“These Craftsmen Do Not Intend Any Nationhood!” CAP Press Release

This is unfortunate, but its clear that CAP is doing exactly what the parties are doing and pandering to the masses. CAP hopes to pick up the bigotry vote, perhaps next they can talk about native self government and how those 'spoiled natives' are working at tearing the country apart.

If the feds had said "Alberta is a nation within a united canada" (again, hardly inflammatory) then there would at least be some credibility. To say that this 'sets in motion' a process that began over thirty years ago, and that ten years ago had a referendum that came within a whisper of actually leading to either a new constitution or new nation seems bizarre at best.

The fact is the Clarity Act already set out the motion for dissolution. If a province meets it, its done-unless CAP gets into power and it seems will turn into a fascist ideologue with no respect for referenda at all. THEN of course we'll see the balkanization (keep in mind that 'balkanization' is a GOOD thing, the genocide that occurred there happened under a single unifying state with many minorities) of Canada since extremism breeds extremism.

That's too bad, because CAP clearly has more good points than other parties. Advance a vision of the country that is so good everybody (or at least the majority in each province) will want to stay together.

It's also ironic that the 'americization' includes ripping off their slogan of 'by the people, for the people and of the people'. Canada has NEVER been that, in fact has always been the tool of industrialists except for that twenty five year glitch that occurred because socialists were getting elected and the feds finally had to grant some consessions to people.

There are much better ways to stone Stephen Harper... Perhaps CAP should stick to the topic of Canadian sovereignty and l'action "démocratique".

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"We are all in this together somehow, some more than others somehow"

I totally disagree that to oppose the "nation" concept for Quebec is by definition "bigotry." There are far deeper issues here than respect for the Quebecois. The fact that the Quebecois seek a formal recognition for the culture, something that Canadians have for a long time accepted without any need for formal recognition, plays on insecurity in Quebec.

When you say that " 'balkanization' is a GOOD thing" you are supporting an idealization of American corporatism that feeds of devision, something that many, if not the majority of Americans oppose but have not been able to find a way to control. Certainly there is a strong element of hard right ideology within the separatist movement that would like to see the corporatization of Quebec and the tearing down of its social safety net. The current leader of the PQ belongs within that wing of the party.

As a strong supporter of the corporate model and corporate control over society, Stephen Harper can use this to destroy the power of government to control corporate greed. That is what the "nation" resolution is all about, not about respect for the Quebecois or any other ethnic groups.

This is the first step in his plan to gradually reduce federal funding for health care and education and other programs in the provinces. He is even considering changing the current constitution to make that happen and he is in a hurry.

If you support the anti-democratic concept that corporate power should control virtually all aspects of economic and social life than Balkanization will help ensure that happens.

Harper has always believed in pushing what inevitably will be an unpopular agenda quickly so that democratic debate is subverted. This is just another example of that.

This is the whole problem with the issue. It has no teeth, doesn't mean anything, yet still sets people off in a tizzy. I didn't say it was bigotry to oppose a separate Quebec, any more than its bigotry to oppose Newfoundland's separation. Again, depending on specifics. Say EVERYBODY in Quebec was prepared to vote for sovereignty, then clearly there is a fascist element to the idea of 'keeping a country together by force'. What I said is that CAP is pandering to the bigot vote, and let's not pretend there aren't a lot of them out there. Formal recognition means nothing, it all comes down to referenda. However, for interests sake, compare this meaningless acknowledgement to something that really ticked off Quebecers, namely, new federal bureaucracies aimed squarely at Quebec. Both the liberals and conservatives supported this move, much to the chagrin of BQ and NDP.

'Formal recognition' doesn't play on Quebec insecurity, its simply a matter of those two words - formal recognition. And thats all it is. The ruckus is mostly in english canada, which says a lot about insecurity.

When I say balkanization I prefer that other people not tell ME, the person who said it, what I meant. Balkanization is clearly better than having one single unifying government in Yugoslavia that supports and acts genocidally-just ask a native canadian. To say that that has ANYTHING to do with american corporatism is out in left field. By that logic then there should be ONE world government so that there is no 'division'.

No doubt there may be a 'hard right' element in separatist Quebec, there is also a 'hard left', depending how you describe it. In fact, one of the resurgences of separatism is arriving, as always, by the federal governments position in war. Quebec has always had big differences when it comes to war than the rest of Canada. In this case, if Taliban forces start suicide bombing Toronto and Ottawa, then a large number of Quebecers could well say "what do we need this for, we don't even think there should be troops there"

It seems odd in a country run by corporate interests, involved in ever increasing aggression against legitimate governments, to be arguing against a province, many of whom would like to separate to get away from the corporate interests and increasing aggression. The idea that "you should stick with us even though we are horribly misrepresented and increasingly guilty of war crimes" is really lost here.

And again we see how this 'tizzy' works. What Harper has said as per the constitution, is getting the federal government out of areas of provincial jurisdiction. As for health and education, the above post is completely WRONG. Harper has carried on the recent Martin increases in equalization and health care spending. In fact, New Brunswick would be broke without those recent increases. Of course it was liberals who gutted those in the first place, so don't put that at Harpers feet. It is liberal provincial governments in both Ontario and BC who are privatizing health care.

As for Harpers claims, the danger is not that provincial funding will be cut for health care, after all, that's the middle class. What he means is clearly that social services that HE doesn't like will be cut, like status of women and museum services and stuff like that.

Perhaps "le parti de l'action canadienne" would be more credible if it had better contemporary insights from actual francophones within the party. Trudeau is now dead and burried. Does CAP need to revive him?

I actually seriously considered your party as a valid alternative to the Greens for the next election. Oublions cela.

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"We are all in this together somehow, some more than others somehow"

I always had critiques of CAP's policies, but that they were 'out there' said a lot, and I too had the idea of joining them. Unfortunately, as my raison d'etre is 'direct democracy', CAP shows that it is just as jingoistic and non-accomodating as the NDP. Diving into such a non-issue is a big mistake, but que cera cera.

"What Harper has said as per the constitution, is getting the federal government out of areas of provincial jurisdiction. As for health and education, the above post is completely WRONG."

Health care and education are provincial jurisdiction. In the short term, Harper is carrying on equalization for now but he has promised to change this in the future. His concept of changing popular programs is through the incremental approach by which you place strict controls on federal government spending that will ensure the movement towards a "market-based" health care system.

No Canadian province, even Quebec, can challenge the hegemony of large corporations. Harper believes in the right wing concept that "capital" is entitled to rule since those who control capital have earned their entitlement through the market-place. Restricting government is designed to restrict the influence of democracy over the most powerful and greedy private corporate bodies.

If you believe in the direction that Harper is moving Canada is one thing but make sure you understand where he is taking us and that once beyond a certain point in that direction there will be no turning back.