My choice for the leader of NDP: Brian Topp

The tragical death of Jack Layton puts the topic of his succession to the position of leader of the party. Several candidates have announced their candidature since september in direction of the activists.
I don't have the same very precised sight as my Canadian and Quebecker comrades, because I'm not being at every moment in the "Canadian bath". Nethertheless, I could have analysed the candidatures and I have made this constate: I prefer Brian Topp.
First of all, who is Brian Topp? He was before the disappearing of Jack, the president of the NDP. Brian was born in Longueil in Québec, in 1960, from a francophone mother and a anglophone father. He's working in the cultural environments of the cinema in Ontario. He has been adviser of Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, then adviser of Jack Layton, leader of the party.
In June 2011, he is chosen for being president of the party by Jack Layton.

What are the qualities of Brian Topp?:
he knows well files of Canada and Canadian politics/policies thus he has worked for two big leaders whose the national leader of the party, who was in measure to be prime-minister.He speaks perfectly French and knows well Québec, because he has studied there. This is a real asset, as it is needed to enter in contact with Quebecker and Acadian populations. It is right that he is not still a MP, but Jack Layton has begun as leader without being MP, until push the party to its major sucess in May 2011.

If Brian Topp, but this is the same for all the candidates, is elected by the activists , he would have to continue the led and defended policy by Jack Layton, a real policiy of defence of social rights, for families, for education, health, access to affordable and quality housing, fighting for stabilised and well paid jobs, redistributed growth, ecology.
But,equally,what Brian Topp can understand, is to be in vibration with the key question and the wishes of the Quebecker nation and to be sure that the French language be protected and that the Bill 101 be recognised as federal rank-law. To make realise the linguistic independence of Québec. This what the main part of Quebeckers are waiting for. That's at least. Then they're free to decide to be sovereign or not, after a referendum. And a socialist and so internationalist (NDP is member of the Socialist Internationale)has to recognise freedom of peoples to decide by themselves. What Jack Layton recognised.
At last, Acadian revendications will have to be developed and further protected, inside Canada.

Chamboulement fédéral et québécois à Ottawa!

Une semaine après les élections législatives fédérales canadiennes, on peut dire qu'il y a eu un changement palpable depuis 2004. Le Canada n'est plus gouverné par une formation minoritaire mais par un Parti Conservateur (PCC) et un Premier-ministre Stephne Harper sortant, avec 53,89% (166 sièges).Les Canadiens ont donné raison à l'appel du PCC de donner uue majorité au gouvernement.
On a cependant des craintes quand on voit qu'un député conservateur saskois veut remettre en cause l'avortement...
Le grand perdant est certainement le Parti Libéral (PLC). En effet le PLC passe de plus de 30% à 11%. Quelle en est la raison principale?
Le renversement pour une fois est à l'est! En effet les provinces de tradition européenne, Ontario et Québec,notamment n'ont pas donné à nouveau la confiance au PLC et au candidat Michael Ignatieff.
Le deuxième renversement est l'irrésistible montée du Nouveau Parti Démocratique (NPD) et de Jack Layton. Le NPD a réalisé son meilleur score depuis sa création ,en 1961, 33,4% et 103 sièges. Le NPD devient le parti de l'opposition officielle.
Jack Layton a surclassé les partis habituellement implantés en Ontario, dans le Grand Nord, dans les campagnes progressistes (Acadie) et surtout au Québec. Au Québec, le NPD est passé de 1 à 60 sièges!
La raison du succès? Un discours clairement de gauche: sécurité sociale universelle et gratuite, salaire minimum,...Est-ce que le PLC vit ses dernières heures comme parti d'alternance, comme en son temps, le Parti Whig britannique ou le Parti Radical français? En tout cas le clivage gauche-droite a été installé dans cette élection. De plus, Jack Laytona un discours intermédiaire vis-à-vis des Québécois, avec le fédéralisme asymétrique, car cela veut dire à terme l'autonomie du Québéc.

Le débat francophone de Radio-Canada a d'ailleurs eu plus d'influence cette année que le débat anglophone et Jack Layton y a particulièrement brillé. Parlons justement du Québec et du parti qui était majoritaire auprès de la nation québécoise: le Bloc Québécois. Gilles Duceppe a perdu les 17% fédéraux qui représentaient près de 72% nationaux!Pourquoi? En raison du sur place de Gilles Duceppe. Le meneur du Bloc n'a rien fait de sa majorité québécoise de 20 ans, certes il a défendu fièrement le Québec (subsides fédéraux dûs au Québéc,...) mais les Québécois attendaient désormais que le Bloc aille au gouvernement avec le NPD, quitte à faire avancer le référendum au fédéral. Le Bloc a fait l'erreur de ne pas se présenter au fédéral, au moins dans les autres provinces qui regroupent avec le Québec 75% de Canadiens français:l'Ontario et le Nouveau-Brunswick. Cela aurait etoffé et élargi son électorat.

Est-ce que le NPD saura par le futur reconnâître la primauté québécoise en matière de langue comme constitutionnelle, reconnaître une autonomie fiscale, accepter l'adoption d'une constitution québécoise et faire des droits des francophones autres que Québécois, des droits à la québécoise? C'est le minimum pour un vrai "fédéralisme asymétrique".
De leur côté le Bloc a intérêt à discuter avec le NPD. Cela demande du doigté, ne pas apparâître comme les francophones excluants et anglophobes "de service" prêts à couper les ponts avec le Canada mais comme des souverainistes du juste milieu, ce qu'ils sont, acceptant les étapes: autonomie puis la souveraineté modérée: monnaie en commun avec le Canada, l'armée en commeun, la coopération économique, la sécurité sociale universelle et gratuite à l'échelle continentale (Québec+Canada)

Cela passe aussi par des accords privilégiés avec l'Union Européenne et l'UNASUR-MERCOSUR. Avec pour objectif de se libérer des 80% de relations économiques avec les Etats-Unis pour passer à 40% Etats-Unis, 30%UE, 30% Amérique latine.
A terme un Parlement confédéral , comme ce qui existe pour le Parlement européen sera élu par les Québécois et les Canadiens, il se situera probablement en Acadie,au Nouveau-Brunswick (à Moncton ou à Memramcook).

Le plus important pour le Québec reste l'élection de Pauline Marois comme Première ministre du Québec à l'Assemblée Nationale en 2013 pour balayer Jean Charest, remettre le social au coeur du Québec et préparer la souveraineté pour 2020.

Comparison of the two election platforms of Bloc Quebecois and the NDP

The program or platform, of the Bloc Québécois is more detailed (150 pages) than the New Democratic Party which made 30. These are two complementary views: the precision of a row and will mark the key points.
On social and economic issues, we are dealing with similar programs.

The Bloc Québécois proposes including social and economic
-Reform employment insurance (UI) so it benefits more people
-Help seniors live at home by a parent or caregiver
-Raise domainspensions
-Increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement
-Provide a public program of social and affordable housing with the precision of public management
-Support through federal research and development in sustainable domains, and high quality production
-Lowering the federal intervention to 300 million dollars leve when there is a foreign company buying a Canadian company, with a guarantee of jobs, wages and pensions

The same thing with the New Democratic Party, except that it does not specify whether housing should be managed by the public and the federal intervention for a purchase abroad is lower at 100 million dollars level. The NDP also states that communities should be public hearings with foreign firms purchasing, a sign of democratic transparency, to ensure proper social treatment of employees and retirees of the company.

The Bloc Québécois is more accurate on two strategic points of the Quebec economy: aerospace, to promote Ontario as much as the automobile and the arsenals of Davie shipyards to revive, and the need for renovation of ports. Finally the Bloc insists on the need for a true partnership with the European Union.

The NDP says that the tax on SMEs should be lowered from 11% to 9%, increased development in Northern Ontario (FedNor with the agency) and premium cuts for creating nearly 200,000 jobs.

Overall, NDP wants to re-instaurate the federal minimum income,suppressed in 1996 by the Liberal Party.

The Bloc Québécois is more precise on the regional development including forest production areas which have to be supported, after the current crisis lasts Since 2005 and help the favoring of economic diversification. As well as transportation, a lengthy development work is done on the development of local airports (helping), the high-speed Montreal-Quebec City-Windsor. A strong point is approached Canadian Post, Canada Post, which noted the decline in service and closure of branches in rural areas. It is requested that we return to a higher location, as in 1994 and an outright rejection of privatisation.

The family aspect and health are more developed in the platform of the New Democratic Party: Plan in consultation with provincial child care and early education, federal transfers to provinces to reduce university costs. We would have liked the timing of the move towards free higher education.
Control of bank charges on credit cards, the combination of child benefit and child care, the combined parental assurance-emploi/congé, reducing the cost of medicines in consultation with the provinces, the Federal support for training of doctors and nurses, in ordet to help the provincial programs for education on healthy eating.

For the ecological level, the NDP wants to make Canada an example in reducing greenhouse gases and move towards a market quota of continental gas emissions (Canada / USA), transportation fund by an extra cent on essence, public funds for research while the Bloc insists on aid for ecological housing , hybrid cars or electric ones and of course research and development.

The Bloc Québécois believes that Quebec's economy is unique and has interests opposed to those in Canada. With the West, yes, but not with the Acadia and Ontario. It is noted that the NDP includes part of the Quebec model response and family coverage. These are two socialist parties.

The Bloc Québécois much emphasis on cultural competence to give Quebec, along the reminder on Quebec sovereignty, the need to promote the Québec films , to ask what each position of the federal public service is a bilingual person whose judges and Bill 101 (Charter of the French Language) is the only linguistic reference in Quebec for the life and work, without the Court of Canada has to intervene.
As the NDP, the Bloc Québécois is asking that the CBC &and Radio Canada have more representatives of French-Canadian.
The NDP wants one can choose his language so if a family decides to keep the French in education is a fimperative ederal law i to be respected, if necessary revise the law on official languages ​​for minorities, that means mostly francophone minorities and a true representation and understanding of French at the Supreme Court. The Bloc Québécois more precises its language program and this is more protective for the Quebec nation.

It should be noted that two lines are devoted by the Bloc Québécois and the national and inguistic questions regarding the French Canadian and Acadian(regular federal funding agencies). The Bloc Québécois talks very few about a federal perspective, which is normal, with its name.

The linguistic identity and federal recognition of the Charter of the French Language of Quebec as a constitutional charter exclusively for Quebec is necessary pending the Québec Constitution.
Request to reconsider the laws of Manitoba, ... which have abolished bilingual education compulsory for all.
Recognise the Acadian nation as well as the Quebec nation with its own law 101 (thus creating the 11th province of Acadia, in northern New Brunswick.
I would add the creation of a linguistic community and institutional confederation of French Canadians, like what exists in Belgium, which would put all the French Canadians under the protection of the Quebec Charter of the French language