Monday, April 16, 2007

Dion prefers the status quo

It's always bothered me that Quebec didn't ratify the Constitution. It feels like the whole family is gathering for a special dinner, and one member had a major issue about what was being served and his place at the table. Instead of putting off the dinner and working out the details to suit everyone -- it was prepared and served -- rushed into, despite that person's refusal to attend.

In a family, it might be necessary to proceed without all parties, time and outside obligations playing a part -- but in a nation, regardless of how rigid a demand or how unyielding the response, the dinner shouldn't have proceeded without all parties present. What was the rush to get the constitution through right then? It was a time of social and political upheaval in Quebec, and yet those at the helm were so impatient, that they adopted a nationally defining document that left out one of the elders of Confederation.

Maybe the framers relied on the idea that the ROC would see Quebec as a whiner and dissenter. They could actually grant Quebec special status within Canada, by adopting a constitution that Quebec wouldn't endorse. Those representing Quebec must have realized that so long as they remained outside the constitution, they would always have the 'distinct' status they sought, but without the constraints of working within the same boundaries that applied to the other provinces. Whatever, but the fallout from those decisions have carried through and will continue to haunt this country until something is done to heal this festering sore.

Stéphane Dion said Sunday that the Constitution should not be re-opened because:
“My view is that we have terrible challenges in Canada regarding competitiveness. The world is tough. If we want to keep our standard of living and pass on to our children a better quality of life, we need to tackle this issue. Climate change and the environment is [also] a huge issue and none of these issues that are facing us, including social justice ... request a constitutional change to deal with.”
There are plenty of things to think about besides some stupid piece of paper that we really didn't need in the first place, but were I a politician, I would think that having all of the provinces under the constitutional umbrella would be at least as important as climate change -- given that climate change is or isn't going to happen, regardless of Kyoto and carbon credits. Shouldn't we do as St. Francis prayed -- change the things we can rather than fixating on what we can't?

The constitution is an abstract to most of us. It doesn't really come into our every day lives, but doesn't it stand to reason that if our provinces were expending less energy competing with each other for federal attention, the might actually be more competitive globally?

The national unity issue comes and goes from our minds, but it is always there, simmering. It bubbles just under the surface and it affects everything the federal government does from transfer payments to awarding contracts. It causes suspicion and jealousy amongst the provinces and throughout the populace. Who amongst us hasn't felt at some point that Ottawa was pandering to Quebec or ignoring one or more of the 'lesser' provinces?

So long as Quebec remains outside the Constitution, a separate and disctinct entity within the nation, the need for Ottawa to take a special interest will remain. Dumont has opened up the possibility of Quebec ratifying the constitution. Given that under the Liberals we acknowledged Quebec's 'distinct' status, and now under the Conservatives, we have acknowledged their 'nationhood' -- why would Dion object to putting Quebec on the same footing as the rest of Canada constitutionally?

Maybe Dion likes the idea of a Quebec that stays outside the fray, a Quebec Ottawa will have to buy, a Quebec that is slightly more important than say, Alberta or Newfoundland because of it's perpetual promise to jump ship. Maybe Dion recognizes that without the Quebec card to play somewhere down the line, the Liberal hand is a loser.

8 comments:

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Excellent post. Very well thought out. I like your family dinner analogy as well.

I wasn't sure what to think about all this, but your analysis makes a lot of sense.

Sue said...

Great post! Hope you're well!

The Angry Reporter/Reporter en Colère said...

I'm no fan of Dion. I supported him at first, but I can't believe he's actually considering giving a riding to former Bloc Pot leader Marc Boris Saint-Maurice over a Canadian hero like Marc Garneau.

I don't mind debating with you Anna. It's just that NeoCon completely distorted my words to fit his agenda, laughed-off the results, then started numerous new threads with it.

He may have the right to disagree with me. But what he did was downright unethical.

Canadianna said...

Thanks Sue, I've been good.

the angry reporter -- Ethics really don't come into play much in blogging, but I don't think NeoCon's post was really 'unethical'. He reacted, and while I understand the intent of your question, you must also understand the perception it casts.

As for Dion's picks for certain ridings -- I hate that he would feel it his place to choose. Installing candidates rubs me the wrong way. I have defended the action in certain isolated circumstance -- and not really because I agreed, but simply because I understood the motivation.
I think Garneau kind of made a mess of things in the last election, but I really feel that's the riding association's decision to make.

The Angry Reporter/Reporter en Colère said...

Garneau is a rare breed of French-Canadian. He's not afraid to express his love of Canada. And these guys are RARE over here. You had to watch everyone, separatists included, being in total awe in his presence while he campained. Westmounters would have embraced him I'm sure.

On the other hand, safe Liberal ridings in Quebec are becoming very rare, and constituents are getting tired of being taken for granted with parachuted candidates. It will hurt Dion, who's moonlight is already over in this province.

Harper scored major points here during the recent provincial election, and he's likely to wipe off the Bloc Quebecois if he's savy enough. Something Dion can't seem to do, even if he's "one of us."

Mario Dumont worships Harper, and all he has to do is tell his supporters to follow him, and Harper has his majority.

It doesn't mean they're crazy about Harper. Quebecers are a lot more conservative than people think, but it's more a Libertarian-style conservatism.

Issues like the gun registry, the environment and his tendency to see liberal conspiracies everywhere will cause him more harm than good in this province. If that happens, the Bloc may buy themselves another mandate.

The Angry Reporter/Reporter en Colère said...

I should have commented on the bulk of the subject.

I do agree with your general idea BUT...Dion may be on something about his refusal to reopen the constitution.

It's the kind of bait the nationalists are waiting for. Sovereinists are great at "creating" a crisis. Then use it to justify a referendum and separation.

I remember in 1988 when Meech was cruising toward general acceptance save for New Brunswick. Back then, the PQ was so weak, we wondered if it would survive another election. But then, Meech controversy exploded, the deal was defeated and the PQ's popularity exploded. It was further strenghtened after Charlottetown.

Jean Charest isn't talking constitution because he knows it feeds right into the PQ's game.

Dion seems to be of a similar opinion. And I'd bet Harper feels the same.

G'night...

Canadianna said...

Where Dion goes wrong is that he dismisses the idea of even talking about it. And then he has the nerve to claim that other things are more important.

I agree it's a can of worms, but I also think that other provinces are slowly tiring of the whole Quebec separation thing. Even if Quebeckers have gone soft on the issue, there are a lot of Canadians who would just say 'go already!'

Whether or not it actually happens, I think Dumont has opened the door to discussion. Dion slammed it in his face. Even if Harper or whoever comes next never takes action, it isn't fair to shoot down the idea so thoughtlessly.

Glad you dropped by again.

Ryan R said...

Angry Reporter - In fairness to you, I think that you were the recipient of a, well, knee-jerk reaction against mainstream media people by some of us on the right.

It was the wrong thing to do, but given how sickened many of us where by the incredibly pro-Liberal media coverage through out the mid 90s until the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives merged, I can understand it. When people saw you, they thought of CBC's Liberal bias, and little else.

I would encourage all Conservatives to simply read your blog, and that alone proves you're not a Liberal shill (far from it, in fact).

As for the main issue on this blog thread, I would like to see the Constitution re-opened at a later date in order to fix the problems, and heal the wounds, brought about by the Trudeau/Levesque feud.

However, better to hope Dumont takes the Premiership after the next Quebec provinicial election, and that Harper gets a majority government (preferably with a big kudos to Dumont helping him in Quebec), before really moving on this.

If I was Stephen Harper, I'd make a discreet phone call to Dumont to tell him that I'm interested in moving forward on this... but only when/if both of us are on better footing than we are now.