Freshly sworn in as Quebec Premier, Pauline Marois expressed her “firm conviction” that Quebec’s future is as a sovereign country. “A normal country that makes all its laws, decides for itself how to use its taxes and speaks with its own voice in the world,” she said Wednesday.
The problem is her Parti Québécois won just 54 of the National Assembly’s 125 seats on Sept. 4, and the opposition parties have no interest in helping her realize her dream. “What we will do in the context of a minority government is protect every shred of sovereignty already in our hands and acquire new ones,” she promised.
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On Wednesday, her determination to assert those shreds of sovereignty descended to the farcical. In an attempt to distance her separatist party from any visible association with the monarchy, cabinet ministers were sworn in by the lieutenant-governor behind closed doors before being introduced at a public ceremony in the Quebec City legislature’s ceremonial chamber.
The Canadian flag that had been on display in that chamber through nine years of Liberal government was placed in storage for the PQ event, as it had been during the swearing-in of the PQ caucus Monday.
Ms. Marois’ joy at becoming Quebec’s first woman premier had to be tempered by the realization that the most meaningful gestures she could summon on the issue dearest to her heart involved swearing oaths in a back room and hiding a flag.
Of course, hobbled as she may be, Ms. Marois was not willing to throw in the towel, and she loaded her cabinet with some heavy tasks.
Alexandre Cloutier, a 35-year-old lawyer, was named Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Sovereigntist Governance. Ms. Marois introduced him by saying that “remaining a province of Canada constitutes an unacceptable risk for Quebec.” She instructed him to use “all means necessary” to defend Quebec’s interests and to demand new powers from Ottawa in fields touching language, culture and the economy.
Jean-François Lisée, an adviser to previous PQ premiers who was elected for the first time on Sept. 4, was named Minister of International Relations and External Trade. “What I ask you is to open wide the doors of the world on Quebec,” she said. Mr. Lisée is also minister responsible for Montreal and Ms. Marois told him to pay particular attention to the anglophone community.
“Make them feel that they represent a treasure for all of us and that they are full members of the Quebec nation,” she said.
Maka Kotto, an actor and former Bloc Québécois MP, will also be under instruction to seek more powers, and accompanying budgets, from Ottawa as Minister of Culture. “If there is one field in which all Quebec political parties agree, it is that one,” Ms. Marois said.
Ms. Marois assigned Ms. De Courcy the job of proposing a new, strengthened Bill 101, but she will hit obstacles when she tries to win opposition support.
Quebec’s demands from Ottawa are not likely to be received any more warmly. On Wednesday, Christian Paradis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Quebec lieutenant, signalled that the federal government is not inclined to transfer additional powers to Quebec. “We have no mandate to dismantle the federation, so we’re not going to start improvising on all sorts of fronts,” he said in Ottawa.
The PQ hoped that by provoking battles with Ottawa, it could fuel dissatisfaction with the federation among Quebecers. But with a minority government, the Marois government will be unable to enact one of the tools it hoped to employ — citizen-initiated referendums. The Liberals and Coalition Avenir Quebec oppose the idea, and Ms. Marois did not even mention the referendums in her speech Wednesday. She simply told the new Minister of Democratic Institutions, Bernard Drainville, to “propose mechanisms allowing for increased citizen participation.”
With its big projects stymied, the PQ has to fall back on petty but ultimately insignificant gestures. The Canadian flag may be stashed, the lieutenant governor may be persona non grata, but this is a “sovereigntist government” in Ms. Marois’ imagination only.
National Post with files from The Canadian Press
• Email: ghamilton@nationalpost.com | Twitter: grayhamilton
Pauline Marois’ swearing-in ceremony becomes a sovereigntist farce | Full Comment | National Post
The problem is her Parti Québécois won just 54 of the National Assembly’s 125 seats on Sept. 4, and the opposition parties have no interest in helping her realize her dream. “What we will do in the context of a minority government is protect every shred of sovereignty already in our hands and acquire new ones,” she promised.
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On Wednesday, her determination to assert those shreds of sovereignty descended to the farcical. In an attempt to distance her separatist party from any visible association with the monarchy, cabinet ministers were sworn in by the lieutenant-governor behind closed doors before being introduced at a public ceremony in the Quebec City legislature’s ceremonial chamber.
The Canadian flag that had been on display in that chamber through nine years of Liberal government was placed in storage for the PQ event, as it had been during the swearing-in of the PQ caucus Monday.
Ms. Marois’ joy at becoming Quebec’s first woman premier had to be tempered by the realization that the most meaningful gestures she could summon on the issue dearest to her heart involved swearing oaths in a back room and hiding a flag.
Of course, hobbled as she may be, Ms. Marois was not willing to throw in the towel, and she loaded her cabinet with some heavy tasks.
Alexandre Cloutier, a 35-year-old lawyer, was named Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Sovereigntist Governance. Ms. Marois introduced him by saying that “remaining a province of Canada constitutes an unacceptable risk for Quebec.” She instructed him to use “all means necessary” to defend Quebec’s interests and to demand new powers from Ottawa in fields touching language, culture and the economy.
Jean-François Lisée, an adviser to previous PQ premiers who was elected for the first time on Sept. 4, was named Minister of International Relations and External Trade. “What I ask you is to open wide the doors of the world on Quebec,” she said. Mr. Lisée is also minister responsible for Montreal and Ms. Marois told him to pay particular attention to the anglophone community.
“Make them feel that they represent a treasure for all of us and that they are full members of the Quebec nation,” she said.
Maka Kotto, an actor and former Bloc Québécois MP, will also be under instruction to seek more powers, and accompanying budgets, from Ottawa as Minister of Culture. “If there is one field in which all Quebec political parties agree, it is that one,” Ms. Marois said.
With its big projects stymied, the PQ has to fall back on petty but ultimately insignificant gestures
Diane De Courcy, former chairwoman of Montreal’s main school board, becomes Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and is also responsible for Quebec’s language law, Bill 101. The PQ had campaigned on a promise to extend Bill 101 to the junior colleges known as CEGEPS, which would prevent francophones and the children of immigrants from attending English-language colleges.
Ms. Marois assigned Ms. De Courcy the job of proposing a new, strengthened Bill 101, but she will hit obstacles when she tries to win opposition support.
Quebec’s demands from Ottawa are not likely to be received any more warmly. On Wednesday, Christian Paradis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Quebec lieutenant, signalled that the federal government is not inclined to transfer additional powers to Quebec. “We have no mandate to dismantle the federation, so we’re not going to start improvising on all sorts of fronts,” he said in Ottawa.
The PQ hoped that by provoking battles with Ottawa, it could fuel dissatisfaction with the federation among Quebecers. But with a minority government, the Marois government will be unable to enact one of the tools it hoped to employ — citizen-initiated referendums. The Liberals and Coalition Avenir Quebec oppose the idea, and Ms. Marois did not even mention the referendums in her speech Wednesday. She simply told the new Minister of Democratic Institutions, Bernard Drainville, to “propose mechanisms allowing for increased citizen participation.”
With its big projects stymied, the PQ has to fall back on petty but ultimately insignificant gestures. The Canadian flag may be stashed, the lieutenant governor may be persona non grata, but this is a “sovereigntist government” in Ms. Marois’ imagination only.
National Post with files from The Canadian Press
• Email: ghamilton@nationalpost.com | Twitter: grayhamilton
Pauline Marois’ swearing-in ceremony becomes a sovereigntist farce | Full Comment | National Post
