Martin Patriquin

Martin Patriquin writes about Quebec and sometimes everything else.
Quebec Mosque Massacre
Canada

In Quebec City, heartbreak and painful lessons

In a city where politicians call for burqa bans and values charters, the Centre Culturel Islamique was a model of hope and integration
Steven Blaney, Maxime Bernier, Lisa Raitt
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The Conservative Party leadership debate that didn’t matter

Who ’won’ the second French debate of the Tories’ leadership race? It’s immaterial. The real campaign is about to begin.
Stephen Harper
Canada

Why should a PM speak French? Political reality.

Stephen Harper once railed against bilingualism, but came to understand that not knowing French was a sure way to lose
Nick Kouvalis
Canada

Inside Nick Kouvalis’s fake news strategy

Leitch’s campaign manager calls it ’Operation Flytrap’—his plan to root out anyone joining the Tories just to oppose his candidate
MAC01_KOUVALIS_FEATURE01
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How Nick Kouvalis turns candidates into winners

Nick Kouvalis got Rob Ford elected. Now, he’s the brains behind Kellie Leitch’s populist campaign.
People gather to protest against  Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values in Montreal
Canada

Identity politics returns to Quebec

Why populism and identity issues are set to dominate Quebec politics, perhaps one more time, in the year ahead
Failure to launch once a threat to the provincial liberals, the CAQ has stumbled badly.
Canada

A short history of scapegoating Muslims in Quebec

The Coalition Avenir Québec’s new ad features a warning and Muslim woman in a chador. It’s a familiar gambit in Quebec politics.
Quebec’s Premier elect Philippe Couillard looks on during a news conference at the National Assembly in Quebec City
Canada

The return of the angry Quebec premier

Normally a picture of serenity, Philippe Couillard is losing his cool in the face of some surprisingly disciplined opposition
Leonard Cohen Reaction 20161110
Arts

What Montreal meant to Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen’s beloved Montreal went beyond the neighbourhoods of his youth, beyond the Jewish quarters in Westmount
Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Casts Her Vote On Election Day
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Hillary Clinton’s big problem

It had less to do with gender and more with the fact that Clinton was a terrifically flawed candidate who failed to inspire voters.