Quebeckers joining the Armed Forces

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Being an anglo, posted in Quebec is twice as fun. When first posted here, I went to my appartment to sign my lease during my lunch hour (therefore in combats). An older ladie spat on me and told me to get out of her country.  I just smiled and said have a nice day. I had no clue what to do... 3 months later as I was leaving for my flight to Trenton and onward to Afghanistan, the lady asked where I was going.  On hearing of the destination she got teary eyed and said her brother had died during the war and wished me good luck.

With that said, many around here (civvy), don't even know that the Citadelle de Quebec is oldest fully functional military base/fort north in North America.  Slowly though, as the soldiers from Valcartier leave for theatre I beleive that we will see a softening of the anti-military sentiment in the province. It wont become the supportive city like Edmonton, but it will improve.  I hope....


Phil

Wow you have a lot of discipline and class for taking that kind of abuse with a smile. But it has paid off. I think you are right...there will be ownership when the Quebec boys and girls are going to do their bit and maybe the press will take their heads out of their butts and start to show some support in Quebec also.

I was sitting in a cafe in Ville de Quebec 2 weeks ago with 3 of my colleagues and we were discussing the mission (in English). A gent at the next table as he was leaving came over and politely excused himself. "I just want to tell you guys that I don't think we should be in Afghanistan." He wasn't rude or abusive he just stated his opinion and walked out. Didn't give us a chance to respond or whatever just stated his opinion and left. I thought it was very civil and I hope the debate in Quebec remains at that level. 

 

[Judy]

Being an anglo, posted in Quebec is twice as fun.

Hah! Tell me about it! 

Had to change my plates ASAP after arriving here.  Heard too many horror stories about people having their car with Ontario plates spat on.
Also warned to stay home on St Jean Baptiste, because some drunken separatists may not be too pleased with having a 'foreigner' at their party. 

No direct remarks yet, but I get all kinds of faces when I speak.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Hah! Tell me about it! 

Had to change my plates ASAP after arriving here.  Heard too many horror stories about people having their car with Ontario plates spat on.
Also warned to stay home on St Jean Baptiste, because some drunken separatists may not be too pleased with having a 'foreigner' at their party. 

No direct remarks yet, but I get all kinds of faces when I speak.

Bullshit, tell "those" people who warned you to get bent......Everywhere I've been in Quebec the people have been some of the friendliest I have had the pleasure of meeting.
I was up in a little place called Mont Laurier a few weekends ago and it was a blast..........with my Ontario plates and my 'support the troops' magnet on the back of my van.

 

[paracowboy]

a while back I got a tattoo in Quebec since I was poking around there anyway. Big ol' Maple Leaf flag, with the words "Canada Forever" around it. It's on my forearm, where everyone can see it. Got it around '95. Maybe you remember the event in Quebec around then?  ;D

Artist was giggling the entire time he was doing it. It shows, too. But, I was giggling too, so it's not entirely his fault.

Anyway, I got a few negative results, with the attendant amusement such things afford me, but I got more positive. And I wasn't married then, either, so I also enjoyed the attendant amusement such things afford me.

Just a fun story. Carry on with your real discussion.

 

[Judy]

Glad you had a good experience.  Mont Laurier is also quite close to Ottawa. 

Travel a little further North to Chicoutimi where I am - the majority of ppl here (besides the ones on the base, of course) have never left Chicoutimi and can't fathom a world outside of what they know.  It's also the heart of separatist country.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Just a fun story. Carry on with your real discussion.

Not yet, just wondering how a "big flag tatoo" fit on your forearm.     *snickers like lil' schoolgirl*

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Glad you had a good experience.  Mont Laurier is also quite close to Ottawa. 

Travel a little further North to Chicoutimi where I am - the majority of ppl here (besides the ones on the base, of course) have never left Chicoutimi and can't fathom a world outside of what they know.  It's also the heart of separatist country.

Done the "Lac Saint Jean" tour many times also, beautiful country, beautiful people.                  Love small town Quebec....

 

[Popurhedoff]

After 27+ years of travelling around the world with the Military,  I have had the chance to work and study in Quebec over the years.  I have had good and bad experiences there as I have had everywhere else throughout this Country. 

I usually use humor to break the tension...  years ago I flew into Baggotville from Europe... it was during a referendum and there was an Op Eval ongoing... there was some poor cold tired trooper at the bottom of the stairs as I exited the plane so I showed him my Canadian passport and asked him "if they still took Canadian money on par?"...  I thought he was going to butt stroke me at first... but even he cracked a smile  :dontpanic:

Anybody who jumps into the same foxhole and wishes to fight the enemy side by side is cool with me.

Cheers
Pop

 

[paracowboy]

Not yet, just wondering how a "big flag tatoo" fit on your forearm.     *snickers like lil' schoolgirl*

it's all relative, Bruce.

 

[Sig_Des]

Being the first gen of a 5 gen army family to not serve with the R22R did cause a bit of an uprising in my family, but they quickly got over it.

I've never really had a problem in Quebec with being military, but most people who know are in the Mont St-Bruno area, and it's a quiet community. It's also a community that received a lot of military support during the ice storm.

I don't really consider myself a quebecker, though I was born there, and I did choose to join the forces. I had a cousin who talked a lot about my joining the military. Said it was a dumb thing. Well, lo and behold, this last summer he finished his BMQ/SQ in Valcartier, and is absolutely loving the reserves.

 

[spud]

Travel a little further North to Chicoutimi where I am - the majority of ppl here (besides the ones on the base, of course) have never left Chicoutimi and can't fathom a world outside of what they know.

Ha ha, I am from PEI, you could substitute <insert community name here> for Chicoutimi. There's backwards people everywhere, not just in Quebec. FWIW, in 8 years I only met one service  person from Quebec who wasn't adament they were Canadian.

Good enough for me 

potato

 

[MdB]

Having studied in literature and having been part of a left-leaning group while at university, I fully expected bad reactions upon telling people that I was joining the CF. Well, I never had any bad comments to my utter surprise. Like what was said here, there's pro-army and anti-army everywhere, not especially in Quebec. It's true that the relation to the army here is different, but there's a relation nonetheless, more or less complicated. It's true that when the R22ER and 12 RBC are deployed and TV news and reportages come up on screen, the attention will be subject to change, as opinions.

 

[vonGarvin]

Funny you mention lit and left leaning.  I took German lit, and the crowd was a bit right if anything (Germans?  Right winged?  What are the odds?)
Although there was one prof who's idol was this author (I forget her name) who was the darling of the DDR who after the fall of the wall recommended that the DDR not join the BRD, but instead do it on their own.  Of course she was a commie hack who just wanted that paycheque to keep coming in. 
Anyway, the only difference I have found between soldiers from Quebec and soldiers from elsewhere is their love of spandex!
>

 

[orange.paint]

Anyway, the only difference I have found between soldiers from Quebec and soldiers from elsewhere is their love of spandex!
>

+1
Us english guys who run usually get conservative types of spandex.I.E stuff with another layer over the top.Yet francos love the tighest stuff they can find.

Maybe it's us anglos not wanting to show off what god gave usdidnt give us. ;D

 

[spud]

Anyway, the only difference I have found between soldiers from Quebec and soldiers from elsewhere is their love of spandex!
>

Ha ha, that's not only funny...but true...best laugh I had all week!

potato

 

[MdB]

Funny you mention lit and left leaning.  I took German lit, and the crowd was a bit right if anything (Germans?  Right winged?  What are the odds?)

The first time I seriously expressed the idea of joining the army was in 2003, as I was in Hamburg. The family I lived with was bearing 4800 all the way and didn't have a high opinion of armed forces. I guess you have all types of people everywhere, be it in Quebec or elsewhere. Anyway, I think the opinion is much better than it was and with education, nothing is impossible. You all know it's every soldier's job to do it and not respond to provocation in a way that would bring bad press on the CF.

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 9665]

As i said, I am French Quebec, with a military family history.  Wether your are in Lac St-Jean or in Gaspésie, or in Toronto or in Vancouver or Even the US, you will find people against the concept of army and some that will be for it.

In Québec we have lot of people who tends to be more social politics oriented than outside Québec, it could explain why the attitude toward the army is a little different.

I dont like spandex BTW 

I am candian First...being, to my opinion, a Quebec is not something I say.

For myself, I think that the military people deserve all my upmost respect, and I hope ill be up to it to represent my country. I know im not joining the reg's, only the reserve. but I sure hope it will be as i imagine: good.

Cant wait until  01/27/07 

 

[RatCatcher]

01/27/07????

 

[paracowboy]

01/27/07????

I believe that is his enlistment date. Or the date he leaves the CIC to become an NCO.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

I believe that is his enlistment date. Or the date he leaves the CIC to become an NCO.

NCM I hope...surely we're not jumping them from CIC to Cpl??