Categories: Need to know

Duceppe tells U.S. that Quebec independence is inevitable

Bloc leader claims Quebec’s relationship with America wouldn’t change

by macleans.ca on Friday, October 15, 2010 1:47pm - 0 Comments

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe has gone to Washington, D.C. for a two-day visit in the hopes of selling his dream of an independent Quebec to politicians, business leaders and academics. His message is that Quebec values the United States as an economic partner and that sovereigntists’ desire to achieve Quebec independence from Canada doesn’t mean the U.S. has anything to fear. Quebec does an “enormous” amount of business with the U.S., said Duceppe, with about $51 billion in transactions in 2009. And if Quebec separates, that won’t change according to Duceppe. “Every nation has political interests, but the day Quebec becomes a sovereign country, North America’s geography won’t change, we’ll still be in the same place, and so will they. At that point, we’ll have to find the best way to get along.”

CBC News

Tags: Canada

Ariadne

I wonder more whether you will be laughing when you become independent. Facing reality without help is brutal.

Heather

Maybe you should get some

Ariadne

Wow, call it delusional!
Ariadne

You are actually free to go with your Nazi superiority attitude. Just make sure you are ready for the partitioning of Quebec. You might not like it but that will be a reality. The Natives, many of Quebecers, and parts of Quebec will be fighting to stay in Canada too. Boy, you are asking for big trouble in the future, just so you could feel superior.
Different Guest

"Boring, sterile, and bland"?
Have you EVER listened to Rush?
Gilles

What's wrong to be who we are I'm not canadian but Quebecois. So do Russian, French, German…. so what is so wrong to try to exist? Yes, we lost the war but, instead of killing us all, you let us live. It's was mistake. Now, and probably for many years, we will try to make independance, at least, on the political level..

Mary

Let's see how Quebec does getting another home for the Nordiques all on their own with no federal help first; seeing as how Gilles lives in Canada but isn't Canadian. I'm an Albertan, but I. AM. CANADIAN. Which one of us would you choose to have your back?

Sorry, Gilles. Saying you're not Canadian makes me angry. My ancestors came from Scotland, but I'm not waving their flag even though I play the bagpipes. My country needs me.

Ariadne

Why not make it a condition that whoever initiate election for separation, may it be individual or groups, will be held responsible for paying all election costs of separation, not the province or Federal? Let us see how willing are they to open their wallets. If those conditions are met, I really do not care if they have elections every month, I may even help in urging them to have it often.
Arianna

LMAO! AROTF!! There goes all our Canadian Taxpayers money OUT THE DOOR!

The Bloc gets to spend their 'allowance' on rodents flyig south to 'arrange' an audience <every receipt handed in> for a media twist.

Sigh!

McLeans…it can't be THAT BAD?!?!
fuddle duddle

i live in Vancouver, ..it would be hard to find anybody that really cares much about Quebec here ..it is like over 2000kms away ..it is very touching they have lots of French Canadians there …meanwhile if we go to California there are millions of Spanish …I do agree that Quebec is more foreign that the USA so perhaps it's not such a bad idea if they were their own country

iliminator

lol, and BC pays 50 million dollars for a french education system for its Quebecers that took their jobs, because of the forced bilingualism. And one of the most vocal idiots clamoring for french immersion. So lets say your as pandering as anybody else. And you, with the great culture and monetary benefits of the Asians. And with the opportunity to learn the fastest growing languages. And try 3500 kilometers away!

fuddle duddle

hopefully if they separate we can push it out further into the atlantic

fuddle duddle

statistically aren't the separatists chances in decline as Quebec becomes more multicultural? eventually, like Montreal the French will be a minority even in their own province

Guest

There was some concern since the 1970s that the francophones were in decline in Quebec but their birthrate has been going back up.

fuddle duddle

i heard that too but i bet the birthrate for other minorities is higher than the francophone birthrate ..in canada overall the native birth rate is the highest

GeneralUncleSam

Hehehe…with the Arctic melting I can put missiles on the new Quebec Republic to (1) flank the Russians on both sides, and (2) block the Chinese out of the Arctic shipping lanes. All that oil and gas are mine, mine, mine…Hehehe. And I don't even have plant the star spangled banner on the sea floor. Take that Validimir!! Jintao can't say nothing parce Duceppe et le Bloc a dit oui eux-mêmes et je n'avais rien à faire avec lui. Brilliant! Get to work Leon and don't worry about Stevie. He's not that bright. How'd I know? Because he had to take Econ 101 three times to pass, that's how I know. Besides, he's on my payroll. What you say? Is he expensive? Na, less then the cost of small double double from Tim's. Let's code name this one Schwartz's – they's got some good eats and god knows we need money for this. Vive l'Amérique! Maybe I'll relocate Osama from Pakistan to Montreal. It'd be good for his kidney, and a perfect excuse to put US troops in Valcartier to fight terrorism. Call me B, to get your details. Don't want to see another fumble out of you again. Oh I forgot, you play basketball, not football. Dammit, I might just have to do this one myself. Hillary can help, she's bright, not great with execution, but she's bright nevertheless. Perhaps I'll send Bubba in first if his coronaries are up to it. Dammit, I told him to stay off those greasy burgers and the plum babes. Oh and I got to get a hold of that nutty Alaska lady to help keep an eye on the Ruskies. She said she can see them from her house. Let's get to work boys.

true north

LOL… Now that was well written…..Heheheheh !!!!

http://sweetbearies.com Sweetbearies

This article illustrates that Canada has its share of "look at me" politics just like the US. In the age of Facebook and Twitter everyone wants attention, and this is probably their way of getting theirs. I have to be honest though: as an outsider I think a united Canada is probably best.
iliminator

Quebec has to declare independence. Canada is robbing them blind, and their language and culture are fading, fast. They either get moving or they will be absorbed. Charest and Power Corp, only see, dollar bills.

Jose

Hablas espanol?

Guest

Maybe Canada can vote to separate from Quebec like Ontario did 200 years ago. Most don't know but Ontario was originally the western part of Quebec that went all the way to the Ohio valley. You may call the Quebecers separatists but everyone knows who the real separatists are in Canada. At least the French learn other languages and I know they are a more openned minded people.
Maxime

We are having a bad government, without initiative, corrupted by the FTQ mafia (it's real, my cousins was the guy that has almost been killed when he was getting out of his airplane, cause guys from FTQ were waiting for him with guns and he decided to hide his ass into a crane loaded of rocks, and finally he exited this place by going into a hidden cave, etc.).

Quebec and mostly Ontario are not helped with the perequation(per habs). Quebec citizens need a better leadership less corrupted by lobbying, English building slowly houses into our nation and then voting for this bad government, and then the medias (Quebecor particulary) are receiving money from the Party for helping them to stay leading the Quebec.. We can't be heard by Canada cause most of the people doesnt understand us..

Quebec is needing to separate, but I think we can, like US and Canada, be big commercial friends, for culltural reasons and because we are not helping the Canada and inversly. We have so much economic potential(water, gold, diamond, wood, gas, petrol..) but the Canadian goverment is worried to invest in Quebec because of the separatism..

But we can't separate now, we are so corrupted, we need our help and thank you Canada for investigating in the sector of the construction, this is why I am actualy proud of beeing a Canadian… But in other fact, the money we spend every day on little airplanes toys of the Canadian goverment is actually a big waste of money. Canada is rich, provinces are poor (not Alberta).

We are very stupid in Quebec, I must admit it, be we are not born stupid, we becamed stupid…

'' Sorry for my English but I think you understand what I wrote ''

iliminator

No according to the studies, you must have been born stupid! But then, how could you claim that when you lived pretty easy for 400 years! And there are people that are going to secede with your Country,when the time is ripe. We know that. Just takes about one hour and you are free. NOBODY dares to march on you! We know that! You don't even have to pay one cent. You actually have total control. Its just that charest is not on the side of Quebec, heck we ALL know that.

Taxslave

Odd thing that the separatists in Quebec think they have a right to leave Canada but the natives that wish to remain in Canada do not have the right not to leave with the frenchies.
DerekPearce

The aboriginals of Quebec want to remain a part of Canada, and if separation was declared by a PQ government, they'd have to realize they'd be giving up the northern two thirds of their province to become a "country."
Alex

Independance has not so much to do with politics, afterall. Wether we are from Quebec City, Edmonton Alberta or even Shangaï China, not being independant (in any ways), at least a little, is being weak and vulnerable. In today's world, independance is a winner. Anyways, I could have written this from anywhere around the globe and you wouldn't have noticed…So both Federalists and Separatists are unable to see and understand that cheering somekind of pride in being this or that, Canadian or not, is something of another geological era…

Alex

Shanghai…

Darden Cavalcade

Saskatoon? Boring?!
Ariadne

If Quebec separation is inevitable, so is Quebec's partitioning. It would be interesting to know how much and which part can Quebec retain just so they could feel culturally and linguistically superior (looks more like the resurrection of early Nazi Germany. It blinded so many well meaning people then, and it still does now).
Bill Wanowan

more I read stupidity about Québec, more I wonder that it would be better to be a province of Kazackstan. G2L