Canadiens? Non!
Now Kelly McParland develops the theme at the National Post’s “Full Comment”. When will the RoC wake up and smell the poutine?
Sovereignty-Association becomes reality
…That the province has its own culture, customs, institutions and communal ambitions — unique from and oblivious to whatever may be happening in the English provinces – is taken for granted. Crucially, it has also devised a means to provide political separation at the point where the most formal representations of its place in Canada exist, at the federal government in Ottawa.
By adopting the Bloc Quebecois as the party of Quebec, it has achieved representation in national government, without actually participating…Despite evidence the Bloc will never achieve the nirvana of formal independence, it holds two-thirds of the federal seats in the province and appears in no danger of losing that dominance. It gives Quebec sovereignty-association: all the perks of Canada without political obligation.
Quebec seldom makes any pretense of abiding by the same rules as the other provinces…
…The federal Conservatives introduced a much-needed bill to add 30 seats in the Commons to eliminate the chronic under-representation of voters in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, but have quietly sidelined it to avoid angering Quebec. Again, there’s been little outcry…
Quebec has what it wants. It gets to pick and choose where and when it will participate in Canadian matters, while retaining its full formal standing in Parliament. It need not contribute to the difficulties of running all of Canada, but maintains a full complement of MPs charged with protecting its own interests. It has fought enough battles over its privileges that few have the energy or interest to challenge it any more. It gets to run its own provincial affairs without outside interference, but can intervene at will in Canadian issues that attract its interest…
Rather reminds me of Slovenia in mid-80s Yugoslavia. The Slovenes had effectively cut any real attachment to Yugoslavia, above all in their minds. They just did not have the opportunity to make if official at that time. One indicator: They called the Kosovar Albanians working in their republic temporarily (mainly living in dormitories and not allowed to bring their families) “Gastarbeiter“–the German word, untranslated.
I once started a telegram from our embassy in Belgrade to Ottawa: “Slovenia has separated from Yugoslavia. They just haven’t bothered to tell anyone.” My cautious ambassador cut that.
Mark
Ottawa
I read somewhere that the results were from an online poll, which in my opinion would make it pretty-well useless.
The entire idea of Quebecers being dissatisified with Canada became tiresome to english speaking Canadians long ago.
Maybe Quebecers SHOULD vote for the PQ again.
If they have another referendum they will find quite a different atomosphere than in 1995.
A sleazoid, corrupt Chretien will no longer be there to bribe corrupt advertising agencies to promote Canada.
Any advertising that promotes Canada will be countered with a derisive, cynical question “I wonder who got bribed to create THAT advertisement?”. The pro-confederation campaign will be handicapped by the memory of Adscam.
English speaking Canada is fed up. They will no longer be interested in paying for multimillion dollar “We-Love-Quebec” rallies.
Many english speaking Canadians have expressed the desire to assist Quebec’s separatist forces by deliberately choosing actions that will provoke and enflame Quebec anger against English Canada (ie: French letters to soveriegnist newspapers – both mainstream and university; YouTube videos ect.).
This should be interesting.
Too bad Quebec doesn’t have as good an educational system as Slovenia (at least as it used to have). Also I don’t see Slovenia asking for money from other parts of the former Yugoslavia.
For starters, we must kick BQ out of Parliament. A provincial party has no place or business in the House of Commons.
As I say every time quebec raises it’s freeloading head and whimpers about separation . I want a referendum for the ROC(without quebec having a vote) as to . Do we (Canadians) want quebec to remain within confederation. “Sovereignty Association” would not be part of the question. It would be a direct YES (as an equal member) or NO answer.They would leave Canadian passports, currency and all privileges of Canadian citizenship behind and be 100% on their own.
Werner Patels says:
For starters, we must kick BQ out of Parliament. A provincial party has no place or business in the House of Commons.
Agreed. All we need now is for one party to approach the other and agree to bring forward legislation to accomplish this…which can never, ever happen, sadly. If the Conservatives even *whispered* this to a Liberal or NDP MP those MPs would shout it from the rooftops in yet another failed attempt to buy themselves votes in Quebec. They simply care more about their own political fortunes than they do about Canada.
I also like the ROC referendum idea, but again, can’t happen with this bunch in office.
Harper pandered to Quebec with his “nation within a nation” motion. And he plies Quebec with lots of dough looking for votes.
The Conservative government has been a huge disappointment.
I get a kick out of the “soveriegnity association” proponents in Quebec. They seem to believe (with ZERO doubt in their mind) that the twelve other provinces & territories in Canada will snivel and grovel and be slavishly glad for whatever confederation scraps and bones that Quebec in its maganimity decides to throw us.
If Canadians are good little boys and girls Quebec *MIGHT* join us in a joint military agreement (oh lucky us!).
If Canadians are very fortunate the ever so gracious Quebecers *MIGHT* stoop to using our currency. (Ooooohhh goodness! My dreams are coming true!)
Please.
PLEASE! PUH-LEEEEEZE separate! Once you do…..WE! Those nasty brutish, knuckle dragging English speaking Canadians will tell you to jump. And whjen we say “Jump!” You won’t be asking “How high?” You will be asking “May I come down now sir?”.
Please separate! We will have lost nothing except some whining mill stones around our necks.
Quebec tribalism has become so boring and really quite tiresome. Francos will never be satisfied. 100′s of billions of dollars continue to be wasted away imposing Franco tribalism and special Franco status throughout Canada with the imposition of Turdos bilingualism, while Quebec lives in their myopic world of ignorance and historical denial. Partition that former British Crown Colony, turned tribal basket case and perhaps Canada can be saved from the imposed distortions, destruction, and denials of it’s real history and traditions.
It’s really quite amusing that Quebec wants to separate.
They will face the same demographic time bomb that Europe faces now.
They can’t support themselves and the immigrants they import from French speaking countries are increasingly intolerant of pur laine.
Let them go with an ‘I don’t want to have to say I told you so.’
They’ll come back later.
I told you so.
ack says:
Harper pandered to Quebec with his “nation within a nation” motion.
Actually he took the wind right out of the BQ’s sails with that one. It was a brilliant move, really; Duceppe hated it and Ignatieff was jealous of it.
And he plies Quebec with lots of dough looking for votes.
And if he doesn’t, the Liberals and NDP will promise to spend even more.
The Conservative government has been a huge disappointment.
You haven’t seen a real Conservative government yet. Give them a majority and see what they can accomplish…
Would dearly love to call their bluff, but the Opposition parties would have to be onboard. Never happen.
Boy it would save us a lot of money to cut the cord. Never throw good money after bad they say…. They would come crawling back only after fell flat on their asses. Seriously, separatist politicians would end up hanging from lamp posts. If the wrong character got in charge it could end up very badly indeed. Angry Nationalists do not make good neighbors. Its just too risky. Federalism is the only way.
wouldn’t it be great. no more bilingual bs shoved down our throats. the federal budget would be balanced because no more money would be sucked up by quebec. i just can’t see a downside.
a majority would change nothing. harris had a majority in ontario and the government continued to grow. the few cuts he made did not reduce the size or cost of government. conservatives are awol in this country and always have been. i am a conservative and if i had to create policy the screaming from the stuck pigs would deafen you.
I have been outraged by that fact since it first happened. It is an insanity only found in the minds of the putridly politically correct.
Next referendum should include all of Canada. We can help them go their own way and close the door behind them.
The Conservatives already have 57% support in Canada w/o a Quebec.
Canadians have started to appreciate the value of a Harper majority.
It is extremely provocative but I say we will all survive just fine.
It´s time to abolish the $1.99 per vote and the BQ withers into the PQ.
Frickin’ A, man.
The proponents of whatever they want to call it now, be it sov-ass, or distinct stat, are unable to move their argument forward outside the social artiste collective of Montreal for the fact that we are on to the ruse.
They have not and will not bargain in good faith, we just know it now.
It was never about independance ever since the Plains of Abraham, it was about who “butters the bread”. If they really craved independance they would have sided with the 13 colonies during the revolutionary war, but they didn’t even when asked.
So even if a referndum vote went their way they would still drag it out as long as they thought there was a chance to blackmail Ottawa.
Harris increased spending on Health and schools. Finance Minister Paul Martin reduced Health expeses by cutting transfer payments. Yet we hear incessesantly about the evil Harris cuts.
One caveat – they get to leave with only the land they brought into Confederation.
old white guy says:
a majority would change nothing.
Wrong. A majority would change everything, and if you can’t see that then you clearly have no understanding of the difficulty involved in keeping a minority government afloat, either. Anyone who attempts to pass judgment on Stephen Harper for what he has done so far under constant threat of an election while completely ignoring what he could do (and has said as much) with a majority doesn’t understand the first thing about Canadian politics *or* Stephen Harper, sorry…