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Technical Glitch Lets Reporters Eavesdrop On Obama, Sarkozy
Hugh Pickens writes "BBC reports that a technical glitch allowed reporters to listen in on a private conversation between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama, made in a backroom meeting at the G20 summit, treating listeners to a rare insight into the importance of personal relationships in international politics. 'I can't stand him any more,' said Mr. Sarkozy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'He's a liar.' Mr. Obama replied: 'You're sick of him. I have to deal with him every day!' According to Reuters, the two presidents were apparently 'unaware that the microphones in their meeting room had been switched on, enabling reporters in a separate location to listen in to a simultaneous translation.' The reporters made 'a group decision... not to report the conversation as it was considered private and off-the-record,' but Arrets Sur Images, a French website that covers current affairs, got wind of the exchange and broke the story."
???
Most people that I've talked to in Canada have absolutely no issues with Quebec (which is beside the point... the article and OP were talking about the French, not the Quebecois... and I can guarantee that Quebec is mostly not self-loathing).
Let's see... Albertans pay $4,000/yr into the equalization fund, and Quebec sucks out $1,200/capita. Sounds like a good deal; a lot of the fund gets to go to other parts of Canada like the east coast, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Isn't it great living in a Socialist country, where we help each other out?
Debt/Tax Rates:
Quebec:
Income over But not over Rate
0 $39,060 16%
$39,060 $78,120 20%
Ontario:
5.05% on the first $37,774 of taxable income, +
9.15% on the next $37,776, +
11.16% on the amount over $75,550
$78,120 - 24%
British Columbia:
5.06% on the first $36,146 of taxable income, +
7.7% on the next $36,147, +
10.5% on the next $10,708, +
12.29% on the next $17,786, +
14.7% on the amount over $100,787
Quebec seems slightly more expensive, but not by much. Alberta is the exception to the tax rules in Canada, as most of the taxes are generated via the Oil industry. Alberta has decided to destroy a portion of the province for profit instead of extracting the money from working citizens. Note also the lax of provincial tax that all other provinces endure.
Alberta is an anomaly, as it has a flat-rate 10% income tax... this means that someone earning minimum wage in Alberta is paying 2x that of anyone else in the country except Quebec. However, further up the tax chain, Albertans are paying significantly less than anyone else.
Personally, I'd prefer to preserve bits of our country for our children than to wring all the profit we can out of the land and the people.
Anyway, what about the French? I feel like they've lost relevance in North America -- even Quebec isn't trying to emulate France anymore. People don't tend to hate those they consider irrelevant. They just dismiss them as not worth thinking about.
Slightly more? You quoted the tax rates for Quebec, Ontario, and BC. Quebec is 50% higher than next-door neighbor Ontario, (and the tax actually kicks in at a lower rate), and more than 3x the rate of British Columbia.
Couple that with the lower average income in Quebec, because of 40 years of provincial anti-english sentiment chasing out most of the head offices, and it's a disaster.
Oh, and the provincial sales taxe, which went up 1% to 8% January 1st, are going up another 1% next January 1st.
Also, your "omeone earning minimum wage in Alberta is paying 2x that of anyone else in the country " is a flat-out lie, Alberta exempts the first $16,825 of income from ANY provincial income tax.
Now, when go to spend that money, Alberta's provincial sales tax is 0%. Quebec - as of January 1st, will be 9.975% (because they also tax the 5% federal sales tax - a tax on tax).
Also, Alberta gives much more generous deductions for people with a disability, or caring for someone at home, etc. Add to that that the average Alberta income is more than 2-1/2 times the average Quebec income, and Quebec sucks.
Quebec is the most corrupt province in Canada. Where do you think all those scum telemarketers operated from? Quebec - because Quebec's political class has been engaged in economic warfare against its' citizens for almost 40 years..