Is Our Children Learning?
They are asked to make decorations for Quebec's national holiday on June 24, and the book's illustration is a child's drawing of a Quebec flag on a pole with the Canadian flag beneath it, ripped in half.
Grade-school pupils are asked: How many youth novels at $15 apiece could they buy if they abolished the position of the governor-general, which costs Quebeckers $9.4-million a year?
For high-school students, there's a proposed music class on Quebec sovereignty classics, including Canada is not my country by singer Mononc' Serge and Quebec, mon pays by legendary poet Raymond Lévesque.
College-level students are asked to trace the history of the federal sponsorship scandal, while university students are given the task of calculating how much money is wasted by federal "intrusions" into Quebec jurisdictions.
For fine-arts students, there are activities such as designing a Quebec stamp.
This is a funny coincidence since I myself was set to launch my own book called Let's Talk About Sovereignty At School next month. Among the problems I'll suggest for students:
Kindergarten Lessons
Teach children that they shouldn't be sore losers. Have the class vote on a class mascot. After the first election, do it again. Ask them if they feel it's necessary to hold a third vote on the topic.
Field Trip
Tour Bombardier. Casually point out the millions (billions) of dollars they get each year from the federal government.
Grade 4 Math Problem
How many youth novels, at 15$ a piece, could you buy with the $200,000 grant given to The Council for Quebec Sovereignty by the PQ?
Sports
Project the starting six on defense for Team Quebec, in international tournaments.
High School Experiment
Gather together a group of volunteers. Randomly assign the volunteers to two groups, with half using cocaine, and half eating poutine. Compare the ability of the two groups at a series of simple tasks such as reading,arithmeticc, and being a high level Cabinet Minister.
University Research Project
Study economics. Study psychology. Diagnose the mental illness suffered by anyone who thinks sovereignty would be good for the Quebec economy.
20 Comments:
Funny. Brilliant. Once again.
Ted
Cerberus
By
Ted Betts, at 1:00 p.m.
Well done. When I read the article earlier this morning it the content of the course sounded as if it had been done by a group of junior high pranksters. It does however illustrate the vacuous arguement of seperatisim if that is their best shot.
By
Don, at 1:08 p.m.
HILARIOUS! Way to slam the moronic people who publish this trash.
Over on my blog I have a list of winning strategies for candidates, but its definitely not funny like this is. This is just simply genius at its best.
Calculate the debt Quebec would be in once they separated, and count the countries who would recognize a unilaterally separated Quebec!
By
Forward Looking Canadian, at 1:23 p.m.
That was great.
By
Leny Vilekoskytch, at 1:30 p.m.
BEST OF CALGARY GRIT!!!
By
Anonymous, at 2:00 p.m.
Sorry Alberta you're not about to get rid of me since they're is no way I move back there as long a crazy Gérald Larose and his friends are alive. BTW propaganda is already teached in Qc school as history is explained as the mean anglos vs the good french and so on. We don't even learn about Louis Riel who is the pride of francophones outside Qc. The Conseil de la souveraineté is a shame for all Qc!
By
Anonymous, at 2:10 p.m.
Hey CG I just realized you insulted Poutine, let me tell you I passed many exams the stomach full of that and it works as good as Alberta beef :) The rest of your exercises are great!
By
Anonymous, at 3:27 p.m.
ROFL!!!1!!
I wish I had a grant to make a children's book about the benefits of democratic socialism in Canada.
By
bza, at 3:51 p.m.
I don't know where you come saguenaygrit, but here in Rimouski, which is about as separatist as a city can be, we learned about Louis Riel.
Anyway, great post CG.
By
Christopher Young, at 5:17 p.m.
What do you do in real life ?
You should
a) have your own masthead at the Post or G&M
b) write for Rick Mercer
Too brilliant !!
By
Anonymous, at 6:27 p.m.
Calgary Grit for Globe and Mail political humourist!!!
By
Anonymous, at 6:48 p.m.
Great commentary - since you spent your early years in Quebec I can see that this subject has important meaning to you.
By
Anonymous, at 8:45 p.m.
Field Trip
Tour Bombardier. Casually point out the millions (billions) of dollars they get each year from the federal government.
Sure, but are the Bombardier subsidies supposed to be good for Quebec? I don't think they are. They're an utter waste of money in favor of a few corporate cronies (Laurent Beaudoin et al), but they're certainly not good for the Quebec economy. Bombardier is addicted to subsidies and can't function without them. They're a formidable disincentive to be efficient...
By
Anonymous, at 9:56 p.m.
Yeah. But Alberta separatism still kicks ass.
By
Anonymous, at 10:50 p.m.
You know I think a lot of the comments above raise a good point. CG you are way too good at this to be doing it for free. Newspapers would be stupid not to give you a job, I can't imagine what you could come up with if you wrote for a living.
By
Anonymous, at 3:46 a.m.
funny, but you really don't understand the dynamics here. what these separatist council insanos are showing us with this latest audacious gambit is that they feel that they control the discourse on separatism enough to have had something like this taken seriously. it's a hearts and minds thing, and english canadians mostly don't get it. (and then there are morons like ignatieff who get it, but then propose exactly the wrong strategies for combatting it, but that's neither here nor there...).
By
Anonymous, at 10:48 a.m.
funny, but you really don't understand the dynamics here. what these separatist council insanos are showing us with this latest audacious gambit is that they feel that they control the discourse on separatism enough to have had something like this taken seriously. it's a hearts and minds thing, and english canadians mostly don't get it. (and then there are morons like ignatieff who get it, but then propose exactly the wrong strategies for combatting it, but that's neither here nor there...).
By
Anonymous, at 10:48 a.m.
All residants from Quebec demand an immediate cessation of anti-poutine comments on this blog. It's part of our culture :-)
By
Bass, at 12:03 p.m.
Very clever, funny except for the "high school" lesson plan that borders on offensive. Can't be too careful in our country.
By
Anonymous, at 7:55 p.m.
That was pure comic gold.
By
Anonymous, at 9:12 p.m.
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