Re: How about Sisters?

Victoria Barrett wrote:

> Whoa, he's substantially older than Charmaine then. What is their
> family background? Are they recent immigrants?

He'd be 34 or so by my guess and Charmaine is also in her 30s, no ?
34 or 35 sounds about right for Lyndon as he was still playing for the 
Lynx when they visited Calgary in one recent year - can't remember 
which. He'd be 37 max I'd say.

Don't know how recent they are as immigrants, will look it up if I have 
time.

> (If you recall, a lot of escaped US slaves settled in Canada,
> especially in the Quebec area,

An amazing number settled in Nova Scotia, my home turf. Much moreso than 
Quebec afaik. There was an area of Halifax called Africville, whose 
disappearance has been much lamented recently, and a Jazz pianist from 
Halifax, Joe Sealy, released a CD of that name.
There was also Gibsonville, just down the road from my place, which was 
a largely black village, most people there called Gibson.


> Sure, like the Dionne Quints 

They were actually Franco-ontarien IIRC

and I believe Celine Dion is the youngest
> of 21/22. ;)
>
> (Hey is Quintland still open? *g*)
>
>
> > though currently the birth rate is so low that they are worried about 
>
>
> Traditionally, since before the times of Napoleon, the French have
> incredibly low-birthrates. 1, 2 at most children. It's a big big
> problem. Now the French government are motivating parents by giving
> them amazing childcare grants so we'll see.

Québec has had 5 dollar a day daycare for some time now.  Not sure if 
Charest is going to abolish it, as it has been a very expensive and 
quite controversial (not enough places to take care of demand) programme.

> > being diluted out by "laine impure" and offering big baby incentives.
>
>
> "Impure yarn"?? Weird. :)

Not my words !  The expression was coined by Jacques Parizeau, a former 
Québec premier and leader of the (sovereigntist/nationalist/separatist - 
choose your favourite description depending on political colour) parti 
Québecois.  He literally talked about "Laine pure" (pure wool - i.e. 
descended from long lines of francophone québecois; I am sure he did not 
mean it to come out as racist as it sounded) québecois
in a speech, and of course the expression was pounced on an made 
political capital of.   Mordechai Richler even created a "laine impure" 
literary prize for Québecois of diverse ethnicity as a joke.