Canadians in Southland Turn Attention to Northern Vote

As Quebec voters decided by a narrow margin Monday not to endorse secession from Canada, some Canadians in Los Angeles breathed easier. Others were near tears.

“It makes me feel very, very sad,” Solange Beaulieu of North Hills said as she watched Canadian federalists celebrate their victory on television. “It was the opportunity of our lives, and some people just didn’t understand.”

Separatists called the referendum a chance to preserve French language and culture, while unity supporters had said it could prove disastrous for the nation and its economy. Earlier in the day, as returns rolled in, local Canadians were waiting nervously and wondering if, this time, their homeland might actually break apart.

The Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles estimates that as many as 1 million Canadian-born residents live in Greater Los Angeles, making it the largest concentration of Canadians south of the border.

Even among Canadians who have lived here for years, the referendum thousands of miles away in the French-speaking province brought out strong emotions on both sides of the separatism question--although only Quebeckers who have lived outside their home province for less than two years were eligible to cast an absentee ballot unless they could prove they will return.

“I’m a French Quebecker. I’m not a Canadian,” said Beaulieu, who came here six years ago from Montreal.

“I’m a Canadian first,” said Shirley Wilson, president of the local Women’s Canadian Club, who came to the United States from Montreal 42 years ago. “I hate to think of Canada being broken up.”

Cultural identity is central to the debate, and many Canadians say the referendum highlights deep divisions between French and English-speaking Canadians that have persisted for decades.

Some English-speaking Canadians said they were disappointed that the vote was close--an indication of friction in a country otherwise known for its acceptance of different cultures.

“It’s an emotional issue, and big decisions about the whole economy of Canada shouldn’t be based on emotion,” said Carole Main of Palm Springs, who was born in Montreal.

All along, some local Canadians found it hard to believe that Quebec would actually break away.

“This isn’t quite as straightforward as some people think,” said Michael Fry, a professor of international relations at USC who is from Canada. “This [was] a vote to improve Quebec’s hand with Canada. The referendum [was] about negotiating a new deal.”

But Louis Duclos, the local delegate for the Quebec government in Los Angeles, said the close defeat will not quell separatist sentiment.

“I don’t think it is time to give up. It is time to continue the fight,” he said. “Next time, the ‘yes’ side will win.”