Segacs's World I Know

Posts Tagged ‘federalism’

I’m taking these results with a big shakerful of salt: A new CROP poll finds that a majority of Quebecers – 63% – are proud to be Canadian, and that 71% feel the sovereignty debate is a thing of the past:

In another sign that Quebecers are rejecting decades of political debate surrounding the Quebec sovereignty issue, the poll found that respondents were reluctant to identify themselves with traditional ideological brands. Only 19 per cent identified themselves as sovereignists, 20 per cent as federalists, 17 per cent as nationalists and eight per cent as autonomists.

The biggest portion of respondents – 37 per cent – did not identify themselves with any of those categories.

Which raises the question of terminology and phrasing. I’m not convinced that the national identity debate is dead; I think it’s just going through a re-branding. Words like “nationalism” and “sovereignty” are turning off the current generation – in both languages. But the sharp divide still remains, possibly reinforced by the Harper government’s massive lack of popularity here in Quebec.

Another thing going on here might be a sense of security. Quebecers, thanks to two generations of protections, now feel like their identity is less threatened than ever before. At the same time, they’re extending beyond borders. The struggles of today are more global and less local in scope, and the nationalism debate is going to naturally seem outdated to a bilingual francophone from HoMa who is organizing a G8 protest and campaigning for human rights in North Africa.

The point is, I don’t think that Quebecers feel more Canadian than they do in the past. I think they’re just less interested in talking constitutional debate.

Still, this is the first cautionary piece of good news that we’ve seen on the federalist side in ages. I’d like to see some reinforcing polling numbers over time, but it could mean good news in terms of how the next provincial election debate will be shaped. Especially if Francois Legault keeps beating the “beyond sovereignty” drum and forcing the other parties to talk about something else. Like, maybe healthcare, or infrastructure, or the economy, or issues of real concern to Quebecers of all political stripes.

One can hope, anyway.

Oh, this is just brilliant:

A former Harper cabinet minister’s politically radical idea that Quebec be required — by law — to hold an independence referendum every 15 years is being swiftly mocked.

Michael Fortier, the Tories’ one-time public-works minister, argued Thursday that mandatory referendums would actually help Quebec move beyond its eternal unity debates.

Referendums brought Canada to the brink of rupture in 1980 and 1995 but, Fortier says, mandatory plebiscites would at least ensure 14 years of peace between votes.

His idea was emphatically ridiculed by the Prime Minister’s Office and Quebec’s federalist politicians Thursday.

But is it such a dumb idea? Really, what Fortier was calling for was to have designated periods, spaced far apart, for the national unity question to be discussed, and for everyone to shut up about the sovereignty debate the rest of the time.

There’s just one problem with that theory: We don’t need any more referendums in order to shut up about sovereignty. We just need to stop talking about it. Which, need I point out, we pretty much already have been… until Fortier opened his big mouth.

The Quebec nation debate is predictably irking some other nationa – specifically, the First Nations:

Canada’s indigenous peoples are feeling a bit snubbed by Parliament’s decision to recognize Quebecers as a “nation” within a united Canada and not them too.

Native Indian leaders say the vote in the House of Commons, which has helped reignite debate over the role of French-speaking Quebec within largely English-speaking Canada, ignored the peoples who lived in North America before European settlers arrived.

Either Stephen Harper completely didn’t think of this one, or he calculated that there weren’t enough votes among the First Nations communities for it to make a difference. In any case, this is just one more egg contributing to the giant omelette cooking on Harper’s face thanks to this issue that he should’ve refused to touch with a 10-foot pole.

If Saturday evening’s Canada Day festivities at the Old Port are any indication, then federalism in Quebec is in serious trouble.

Sure, it was raining, the Jazz Fest offered better music just a short walk away, and most people in Montreal were busier with moving vans than with parades. But the organizers of the Canada Day festival – excuse me, “Celafête” – have taken such pains in the past few years to erase anything Canada-related from the day, that what is left over is nothing but a hollow shell.

The music was an odd combination of Afro-Caribbean and gospel, the decorations lacked any sort of flags, maple leafs, or – apart from a few generic streamers – even a red and white colour scheme, and the fireworks display was accompanied mainly by Quebecois music. A few people had dressed in maple leafs for the occasion or brought along flags, but they were in the minority; I saw more Italy, France and Portugal flags on Saturday in Montreal than I did Canadian flags. Looking around in the crowd, an outside observer would be hard-pressed to find any clue that there was anything more than a Saturday night concert going on. I almost wish I’d stayed in London, where there was a big party in Trafalgar Square.

I missed the St-Jean Baptiste parties this year, but I’m sure that – as usual – there would have been a sea of blue and white, popular local music, Quebecois customs and celebrations, and a decisive air of Quebec national pride in the air. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, either. But the Canada Day organizers have downplayed the “Canada” in the Canada Day festivities so much, that they have lost the true meaning of the day. It you want to foster Canadian pride here in Quebec, it needs to be done openly, not by being ashamed. Make no mistake about it, there’s a colour war here in Quebec, and right now, the red and white is losing badly.

For those unfamiliar with Quebec politics, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about with those s-words, “sovereigntist” and “separatist”. Or why the use of one or the other can get people all up in arms.

Here’s Pauline’s take on the issue:

Sovereignty, after all, is a noble cause in our age especially in a democratic setting. Who would have the heart to deny a people their sovereignty?

Separation, on the other hand, can be messy.

Just ask any pair of conjoined twins.

So, it’s a case of spin, whitewashing, Disney-ficiation, the end justifies the means, etc. etc. Whatever.

To that I’ll just add that most separatists would prefer that we use neither word; both are in dreaded English.

Let’s see if we can get a Quebec federalism thread going without mentioning Israel, the Palestinians, Zionism, or mideast politics in any way.

“It’s ten years later and still I haven’t a clue” – Collective Soul.

It’s ten years after the last referendum.

The PQ, energized by several years in opposition, is electing new leadership and is gearing up for a post-election victory referendum. We could be less than two years away from the next battle to save Canada.

Where the hell are all the federalists?

The sovereignty movement is ready. Student groups, unions, youth groups, political groups, artists and musicians and businesspeople and rabble-rousers and just about everyone else on the separatist side are organizing. They’re fundraising. They’re unifying. They’re strategizing. They’re recruiting volunteers and getting ready for the fight.

And on the federalist side? Well, we have Michaelle Jean, our new Governer-General, who seems 99% separatist anyway. Besides, nobody cares about her, unless they’re trying to use her to discredit the Canadian government.

The point is, there’s nobody left to fight. There are less Jean Charest fans in Quebec than there are Korn fans in a nursing home. The Federal government is weakened, devoid of any true leadership, and handcuffed thanks to the Sponsorship Scandal.

Grassroots organizations such as Alliance Quebec are so destroyed as to be nonexistent. Only a dozen people showed up to a federalist “rally” downtown last week to commemorate the massive 1995 unity rally that many say saved Canada at the eleventh hour.

I did a Google search looking for websites, citizens’ groups, hell, even a weekly Federalist poker game. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The few links I did find were woefully out of date and mostly defunct. Even the Quebec Liberal Party can’t be bothered to spend two words on federalism on its website (though they were sure to remind us to turn our clocks back this weekend).

And outside of Quebec? The situation is even bleaker. An alarmingly high percentage of Canadians have a “good riddance” sentiment toward Quebec. If they held another unity rally, would anyone come?

It seems incredible to think that only a couple of years ago, we thought Quebec had moved past sovereignty, that it was no longer a “big deal”, and that the threat of another referendum was as laughable as the threat of a hurricane coming to wipe out half of New Orleans. Well, we all know how that turned out.

See, the thing is, I’m not content to sit back and watch my country face the brink of destruction yet again. I value it too much. I happen to think that being Canadian is a pretty wonderful thing… and that keeping this country together is worth fighting for. And if I’m right, there are an awful lot of people out there who feel the same way.

We need initiatives. We need to get organized. We need ideas. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly trust Charest, or whoever his successor will be, to take care of it all for us. I’m thinking it’s time for us ordinary Canadian federalists to get up and do something.

So, at risk of sounding like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off… “Anyone? Anyone?”

If you’re a federalist and you’re proud of it, clap your hands. Better yet, post a comment here if you want to get involved. Post your ideas. And watch this site for news in the coming days.

It’s the SWIK No Campaign, to be launched right here, real soon. Keep it locked to this station.

David Janes agrees with Jay Currie, who thinks Quebec ought to just separate already and get it over with… and he’s wishing us a good riddance:

For a long time I have thought it would be best for Quebec to just go. Have a referendum on a clear question without the feds violating Quebec election laws and, if the soverigntists win (which they almost certainly will), go.[ . . . ]

Indeed, can anyone provide me with a reason why we should not be encouraging Quebec to stand on her own two feet and moving on?

Gee, thanks a lot guys. So nice to know that you’ll be defending us and leading the federalist fight.

But since you asked so nicely, Jay, here are a few reasons why not to encourage Quebec to separate:

• Most Quebecers want to stay in Canada. We voted that way… twice (even despite the rejected ballot scandal). Even 56% of people who say they would vote yes think so too. They aren’t really sovereigntist… they’re just not too bright.
• Sovereignty wouldn’t work. Idealism aside, even most nationalists recognize that a sovereign Quebec would be a practical and economic disaster.
• We’re Canadian, dammit! I’m a fourth-generation Canadian who is not part of the “Quebec nation” by any means, but is certainly part of the Canadian one. You seem awfully callous about the idea of stripping me of my citizenship.
• Come to Montreal or Quebec City or the Laurentians or even the Gaspé once in a while, visit for a bit, and remember that you’d be giving up some of the nicest places in Canada.
• Relinquishing Quebec is just admitting that Canada’s a failure. Next would be the West, and maybe Newfoundland if it ever gets control of its oil revenues. Hey, I know some of you lament Canada’s problems day in, day out… but at heart, you must recognize how great this country is, and realize that it’s worth fighting for.
• You know you don’t really want to give up poutine.

Really, I’m getting quite tired of trying to convince you guys to want us and to defend our right to stay in our own country. A little Canadian solidarity would be nice now and again, you know?

So instead of pushing us out the door, how about helping out and joining the federalist campaign? We’re feeling awfully lonely and unwanted these days, and we could sure use some support here.

So it looks like there’s going to be another referendum in a few years. And with the federalist forces in complete disarray, the result could be disastrous. Even if most Quebeckers don’t really want to separate, they may be persuaded to vote yes if the yes side runs a much better campaign. We all know that there will be no more federal government-funded sponsorship programs. And the provincial Liberals will need someone in opposition better equipped to fight than Jean Charest, that’s for sure.

But mostly, what is sorely lacking is vision. Though the vision of a sovereign Quebec is an unrealistic pipe dream, many Quebecers buy into it because people prefer vision to pessimism. The brightly-coloured posters advertising that a “yes” vote would “make it possible” didn’t really need to get into the details of what exactly would be possible; it was a vision. A sharp contrast to the the “no” campaign in 1995, which was a negative, fear-based campaign focused mainly on dispelling the “yes” campaign’s lies.

In that spirit, here are some things that the federalist side can do to campaign for Canadian unity:

• “Federalists Come Home” campaign

Invite as many former Quebecers who have moved to the Rest of Canada to move back home for the minimum period required in order to be eligible to vote in the next referendum. Open the floodgates and welcome back our expats from Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary just in time to give the federalist side the needed numbers at the polls to deliver a resounding defeat to the sovereignty forces.

• “Birthright Canada” trips

Hey, it’s a big success for Israel. Send groups of Quebec college students on free 10-day trips to some of the most beautiful parts of Canada. Air Canada could provide free flights in exchange for their government subsidies. After 10 days of partying in Whistler or Banff, my bet is most young Quebecers will think twice before giving up being Canadian.

• Colour War

So Gerald Larose wants a colour war? Fine, we’ll give him one. Let’s show our Canadian colours by celebrating the “anniversaries” of all dates relevant to Canada with “pro-Federalism signs on balconies, marches, conferences and cultural events” of our own – but more, bigger, and louder. Canada Day, Flag Day, Law Day, the anniversary of the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey summit… there’s no shortage of opportunities.

• Switch the Question lifeline

“Yes” sounds so much nicer than “No”, doesn’t it? Since the question of the next referendum is sure to be just as confusing as the last one, let’s lobby to get a question written that would make “Yes” a vote for federalism. Not only do we get the nicer, more positive campaign term, but the 40% of Quebecers who don’t have a clue what the vote means might accidentally vote “Yes” thinking it’s a vote for sovereignty. Which would be OK, because most of them want to stay in Canada anyway. So really, we’d be doing them a favour.

• Secret Weapons

How much money do you think it would take to bribe Gilles Duceppe into working as a secret agent for the Federalist side?

Feel free to tack on your own.

There is widespread disgust with the Liberals on the sponsorship scandal. Of course, everyone has their own spin and view on what’s going on, and much of this is influenced by their political outlook and which party they support. But on the whole, it seems that the disgusted people fall into three broad categories:

• People who are disgusted with political corruption in general.
• People who are disgusted by the Liberals’ corruption in this particular case.
• People who are disgusted that the sponsorship program existed in the first place, regardless of the fact that it got corrupted.

I think it’s a critical distinction, because it can have an enormous impact on our country’s future.

The second category of people – of which I am a member – despises the way the sponsorship program turned into a palm-greasing, pocket-lining program for the Liberals and their friends. But they believe that the basic idea of fighting to promote Canada and keep the country together is a good one, and was worthy of government spending.

The last category splits between Quebec separatists who hate the fact that the Federal government is spending money to deny them their independent nation of Quebec, and people in the rest of Canada who are fed up with Quebec’s whining and wish that we’d just separate already so they can get on with their lives.

Why is this important? Because as a federalist Quebecer, I’m – according to the last two referendum results – in the majority. But I often feel like I’m in the minority. With so many people in Quebec pushing to leave, and so many people in the ROC wishing us a good riddance, I sometimes wonder who will be fighting alongside me when the next referendum is inevitably called.

The Charest Liberals are in freefall, the PQ is almost certain to get back into power in a couple of years, and Gilles Duceppe’s Bloc holds a virtual lock on most of Quebec’s seats in Ottawa. All the strongest politicians right now are separatist. And with the fallout from the sponsorship scandal, the Federal government – whoever they are – will think long and hard before spending more money on any kind of sponsorship, scandalous or otherwise.

One of the reasons we won the 1995 referendum with such a razor-thin margin was that, the weekend beforehand, thousands of Canadians poured into Quebec to show their support and solidarity. People suddenly felt wanted. Obviously this had little effect on staunch federalists like myself, but it made some fence-sitters think twice about a yes vote.

But with Quebec thinking this is a Canadian problem, and the ROC thinking this is a Quebec problem, I see the chasm between the Two Solitudes widening again. Only a couple of years ago, sovereignty almost seemed passé. But suddenly, it’s a looming threat again.

We cannot stand for corruption in government. There’s no doubt that the sponsorship program went horribly wrong. But the risk is that the fallout from the scandal will make the Federal government gun-shy about fighting for national unity in the future.

It worries me. A lot.