Quebec separatism isn’t dead

KAMOURASKA, QUE.—My neighbour here flies his Quebec fleur-de-lis flag proudly. There is a fresh blue flag on his immaculate, six-metre flag post every summer. Down the road at the Kamouraska cemetery, the member of the legislature from 1936 to 1952, René Chaloult is buried. There is a monument in front of the church praising his accomplishment as the father of the Quebec flag. When I was a child I would walk past Chaloult’s house daily. On Dominion Day in 1960 I noticed he was flying the Quebec flag at half-mast. When I asked my mother if someone had died at the Chaloult house, she explained “No, it is a form of protest: Mr. Chaloult believes Quebec should be its own country.” I was in shock: my eight-year-old brain had trouble processing the concept. Over time, and experience as a reporter in Montreal and the Quebec National Assembly in the late ‘70s, I got to know the issue and the leaders of the Parti Québécois. Despite having deep roots in Quebec, I did not agree with their objective, but I understood their visceral attachment to Quebec. All Quebecers, myself included, feel that pull, which often manifests itself as nationalism. There is an accepted wisdom in Ottawa that separatism is dead, and that the great national debates will never again threaten the country. In 1976, the same idea was suggested by then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau. That year the PQ came to power, riding a wave of anti-Bourassa sentiment, an airline pilots’ strike over the use of French in air traffic control, and the failure of federal agriculture policy in rural ridings like Kamouraska. Almost two decades later, I was driving to Parliament Hill with my then-minister, discussing federal initiatives to promote Quebec’s role in Canada in advance of the 1995 referendum, as had been done prior to the 1980 vote. I was told there was no need for such a strategy, as the “No” side had the referendum “in the bag” and the only question was how wide the margin of victory was going to be. I offered a word of caution: Quebecers have a strong streak of nationalism that can rear its head at any time. After that referendum, the same government began a “Pro-Canada” campaign that ended with the sponsorship scandal. Fast forward to today: a Quebecer is prime minister, and the government caucus has 40 seats in the province. Polls show support for independence at an all-time low. However, there are potential clouds on the horizon, including the prime minister’s speedy rejection of the Couillard government’s proposal to reopen talks on Quebec signing the 1982 Constitution; the influx of immigrants into Quebec from the U.S.; and the online hostility expressed towards the province whenever it is in the news. PQ kite-flying, federal-provincial friction, declarations of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, and a few internet crazies should not turn Quebecers against their interests in seeing a united Canada succeed. And many are proud a “Québécois de souche” is PM and attracting plaudits around the world. But francophone Quebec is a big family, with four million people who do not speak English, and public opinion can turn on a dime. The emergence of a charismatic leader like Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, an immigration crisis, or a series of slights against Quebec from other provinces could trigger a resurgence of nationalist sentiment that could elect a PQ-Québec Solidaire coalition after the next vote in 2018. PQ leader Jean-François Lisée’s promise of no referendum until 2022 could only mean four years of haranguing. So, for those who think “separatism is dead,” think again. Far too many “experts” have made that assumption in the past, and voters like my neighbour have proved them wrong time and again. Andrew Caddell retired July 11 from Global Affairs Canada, where he was a senior policy adviser. He previously worked as a broadcast reporter in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, and St. John’s and as an adviser to Liberal governments in Ottawa, St. John’s, and elsewhere. The Hill Times

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Quebec separatism isn’t dead

Public opinion in La Belle Province can turn on a dime.

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