"canada is too big to fail" o rly

[beemo]

It takes a century and a half of political imagination, heroic toil and, to be sure, great geopolitical luck to build a country like Canada. It takes but a year or two of hubris, lassitude and ignorance for the whole thing to be lost.

There is today in Canada a dangerous line of argument that must be checked by all thinking citizens: It holds that

Comments

[layweed]

I agree with you about the China getting all up in Canada's business. Trying to relate current (and past) Chinese territorial aggression and ambition in the South China Sea to some future "China gets all up in Canada's face" is...reaching.

As someone who doesn't follow Canadian politics, is Quebec independence something that is consistently in the news? I remember it being such a huge issue in the past (90s, early 00s possibly? idr) that it even made international news, but it doesn't seem to be lately.

[morningapproach]

It isn't at the forefront of Canadian consciousness, but I would say that it is a pretty consistent background hum of political consciousness. I always feel aware of the fact that Quebec sees itself as a very separate and distinct political entity, and a least where I am from it has created a rift in the general attitudes towards the québécois.

[layweed]

Yeah, I get the impression that it's always in the background, but it doesn't seem like it's gotten to the point where it was like the 1995 referendum.

[blondebeaker]

Not really, and I watch and read a lot of freaking news.

(Tbh, I don't think Que will separate ever. They are so deep in debt they will sink the moment they do sadly and they kinda like the shiny 7.3 billion they get in equalization payments.)

[layweed]

Idk anything about Canadian economics. Is Quebec's economy strongly tied into the rest of Canada? It strikes me that Quebec going independent would be disastrous if it were so. =\

[blondebeaker]

This explains it a bit better than I can.

[beemo]

quebec is really important to canada's economy. people love to pick on quebec economic shortcomings, but i don't think that really matters in the short term. we have had no public debt, housing, or banking crises the way other countries have. investors love our currency and housing market, and american companies are setting up shop in here as fast as they can.

if we scare off foreign investment by even threatening the stability of... anything, we could be really screwed.

[beemo]

i don't think quebec will either. even if there were a referendum and they got a majority, this is what would happen:

canada used clarity act

it's super effective!

[blondebeaker]

Lol pretty much. I was in Montreal for the week leading up to the 95 referendum for a school trip. The trip had nothing to do with it just bad timing but it ended up being a amazing look into politics for us.

[beemo]

i think there's been renewed interest in quebec's place in canada since the conservative party was elected, and it peaks in quebec election years because some of the parties' reason for existence is the sovereignty movement. xenophobia peaks around election time too.

[wisdomsawoman]

It's very much at the forefront of the provincial elections in Quebec happening right now. I would say that the independence of Quebec/Quebec identity and the corruption are the two points most talked about.

[sitakhet]

Here's how it goes in Quebec

[luminescnece]

Thank you for this comment.

[uluviel]

The PQ and the CAQ will not do a referendum if they get elected

I certainly hope the CAQ wouldn't, considering they are not a sovereignist party...