I live in Ottawa. I used to live in Hull (now part of the merged city of Gatineau). However, I asked my roommate back then, and many others, why they lived in Hull vs. Ottawa. There were two clear answers which I received far more than any other.
One was the late bar hours. Back then the bars in Ontario had a 1pm closing time and it was last call at 3am in Quebec with bars staying open until 4am. (This has since changed now that Ontario has a later last call hour)
The second reason was because taxes (and prices in general) were cheaper.
Today, in the House of Commons, during the Debate on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne, Gatineau MP Richard Nadeau (BLOC) stood up and was two faced to the bone.
In one sentence he said that the Federal Government ignored the Quebec side of the Ottawa river in the last election and he hopes to make them realize that his riding is a Quebec riding and that it should be treated as such. He also made it clear that his aim was to see a separate Quebec nation. He then turned around and said that Gatineau was taken for granted by the Liberals and that Gatineau is treated just like an extension of Ottawa.
Another clear point was that of federal government jobs. He pointed out that over 70% of the jobs were located in Ottawa. While less than 30% were based in Gatineau, and that there was a discrepency of about 5500 jobs.
Then he adds that of the finances for Federal research, over 93% of expenditures go to the Ontario side, and that less than 7% go to Quebec side of the river. He also pointed out that Ontario got the last museum and with the Museum of Science and Technology looking for a new permanent home, it should go to Gatineau. He listed three or four instances where the Federal government treated Gatineau differently from Ottawa and that he was working towards equality.
i.e. he flip flops back and forth. On one hand his riding is a Quebec riding. On the other hand it deserves the benefits of Ottawa.
Ummmm … excusé moi, Monsieur Nadeau, but Queen Victoria named Ottawa the nations Capital. She did not name Ottawa and Gatineau as the capital. You say you want to separate and that your goal is a Quebec nation, yet you want the Canadian people to put national museums and Federal government jobs in your city.
Well you can’t have your tortiere and eat it too Monsieur Nadeau.