Gilles Duceppe, in his first official visit to the United States since his victory as Bloc Quebecois Party leader in 1997, spoke to students yesterday afternoon about the possibility of an independent Quebec - an idea narrowly rejected by Quebec voters in a 1995 referendum.
The Bloc Quebecois, founded in 1991, advocates the creation of a sovereign state of Quebec. It is the third largest party in the Canadian House of Commons, and is the official opposition party in the Canadian Parliament.
Duceppe addressed the source of separatist efforts as rooted in a historical framework.
"Quebecers have given up on Canada," he said. Despite objections from Quebec, the 1982 Constitutional overhaul was adopted by Ottawa, and subsequent accords to resolve the differences failed. Duceppe called the situation "a major political grievance."
"It's hard to believe there is a partnership if one of the partners can change the rules unilaterally," he said.
Duceppe then discussed the potential economic ramifications of a sovereign Quebec for the United States. He joked that instead of one friendly neighbor north of the border, there would be two.
"We want Americans to be appraised of the situation ... and understand it. Quebecers [compose] two percent of the North American population. We don't want our people to disappear in a North American melting pot," he said.
Duceppe, who peppered his speech with statistics, alluded to Quebec's good-standing relationship with the United States, citing its overwhelming support for NAFTA when the rest of Canada rejected it. He mentioned Quebec's strong economic ties with America, which benefits from the more than 80 percent of Quebec's total exports, making it the United States' most important trading partner per capita.
"An independent Quebec would be a member of NATO and its contribution would be proportional to its abilities and responsibilities. There would not be an unfriendly Quebec on the border," he said.
Duceppe also spent considerable time presenting his argument as to why he and others feel they should become a distinct group from the rest of Canada - reasons mainly based on identity and language perceptions.
"Quebec has a different economic structure and [its people] have different points of view on issues. Seventy-five percent of Quebecois say 'we are Quebecers- not Canadians," he said.
Distinct identities and customs became prevalent themes for separation.
"There is more to being a Quebecer than having a sweet tooth for maple syrup, just like for Americans it boils down to more than swallowing a Big Mac while gulping a coke," Duceppe explained.
Despite his explanation, some members in the audience questioned Duceppe's party's motives, and remained unconvinced of Quebec's rationale as to what make its citizens worthy of separation. The party leader said he admitted it was tough to verbalize.
Duceppe also addressed issues of the English minority in Quebec, and efforts to promote the French language.
The tall, blue-eyed speaker said Quebec has long been a proponent of tolerance and equal civil rights, and that the English minority in Quebec is one of the most privileged minorities in the world.
