For Ryan ...

For Ryan ...

Okay, back when I first signed up for - and then did nothing with - this blog I was working swing and graveyard for a large insurance company. I enjoyed the company of my fellow night owl CSR's and the conversations we would have. One night while discussing the various rambling topics we would discuss somehow the subject of Canada breaking into more than one nation came up. I remarked that I believed that it was inevitable. Sorry to my Canadian friends, but I believe that the Quebec issue will simply one day cause Quebec to leave Canada and become a separate nation.

Recently, I read a news article on Ted Turner's former news organization's web site about the Prime Minister of Canada referring to Quebec in the following manner:

"Do Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes," Harper on Wednesday told a cheering House of Commons to numerous standing ovations. "Do Quebecers form an independent nation? The answer is no -- and it will always be no."

(Excerpt from CNN.com - http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/23/canada.quebec.ap/index.html - is a link to the article for attribution)

The issue of Quebec did not end with the failed secession vote a few years back. It is one of those things that seems to just keep inching forward. Despite English-speaking Canadians efforts to make Canada bilingual the notion of Quebec forming a separate nation just keeps edging closer. Bear in mind that only a few years ago (1995) Quebecers narrowly defeated (0.58% "No" to 49.42% "Yes") the secession measure. To vote for secession is a very drastic measure. How many of those who did not vote for secession then would give it another thought now? I cannot imagine that a sizable percentage of those who voted to remain in Canada did not vote for secession out of a love for Canada but for reasons that are negotiable.

It is simply a gut feeling, but I cannot see how a narrowly defeated measure should give comfort to Canadians wishing to keep Quebec as a part of a unified Canada.

In fact, given how many people were willing to actually vote to secede, I am shocked that a large part of Canada hasn't told Quebec to "Piss Off!"

I want to say that our discussion then centered over what the rest of Canada would then do. I think it would open up a whole can of worms leading to not only two nations, but possibly more splitting up with Ontario, the Western Provinces, or the Maritime region all considering forming separate smaller nations.

Time will tell.