Anne McIlroy (Guardian Utd/ July 11): The state of Quebecois independence

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Monday July 11

The state of independence
The sticky question of Quebec sovereignty means few are contesting the leadership of the separatist Parti Québécois
By Anne McIlroy

Quebec separatists are looking for a new leader, someone who will be able to build on the growing support for independence in the predominantly French-speaking province.

Recent polls show that support for sovereignty is higher than it has been in a decade, with 55 percent in favour. The surge appears to be driven by dislike for Liberal premier and strong federalist, Jean Charest, and by a scandal over federal government attempts to win the affection of voters in the province after they narrowly voted against secession in the 1995 referendum.

So it came as a shock last month when Bernard Landry, leader of the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), resigned after getting only 76.2% support in a leadership review. His decision to quit is a sign of how difficult it is to govern a political party in which hardliners on independence battle with pragmatists who favour offering voters a new partnership with Canada, short of full independence.

It has never been clear what exactly this new partnership would entail, or how or even if it would be achieved. But the idea, however vague, is more palatable to voters in Quebec than outright independence. To many people in English-speaking Canada, the whole idea seems outrageous. If Quebecers vote to break up the country, the rest of Canada may not be amenable to a new arrangement that involves a shared military or monetary policy for example. On the other hand, some sort of deal would eventually have to be struck on the federal government's assets in Quebec.

Read more.

[yvr girl]

1. I guess they'll keep voting until they get the 'right' answer

I am so sick of this issue.

[Bassic]

3. They probably won't ask again until they're damn sure of winning.

You know, 3 strikes and your out and that sort of thing.

[iverglas]

2. Anne McIlroy

I was going to say it was a fairly good factual effort for the foreign press, which tends far more often to bugger up any time it talks about Quebec. But McIlroy, who writes from Canada, is presumably Canadian. (At least, that's what Focus on the Family says ;) -- http://www.fotf.ca/familyfacts/tfn/2005/030905.html
-- and I haven't got the time to poke around any farther.)

She did get one thing not quite right:

The third vote, if it is held, promises to be different. The federal government has passed the Clarity Act, which stipulates that the question put to Quebecers must be clear.

-- what she omitted: "must be clear if the federal government is to recognize and abide by the outcome". The federal government has no control over what the govt of Quebec actually asks its electorate, of course.

And ... why those links to the Liberal and Conservative Parties on the Guardian page, in addition to the link to the PQ, and none to the NDP - or, of course, the BQ?

Anybody who wants to talk seriously about the whooooole thing will be needing to read the Sup Ct decision:
http://www.canlii.org/ca/cas/scc/1998/1998scc63.html

Never have read the whole damned thing myself, although I did read a bunch of the research papers done for it back in the day.