Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Over to you, Mr. Harper, after PQ victory in Quebec election

Quebec did not vote for an independent Quebec in Tuesday’s election. The vote for the Parti Québécois was a narrow vote for change after nine years of Jean Charest’s Liberal government, that is all. But by electing a minority government headed by Pauline Marois, Quebeckers have effectively ended the moderation that has characterized relations between Quebec and other parts of Canada. The insouciance toward Quebec exhibited by the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper must also end.

Her hand is limited, but Ms. Marois has made clear that she will demand new powers for her province. Some of those demands, such as control over employment insurance, might prove reasonable. Others, over equalization, language and immigration, might not. But, though the strength of her own mandate for constitutional mischief-making is weak, Quebec’s premier-elect is still at an advantage in any fight with Ottawa because she is facing a federal government that is not just unpopular in Quebec but betrays an alarming indifference toward it.

This is a good moment for Mr. Harper to define his own vision for Canada. Leadership by case management will not see the country through a national unity crisis provoked by Ms. Marois. Nor does his cabinet, or his Quebec caucus of five, have anyone to assume that role were he to abdicate it.

Mr. Harper prides himself on decentralizing power. Ms. Marois’s goal is the total decentralization of power – or, to put it another way, the centralization of power in Quebec City. Mr. Harper has tried to ignore Quebec, and now it has come back to haunt him. With little cabinet strength and very little popular support in Quebec, he will be – unlike previous prime ministers confronted by the PQ – on his own. He will now face his defining test.

Original Article
Source: the globe and mail
Author: editorial

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