So! While a large portion of the Quebec population was focused on the fast cars and pretty women and the other part of the population was laughing along at the antics of the NUT JOB Khadir, his daughter and their modified Delacroix Portrait; something happened while everyone had their heads turned in the other direction. What happened you ask? Well on Monday in Quebec there were two bi-elections for the Provincial seats in LaFontaine and Argenteuil ridings. Guess what? If you didn't really hear about it there is a reason. In the top French news paper the results and story appeared on page 10. Yup, page ten. In the other news papers not much more importance was given to it. Why? Well because the results didn't in anyway come close to matching the recent media hype about the, ''Need for change'' but more importantly it didn't come anywhere close to what the media has been claiming is the, ''DESIRE'' of the people for change. No in fact none of it came close to anything other then proving that in Quebec 2+2 really does equal 5.
What do i mean? Well lets go back a little bit, shall we? In the middle of the now 4 month old, ''Student movement'' the protesters, all 1% of the eight million population, started to state that there was a need for an election. That the population of Quebec wanted change. The blow hard, grey bearded, white hair dreaming of the 60's and 70' media types jumped all over that bandwagon and away we went. For the last 2 plus months we have heard nothing but how everyone from the students to the pots and pans clanging chef Ramsey wannabe's are protesting for change. Change change change they say!! Joining the change mongrels in their chants was the leader of the opposition and her drag Quebec out of the federation screaming if necessary, it does matter Parti Quebecois. They were joined by the new emerging CAQ party and everyone else remotely tied to politics. We have watched the 24 hour news networks bring out every talking head telling anyone that would listen that the Liberal party was doomed. The print and internet media screamed at the top of their pens and laptops about the end of the Liberal era in Quebec. They bragged about how the people (that is you and me by the way) had, had enough and that given the next opportunity (the two bi-elections) the population would show those fascist, liberty suppressing, freedom of rights destroyers, who was really boss. Something funny happened though. In the last week leading up to the bi-elections the story started to get buried. On the Monday of the bi-election the story only made page 16 of the same paper mentioned above. In the other papers the same thing was happening. On the 24 hour news networks not much at all other then the 5th or 6th story of the day. Interesting no? Certainly is when you consider that we live in a Province where they break into your regularly scheduled programing to tell you about the politican who's doggy went do-do on the wrong lawn. Politics is always front page news around here. But not the last few days.
So Monday night was the moment of truth. Two bi-elections. A chance for all those media and political talking heads to prove to everyone (you and me) just how smart and savvy and know it all they were. So it happened. The people of the two ridings went to the polls, they went to send a clear message to those tyrant Liberals, they went to kick their political asses. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen it was going to be an evening of reckoning. It was going to be devastating to the Liberal party, a preview of what was to come in the next Provincial Election. It was going to be Fight Club kinda ugly. Well maybe not so much! Maybe not at all. You see something happened between the rhetoric, the experts, the political talking heads and the actual outcome. First lets explore the math! In Argenteuil the participation rate for the bi-election was a whopping 42.36% of the 41,006 eligible voters showing up to vote. In LaFontaine the number was a monstrous 25.56% of the 39,794 eligible voters turning out to vote. WOW! STOP THE PRESSES! Its unprecedented. The people surely want change, massive change. But wait! The results were even more impressive. In LaFontaine the Liberal candidate won. He what? He won? RECOUNT, RECOUNT, I SAY! What? The Liberal member got 53.32% of the vote compared to the number two guy at 17%. Ok maybe forget the recount. In Argenteuil the Liberal candidate lost by less then 500 votes. She lost by 500 votes with almost 20,000 people showing up to vote. Hang on a second. Wasn't there supposed to be some clear, unequivocal message going to be sent to the Governing Liberals. Wasn't Madame Marois of the official opposition party going to take to the stage to point out to everyone just how resoundingly the Quebec population wants a general election to bring about the oh so desired change. Where was everyone? 42% and 25% of eligible voters turned out! Something is wrong with this picture. No wait! Something is wrong with the Math!
Here in lies the problem. You see in Quebec there is no longer any logic. There is no real truth anymore. There is only talking heads. Talking head politicians, artists, boycotting students and most of all media. You see no one in the media has stood up and asked the questions. If supposedly everyone wants change, if everyone wants the current Government gone, where was everyone.? Where were the landslide wins for the opposition parties? Where were the sickeningly low numbers for the Liberal candidates? No that question never came and probably never will. Everyone will just move on to a new blackboard with new math. In the early morning of Tuesday Madame Marois was heard to be rejoicing their parties win in Argenteuil by 400 votes. Rejoicing? I see. Funny though no one sees to be calling to loudly right now for a general election. You see my friends in Quebec 2+2=5 or 6 or 9 or whatever. It does not really matter it just will never add up around here! Ask the snowman!
