Gilles Duceppe is not the devil

Interesting article in the Ottawa Citizen by Kate Heartfield:

I've been a little mopey lately about the fact that Canada was giving democracy a bad name, but now I'm not so sure. Last night, a friend from Burma commented on how remarkable it is to see opposition parties working together to actually, you know, oppose a government, instead of fighting amongst themselves. It's true: look at Zimbabwe, where the need for a united opposition is obvious, and yet there have been periods where the opposition has been divided.

All this talk about how the "separatists" are going to be in government and secretly tearing the country apart is getting me mad, though. For heaven's sake. For one thing, the Bloc isn't part of the governing coalition. It will vote with the new government as long as it supports it — which is exactly what it does now with the Conservatives. The opposition Conservatives, for that matter, can also vote with the governing coalition. Doesn't make them a part of it.

The Bloc is a regional interest party. That's all it could ever be. Duceppe didn't go to Ottawa to try to sneak through a bill allowing Quebec to separate — what a ridiculous notion. He went to cement the idea that politicians who speak for Quebec are also sovereignists. Yes, Quebec secession is part of his agenda, but in a much less direct way than the talk-show callers fear. The Bloc has been Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition — and actually did a pretty good job.

And for another thing: The Bloc is not the Taliban. It is dedicated to a political project, which it pursues through peaceful and democratic means. Whether you agree with that project or not, it is certainly not "the devil." For heaven's sake, if a Bloc politician had called Harper the devil, the English-language media would be all over it. (Remember "bout de chiffon rouge"?) Or if a Liberal MP had called Bush the devil. Duceppe doesn't complain, though. He is unflappable. In fact, he is probably the most level-headed of the bunch.

I'm not thrilled about the prospect of a Dion-Layton government (to put it mildly.) But the Conservative propaganda is, as always, insulting to citizens' intelligence.

Related reading:


'Separatist' coalition reference outrageous

Far and Wide: Make The Hypocrisy Stop

Stockwell Day In Coalition With Bloc?