November 27, 2006

Opinion Editorial
By Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia

Once again, the national media is abuzz with that “scintillating” subject that has dominated the national stage for most of the last four decades – the status of Quebec in Canada. Or more precisely, Canada’s answer to the separatists’ threat.

I was in China, promoting Canada’s Pacific Gateway, when I first saw the resolution that was preoccupying the politicians in Parliament. The wording was clear enough: "that this House recognize that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada."

But what, I wondered, were those words supposed to mean? More importantly, what would they mean to all those who might legitimately question the timing, intent and permanent impact of such a resolution, now apparently supported by all federal parties?

I can only imagine how others might interpret the Prime Minister’s historic motion. In my view, it should be seen and accepted by all Canadians for what it is: an expedient and welcome political response to a partisan political threat that is ultimately aimed at uniting Canadians and strengthening Confederation.

Despite its flaws and omissions, this resolution should provide a positive foundation for nation-building, not another divisive national distraction. Certainly I would have preferred a more inclusive motion, born out of a national debate, rather than this rushed rejoinder to the Bloc’s own motion. But that can be remedied.

Indeed, I would urge the Prime Minister to work with Aboriginal leaders to develop a similar motion that offers a positive affirmation of Canada’s three founding nations – French, English and Aboriginal alike. Confusion, frustration and disappointment are all understandable sentiments for those who have sought such recognition for so many years, and do not see themselves reflected in this motion tabled last week.

Canada’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit people should not be further marginalized by dint of this effort to unite Canada, which leaves them noticeably out of the picture. It is high time we formally acknowledged Canada’s “third solitude” – the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. We should do that formally, proudly and emphatically in a similar resolution that embraces our heritage as a nation of many nations.

The Prime Minister’s motion is not aimed at embracing the Quebecois “nation” in a civic or legal sense. As he has said, “I know some people in the rest of Canada will have some difficulty with this, but I repeat that the Quebecois are a group of people with a culture, a history, an identity …According to the dictionary definition, that constitutes, in sociological terms, a nation.'' In short, this motion is about the Quebecois as a people and a culture, not about recognizing the Province of Quebec as a “nation.”

Mr. Harper has also stressed that his motion does not have any legal or Constitutional significance. With that assurance, I have no difficulty supporting it. It confers no special status whatsoever upon the Province of Quebec. But it does offer a reasonable acknowledgement of Canada’s francophone “nation,” referenced as the “Quebecois,” “within a united Canada.” To deny that reality is as pointless and insensitive to the “Quebecois” people across Canada as it is to continue to deny Canada’s Aboriginal peoples their unique culture, history and identity as the nations they are within Canada.

Let us not get bogged down in an unproductive semantic debate that has no bearing on what Canadians really want or need in the 21st Century. We have spent far too long and wasted way too much energy in divisive discussions that have only served to distract us from our common goals and interests. Surely history has taught us there is absolutely nothing to be gained and everything to be lost by the politics of denial.

Let us concentrate on what binds us together, what makes us unique, and how lucky we are to have such a rich heritage and strength of diversity in Canada. Let us celebrate who we really are as Canadians – a “nation of nations,” founded on our English, French and Aboriginal heritage. We should be proud that we have built a country that is unique in all the world and recognized as a model of multiculturalism and human achievement.

We have so much more to offer one another by drawing upon our amazing multitude of cultures, regions and histories as a source of identity, community and national pride. The Prime Minister’s attempt to negate the separatists’ raison d'etre with a positive statement to Quebec’s francophone people is not perfect. But it has set in motion a national debate that should lead us all to openly embrace our French, English, Aboriginal and multicultural heritage with new resolve and understanding.

The Pacific Century is upon us and it will belong to the nations who reach out to people from other nations and welcome them with open arms. We owe it to our country, our children and future generations to embrace the Prime Minister’s gesture in nation-building with new intent to extend its promise and its message of inclusion to all Canadians, and to the world.