Quebec Pops Question on Independence, Sets Vote

Quebec’s separatist government Thursday officially launched the French-speaking province toward an Oct. 30 referendum that could split Canada into two countries.

Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau unveiled a ballot question in Quebec City that, as expected, attempts to cushion the uncertainties of the province’s independence with an offer to negotiate an economic partnership with what would remain of Canada.

A smiling Parizeau, who has pursued his vision of an independent Quebec for three decades, told a caucus of his Parti Quebecois that they had crafted “a winning question.”

But supporters of Canadian unity immediately attacked the ballot proposal as evasive and an attempt to fool voters. They pointed out that the question does not include the words independence or country.

“It is only through confusion and obfuscation that the [separatists] believe they can trick Quebeckers into voting ‘yes,’ ” said Daniel Johnson, leader of the province’s opposition Liberal Party.

Thursday’s action will trigger a formal debate on the ballot measure in the Quebec Parliament and sets the clock ticking toward election day. Parizeau said at a news conference that he favors an Oct. 30 election, but he left open the option of pushing back the date a few weeks into November.

Recent polls show Quebec voters evenly divided on the proposal.

Parizeau made clear Thursday that if a majority approves the proposal, he will move ahead with a declaration of independence for Quebec, probably within a year. In the interim, he would seek to negotiate the terms of separation with representatives of Canada.

Quebec would ask for a formal trade association, and Parizeau also says an independent Quebec would continue to use Canadian currency and allow its citizens to claim dual Canadian-Quebec citizenship.

In effect, Parizeau has offered Quebeckers a political cafeteria, suggesting they could choose some aspects of independence and some of Canadian federalism. But he runs the risk that Canada will take its plates off the table, leaving Quebec with only the independence menu.

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Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, a Quebecker who has fought as fiercely for national unity as Parizeau has battled for separatism, refuses to say what steps he would take in the event the measure is approved.

But other Canadian political leaders have made clear their opposition to any special trade and political arrangements with an independent Quebec.

Quebec’s secession would deprive Canada of nearly a quarter of its population and 22% of its domestic economy. It would separate Canada’s easternmost provinces from the rest of the country and raise potential conflicts with Quebec’s Indians, who overwhelmingly favor continued union with Canada and have appealed to the federal government for protection.