horrorfreak13
11-06-2004, 02:40 PM
This has just gone beyond ridiculous.
OTTAWA (CP) - A group of Quebec veterans denied Canadian flags by their separatist MP is now being inundated with Maple Leaf banners from outraged federal politicians.
The flood of flags proceeded Friday as a solemn prime minister teed off on the Bloc Quebecois for refusing to provide flags to veterans for a Remembrance Day ceremony.
"It's beyond belief that they would do that," Paul Martin said in his office.
"This is about respecting men and women who went to war to save their country. And I think that to play politics in that way is just simply beyond the pale."
Martin and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper both offered flags to veterans at the Royal Canadian Legion Legion in Richmond, Que., after the local MP - the Bloc's Andre Bellavance - refused to provide them.
The case of the Richmond Legion has become a political issue pitting the separatist party against federalist foes all too eager to take up the cause.
And they all lined up - even Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, a founding member of the Bloc.
"Total lack of class. Total lack of class," Lapierre said of the gesture. "This (Bloc) member accepts his pay cheques with the Canadian flag in the corner of it every month and he doesn't mind that.
"For those veterans, he should have had class."
Harper offered up some flags in a phone conversation with a branch member late Thursday and promised to deliver them personally on Saturday.
The prime minister then got on the phone Friday morning and offered more flags in a conversation with Second World War veteran Bruno Lavoie.
"We sent them flags, as a government and as a party," Martin said. "And I spoke with Mr. Lavoie . . . to tell him that I really find this inconceivable that the Bloc acted this way."
But the Bloc Quebecois defended the decision by Bellavance, who meanwhile has accepted an invitation to attend the ceremony.
Party policy allows MPs to make up their own minds whether they feel comfortable distributing Canadian flags. Other Bloc MPs in southeastern Quebec near Richmond have said they're willing to hand them out.
Bellavance instead provides constituents with a toll-free number to the federal Heritage Department if they want Canadian flags.
"Personally, as a Bloc Quebecois MP, I don't feel the obligation to distribute Canadian flags," Bellavance told the local newspaper, the Sherbrooke Record.
But the Legion branch vice-president was not impressed.
"They do represent us in Ottawa and they are in a federal party and I think it's disgusting that they would take that attitude," said John Hill, another Second World War vet.
Yeah but the idiot doesn't mind the little Canadian flags that appear on his fucking Canadian taxpayer funded pension when he's out of office and his tax funded salary twice a month. This has now gone too far with the separation crap if anybody in Quebec does not like it in Canada then please shut up and move the heck out. I've been to Montreal and few other places in Quebec and they are pretty nice people but I'm sick and tired of the separation crap. :mad:
OTTAWA (CP) - A group of Quebec veterans denied Canadian flags by their separatist MP is now being inundated with Maple Leaf banners from outraged federal politicians.
The flood of flags proceeded Friday as a solemn prime minister teed off on the Bloc Quebecois for refusing to provide flags to veterans for a Remembrance Day ceremony.
"It's beyond belief that they would do that," Paul Martin said in his office.
"This is about respecting men and women who went to war to save their country. And I think that to play politics in that way is just simply beyond the pale."
Martin and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper both offered flags to veterans at the Royal Canadian Legion Legion in Richmond, Que., after the local MP - the Bloc's Andre Bellavance - refused to provide them.
The case of the Richmond Legion has become a political issue pitting the separatist party against federalist foes all too eager to take up the cause.
And they all lined up - even Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, a founding member of the Bloc.
"Total lack of class. Total lack of class," Lapierre said of the gesture. "This (Bloc) member accepts his pay cheques with the Canadian flag in the corner of it every month and he doesn't mind that.
"For those veterans, he should have had class."
Harper offered up some flags in a phone conversation with a branch member late Thursday and promised to deliver them personally on Saturday.
The prime minister then got on the phone Friday morning and offered more flags in a conversation with Second World War veteran Bruno Lavoie.
"We sent them flags, as a government and as a party," Martin said. "And I spoke with Mr. Lavoie . . . to tell him that I really find this inconceivable that the Bloc acted this way."
But the Bloc Quebecois defended the decision by Bellavance, who meanwhile has accepted an invitation to attend the ceremony.
Party policy allows MPs to make up their own minds whether they feel comfortable distributing Canadian flags. Other Bloc MPs in southeastern Quebec near Richmond have said they're willing to hand them out.
Bellavance instead provides constituents with a toll-free number to the federal Heritage Department if they want Canadian flags.
"Personally, as a Bloc Quebecois MP, I don't feel the obligation to distribute Canadian flags," Bellavance told the local newspaper, the Sherbrooke Record.
But the Legion branch vice-president was not impressed.
"They do represent us in Ottawa and they are in a federal party and I think it's disgusting that they would take that attitude," said John Hill, another Second World War vet.
Yeah but the idiot doesn't mind the little Canadian flags that appear on his fucking Canadian taxpayer funded pension when he's out of office and his tax funded salary twice a month. This has now gone too far with the separation crap if anybody in Quebec does not like it in Canada then please shut up and move the heck out. I've been to Montreal and few other places in Quebec and they are pretty nice people but I'm sick and tired of the separation crap. :mad: