I'm sure that people in the east thought the Reform party was bad for Canada when it first arrived on the scene, but the Reform party never wanted Alberta to separate. Not like the Bloc, who actively campaign for Quebec to leave Canada.
I like Quebec in Canada. The province is unique and adds a special flavour that makes Canada more interesting, but so does PEI. Funny how you never see PEI crying for more money from the rest of Canada even though they have very little industry or job opportunities. (Thanks PEI for sending my husband to Alberta!)
So, why does Quebec think that they are MORE special than any other Canadian province? Why do they continue to vote for a party that wants to separate from Canada, then whine when they don't get that hockey arena paid for by the rest of Canada. They are pro's at using threats to keep Canada "unified".
Quebec politicians often seek de facto bribes from Ottawa — whether in the form of cold cash or more symbolic gestures. And usually, Ottawa gives in. This explains why our equalization system is skewed so as to deliver a multi-billion-dollar jackpot to Quebec every year; not to mention Paul Martin’s “asymmetric federalism,” and Stephen Harper’s declaration that Quebec constitutes a “nation.” These shakedowns have come to define the Canadian political condition. On Wednesday, Mr. Duceppe took things to a crassly chutzpadik new level, demanding that Quebec receive a cool $5-billion from Ottawa as his price for supporting the upcoming budget. How did he arrive at this figure? By adding together a bunch of stale demands from yesteryear — including $421-million for dealing with the great ice storm of 1998.
Are you kidding me? Is this what Quebec really wants? Do they have no shame? Quebec has gone from the victim to the predator, but we already knew that didn't we? I keep thinking how the western provinces have so much in common with Quebec. We all want more control over provincial jurisdictions. We want the federal government to stay out of our way, and give us room to grow. Where the western provinces differ from Quebec is that we want to do it without welfare from all other provinces. Quebec has no excuse for taking transfer payments from other provinces. The transfer payments are like bedbugs, once you have them, they are very hard to get rid of.
If Quebec keeps voting for the Bloc, they will continue to isolate themselves from Canada, and I hope that isn't really what they want.
My message to PM Harper is very serious, it could mean the difference between a united Canada or a nation in pieces (Hint: It's not Quebec that will separate).
Do not give in to Duceppe's demands, it is blackmail, plain and simple. The Bloc MP's refuse to sing "Oh Canada" in our Parliament, a blatant snub to ALL Canadians. Do not give any money to an arena in Quebec. If this means you will not get a majority next election, so be it. You need to show Quebec that they can not blackmail us anymore. They might even surprise you and vote for you because you stood tall on issues that concern ALL Canadians, not just Quebec.
To the people of Quebec, think very hard about what you do to Canada when you vote for a party that wants you to stop being Canadians. Stop being so selfish. It's easy to vote for the Bloc as a protest (or that's how you justify voting for a party that wants to destroy the Canada we know), but understand that it makes other Canadians angry. Angry because you do not love our Canada as much as we do, if you did you could never vote for a separatist party. NEVER.
