Charest to play up Quebec's nation status
Charest to play up Quebec's nation status
RHÉAL SÉGUIN
February 19, 2007
QUEBEC -- Vowing to place the Quebec nation in a leadership role in Canada, Premier Jean Charest is launching his election campaign this week with his own brand of nationalism, pledging to take Quebec one step further on the international scene.
"Yes, Quebec is a nation. Quebec is a force for change within Canada and a Liberal government represents this locomotive of change for Canadian federalism," Mr. Charest told more than 2,500 delegates at a party pre-election meeting on Saturday.
If re-elected, the Quebec Liberals say they will hold the first-ever summit of autonomous regions and federated states that would include Catalonia, Wales and Scotland in seeking a greater voice in international forums. The pledge was part of the election platform adopted by the delegates.
A Liberal government intends to take full advantage of Parliament's recognition of Quebec as a nation within Canada and the voice the province has obtained from Ottawa at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO.
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"It will be the first summit in the world ever . . . a summit of federated states and autonomous regions to be held by the government of Quebec here in Quebec," Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Benoît Pelletier told the delegates. He later explained that the summit will set the terms for autonomous governments such as Quebec to have a greater voice in international forums.
"It may involve trade negotiations or a voice on the new UN body that will oversee cultural diversity," Mr. Pelletier said in an interview. "We don't know when the summit would be held but it would be held at some point in our second term."
Quebec also intends to become the voice of all francophones in Canada, he said. "We will continue to support francophones in Canada so that we can be united rather than divided, with Quebec acting as a leader and speaking on behalf of a single and unique francophonie in Canada."
The leadership role Quebec intends to play as a nation within Canada will serve to reinforce Canadian federalism and promote the values of social justice, economic prosperity and individual rights, Mr. Charest said.
"It is about our wanting to belong to a greater whole, the Canadian federation," the Premier said. "If we are able to say we are a nation, we are a nation of inclusion."
The Liberals are determined to prove their political rivals wrong when they accuse Mr. Charest of betraying Quebec's traditional demands for greater autonomy within Canada. Faced with the Parti Québécois, which is seeking sovereignty, and the Action Démocratique du Québec party, which is calling for more political autonomy, Mr. Charest has attempted to carve his own vision of federalism, based on the new-found recognition of Quebec as a nation within Canada.
"The Quebec Liberal Party team reflects Quebec's diversity; it reflects who we are as Quebeckers, a nation," he said to cheering delegates on Saturday.
Using slick, expensive videos and distributing thousands of T-shirts and scarves displaying the Liberal logo and colours, Saturday's party meeting was clearly staged to mark the unofficial launch of the election campaign.
A series of events have been scheduled for this week before the vote is called:
Tomorrow, the National Assembly reconvenes for a one-day "emergency session." Mr. Charest holds a caucus meeting in the morning before facing the opposition during a final Question Period.
At 4 p.m. tomorrow, Finance Minister Michel Audet will table a budget in which he will announce a series of election measures, including moderate income tax cuts and assistance to alleviate the crisis in the province's forestry and agricultural sectors.
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Charest will hold a final cabinet meeting before asking Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault to dissolve the National Assembly and call an election for March 26.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Charest's campaign bus will head for his hometown of Sherbrooke to kick off the Liberal campaign. PQ Leader André Boisclair is expected to do the same in his Montreal riding of Pointe-aux-Trembles. ADQ Leader Mario Dumont will likely launch his campaign in the Quebec City region.
For Mr. Charest, it will be the first time in his political career that he heads into an election campaign controlling all the levers of power and leading in public opinion polls.
RHÉAL SÉGUIN
February 19, 2007
QUEBEC -- Vowing to place the Quebec nation in a leadership role in Canada, Premier Jean Charest is launching his election campaign this week with his own brand of nationalism, pledging to take Quebec one step further on the international scene.
"Yes, Quebec is a nation. Quebec is a force for change within Canada and a Liberal government represents this locomotive of change for Canadian federalism," Mr. Charest told more than 2,500 delegates at a party pre-election meeting on Saturday.
If re-elected, the Quebec Liberals say they will hold the first-ever summit of autonomous regions and federated states that would include Catalonia, Wales and Scotland in seeking a greater voice in international forums. The pledge was part of the election platform adopted by the delegates.
A Liberal government intends to take full advantage of Parliament's recognition of Quebec as a nation within Canada and the voice the province has obtained from Ottawa at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO.
More National Stories
• B.C. band would retain golf course until 2033
• Trains halted ahead of blockades
• Police move in ahead of blockade
• Top court upholds tobacco advertising laws
• Andy Barrie battles Parkinson's
• Go to the National section
"It will be the first summit in the world ever . . . a summit of federated states and autonomous regions to be held by the government of Quebec here in Quebec," Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Benoît Pelletier told the delegates. He later explained that the summit will set the terms for autonomous governments such as Quebec to have a greater voice in international forums.
"It may involve trade negotiations or a voice on the new UN body that will oversee cultural diversity," Mr. Pelletier said in an interview. "We don't know when the summit would be held but it would be held at some point in our second term."
Quebec also intends to become the voice of all francophones in Canada, he said. "We will continue to support francophones in Canada so that we can be united rather than divided, with Quebec acting as a leader and speaking on behalf of a single and unique francophonie in Canada."
The leadership role Quebec intends to play as a nation within Canada will serve to reinforce Canadian federalism and promote the values of social justice, economic prosperity and individual rights, Mr. Charest said.
"It is about our wanting to belong to a greater whole, the Canadian federation," the Premier said. "If we are able to say we are a nation, we are a nation of inclusion."
The Liberals are determined to prove their political rivals wrong when they accuse Mr. Charest of betraying Quebec's traditional demands for greater autonomy within Canada. Faced with the Parti Québécois, which is seeking sovereignty, and the Action Démocratique du Québec party, which is calling for more political autonomy, Mr. Charest has attempted to carve his own vision of federalism, based on the new-found recognition of Quebec as a nation within Canada.
"The Quebec Liberal Party team reflects Quebec's diversity; it reflects who we are as Quebeckers, a nation," he said to cheering delegates on Saturday.
Using slick, expensive videos and distributing thousands of T-shirts and scarves displaying the Liberal logo and colours, Saturday's party meeting was clearly staged to mark the unofficial launch of the election campaign.
A series of events have been scheduled for this week before the vote is called:
Tomorrow, the National Assembly reconvenes for a one-day "emergency session." Mr. Charest holds a caucus meeting in the morning before facing the opposition during a final Question Period.
At 4 p.m. tomorrow, Finance Minister Michel Audet will table a budget in which he will announce a series of election measures, including moderate income tax cuts and assistance to alleviate the crisis in the province's forestry and agricultural sectors.
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Charest will hold a final cabinet meeting before asking Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault to dissolve the National Assembly and call an election for March 26.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Charest's campaign bus will head for his hometown of Sherbrooke to kick off the Liberal campaign. PQ Leader André Boisclair is expected to do the same in his Montreal riding of Pointe-aux-Trembles. ADQ Leader Mario Dumont will likely launch his campaign in the Quebec City region.
For Mr. Charest, it will be the first time in his political career that he heads into an election campaign controlling all the levers of power and leading in public opinion polls.
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