gDJ9g).
Without becoming cynical, how could anything be historic when the polls seem to predict the same old once again? Bambi is saying the latter with all due respect to everyone and with much detachment from politics in general. Indeed, many politicians are competent across parties, including the Liberal Party. She salutes their service and thanks them all.
She expressed her gratitude above while personally dreaming of a real change in Ottawa because, in her non-expert mind, any political party serving for too long would be at risk of excesses, potential abuses, or simply of repetition of the same mistakes. The latter is human if lessons are not learned or if egos are too big to admit the mistakes in question or to take responsibility for bad outcomes, as needed.
It is easy for Canada to blame Mr. Trump, or its version of the USA. for all our issues, just like the smaller Lebanon has traditionally blamed its harsh neighbours, Israel and Syria, for occupations and excesses. However, at one point one must look within, first, in an honest and courageous way. Then standing up for oneself in the complex, and at times abusive, relationships with others would bring a much needed “historic” change.
Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, in the end, rulers come and go. Countries stay, thank goodness. Long live Canada and a big thank you to Mr. Google Translate for his prompt assistance. Now is the time for Dr. Facal’s remarkable lucidity.
“I vote for the Bloc out of sovereignist conviction. I won’t let Trump shake up my values. However, the polls predict a Liberal victory. I draw the following conclusions:
—
1. Fear Remains, by Far, the Most Powerful Motive for Explaining Human Behaviour
Let’s not kid ourselves about the wonderful social projects we can build together. The surest way to get someone to do something is to scare them, even if the frightened person will invent all sorts of justifications.
Everything else comes second to this vital need for reassurance. True yesterday, true today, true tomorrow. Voters therefore seem to be leaning toward the old Liberal jalopy with a new driver.
—
2. In Québec, Fear Is No Less Than It Used To Be. Unfortunately
Québecers have a long tradition of fear campaigns to get them to vote “on the right side”: the Brink’s scandal in 1970, the “Lévesque cash grab,” Paul Martin’s loss of a million jobs, old-age pensions, the partition of the territory, etc.
I thought we had matured, that we were more immune. Not at all.
New voters don’t know the past, and old voters often forget it.
—
3. We Underestimate How Much Fear Can Cloud Judgment.
Re-vote for Trudeau’s party, his ideology, and his team, ignoring his disastrous record? Wow!
Throw yourself into the arms of a man you know nothing about, who wants to spend even more than Trudeau, who uses tax havens, and who has a lot of smelly skeletons in his closet? Wow again!
Even sovereignists have completely lost it.
—
4. Objectivity, a Distant Memory
It’s perfectly normal for a columnist to express a subjective opinion, even if it may be more or less well-argued.
But who’s going to deny that the pro-Liberal stance was grossly overstated among a majority of supposedly objective analysts, particularly those in the orbit of Radio-Canada [CBC in English], which has been supporting the Liberal Party for decades?
I find it delightful to hear these ethical lecturers rail against the otherwise fully acknowledged lack of objectivity of Rebel News and the like.
One can claim to be objective and, for example, bias media coverage by exaggerating or ignoring an issue, or by always attacking the same side.
—
5. Pure Luck Often Plays a Crucial Role in Politics
Who could have predicted that Trump would unleash this absurd trade war? Even worse for liberals, as we entered the final stretch, opposition parties had to compete with hockey fever and the death of the Pope to make themselves heard.
Media space is limited. Anything devoted to one topic means less space for another.
All of this, you might say, is very depressing. Indeed.
The people are preparing, it seems, to be the architects of their own future misfortune.
Afterward, they’ll complain. As always”.
Joseph Facal was an immigrant to Canada from Uruguay. Poorly integrated into a country he hates, he is always quick to ridicule English Canadians and to critique politicians in Canada while omitting that he was himself a cabinet minister in Quebec’s provincial guvmint. He has zero credibility.
Bambi thanks you Fred for your comment. Joseph Facal was indeed a decent politician and he is a great prof at HEC with much critical sense. From your point of view, because of your love for Canada (that Bambi shares beyond words!), you think he did not integrate well, but he made a choice. From the point of view of Québec (or at least a large part of it), he integrated so well, endorsing its battles for language and culture, etc. He made that political choice, as a free man. Maybe you perceive him differently or you have evidence for what you wrote. However, as far as Bambi is concerned, she has never ever seen an impoliteness from him toward English Canadians. On the contrary. She often reads his columns, especially in the past few years. Nothing like it. He even speaks highly of many Canadians from other provinces and who are very patriotic. Regardless of all this, his current column is filled with truth. Sometimes truth comes from those we may not agree with. This being said, thanks again for your insights. Always an enrichment to this blog!