Premier David Eby was obviously inspired by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ‘say the quiet parts out loud speech’ at Davos recently because he did just that in calling out Alberta separatists.
Eby, when asked about members of the Alberta separatist movement meeting with U.S. officials and potentially securing funding for the movement, said there is an old word for what they are doing.
“Treason,” he said.
He said the quiet parts out loud, and kudos for him. Someone had to. Alberta premier Danielle Smith has been speaking out of both sides of her mouth on the issue. She talks about wanting Alberta to remain in Canada while not only refusing to denounce the separatists, but enabling them.
It’s within the living memory of some of us geezers when this country’s leaders pulled the welcome mat out from under French President Charles de Gaulle’s feet for shouting ‘vive le Quebec libre,’ during a Montreal speech. (For those who aren’t collecting a pension, it was the slogan of Quebec separatists at the time and, ironically, it was Pierre Trudeau’s acid tongue that sent the French PM packing.)
So, when I heard that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was going to address growing separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec during his speech at the party’s convention on the weekend, I was keen to hear what he had to say.
Regrettably, he didn’t say much.
The man who wants to be the next prime minister of this country refused to denounce the two separatist movements. You’d think that would be Number 1 on the dance card of anyone who wants to be prime minister of all of Canada. Ironically, if Alberta separates Poilievre would no longer have a seat in the House of Commons and unable to lead the country (just a minute, where can I sign that petition?).
Instead, Poilievre blamed the Justin Trudeau government for issues that were around before the younger Trudeau was even born. He then quipped there has never been a separatism referendum while a Conservative government was in power. Technically correct. Pierre Trudeau was PM for the first vote and Jean Chretien PM for the second one. Both fought tooth and nail to defeat the separatist movements.
I don’t get the feeling Poilievre would.
And, the man who wants to be prime minister should also know Canadian history. In suggesting separatist referendums wouldn’t happen under Conservative rule is to conveniently forget a couple of key pieces of our history:
Firstly; the Bloc Quebecois, a federal party committed to Quebec sovereignty, came to be under the watch of Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The party formed by splintering off from Mulroney’s Conservatives. They were upset that the Meech Lake Accord failed. Forty years later, the Bloc is still around and, at one time, was the country’s Official Opposition.
Secondly, the Reform Party of Canada, with the slogan ‘the West wants in,’ was created because of western alienation with, get this, a Conservative government. The Reform Party also rose to Official Opposition status before conservatives realized it needed support in central Canada to get elected.
Don’t get me wrong, both Trudeaus have had a significant hand in fostering western alienation. But let’s not kid ourselves that they were the only players in that game. I expect, no, demand, that anyone who wants to be prime minister know that.
In closing, I’ll quote former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper when asked about Alberta and Quebec this week:
“There are people, obviously, in both parts of the country that think differently. But I think the reality is if the federal government manages this country right, puts the stress on unity and not on ideological tangents, there’s no reason why we can’t pull the country together at this moment.”