THE QUÉBEC ELECTION

I remember where I was when I heard that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated; where I was when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon; where I was when Paul Henderson scored “the goal”; and where I was when I heard Elvis had died.

I also remember where I was on October 30, 1995, when our country was nearly torn apart as the result of the second referendum on Québec sovereignty.  I fidgeted with others at the Carrefour de l’Île-Saint-Jean in Charlottetown as the results went back and forth between Yes and No.  At the end of the evening, we cheered as the No side won by the narrowest of margins: 50.58% to 49.42%.  And then, the pompous Parizeau had the audacity to blame the results on “money and the ethnic vote.”  We all knew it wasn't over.

Our presence at the Carrefour in 1995 was very significant.  At the time, it was one of only two French schools on the Island, made possible in part by the transfer of Veterans Affairs Canada, and in larger measure by the minority language rights clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  We now have six French schools on the Island, plus a new provincial French Language Services Act.

Although I choose to write this blog in English, French is my Mother Tongue and the first language of my children and grandchildren.  For twenty-five years, I was heavily involved in language politics at the provincial, regional and national levels.  My Acadian identity is very important to me and will be for as long as I draw breath.

I have followed Québec politics from a distance for many years, especially since the election of René Levesque’s Parti Québécois government in 1976.  I rejoiced when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was proclaimed in 1982, eventually guaranteeing my children and grandchildren the right to French-first-language education, regardless of where they live in Canada.  But, Québec’s refusal to endorse Canada’s Constitution has stuck in my craw since Levesque stormed out of the First Minister’s Conference in November 1981 after being, according to him: “Stabbed in the back during the night by a bunch of carpetbaggers.”

The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by the Prime Minister and the ten Premiers.  It was intended to encourage the Government of Québec to “sign on” to the 1982 Constitution and become a full-fledged member of Canada once again.

In addition to bringing Québec back into the fold, the Accord was supportive of the interests of francophones outside Québec.  For that reason, I, and the organizations I was a member of at the time, supported the Accord.  Although the first referendum on Québec sovereignty in 1980 was not that close (60% No to 40% Yes), many believed the Meech Lake compromise was essential to the future of the country.

To make a long story short, Meech Lake was scuttled due to the selfishness of two individuals: Elijah Harper, an MLA from Manitoba, and Premier Clyde Wells of Newfoundland.  Almost twenty-five years have passed, and we’re no closer to having Québec back in the fold.

Like many, I watched in amazement, horror almost, as the Government of Premier Marois trotted out one foolish policy after another, each one seemingly more divisive than the last.  And I sincerely hoped that my many friends and former colleagues in Québec would recognize that the Parti Québécois was digging itself into an ever-deeper hole as the recent provincial election campaign wore on.  I watched the results come in last Monday evening, alone in front of my TV, with no one else to witness my fist-pump as the Liberals under Philippe Couillard were declared the winners, with a strong majority.

Twenty-five years ago, while an MBA student at Université Laval, I wrote an opinion piece in the Québec City daily Le Soleil.  In it, I posed a number of questions, including the following:

·        Should Québec be concerned about the survival of French-language communities elsewhere in Canada?, and

·        Can a French Québec survive in the long term if French-language communities disappear from the rest of Canada?

Obviously, my argument was framed around the Meech Lake Accord and contained reasons why I thought the Accord should be ratified by all ten provinces and the federal government.

Sadly, I now know the answer to my two questions.  Québécois don’t care what happens to French-language communities like mine.  And Québec believes it can survive without us.

Well, guess what?  The feeling is mutual.  I don’t particularly care what happens to Québec, although I do hope it gets its act in order under the new government of M. Couillard.

As for l’Acadie, we’ll continue the struggle with or without the support of our concitoyens Québécois.  In fact, they may have done us a favour by ignoring us.  We’ve learned how to use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to our advantage, and that it provides much of the legal support we need to move forward.  The ball’s in our court!

As a final note to my faithful readers, I know you’re accustomed to reading travel blogs about our adventures.  So, this topic may come as a surprise; rather dry reading too!  But I enjoy expressing my opinions on certain matters of public interest, like a journalist would, and I’ll express them from time to time in this blog!