Many Canadians must remember 2008's infamous coalition crisis, when then-Liberal leader Stephane Dion hatched a plot that he insisted during an election that he wouldn't -- a plot that involved, essentially, a deal with the devil himself.
When Dion concluded a coalition agreement with Jack Layton and the NDP, they included the Bloc Quebecois as a silent partner -- they wouldn't receive any cabinet seats (granting plausible deniability to the affair), but would support the government.
Many supporters of the coalition even insisted that the Boc isn't actually a separatist party.
But BQ leader Gilles Duceppe has been more vocal on the matter of separatism recently, and it should be incredibly difficult to make that argument.
Speaking to a general council meeting over the weekend, Duceppe declared that the Bloc Quebecois is a "resistance movement".
"For now, we're members of a resistance movement," Duceppe announced. "But members of today's resistance movement are tomorrow's victors. Long live a sovereign Quebec!"
Considering how much Canada has given to Quebec -- la belle province has been a net recipient of transfer payments from the other provinces -- one may wonder precisely what it is that Quebec has been "resisting".
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon certainly seems to wonder.
"It happens to be the most ludicrous and ridiculous statement I've heard a sovereigntist make in 20 years," said Cannon. "I would hope he would indeed take the first opportunity to clarify his positions."
In some other recent comments that should make any ethnic minority in Quebec significantly uncomfortable, Duceppe made it fairly clear.
"Canada can continue to impose its multicultural ideology, the old Trudeau ideology, on Quebec," Duceppe recently told the House of Commons. "Canadian federalism has nothing to offer Quebec."
There's been no question that there's a regressive racial ideology underlying the Bloc Quebecois -- Duceppe is merely the most recent to let that cat out of the bag.
Only when the Bloc was providing the Liberal Party with an easy path to party would they dare ignore Duceppe frantically trying to stuff the feline back in again -- and the next time the Bloc may help the Liberals get back to the government, they'll very likely ignore it again.
As for the rest of Canada, the racial radicalism of the Quebec separatist movement can never be ignored again.
Other bloggers writing about this topic:
Luke Savage - "A Possible Turning Point"
Chrystal Ocean - "Dmitri Soudas: Non-Critical Thinker"
I am going back to my prediction the interal polling numbers show considerable weakness for the behaviour of the opposition parties.
ReplyDeleteThe major files did not punish or reward the government to date.
Voters will be asked who do you trust to manage the affairs of the Federal Gov't during these difficult times.
During a campaign each party will attack each other over their idealogy.
The Bloc goal has NEVER changed. The 2008 deal would have effectively given them a veto on all decisions.
We have not had a chance to punish the political parties at the ballot through a six week general election for their behaviour on the Hill.
As a partisan I would have no difficulty in calling for a rout if the storm clouds were real.
The issues from the opposition on the campaign trail will be not be well recieved outside the PPG, Ottawa scrums.
Jan 2, 2010 BlogPost
My Prediction if we go in Spring 2010 LPOC will be reduced to 50-68 seats with 24-25% P.O.P.
I was kinda hoping they would resist future transfer payments, now thats the resistance that the rest of Canada could go for.
ReplyDeleteThat, unfortunately, is simply too much to hope for.
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