Can't watch

The French leaders' debate is on and I can't bear to watch. Here we have English-speaking people speaking French to each other. Too Monty-Python-esque for words! They do this because they are trying to win seats in a province that only elects people dedicated to the breakup of Canada. I mean, the Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec, but because they get elected to Parliament, we have to have a debate in French in Quebec. The whole thing escapes me! Too stupid. If I were a leader, I would flatly refuse to participate. You can never appease Quebec. Never. But think what kind of support a leader would get if he said, "Think I'll pass on that debate, thanks anyway." Man, the rest of Canada would cheer. The Green Party runs candidates in every riding across the country, but Elizabeth May is denied the right to debate because her party has never won a seat in Parliament. (More about the wretched Ms. May shortly.)

Always sad to see that Quebecers still vote parochially and not on issues. You could run a donkey stuffed in most ridings for the Bloc and the beast would get elected. Read a good editorial today by a Montreal columnist imploring Quebec Anglos to stop doing the same thing, voting Liberal.......just "because we always have".......and start voting on the issues.

I try to conjure an image of Bloc candidates debating each other in English in Quebec and I can't do it. Why is that? I remember travelling in La Belle Province for my job and being told that under no circumstances was I to utter one word in English. Fine. No problem. I was in a bilingual job and I got the bonus and I spoke French. But I also recall welcoming a Quebec colleague to a meeting in Ottawa one time and being warned by my boss that, "Remember Nancy, these meetings have to be in French." This logic escaped me. I said, "Does Jacques get the $800 bonus to speak English?" "Yes." "Then he will earn his $800 listening to me in English and I will earn my $800 listening to him in French." The logic was indefatigable. Needless to say, it was a bizarre meeting.

Back to Ms. May. I wanted to hide under the sofa cringing when I saw her on tv after the debate last evening (another I did not watch much of because of more cringing). She outlined her top four issues: the environment, aboriginals, women and...wait for it...Libya. Sorry Liz, no one cares about Libya during a Canadian election. And as to women, natives and green things, there are so many lobby groups dedicated to these hobbyhorses we don't have to pay them any attention during an election. But there she railed -- barely visible over the podium -- wailing with deep sincerity. Maybe it was the camera angle, but I felt very sorry her parents had not dealt with her unfortunate teeth in adolescence. And at the risk of sounding petty, don't get me started on that ratty hairdo. Nothing seems to go her way. As I said, I cringed in sympathy.

Our Parliamentary problem is that we have a Westminster system designed for two parties that now must accomodate five. Doesn't work. But no one in their right mind would dare open up the Constitution to change anything. So up with it we must put.

As to the wringing of hands about the sorry state of the youth vote, I say this: If you are a youth and you have all your systems in place -- your blackberry, your i-phone, your i-tunes, your friends, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, a mcjob...you name it -- you will not be inclined to vote because...why would you? But the minute any of your freedoms are tampered with, you will stop and look up, take notice and pay attention. Until then, as I said, up with it we must put.