4 ~ Wednesday, Dacember 22, 1993 - North Shore News It’s a whole new game as Quebec prepares to leave THE issue of what to do after Quebec leaves Confederation is stiJl not being addressed much in the mass media. Almost like a taboo subject, eh? Yet we should be looking at it hard. What do we want? Obviously, a united Canada would be preferable in the minds of most anglophones, and, dare 1 add, almost all newcomers. Successive Canadian govern- ments have seen immigration as a source of fresh federalist blood, . . thus the openness of our borders. But with the latest polls showing the Parti Quebecois enjoying 61% of the vote compared with 31% for . the Quebec Liberals, and a provin- ‘ cial election just a year away, | ‘don't really see how Canada can get out of this one intact. The potential.of the Bloc Quebecois, under Lucien Bouchard, “to’cause temperatures to rise in English Canada has barely been ‘ scratched ‘yet. If you think his demand for $1 billion in compensation to Quebec when the EH-10! helicopter scam ”_was chopped got your blood pres- -Sure going, wait until the Christmas holiday is over; and the new House - of Commons sit down to do battle. : The BQ will be doing everything - “it-can to drive wedges between. . English-speaking.‘ ” ne 2 and French-speaking Canadians. ; : And, like goaded ° : “cattle, we'll go for it, ‘on both’sides of the ‘electronic fence. . “For all the fine. theories about televi- sion bringing people . into each other's liv- ing zooms, I suspect TN erects as many . walls as it helpsto” : tear down. Thus, a little matter like language creates separate television universes. Quebecois live in the midst of a’ whole galaxy of stars of their own, in entertainment, art, Politics and : business.» ' ‘They tap into the big North American pop culture when they . . “ really want, but mostly live happily :in their own six-million-strong °° - ethno-pod, or whatever you want to “eallite, - ° : : .. History is about possibilities that “ are either recognized and seized, or, ~ let pass; they never quite come “ “again in exactly the same form. The tide. I would say, is running "strongly i in favor of Quebec's inde- - pendence being declared as early as 1996, and the reaction of most ang: Hunter * STRICTLY PERSONAL los, it seems to me, has been to brandish their horns defiantly in the glare of the headlights. This would be an excellent time; it seems to me, to reorganize the remains of the Canadian federation into something based on the Swiss: niodel. The leftover provinces could assume the relative autonomy of ‘cantons in Switzerland, leaving a _ national Council responsible for just a couple of key functions, like defence and banking. Orce a year, the presidency of the national council would be rotat- 66 Quebecois live i in the midst ofa | whole galaxy of stars oft their own. 99 ed among the representatives of the regions. I personally like the idea of national service, which involves the creation of a citizen army constitu- tionally charged strictly with self- defence. Being a Canuck, ‘I'd like to see it : sexually integrated, of course, a mighty reserve force capable of being fully mobilized in 48 hours. At the very least, somebody ! should be working on a referendum to be put to the rest of Canada the day after Quebec leaves. 1 don’t think the event has to be a funeral. It could be something viewed by non-Quebec Canadians _. 4s a kind of divorce party. It’s not just that an unhappy marriage would finally be over, but the chance would have arrived to start all over again ona new. and different — hopefully wiser and more mature — footing. We could look at the basics again, reopen the whole subject of citizenship and rights, property and - government, even (dare I say it?) taxation. Do we want to retain our archaic and corrupt form of British parlia- mentary democracy, with its Senate appointments, orders-in-council, backroom dominance, and bureau- cratic abuses, or do we want to switch to proportional representa- tion? In the ordinary course of events, Canadians would probably not have been asked for another hundred years for their opinions om such a. fundamental subject as the method by which they wish to govern them- selves, but with the departure of Quebec, the goalposts of Confederation will be tom away. 1 expect to see all sorts of com- peting political viewpecinis to emerge from the woodwork. Everyone will sense the historic moment, the stack tide point where new possibilities ripple to the sur- face. : - Serious bioregione slists will pro- claim that the time for smallness is at hand. Continentalists will call for annexation by the United States. | There will be some, I wager, . who will want the Queen to assume dirzct tule. as well as plenty of. Indians who will want their own little Gaza _ strip-scalé countries, Palkanization isn’t . ~ something that happens _ .. overnight, but when the i political moment ; comes, it can take place, recent history lias shown, with ‘ightning “Speed. “ * The Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were seemingly imperishable nation-states just a few short years ago. , Canada feels to me right now like an illusion holding itself together by only looking in the mir-" roracertain way... - The numbers have shifted i in Quebec, and, barring the emergence of a federalist messiah in that hard terrain, I would say the Canada goose is cooked. . My suggestion is that we treat the crisis of Confederation as an opportunity fo come up with some- thing better than what we have. It’s not impossible, by a long shot. The only question is, what is the post-Canadian dream? -LYNN VALLEY MEDICAL AND TRAVEL CLINIC 1200 LYNN VALLEY. ROAD 988-5389 8:00 - 5:00 pm 19:00 - 2:00 pm 8:00 - 5:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 30th Dec 8:00 -9pm 1st Jan 8:00 - 5:00 pm NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY - FLU SHOTS STILL AVAILABLE 24th Dec 25th Bec 26th Dec 27th Dec 28th Dec 29th Dec ‘THURSDAY DECEMBER 25RD 3-6pm Dr. Kelly Farnswortl , Dr. Gaetano Morello & staff Wiking You 4 Uerny Christos Light Refreshment WEST VANCOUVER NATUROPATHIC CLINIC. 101-585 16th Street, West Van 925-3037 Toe dianiond anniversary band from any wedlish Jeweler A brilliant expression “ ‘ of your love. Sale priced from, $565... including GST: : , : Recycle your Christ 1as Tree! This year, instead of sending your tree to the landfill, drop it off at any of the Lions Club North Shore Tree Chip-Up & Compost events for charity on January 9, or take it to the Transfer Station to be chipped and composted Mondays- Saturdays, 8-5pm & Sundays, 10-5pm at 30 0 Riverside Dr," North Vancouver. fe For time and locations of the Lions Chib events, call the ; BC Recycling Hotline at 732-9253. _Please r remove all decorations and tinsel - Christmas trees only please, PET tet es te