Where would Quebec be if René Lévesque had the luxury of gaining sovereignty without having to face the test of a referendum?
Imagine if Jacques Parizeau had been able to unilaterally exempt Quebec from federal laws in its jurisdictions…
Political fiction? That’s essentially what whoever might become Alberta’s next prime minister is proposing.
Winning the vote of her radical fringe and the perennial victims of Western alienation, Danielle Smith hopes to win the race for leadership of the United Conservative Party by proposing passage of an American sovereignty law.
The Sovereignty Act, as it is called, would thus allow Alberta to overrule federal laws, court decisions and administrative decisions that would affect its jurisdiction or run counter to provincial interests!
The example of Quebec
Not surprisingly, Danielle Smith claims she wants to give Alberta the powers Quebec has embraced for decades. Not really. The Sovereignty Law is François Legault’s nationalism on steroids!
We’ll also note the irony that Alberta is taking inspiration from Quebec to correct the mistakes it attributes to him, from equalizing to GNL Quebec’s annulment.
Most notably, the debate highlights English Canada’s perception of CAQ nationalism.
Indeed, how can one accuse Alberta of wanting to evade national climate ambitions when Quebec out of hand rejects a foundation of Canadian identity like multiculturalism?
Furthermore, how can we ridicule the utterly unconstitutional nature of the eventual sovereignty law when Quebec preemptively uses the clause notwithstanding to circumvent the charter under Acts 21 and 96?
We now understand why the Trudeau government changed its mind and chose to litigate Quebec’s identity laws.
Legitimacy aside, Quebec’s demands are now viewed as a worm in the apple of Canada’s constitutional building.
Simon Jolin-Barrette certainly stirred things up when he proposed earlier this summer that the Quebec Charter take precedence over the Canada Charter.
If it’s good for kitties, it’s good for kitties. We can’t blame Alberta for wanting to do the same on the issues it cares about.
old problem
In the short term, the greatest political risk is facing Canada’s Conservative Party candidate, Pierre Poilièvre. If he wins, sooner or later he will have to respond to these claims of provincial sovereignty.
A risky gamble when the biggest supporters of the sovereignty law are its own supporters. Balance obliges if he curbs nationalist fervor in Alberta, he must do the same against Quebec.
And here we dive back into the eternal mystery of Quebec, Canada. How CAQ nationalism has consequences across the country that this time can hardly be swept under the rug.
