The Sixth Estate

Given how agitated the Harperites got whenever there was even a whiff of “collusion” between the Bloc and the other Opposition parties, it’s always amusing to see how many former separatists are in the Conservative government’s ranks, and even in Harper’s own Cabinet. But this one, I have to say, I did not expect:

I say to the PQ and my old parliamentary colleagues in the BQ, please hold another referendum and win. In negotiating terms of separation, the government of Canada should be generous because, whatever the cost, Canada will be well rid of this sick society.

That’s former Reform MP Lee Morrison. Interestingly, he says that the “final straw” for him was the university student strike. Yes, that’s it! He used to think that “without Quebec, Canada would be diminished.”

But thanks to the student strike, Morison claims, he has seen the light! Quebecois are “outrageous” and “greedy” and it’s time to kick them to the curb!

Kicking out a province because of its fiscal deficit would set an interesting precedent, given that Alberta is the only province I am aware of to have ever have defaulted on its loan payments, and that thanks to the inept leadership of the Reform/Conservative party’s ancestors, the Socreds. (See, Harper, I know my history, too!)

Plus, Quebec isn’t exactly the only province running deficits these days. How many consecutive deficits should a province be allowed to run before we kick them out?