The Parti Québécois (PQ), headed for government, is promising another referendum. The gathering storm demands attention.
In the 2018 Quebec provincial election the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) handed the PQ an historic defeat, reducing it to just 10 seats. The decades-long debate over Quebec’s place in Canada was widely assumed to have been settled, at least for this generation. But six years later the PQ is ahead in polls and its charismatic young leader promises to hold a referendum on sovereignty if elected. If an election were held today, the PQ would likely form a majority government.
If the federal parties had any brains, and this applies to all of them, they’d be studying the breakup of the Czech Republic and Slovakia to see how to do this with a minimum of friction, instead of pretending that Quebec separation is the end of the world.
Canada doesn’t belong in the G7 anyway, and besides, don’t we hear that the G20 where it’s at? A Quebecless Canada would still belong to that. And we’d be able to make much firmer assertions about our identity: An English-speaking country that relies on common law and values the individual more than the “collectivity” (we could purge that word from our dialogue!) and values private property and individual freedoms.
The Libranos need Quebec to get elected. Quebec need the Libranos for all the sweet Govt contracts that keep them in power. There is no way either want to rock the boat.
We need to call their bluff, and let then separate, but on our terms. They don’t get Rupert’s Land, or control of the St Lawrence Seaway, they don’t get any military hardware, The cannot use the Cdn dollar, they must accept their share of the debt, all contracts will need to be negotiated, and they must guarantee the rights of the English minority.
If Quebec leaves, the Libranos might have to actually provide good government to get elected.
Go Quebec! Go…..
We keep Rupertsland and the Cree. That was a condition of Quebec joining confederation and the Cree have had their own referendum and they want to stay in Canada.
Quebec’s north should be ceded back to Northwest Territories when they split.
And Alberta needs to follow Quebec’s lead!
Good riddance. You won’t be missed.
And now we know why they are called Neverendums. It is deja vu all over again 🙁
And yet somehow Quebec would still be given handouts from the rest of Canada. What would they charge for a corridor to the East?
No charge as they would not be allowed to control it. Have you ever seen a U S aircraft carrier in the St Lawrence? I have, and just oneof those ships have more firepower than most countries and a hell of a lot more than Canada or Quebec has. You do know what country shares the Seaway don’t you?
Look at the map of Ontario. Now Imagine the #11 extended and stretched right along the old boundary of Quebec and Rupertsland across to New Brunswick at about Baie Comeau. That’s what we do. Quebec says Oui, we keep the Cree. No corridor needed.
To all those keening, Trudeaupian, official bilingualism-fetishizing Canadians attending those mawkish “My Canada Includes Quebec” rallies back in the mid 90s (read: losers) I say this: Quebec needs to stop making ultimatums to the Rest of Canada; the ROC needs to make an ultimatum to Quebec. The province is a spiritually sick socialist society, mired in corruption and crony-corporatism, and in a demographic death spiral with whom the rest of the country would arguably be better off without. Quite simply, the province must be radically re-imagined along more Anglo-Saxon-style, free-market lines or it must leave
Will never happen. Just another idle threat to extort money money & perks from the rest of Canada. The only way we could make this happen is if the rest of Canada has a referendum on seceding from Quebec.
Any thing I can do to speed this along, Quebec, just let me know.
GRM.
“..the rest of Canada has a referendum on seceding from Quebec…”
Now theres a motion I can get behind right alongside Alberta leaving the CON..federation.
Alberta, a Province with massive Nat Gas/Oil etc pays how much in this Equalization BS..?? ~25-30+ billion Annually..?? Much of which goes to a Province too F’ing lazy to drill for its own.?? (which they have).
CANADA is an utter disaster…. not one politician with any REAL cojonnes to make any REAL changes. I include Smith in Alberta.
Exactly.
If Quebec holds a referendum on secession, ROC should be able to hold a referendum at the same time to decide whether to allow the province to remain.
To sweeten the deal they have to take Trudeau back and don’t give him a passport.
“Exactly.
If Quebec holds a referendum on secession, ROC should be able to hold a referendum at the same time to decide whether to allow the province to remain.”
Hell yeah. And they leave Canada with the same territory they entered with.
Tell them no, it is treason and sedition and they will be given justice as prescribed for such crimes. Start by locking them up, the blockheads that is.
To seal the deal they should give the ROC a vote in that referendum.
Exactly!!!
When does English Canada hold their referendum on kicking Quebec out, regardless of the BQ referendum outcome?
BQ: “We want to leave and be independent.”
Canada: “We agree.”
BQ: “Wait what? Don’t you want to negotiate and pay us more money to stay?”
Canada: “Nope. Enjoy your independence from the Canadian taxpayer.”
Can we vote to boot out the GTA first?
+1
Allez! Allez! Allez!
“Where do I donate” indeed! (Other than the amount that is deducted from every single one of my paycheques for those….ahem)
Perhaps the best thing that could ever happen to this useless country is to be rid of those parasites. Maybe Canada could actually get back on track.
I look forward to the Pequistes winning and I will gladly donate to the Go/Allez campaign that, in this day of the interwebs, should pop up in no time flat!
I think the bq should run a candidate in every riding in the country. They’d get my vote.
For about a decade now I’ve been saying I should run as a BQ in BC.
Most people can’t comprehend that I would put my riding first I would just be pushing for Quebec separation as well.
My thought is just having a western province with a Quebec separatist candidate would probably encourage Quebecers to separate.
And just like the teenager who threatens to move into his parent’s basement, leaving the upper bedroom floor for good, there goes the PQ, rushing for the fridge before they leave temporarily forever. And they’re taking Steve Martin’s chair with them.
Canada would be better off without Quebec. Quebec would be considerably poorer without Canada. The unofficial motto of Quebec separatists : Canada, give us more money and more power.
Alberta and Saskatchewan would be better off without Canada. Canada would be considerably poorer without the prairies. The unofficial motto of western prairie separatists : Ottawa, FO and leave us alone you greedy, authoritarian SOBs.
Quebec will never leave. The separation referendums are purely extortion events by drama queens to get more money from the rest of Canada. The prairies just want the rest of Canada to get their tyranical boot off of our necks and let our economy thrive (which makes money for Canada and Quebec).
“Quebec will never leave. The separation referendums are purely extortion events by drama queens to get more money from the rest of Canada. ”
Agreed. It’s all political theater designed to extort still more money and concessions from the rest of Canada. This has been their SOP for decades now, and the ROC are now tired of it. The rise in importance of the western provinces has shifted the balance of power now from what it once was, so bring on your fake ‘referendum’, Quebec.
Although I don’t think Quebec has any intention of leaving, we should try to make it as easy as possible from them to say “yes” in a separation referendum…to call their bluff. Offer no concessions or freebies to stay in Canada but also no special deals if they leave. Personally, I’d offer them money to leave.
It’s a win-win for Canada. If they leave, we win financially and politically. If they stay after the rest of Canada doesn’t try to bribe them then we win because they’ll probably quit trying to blackmail Canada by continually threatening yet another separation referendum.
I think the solution is to give Quebec to the indians and let them slug it out – Canada would be so much better off without the featherheads and pepsis holding all the cards and making all the laws while feckless ‘leaders’ wring their hands and moan –
Hmmmm…user manuals and labels in English only, the stuff dreams are made of.
“Hmmmm…user manuals and labels in English only, the stuff dreams are made of.”
I know, right? Plus government jobs for Anglos. The cost savings of no longer having to provide all government services in French would also be huge.
Anyone who will take a government “job” is a Canadian I could do without.
Where can I vote on this?
This time, let Quebec go, along with their portion of the debt, no currency, and no further equalization payments. They will be screaming to rejoin the rest of us within a very short time as the corporations within the province of Quebec will get no further corporate welfare, and no one in the rest of the world will feel like dealing with either French as an official language, or their inflated opinion of themselves. It will become a basket case and when they ask to return, there will be no special privileges like an official French language.
The rest of Canada has been listening to them whine as long as this country has existed and it needs to stop.
Many moons ago, I considered the PQ treasonous and made sure to vote to keep Quebec in the country.
Older me has learned the error of my ways.
So have I, VOWG. So have I, and I voted “NO” in the last referendum back in ’95.
That’s why I’m out here in the boonies, exiled from my home and my family… TWICE!!!
Still, now that I am out here, I say to my friends and family back home. “GET THE HELL OUT ALREADY!!!”
I just realized something… If Queeebec leaves, does that mean that the turd can no longer sit as PM?
If Quebec manages to support separation, I do hope they completely ignore the Clarity Act which Jean Chretien sought from the Canadian Supreme Court. The courts deserve to be completely ignored when they make law up and leave no recourse but to be ignored. If Quebec wins the referendum, there is no basis for them to have to wait for the entirety of Canada to pass a constitutional amendment in order to “permit” this. Waiting for that constitutional change could take another 100 years! Canada has had glaring problems cast into its constitution from the very founding of the country, with no ability to repair this for +150 years.
They can separate with a successful referendum, and a declaration with recognition from any other state in the world, leave the negotiating table if they wish, and the constitutional mess will belong to the remains of tier 2 Canada to clean up, and perhaps shelve the garbage constitution which was foisted upon us by the #Libranos of Trudeau senior.
The SCOC are not gods who may decide for the entirety of the country, where the future lays.
And the same sought for freedom is for Alberta / Saskatchewan to seize from the day as well. It’s not for the sad sack Atlantic provinces or Manitoba to decide where our future is, it’s not for the Atlantic provinces to decide where Quebec’s future is as well.
I wish the best for Quebec, hopefully they can build a great republic from the ashes of broken Canada.
and we can get on with our lives, separate from the sludge of Canada’s broken federalism.
I think I’m in love!
As for “Rupertsland” and the “Cree lands” … that is for Quebec to decide, not for tier 2 Canada, and in the same rationale for not having Alberta / Saskatchewan look like a map of the Balkans.
It’s a great opportunity to banish the idea of “race based law” (here’s looking at you Kathy Shaidle) in The Indian Act which the federal gov’t foisted upon us 150 years ago, and was copied by South Africa to build their version which they termed Apartheid.
Let it go, free yourself from those divisions based upon race. Become a melting pot where “rights” are for all, and not “women’s rights” “gay rights” “trans rights” “black rights” “native rights” “trans human rights” or whichever the diversity cause of the day becomes in the future.
Rights are for all, or they are for none.
Then negotiate a free trade agreement with Quebec, and Alberta / Saskatchewan.
That’ll be fun…
I was born in Quebec so demand a vote – vive Canada libre!!
After losing the first two referendums, we get another chance