The Confusion on Quebec
I've been watching the debate and vote on the government's "nation" resolution live on CPAC on my laptop for the last little while. My sister has been overhearing bits of it and at one point we had the following conversation:
Me: The House of Commons is voting on a really imporant resolution soon and I have no idea what's going to happen.
My Sister: What are they voting on?
Me: The resolution is that the house of commons recognise the people of quebec as a nation within a united Canada.
My Sister: Really, they're voting on that? They're voting on whether or not Quebec will seperate?
The reason I mention this is that for the average Canadian, particularly in english Canada, the word "nation" means country. This resolution will take some serious explaining.
I'm still collecting my thoughts on everything but as they coalesce, I'll try to post them.
vive le Canada!
Resolution Passed: 266 - 16
posted by Michael Crook @ 11/27/2006 05:10:00 PM
2 Comments:
I'm terribly happy about how this has all worked out. A Bloc talking point defused. The overwhelming support of all federalist parties defuses anglo paranoia (Nixon to China helping as well).
Now, if in six months this country hasn't fallen to pieces, Andrew "Chicken Little" Coyne can go back to writing sane and boring columns about democratic accountability.
The greatest threat to that particular story is if Gerard Kennedy finds himself on the final ballot at the convention this weekend and is elected leader with no support from Quebec delegates on the strength of his opposition to the "nation" motion.
I've got no short list of questions/objections regarding the Prime Minister's resolution and the manner in which it was passed but I certainly can't easily think of a better way out of the problem for the country and the government.
It begs the question though how much of Harper's advice is coming from the Mulroney's of the world.
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