QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY: DOWN BUT NOT OUT

A popular ploy in horror movies is to have the villain or monster, near the end, seemingly killed off and the hero breathe a sigh of relief before the bad guy pops up one more time, everyone in the theatre screams and the protagonist REALLY kills him for good -- at least until the sequel. Think Alien. Think Halloween. Think Fatal Attraction.

Last night's crushing defeat of the Parti Québécois is likely to cause a lot of Canadians to conclude that the separatist movement is dead. After all the federalist Liberal Party, out of office less than two years, won 70 of 125 seats and 41.5% of the vote with the PQ coming in a dismal second with 30 seats and 25.4% -- the worst showing for the party of René Lévesque in a generation.

But these numbers camouflage an underlying new reality of Quebec politics. While the Liberals and leader Philippe Couillard ran a top-notch campaign, the real reason for their victory is that their separatist adversaries are now fractured into three parties -- a centrist PQ, a right-of-center Coalition Avenir Québec and a left-wing Québec Solidaire. Separatist parties won over 56% of the vote last night.

It's often said that Canada is a left-of-center country and it's true. In the last federal election, in spite of the Conservative Party garnering a plurality of votes, the Liberals, NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green Party won 61% of the vote. If we could get our act together, lefties muse,...

Quebecers may not think sovereignty is a priority -- right now -- but Quebec nationalism isn't dead yet. Bet your piastre on it -- or maybe a loonie.

Stay tuned...

Comments

[Redcuillin]

Your math is messed up. Coalition Avenir Québec is not a separatist party, and therefore anti-separatist parties won a majority of the vote.

[t]

CAQ is not a federalist or anti-separatist party. It's populated mostly by ex-PQ members who realize they can't win a referendum on sovereignty for now.

“Contrary to the Liberal Party and Philippe Couillard, the Coalition Avenir Québec is a nationalist party that is going to defend Quebec’s interests,” Mr. Legault said.

Last time I checked, a nationalist was a person who believes in a nation. For M. Legault, I don't think that nation is Canada. And I don't think most informed people who vote CAQ think so either.