OTTAWA, April 25 (Bernama) -- French Quebec is stirring and rearing its ugly head again on the protracted issue of secession, with new calls for a fresh referendum to decide its position in largely English-speaking Canada after more than a decade and a half of peaceful co-existence.
The province sticks out like a sore thumb that never fully heals, on the nation's map, with its occasional burst of separation talks and separatist inclinations that are certain to rile up other Canadians amid the current federal election campaign.
Francophone politicians are again whining about getting a raw deal, and how unhappy they are with the federal government's treatment of the only major French state outside France, which has since had three major referendums on the issue of independence.
Both sides of the political divide, however, deal with the secession issue with a tremendous amount of restraint and cool-headedness, an extremely rare situation in much of the troubled world, where any sign of secessionist tendency is ruthlessly and violently suppressed.
Not in Canada, which is steep in democratic and parliamentary traditions and with two official languages - English and French.
Over here, nobody expects violence, and punitive actions from the federal authorities are unthinkable, even if Quebec does finally secede from the rest of Canada, something so extreme that it is unlikely to happen too soon, analysts said.
There have been more than 100 studies prior to the last referendum in 1995 on the consequences of Quebec Independence vis-a-vis creating an army, how federal bureaucrats could be integrated in a sovereign Quebec, and whether an independent Quebec could survive.
Still, the looming possibility of a another round of Quebec referendum is now added to the list of reasons incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper is citing in pleading his case for a strong mandate come May 2 when Canadians go to the polls, to help him keep the nation from breaking up.
While recently campaigning in Richmond, British Columbia, Harper argued that now is not the time for a weak minority Government as this is precisely what the forces of separation in Quebec want to see to further their agenda.
Harper, the Leader of the Conservative Party, which is challenged for power by the Liberal Party, National Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois, said separatists want to weaken the country and see a weak government instead of a majority Government.
Dr Kathryn Harrison, a professor at the University of British Columbia's department of political science, told Bernama that the raising of the separation issue was puzzling and a few things might have contributed to its re-emergence at this stage in Canadian political history.
According to her, Harper has made it a prominent Conservative theme in his campaign that a vote for Liberals is a vote for a reckless coalition government that would include separatists in its midst.
"What it means is an insinuation that Bloc Quebecois will be in the coalition and Canada would then be run in part by separatists. This is the one of the underlying messages, a threat of coalition and is raising questions of influence of Bloc Quebecois at the national level," she said.
In Montreal, Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois has issued a battle cry to supporters to lay the foundations for independence and regain control of Quebec.
She told her party's policy convention last weekend that "Yes, we'll have it ...our country, Quebec," but stopped short of setting a date for a referendum on sovereignty. Two other similar referendums were held in 1992 and 1980.
Marois said Parti Quebecois has a long-term plan that would lead to independence.
The other French speaking leader is Gilles Duceppe of Bloc Quebecois.
On the sidelines, Marois is watching to see what is happening in the rest of the country in the current polls and said she is convinced the "two nations" are gradually drifting separate ways.
This is despite that for the past decade or so, the issue has quietened down with support for sovereignty notably decreased.
Marois lamented that Quebecers no longer have influence in Ottawa and the province is hardly ever mentioned in the rest of Canada and it should therefore move on to be on its own.
If her party forms the government in Quebec, Marois would demand from Ottawa full powers over culture, communications, economic development and employment insurance in addition to reinforcing the French language law, adopting a constitution and outlining Quebec citizenship.
Her retractors were quick to raise doubts on Parti Quebecois achieving outright sovereignty, save some provincial autonomy, with former PQ Premier Jacques Parizeau saying mere talks is not enough to achieve sovereignty but a definite plan would.
Quebecers' parochialism and slight disdain for things English manifest in areas like road signs which are only in French in virtually all parts of the province and city regulations such as those governing liquor sale and consumption.
Unlike English-speaking Canada, beer, wine and hard liquor are easily available even at convenience stores and supermarkets in Quebec. In the rest of Canada, this is strictly regulated and only designated liquor stores could display and sell alcoholic drinks.
English is permitted on commercial signs as long as French stays predominant but Parti Quebecois delegates had passed a resolution requiring French to be the mandatory language of instruction for immigrants and Francophones who attend junior college to preserve French.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, however, has sought to play down the separatism issue, telling Canadians they have nothing to fear from fellow citizens in Quebec and has accused Harper of waging the politics of fear against the separatists.
The separation issue, however, is probably not going to go away but whether Quebecer separatists could achieve it, is another question, according to Professor Kathryn.
"Quebecers are very diverse as in any other places...some want sovereignty and some don't.
I was there just three weeks ago and there were no big campaigns, marching in the streets or any high profile issue," she said.
The last referendum in 1995 was very close, she recalled, adding that tensions between the French and English majority existed even from before and took on different forms and tones in 1960s and 1970s.
National unity has suddenly become an added issue in growing multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Canada, in the campaign, when Parti Quebecois's Marois, who is ahead in provincial polls, won a resounding 93.1 per cent confidence vote from the normally fractious party last weekend.
It is natural for Marois and Gilles Duceppe to try and make political hay out of the event but Ignatieff said Harper had gone too far with his fear-mongering pitch from one end of the country to the other.
Canada, a vast country spanning six different time zones, otherwise enjoys a great amount of political stability and a strong currency, which often exceeds the value of the US Dollar.
"Fear of democracy, fear of elections, fear of instability and now, the latest thing he pulls out of the air, is fear of sovereignty. We have nothing to fear here," Ignatieff was quoted as saying of Harper, whom he hopes to replace.
The two political rivals spent much time over the weekend in British Columbia, a major battleground in the federal elections that may determine whether Harper can win the first Conservative majority since former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney earned four years in power in 1988.
Harper is at pains to convince voters that Canada would be better off with a strong federal government over a choice for another minority government, which could lead to some instability.
No stones are left unturned in the heated campaign.
Even immigrant communities are being actively wooed.
There was a photo of Harper in the local media helping to serve dim sum at a restaurant, full of Chinese patrons, in Richmond during a campaign stop.
Whether Harper gets the majority mandate he harps on so far, remains to be seen. However, hardly anyone expect the Conservatives to lose the election.
-- BERNAMA