A funny thing happened on the way to Rideau Hall

Wednesday, 31 August 2005

A funny thing happened on the way to Rideau Hall

By Joseph Planta

VANCOUVER - Having been largely away from this space the last month or so-it's the summer, sue me-I haven't had the opportunity to address a number of stories that have made news in this country. The price of gas, I know affects me somehow, but it's hardly been a concern. The CBC strike hasn't made much of an impact admittedly. Ditto the cancellation of the sockeye fishery here on the West Coast.

There were a number of Senate appointments made recently. Two more on Monday, with most notable kicked upstairs, Francis Fox, the Trudeau-era cabinet minister, and more recently a senior adviser to Paul Martin. (The indomitable Pierre Bourque reminds us of Fox's 1978 departure from cabinet, when it was revealed that he had once forged the name of the husband of a woman he was having an affair with on some abortion papers. As the country's solicitor general, he was advised to step down.)

It's been regrettable that the Prime Minister hasn't made significant reform to the appointments process, let alone the Senate itself. It's the same old same old with Paul Martin, and I guess those who gave him the benefit of the doubt should have seen it coming. The appointments made are woefully regarded as nothing more than patronage appointments, largely benefiting the Liberal Party, and those friendly to the Martin regime. Martin hasn't just appointed Liberals, but his appointment of 'Progressive Conservatives' to the Senate, when the party doesn't exist, as well as a New Democrat, when Jack Layton doesn't even recognise her as one of their own, smacks of arrogance and insults the Canadians that these senators inevitably represent.

The appointment of Hugh Segal has been applauded for the most part. Segal, a former PC party leadership hopeful and former Mulroney aide, has done much work studying public policy. He will doubtless contribute to sober second thought in the Red Chamber, not to mention his party.

One appointment that was lauded throughout the country, but confounded many in Vancouver, was that of Mayor Larry Campbell. Roger Gibbins, for one, thought it was an ingenious choice given Campbell's experience as a mayor, and concerning urban issues and drug policy. What was odd was that earlier this year, Campbell had bowed out of public life, refusing to run again, citing that he was not a politician. Despite his popularity in the city, he was unable to compromise with his own party. One hopes he'll be able to cope in Ottawa.

The appointment of Michaëlle Jean as Canada's next governor general was at first greeted with surprise and with praise. She hadn't been on anybody's list of hopefuls, and it was an inspired choice, if for the quintessentially Canadian story of an immigrant that had fled Haiti for Canada. Then of course, the shit hit the fan, and the Prime Minister's Office was blamed for not vetting the appointment properly, and not anticipating the palaver when news broke that she and her husband, the filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond, may have been sympathetic with the sovereignty movement in Quebec.

Whether or not Jean and Lafond supported separatism, was not the question, though it would matter what they felt now. The point was whether the PMO had practiced due diligence in screening the nomination, and whether they had done enough research on the woman to know that this firestorm would be imminent. And if they did know, why wasn't the response swifter and stronger.

Many still feel that Jean and Lafond are sympathetic to the separatist movement; however, we ought to take them at their word, especially when she had to issue an unprecedented statement restating her devotion to Canada. The fact that such a statement was necessary, signals to neglect in managing this story effectively on the part of the Prime Minister and his staff.

Jean's appointment has been seen as a political move by Martin to sort of tap into a certain constituency in Quebec, where the Liberals need all the support they can get. It does seem a bit politically correct to have a fashionable black woman, not to mention an immigrant, and a bilingual one at that, represent Canada, but that's expected. However, I think Jean can be an appointment that Canadians can look at and say, for all of her complexity, and her blurred identities, she somehow represents Canada a bit better, than let's say the Prime Minister himself.

There's much talk about sovereignty in Quebec, if nothing else the federalist options in that province are hardly popular, and that the Bloc Quebecois is seeing its popularity rise. Jean Charest isn't very popular, and if he's defeated, a PQ government will be in power, and a referendum will be ripe for the taking. Whether Jean's appointment will help stem that tide of separation remains to be seen. But it does point to a very curious phenomenon that hasn't been talked about, and which warrants some further investigation and discussion. And that has to do with the malcontent of Quebeckers with Canada, and the nature of federalism sought. That's very different from separation. British Columbians are fairly loyal Canadians, ditto Albertans, but the seeds of discontent with the centre-Ottawa-have been sewn long ago.

Those dissatisfied with the status quo, in Quebec aren't just white francophones anymore. The face of Quebec has largely gone from pure laine to cosmopolitan, as evidenced by Jean. With that slight alteration, so is the restlessness of their provincial identity. In BC and Alberta, and elsewhere, it's not a wholly English-speaking phenomenon, and that's what should be noticed. The country is far different than it was twenty-five years ago when the first referendum was held in Quebec. I'd hazard to guess it's a bit different than it was ten years ago when the last ballot was held.

One has the feeling that the winds of change are in midst of our Canadian consciousness. Whether we'll heed them, is another story. They may blow past causing no disruption. Or it may just unleash a torrent of disquiet that surely will not render the country as we see it today.

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