A Posteriori

For a blogger, the temptation to descend into a mad, raving tantrum of a rant is ever present. Fortunately, the Word Warrior is a cold warrior, choosing subtle Machiavellian tactics subtle manipulation to provoke his enemies into into knee-jerk reactions and other predictable and impulsive behaviour. In the words of the winning contestant on the second season of reality TV show Big Brother: “Dance, puppets, dance!”.

Case in point: Quebec separatists. It’s easy for a federalist like myself to give in to my baser emotions and spew venomous vitriol in response to their lies and half-truths. However, this would be counter-productive, since it’s the separatists themselves who seek constantly to incite such ad hominem counterattacks from within the rest of Canada.

So I propose a new strategy for the leaders of Canadian federalism. It’s time for the great defenders of Canada to employ the same sorts of inciting tactics, but at a higher level of sophistication and cleverness.

It’s time to expose the soft nationalists as the hypocrites they really are. It’s time to force them to put their money where their mouths are (which they won’t) by forcing them to accept the decentralization of power to the provinces for the most important jurisdiction of all: gatekeeper of the federation.

That’s right. Instead of allowing the fulfillment the separatist fantasy of a two “nation” post-separation political union, we make it clear that no break up can be negotiated without the consent of all nine other provinces, and possibly the federal government as well. Negotiating the terms of separation with the federal government is totally feasible and has been expected of separatist strategists for decades. A requirement for them to negotiate with the nine other premiers would make the logistics for such negotiations (and by consequence their prime aspiration for national independence) so impractical as to make a resolution absolutely impossible.

In order to implement such a strategy, it will be necessary for a majority in Parliament to:

1. Repeal Chretien-era legislation granting Quebec a constitutional veto (and possibly any other province as well).
2. Draft a constitutional amendment to grant the provinces partial or exclusive jurisdiction to negotiate the break-up of the country.
3. Garner the support of Ontario, all Maritime provinces (except maybe Newfoundland), and as many Western provinces as possible (probably not Alberta, but maybe B.C.).
4. Ratify the new constitution without Quebec’s or Alberta’s consent, and possibly without B.C.’s or Newfoundland’s as well.

The separatists and soft nationalists will be thrown a wicked curve-ball, and their entire strategy of convincing Quebeckers of the feasibility of separation will be totally compromised. Soft nationalists arguing for increased decentralization will be thrown into total disarray and their hypocrisy (i.e., decentralization for only Quebec and no other provinces) will be exposed for all Canadians to see. Federalists can argue that they gave the provinces and Quebec what they’ve always asked for: more power over areas of federal jurisdiction. Since negotiating the terms of separation with nine other provinces will be totally unworkable, separatism will lose its legitimacy as an option. The trump card that has been used by separatists and soft nationalists for decades to extort concessions from the rest of Canada will have been taken away by shrewd, Machiavellian federalists.

I know many will say that a Prime Minister who employs this strategy and tactics isn’t being fair. Then again, I’m sure many people said the same thing about Machiavelli himself, especially his enemies