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Canadian lawmakers vote bombshell Quebec motion
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, after a surprise announcement last week, presented the motion asking that lawmakers recognize that Quebecers constitute a nation within a united Canada. The move was seen both as a symbolic benchmark and a political ploy by the conservative government, but branded by newspapers as a political bombshell that could encourage Quebecs separatist movement. It is the first time a prime minister has recognized the concept of nation for the province, even if only as a symbolic gesture, said Antonia Maioni, who heads Canadian studies at Quebecs McGill University.
Harpers popularity in the mainly French-speaking province has dipped dramatically lately due to his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol to fight global warming and a foreign policy deemed too friendly to the United States. But Michael Ignatieff, a prominent member of the opposition Liberals, also jumped on the issue of a resolution for Quebec, earning the ire of some his own party members. The issue has split Liberals, who are to vote in the coming week on a new leader, with Ignatieff one of the leading candidates for the post, which could put him in a position to challenge Harper for the prime ministers post next year. But some of Ignatieffs rivals are accusing him of opening a constitutional Pandoras Box over Quebecs status. In a move meant to embarrass the countrys federalists, the separatist Bloc Quebecois were about to present their own motion on Quebecs nation status that did not mention Canada, before Harper pulled the rug from under them with his proposal which mentions Quebec as belonging to a united Canada. Although they objected to that phrase, the Bloc on Friday announced they would support Harpers motion. Our motion will be defeated. But what is important is that the Quebec be recognized as a nation, said Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe on explaining his about-face. The prime ministers motion is expected to sail through the Chamber of Deputies since all political parties have expressed their support. We are delighted that this week Canada will become the first country to officially recognize the Quebec nation, Duceppe said, adding that the acknowledgment would become yetanother weapon in the regional groups arsenal aiming for Quebecs independence. Quebecers will eventually decide their own fate, not Ottawa, he added. Quebec separatists, now in opposition in the province, have promised to hold another referendum if they return to power in the next provincial election, expected in 2007. On his part, Harper on Friday tried to reassure English-speaking Canadians who accuse him of putting the countrys unity at risk that his motion is neither a constitutional amendment nor bill of law, but merely a statement of recognition and a gesture of reconciliation. Recognizing that the concept of Quebec as a nation was difficult for many Canadians to swallow, Harper suggested a sociological definition for the term nation: a people sharing the same language, history and culture. Canadians often forget that French-speakers founded their country, he said.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-11-27 |
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