On Thursday night, on his weekly bit on CBC’s the national, Rex Murphy decided to go after Gilles Duceppe’s recent speaking tour of Canada, specifically his speech to Newfoundland voters (you can watch the video or read the transcript here).
Rex described how the Bloc leader told Newfoundlanders that they, too, are a nation, and could therefore separate from Canada.
Rex then reminded his viewers that Newfoundland made a choice to join Canada, back in the 40s.
Then he went on a characteristic rant about how Mr Duceppe’s party “works inescapable injury to our federal system…almost necessarily impedes the formation of real national governments” He then talked about how “our federal Parliament has to ‘work around’ a concentrated grouping of dedicated separatists” and “we actively subsidize the weakening of our own federal system; we pay federal salaries and offer federal pensions to activist anti-federalists.”
This is an insult to every voter in Quebec.
Rex is saying that because the Bloc is a separatist party, they shouldn’t be paid to be in a federal parliament, that somehow the irony makes it wrong. But the Bloc members were elected by their constituents just like all the other MPs. Does Rex think that Quebec voters don’t deserve a say just like the rest of the country?
If you watch parliament closely, the fact is that the Bloc has not tried very hard the last few years to push the separatist agenda. When they vote on things in parliament, they rationalize their decisions based on what they believe is in the interests of Quebec. Is that not what a member of parliament is supposed to do — represent their constituents?
And even if the views they are representing are separatist ones, that doesn’t make them any less legitimate. This is a democracy, after all. There is room for disagreement, even on issues of such consequence. No, especially on issues of such consequence.
Just because Rex doesn’t agree with the Bloc’s views on what is best for the Quebecois, that doesn’t mean the Bloc MPs are not the legitimately elected representatives of their constituents as much as every other member of parliament.
It seems Rex might be fearful of separatism taking off in Newfoundland, his home province. If that is the case, he would be better off countering Gilles Duceppe’s arguments for separation. That shouldn’t be too difficult for a man of his intellect.
But most importantly: if he likes the Canadian system so much, he should also respect the legitimacy of the Bloc MPs who are voted in just like all the rest, and the right of Quebec voters to decide who represents them.
