Rolling the Dice Again

I'm still shaking my head over what transpired over the last month. Three guys playing politics, scheming to get ahead, and all three showing themselves up as bumbling, irresponsible know-nothings who are playing with our country. They are:

1. Ignatieff who started this mess.
2. Harper who took the stakes up a notch.
3. Kennedy who played into Harper's hands.

I watched the coverage of the House of Commons on CPAC and CBC Newsworld tonight, and the thing that really got me was that none of its supporters has come up with a benefit of recognizing that the "Québécois form a nation within a united Canada." Harper went on about how "it's time for national reconciliation." Others in the House said that the motion will "reconfirm our commitment to Canada and to Quebec" and "allow Quebec to grow and to fluourish... and achieve its full potential." But that is all just rhetorical nonsense.

The effects of this piece of idiocy go beyond Quebec flexing its muscles to get more money out of Ottawa. There is also a toll taken on the rest of Canada to be put through another constitutional crisis, even a phony one like this one. Doing this has long-term repercussions, and they're not good.

So who possibly benefits? Ignatieff made a play to look like an important statesman. Harper made another stab at winning votes in Quebec, and had a little fun messing up the Liberal leadership convention, which starts the day after tomorrow. Kennedy gets a couple of days in the sun at a crucial time before the leadership vote.

But I can't help but think that all three of them acted in their own self-interest and not in the interests of Canada.

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Should Canada Recognize Quebec as a Nation?

On Wednesday, Harper shocked the country by saying he was asking the House of Commons to approve a resolution recognizing that the "Québécois form a nation within a united Canada." - Toronto Star

Alas, we have someone who hasn't been living in the country for most of the past 30 years to thank for this new "crisis from nowhere." ...It encouraged the Quebec federal wing of the Liberal party — the sponsors of the sponsorship scandal — to think that this "nation" formulation would revive their fortunes. ...Confident in his skills as a strategic thinker, Stephen Harper has tried to one-up both the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois by recognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada. ...How will this all turn out? It will either fizzle or explode. - Nelson Wiseman

It seems to be a semantic debate that doesn't serve any purpose. - Steven Harper in June, 2006 (from CBC radio)

When Stephen Harper announced that he intended to introduce a motion in the House of Commons declaring that Quebec constituted a nation within Canada, this seemingly profound gesture was more about political tactics than about setting right historic wrongs. Harper deftly inserted himself between the Bloc Quebecois and a divided Liberal party on the eve on its leadership convention with his sudden initiative. - James Laxer

I'm not going to oppose the motion. ...we've been through this soap opera for long enough and if it can be brought to an end with something that has no great legal or constitutional consequence, then that's one thing. But I think we all need to reflect on what's happened and how these things can get more complicated than they really need to be. ...it would seem that some people are interpreting it to mean something quite dramatic and other people are interpreting it to be much less, which is one of the reasons why these symbolic debates can be so difficult. - Bob Rae

It's an unnecessary step on a slippery slope... But since it says Quebeckers, not Quebec, because it implies no constitutional consequences, and mostly, because it allows us to move on and deal with bigger issues, let's use it to close a door that was foolishly opened. - Justin Trudeau

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Harper Rescues Ignatieff?

With mere days to go before the Liberal leadership convention, Conservative Prime Minister Steve Harper comes to the aid of the floundering front-running leadership candidate Mike Ignatieff by agreeing with his stance on Quebec nationhood.

That's what just happened, right? I'm not really sure... I tuned out the latest "Is Quebec a nation or is it just a distinct society" debate, woke up with a fright when Ignatieff proposed to re-open the constitution, and then attempted to ignore the whole topic.

But it seems that the big story here isn't whether we use this word or that word to describe a province. It's whether Harper's speech is the turning point in what - just this morning - the Globe referred to as Ignatieff's "sputtering engine" heading into the convention. Timing is everything.

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