Registered: Sep 2006
Location: St Maries, ID
Posts: 6674

Pandering to the Quebecois again. Not a good idea.

quote:

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Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Parliament he would recognize the country's francophone Quebec province as a "nation" within Canada.

In an unprecedented move to woo Quebec separatists, he said he would present a motion later in the day asking the House of Commons to "recognize that Quebecers constitute a nation within a united Canada."

Quebec has held and lost two referendums on separation from the rest of Canada, in 1980 and 1995. Federalists won the second vote by a narrow margin.

Harper's surprise move, he said, was aimed at blocking "an unusual request" by the separatist Bloc Quebecois to define Quebecois as a nation.

Quebecers typically understand the term to mean "a people," while Anglophone Canadians consider it akin to nationhood, with all the international responsibilities and benefits that come with it.

Politicians have tried to avoid debating this sensitive issue over the past decade, fearing it would lead to a constitutional crisis, or a loss of support in the next election in Quebec province, which holds 25 percent of parliamentary seats.

"For (the Bloc), 'nation' means separation," Harper said.

"Quebecers have always played a historic role in advancing Canada with solidarity, courage, and vision, and to build a confident Quebec, an independent Quebec that's proud and has solidarity within a strong and united Canada, an independent and free Canada," he said.

"Do Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes. Do Quebecers form an independent nation from Canada? The answer is no, and it will always be no."

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 25592

So in Canada they want all the French Canadians to form their own posse?
That's like all these goddamm Mexicans here,but they're Canadians and damm that would suck balls.

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location:
Posts: 431

No, we won't be punting it (dammit) but maybe (just maybe) Office québécois de la langue française (OLF) (Language Police) will be punted...nah, doubt it.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 4678

Read up on the history of Quebec sometime. It was a French Colonial expansion until the British kicked their asses. They never assimilated and never wanted to--they are French (although a Parisian would sneer at their pronunciation of the language).

What's interesting here is that this move basically mirrors what the British did back in the 18th century: first they stomped the shit out of the French, but when they were afraid the French would join the Colonies in rebellion they offered them some kind of half-assed "assimilation" deal. So now again we have this half-assed "They're their own nation IN Canada, but not FROM Canada." Ok.

For my part, some of the coolest people (and some of the most beautiful women) I have met have been from Montreal and Trois-Rivières. If they want to have their own country, let 'em.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 25592

They just don't want to be called French Canadian no more. That's like two strikes against them already.

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