From The Traitor's Mouth

The Judas Iscariot of Canadian politics speaks:

The current stagnation is a boon for the Conservative government. They can be content to consider (other matters such as) maritime contracts, the appointment of unilingual anglophones to senior positions, the proliferation of pictures of the Queen, the Royal Navy, etc.

Federal power could well conclude that the constitutional situation has stabilized, seeing as Quebec has been put in his place, not to mention that (Quebec) did it to itself.

Ah, Lucien. How long has it been? First we had Jacques trying to knee cap Pauline Marois, now you've come out of the woodwork. In fairness to M Bouchard he is at least trying to be constructive, pointing out that a 15% threshold for citizen initiated referendums is a recipe for political disaster. All it would take is a few die-hard separatists and we'd have another yet another "national crisis." The difference is that 1980 and 1995 were existential threats, this would be laughed at. It would also do irreparable damage to the separatist cause.

We last heard from the former Premier, and one-time friend of Brian Mulroney, back in 2005 when he and another dozen or so Quebec eminences argued that the province was heading for a fiscal and economic cliff. It's only notable impact seems to have been the creation of yet another left-wing nationalist party called Quebec Solidaire. The Quebecois are different from you and me, when a former "national" hero tells them they're going broke, they set up another political party dedicated to going broke even faster.

Lucien & Co entitled their little manifesto: Pour un Québec lucide. Translated literally it means for a lucid Quebec, something we all hope for, though most English outlets have it as "a clear eyed vision for Quebec." Clarity is a radical concept in our least loyal province. Recall the huffing and puffing when Stephane Dion introduced the Clarity Act. Separatist don't like things spelled out clearly, it would make the irrationality of their political vision too apparent. They escape instead into a hazy sentimentality. 

The price of that sentimentality has been stagnation for Quebec. Economic stagnation, which places Quebec as a mendicant at the national table, and political stagnation as most in the ROC hears the Q-word and the gag-reflex kicks in. This has allowed, as Friend Lucien has pointed out, the Conservative government to take little kicks at the Quebecois nationalists. The most cherished of which is, of course, the restoration of the Royal honour to the navy and air force. It was a symbolic gesture that hopefully signals the end of the ROC's appeasement approach to national unity.

Quebec nationalism, as often argued on this blog, is a suicide pact for the Quebecois. Independence would condemn them to global irrelevance, economic stagnation if not collapse and speed up Quebec's demographic death spiral. All for what? A mad dream fifty years out of date? Aging boomer nostalgia? When the most intelligent advocate for separatism since Lévesque says the game is over, perhaps it would be best to pay attention.

 

 

Comments

[nomdeblog]

“Recall the huffing and puffing when Stephane Dion introduced the Clarity Act. Separatists don't like things spelled out clearly.”

Actually that could be broadened to progressives don’t like things spelled out clearly. For example many of our progressive Premiers fiercely objected to the Conservative government spelling out how Health Care would be funded by the Feds in relation to economic growth. The Premiers would rather obfuscate, much like a referendum question, their accountabilities on Provincial Health. PMSH should have called that clever manoeuver the Health Care Clarity Act.

Therefore I’m not sure I agree with the following statement by Bouchard because Health Clarity did indeed cause federalism to be renewed by virtue of making the Provinces accountable: “The situation is no rosier on the federalist side. If sovereignty is no longer the mobilizing project that it once was, neither is renewed federalism.”

Quebec’s biggest problem is that it is like Muslims in the ME. Quebecois are badly misinformed by the Al Jazeera-like media of Quebec that spews lies about Quebec sending more money to Ottawa than it receives. If the truth on the fiscal status of Quebec were ever exposed (thankfully the Quebec Lucide put its toes in the water) then we might see some needed reform.

McGuinty and our MSM are no less honest than the PQ and Quebec media when it comes to the cost of McGuinty’s irresponsible green energy programs and his doubling of the debt from massive deficits. The Drummond Report spelled that out clearly but it was buried and unfortunately Hudak didn’t run on that content although he seems to be trying now with his Paths to Prosperity launch.

In short, not spelling things out isn’t just a Separatist tactic, it’s a progressive tactic and the whole country suffers from it.