I missed this French op-ed in canoe.ca about Gilles Duceppe. (There's too much news to keep up with these days). It's dated September 25th. It was brought to my attention by David Chretien.
On a French political talkshow, he was asked about what he would do after the election and whether he would remain the head of the Bloc Quebecois.
He let his guard down and replied: "I don't know."
This left the impression that he was considering stepping down.
Then, as if he was realizing he was giving the wrong impression, he said that he didn't have a "career plan" and that he fully intended to carry out his mandate, etc.
The columnist, Michel Hébert, said that he was 61 years old, and after being an MP for eighteen years, he was practically in political "pre-retirement" mode. Hébert predicted that if the election results were good, he would leave sometime in 2009.
He also says that when he meets up with his wife, Yolande, they look like they want to be alone and it shows.
It looks like Gilles Duceppe is on his last legs.
With that attitude, some wonder whether Quebeckers will support the Bloc.
I also wonder: who would succeed Gilles Duceppe?
People have been predicting the demise of the Bloc since 1993. It was obviously wishful thinking, and I suspect that people will engage in more wishful thinking in the future.
Until separatism is effectively dead in the province, I believe the Bloc-- or something like it-- will continue to exist. Because there will always be a substantial segment of the population who will want to vote for a separatist party, or who want a to vote for a party who only stands up for Quebec.
And past history shows that nationalist sentiment waxes and wanes in that province. Sure, it's quiet now. But we thought separatism was dead in the late 80's. Then Meech happened.
I believe that if we ever want to kill separatism in Quebec, there has to be a cultural revolution. Federalist sentiment in Quebec is essentially propped up by the business class. Nothing else in Quebec argued for staying with Canada: not the media, not the artists, not the school system, not the political system. Nothing. When I lived in Quebec City, it was wall-to-wall separatism. It was almost assumed that Quebec was effectively separate and that this federal-provincial relationship is a technicality. A lot of people think that way in Quebec.
I do not believe that this cultural revolution can be federally funded or stoked. The feeling of belonging to Canada must be nourished within Quebec. But I tell you, when I was living there, if it ever did rear its head, it was quickly smothered.
All this to say that Gilles Duceppe may be leaving, but until the love of Canada is reborn in Quebec, the Bloc isn't going anywhere.
