 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
Reconquering Canada:
Quebec Federalists Speak Up for Change
by André Pratte
Vancouver: Douglas
& McIntyre Ltd., 2008, ISBN 978-1-55365-413-1. 346 pp., $24.95 paper.
Many Canadians, including some contributors to Pratte's book, view Quebec's population as uninterested in national affairs. However, many people view questions about our collective identity as too existential for our economically stressed times. Fortunately, there are Quebeckers who work to advance a vision of their province as a vital part of a renewed Canada. Perhaps the average citizen prefers to leave the job of nation-building to those with a special interest in that subject.André Pratte is in a unique position to promote the idea of a united Canada that is strong enough to accommodate Quebec and her provincial partners. The Editorial Pages editor of La Presse uses his connections to assemble a formidable list of contributors "fourteen Quebec politicians, militants, intellectuals and businesspeople . . ." (back cover) The best-known federalist is ex-astronaut and Quebec Liberal MP Marc Garneau. Readers may also remember Martin Cauchon, who was former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Minister of Justice. Quebeckers know Benoît Pelletier, Premier Jean Charest's first Minister of Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs. Since this is not a federal/provincial Liberal tract, 2006 Conservative candidate Daniel Fournier and Fran¨çois Pratte of the Action démocratique du Québec offer some balance. The rest provide perspective. Distinguished by their absence are the actors, writers, singers and other cultural figures that appear on Tout le Monde en Parle. Ordinary people may get their information on political topics from popular talk shows, not books like this one. The editor lets a more elitist francophone audience know that the federalist future is ready for his people to seize.
The contributors handle the hard issues. Anglophones often challenge the idea that "The Quebec Nation" (273) must be recognized in order for its population to feel at home in Canada. Federal Liberal Party officials Hervé Rivest and Fabrice Rivault try to justify this concept by stating that the word "nation" is not synonymous with country, in French. They also point out that this idea was "initiated by a few militants in the Quebec branch of the Liberal Party of Canada and adopted by Prime Minister Harper . . ." (276) This bipartisan endorsement and others' advocacy of a reconfigured country that incorporated Quebec's nationhood into a solid Canadian structure may not appease skeptics. They may wonder if the authors are really advocating "an independent Quebec in a strong Canada," separatist humorist Yvon Deschamps's whimsical assessment of his people.
These federalists boldly criticize peers who still have a grievance with, or a sense of entitlement from, the rest of Canada. Since they are all Québécois, they may possess some credibility. Others who voice similar complaints may be dismissed as heckling outsiders who tell Quebec to "Get over yourself!" This approach should please anglophones. Marc Garneau states that the 1986 decision to award the CF-18 aircraft maintenance contract to Montreal's Canadair over superior Winnipeg candidate Bristol Airspace "still rankles Manitobans today." (315) This comment proves that, contrary to popular stereotype, Quebeckers can feel others' pain. Unfortunately, the sovereigntists can also effectively project empathy by linking nationalist resentments with residents' personal sense of marginalization within Canada, in a manner that undermines pro-Canadian arguments.
Montreal economist Mathieu Laberge views the rise of a new generation "'the children of Bill 101'" (319) as the heralds of a people that will simultaneously embrace their Quebec nationality and Canadian citizenship. He effectively points out that the Parti Québécois's language legislation undermined separatism by reaffirming Montreal's francophone presence within Canada. This is confirmed by the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) poll about Quebeckers' attitudes towards this country, which reveals that younger residents have more positive attitudes towards it. Some promote the renewal of federalism; Laberge celebrates the revival of the Canadian spirit among Quebec's people.
This book is of particular interest to western readers. Some of its writers observe regional sentiments, noting Manitoban alienation and Albertan affirmation. The aforementioned Laberge views westward power and population shifts as one of the "Three Founding Moments" (322) of his generation. That region's most important leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is viewed positively because he recognized Quebec's nationhood. Unfortunately, this book was originally published in 2007. Since then, his alleged philistinism enabled separatist folksinger Michel Rivard to undermine him by depicting his government as an enemy of Quebec's culture.
Westerners, and other Canadians, are preoccupied elsewhere. Even if the majority of Quebeckers truly wishes to reengage Canada, Canadian nationalism is missing in action. This means that interested parties must toil in the background, producing works that formulate new attitudes, then lead a ready nation towards a more united future.
Ronald Charles Epstein contributed to id magazine's feature on Quebec literature in 1993.
Buy this book at McNally-Robinson Booksellers.