Friday, February 20, 2009

Montcalm Loss: Quebec Gain?

In the Ottawa Citizen, John Robson asks is it really a bad thing for the Quebecois that Montcalm lost at the Plains of Abraham?
So what's the problem? Are the Montcalmites sorry they missed their date with Robespierre and Madame Guillotine? Do they wish they had stood with Napoléon at Waterloo, and Napoléon III at Sedan? Quebec nationalists didn't exactly rush to the colours when France was threatened in 1914 or needed rescuing after 1940. What's wrong with British self-government, suppression of the slave trade and defeat of Hitler that you'd rather be part of, say, Vichy France?

Not bad, but I would take that much further. For example, I doubt France would be shifting over billions in transfer payments to them all these years. I liken a Paris controlled Quebec to Newfoundland with the British. The Newfies had to beg Britain to take over full control of them in 1934, after they tried quasi-independence. (As Wikipedia humorously notes: one of the few countries that has ever voluntarily given up direct self-rule.) Shrewd Brits managed to fob them off onto Canada in 1949. (To my Newfoundlander friends, I apologize, I'm just trying to make a point.)

Quebec has had a sweet deal with Canada. They can be independent if they want. All they need is 50% + 1 of votes.

UPDATE: Here are my posts: Why Isn't Quebec an Independent Country? And this one recently: Quebecers Interested in Sovereignty but not Separation

5 comments:

  1. Will they ever attain it though? I'm no expert but they appear to be split up into 3 different camps with slightly different goals.

    1) A separatist who wants complete sovereignty with no strings attached no matter how tough that leaves them. A true hardcore separatist.

    2) A separatist who wants it all. A sovereign nation that negotiates a sweetheart deal from the suckers in Canada. A Que. PM at the time would help alot. They refuse to believe they will lose their passports, the Can. dollar or have to pay their share of the debt before exiting. Etc... The PQ feed these guys propaganda and they lap it up and ask for more.

    3) Soft nationalists who waver from camp 2 to 3 depending on the times. They want to remain in Canada but be the most indepedant province in Canada. They don't really want to separate but use it as a tool to get more power for their province. The Que. Prov. Liberals cater to this group in particular to stay in power. Arguably some of them fall in this camp. So too do some Fed. Tories.

    Camp 3 usually comes through and votes to stay in Canada because they're smart and know it's better for them. If the gravy train keeps coming why stop it? Once it stops will they jump into camps 2 or 3?

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  2. I'd like to know the percentage of population of group #1, the hardcores? My guess 10%.

    Like you say, if the gravy train keeps coming, they'll stay forever.

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  3. The French colonial masters treated the French Canadians like garbage. The French Governors were also very corrupt. When the Brits took over, the French Canadians were more then happy to deal with the British. When Generals Montgomery and Arnold led an invasion force on Quebec City, they assumed the French Canadians hated the British. They thought that the French would join forces with the Americans, but they did not. They fired on the US troops a long with the British troops. Montgomery was killed in battle, Benedict Arnold fled back to New England. This is proof positive that the French defeat on the Plains of Abraham, was not resented by the French Canadian population.
    On the negative side were the Huguenots (French Protestants). They got the shaft in Quebec, the Brits gave large powers to the Catholic Church in Quebec. The Huguenots got the boot.
    In Quebec twisting out stories, seems to be part of their game plan. In school history classes they do not mention that Laporte was murdered by the FLQ. They just state that he was found dead. This is actually a sign that Quebec is ready for nationhood, they are already producing propaganda.

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  4. Hey Dan, (fuck the Sea Salt bullshit)remember how Dad always used to say that Quebec will never separate, because a French Canadian knows not to trust another French Canadian. Sure they hate the English, but hey at least the cheque arrives on time. Take at a look at Jacques Parizeau as the former Quebec Finance Minister. Quebec bought out Asbestos Corp from General Dynamics. General Dynamics was paid off, the rest of the shareholders got zero. This was blatant fraud, but no one in Canada had the guts to press charges. The OSC was too scared to pursue the case. I don`t agree with Dad on this one. I think Quebec will (I hope) separate. Would England and France be better off as one country? No of course not. Quebec do the right thing, become a country! And by the way, don`t ask me to pay for it.

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  5. You know what is really funny, when a Quebecois goes to France. They get treated like $@*&%$. What is even more funny, is that Quebecois complain about it. I remember this girl from Hull, that I worked with on a student summer job. She told me how upset her parents were at the treatment they received in Paris. I asked her why they were upset, this was France. She did not have an answer. I have had several French Canadians tell me that it is much better to speck English in France then French. The French think French Canadian are scum. Is that funny or what, French Canadians do not like the treatment they receive from French people.

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