The Written Word
for July 8, 2001

The Liberals, under Jean Charest, are leading the Parti Quebecois in Quebec and if an election were held today, would form the next government. This fact is very encouraging to most patriotic Canadians who see Mr Charest as something of a hero standing up to those separatist bullies. Jean Chretien will support Mr Charest and you can be sure Joe Clark will do likewise. Brian Mulroney, now sneaking inch by inch back into the public eye, will say nice things about the Liberal leader who was once the national Conservative leader.

I say they are all mad. The very worst thing that could happen to the cause of anti separatism would be the election of Jean Charest.

How so? And why have I been saying this since he first became Quebec Liberal leader?

Because Jean Charest has a price tag and it is one Canadians have hitherto refused to pay. Mr Charest is, in Diane Francis’ neat term, a "Meechkin". He demands separate status for Quebec including a "distinct society" designation plus a permanent 25% of the House of Commons no matter what proportion of the overall population Quebec has. (At present it is about 23% and slipping – BC will pass Quebec some time around the middle of the century.)

A Premier Jean Charest will have campaigned and won on this platform. His political existence will depend upon him making good these promises. And Jean Chretien will have to respond. And the response will put Canada back at that great divide it teetered on with the Charlottetown Accord referendum back on October 26, 1992.

What is more, these demands of Mr Charest will be minimal demands. And if he cannot achieve them in his first mandate he will be mocked out of office by the PQ who will say "see, we told you so … you can’t even get what is the very bare minimum Quebec demands". Mr Charest will, badly, lose face and the PQ will be back in stronger than ever.

The PQ are far easier to deal with. You know where they stand and you always know that their problem is that they cannot win the separation referendum they must always promise in order to stay alive as a party.

Just as all that glitters ain’t necessarily gold – all that looks anti separatist in Quebec isn’t always in Canada’s best interest.