1995-11-06|Nation of Québec

To the editor

Thank you very much for your attention.
P.S. If you decide to publish my comments, I would appreciate your including my E-mail address.

Definition of Canada

If the answer to the question "What does Québec want?" is "Respect for Identity", then it can be given by a clear recognition of Québec in the Constitution of Canada as a nation, not as just another province. This will also avoid the use of controversial terms such as "distinct society" and "foyer principal". Québec will get more than what they have asked for, and "Québec Nationalism" will lose its raison d'être, although "Separatists" may still continue to exist.

To achieve maximum satisfaction of all Canadian citizens, the first paragraph of the Constitution of Canada shall read the following.

Canada is an officially bilingual (English, French) federal democracy with a "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" and a principle of "Peace, Order and Good Government", consisting of the following distinct units, each of which may choose its own priority language(s) and a democracy option (Civil Code, Common Law).

Nation of Québec
Aboriginal Nations
Province of Alberta
Province of British Columbia
Province of Manitoba
Province of New Brunswick
Province of Newfoundland
Province of Nova Scotia
Province of Ontario
Province of Prince Edward Island
Province of Saskatchewan
Northwest Territories
Yukon Territories

The words "nation" and "national" will be strictly reserved for Québec and aboriginal nations. Therefore, present federal institutions will be renamed with some creativity, imagination, ingenuity and originality.
Federal institutions:
- National Research Council -----------------> Canadian Research Council
- National Library of Canada ----------------> Library of Canada
- National Archives -------------------------> Archives of Canada
- National Arts Centre ----------------------> Canadian Arts Centre
- Department of National Defence ------------> Canadian Peace-Keeping Forces
- National Gallery of Canada ----------------> Canadian Museum of Arts
- ...
National/Provincial institutions:
- Québec National Assembly ------------------> (no change required)
- National Library of Québec ----------------> (no change required)
- Ontario Legislative Assembly --------------> (no change required)
- Saint Jean-Baptiste Day -------------------> La Fête Nationale
- ...
Such a clarification eliminates the inconsistency, once and for all, of having a nation within a nation. More importantly, it goes a long way to satisfy the desire of the citizens for a more flexible federalism, as well as to grant psychological pride and honour for Québec to be different from the others. Moreover, I would be happy to see constitutional bilingualism retained, while others would be happy to see French as the constitutional language of priority. Since all units are recognised as distinct, there would not be polarisation between "English Canada" and "Québec" solitudes.

Canada is an officially bilingual (English, French) federal democracy with a "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" and a principle of "Peace, Order and Good Government", consisting of the following distinct units, each of which may choose its own priority language(s) and a democracy option (Civil Code, Common Law).
Nation of Québec Aboriginal Nations Province of Alberta Province of British Columbia Province of Manitoba Province of New Brunswick Province of Newfoundland Province of Nova Scotia Province of Ontario Province of Prince Edward Island Province of Saskatchewan Northwest Territories Yukon Territories

Institutional Reform and Division of Powers

The foremost objective of the quick change in the constitution is to re-define Canada, and set a stage for further rationalisation of power-sharing within the federation in a logical manner with cool heads instead of an environment of Emotional uncertainty and a series of never-ending unity crises.
If the Allaire Report of the Liberal Party of Québec calls for 22 provincial jurisdictions for Québec, exceed their expectations and give them more. In return, the Federal Government would close the notwithstanding clause, retain the power to set up new programs with the understanding that they be eventually handed over to the nations and provinces. The major role of the Federal Government would be to guarantee citizenship and human rights, national/provincial/territorial equalisation, and the following fundamental principles for every aspect of government services at every level at all levels.
- Comprehensiveness
- Universality
- Compatibility
- Portability
- Accessibility
- Public Administration
- Minimum Standards
Today's federal system forces people to choose loyalty. For example, my household of 5 people must fill out as many as 6 income tax forms a year (2 Federal personal income tax forms, 2 Québec personal income tax forms, 1 Federal business income tax form, 1 Québec business income tax form). In contrast, the GST/PST declaration for my small enterprise is harmonised into a single form with both Canadian and Québec logos. It is ironic that only Québec businesses benefit from the GST/PST single filing at present (except for Alberta which has no PST).
Due to the lack of compatibility and portability, I have to pay cash to a doctor or a hospital in other provinces for partial reimbursement later on by the Québec Health Insurance Plan. If I move to another province or territory, I would have to experience a series of nightmares in education, driver's license and vehicle registration, among others.