Apparently I wasn't there

Even though Maxime Bernier made very similar points during a talk he gave on Thursday night, it seems that the comments that have generated recent controversy were actually those that he made during a radio interview while he was in Halifax. I guess this means that the talk he gave on Thursday didn't get much or good coverage.

In case you are interested, Bernier explains his position on the Quebec language laws a little more on his blog.

While I am a little disappointed to know that I didn't witness the controversial comments first hand, I am still a little hyped to think that I did hear them in the dress rehearsal.

Score
Cameron 18
Neil 0

I may have been there for this

So it seems that "possible leadership candidate" and "staunch libertarian" Maxime Bernier has caused something of a stir because of comments he made about Quebec's language laws being unnecessary. As the CBC/Canadian Press story on the topic doesn't include details on where exactly the comments were made I am somewhat inclined to think that they may be talking about the talk I saw Bernier give during which he made such comments at the end of the talk or on a Halifax radio show.

Of course what is funny about is that in the context of the talk these comments didn't seem particularly strange or outlandish, and they certainly didn't raise ripples of concern among members of the somewhat small audience. It should also be noted that at least in the context of the talk Bernier did express support for the French language and his belief that it would continue to exist even without the laws in question.

Score
Cameron 16
Neil 0

A Few Quick Notes 504

-Though we had about 30 centimeters of snow yesterday, today turned out to be a pretty nice day. The main problem that I encountered was slush puddles around intersections.

-I forgot to mention that Neil, Rebecca, Peter, Jeannette, and I joined Jeannette's father for a pre-Chinese New Year meal.

-I had my eyes checked yesterday and I ordered some new glasses today. Hopefully I will be in possession of my new glasses in about four days.

-Today I attended a informal talk/discussion about the current situation in Egypt and the middle-east. While the two history professors and one political science professor didn't have much specific information, they were able to provide some context and background information on Egypt. I was particularly impressed with the quality of the audience questions, I suspect that most of them were of interest to basically everybody in attendance.

-While walking around downtown Halifax I happened to run into a few different acquaintances, two of whom I know through the Poli Sci department. One of these guys told me about his recent media exposure regarding his family being refused entry to a bus. It seems that his story even made the Globe and Mail.

This whole experience reminded me of the recent Metrobus strike and just completely disgusted me.

-Last night at about 3:30 AM the fire alarm began to sound. After a few minutes people began to gather in the front lobby while we waited for the fire department to arrive. After the alarm had been sounding for about 10 minutes a guy in a t-shirt and sweat pants slowly and alertly sauntered in to the lobby, looked at a building employee and asked "what's happening?"

I really thought it was obvious, but apparently not.

-This evening I attended a talk by former Harper cabinet minister Maxime Bernier about being a small government conservative. Though he wasn't quite a Ron/Rand/RuPaul type, he was definitely to the right of many Canadians.

Anyway, while the talk was somewhat underwhelming, I did learn that Bernier really knows how to wear a suit. Man, he is one of the best dress politicians I have ever seen.

Score
Cameron 9
Neil 0