The United Nations of Canada?

Monday, 04 December 2006 19:00 GFP Columnist - Trevor Hill
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Is this next? Of course, even if this were to ever take place, Quebec would probably not sign up.

I can’t be only one (besides a handful of Liberals) who doesn’t think the “Nation” label is a good thing!?! There have to be Conservatives, NDP'ers, members of the Green Party (you’ll notice I’m not mentioning the Bloc) and others who have a problem with this. The Problem? Just how crazy would the Bloc or the PQ go with this most excellent Title. Has anyone seen any country wide public polls on this? I haven’t so far.


Is this their ticket straight to separation? If the government has recognized Quebec as a “Nation”, which Canada is supposed to be itself; and when you look at what we (Canada) have because we’re called a “Nation” ??? …. sooo… thus won’t Quebec be able to have what we (Canada) have because it’s now a “Nation” too?

Oh, le crap.

And just for the record, I’m a Montrealer. Born and raised (for many memorable years) and I never forgot where I came from. Been a Canadiens fan since I knew what hockey was. Traveled the world at Expo ‘67; and saw the tanks and army personnel run around near the airport (back then it was the Dorval International Airport - now it’s the Pierre Trudeau Airport) during the FLQ crisis. It was “La Belle Province”! Now we’re supposed to ‘remember’ something (Je me souviens).

 

Yes, I saw the discrimination against the French, I watched the battles between the French Catholic kids and the English public school and I heard the English cursing to the “French frogs” and the French cursing the “English muffins”. But haven’t things changed in that province? Or am I not reading the signs right?

I’ll ask the questions then - Don’t the people of Quebec have what they want? Aren’t their language issues solved? Haven’t you gone out of your way to be the “distinct society” that you want to be? Just what is it you want anyway? Independence? Sure. Why not?

Then every other province can go ahead and do it’s own thing..maybe eh?

How about this? Why don’t you (Quebec) separate. How would you do it? What about your currency? What about an Armed Force? What about world trade and economic issues? What about this rest of the world, how many of them will be willing to recognize you as a “Nation”? Oh what the hell - go for it!! Sounds like a piece of cake to me.

And so Quebec and the Québecois are a “Nation”. Fine. Not much we can do about now, is there? Then who else? Every different “nationality” that lives here? Or each province become a “Nation”? I’m sure that if we look around we’ll find “distinct” groups of people living in each area, in each province and territories across Canada.

How does one put a nation inside another nation anyway? I thought maybe provinces, states or territories. I thought that was what we had going on here - a country - a nation.

Apparently I was wrong.



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