Jeff Jedras: Would an 'I told you so' be rude?

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Would an 'I told you so' be rude?

From the other shoe dropping department:

Quebec wants to define 'nation' status
JOCELYNE RICHER
Canadian Press
August 7, 2007

QUEBEC -- The provincial government plans to force the federal government's hand on how it views the division of powers with the provinces and spending, Quebec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoît Pelletier says.

Premier Jean Charest's government also wants to finally see Quebec's distinctiveness recognized in the Constitution in a charter of open federalism.

Quebec wants the federal government to address the division of jurisdictions between Ottawa and the provinces and intends to press Ottawa on the matter, Mr. Pelletier said in an interview yesterday.
(more)

Gee, no one saw this coming. It's a purely symbolic motion, no need to worry, this is the end of it…

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6 comments:

James Curran said...: Hmm. I wonder who else forwarned everyone?; 10:26 AM, August 07, 2007
KC said...: Here we go again.; 11:12 AM, August 07, 2007
That guy said...: Oh dear God give me a drink.; 11:18 AM, August 07, 2007
wilson said...: from the article:
'However, a source in the federal government said Quebec will have to get the support of the opposition parties before embarking on any new constitutional adventure'

and where does the LPC stand on opening up the constitution?
a party divided :

G&M Oct 2006
..'Mr. Ignatieff's position that he is willing to eventually reopen the Constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation sparked attacks from Mr. Rae, who argued it is unwise to offer change the Liberals probably cannot deliver. But Mr. Coderre insists it has helped him “connect” with Quebeckers.

“Quebeckers need a reason to support the Liberals. We cannot just speak against Stephen Harper. We must have options to offer. And the status quo is not an option,” he said.

“Yes, there is a reality after Meech, there have been miscues in the past . . . but we have to be able to offer something, and that the Liberal Party again becomes also the party of French-Canadians, notably francophone Quebec. And on that, he has clicked.”

But Mr. Dion took issue with Mr. Ignatieff's stand on reopening the Constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation — and on Mr. Rae's position that there is a fiscal imbalance that means the provinces need money from Ottawa.

“It's an error, a false premise, to say that we Quebeckers, in order to succeed in Canada and make Canada a great country that we're part of, that we need a mysterious constitutional change that no one has been ever been able to define,” he said. '..; 1:50 PM, August 07, 2007
Jeff said...: And where does the CPC stand, Wilson? Ask former Intertgovernmental affairs minister Michael Chong:

"I believe in this great country of ours, and I believe in one nation undivided, called Canada," said Chong in a press conference hours before the vote.

"This is a fundamental principle for me, and not something I can, or will, compromise -- not now, not ever. While I'm loyal to my party and to my leader, my first loyalty is to my country."

The motion is largely seen as a symbolic recognition of the Quebecois nation. But Chong argued it "is nothing else but the recognition of ethnic nationalism, and that is something I cannot support. It cannot be interpreted as the recognition of a territorial nationalism, or it does not refer to the geographic entity, but to a group of people."

As for the rest of the Con caucus that king of the free vote, Steve Harper, triple-whipped the nation vote, so who knows how they really feel. Six Con MPs hid in the closet to avoid being counted rather than be forced to either vote against their conscious, or vote against the dear leader and face his wrath.

That's a party united? Please.; 1:58 PM, August 07, 2007
kirok said...: Wilson: the federal government is refering to the opposition parties in Quebec City. Here is the original French version of the CP article:

"En fait, le gouvernement Harper renvoie la balle à Québec, en affirmant que le premier ministre Charest devra d'abord obtenir l'appui des partis d'opposition à l'Assemblée nationale avant d'espérer que le dossier mobilise la capitale fédérale, a indiqué lundi une source gouvernementale fédérale bien au fait de ces questions."; 2:24 PM, August 07, 2007