Interesting times we live in. QC separatism is profoundly different than the minority push for separation in AB. First, it is through legitimate democratic channels. Second, but more importantly QC separating would be a MASSIVE gift to the rest of Canada. You could still have a fun visit to Montreal in the summers, and the rest of Canada would be significantly wealthier with far less headache immediately. This time hopefully Carney and the rest of Canada tell QC to shove it if they try and leverage this threat for more. Just imagine, no more pandering, no more colossal gifts of money, no more humoring a national separatist party, no more waste with dual labelling and mandatory bilingualism. This is a good day for Canada. Lets go QC Separatists!!!
I'll just note in passing that the PQ is dreaming in technicolour if they think the US is the friend that will welcome an independent Quebec. I suspect many Quebeckers don't fully appreciate that living in a country that is officially bilingual means they have 35 million friends for that project, even if not whole hearted friends. Better than zero. America is toying with the idea that they should pass a bill making English the official language of the US so as to see off the creeping bilingualism with the Spanish-speaking Latino population. Concessions to a French speaking crew to the north will be infrequent. In effect, any communication with any territory outside Quebec will be in English.
French is the fourth language in this hemisphere - representing a sliver of the overall population. English, Spanish and Portuguese each have speakers in the hundreds of millions vs 7/8 million francophones. Quebec has the best deal that they can ever achieve thanks to the Quebec Act of 1774. A cause, as an aside, for the American revolt as they wished to assimilate Quebec as they did with Louisiana and saw the concessions to the French fact as an 'intolerable act' to go along with all the other evils of King George III.
I am pleased it is a minority government. I sense that will handcuff the PQ government in these febrile times.
I raised the issue in another thread... Quebec and the Atlantic provinces face high risk of default under rising bond yields. This confers considerable advantages to Ottawa in negotiating with potential separatist movements. Of course emotions tend to ignore economics but given Quebec's demographics, I doubt many would take hits to pensions or healthcare in the name of identity.
I love the little pearl at the end about equalization coming up for renewal in a few years. A chance for Alberta to tell the Feds they’re not going to be the patsy any more. Assuming Alberta is still a province.
Right now given the cultural and other differences Alberta’s forced contributions via equalization seem to be more like foreign aid than anything else. But unlike most US (and probably other countries) foreign aid Alberta doesn’t even get the benefit of their foreign aid contributions being offset by purchases in their home province.
Why would say the PQ election result was the "only plausible outcome"?
What inherent tribalist perversity makes validates that statement?
57% of those who voted in this election voted for non-separatist alternatives.
In fact, the PQ got 28% of the popular vote.
The assaults on human rights in Quebec that presumably are part of the Canadian constitution will be extreme under this PQ government.
How does a federal state abide not intervening to ensure that Canadian citizen in Quebec has the right to use English , have thier children be educated in it, and be insulated from the oppressions of those who would deny those basic rights?
We all know why. The craven capitulation of the federal parties , most frequently the Liberal Party.
Not a time for appeasement. But Carney will wallow in it.
The PQ has got a minority government, support for Quebec separatism is feeble, and voters everywhere are still in a dangerously anti-incumbent mood. Plamondon has received a mandate to try to form a government, and as ever, the principle constraining his government on anything is "Do it if you dare."
It's awfully hard to tease out a "mandate" to do specific things from an election campaign where so many policies and promises are tossed around, and voters are casting their votes based on all sorts of inscrutable and sometimes irrational positions. However, one thing's certain: the subsequent election always acts as a performance evaluation and referendum on the incumbent government's performance since the last election. If the answer's negative, you're toast.
I suspect if the PQ tries pushing secessionist/sovereigntist nonsense, they're going to get hammered. Quebecers are frustrated by the lack of progress in dealing with real problems, and the CAQ's ethnopolitics didn't spare them judgement from their failures.
Oh no! Trump will absolutely jump upon this newly discovered fact that Canada is a country that has regional divisions! When will he begin the Quebec takeover?! This week? Next? Or wait till after midterms? How dare those traitorous Quebecers give Trump so much ammunition! How dare Quebecers care about themselves and not the entirety of Canada who they have never cared about before! I will simply be over here clutching my pearls reading all the Canadian media that will be personally attacking Quebecers for being useful idiots...
Interesting times we live in. QC separatism is profoundly different than the minority push for separation in AB. First, it is through legitimate democratic channels. Second, but more importantly QC separating would be a MASSIVE gift to the rest of Canada. You could still have a fun visit to Montreal in the summers, and the rest of Canada would be significantly wealthier with far less headache immediately. This time hopefully Carney and the rest of Canada tell QC to shove it if they try and leverage this threat for more. Just imagine, no more pandering, no more colossal gifts of money, no more humoring a national separatist party, no more waste with dual labelling and mandatory bilingualism. This is a good day for Canada. Lets go QC Separatists!!!
I'll just note in passing that the PQ is dreaming in technicolour if they think the US is the friend that will welcome an independent Quebec. I suspect many Quebeckers don't fully appreciate that living in a country that is officially bilingual means they have 35 million friends for that project, even if not whole hearted friends. Better than zero. America is toying with the idea that they should pass a bill making English the official language of the US so as to see off the creeping bilingualism with the Spanish-speaking Latino population. Concessions to a French speaking crew to the north will be infrequent. In effect, any communication with any territory outside Quebec will be in English.
French is the fourth language in this hemisphere - representing a sliver of the overall population. English, Spanish and Portuguese each have speakers in the hundreds of millions vs 7/8 million francophones. Quebec has the best deal that they can ever achieve thanks to the Quebec Act of 1774. A cause, as an aside, for the American revolt as they wished to assimilate Quebec as they did with Louisiana and saw the concessions to the French fact as an 'intolerable act' to go along with all the other evils of King George III.
I am pleased it is a minority government. I sense that will handcuff the PQ government in these febrile times.
I raised the issue in another thread... Quebec and the Atlantic provinces face high risk of default under rising bond yields. This confers considerable advantages to Ottawa in negotiating with potential separatist movements. Of course emotions tend to ignore economics but given Quebec's demographics, I doubt many would take hits to pensions or healthcare in the name of identity.
Excellent summary! Thank you.
I love the little pearl at the end about equalization coming up for renewal in a few years. A chance for Alberta to tell the Feds they’re not going to be the patsy any more. Assuming Alberta is still a province.
Right now given the cultural and other differences Alberta’s forced contributions via equalization seem to be more like foreign aid than anything else. But unlike most US (and probably other countries) foreign aid Alberta doesn’t even get the benefit of their foreign aid contributions being offset by purchases in their home province.
https://maxpolicy.substack.com/p/le-paradoxe-souverainiste-du-5-octobre?r=iqs6j&utm_medium=ios
Why would say the PQ election result was the "only plausible outcome"?
What inherent tribalist perversity makes validates that statement?
57% of those who voted in this election voted for non-separatist alternatives.
In fact, the PQ got 28% of the popular vote.
The assaults on human rights in Quebec that presumably are part of the Canadian constitution will be extreme under this PQ government.
How does a federal state abide not intervening to ensure that Canadian citizen in Quebec has the right to use English , have thier children be educated in it, and be insulated from the oppressions of those who would deny those basic rights?
We all know why. The craven capitulation of the federal parties , most frequently the Liberal Party.
Not a time for appeasement. But Carney will wallow in it.
The PQ has got a minority government, support for Quebec separatism is feeble, and voters everywhere are still in a dangerously anti-incumbent mood. Plamondon has received a mandate to try to form a government, and as ever, the principle constraining his government on anything is "Do it if you dare."
It's awfully hard to tease out a "mandate" to do specific things from an election campaign where so many policies and promises are tossed around, and voters are casting their votes based on all sorts of inscrutable and sometimes irrational positions. However, one thing's certain: the subsequent election always acts as a performance evaluation and referendum on the incumbent government's performance since the last election. If the answer's negative, you're toast.
I suspect if the PQ tries pushing secessionist/sovereigntist nonsense, they're going to get hammered. Quebecers are frustrated by the lack of progress in dealing with real problems, and the CAQ's ethnopolitics didn't spare them judgement from their failures.
Oh no! Trump will absolutely jump upon this newly discovered fact that Canada is a country that has regional divisions! When will he begin the Quebec takeover?! This week? Next? Or wait till after midterms? How dare those traitorous Quebecers give Trump so much ammunition! How dare Quebecers care about themselves and not the entirety of Canada who they have never cared about before! I will simply be over here clutching my pearls reading all the Canadian media that will be personally attacking Quebecers for being useful idiots...
Oh wait.