Smart political strategy here by Gilles Duceppe. He's trying to claim Harper's plans for Quebec will help the cause of separatism:
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, where he was taking part in a meeting of the Bloc caucus, Mr. Duceppe said the more independence Quebec receives at world bodies such as UNESCO, the Paris-based cultural wing of the United Nations, the easier it will be to argue for full independence. "If he delivers and Quebec has a voice, let's say at UNESCO, that [would be] good for a sovereign Quebec in the future. All the sovereigntists are supporting the fact Quebec is having an international presence in the francophone summit. This is a plus not only for the sovereigntists, but for Quebec. It's preparing us for the day [when] we'll be a sovereign country and be present everywhere. So the more we're present, the better it is, so we'll support that."
This is just a pretty transparent attempt to scare people outside Quebec into believing the Tories will help the separatists. They want to mobilize public opinion outside of Quebec against Harper's plans -- because they know that if it succeeds, they are toast. The Bloc is way down in the polls already. And if Harper does deliver on this (as well as his promise to fix the fiscal imbalance), the BQ will lose a significant number of seats in the next election.
