Like It Or Not

"He doesn't fear independence; to the contrary he wants to participate in its achievement. At last, Quebec sovereignty is back at the centre of the debate. It was time. [Good riddance to the PQ's uninspiring talk of "good government" and reluctance to talk of sovereignty during an election campaign].
Former Pequist premier Jacques Parizeau

Photo : Le Devoir / Archives Jacques Nadeau

L'ex-premier ministre du Québec, Jacques Parizeau, est au nombre des signataires de la lettre d'appui à la candidature de Pierre Karl Péladeau

"On the question of Quebec's future, we say to Quebecers we want to resume discussion and dialogue. There will therefore be a white paper on the future of Quebec. We will not push you."
PQ Premier Pauline Marois

YouTube Pauline Marois says 'Non!' to Pierre Karl Péladeau answering a question.

"We'd never be part of Quebec or cede out of Canada because we don't believe we are Canadians to begin with. Our ties are to the land. I would take a wild guess and I'm sure I'd be right my community would absolutely turn down any sovereignty movement by the provincial government."
Grand Chief Michael Delisle, Kahnawake, Quebec

"I would advise our council and community to hold our own vote in order to determine whether we would stay within the borders of Quebec or separate ourselves. With the potential threat of this region's culture and language becoming distinctly French, we must concern ourselves with the reality that there is not even 1% of the Akwesasne population that speaks the French language."
Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Mike Kanentakeron Mitchel

Mohawk protesters reduce Highway 138 to one lane in both directions in Kahnawake south of Montreal. Tyrel Featherstone/Canwest News Service

"Quebec can decide whatever it wants for itself but as far as the land is concerned to us there are clear arguments. Quebec can decide the fate of its people for itself, but they certainly cannot decide our fate as First Nations people."
Assembly of First Nations regional chief for Quebec and Labrador, Ghislain Picard

And then, of course, there is the island of Montreal, Quebec's largest, most populous city. Where allophones and Anglophones make up a significant proportion of the urban population. And they, most certainly, have no wish to separate, along with Quebec, from greater Canada. In the past they have indulged themselves in the prospect of a potential secession; not merely of Quebec from Canada, but Montreal from Quebec, to align itself solidly with Canada.

One can only imagine that Pauline Marois was so carried away with triumphalism in her declaration that media baron Pierre Karl Peladeau has joined the PQ, and has stated right out that his decision was weighted in its favour because of its dedication to separation, that she allowed herself to forget for the nonce that Quebecers do not, in the majority, favour separation. Her plan was to bring it to public discourse once a majority Parti Quebecois government was achieved.

She jumped the gun, permitting Mr. Peladeau's raised fist and his spoken ardent commitment to breaking Quebec away from Canada to dampen the fervour of a good proportion of the electorate in the province to vote for the PQ in the April 7 election. With that purple dinosaur now monopolizing the conversation, the PQ's lead in the polls has slipped somewhat below that of the second-lead- contender Liberals.

Ms. Marois saw the results of separatist discourse in the public arena and sought to expunge the memory of it ever having emerged at this stage, hoping to defray the damage done, but as the wag declares, that genie just refuses to accommodate her by slipping back into its bottle. It enjoys its reputation for social chaos in action as the two irreconcilable camps of thought examine pros and cons; like Ms. Marois, that genie takes huge pleasure being the centre of attention.