It’s apparently come to the attention of even soi disant federalists in Quebec that the rest of Canada is still taking advantage of Quebec and that concessions will be needed to begin to make amends for all our exploitation of that downtrodden province:
The leader of federalist forces in the Quebec election says Canadians from coast to coast should be prepared to make concessions to the province if there is any hope dealing once and for all with the recurring threats to national unity.
With an ascendant Parti Québécois seeking re-election and speaking bullishly about a new push for independence, angst outside of the province’s borders is noticeably higher in this election than in previous campaigns since the failed 1995 referendum on sovereignty.
The surprise candidacy for the PQ of multi-millionaire media titan Pierre Karl Péladeau, majority shareholder of Quebecor and the Sun newspaper chain, has only ratcheted up that tension, a rare across-the-board endorsement in an open letter signed by leading sovereigntists, including former PQ leaders Jacques Parizeau and Bernard Landry as well as ex-Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe.
[…]
Couillard raised the spectre of a new push for a constitutional amendment that would recognized Quebec as a “distinct” society in Canada. This after two failed attempts at Meech Lake in 1987 and Charlottetown in 1992 and the refusal of former PQ premier René Levesque to sign the repatriated Canadian Constitution in 1982.
The federal government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has refused the idea of re-opening the Constitution to introduce an elected Senate or to set term limits for Senators. The federal Conservative leader has said repeatedly there is no willingness in the country for another heart-wrenching round of talks that, if they fail, could breathe new life into the grievances of those who want an independent Quebec.
Harper contented himself with passing a 2006 motion in the House of Commons that recognized “the Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada,” but it carries no specific obligations or responsibilities of Ottawa and affords no new powers to the province.
Update:
So, the usual debate: federalists who use the threat of separation to rewrite federalism, vs separatists who claim it would *be* federalism.
— Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) March 12, 2014
50 years of this nonsense…
— Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) March 12, 2014
I am waiting for Marois to insist that a sovereign Quebec would keep its seats in the House of Commons.
— Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) March 12, 2014
Is there a better illustration of 2 solitudes than QC Federalists thinking the ROC cares to make any more concessions? Stay, or go. Choose.
— David Mader (@DavidMader) March 12, 2014
@acoyne @DavidMader I went to Montreal for the "please don't go" rally in 1995. I will not be going again.
— Damian Penny (@damianpenny) March 12, 2014
@damianpenny @acoyne @DavidMader I'd show up for a "Go Already" rally.
— Katewerk (@katewerk) March 12, 2014
It is time to revisit the whole issue of equalization. That a province like Quebec takes billions in and can spend it on stupidity is the biggest reason to sh*tcan the whole program. Take what money is saved by not handing it out to the “have not” provinces and pay down the debt some. Just another socialist redistribution scheme.
Comment by Dwayne — March 12, 2014 @ 11:19
Well, now that Ontario is a “have not” province, I doubt the feds can make any kind of meaningful changes to the equalization formula… the Toronto Star would never allow it! Ontario and Quebec between them can stonewall the rest of the country (after all, that reality is what brought the old Reform Party into existence).
Comment by Nicholas — March 12, 2014 @ 11:26
I guess Ms. M’s definition of “negotiation” is one way, n’est ce pas? Oh, wait ….
Comment by Tony — March 12, 2014 @ 13:07