They just pretend cocaine is no more dangerous than marijuana or tobacco. You must realize Quebecois have a more sophisticated, "European" outlook on drugs and sex than the rest of North America.
And it's not just the separatists who are so libertine. In the news today is the following story about young federalist Liberals:
Monday » October 3 » 2005
Young Liberals bare all for national unity
Isabelle Rodrigue
Canadian Press
Monday, October 03, 2005
Six scantily clad Liberal youth-wing executives are front-and-centre in a poster campaign to begin on Monday that will hit the walls of some Quebec universities and appear in some weekly newspapers. (CP/Federal Young Liberals of Quebec)
They're young, they're Liberals, and they're not afraid to take off their clothes in the name of national unity.
Six scantily clad Liberal youth-wing executives, who posed on Montreal's hip St-Denis Street, are front-and-centre in a poster campaign to begin on Monday that will hit the walls of some Quebec universities and appear in some weekly newspapers.
After young Quebec Liberals came up with the idea, the search for those willing to reveal more than just their thoughts wasn't difficult. ''We had more models than we needed,'' said Brigitte Legault, president of the youth wing of the Quebec federal Liberals. The poster says in French: Children of the Charter Flaunt It. But the message is serious. It notes the importance of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, adopted by a Liberal government, while taking a swipe at sovereigntists. "After a divisive referendum, the separatists are hoping to go right back at it," reads the message, translated from French. "We say no to this exclusive, ethnic and unjustified nationalism."
But the poster was a bit too racy for three Montreal universities - Concordia University, University of Montreal and the University of Quebec at Montreal - which refused to allow it on campus. ''The universities that refused, assured us that it wasn't for political reasons, but rather because of the (nature of the ads) that was maybe a bit too provocative or in bad taste,'' said Marie-Helene Perreault from the Newad agency, in charge of distributing the posters. This isn't the first time young Liberals from Quebec have stirred up controversy with an ad campaign.
Last year, they launched one promoting same-sex marriages using a picture of two women kissing. They also took a firm stance against the anti-missile shield in another campaign at a time when the Liberal party was divided on the issue. This time instead of a focusing on an emerging issue, Legault said the young Liberals are returning to an old problem that is always around, even though many people have put national unity on the backburner. They were inspired by a speech delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew at a youth convention in early September. Speaking to about 300 Liberals, he lashed out at sovereigntists, accusing them of defending outdated values. ''We're taking the same words of Mr. Pettigrew who tells us that since the beginning, we have advocated Liberal values of openness,'' Legault said.
A spokeswoman from University of Montreal said it refused to allow the campaign because it has a policy that only permits publicity from within campus, the government, or other universities. Concordia University and the University of Quebec at Montreal couldn't be reached for comment.
© Canadian Press 2005
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