Western Producer staff
It was a joke with an edge to it. During a Quebec City meeting of farmers from around the world, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture circulated a publication called “Agriculture in Canada.”
It was a summation of statistics and descriptions of the Canadian industry, funded in part by Agriculture Canada and meant to tell Canadians and the world about Canadian farming.
Claude Lafleur, the bright, articulate and affable secretary general of Quebec’s l’Union des Producteurs Agricoles, was the first to notice the gaffe.
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On page five in the French version, there is a chart indicating the commodity-by-commodity breakdown of production in Canada and in each of the 10 provinces. In the English version, Quebec was omitted.
“It’s like they know what is going to happen Oct. 30,” he said with a laugh as he showed the error around the room.
From such unintended slights is the case for Quebec separation made.
Last week may turn out to have been a pivotal one in the campaign for Quebecers votes. From an argument about statistics, jobs and deficits that the federalist forces appeared to be winning, the separatists changed it to an emotional debate about ‘dignity’ and ‘justice’.
Bloc QuŽbecois leader Lucien Bouchard promised that sovereignty would be like “a magic wand” that would make life better. Remarkably, French-speaking Quebecers appeared to respond. Polls showed the two sides drawing even.
For an outsider to the debate, it is unnerving to listen to the “Oui” forces assuming that negotiation of a new, better deal with Canada would be inevitable and relatively painless. It is on this basis that Quebec farm leaders appear to believe their members would not be harmed by a Quebec decision to declare independence from Canada.
Like leaders of the sovereignty forces, they assume there would be a deal that would give Quebec the same economic benefits plus political equality with the Rest of Canada.
One third of “Oui” supporters told a pollster last week they even expect to continue sending MPs to Ottawa.
No amount of naysaying from English Canada seems to move them from their belief that separation would not hurt.
For an outsider, it is even more unnerving to hear the separatist appeal to pride and a sense of historical grievance.
Canada oppresses, they say. Canada holds Quebecers back. Canada has rejected Quebec’s attempts to be comfortable within the federation.
Recently, Quebec farm leader Laurent Pellerin talked of his sense of rejection by Canada. He once believed Canada could be reformed to make Quebec feel at home, he said. Canadians’ rejection of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords convinced him sovereignty was the only way to get respect.
But Canadians never voted on Meech Lake, it was noted. And Quebecers also voted against Charlottetown in 1992.
“Yes, but if the rest of Canada had accepted it, it would have been a sign it was willing to change.”
Could you run that by me again?
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