Pondering New France WHAT IF am waiting for is the day either France sends troops in to help Quebec re- conquer the Mohawks, or the United Nations sends peacekeepers to break up a nasty fire-fight between con- tending tribes along the St. Lawrence. If this seems a bit far-fetched, pardonnez moi. It is, } grant you, unless Quebec breaks away, in which case I believe it becomes more or less inevitable. If Jacques Parizeau, Lucien ’ Bouchard and the whole mad tot of New Age Napoleons manage to stickhandle their way through to independence for Quebec, some- . where down the road after that, you can be sure that there is.going to be a violent clash between the Quebec: Hunter STRICTLY PERSONAL In any previous era, these would have been fighting words. I’m not could likewise break any armed resistance in the northern part of the new nation using the jet fighters they would have. But the moment Quebec started using force on this level, it would be in deep trouble with the interna- tional community. That's why the role that France chooses to play will be critical. This being Canada, and the French being one of the so-called . “founding races,” we are fed a pret- ty milquetoast version of French history in our schools. . The sheer bloody-mindedness of the French tends to get down- played, what with their having been “victims” of aggression in two world wars. Prior to that, they were almost always the aggressor them- selves. The French have tried harder than the British — another histori- cally bloody-minded lot — to hang Sunday, August 7, 1994 - North Shore News - 7 FUTON BLOWOUT! oO Fe Includes solid pine sofa bedfrome, trple foam core futon, Scoichquarded futon cover, pillows and pillow covers. While quantiles last Entrance in sear Mon-Sat. 11-6 pm Sunday 12-5 pm & SON CUSTOM DRAPERIES, TRACKS AND VALANCES Labour $8.50 per panel unlined, $9.50 lined. CUSTOM BEDSPREADS & BLINDS At low, low prices. For FREE Estimates call 987-2966 (Ask about Seniors’ Discounts) Republic, or whatever it calls itself, and the 1,000-year-old Iroquois Confederacy. And don’t think the outcome is a foregone conclusion. The lesson of Oka was two-fold. First, to its enormous credit as a -civilized nation, Canada did not send in the F-15As that would have ended the confrontation immediate- ly. Nor did Canada use heavy armor, tanks or mortar. The point * is, a determined effort was made to settle the battle with minimal bloodshed, even if it did give the Warrior Society an incredible plat- form, and a chance to look cheeky as hell without having to pay the. consequences they'd have faced in almost any other country in the world once they started waving “ gunsaround. =. - The cost was staggering. The, engagement at Oka tied up a big chunk of Canada’s military budget, all to avoid a public relations disas- ter, which is what a massacre at Oka would have been, apart from everything else. The issues have not gone away, you may have noticed. In fact, the core issue — land — has spread out onto a vastly larger stage. The Cree of northern Quebec are talking about holding on to the entire Ungava Peninsula, and more, and refusing to leave Canada. While the Mohawks in the south * state flatly that they wil! not recog- nize the new Quebec authority, should the province secede from the Canadian union. « NEW © Any Size Rooms! (Big or Smail} © Two Coats of Glidden Latex Paint! © Over 1600 Colours To Choose From! so sure they aren’t even today. Don’t forget that since a land- mark decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1991, treaties with natives have been deemed international agreements whose terms cannot be unilaterally abro- gated by provinces or the federal government. Alla Canadian government has to do is agree not to abrogate a given treaty, which we are told is, indeed, federal policy, and the problem is shifted entirely back into the hands of the new government in Quebec City, which will find it is not dealing with Canada on the matter any longer, but is up against international law. That is, does it want to be treat- ed like Iraq or Haiti, or even like South Africa once was? There is this, also, to consider: In the event of Quebec’s departure, the Canadian Armed Forces faces a massive chop in its strength. There go the legendary Von Doos, for instance. ° But while Canada, as a whole, would inevitably suffer a weaken- ing of its military muscle, Quebec’ would experience a proportionately much greater reduction in strength. If one incident at Oka could tie up a major slice of the resources of the Canadian Armed Forces, what would it do to the army of poor lit- tle newly independent Quebec? Oh, I’m sure the Van Doos could take a place like Oka in hours, if they didn’t care about the body count. And I'm sure they We Also Do: * All Interiox Painting » Fences (Stain of Paint} © All exterior Painting © Textured Ceilings FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLYI Hones (Na PAINT ANY THREE ROOMS!! ALL OUR WORK IS GUARANTEED! Serving the North Shore for 23 years on to their colonial empire. It func- ; tions somewhat below the surface. That is, it is never called a de facto empire, or even a commercial sphere, but, as the horror show in Rwanda has revealed, the French continue to play their Machiavellian power games in Africa, propping up unsavory regimes and happily selling arms, even if it means loaning the money for the purchases in the first place. Over in the South Pacific, France has not loosened her colo- nial grip on Polynesia. I don’t personally trust France. It is not just that-French secret agents blew up the Rainbow Warrior years ago, murdering a young camera- man, it is also because I can see for myself that the habit of cynical opportunism has not died among France’s political elite. Of course, no state is pure, and no government particularly saint- like. Strategic interests almost always prevail over other consider- ations. This said, it remains, 1 do not doubt for a moment, that some- where in the Elysée Palace, there is a smacking of lips at the thought of regaining a tochold on the mainland of resource-rich North America. DO YOU SUSPECT A HEARING LOSS? We offer the very BEST in Hearing Health Care including the latest in hearing instrument technology comple e with g Guaranteed Customer Satistaction.. ASK YOUR DOCTOR OR CALL US FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION! /: . + REGISTERED.. ZERTIFIED AUDIOLOGISTS SERVING THE NORTH SHORE YOu SHOULD HEAR WHAT YOU'RE MISSING! 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