Appreciate that Rocket, but can't take the credit for it. It is an interesting article though and gave me a better understanding of the political and social situation in Quebec. Cameltrader described the province as an 'economic basket case' in response to an earlier post and I don't believe he's far off the truth. I think QEC seemed like a sure thing to Norwegian investors following the confirmation of it's huge discovery in 2008. As Binnion points out in his latest blog, Norway and Quebec abound in similar resources. Had the gas been discovered over here we'd be selling it to the UK already :-). I have visited Canada on numerous occasions and was also sure that my investment was safe because Canada is part of familiar western society and appears to be politically stable. My visit's were of course to Edmonton, Alberta - I foolishly assumed the rest of the country was of a similar vein...

Binnion also points out that Norway enjoys considerable GDP wealth and again he's right. As if that wasn't enough, we are also fortunate enough to live in one of the most naturally beautiful places on the planet (at least in the summer LOL). And herein lies the most irritating piece of the puzzle. Our Arctic coastline is ecologically fragile, yet we manage to safely extract oil and gas from these reserves. Obviously the work is executed according to stringent rules and regulations, but modern technology has made it possible - IT CAN BE DONE! A century ago Norway and Ireland were ranked as the poorest countries in europe. Today Norway is one of the richest countries on the planet. There are jobs available within the offshore industry and it's onshore supporting industries for an entire generation of new Norwegians. Quebec has the added advantage that it's workers won't have to travel offshore either. Many will be able to do a day's work and be home on the sofa with their families in time for supper. I can't fathom why any province would choose to be on handouts when sitting on such a huge resource. Where's the pride in that? Come on Quebec - open your eyes and see the possibilities nature has afforded you.