Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 31, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Quebec votes split on separation Winnipeg free october b3 Bouchard but wont go away by Linda Drouin Canadian press Montreal the future of Canada has never seemed More but one thing is Crystal Lucien Bouchard will not be going the Man who delivered the yes vote in numbers that nobody was predicting is now the most Power Ful separatist Leader in although the no Side won a Nar Row Victory in Quebec referendum nobody disputes the fact that Bouchard presence made the race so now he must decide How he can play his cards so that in the near future he will have another shot at the prize and a decisive a majority of francophone Vot ers decided yesterday they want a separate its a card the parti quebecois and the bloc quebecois will not take Long to with the vote so another referendum is just matter of Quebec Deputy Premier Bernard Landry said he be saying until the next time As Rene Levesque did in but until very and the Man most Likely to be at the Helm when that time comes is in the he and his maps must decide if there is any Point in staying in Ottawa for the daily Skir mishes with the Bouchard and his 52 bloc maps will not get a warm Welcome when they return to the commons this there was evident anger and frustration at the end of the Campaign in Ottawa from maps of All the other parties who Felt Power less to counteract the powerful effect Bouchard was having on Quebec gone were the warm feelings and Solidarity Many maps expressed when Bouchard was near death last december fighting the flesh eating disease that resulted in the amputation of his left from sheer Joy to Strain francophone still up in air by Bill Redekop staff reporter t 1hey sat glumly watching the to for the first 90 minutes after polls but when the no Side suddenly edged past the yes for the first time by a meagre tenth of a per the Centre culture Franco Manitoban flags the party was and the crowd booed lustily and several people flashed their Middle fingers when cameras showed Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau pacing behind a shuttered Canada had another Chance by a this is the most scared we want to said Christian who travelled to Montreal on the weekend to March with the no the one getting the mandate tonight is the Federal not the Sepa said the 35yearold executive director of francophone radio station Ckel in very said Pat president of the society fran As the crowd behind her cheered every fraction of a per cent the no vote maybe its a message that had to be it was a rude Courchelle said of the closeness of the but All agreed the Victory would be hol Low without changes in the next referendum will they wont vote no three said Armand executive director of the National parents a slim Victory is not Good for it leaves everything up in the he nothings unless the provincial premiers and Federal government can come up with its going to be a very frustrating next four or five sue a Calgary francophone on a visit was an emotional wreck As she watched the int it great she look at she As the no Side pushed Ever so Little bit its very my parents Are in Quebec and they want to be she in said Florence a geography teacher at College Louis there will be less antagonism throughout the country than if it had been a but where do we go from Here she Beaudry said she didst know How to teach Canadian geography earlier in the i do it there was a certain i would i have to rip out a few pages after the vote Beaudry said she could understand Why Phil free press tristan Santos applauds Small win for no Side at Franco Manitoban Marc free press College Louis Riel student Brigitte Boily with Bandanna supports no vote yesterday Daniel Levesque with Quebec Flag supports Many Quebe cers want to theres a different Way of looking at and thinking out problems among French speaking she at least its a but no matter what the something has to be said Raymond superintendent of the new francophone school something has to be done in the i think were going to have problems for a number of Bedard added that the fingerprinting could Start at the anglophone Community that voted overwhelmingly no and could be blamed for scuttling Quebec separatist business refuses to gloat by Allan Swift Canadian press Montreal Quebec largely pro federalist Busi Ness Community rejoiced at last nights narrow Victory by the no Side in the sovereignty ref but resisted any impulse to this is too close for Comfort but enough to encourage Quebec Busi Ness people to go ahead and seek reconciliation with the yes said Bert president of the National apparel it rep resents companies employing in Lafford dismissed fears that the by a single percentage was not decisive enough for que Bec businesses to make Lon term i would have liked to see a much clearer but the people have and we have to live with he said in an Guy be president of investment fund Cote said the result was the Best of both it will immediately reassure Dol Lar traders and the Stock predicted be but will also Force prime minister Chretien to make changes such As decentralizing government and cutting its very from my Point of View As a that Chretien and Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau show signs that its and there Are a lot of other things to like debt and Alvin president of peer less clothing did not share the the executives of his Montreal which employs people making mens suits for were planning to meet today to weigh their were going to think twice about continuing in the Segal nothing is settled by this ref we Peerless Are still in an expansion but do we continue Here most business organizations in Quebec strongly supported the no several High profile executives came out swinging Early in the Campaign Sibly constitutional changes that prime minister Chretien has suggested might but Why the vote is so close that Bouchard and his maps have no Rea son to make accommodations to keep the country they will have their sights trained on the next referendum it is More Likely that the separatist forces will be looking for the Chance to make Bouchard the offi Cial Leader in Quebec by replacing Premier Jacques they Felt betrayed that who had received the sympathy and encouragement of canadians across the was now berating those same canadians for showing up by the thou Sands at a no rally in Bouchard once said he was not interested in a moral but that All he will have when he gets Back to he could stay in the capital and push the Federal government to make the administrative and pos pms image soiled Chretien political credibility in doubt after narrow no Victory by Bob Cox Canadian press Ottawa Canada sur but its unlikely prime minister Chretien shining reputation will do the Chretien has emerged from the Quebec referendum not As the Savior of but As the person who almost lost the country by badly mis calculating sentiments in his own his political legitimacy and credibility Are seriously in doubt after the no Side won Only Chretien had promised a Clear Vic but instead delivered an unsettled status canadians had hoped to finally put constitutional bickering behind facing the Issue three times within the past five the prime minister will begin trying to rebuild his political Posi Tion today meeting the Liberal caucus at 8 and starting a Day Long Cabinet meeting an hour initiatives the Cabinet will try to map out where to go following the referendum what initiatives to Shelve and How to meet the change made absolutely essential by the narrow referendum who made Many Polit ical Points by criticizing Brian mul moneys preoccupation with Quebec and the now must embark on a Mulroney like Effort to reconcile Quebec desires for change in the Federal government is going to have to put something on the said Josee a prominent Quebec political scientist who supported the yes ministers will have to sacrifice plans they have worked on for months such As reforming unemployment insurance and pen Sions so the government can focus on the priority of dealing with blame the pm some political analysts predict the most popular prime minister since Public opinion polls were will be Able to ride out the even though the no Victory was Public opinion will go Back to said Robert a poli tics professor at the University of Western Ontario in Young believes canadians out Side Quebec will blame not for the close but much of Chretien popular Ity was built on his assurances to canadians outside Quebec that they didst have to worry about the province or think about he wont be Able to Lull canadians into indifference again after their rude Awakening to the Dan Gers to their there have already been suggestions some of his closest advis ers should some of Chretien own Cabinet ministers Are grumbling privately about being excluded from referendum Liberal backbench ers from out Side especially Fra Coph Are complaining they were wrongly left out of the Campaign until the last Chretien spent most of the referendum Campaign reassuring canadians the no Side would win and they ha4 nothing to worry analysis offer further administrative to hand provinces go far enough to please parti quebecois government or other provinces that want Ottawa to cede control in areas such As health care and the embark on constitutional change some premiers outside que Bec have already said they dont want to talk about the pressure will be great from Quebec to do especially to meet minimum demands such As recognition As a distinct society and a veto Over future constitutional set up a commission to study change Possi a group of experts could be assembled to make propos als for constitutional and other he even complimented people outside Quebec for keeping their he kept his own appearances to a minimum and stuck carefully to prepared sounding As Dull and wooden As he did after first becoming Liberal Leader in 1990 when he has acknowledged he was Chretien and his advisers were so Busy offering reassurances they missed the significance when Lucien Bouchard took Over leadership of the yes Campaign on touring West Ern Canada at the did not react publicly to the change for six even he shrugged it saying the bus Dri ver May have but the bus was still going in the same direction he forgot the Driver might change the Speed of the bus or pick up More Only in the final with the yes Side ahead in did Chretien pull out All the appearing at rallies and going on National to to say Canada faced a the rest of Canada came to the flocking to Montreal for the country biggest Unity rally Ever with one message to Quebec ;