Ethnic Nationalism......Bernard Landry

      The appointment of Michael Sabia to head the Caisse de depot et placement has stirred the nastiness that is so endemic of the Parti Quebecois. Shortyly after  the announcement was made, Bernard Landry, the keeper of the ethnic purity flame, lashed out, whining that the choice was " more than an error...it is a fault. It is almost a provocation...It has nothing to do with where he was born...It is his national culture, which is Canadian." This would be laughable, if it was not so fascistic, but Landry is noted for his frothing at anything that is not"pur laine". This from a man whio ,still cherishes his Canadian passport, who was a member of the Canadian reserve and who I am certain, will not reject his Canadian Old Age Pension. "I don't care if it is a white cat or a black cat, so long as it catches mice".( Deng Ziao Ping, 1961)

     He could have criticised the manner in which the appointment was made. Here was an opportunity to go after Charest, who made the selection, bypassing the  board of directors at the Caisse.He could have pointed to the fiasco at BCE when Sabia was president. He could have  pointed out Sabia's lack of high-finance and investment expertise. Instead Landry chose to play the ethnic nationalist card, this coming just after  one his former cabinet colleague, Louise Harel's pronouncement on "ethnic boroughs"( and let's not forget the many others including Jaques Parizeau's " money and ethnic" quip). Sabia may have been born in Ontario, but he has lived for many years in Quebec, and he speaks French, but according to Landry, "he is not one of us". Can you imagine what would happen if someone in Ontario or Alberta or Newfoundland were to complain about the many high-placed Quebeckers/Quebecoises who hold or have held positions from Governor-General to Prime Minister to leader of the Opposition to so many other high-profiled positions in Ottawa and eleswhere in the country of Canada?

      Ethnic nationalism is a cancer in the body politic. It has no place in any society/ country, especially one that is democratic. It excludes and penalises "les autres". It is the slippery slope to fascism and ethnic cleansing... witness the former Yugoslavia, Darfur, Rwanda. It is time that Landry and his cohorts be called to task. They are ethnic haters and they must be exposed as such and held accountable.