An independent Quebec?

A little bit too late, don't you think? What sort of identity and autonomy do they wish to have? One that has been stripped of its roots in Catholicism?

I believe Dr. De Koninck wanted to preserve the federal state. I have not read his writings, but I would like to see his arguments.

Evidently popular sovereignty applies only when you wish to break up and destroy other states.

Liberals side with PM on Quebec
By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 23, 10:30 PM ET

TORONTO - Canada's opposition Liberal party announced support Thursday for Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's motion recognizing French-speaking Quebec as a nation within Canada, adding political weight to an attempt to pre-empt similar efforts by Quebec separatists.

The support came a day after Harper stunned Parliament with the motion that calls Quebec a "nation within a united Canada." The move left some supporters cheering it as a bold political step while critics slammed it as a recipe for tearing apart the country.

Meanwhile, the separatist Bloc Quebecois introduced it motion Thursday that does not refer to a united Canada, but says Quebec is a nation "currently within Canada" — a formulation that raises the possibility that the province could one day secede from Canada.

Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe on Thursday told the House of Commons that Harper's motion to recognize Quebec nationhood while still including it in Canada was a clumsy attempt to "pull the wool over the public's eyes."

"When he attaches that condition, we can see through it that it's just a partisan tactic," Duceppe said. "I hope that the prime minister will recognize the Quebec nation, period."

The flap has reignited passions over whether the French-speaking province should be given independence. Quebecers have twice voted down referendums seeking independence from Canada; the last one was narrowly defeated in 1995.

The support of the majority of Liberals means that Conservative motion will likely pass next week. The two parties control almost three-quarters of the seats in the House of Commons.

Harper's motion, which is being debated, comes as his party languishes in third place in Quebec polls, behind the Bloc Quebecois and the Liberals. The Tories gained seats in Quebec in the last election and need more from Quebec if they want to form a majority government in the next election.

Another article...

Quebec separatists say strengthened by nation talk

By Randall Palmer and Robert Melnbardis 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

OTTAWA/MONTREAL (Reuters) - Acceptance that the people of French-speaking Quebec are a "nation," albeit one within Canada, has made the drive to independence all the easier, the head of the separatist Bloc Quebecois said on Friday. Reversing the position he took earlier this week, Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said he would back a government motion that Quebecers form a nation "within a united Canada," and he described the concept as another weapon in his party's pro-independence arsenal.

"It's always better that when we're fighting for a sovereign Quebec that Canada recognize that Quebecers are a nation. That's a plus," Duceppe told reporters outside the House of Commons in Ottawa.

"It's very important for countries around the world, who will say, 'Even Canada recognizes they form a nation, they just said yes.' It's another weapon (for us)."

The Bloc, the third-largest party in the Canadian Parliament, would now ask whether Quebec had the right to speak for itself at the international level, Duceppe said.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had argued that including the words "within a united Canada" would safeguard against separatists using his announcement to further their demands that Quebec secede from Canada.

Speaking in Montreal, he quipped that the Bloc's support for the Conservative motion was its third position in three days on the issue. "If I can have the support even of the Bloc for Canadian unity, I am happy." Harper said.

"This is not a constitutional amendment, not a legal text. This is merely a declaration of recognition and an act of reconciliation," he added.

Quebec is Canada' largest province by area and its second largest in terms of population with 7.5 million people. It has already held two referendums on whether to break away from Canada, in 1980 and in 1995, and the second one failed by a razor-thin margin of 50,000 votes.

The latest debate started when Duceppe put forward a motion to Parliament which said simply that Quebecers form a nation.

Harper consulted the other parties in Parliament and quickly drafted his own motion which added the concept that Quebecers were a nation within a united Canada.

He said on Friday said he knew that some people outside Quebec might be upset with his government's proposals, but said his efforts were aimed at promoting national unity.

"It's important to change this impression that the rest of Canada rejects the Quebec nation," Harper said.

Harper's Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, a pro-Canada legislator from Quebec, said Duceppe's turnaround meant the separatists had recognized the result of the 1995 referendum, where Quebec voters chose to stay in Canada.

But the mere recognition of Quebecers as a nation has raised questions about whether Harper was being brave when he decided to tackle an issue that politicians have steered away from for years, or whether he is opening a Pandora's box with no clear idea of what could happen next.

"Even if Mr. Harper's intent is to grant only symbolic recognition, will he be able to control the beast that gets unleashed?" the Ottawa Citizen asked in an editorial.(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa)