Image Source: Flicker--caribb

What do you believe is being covered by the red tape on this sign? If you guessed the English translation of the French word 'arret'--the word 'stop'--then you guessed correctly. While this image implies that there is no need for the English language on signs of public administration in Quebec, this implication is false insofar as Quebec is a Francophone province in an Anglophone country and, furthermore, insofar as there is a substantial English minority in Quebec. Although you would not be able to determine these facts by examining the signs of public administration, such as this stop sign, as they are exclusively in French, you may be able to determine that Quebec is culturally diverse by examining the advertisements found in this province. However, your examination should lead you to pose the following questions: why are all advertisements in Quebec either exclusively or predominately French and, in the latter case, why is the secondary language displayed substantially smaller than the French language? The response to these questions is that advertisements in Quebec are merely conforming to the regulations of Bill 101--the Charter of the French Language. 

While Bill 101 has more than 200 provisions in a sum of six titles--or sections--the simple description of the provisions found in its first and second titles discloses its oppressive nature towards the English language. The first title--Status of the French Language--defines French as "the official language of Quebec" and stipulates that advertisements in Quebec must be exclusively or predominantly in French (Bill 101). Although the second title--Linguistic Officialization, Toponymy and Francization--has been mostly repealed, the chapter on the francization of enterprises, which oblige business in Quebec to operate in French, remains prevalent. While I concede that it is the Charter of the French Language, and is therefore biased towards French, Bill 101 oppresses the English language by imposing regulations on English businesses, making it difficult for them to thrive in Quebec and discouraging new English businesses from investing in our province.

Image Source: Flicker-- the|G|™

While the opinions of celebrities and professional are valued, their publically provided opinions do not necessarily reflect their personal convictions insofar as their convictions, if revealed, may damage their social image or incite aggression. Celebrities must be vigilant in expressing their convictions, as that which they express is limited by the social consequence of their statements; their reputation is at stake. Similarly, professionals are constrained by the beliefs of their profession and could be persecuted for contradicting them; could you imagine a minister preaching atheism? That minister would likely be excommunicated. The publically provided opinions of celebrities and professionals, therefore, may not be entirely theirs--consisting partly of the publically accepted view--or may not be theirs in entirety--providing only a part of their conviction. Accordingly, I sought out a common individual to provide me with an uncensored account of a controversial law--Bill 78: An act to enable students to receive instruction from the postsecondary institution they attend. Furthermore, in an effort to gain true conviction and to avoid inciting aggression, I guaranteed the individual anonymity and so she shall be referred to as Anonymous. Anonymous is the ideal subject for the interview that will follow insofar as she worked her way through law school and struggled by herself to raise two children, each of whom attended a university in Canada.

Image Source: Flicker--Parti Québécois

While she was campaigning for provincial government, as the head of Parti Québécois, Pauline Marois "promised to widen the scope of Bill 101 (...) with the aim of further protecting the French language" (PQ pitches). Marois is attempting to make good on that promise by promoting Bill 14--An Act to amend the Charter of the French language, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and other legislative provisions. As the name suggests, the objective of Bill 14 is to modify both the Charter of the French Language and Quebec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms in a manner that is explicitly related to the promotion of the French language in Quebec.

Since its legislation, Bill 101--the Charter of the French Language--has been amended many times. Some of these amendments were the result of a provision of the Bill violating an article of either "the Constitution Act (1876) or, after 1982, the new Canadian Charter of Rights" (Bélanger). Other amendments were willingly made by the English and French in an effort to reconcile their positions (Bélanger). Bill 14, the amendment that is currently being proposed, however, is neither the effect of a violation nor the result of reconciliation; rather, it is a blatant attack on English businesses and communities by Pauline Marois and her Parti Québécois minority government.

By Giovanna Salvagio

Effective, simple, and swift are three words that best describe our system (Gardner 2010)

A flattering description of the Sociéte de L'Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ, 2002), the government agency that regulates Québec's no fault insurance system. Québec drivers insure their vehicles against theft and vandalism; however, the SAAQ compensates for personal injury and or lost wages.  All Québecois drivers contribute towards Québec's no fault insurance. We also have an option to purchase private car insurance in Montreal.

A portion of the contribution derives from drivers licence fees and a much larger portion comes from vehicular registration. Drivers do not have any choice in the matter, and willingly contribute. Unfortunately, drivers in Québec have a false sense of security that in the event of an accident, citizens won't have the burden of dealing with loss of wages. Indeed, the SAAQ compensates car accident victims; however, if the accident victim suffered injuries that prevent the victim from resuming his/her activities indefinitely, then the SAAQ arbitrarily cesses compensation.

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The United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed December 10th, 1948. To honor this monumental event, the United Nations has declared every December 10th to be International Human Rights Day. To celebrate, we have put together an informational production aimed at youth and those unfamiliar with the UDHR or the history or meaning of human rights.

What Are Drones?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are remote-controlled, pilotless aircraft used primarily in military conflict zones for:

• reconnaissance missions,
• targeted killings,
• strategic bombings, and
• aerial surveillance[1].

A Brief History of Drones

The idea of using unmanned weapons delivery systems dates as far back at the US Civil War during which both sides launched balloons carrying explosives in the hopes they might fall on the enemy's munition supplies. The results were largely unsuccessful as the balloons were unable to be controlled when the wind shifted direction [2].

As in many areas of life, need dictates technological advancements. This has been the case with UAVs; each major conflict the US became engaged in spurred improvements in the field. There are basically four major stages that have given way to today's UAVs: " automatic stabilization, remote control, autonomous navigation weaponization, and satellite connectivity" [3].

Image obtained: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/LeslieRodriguez/030905.html

This backgrounder examines the status and underrepresentation of female journalists.

The media influences the world and the way their audience views it. Journalists are powerful individuals who research and gather information that eventually gets shared with many; society calls this information news. Those providing the news are important. Equal representation of both male and female journalists in the media is important because equality is a right. An audience can grow if the representation is equally distributed because interest from this audience will arise. Male and female representation within the media has been a hot topic for quite some time now and is a topic that should be further looked into.

Children in Pakistan. Photo by NB77.

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What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States or Canada? Generally safe and secure, we may sometimes take for granted our constitutional rights; when it comes down to it, however, the theological underpinnings upon which our two countries are founded is something we take very seriously when a given right is infringed upon, particularly by our own governments. These rights are further protected by our legislative system and its separation of the judiciary, legislative, and executive branches which serve as a checks and balances system against the power of any single branch of government. There is a process to decision making, and we expect this process to be adhered to, transparent, and above all, accountable to the citizenry.

As Americans, the Bill of Rights--especially its Amendments-- is the highest law of the land, and as Canadians, we are proud of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms which reflects our particular multicultural character. We take for granted that we do not have to lie in bed at night armed and with one eye open in fear that the Caravan of Death might come for us. We rest easy knowing if we are falsely accused of a crime, that we will have our day in court to provide evidence that proves our innocence. We are assured that even if we commit a heinous crime or consort with the most unsavory of characters who commit egregious crimes, we are entitled to go through the same criminal processes of the court system as every other Canadian or US citizen--it's our right. We will be informed of the charges against us, be given the opportunity to obtain legal council, and present our argument against the prosecution, who will have to present its evidence against us, in front of a judge and jury.

The term for this latter right is procedural due process in the US Constitution under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. It is this lack of due process for those US citizens abroad who have been targeted and killed by drone strikes that is one of the main criticisms of the Obama administration and its use of drones in the War on Terror.

Related: Drone Backgrounder