Quebec as a Nation
Last week PM Harper said his government would create a motion to recognise Quebec as a nation within a united Canada. This was done after Bloc Quebecois put forward a notion for recognition of Quebec as a nation. Harper said: Our position is clear. Do the Qebecois form a nation within Canada? The answer is yes. Do the Qebecois form an independent nation? he answer is no and will always be no. BQ leader was outraged, saying that he will never accept that Quebec can only be recognized as a nation within Canada.
As the Liberal leadership race continues, it is interesting to see how different candidates have positioned themselves.
Bob Rae: I have no particular problem with the formulation of the words, "Quebec is a nation." Where I part company with some is whether we should be reopening the Constitution at this point in time. I think we all know it's an incredible expenditure of time from the political leadership of the country.
Stephane Dion: We could certianly find a definition of the word 'nation' that respects the reality of Quebec. The error isn't there. The mistake is to make these semantic debates the centrepiece of a national unity strategy.
Michale Ignatieff: Other candidates have said... recognizing Quebec as a nation in the Constitution is too difficult. Yes, it is difficult, but we must do it.
Bill Graham, oppostion leader calls the BQ as dedicated to destroying Canada.
Jack Layton says we must support the concept of Quebec as a nation out of respect, something Quebecers have been lacking for years. He says we should focus on creating a Canada that Quebec would want to remain in.
Do you agree with Graham that the BQ is trying to destroy Canada? Or do you agree with Layton that we must change Canada to make the nation united and inclusive of Quebec? Or do you have any other comments on this ongoing issue. Also, do you think the Liberal candidates are strategizing as they comment on this issue?
Debate: The Motions on the Quebec Nation
CBC article on various politicians' views
As the Liberal leadership race continues, it is interesting to see how different candidates have positioned themselves.
Bob Rae: I have no particular problem with the formulation of the words, "Quebec is a nation." Where I part company with some is whether we should be reopening the Constitution at this point in time. I think we all know it's an incredible expenditure of time from the political leadership of the country.
Stephane Dion: We could certianly find a definition of the word 'nation' that respects the reality of Quebec. The error isn't there. The mistake is to make these semantic debates the centrepiece of a national unity strategy.
Michale Ignatieff: Other candidates have said... recognizing Quebec as a nation in the Constitution is too difficult. Yes, it is difficult, but we must do it.
Bill Graham, oppostion leader calls the BQ as dedicated to destroying Canada.
Jack Layton says we must support the concept of Quebec as a nation out of respect, something Quebecers have been lacking for years. He says we should focus on creating a Canada that Quebec would want to remain in.
Do you agree with Graham that the BQ is trying to destroy Canada? Or do you agree with Layton that we must change Canada to make the nation united and inclusive of Quebec? Or do you have any other comments on this ongoing issue. Also, do you think the Liberal candidates are strategizing as they comment on this issue?
Debate: The Motions on the Quebec Nation
CBC article on various politicians' views
posted by IngeniousGene at 1:33 AM
4 Comments:
I think that stating Quebec is a nation within a united Canada is something that is already known. I feel like Quebec is already a nation within Canada. It can't be denied that it has a different language and a very different culture.
I can see how this could be a step for Quebec who has always had trouble getting their motions passed. However, I think their motion for Quebec to be a completely independent nation is an invalid one. I think instead we should concentrate on actually being a bilingual nation. When I lived in Quebec City this summer I found that this was a concern of many residents. They had to learn English to get by, but most Canadians have no idea how to speak any French. I mean there are different cultures/languages in Switzerland, but all the residents can speak around 3 different languages.
First, on the issue of language, it should be noted that the predominance of English is a challenge on a far more global scale. While certainly within Canada this is a difficulty, the use of English across most of the globe is not necessarily directly related to the relations between Quebec and the ROC.
Having said that, I do think (and wish) that as citizens of Canada, we need to recognize the existence of our many different nations. There is little doubt that Quebec, and French Canada, are the largest of these, and I personally feel we could gain a great deal as a country by turning towards greater collaboration. While many have argued he is merely being opportunistic, I applaud Mr. Harper for following through on this issue, despite contention within the house and his own caucus. It is time for new government, and regardless of many issues thus far in his term (many of which, it might be noted, are due to the challenges of a minority government with the Liberal opposition... but that's another story) I feel that every step in the right direction will get Canada headed in the right direction.
With regard to the position of the Liberal leadership candidates, I think it is safe to say that all politicians use issues of contention to fuel their appearance. Clearly Mr. Harper has made this a leadership race issue, and I look forward to seeing how that pans out.
Another thought related to this.
As most of you will know, my MP Mike Chong resigned from the Cabinet over this issue. He felt he could not vote with the (Conservative) party for the motion on Quebec as a nation. I think it was intersting to see an MP's personal views, though different from my own, conflicting with his position in the PM's cabinet. I also thought it was handled very appropriately. I'm sure there could have been far more issue made over it.
I think that bringing up the whole Quebece as a nation issue was a big mistake on Harper's part. I think that this issue has somewhat settled in the last few years and I think that that is the way it should stay until the Quebecois say otherwise. In my opinion, all this will do is give separatists thte media attention and leverage they need to activity pursue separating from Canada.
I don't know about anyone else, but I have a huge problem with the idea that Quebec might someday not be a part of Canada.
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