A very interesting article by Laval political science professor Guy Laforest on whether Canada can win over young Quebecers in today's Globe. Laforest, who served as a spokesman for the YES side in the 1995 referendum and is regarded in academic circles as the intellectual arch-rival of Stéphane Dion, is a strong Quebec nationalist who is not really an outright separatist.
In order to secure a significant commitment toward Canada in the hearts and minds of the children of Bill 101, while promoting reciprocal loyalty between Quebec and Canada, we will have to go beyond recognition and clearly state the legal consequences of Quebec's distinctiveness in Canada's constitutional order. This will be a challenging task but success on this front would undeniably contribute to the moral edification of the rest of humanity. Recognizing the need to do this would be a welcome start for our current leaders. If we agreed that our main problem is one of reciprocal loyalty -- or lack thereof -- we could modernize at last such federal political institutions as the first ministers conference, Senate, division of powers and court appointments.
Again and again, Quebec's intellectual class, business elite and political leaders bang the same drum: reform federalism or lose Canada. And as Stephen Harper is pointing out, the status quo is the lifeblood of the Liberals and the separatists. A Conservative government, if elected, must deal with this issue head-on.
