A debate on whether the province of Quebec is a "nation" of its own has opened a can of worms with hefty implications both for Canadian unity and for the future of the main opposition Liberal Party, according to Reuters. Two separate resolutions, one from the separatist Bloc Quebecois and one from the Quebec wing of Canada's pro-unity Liberal Party, are causing major headaches by forcing politicians to declare openly whether Quebec is a nation. On Thursday, the House of Commons will debate the Bloc's motion, which states simply: "That this House recognize(s) that Quebecers form a nation." Those who do not want the mainly French-speaking province to separate from Canada face a dilemma. If they vote yes, they risk encouraging separatism and lengthy constitutional negotiations that could potentially lead to the breakup of Canada if they fail. If they vote no, they also risk bolstering the separatists who could say Canada refuses to recognize their legitimate aspirations. Emotions are still raw more than a decade after Quebec voters came within a percentage point of voting for separation in a referendum in October 1995. The other resolution that is causing a political headache was put forward for debate at next week's federal Liberal leadership convention. It would recognize "the Quebec nation within Canada." The words "within Canada" are meant to guard against the concept of an independent nation, one that could take its seat at the United Nations. But it would also call for "this historical and social reality" to be "officialized" -- once again raising what many see as the specter of acrimonious constitutional haggling. "Clearly this motion has the capacity of being misunderstood, so people are trying to see if we can send a clearer signal," said Gerard Kennedy, one of the leading candidates for the Liberal leadership, which will be decided on Dec. 2. The candidate with the most delegate support, former Harvard don Michael Ignatieff, brought the whole debate into the leadership race when he declared his support for the concept of a Quebec nation within Canada. Fearing the whole debate could fracture the party, interim leader Bill Graham summoned all the leadership candidates for a meeting on Wednesday to smooth things over, but no solution immediately emerged. The trouble for federalist politicians is that the idea of "nation" -- in a largely cultural sense -- is often used in Quebec, even by those like provincial Premier Jean Charest, an ardent foe of separatism. The provincial legislature, for example, is called the National Assembly. Quebec also has a National Library and a National Museum. Former Liberal cabinet minister Jean Lapierre says he will vote for both the Bloc and the Liberal motions and says it would be a slap in the face of Quebec to vote no. If the Bloc motion is defeated when it is voted on next Tuesday, he said, "it will be seen as if this Parliament was irrelevant, not understanding the reality of the province and not respecting even the will of federalist Quebecers." However, another Liberal legislator from Quebec, Senator Serge Joyal, said that repeating the word "nation" would not make Quebec a nation. "The day Quebec becomes independent, it will have a seat in the United Nations, it will be a nation in the political sense," he told reporters.
