Ahhh... Quebec politics.
It's in the news again as another PQ government gets an opportunity to bluster about separatism. I think it is lucky that Pauline Marois is only leading a minority government; she won't have to pretend that sovereignty is a big pressing issue in Quebec.
She can say that a minority government will make it very difficult for her to make the dream of an independent state come true. She can say that Quebeckers will have to wait until next time and blame the minority government for her inability to move forward. The truth, however, is that sovereignty is not likely to come to fruition. So, what do Quebecers really want?
The answer to this requires a review of the values and the ideology of Quebec citizens. It means having a clear understanding of the impact that the shift in Canadian politics has had in Quebec. The fact is that Quebecers have different values and ideas about the role of the state than do Western Canadians. And, since much of Canadian politics has "shifted west," Quebecers are again considering their place in the federation.
From the perspective of our federal system of government, Quebec has been a key driver of the idea that the provinces should be autonomous and sovereign over their own territory. Their approach to the federal model has been slightly different than the other provinces because they have repeatedly sought to expand their provincial powers. In fact, Quebec has generally sought to distinguish itself from the other provinces. They have a well-known saying in their politics, "pas commes les autres" (not like the others). This phrase represents their view that Quebec is distinct from the rest of Canada.
The recent win of the NDP of 59 seats in Quebec in the federal election provides a good place to start in thinking about this unique province.
First, it shows the decline in the interest in separatism. After all, the win of the NDP meant the trouncing of the separatist Bloc Quebecois. It also meant an all-out rejection of Stephen Harper conservatism. What I mean by this is that Stephen Harper represents a new type of conservatism distinct from the kind of conservatism we saw under Brian Mulroney. He was, in fact, admired in Quebec.
Second, the recent win of the Parti Quebecois in the provincial election is more of a vilification of the Quebec Liberals than a vote for separatism. Polls show a declining interest in restarting the separatist debate. So why is it that there is a sort of pall that has fallen over the Canadian political scene? Surely we are not really thinking that Quebec could muster up the "clear vote" for sovereignty that would be required to even bring the rest of Canada to the table? I expect that what really worries some other politicians in Canada is Quebec's stubborn resistance to the more national trend to right-leaning governments. Quebeckers are more driven by a left-leaning ideology. Quebeckers believe in the role of the state as the caregiver and in the state's place in protecting identity through language and cultural policy. The huge win of the federal NDP in Quebec reflects this.
The Western politics of the current federal government does not sit well in Quebec. In the past, Quebec felt isolated from the rest of Canada because it could not assert forcefully enough its need to protect its identity in a sea of English language and culture. It could not get the rest of Canada to see that it needed to have powers in broad areas of jurisdiction so that the Quebec government could control and craft a French speaking society. But prior to the rise of the west in Canadian politics, Quebec could rally some sentiment among the federal Progressive Conservative and Liberal political parties for its goals. But the federal Liberals are on life support and the recently-minted Conservative party appears no longer interested in Quebec's need to be "not like the others."
Western politics asserts a whole different set of values that represent a different view about the value of the state. The NDP / PQ win in Quebec is best explained, not only by Quebec's rejection of the old Canadian political culture, but also by its rejection of the new Canadian one.
