This disingenuity extends far beyond unclear referendum questions, though; it permeates every facet of the separatists' actions. The recent flap over the PQ's election platform is a perfect illustration. It avoided the word "referendum" and instead used "public consultation" in a clear attempt to further disguise the PQ's purpose to the unwashed masses. PQ leader André Boisclair has been talking out of both sides of his mouth, using "public consultation" to make the party more palatable to federalists and soft nationalists but telling his hard core sovereigntist supporters that the expression still means "referendum" and the word change doesn't mean anything.
The PQ is not alone in using such sleight of hand. Until the 2006 federal election, the federal Conservatives were in the political wilderness in Quebec, having not won a seat here since the 2000 election. The Bloc saw an opportunity and offered itself as a safe alternative to federalist voters who were unhappy with the Liberals, then turned around and used those soft nationalist votes to advance the cause of an independent Quebec.
This duplicity knows no bounds. Last week, Boisclair slammed Quebec Premier Jean Charest after the latter suggested that should voters elect the PQ and Quebec separate from Canada, Ottawa would quit sending money. What Boisclair called fear-mongering was actually a blunt assessment of the facts. Why should the rest of Canada send Quebec $5-billion in equalisation payments every year if it is no longer a part of our country? While Quebec is an important part of Canada to me and many other Canadians, our sentimental attachment to this province only extends so far.
Thankfully, we may be turning a corner. The PQ is at historic lows in the polls, having fallen dangerously close to third place last week. Meanwhile, the Bloc is being squeezed at by the resurgence of the Tories in rural areas and Quebec City and continued Liberal support in and around Montreal. If the next elections saw a large reduction in their influence, Quebec and Canada would both be better off for it. n
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Jen
posted 3/15/07 @ 12:19 AM EST
This opinion is nothing more than uninformed demagogy. The actual name of the Quebec law that governs referendums is called the "Loi sur les consultations populaires". (Continued…)
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