Quebec Warns Canada Against Secession Law

Quebec’s separatist government, warning of dire consequences, is urging Canada to think twice before legislating on the rules under which the province could secede.

The Canadian government is considering legislation to establish a set of rules on Quebec secession in an effort to be prepared for another referendum. Ottawa was roundly criticized for being caught off guard by the 1995 referendum that the separatists came close to winning.

“If they proceed [with legislation], that would be something with extreme gravity,” provincial Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Joseph Facal said Wednesday.

“That would be the equivalent of a trusteeship of Quebec democracy and also a head-on attack against a Quebec consensus,” he said.

A meeting Tuesday between Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his federalist Quebec deputies added fuel to rumors that Ottawa was planning tough new legislation on Quebec’s efforts to break away.

Facal was also reacting to a letter sent to him this week by Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stephane Dion, in which Dion bluntly told the Quebec government to forget about its plans for secession, saying polls showed there was no support for another referendum on independence.

In another matter related to the cultural dispute, a provincial judge in Granby, Quebec, ruled Wednesday that two antique dealers had the right to advertise with English and French words of the same size, striking down a law that requires that French be the predominant language on business signs.

Shop owners Wally Hoffman and Gwen Simpson, who had a sign with English words painted on one side and French in the same size on the other, defended themselves by saying the language law violated certain freedom rights under the Quebec Charter.

Quebec Court Judge Danielle Cote sided with the defense, saying the French language holds an adequately protected status in Quebec. But Quebec Justice Minister Linda Goupil said the provincial government would appeal.