<p>Blobuf: If Boisclair wants to stay as leader of the PQ, he will probably call a referendum, I think. Just from talking to my friends in MTL who are members of the PQ, I can tell he’s already not very popular among the rank-and-file because of all the gaffes he’s made since he became leader (that ridiculous “Brokeback Mountain” skit on Justiciers Masques last November, for example). </p>
<p>Combined with his reluctance to embrace the party’s Social Democratic/Socialist ideology (he’s already p-offed the labour unions), if he were to become Premier and then abandon the PQ’s raison d’etre, there would not be a referendum in the future, but there would certainly be a PQ leadership convention. </p>
<p>In short, Boisclair himself might not be willing to rush into a referendum, but the party that he relies on to keep his job certainly is. </p>
<p>redknight: That’s a good question. It’s a bit complicated really. </p>
<p>You said that Quebecers might not like Harper because he’s so Conservative. However, you have to remember that, until about the 1960s, Quebec was extremely Conservative, and, IMHO, was very much run by the Roman Catholic church (think Duplessis and his relationship with the Church). In many regions of Quebec, particularly outside of Montreal, that feeling of social (if not fiscal) Conservatism still remains, even if it no longer plays a big part in political life. You can tell this from the last election results - half of the 8 Tory MPs elected in Quebec at the last election came from rural areas, and all of them came from outside the Greater Montreal Area. </p>
<p>In addition, a key issue for many Quebecers is decentralization and nationalism. Quebecers, regardless of their political colours, tend to be united by a common desire for the Federal Government to stay out of Quebec’s internal affairs, and for Canada to recognize as Quebec as a nation. The Conservatives (both today and back during the PC days) have always been very good at this - the Tory coalition even today still consists of 3 main parts: Western Social Conservatives, old-fashioned Progressive Conservatives in Ontario and the Maritimes, and Quebec Nationalists. It is this coalition that swept Mulroney into power in the 1980s, and which helped Harper pull of a minority last year.</p>
<p>As to whether the referendum will pass this time, it’s a bit up in the air. Harper’s attempts at decentralization (the representation at UNESCO, his attempts to deal with Fiscal Imbalance) will help somewhat (if only to allow Charest and the Liberals to win another mandate). </p>
<p>However, there are still many other factors. My family did not run around waving signs saying “Tout ca devient possible” in 1995 (for those of you who don’t get the reference, we voted Yes) because of decentralization; but rather because we believed that Independence would help improve Quebec and secure our national identity in North America and the world, now and in the future. I personally still believe that (the need to preserve our identity part, not the independence part so much), and my feeling tells me that if people vote yes at the next referendum, I believe they’ll do it because of that reason, and not because they’ll save a few dollars on their tax bill every year. </p>
<p>As to M. Bouchard, I agree that was a really convenient time to lose a leg (though I don’t mean to make light of his illness). However, leg aside, he’s still a really good orator, in both French and English. He could, I’m sure, convince people to do near anything. </p>
<p>mardou fox: Well, the first thing I think you should know about the French department is that it operates completely in French. All the courses, essays, and exams are given in French, and many of the students in the Department are either Francophones or Montreal Anglophones (many of whom are fluently bilingual) While you don’t have to be a native speaker, it would be best if you do have a general level of comprehension of French (think AP French classes).</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/french/[/url]”>http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/french/</a></p>
<p>The French as a Second Language teacher programme is a joint programme between McGill and the Universite de Montreal. You take courses at UdeM in the Fall and at McGill in the Winter.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/edu-integrated/undergraduate/programs/#TFSL[/url]”>http://www.mcgill.ca/edu-integrated/undergraduate/programs/#TFSL</a></p>