Grandiosely Hallucinating

"What we will do in the context of a minority government is protect every shred of sovereignty already in our hands and acquire new ones."  In the pursuit of becoming "A normal country that makes all its laws, decides for itself how to use its taxes and speaks with its own voice in the world."
Pauline Marois, Premier, Province of Quebec

With 54 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly the Parti Quebecois will have to go it alone; its hitherto-unattainable dream of achieving sovereignty not quite within its grasp, elusive as always, but a dream withal.  The flag of the oppressor, Canada, temporarily removed from sight, no doubt gave the sovereigntists a delicious taste of what they hope to become their future.

In the meanwhile, because they have become the government, they have the power to test an already-overtested economy, in the pursuit of fulfilling all manner of election promises.  Taking great delight in reversing the previous Liberal government's attempt to begin to balance its books by imposing a more reasonable tuition fee on the province's university students who would far prefer to pay nothing.

First things first; the Parti Quebecois cabinet in place.  A 35-year-old lawyer, Alexandre Cloutier named Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Sovereintist Governance to whom Madame Marois was pleased to give these instructions, that "remaining a province of Canada constitutes an unacceptable risk for Quebec." 

(While, of course, becoming a separate nation risks losing transfer payments and the wherewithal to pay for all the province's social welfare programs.)

He is therefore tasked to use "all means necessary" to defend Quebec's interest, demanding from Ottawa new powers as befits its exceptionalism. Asymmetrical federalism to start, full separation in the fullness of time, but not too much time; patience wears thin. 

Then on to the seasoned former advisor to earlier PQ premiers, elected for the first time and ready to go as Minister of International Relations and External Trade.  "What I ask you is to open wide the doors of the world on Quebec."  And Jean-Francoise Lisee will doubtless struggle to do just that, to the very best of his considerable abilities in lock-step vision with Madame Marois.

He is double-tasked to pay due attention to Montreal and the anglophone community that resides there in its long-suffering inequity and newly-acquired-once-again, fearful anticipation.  "Make them feel that they represent a treasure for all of us and that they are full members of the Quebec nation", Madme Marois urged her Minister of International Relations and External Trade.

"If there is one field in which all Quebec political parties agree, it is that one" - Madame Marois enjoined former Bloc Quebecois MP Maka Kotto, under instruction as Minister of Culture to make very effort to obtain additional powers and accompanying (of course!) budgets from big, bad, remote and nasty Ottawa.

Finally, rounding up the really important portfolios and sending their holders on to their demanding missions to accomplish what previous, majority Parti Quebecois governments never manged to gain, Ms. Marois assigned Diane De Courcy, as Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communication, the job of proposing a new, more muscular Bill 101.

Obviously anticipating all of this and more, a swift rejoinder emanated from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Quebec lieutenant.  "We have no mandate to dismantle the federation, so we're not going to start improvising on all sorts of fronts", explained Christian Paradis in an oblique acknowledgement that the PQ game plan is to seek confrontation for the purpose of proving to Quebec how implacably disinterested the federal government is in enabling their search for fulfillment.

Not the least little bit taken off stride, Madame Marois - Premier Marois - instructed her new Minister of Democratic Institutions, Bernard Drainville, to proceed with representing Quebec's interests vis-a-vis Ottawa, "propose mechanisms allowing for increased citizen participation", so that a citizen-led initiative for separation can commence apace.

Here.we.go.again.