Ségolène Royal et un Québec souverain

[August1991]

These contretemps are always good fun. Let's see where this one goes.

Royal answers the following question:

"Quelles sont vos affinités avec la souveraineté du Québec?" lui a-t-on demandé.

"Elles sont conformes aux valeurs qui nous sont communes, c'est-à-dire la souveraineté et la liberté du Québec", a-t-elle répondu d'un ton assuré, avant d'ajouter: "je pense que le rayonnement du Québec et la place qu'il occupe dans le coeur des Français vont dans ce sens".

CP

André Boisclair comments:

"Je pense que les Québécois pourront interpréter eux-mêmes les propos de Mme Royal, a dit le chef péquiste. Il serait inconvenant que ça soit moi qui commence à les interpréter, mais ce que les gens voient depuis toujours (à), c'est que la France en toutes circonstances accompagnera le Québec."

Stephen Harper answers by press statement:

"Experience teaches that it is highly inappropriate for a foreign leader to interfere in the democratic affairs of another country," he said.

"We look forward to marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Canada at Quebec City with the next president of France.

"We expect in turn that the next president will display an understanding of our shared history, and the respect for Canada and Canadians that such an important partnership requires."

Link

Dion answers a journalist's question:

"Ca nuit à sa crédibilité, elle ne comprend pas, je pense. On ne s'ingère pas dans les affaires d'un pays ami, on ne souhaite pas le démantèlement d'un pays ami. Le Canada ne souhaite pas le démantèlement de la France; la France certainement ne souhaite pas le démantèlement du Canada", a dit M. Dion.

As does Charest:

Speaking in Montreal, Charest said he invited Royal to Quebec after she became head of the French Socialists but that she turned him down.

"And furthermore, what I also know is that the future of Quebec will be decided by Quebecers, no one else."

Toronto Star

[Riverwind]

These contretemps are always good fun. Let's see where this one goes.

I wonder what the French would have to say if Canadian politicians started expressing solidarity with the Corsican independence movement.

[August1991]

I wonder what the French would have to say if Canadian politicians started expressing solidarity with the Corsican independence movement.

For Canadian politicians to get involved in Corsican politics would make about as much sense as Corsican politics. How would French political junkies respond? They'd ignore it or manage somehow to analyze it to death (which is about the same as ignoring it).

This has nothing to do with France and everything to do with Quebec. Boisclair will view this as a "victory".

Michel Auger gets it right:

C’est un vieux réflexe des péquistes que d’aller chercher une bénédiction à Paris, le plus souvent quand les choses ne vont pas trop bien au Québec. Comme si, à défaut de convaincre des Québécois, on allait chercher un peu de réconfort auprès des Français.

----

It has been noted elsewhere that if Royal became President and if Boisclair won a referendum and if Royal's words go beyond mere platitudes (she uses the words souverainté and liberté in all meetings with foreigners) then it might help the interpretation of the results if France recognized Quebec as a sovereign country. That was kind of the strategy of Parizeau: go for UDI, get French recognition and then present it as a fait accompli to the world community.

So, there may be something of substance involved.

Incidentally, Boisclair is to meet Sarkozy on Wednesday.

[seabee]

I doubt any one will even talk about this two days hence, and practically no one will remember it in two weeks. Tomorrow, in France, the headlines will all be about the death of Abbé Pierre. In Canada, few people even know there will be a presidential election, and who the candidates to the candidacy in her party are. Even if she becomes candidate for her party, she will not make any milage about becoming president of France with a couple of sentences on foreign policy with Canada or Québec. In Québec, the words of a foreign politician will have no influence on any future referendum. And in the Roc, it will only add fuel to the rampant century-old francophobia.

[jbg]

I doubt any one will even talk about this two days hence, and practically no one will remember it in two weeks. Tomorrow, in France, the headlines will all be about the death of Abbé Pierre.

Why wouldn't this be another "vivé le quebec libré"?