Discontent, fear and quarrels

Re: “Why must the choice be between discontent and fear?” (Opinion, April 2).

Sophie Tarnowska writes: “As one friend put it, ‘I’d vote for an iPad if it were running for the Liberals, just to get this over with.”

As a matter of fact, my son Matt, a McGill University engineering graduate, was one of the first people to be hired by Apple’s head office in Cupertino, Calif., to work on the iPhone (and then iPad) after it ceased to be an in-house secret development project. Now he works Crashlytics, a subsidiary of Twitter.

Tarnowska talks about Quebec and Canada falling behind in innovation. My son is one of many bilingual, McGill-trained, English Montrealers who are regularly going off to work in the U.S. They are one of Quebec’s chief exports. William J. Massicotte

Montreal West

For many of us, the PQ has become known as the Party of Quarrels, for inciting quarrels about language, quarrels about values, quarrels about religious symbols, quarrels about tax havens, quarrels about referendums, quarrels about bilingualism, quarrels about federalism, quarrels about lack of funding and quarrels about the meaning of patriotism and nationalism.

Just listening to many of its leaders, we sense anger toward minorities and their feeling that all those don’t adhere to their beliefs are wrong and are thus the enemy. But if any political jurisdiction wishes to become independent, the desire should be based on pride, rather than on hatred. Robert Marcogliese

Montreal

I have been shocked to learn that as many as threequarters of CAQ voters are federalists. What am I missing? François Legault is an ex-PQ minister who, according to both Pauline Marois and Bernard Landry, was one of the most fervent sovereignists.

When questioned by Québec solidaire Leader Françoise David during the last leaders’ debate as to whether he is a federalist or a sovereignist, Legault refused to give a clear answer. He says he would vote No were a referendum held today, but let’s not forget that back in August 2012 he said he would not defend Canadian unity.

Legault says his party has put the referendum question on hold for 10 years while they work on the economy of Quebec — dare I say while preparing “winning conditions”? Cynthia Jarjour

Saint-Lambert

It would be nice if Philippe Couillard (a brain surgeon no less) were to enlighten Quebecers as to why McGill University no longer requires the MCAT for admission to the faculty of medicine (hint: the test is only given in English) and that the application process, all correspondence and any interviews can be done in French. Surely it is not to accommodate those “rich foreign McGill students” that Janette Bertrand is talking about? Is reciprocal reasonable accommodation being offered by our French universities? M. Selbach Beaconsfield

The 1789 French Revolution was based on liberty, equality and fraternity.

Should that be today’s slogan for Quebec? Isabella Romar

Baie D’Urfe

Re: “PQ pushes history rewrite” (April 2)

The PQ plans to rewrite the history courses to project its view of national identity upon young minds. We see all too frequently how well this works in other countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt. Jamming those young heads with PQ propaganda seems like the party’s only hope. Ted Duskes

Laval