What Bernier has started

Why were all the party leaders absent from today's Question Period?  I wonder.   And why was the National Citizen's Coalition, Harper's former stomping ground, so quick to come to Maxime Bernier's defence?  Could it be that they, not the Conservative Party, are the real spokespeople for what Stephen Harper really thinks?

I mentioned yesterday that Maxime Bernier has managed, however unintentionally, to cause a storm with his comments that Québec no longer needs the Charter of the French Language.   It was even asked today by the NDP's Thomas Mulcair, who represents Montréal's Outremont district in Parliament, if the Cons have forgotten that they were the ones who introduced the resolution that declares that Québec is a nation within Canada.

And what defines a nation?   Let's see, a language, a culture, a legal system -- to name but three.

And Québec meets all three.

A French-language majority, overwhelmingly so.

A very distinctive literature (where else but Canada must we learn Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater as required reading in schools, in both official languages?), its movie industry, music; even its business culture, and I specify its legitimate business culture, has nuances that are often misunderstood by business leaders in other provinces.

And its legal system -- on the one hand a concise civil code for private disputes (unlike the often contradictory common law in other provinces), combined with Anglo-American law for criminal matters, one of the very few dual law jurisdictions on the entire planet.

The duality is a source of strength and pride, not weakness.  It's reflective of political realities that were recognized not 5 years ago but nearly 250 years ago, when Britain gave equal rights to Roman Catholics in Canada (in 1774) a full 76 years before they were granted to Catholics in Britain (in 1850) -- and which sparked the American Revolution.   And it's reflected in our federal laws, when both common and civil law terms are denoted in our statutes if both need to be used -- a practice first adopted about a decade ago (for example, what we in English Canada might call a "continuing care power of attorney" or "living will" is defined in Québec as a "mandate in anticipation of being incapacitated")

I can't understand what Bernier was thinking.   There may be an argument to be made that the law in question needs to be reviewed to reflect modern realities ... but why so openly and why now?   Especially with an election on the horizon.

Harper needs to make it clear:   Did he really mean it when he said Québec is a nation, or was he just blowing hot air?   What about the other leaders?   Even Iggy hasn't said much about this for a few years.

Québec isn't the only thing that makes us different from Americans, but the sense of solidarity that exists in the province on social issues is something that is something that should be emulated, as opposed to the everyone for themselves attitude we see south of the border.  We're not Americans, and we never will be.   First we see the drive for mega-prisons, then tougher drug policies and a hard-nosed attitude towards street workers who need to be protected rather than prosecuted .... and now this.

We have a pretty good idea who Maxime Bernier is.  Isn't it time that the real Stephen Harper please stand up?

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