Dieppe — Today, many New Brunswickers breathed a sigh of relief as the provincial government announced that it no longer intends to host the 2021 Francophonie Games.
While many saw the event as a way to celebrate the diversity of the New Brunswick with the world, others were not so optimistic. They say the games were another “made in New Brunswick” disaster waiting to happen, and everyone will sleep better knowing it’s definitely not going to happen.
“Well first of all, despite the obvious mismanagement around the bid and bungled planning to date, it’s become a lightning rod for every mouth-breathing yokel out there who has an axe to grind about bilingualism,” said organizer Marc Javelot. “It was inevitable that this whole thing was going to self-destruct, especially once it became politicized. Better it happens now than in a year.
“Let’s just admit that we aren’t up to it right now and move on. The populist politicians have stirred up all of this anglo angst that’s not going anywhere good anytime soon.
“I literally cringe every time I think about having to justify celebrating francophone culture to some angry anglo assholes for the next two years,” sighed Javelot. “And, it’s not the like the rest of English New Brunswick is going out of their way to stick up for francophones for some reason.
“Besides, if we can’t even figure out how to budget for it, do you actually think we could have hosted this without it becoming an even bigger embarrassment?” asked Javelot. “There’s no way this wasn’t going to be a shit-show from beginning to end with every decision, event and dollar spent being challenged.
“Just forget it, life it too short,” he said.