Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Thread starter CBC News
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Glad as I am to see the PQ relegated to third place, I can't see that this result is necessarily good news, though it's certainly interesting news and not as bad as it could have been. First time since...what, 1970?...that Quebec politics hasn't been about federalists and separatists trading places every election or two and trotting out the same tired old arguments. But this ADQ bunch... I dunno. Their leader, Mario Dumont, is formerly the president of the Liberal Party's youth wing, and campaigned for the separatist side in the 1995 referendum according to today's Globe&Mail. I have to wonder what his real agenda is. The ADQ seems to have an abrasive nationalism not much different from the PQ position, except they talk about "Quebec autonomy within Canada," whatever that might mean, rather than sovereignty. The vote seems to have split rather sharply along linguistic and class lines, which is definitely not good news. The majority of voters opted for parties that have no real interest in Canada except as a convenient source of cash, and that's not good news either. I've never believed separatism would be good for Quebec, it's already living beyond its means, has some of the highest tax rates in the nation, and without federal transfers I'm convinced its standard of living would sink disastrously. I'd bet heavily, in fact, that within a generation, and probably within a decade, of separation a new political party would arise clamouring for reunification.
But the threat of separatism has certainly been good for it. Again according to this morning's Globe&Mail, 46% of new federal transfers to provinces in last week's federal budget will go to Quebec.
Interesting times we live in.
But the threat of separatism has certainly been good for it. Again according to this morning's Globe&Mail, 46% of new federal transfers to provinces in last week's federal budget will go to Quebec.
Interesting times we live in.
I think you guys are right to question the fact whether this really is such good news for Canada...
As Dexter pointed out, a majority of Quebecers voted either for a seperatist party or for an 'autonomist' party. What that means is that the nationalist vote was split. While seperatism may not be strong, Québecois nationalism is still thriving. The attachement to Canada is one of convenience and not so much one of profound attachement.
The Liberal party, which is the most federalist, has lost a lot of support from the francophone population which was divided between the PQ and the ADQ.
The PQ lost support and it was inevitable. The party is starting to sound old and its rhetoric on sovereignty just isn't moving people anymore. Their promise of delivering a 3rd referendum 'as soon as possible' is a major turn off for both federalists and soft sovereignists. The leader André Boisclair also failed to prove he could be trusted... Let's just say the cocaine saga didn't help him... And he lost credibility when he said a minority PQ could still hold a referendum. He also sounded foolish after saying he could ally with the ADQ to make a 3rd referendum while Dumont had already specifically said not to count on him go back the seperatist path.
The autonomist position of the ADQ is attractive to many Quebecers, because as crazy as it can sound, 'An independant Quebec in a united Canada' is still what most Quebecers want. But the problem is that Dumont (the ADQ leader) is not clear at all on what kind of demands he would push for in Ottawa. Does he want to reopen the constitutional debate? Would he ask for more powers for Quebec? Does the rest of Canada know he proposed that Quebec do its own Constitution even if it is part of Canada?
While I'm not an expert in Canadian history, I feel we are very close to seeing history repeating... In the 80s, the federal Liberals got slammed by the Conservatives which were significantly more open to the idea of decentralizing Canada and giving Quebec the independance it wants... The end result was Charlottetown and the Meech Lake Accord which lead to the near disaster of 1995... Things probably won't unfold the same way this time around but I feel we are close to seeing some predictable patterns repeating... Quebec pushes for more autonomy within Canada, the rest of the country doesn't react very well to the idea, Quebec feels its on its own, the PQ gets strong again and another referendum is held.
As Dexter pointed out, a majority of Quebecers voted either for a seperatist party or for an 'autonomist' party. What that means is that the nationalist vote was split. While seperatism may not be strong, Québecois nationalism is still thriving. The attachement to Canada is one of convenience and not so much one of profound attachement.
The Liberal party, which is the most federalist, has lost a lot of support from the francophone population which was divided between the PQ and the ADQ.
The PQ lost support and it was inevitable. The party is starting to sound old and its rhetoric on sovereignty just isn't moving people anymore. Their promise of delivering a 3rd referendum 'as soon as possible' is a major turn off for both federalists and soft sovereignists. The leader André Boisclair also failed to prove he could be trusted... Let's just say the cocaine saga didn't help him... And he lost credibility when he said a minority PQ could still hold a referendum. He also sounded foolish after saying he could ally with the ADQ to make a 3rd referendum while Dumont had already specifically said not to count on him go back the seperatist path.
The autonomist position of the ADQ is attractive to many Quebecers, because as crazy as it can sound, 'An independant Quebec in a united Canada' is still what most Quebecers want. But the problem is that Dumont (the ADQ leader) is not clear at all on what kind of demands he would push for in Ottawa. Does he want to reopen the constitutional debate? Would he ask for more powers for Quebec? Does the rest of Canada know he proposed that Quebec do its own Constitution even if it is part of Canada?
While I'm not an expert in Canadian history, I feel we are very close to seeing history repeating... In the 80s, the federal Liberals got slammed by the Conservatives which were significantly more open to the idea of decentralizing Canada and giving Quebec the independance it wants... The end result was Charlottetown and the Meech Lake Accord which lead to the near disaster of 1995... Things probably won't unfold the same way this time around but I feel we are close to seeing some predictable patterns repeating... Quebec pushes for more autonomy within Canada, the rest of the country doesn't react very well to the idea, Quebec feels its on its own, the PQ gets strong again and another referendum is held.