Maxime Bernier rips into Quebecers

Former Conservative cabinet minister Maxime Bernier lamented the fact many Canadians see "Quebeckers as a bunch of spoiled children who are never satisfied and always ask for more." And according to Bernier, they’re not entirely off the mark. "While we were debating independence, we accumulated an enormous debt and we became dependent on borrowed money to fund an unsustainable level of public services," the Beauce MP said in a speech to two riding associations. "The political choices that were made in Quebec in the past four decades have led us in a dead end." Quebec’s principal problem, Bernier said, is its long-standing enthusiasm for government programs. "It should be obvious enough that unbridled state interventionism does not lead to prosperity. If that were the case, Quebec would be the richest place in North America instead of being one of the poorest."

Montreal Gazette