Conference kaosws::canada

1040.0. "question on separation, from south of the border" by MD::RUZICH (PATHWORKS Client Engineering) Wed Jun 04 1997 15:19

I'm a US citizen, but I've visited Canada a number of times, and I'd like
to understand events in Canada better. I have looked through a few notes, 
but certainly no more than a fraction, so I apologize if I'm asking 
questions which have been answered already.

There has been occasional media coverage of Quebec's potential separation
from Canada. (Despite the fact that the US media, as a reflection of our
society, typically behaves as if the only events of any importance beyond
the national borders involve sports.) 

In particular, I heard a radio report that while the Liberal party won the
recent parliamentary elections, the old national conservative party had
greatly diminished, and regional political parties were gaining strength.
My guess is that a national party would tend to want Quebec as part of the
whole of Canada, and be more likely to accommodate Quebecois complaints.
On the other hand, a regional party from the west of Canada would likely
be unsympathetic. While they might favor a united Canada, they would
oppose any perceived favoritism of Quebec. This would likely move the
country closer to division. So, it looks to me like even if no one in
Quebec changes their thinking, changes in the rest of the dominion may
push Canada into separate countries. 

One note called the idea of a separate nation of Quebec a "disaster". Now,
I understand that there are some very thorny issues, like how to divide 
the national debt, and the future of the eastern provinces after 
separation. And the whole question of who you are as a people is wrenching
and emotionally difficult. But what would be the disaster, on a practical,
day-to-day basis?  Is it economic? Clearly, many companies operate over
national borders (ours, for example.)

thanks, folks.

-Steve

    TO my mind, it isn't "the idea of a separate nation of Quebec" that
    would be a "disaster" (and I think I may be the one who used the word;)
    it's the crisis that would take place for that to happen.  There are
    lots of people in Quebec who don't want a separate nation, over 50% at
    the last referendum, even with the ambiguous question and dishonest
    tactics of the separatists.  There are lots of people across the
    country who are attached to the idea of Canada and respond emotionally
    when it is threatened.  If a separatist government of Quebec manages to
    win a referendum and declares independence unilaterally, as almost
    happened last year, the result won't be the kind of bloodless,
    cleverly managed political coup they imagine.  IT will be a huge,
    unpredictable crisis, with all kinds of emotions and rhetoric flying
    around.  We don't need that kind of crisis in this country; we are a
    prosperous, humane society by almost any standard.  Good will,
    patience, and a willlingness to work together at political solutions
    are all that's needed to solve our problems.  Forcing a crisi in the
    hope that it will make the problems go away is no soltuion.