opinion
Constitutional issues have in the past not usually occupied much time at farm meetings. When the national news media pursued such issues with supercharged frenzy, farm meetings were often havens of relief from the interminable constitutional debate.
That may, unfortunately, have to change. With a Quebec provincial election set for Sept. 12, the Quebec separatist movement is confronting farm families and all other Canadians with some very real dangers.
The prospect of a separatist victory in that election already has financial markets in a nervous state. An actual separatist victory could lead to a massive loss of confidence in Canada’s fragile economic recovery.
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Even if, as opinion polls indicate, most Quebec voters do not favor actual separation, major economic damage would follow election of a pro-separatist provincial government. Canada’s economy survived the former Parti QuŽbecois government, but that was under different economic conditions and without having a high-profile separatist Opposition in Parliament.
Among other repercussions, a separatist victory in the election could produce a sharp drop in the Canadian dollar’s value in world currency markets. A lower Canadian dollar would make it easier for us to export grain, but that solitary gain would be overwhelmed by other bad news for farmers.
Interest rates would likely jump in an effort to keep capital in the country, driving up costs for every business. Pressures on government finances would multiply as the cost of debt service soared and tax revenues fell.
Given that danger, it is imperative for the national government to ensure that Quebec voters make a fully informed choice when they vote. They should be under no delusions about the effects of their decision.
Should the Parti QuŽbecois win the election, Ottawa should then move quickly to hold its own Quebec referendum on separation and resolve the issue one way or the other, rather than having it continue to poison Canadian politics and finance.
If a separation referendum is held, it will again be up to the rest of Canada to help ensure Quebec voters are fully informed about the effects of that decision too. Farm groups, for example, should have strong input into such issues as whether an independent Quebec would continue to have easy access to sell dairy and other products in Canada, and whether an independent Quebec would be able to tax Seaway grain movement.
Quebec voters are rapidly approaching an historic decision. They deserve to have a good idea of where the rest of Canada stands on these issues.
