The record, 10 juin 2015, mercredi 10 juin 2015

[" Quebec Lodge moving forward Page 3 »THE\"\t\u2014 RECORD The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 Guess who\u2019s back Mike McDevitt - Page 6 75 cents + taxes\tPM#0040007682\tWednesday, June 10, 2015 Townships teachers mobilize in Sherbrooke demonstration MATTHEW MCCULLY > A large crowd of teachers gathered in front of the Carrefour de VEstrie on Tuesday afternoon for a demonstration against the state of negotiations between the province and the teachers.By Matthew McCully Sherbrooke New headmaster to take the reins at BCS By Gordon Lambie Lennoxville Bishop\u2019s College School announced late last week that Tyler Lewis, from the Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H., has accepted an offer to be their new Head of School as of July 2015.Citing an impressive resumé of accomplishments and great strength of character, the school\u2019s announcement emphasized Lewis as a prime candidate for the position.\u201cTo ensure BCS remains forward looking and meeting the needs of tomorrow\u2019s leaders, the school has begun a review and refresh of our strategic vision, which will engage all of our constituencies,\u201d wrote Tim Price, chairman of the BCS Board of Directors, in the announcement.\u201cTyler will be an integral part of our future success.\u201d According to Price, Lewis comes with a vast and varied career in education and a longtime commitment to boarding schools.All those who met the new Head, he wrote, were impressed with Lewis\u2019 credentials.\u201cHe brings j ust a wonderful balance of backgrounds to the position,\u201d said current Head of School William Mitchell, highlighting Lewis\u2019 time spent as teacher, houseparent, coach, administrator, mentor, and consultant within various boarding school environments.BCS head prefect Romy Zeitlinger expressed some concern over the fact that the BCS position will be Lewis\u2019 first in the role of Head of School, but added that she is certain that his other experiences in boarding schools will help guide the new Head find his place in the new school.\u201cWith any change there are challenges,\u201d said Zeitlinger.\u201c(Lewis) seems like a wonderful person.\u201d Greg Stevenson, BCS\u2019 Director of Advancement, expressed that same cautious optimism.Cont\u2019d on Page 5 Over 300 teachers and support staff from the French and English sectors gathered for a demonstration on Portland Boulevard in Sherbrooke yesterday during the afternoon rush hour.Organized by the Syndicat de l\u2019enseignement de l\u2019Estrie, a regional teachers\u2019 union, president Benoit Houle said visibility was the goal of the demonstration.\u201cWe want people to know what\u2019s going on,\u201d he said.Josée Scalabrini, President of the Fédération des syndicats de l\u2019enseignement union agreed with Houle, saying that education should be viewed as an investment, not an expense.\u201cThe more we talk about it, the more aware people will become,\u201d Scalabrini said, referring to the cuts and demands imposed on teachers and support staff.The invitation to the demonstration was extended to essentially every teaching and support staff syndicat in the area.The Appalachian Teachers\u2019 Association, which represents teachers in the Eastern Townships School Board, accepted the invitation, as did Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers president Richard Goldfinch.Goldfinch said negotiators for the teachers unions have met with the Education Ministry 39 times to no avail.\u201cNothing is moving,\u201d he said.\u201cWe\u2019re ready to negotiate, they don\u2019t seem to have clear mandates,\u201d Goldfinch added.\u201cPeople are fed up with waiting.\u201d Massey-Vanier High School Teachers held a demonstration before school began two months ago.Lennoxville Elementary followed suit weeks later.Megan Seline, the ATA president, said Magog took to the streets just last week.\tSPECIAL OFFER for Record Drint subscribers: Receive a full year\u2019s subscription to the online edition for only $5 with every new 12 month print subscription or renewal.Contact the office directly to take advantage of this offer.It is more up to date and compatible with the new modern devices To subscribe, go to www.sherbrookerecord.com, ^\tclick on\tancl follow the simple instructions.w\tFor information or assistance call 819-569-9528 billing@sherbrookerecord.com\t \t Page 2 Wednesday, June 10, 2015 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record The Record e-edition There for you 24-hours-a-day 7-days-a-week.Wherever you are.Access the full edition of The Sherbrooke Record as well as special editions and archives.Renew or take a new 12-month print subscription and get a 12-month online subscription for an additional $5 or purchase the online edition only for $82.21.Record subscription rates (includes Quebec taxes) 1 year print: $155.91 6 month print: $81.85 3 month print: $41.57 12 month web only: $82.21 1 month web only: $7.46 Web subscribers have access to the daily Record as well as archives and special editions.Subscribing is as easy as 1,2,3; go to: www.sherbrookerecord.com Click e-edition.Complete form and wait for an email activating your online subscription.Weather TODAY: AM SHOWERS PM CLOUD HIGH 23 SUNRISE: 4:59 SUNSET: 8:35 THURSDAY: 40% CHANCE OF SHOWERS HIGH 22 LOW 13 JJ/ / / M FRIDAY: SUNNY HIGH 23 LOW 12 / y^ / / I \\ SATURDAY: SUNNY HIGH 24 LOW 9 SUNDAY: SUNNY HIGH 24 LOW 10 Keeping in Touch TOWNSHIPPERS\u2019 ASSOCIATION V vO « ($,.¦*> ., vo> % > & r o, \u2022Ÿ ^ ?c maltraitanceaines.gouv.qc.ca Famille Help to put an end to elder abuse by donning a purple ribbon in support of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day; on Monday June 15.Drop into Townshippers\u2019 office at 257 Queen Street in Lennoxville to pick up your free purple ribbon and information packet.ToWH/hipper/ World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Neglect, abuse and bullying, being humiliated, threatened, extorted or pressured about money, these are all acts of elder abuse.On Monday, June 15 help to put an end to elder abuse by donning a purple ribbon in support of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.Launched in 2012 in the Estrie, Town-shippers\u2019 Association is proud to lend its support to this initiative to raise awareness of the need to break the silence against the many forms of neglect, violence and exploitation that far too many seniors fall victim to.According to the World Health Organization, 2002: \u201cElder abuse is when a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurs within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust and which causes harm or distress to an older person.\u201d Elder abuse violates privacy, breaks and shatters relationships, and scars the lives of its victims.In the Estrie region, the coordinated efforts of an entire region offer hope and calm to seniors through a variety of resources with can be found on the website stop-abus-aines.ca.If you are a victim or witness of elder abuse, call the Elder Abuse Help Line at 1-888-489-ABUS (2287).Drop into Townshippers\u2019 office at 257 Queen Street in Lennoxville to pick up a free purple ribbon, magnet and information card supplied by the Council Against Elder Abuse in the Estrie Region (Table de concertation contre les mauvais traitements faits envers les personnes aînées de VEstrie).Know Your Rights & Protect Yourself Join us at the Community Learning Centre in Richmond, at the Richmond Regional High School, on Wednesday, June 17 from 10:00 am to noon, for a free live and interactive videoconference with Educaloi on what you need to know about the Power of an Attorney, Mandates for Incapacity and Wills.Educaloi is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inform Quebecers about their legal rights and responsibilities in a language that makes the law easy to understand.Lawyer Sarah Dougherty will speak about these three legal documents, why and when you need them, what you should put in them and when and who you should share that information with.Recap: Townshippers\u2019 Annual General Meeting Thank you to the more than 40 friends and members who turned out to participate in Townshippers\u2019 Association\u2019s 36th Annual General Meeting on Friday, June 5, in Orford.President Gerald Cutting led the compact agenda joined by Executive Director Rachel Hunting as they reviewed the Association\u2019s activities and projects of the last year.The annual report can be downloaded in the Publication section, under Media Library at Townshippers.org.Townshippers\u2019 is happy to announce that President Gerald Cutting will preside over the association for another the 2015-2016 term joined by Board of Directors members Peter Quilliams (Vice-President), James Kanner (Treasurer), Heather Bowman, Melanie Cutting, Cheryl Gosselin, Salim Hashmi, Kohl Kelso, Steve Lawson, Alice McCrory, Russell Merifield, Peter Riordon and Executive Director Rachel Hunting (Ex-Officio).The evening also featured a special presentation by Dr.Joanne Pococlc who highlighted elements published in the newly unveiled Socio-Demographic Profile of the English-speaking Community of the Historical Eastern Townships.Available at Townshippers\u2019 Association\u2019s offices, this bilingual document uses data from the 2011 Canadian Census and National Household Survey to provide a current snapshot of the English-speaking communities in the historical Eastern Townships.For more information on Townshippers\u2019 Association and our activities, keep reading this weekly Keeping in Touch column in The Record and visit us on Twitter (@Townshippers), Faceboolc and our website www.Townshippers.org.Connect with Townshippers\u2019 offices in Sherbrooke at 100 - 257 Queen St.819-566-5717, toll free: 1-866-566-5717 or Lac-Brome at 3-584 Knowlton Rd, Follow The Sherbrooke Record on Facebook and Twitter! sherbrookerecord ^ @recordnewspaper Ben by Daniel Shelton JUST LEAVE HIM, SEN-TM Sure he'lu get up oni ms OWN SOON.'HEEHEE.g rl THINK ITS ^ APORABlE.it's his mref SHOWING HE kUOVESYOU/ C SEE HOW ICVEPVOU ARE' The Record newsr oom@sherbrooker ecor d.com Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Page 3 \t\t Local I\tH[ews\t\"Nearly everyone I meet says \u2018oh, I went to Quebec Lodge\u2019\u201d Appeal dropped, Quebec Lodge moving forward By Matthew McCully Sherbrooke Plans for the re-opening of Quebec Lodge, put on hold pending a legal dispute that lasted roughly 18 months, are finally underway, according to president and foundation cochair Ruth Sheeran.\u201cI\u2019m sleeping through the night now,\u201d she said.The camp had been in operation for more than 60 years when it closed in 2005 amid financial difficulty.The Quebec Lodge foundation remained in negotiations with the Anglican Diocese, who owns the property where the camp was situated on Lake Mas-sawippi, to possibly re-open at some point.\u201cNearly everyone I meet says \u2018oh, I went to Quebec Lodge,\u2019\u201d Sheeran said, pointing out the rich history of the camp in the Townships, and the motivation to maintain the tradition.The Diocese sold the portion of property with the camp buildings to a private buyer, but retained a portion, bordering 185 feet of shoreline, intending it as a donation for a future camp on the condition that the foundation could secure $1.5 million to ensure the economic viability of a new camp project.The foundation was given a deadline of Dec.31, 2012 to raise the money.Close to the total, and because a promissory note was offered, the Diocese granted the foundation a three-month extension, and the Quebec Lodge Foundation surpassed its fundraising goal by March 31, 2013.Problems began when the buyer of the adjacent property took issue with the extension.As a condition of sale, the buyer reserved first right of purchase of the remaining property, should the Quebec Lodge Foundation not meet its fundraising goals.He sought a declaratory judgment to determine if the Diocese violated the agreement by granting an extension to the foundation.A judge ruled in favour of the Diocese, but the buyer then filed an appeal.Sheeran explained that during the legal dispute, fundraising stopped and the foundation\u2019s five-year plan was put on hold.The appeal was eventually dropped before Christmas, Sheeran said, and plans are moving forward again.\u201cWe\u2019re very grateful to everyone for being so patient,\u201d Sheeran said, \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be where we are if people hadn\u2019t kept up support for the project.\u201d Sheeran said the development plan is being revised to make up for lost time.A day camp is in the works for next summer, and Quebec Lodge hopes to re-open its doors the following year.But they won\u2019t be regular doors.Sheeran said the Foundation has been working with Bishop\u2019s University, coming up with a curriculum and sustainability studies for new camp structures.BU professors Avril Aitlcen and Darren Bardati are helping to develop a program that will be based on environmental awareness and stewardship.\u201cWe\u2019re looking at everything we can do to make it as low impact as possible,\u201d Sheeran said, adding that the camp will have composting toilets and yurt villages.For the moment, Sheeran said the board is calling in pledges and continuing fundraising.The property where the new camp will be is just a wooded area right now, Sheeran said, unsure when crews will be able to break ground and begin construction.The first order of business will be to build a road.Sheeran said a reception will be held once documentation is finalized, marking the transfer of ownership of the land from Bishop Dennis Drainville, on behalf of the Diocese, to the Quebec Lodge Foundation.BCS students go the extra mile for Nepal By Matthew McCully Lennoxville Students from the Grade 8 ethics class at Bishop\u2019s College School launched a fundraising campaign in support of Nepal relief efforts following the devastating earthquake on April 25.In a two-weelc period, the 11 students in the class, along with the help of the BCS community and local businesses, raised $6,030.Kirby Nadeau, who teaches the ethics class, explained that the students undertake a service project as part of the curriculum.In the past, the class has volunteered at the Cornerstone food bank and participated in other fundraising initiatives within the community.In this case, Nadeau said the students voted overwhelmingly in favour of contributing to the Nepal earthquake relief fund.The students then had a brainstorming session to come up with fundraising ideas and assign responsibilities.They set the bar at $5,000, and announced the ambitious goal to the entire school at chapel \u2014 the school\u2019s assembly.In the following two weeks, Nadeau solicited donations from local businesses for a raffle.The BCS kitchen staff donated items during breaks for the students to sell.The Grad committee kicked in $350 by selling roses, and with help from the drama department, students held a coffee house.\u201cMost of our fundraising was accomplished within two weeks, which is amazing when you consider how busy student life is at BCS,\u201d Nadeau said, adding that the students were preparing for end of year exams while they were fundraising.In addition to the fundraising efforts around school, a letter of appeal was sent out to parents of BCS students, asking for a donation of $10 per student.On Tuesday morning at chapel, Nadeau announced the grand total raised by his class, saying \u201c100 per cent of the people at BCS contributed to this cause.\u201d The students from the ethics class stood in front of the rest of the school and received applause in recognition of their efforts.The students then posed for pictures with William Mitchell, the head of school, and an oversized version of the $6,030 cheque, rendered by the school\u2019s art teacher.\u201cThe students really rallied for this,\u201d Nadeau said, adding that they were greatly impacted by the experience.Each student wrote a reflective essay after the initiative, expressing what they had learned.The students were proud of the amount raised, and surprised they had exceeded their goal.While admitting that soliciting peers and faculty for donations was a bit out of their comfort zone, they said taking the reins in the fundraising campaign helped them develop leadership skills.One student pointed out that the she and the other ethics students mainly kept to themselves, but having a unifying cause helped the class come together.\u201cBCS has a diversified, international student body,\u201d Nadeau said, pointing out the significance of supporting Nepal.In 2010, the school held a similar fundraising campaign following the earthquake in Haiti.A hockey marathon, combined with other events raised $7310 which was sent to the Free the Children organization.It\u2019s encouraging to see students rallying for a humanitarian cause, Nadeau said.\u201c I think people really rose to the challenge.\u201d MATTHEW MCCULLY BCS Grade 8 students raised $6,030 for the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund in a two-week period.They were recognized for their efforts at Tuesday's school assembly.Shown with the novelty cheque are (from left to right) Maria Fernanda Martinez, Jessica Pigeon, Rodrigo Alcocer Rosales, Head of School William Mitchell, ethics teacher Kirby Nadeau, Jose Emiliano, Peter Huang, Javier Iriso Villamor, Aziz Hesham Alshowaier, Dakota Stevenson and Marcelo Reverie Panola.Operation Backpack: Equipped to Learn BECOME A SPONSOR Operation Backpack is an initiative of The Record in conjunction with the Lennoxville & District Women\u2019s Centre and volunteers whose goal is to ensure every child in need starts the school year with a new backpack filled with school supplies.The committee is seeking sponsors to purchase a backpack and supplies, estimated at $75.The goal is to equip 85 children for the coming school year.To become a sponsor, contact Sharon McCully at outletjournal@ sympatico.ca IT TAKES A COMMUNITY While donations of school supplies form the foundation of our program, financial donations will allow the committee to purchase additional supplies.We are enlisting the support of the business community to become Bronze Sponsor: $150 Silver Sponsor: $375 Gold Sponsor: $750 Cheques can be made payable to the LDWC, 257 Queen Street, Sherbrooke, QC, indicating it is for School Supplies.Tax receipts will be issued. Page 4 Wednesday, June 10, 2015 newsroom@sherbrooker ecor d.com The Record *WM y -a X \t CENTRE DE NUTRITION ANIMALE FRIENDSHIP DAY SPECIALS on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at our second location: 96 QUEEN STREET, SHERBROOKE \u2022 Yankee Candle * Blue Seal pet food * Accessories Flags Giftware Gourmet Liquorice 1730 Wellington Street South Sherbrooke \u2022 819-348-1888 blueseal@agrianalyse.com Target is three now.He is all white and is still waiting for his new home.This page is provided by Blue Seal - The Animal Nutrition Centre and The Pet Connection.Shade is a very affectionate and friendly girl.She had five babies and even helped us raise two other orphans.She is two years old now and will mke a great pet.Wilbur is Wally's brother and he is still shy around people but with the right family he will make a great family member.Our Wally has come a long way from the scared stray he once was.He will now make a great pet.Tallison is our oldest gentleman.He is 14 years old but in excellent health.He has many years left to give a new loving family.Jen Young Reggie is a big old lazy boy.He has to be with another cat because he loves his friends so much.Hector is a one-year old tabby.He was a wild stray kitten and has come a long way.He is still shy around strangers but once he knows you he loves to be on your lap and getting affection.Mama is six years old.She was born with some kind of neurological problem.She could have been born stray and had the rhi-novirus, which can affect a cat for the rest of their lives.She can't jump or run but is very affectionate.Rachel was a stray barn cat for most of her life.She was trapped with her kittens many months ago.She is still shy around strangers but once she knows you, she loves you.w * w The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Page 5 Rainbows and Statistics By Mary Hill Special to The Record T.f.nnoxvtt.t.f.\u201cAnd when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.\u201d \u2014 G.K.Chesterton I am starting an informal campaign to rename the Foundations for Farming Garden.This year, as once again I wake up to the patter of rain outside my window, I think a more appropriate name would be Mitchell Inlet Garden.Mitchell Inlet is on Moresby Island in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), and has the distinction of being, on average, the wettest place in Canada.For comparison, Sherbrooke averages 1,100 millimetres (43.3 inches) of precipitation a year while Mitchell Inlet measures in at a whopping 6,325 mm (20.8 feet)! For 275 days of the year it sees either rain or snow, which is three out of every four.What do you think?I think we can take them.I think we have a shot at the record! My friends from Switzerland are somewhat bemused by this weather.Living in Canada for a few months, they thought that they would be amazed by the famous Canadian winter, but instead are amazed by the less famous Quebec spring.The concept of penance has begun to creep into conversations in the grocery store.I hear comments like \u201cIt was sunny yesterday, so now we are paying for it\u201d or \u201cRaining again.I guess we voted wrong\u201d.Actually, Sherbrooke ranks fairly high on the wet-city-in-Canada list.We come ninth in amount of precipitation for cities over 100,000 people.We are third in the number of wet days in a year, with 187 days annually.On that scale we fall only behind St.John\u2019s, N.L.(212) and Saguenay (198).If my math is correct, we Townshippers get to gaze up at clouds one day out of every two.I sug- gest we don\u2019t try to be the Parade Capital of Canada.Mucking about in a wet garden is a recipe for compacted soil, and our particular garden already suffers from drainage issues brought on by a clay subsoil.As well, excessive rain on plants promotes diseases from fungi and bacteria, causing stunting, spotted foliage, rotting leaves or fruit and, in severe cases, death of the plant.Wet weather also keeps the pollinators in their hiding places, affecting reproduction and fruiting.So local gardeners are spending much of this spring with their noses pressed against their window panes.But on to the rainbows.It is raining.In California right now they have a drought so severe that they have been under a state of emergency since January.They have been paying actual money for water for years! They would love to see our rain.Our water tables are replenishing, our fields are green and thriving, the fish and frogs and herons are happy and we can canoe the rivers and lakes.We are truly blessed.And, if my math is correct, we Townshippers get to gaze up at sunshine one day out of every two.I love statistics.The FfF tea in the garden will restart June 24, every Wednesday of the summer starting at 9 a.m.All are welcome for chat, gardening lore and yummy buns.Sunshine has been ordered.BCS head Cont\u2019d from Page 1 \u201cI hope and believe that the next head will build on the foundation that\u2019s been established by Will Mitchell,\u201d Stevenson told The Record.\u201cWith a solid footing now, we can think quite ambitiously as to what we might be able to do in the future.\u201d The Director of Advancement highlighted Lewis\u2019 strong background in admissions work as essential to continuing current growth trends and positive results at the school, and expressed a feeling that the first year and a half to two years of the new Head of School\u2019s term will be devoted to a strategic planning process, focused on maintaining and promoting BCS\u2019 role as one of Canada\u2019s top boarding schools.\u201cI expect a couple of years in we\u2019ll have a very clear vision of where we are going as an institution and where our emphases will be placed,\u201d Stevenson said.\u201cThat can only strengthen and build upon the existing foundation.\u201d COURTESY BCS Tyler Lewis, who will take over as the new BCS Head of School in July.THE RECORD Drop by and see us at our booth during Friendship Day at St.Antoine School on Saturday, June 13, 2015 to renew your subscription or take a new one at our special rates.Ask about our Archive Books (1 & 2) Fill out the coupon below and bring it along! Friendship Day Special Rates ¦ valid on site June 13 only 3 months\t$\t38.00\t(regular $41.57) 6 months\t$\t76.00\t(regular $81.85) 12 months\t$146.00\t\t(regular $155.91) 1 month online\t$\t7.00\t(regular $7.46) 12 months online\t$\t80.00\t(regular $82.21) NEW SUBSCRIPTION ?NAME (taxes included) (on-site only) RENEWAL ?1 ADDRESS TOWN (gOg) POSTAL CODE.TELEPHONE PAYMENT BY: CASH ?AMOUNT PAID: $ CHEQUE ?VISA ?MASTERCARD ?CREDIT CARD NUMBER: CREDIT CARD EXPIRY DATE: RECORD 1195 Galt Street East, Sherbrooke Subscriptions: billing@sherbrookerecord.com 819-569-9528 Advertising: classad@sherbrookerecord.com 819-569-9525 Newsroom: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com 819-569- 6345 Page 6 Wednesday, June 10, 2015 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record \th'ïATHPYATEH\tr a t\tIt remains to be seen, however, whether Duceppe\u2019s return will accomplish the near- \tH/ JO 11 Uitv.\t\tmiracle separatist die-hards are hoping for.An unexpected gift Mike McDevitt In an act of what can only be described as political desperation, the Bloc Québécois has opted to try to reverse its march toward oblivion by handing the leadership back to the man who led it to a disastrous defeat in the last federal election that saw the party nearly destroyed under the weight of the late Jack Layton\u2019s Orange Wave.Gilles Duceppe, the former Marxist-Leninist son of a legendary Quebec actor, is returning as head of the party after his successor, the completely out-of-touch Mario Beaulieu, spent a year failing to resurrect any meaningful interest in a party whose only practical function has been to interfere with successive Canadian governments in their attempts to manage the country.Duceppe had been a Bloc MP for 21 years and served as leader between 1997 and 2011 \u2014 when he and the vast majority of his colleagues were swept out of office.He succeeded Bloc founder Lucien Bouchard when the latter became leader of the PQ following the resignation in disgrace of the late Jacques Parizeau after the independence movement\u2019s narrow defeat in the 1995 referendum.Interestingly, Duceppe\u2019s news comes on the very day of Parizeau\u2019s state funeral.As ridiculous as it might sound for a party to go back to a leader who led it to its most humiliating defeat, the move is not without its cynical rationale.Beaulieu, a hard-line nationalist demagogue, been unable to resuscitate the BQ^\u2019s sagging fortunes, and has instead reduced its support significantly from the embarrassing 23 per cent it polled in 2011.Polls conducted by the party itself have indicated that under Duceppe, nationalist support for party could rise to 30 per cent, bringing it back from near-extinction to become a player once again.Despite the lack of a single new idea or strategy, a number of Quebecers apparently remain willing to send an obstructionist cohort to Ottawa to ensure that any meaningful improvement in Quebec-ROC relations stays dead in the water.In terms of political strategy, Duceppe\u2019s resurrection makes some sort of sense, as the independence movement gears up to profit from Parizeau\u2019s recent passing and subsequent canonization and the ascension of the glamorous and exciting PKP to the helm of the PQ.Duceppe, who always presented a calm and reassuring face to the movement and did, after all, once occupy the position of leader of Canada\u2019s loyal opposition for a brief, surreal period in 1997.It remains to be seen, however, whether Duceppe\u2019s return will accomplish the near-miracle separatist die-hards are hoping for.As this fall\u2019s federal election approaches, he will need to convince Quebecers to reverse their stunning 2011 shift to the NDP and that is by no means a sure thing.Although Layton is no longer with us, his successor Thomas Mulcair has carried the torch effectively and his motley collection of rookie MPs has performed surprisingly well in their initial mandates.Moreover, Mulcair and his party currently stand at the head of the pack in a very close three-way contest leading up to this fall\u2019s election.It is the NDP that stands to lose the most in a revival of the Bloc\u2019s fortunes, Duceppe\u2019s return, however, does spell a surprising, last-minute bit of promise for one prominent political figure \u2014 current Prime Minister Stephen Harper.Now running neck-and-neclc with Mulcair\u2019s NDP and Justin Trudeau\u2019s Liberals, Harper\u2019s one-man show depends heavily on those two parties splitting the opposition vote, allowing him to once again sneak up the middle and turn minority support into a parliamentary majority.In Quebec, where Harper has very little support, the Liberals and the NDP have been hammering it out as the former attempt to regain their position as Quebec\u2019s Natural Federalist Party and the latter hope to hold on to, if not in- RECORD 1195 Galt East, Sherbrooke, Quebec JIG 1Y7 Fax: 819-821-3179 e-mail: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Website: www.sherbrookerecord.com Sharon McCully Publisher .(819)\t569-9511 John Edwards News Editor.(819)\t569-6345 Stephen Blake Corresp.Editor.(819)\t569-6345 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman.(819)\t569-9931 DEPARTMENTS Accounting.(819)\t569-9511 Advertising .(819)\t569-9525 Circulation .(819)\t569-9528 Newsroom .(819)\t569-6345 Knowlton office 5B Victoria Street, Knowlton, Quebec, JOE 1V0 Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax: (450) 243-5155 PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS \t\t\tGST\tPST\tTOTAL Quebec:\t1 YEAR\t135.60\t6.78\t13.53\t$155.91 \t6 MONTHS\t71.19\t3.56\t7.10\t$81.85 \t3 MONTHS\t36.16\t1.81\t3.60\t$41.57 \tON-LINE SUBSCRIPTIONS\t\t\t\t Quebec:\t1 YEAR\t71.50\t3.58\t7.13\t$82.21 \t1 MONTH\t6.49\t0.32\t0.65\t$ 7.46 Rates for out of Quebec and for other services available on re-\t\t\t\t\t quest.The Record is published daily Monday to Friday.Back copies of The Record are available.The Record was founded on February 9,1897, and acquired the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879) in 1905 and the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) in 1908.The Record is published by Alta Newspaper Group Limited Partnership.PM#0040007682 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Record, 1195 Galt East, Sherbrooke, QC JIG 1Y7 Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA ig@w«gSBgiEii^sn SOVO05OTW crease, the stunning gains they made in the last election.The re-emergence of the Bloc as a serious force would further increase party divisions within Quebec and erode the chances of either winning enough seats nationally to challenge Harper\u2019s grip on power.We can expect Mr.Harper to do nothing to hinder such a renaissance.Duceppe has already had an indirect role in boosting Mr.Harper\u2019s fortunes when his presence at the table rendered a proposed coalition to unseat him in 2008 unacceptable to most Canadians.It will be interesting to see what kind of partnership Duceppe the former Maoist will be able to establish with the right-wing reactionary Péladeau, but that kind of inconsistency has never bothered separatists in their single-minded drive towards statehood and it is unlikely to do so now.Quebecers, like most North Americans, show a discouraging tendency to fall into celebrity worship and the combination of the new and exciting with the old and reassuring could quite possibly be irresistible to a population that likes its politics simple and personality-based.Although we might not be privileged enough to witness it, we can be assured that Mr.Harper is doing a little happy dance as his electoral prospects just took a major leap forward.How this will benefit Quebec, let alone Canada, remains to be seen.Picture of the Day THE CANADIAN PRESS/SEAN KILPATRICK Auditor General Michael Ferguson arrives at a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday to discuss the Report on Senators' Expenses.^9999926 The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Page 7 \t\t -L/©C