TODD KOROL
Would, dear people, that we were as close-knit a family as the Montreal Canadiens, that valorous band of brothers that has yet to encounter an obstacle it couldn't surmount.
Other than the Flyers and a decade's worth of trips to Western Canada, of course, which our boy Sekeres ably describes here.
No, we are a fractious bunch in this country, fighting over the last pork chop, pinching each other when mom's not looking, seething for months over slights both real and imagined.
On that point, young Matthew of the Left Coast touches on something that has had the elbow-patch wearing, forelock-tugging staff sociologists here at FI walking around with brows a-furrow since last weekend's Heritage Classic.
You see, in the singing of the national anthems, someone forgot/didn't bother to warble the standard few lines of O Canada in French (speaking of which, why sing the Star Spangled Banner too?)
It was seen as rather a thoughtless and shocking omission in this here part of the country, it's been a minor talking point on radio, and Réjean Tremblay raises his hackles here for those of you who read French.
It's not often we get to quote Ecuadorian literary figures, but as the writer and polemicist Juan Montalvo once said, "there is nothing harder than the softness of indifference."
Truth be told, we were trolling around online for Elie Wiesel's quote about "the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference," but that's gotten a little clichéd, as you'll surely agree.
Anyhoo, where were we?
Ah yes, the tyranny of who-gives-a-crap-ism.
There is a time not so long ago when a unilingual rendering of Calixa Lavallée and Adolphe-Basile Routhier's paean to 'les canadiens' would have resulted in angry National Assembly resolutions and another-humiliation-for-Quebec denunciations.
And yet.
The evident indifference to French-speaking Canadians this past weekend is largely being met by indifference on the part of the language's most militant defenders - even Réjean seems more weary than outraged.
It's what folk have come to expect, so why bother getting all lathered up?
Did you hear that P.K. had to foot the bill for a team dinner in Vancouver? And did you see that Céline made her triumphant return to the stage?
For these are apathetic times in Quebec - probably because it's freakin' cold out, the Arab world is burning, and there's no will-the-Habs-make-it-to-the-playoffs hand-wringing to focus our collective angst.
Former Parti Québécois education and health minister Francois Legault launches a new centre-right political movement? Yawn.
The province's prosecutors go on strike and the National Assembly slaps them with back-to-work legislation after 10 days (just days before it presents a Speech from the Throne, o coincidence of coincidences)? Meh.
The mayor of Montreal's office has been spying electronically on the city's auditor and possibly on opposition politicians? Did any one expect anything different?
The Canadiens have won only one of seven? Pah, they're still in sixth, and the Leafs are in town this week, which should be an easy deuce, right?
Pretty much the only thing that seems to set Latin blood boiling these days are the words "Vincent Lacroix" and "Scott Gomez".
Not even the Quebec City arena project can get people's dander up.
According to a recent poll, roughly 45 per cent of taxpayers in Quebec City are opposed to spending tax money on a new arena.
But it's not like the pitchfork and torch brigade is out demanding Mayor Régis Labeaume's suspiciously well-coiffed head on a pike.
The prevailing view among opponents in Quebec City seems to be: we may not like it much, but what are you going to do?
Besides, it's our money and we quite like hockey (before any of you get too exorcised, the $8-billion Quebec City receives in equalization dough each year is about 11 per cent of total provincial revenues, so applying that ratio to the arena project supposes $20-million or so in indirect federal funds - about a month's worth of what it costs to run the Senate.)
Plus it turns out that your federal tax dollars, yes that means you, Alberta, are already paying for a multi-purpose arena complex (and aquatic centre) in the province of Quebec that will soon be host to a profit-seeking professional sports team.
It's in Laval, it's going to cost $93-million, according to the tenders that went out this month it will be finished in 2012, and word is it's likely going to house either the Hamilton Bulldogs or the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL.
And the feds are contributing $31-million, so there.
But who cares, really?