Thursday, June 16, 2005

Raining On The Liberal Parade

By plastering Quebec with the Maple Leaf, the sponsorship program was intended to raise Canada's profile in the province and connect the country to the Liberal Party in the minds of Quebecers.

It has succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of its masterminds. So much so, that when Montrealers think of the Canada Day parade, they think of the Liberal Party, and stay away in droves.

So reports Alan Hustak in the Montreal Gazette:

It's hard to beat the drum for Canada if no one is paying attention.

Organizers of this year's Canada Day parade in Montreal held a news conference yesterday and, unlike previous years, only this reporter showed up.

Montreal's 14 Liberal MPs, including Prime Minister Paul Martin, have been sent invitations to take part in the parade, but not one has bothered to reply.

Even more discouraging, only two corporate sponsors are supporting the event this year: Power Corp., which has chipped in $3,000, and The Gazette, good for $1,000.


"The sponsorship scandal has spooked a lot of people," said Dominique Zito, organizing committee vice-president.

"Companies are reluctant to sponsor a Canada Day parade if it means being associated with a Maple Leaf."

"Cash is hard to come by."


How appropriate that the only two corporate sponsors for the Canada Day parade in Montreal are the parent corporation of the Liberal Party, and its most faithful Quebec media mouthpiece.

They've been telling us for decades that Liberal values are Canadian values, and by definition, that to be a good Canadian is to be a Liberal. Ontario has got the message, loud and clear. Unfortunately for them, so has Quebec.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Makes your heart bleed doesn't it.

Don't worry. I really believe the Liberanos will one day be confined to a place in the history books. And that day may be closer than you think.

Les Mackenzie said...

I'm personally sick of this line, "Canadians want..." - Don't tell me what I want!

In a democracy we need to send them a message of what WE want - The Liberals to be turfed, Quebec has the idea.