News
with Yasmine Mosimann
The PQ thus far – not ground-breaking by any means Emma Sutherland Office Manager
When the PQ, led by Pauline Marois, was elected to govern Quebec earlier this fall, reactions ranged from relief to foreboding. While some felt that Marois would impose some direly needed changes in the aim of promoting the French language and freezing the much-contested university tuition hikes, others feared the beginning of a series of initiatives to choke out English-language resources and opposed some of her implications regarding the place of various ethnicities within Quebec’s society. Within their first full day in office, the PQ fulfilled their much-publicized campaign promise and cancelled the tuition hikes. This news was welcomed by the numerous students who at last saw the fruit of their labours, protests which lasted over one hundred days and were either applauded or condemned by individuals across the province. Months later, the first budget has been presented, and has passed, despite being heavily contested. In fact, the final tally was 49-48 votes and the reason for the victory was the fact that a sufficiently large number of liberals refrained from voting. The primary objective of the budget is to eliminate the
provincial deficit by the end of the 2013-2014 year. In order to do so, the government hopes to apply a series of measures, some of which are hotly disputed by its opposition. While the Liberal Government hoped to exploit the province’s natural resources, including minerals, forests and hydroelectricity in order to bring the province back to prosperity, Marois’ government hopes to make important cuts to infrastructure and program spending. As well, the budget aims to increase Quebec’s appeal as a tourist destination through promotion and increased awareness of its culture, and also for the province to be a leader in promoting measures to counter climate change. It also includes procedures to increase the quantity and level of services available to improve the quality of life of senior citizens. As well, the PQ hopes to make several changes to Bill 101 in an attempt to carry on its never-ending crusade to rescue Quebec’s culture and language. During her campaign, Marois promised to strengthen Bill 101, and she is being true to her word. The PQ feels that it is necessary to impose strict measures to promote the use of the French language, even if this means restricting the other tongues: according to Diane de Courcy, Quebec’s Language Minister, the new
Safety ignored – one dead, four injured Zack Duma Editor-in-chief
Back in February 2010, one Canadian solider was killed and four others were injured in a training accident with a claymore anti-personal explosive device. On December 1, 2012, Major Darryl Watts at age 44 is being charged in court with the death of Corporal John Barker and the injury of the four other Canadian soldiers. Commander Peter Lamont, the military judge conducting the court-martial case in Calgary is charging Maj. Watts with manslaughter, unlawfully causing bodily harm, breach of duty, and negligent performance of duty. Maj. Watts was in command of a platoon conducting a training exercise with the claymore explosive. The crown argued in the court case that the Major turned a blind eye to safety and thus failed in his obligations as leader during the exercise. “Maj. Watts, being the platoon commander having ordered his platoon onto that range, is responsible for the conduct of the range,” senior prosecutor Maj. Tony Tamburro said in an interview with reporters Saturday, who then added, “He can delegate certain tasks to his subordinates, but he still remains accountable for the way those tasks are performed.”
On the day of the incident the platoon was visiting the Kan Kala firing range. The initial test of the Antipersonal device was executed flawlessly. It was when they began continuously firing of the explosives that things took a turn for the worse. One device misfired and shot its 700 steel ball bearings backward, killing Cpl Barker and hitting the four others. This may at first seem like an accident, but video evidence was presented showing that the Major and several others stood around while conducting the exercise when Canadian safety laws clearly state that when doing any exercise with explosive devices, operatives should be in or behind armored vehicles or some other kind of blast shield. This is simply so that in the event of a misfire or some accident, the soldiers have an extremely small chance of being injured. Standing behind an explosive that you do not know how to operate is extremely unsafe and is a direct violation of this rule. The final result of the court case conducted last Saturday has not been revealed but Commander Lamont made it very clear to the jury that would decide the sentence for Major Watts, made evident when he stated, “It is my job — not yours — to decide what kind of punishment is appropriate.”
changes will inhibit the use of English in the workplace. Along the same vein, the Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise expressed their wish that retailers modify their names in favour of francophone alternatives, or include a short saying in French to explain what they are selling. In response, several major labels, including Wal-Mart, Old Navy and Best Buy have taken the Quebec government to court to contest the demands, feeling that they should not be required to alter their
trademarks in order to sell products within the province. Marois government’s policies do not deviate from those that characterize the PQ- a strong sense of Quebec nationalism, as well as a fairly leftist approach both remain prevalent. It is still to be determined whether they will succeed in appealing to the province’s business sector, and whether they will manage to reconcile the Quebec culture with the numerous minorities which also occupy the territory.
Is Egypt backsliding into authoritarian rule? Yasmine Mosimann News Editor
Protests broke out once again in Cairo, Egypt, after President Morsi issued a decree, vastly increasing his powers and allowing him immunity from judicial review. This grand sweep for power prompted the largest protests since the revolution, which ousted previous President Hosni Mubarak. The administration and its political party, the Muslim Brotherhood, claim the action was necessary to avoid obstacles the remaining Mubarak-era judges are placing for them. It was only two weeks ago that
President Morsi was being praised for his role in brokering a ceasefire between the Israelis and Palestinians over the bombardment of Gaza. Now, however, he is under harsh criticism from many who worry of the country backsliding into authoritarian rule.They vow to continue protesting until the “new dictator” revokes the decree. Numerous Egyptians, however, wish to show that many still support the President and his actions, organizing opposing protests to show their allegiance. Just to add to the fire, a referendum is to be held over whether or not to adopt a controversial draft constitution, which legal experts claim restricts basic freedoms.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 | Volume 42, Issue 07- 5..