Too Smart by Half

[CHIMO]

Are the Tories targeting Trudeau?

Thirteen years ago the PQ government of Lucien Bouchard tabled Bill 99, the essence of which said that the people of Quebec would decide their political future, and if that future lay outside of Canada, a referendum result of 50 per cent plus one vote would sufficient to do so.

The law, which the Quebec Liberals opposed on the grounds it would eventually be found to be unconstitutional, was a response to the Clarity Act passed in Ottawa, which insisted upon a clear majority and a clear question before any province left Confederation.

In 2002, Bill 99 was challenged in court by Equality Party leader Keith Henderson, who contended that Bill 99 was unconstitutional. And so things languished for 11 years until last week, when the Harper government quietly requested intervenor status in the case, contending that “Secession, to be lawful, would require a constitutional amendment.”.

With support for sovereignty hovering at around 40 per cent there’s little chance anyone will be calling for a referendum on separation any time soon. So why would the federal Conservatives want to put themselves on the constitutional radar as Quebec seems poised to hold a provincial election?

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/10/21/referendum-rules-are-the-tories-targeting-trudeau/?postpost=v2#content

Quebec secession opens rift in Harper cabinet

A split has emerged in the Harper government over a fundamental principle: the rules governing the potential breakup of Canada.

The Conservatives’ senior Quebec minister declared in two media interviews Monday that a 50-per-cent-plus-one vote for separation is enough for a province to secede, and another Quebec minister said he had no opinion on the subject.

The comments fly in the face of longstanding federal policy under the Clarity Act, which declares that the federal Parliament would require a clear referendum question and clear result for any province to secede.

They also come after the Conservative government has repeatedly scolded the opposition NDP — with its heavy contingent of Quebec MPs — for being wishy-washy on the Clarity Act.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-secession-opens-rift-in-harper-cabinet/article14971721/

[applegrove]

1. That is what I heard today. That they want to box Justin Trudeau into

a position which will be unpopular with at least some of Quebecers. The Conservatives must be shaking in their boots that Trudeau can renew the Liberal coalition in Quebec where separatists and nationalists both voted for Liberals.