Ex-Premier Bernard Landry, who had decided to stay on as a columnist at the Journal de Montréal (and was even going to defend that decision today), has done a 180, deciding to stop his column.

His reason is about as stupid as you can imagine: He objects to the fact that the production of this scab paper is being done out of Toronto. That, it seems, goes against the whole Quebec-can-do-things-on-its-own idea, apparently moreso than the paper being filled with material produced by non-unionized journalists and translated copy from Sun Media … in Toronto.

Methinks he might have been looking for an excuse to weasel his way out of a decision that he has recently realized goes against just about everything the PQ stands for, especially after all the prodding in the media.

He did interviews today anyway, to explain his decision to go back on his decision.

Steve Proulx is running a pool to see who the next columnist to leave will be. I’ll put my non-money on Louise Deschâtelets.

Video

Proving that they have no problem with this whole Internet/video thing, journalists at Rue Frontenac produced their first journalistic video, a profile of boxer Antonin Decarie.

The video is a bit too reliant on still pictures, but it’s a good start. You’ll note the credits at the end: a photographer, a videographer and an editor are three separate people.

Decarie even advertised for Rue Frontenac on his shorts during his fight.

The rest

• Le Devoir delves into the backlash against the FPJQ for its complaint against politicians who refuse to deal with Quebecor scabbers. La Presse’s union has come out in support of the politicians, unsurprisingly. On the paper’s analysis side (via Projet J): Michel David saying everyone has to take a side, while Stéphane Baillargeon looks at salaries, comparing workers to their managers and wondering if one is really worth a thousand of the other.
• Quebecor’s paper in the Saguenay, Le Réveil, might also be facing a lockout. The situation is similar, with the employer demanding concessions from the union so drastic they have no choice but to refuse.
• Canwest’s David Akin looks at recent strikes and lockouts, and posits that they are getting longer. Paradoxically, unions and employers are also more cooperative at the bargaining table.
• The Association des journalistes indépendants du Québec has gotten a lawyer to point out that the contract Quebecor has made people at ICI and TVA Publications sign allows them to reuse their content in the Journal de Montréal, whether the like it or not.
• Nathalie Petrowski looks at Pasadena Now, which outsourced local reporting to India, in light of recent labour issues at the Gazette and Journal.
• Agence France-Presse looks at the name Rue Frontenac itself, inspired by France’s Rue 89.
• Raymond Viger continues his dossier on Rue Frontenac saying he’s saddened that the two sides couldn’t compromise (aren’t we all) and offers a preview of tomorrow’s TLMEP with union boss Raynald Leblanc and unrepentant columnist Richard Martineau.
• An anonymous crazy-leftist person says that the Journal journalists aren’t worthy of left-wing support, because they’re The Man. Which I guess means they support Quebecor? They do specify, though, that they support non-journalist union members who are locked out.
• Speaking of crazy leftists, Amir Khadir wants to meet with Quebecor boss Pierre-Karl Péladeau to talk to him about media convergence. Good luck with that.